"Tell me about her," Bella said as we began the run towards home, fingers intertwined.

I smiled at the thought of our incredible, unique baby daughter, so much more than my wildest dreams could ever have been. "She's like nothing else in the world."

"How much is she like you? How much like me? Or like I was, anyway," she demanded.

"It seems a fairly even divide."

"She was warm-blooded."

"Yes. She has a heartbeat, though it runs a little bit faster than a human's. Her temperature is a little bit hotter than usual, too. She sleeps."

"Really?"

I chuckled. "Quite well for a newborn. The only parents in the world who don't need sleep, and our child already sleeps through the night." I savoured the way the words our child rolled off my tongue. The fact that I had never expected to be able to say them made them that much more significant to me. It connected Bella and me all over again.

"She has exactly your colour eyes—so that didn't get lost, after all," I continued, smiling. "They're so beautiful."

"And the vampire parts?" she asked.

"Her skin seems about as impenetrable as ours. Not that anyone would dream of testing that."

She blinked at me, obviously shocked at the very idea.

"Of course no one would," I assured her again. What else could I tell her? "Her diet...well, she prefers to drink blood. Carlisle continues to try to persuade her to drink some baby formula, too, but she doesn't have much patience with it. Can't say that I blame her—nasty-smelling stuff, even for human food." I smiled a little at the memory of the last time Carlisle had handed her a bottle of formula, her little face screwed up in distaste, her lips clamped together in refusal to drink.

Now Bella was staring at me in shock. "Persuade her?" she repeated.

"She's intelligent, shockingly so, and progressing at an immense pace," I tried to explain. "Though she doesn't speak—yet—she communicates quite effectively."

"Doesn't. Speak. Yet."

I slowed our pace so that Bella could absorb what I was telling her. It had all become so obvious to me and the rest of the family in the three days of Renesmee's life, but of course it was news to her.

"What do you mean, she communicates effectively?" she demanded.

I hesitated. "I think it will be easier for you to...see for yourself. It's rather difficult to describe." It was indeed difficult to describe, but it was more difficult to believe. I wanted Bella to experience the surprise and the sheer delight of it herself, the way we had.

She sighed thoughtfully. "Why is Jacob still here? How can he stand it? Why should he?" I hated the concern in her voice, even now, and especially in the circumstances. "Why should he have to suffer more?"

I almost snorted at that. "Jacob isn't suffering." I clenched my teeth at the thought of exactly what Jacob was doing—mooning over my infant daughter. Oh, how I was looking forward to Bella's reaction to that piece of news. "Though I might be willing to change his condition," I muttered.

"Edward!" she admonished. She stopped short and yanked my hand so that I stopped, too. "How can you say that? Jacob has given up everything to protect us! What I've put him through—"

Everything? I thought bitterly. Well, maybe so, but now he wanted everything in return. But it wasn't my story to tell. He had asked me to let him be the one to deliver the news to Bella. "You'll see exactly how I can say that," I said finally. "I promised him that I would let him explain, but I doubt you'll see it much differently than I do." I hesitated again, gazing at her. Or would she? Sometimes there was no telling with Bella. "Of course, I'm often wrong about your thoughts, aren't I?"

"Explain what?"

I shook my head. "I promised. Though I don't know if I really owe him anything at all anymore..." He hadn't succeeded in taking my wife, but now he wanted my daughter. It seemed more than even recompense for the difficulties he had had with his pack on our behalf.

"Edward, I don't understand," she said, clearly frustrated.

I reached up to stroke her cheek gently, hoping to relax her. I remembered how hard managing emotions was for a newborn. Her frown smoothed almost instantly at my touch, and I heard her breath catch in her throat the way it had earlier. A newborn's emotions shifted with lightning speed, too. "It's harder than you make it look, I know. I remember," I murmured, hoping I sounded soothing.

"I don't like feeling confused."

"I know. And so let's get you home, so that you can see it all for yourself." I gazed at her a moment, realizing for the first time that she was practically indecent now that the mountain lion had further shredded her dress. I certainly didn't mind the view, but I wasn't prepared to share it with our family or with Jacob Black—no matter how much his interests may have shifted. "Hmm." I quickly unbuttoned my shirt and held it out for her to put on over her dress.

"That bad?" she asked, brow again creasing into a frown as she looked down at her tattered garment. I simply grinned in response, and she slipped the shirt on, buttoning it swiftly.

With no small amount of satisfaction, I heard her suck in another ragged breath as she took in my appearance, now without a shirt. She struggled momentarily to get her reaction under control, then changed the subject. "I'll race you. No throwing the game this time!"

I let go of her hand and grinned again. "On your mark..."

We set off into the trees at a blistering pace. I wouldn't let her win this time, but I didn't let myself get more than about ten feet in front of her, either, in case we ran into another unexpected scent in the forest. She managed to pull ahead on her own at the end, though, by using her extra strength to leap over the river with one large stride. "Ha!" she cried as she landed on the other side, delighted by her ostensible victory.

I was about to say something teasing as I made my own leap and landed next to her, but was immediately distracted. Edward? I'm out here on the lawn with Seth and Leah. Me first before Renesmee, just like we discussed.

Bella had frozen, likely at either the scent or the sound of heartbeats. I clamped my hands down on the tops of her arms to hold her in place. "Don't breathe."

Her eyes darted around, searching for the source of whatever she was sensing.

Jacob stood about twenty yards before us, at the edge of the front lawn where it blended into the forest. He had his arms folded across his chest, his body rigid and ready to spring into action. I couldn't see Seth or Leah, but heard the sound of paws pacing in the trees behind him. Their thoughts were tense, watchful.

"Carefully, Jacob," I said, feeling Bella tense further under my hands. If she really lost control I wasn't sure of my ability to restrain her on my own. It was probably a good thing that Seth and Leah were as close as they were, in wolf form, prepared to intervene if need be. Leah snarled, unnecessarily reminding us she was there. "Maybe this isn't the best way—"

"You think it would be better to let her near the baby first?" he interrupted. "It's safer to see how Bella does with me. I heal fast."

His defensiveness of Renesmee irritated me—as though that were his job and not mine. Why did it always seem as though there were no boundaries he wouldn't cross? Fine, then. He wanted to take this on—I would let him. "It's your neck, I guess," I shrugged, unable to keep the annoyance out of my voice.

Leah growled again but remained hidden in the trees.

For a long moment, Bella stared from my face to Jacob's. I assumed that she was trying to figure out what was going on between us, what had happened while she had been unconscious the past few days. Jacob ignored me and focused on her, watching, waiting for a sign that she was a danger, and carefully taking in her new appearance. He was startled by the redness of her eyes, but was equally startled by how much she still seemed the same. She was still Bella—just enhanced. He noted each of the changes in her hair, skin and body, but he was cataloguing them almost scientifically. For the first time I had been in both his and Bella's presence at the same time, he wasn't looking at her with desire and longing. To the contrary, he was simply observing her...as a friend. The complete change was rather surprising.

But I was still glad she was covered by my shirt.

Eventually, Jacob broke into a smile. He hadn't seen her so much as flinch, and was becoming confident that she wouldn't attack him.

I still wasn't quite sure. And there was still the matter of his news to deliver.

"I gotta say it, Bells," he said finally, grinning and shuddering at the same time. "You're a freak show."

He meant it as a joke, but there was an undercurrent of truth to it. Although he could think of her solely as a friend now, he couldn't help hating the fact that she was a vampire. That she was now more like me than she was like him. "Watch yourself, mongrel," I growled under my breath, taking umbrage at the insult.

"No, he's right," Bella said. She took advantage of a change in the wind's direction to suck in a breath. "The eyes are really something, aren't they?"

"Super-creepy," he chuckled. "But it's not as bad as I thought it would be." I couldn't help a frown at the knowledge that his acceptance was informed by the fact that the new object of his deepest love and affection—my daughter—was half-vampire.

"Gee—thanks for the amazing compliment!" Bella smiled.

Jacob rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean. You still look like you—sort of. Maybe it's not the look so much as...you are Bella. I didn't think it would feel like you were still here." He smiled and then chuckled again. "Anyway, I guess I'll get used to the eyes soon enough."

"You will?" She was visibly surprised by his words, that they implied he intended to remain a part of her life. For someone so deeply loved by so many, she found it so easy to underestimate the depth of the affection that was held for her.

Jacob immediately felt guilty, that he had led her to believe he would abandon her once she was changed. But he also felt guilty for the secret he was currently hiding from her about Renesmee. He could tell from her reaction that I had not told her.

"Thanks," he murmured in my direction. "I didn't know if you'd be able to keep it from her, promise or not. Usually, you just give her everything she wants."

Yes, that's right, Jacob Black. You know everything about our relationship, I thought, annoyed. "Maybe I'm hoping she'll get irritated and rip your head off."

He snorted at the idea.

"What's going on?" Bella demanded suddenly. "Are you two keeping secrets from me?"

"I'll explain later," Jacob said, unwilling to distract Bella from the experiment he still wanted to conduct before she was allowed near Renesmee. He was more than happy to put off that discussion and her anticipated reaction, too. "First, let's get this show on the road."

He stepped forward slowly. Jacob! Leah thought protectively, whining as she stepped out from the cover of the trees. Seth's large and furry form followed directly behind. For whatever reason, he had more faith in Bella's ability to control herself than any of us, but he still wasn't willing to chance it.

"Cool it, guys," Jacob said softly, without turning to look at them. "Stay out of this." He continued forward, the huge wolves maintaining a distance but still following behind. He finally got close enough that I could feel the heat of his body in the air, and knew Bella would, too. The scent of even his dog's blood caused my throat to burn—I could only imagine how hers felt.

"C'mon, Bells. Do your worst," he teased uncertainly. Leah hissed and Bella continued to hold her breath. "I'm getting older here, Bella. Okay, not technically, but you get the idea. Go on, take a whiff."

"Hold on to me," she said, cringing back into my chest. I tightened my grip on her despite the morbid part of myself that would enjoy watching her rip Jacob Black to pieces. The grief and regret she would experience over it later wasn't worth it.

I heard her sniff delicately through her nose. The scent wasn't exactly human, certainly not as appealing to our kind as the hikers in the forest had been, but I knew it would still have its temptation, especially to her newborn senses. To my surprise, however, she took another, deeper breath and then noticeably relaxed. "Huh," she said finally. "I can see what everyone's been going on about. You stink, Jacob."

I burst out laughing, slipping my hands from her shoulders to wrap my arms around her waist, hugging her against me. Seth also let out a sound that was between a bark and a canine sort of laugh, stepping forward just as his sister moved further away.

"Look who's talking," Jacob retorted jokingly, making a show of plugging his nose. He even kept grinning when I gave Bella another squeeze, murmuring, "I love you" into her ear. He was simply... pleased at her reaction, at the fact that she could be that close and resist the urge to drain his blood from his body.

"Okay, so I passed, right?" she asked. "Now are you going to tell me what this big secret is?"

The delighted grin on Jacob's face melted into a nervous smile. This part of the test had gone well, but when she heard about the imprinting...he wasn't sure she'd be as easy-going. Neither was I. "It's nothing you need to worry about this second..." he started to say, and we heard a chortle of anticipation from inside the house. The family had been watching this exchange, and Emmett in particular loved the idea of a confrontation. He was practically giggling with excitement despite the fact that he'd have to jump into the fray if Bella snapped—perhaps because he'd have to jump into the fray if Bella snapped. He found the idea of wrestling with Bella far too entertaining.

Distracted from Jacob by the sound from the house, Bella turned in that direction, her face set in concentration. She was listening intently, no doubt picking up the sound of the fourth heartbeat in the vicinity: Renesmee's.

"Renesmee," she whispered, her body going rigid once again.

She was afraid, but after all I had seen today, I had confidence. She had been able to run from the scent of perfect strangers in the forest; it should be comparatively easy to avoid giving in to any urge she might have to harm her half-human daughter. And inside, there were seven of us to protect her from any misstep. "Come and see," I murmured in her ear. "I know you can handle this."

"You'll help me?" she asked, anxious, her voice still a whisper.

"Of course I will."

"And Emmett and Jasper—just in case?"

We're ready, willing and waiting, Edward! Emmett thought enthusiastically. Bring on our little sister!

"We'll take care of you, Bella. Don't worry, we'll be ready. None of us would risk Renesmee. I think you'll be surprised at how entirely she's already wrapped us all around her little fingers. She'll be perfectly safe, no matter what." Rosalie, I knew, was the one inside the house with Renesmee in her arms at the moment. She'd see herself ripped limb from limb before anyone had the chance to get within a hair's breadth of harming her niece.

Bella took a step toward the house, but Jacob suddenly placed himself in her way. "Are you sure, bloodsucker?" he demanded, but it was worry that infused his tone. "I don't like this. Maybe she should wait—"

"You had your test, Jacob."

"But—"

"But nothing," I interrupted, now about fed up with his interference. "Bella needs to see our daughter. Get out of her way."

He shot Bella another worried look, then turned on his heel and darted into the house, determined to beat us there and place himself in a defensive position in front of Renesmee. I couldn't restrain a growl at his presumptuousness.

I forced myself to shake it off and reached for Bella's hand. "Shall we?" I asked her gently. She looked nervous but nodded in the affirmative.

When we got inside, we found the family gathered near the front door, loosely arranged in a line with Rosalie behind them. Jacob strode up and stood just in front of her, adding another line of defence between Bella and Renesmee. Everyone except Jacob and Rosalie was smiling at us, hopeful but nervous. They hadn't witnessed what I had in the forest, and weren't nearly as confident about Bella's ability to restrain herself as I was. Both Jasper and Emmett stood on the balls of their feet, ready to spring forward in an instant. Jacob and Rosalie were even more anxious, not to mention repulsed by one another.

Daddy? My silent heart soared as always at Renesmee's mute call. She was confused, unsure why everyone was standing up and staring at the same thing at the same time, but knew my scent well enough to know that I had returned to the house. She craned herself forward to see from her position in Rosalie's arms, peering around Jacob. Her eyes fell on my face for an instant, then shifted to Bella's.

Bella gasped. "I was out just two days?"

Mommy!

I could imagine was Bella was seeing: a baby who was already almost twice the size she had been when she was born a mere few days ago, already able to support her own head and body, already with a full head of bronze-coloured ringlets falling past her shoulders, already aware enough to be cognizant of her surroundings and recognize her mother...already able to stretch forward and reach a hand in Bella's direction. Quickly, Renesmee turned back to place a hand on Rosalie, conveying the silent demand that Rosalie confirm Bella was indeed her mother and put her in Bella's arms immediately.

Bella was still staring at Renesmee. I could imagine that she was assessing Renesmee's physical characteristics, finding clear reflections of both of us in her eyes, hair, facial features and skin tone. The family resemblance was more than obvious.

Rosalie reached up to pat the tiny hand that pressed against her throat. "Yes, that's her."

For a seemingly long moment, Renesmee continued to stare at Bella as Bella stared at her. Then...she broke into a wide smile.

Suddenly, Bella took a hesitant step forward. Emmett and Jasper reacted in less than the blink of an eye, appearing directly in front of us, shoulder to shoulder, hands raised and ready to grab onto her if need be. I clutched her tightly by the upper arms, watching as the rest of our family also repositioned themselves in a tighter defensive form. Rosalie had taken a few steps backwards, and Jacob stepped directly in front of her, maintaining his protective stance.

Only Alice hadn't moved. She rolled her eyes at all of us. "Oh, give her some credit. She wasn't going to do anything. You'd want a closer look, too."

Bella seemed to be taking stock of herself, assessing her own state of mind and state of resistance. After a few seconds, she patted one of my hands. "I'm okay. Keep close, though, just in case."

Jasper's eyes narrowed as he focused on her, assessing her emotions while simultaneously emanating a wave of calm. She seems okay, Edward...but I don't know. It seems too good to be true. I knew what he meant, but I was the one who had witnessed her behaviour first-hand in the forest – behaviour the rest of the family still didn't know about. I slowly released my hold on Bella's arms.

Renesmee was squirming now, reaching once again in Bella's direction, this time with both arms extended. Mommy!

I was satisfied. Bella would be fine with this.

"Jazz, Em, let us through. Bella's got this."

"Edward, the risk--," Jasper began.

"Minimal," I interrupted. "Listen, Jasper—on the hunt she caught the scent of some hikers who were in the wrong place at the wrong time..."

Everyone misunderstood immediately. What!? She harmed someone? Carlisle sucked in a shocked breath. Jasper's eyes widened, but he wasn't surprised in the least. Jacob made a face at the idea of Bella attacking and draining a couple of humans.

Before I could explain that they were assuming incorrectly, Carlisle spoke aloud. "Edward! How could you be so irresponsible?"

I flinched at his reprimand, but despite the fact no harm had been done I knew I deserved it. "I know, Carlisle, I know. I was just plain stupid. I should have taken the time to make sure we were in a safe zone before I set her loose." I had been too distracted by her appearance, her grace, her ability to keep up with me while I ran. I had truly been careless, and there was no good excuse for it.

"Edward," Bella murmured uncomfortably.

I smiled at her to reassure her despite my blunder. "He's absolutely right to rebuke me, Bella. I made a huge mistake. The fact that you are stronger than anyone I've ever known doesn't change that."

Alice rolled her eyes. "Tasteful joke, Edward." She hadn't jumped to the immediate conclusion Bella had attacked the humans as everyone else had, but she took my words now to imply that Bella had made quick work of them.

"I wasn't making a joke," I said rapidly. "I was explaining to Jasper why I know Bella can handle this. It's not my fault everyone jumped to conclusions."

What? "Wait," Jasper gasped aloud. "She didn't hunt the humans?" Impossible!

"She started to." I couldn't restrain a smile of pride now as I explained Bella's extraordinary display of control. "She was entirely focused on the hunt."

"What happened?" Carlisle demanded, but his face was slowly breaking into a smile of amazement.

"She heard me behind her and reacted defensively. As soon as my pursuit broke into her concentration, she snapped right out of it. I've never seen anything to equal her. She realized at once what was happening, and then..." I paused for dramatic effect, enjoying the telling of this story about my incredible wife. "...she held her breath and ran away."

Emmett's eyes widened. "Whoa. Seriously?"

Bella looked embarrassed, as usual, at being the center of attention, the object of the entire family's amazed stares. "He's not telling it right," she said quietly. "He left out the part where I growled at him."

Hot! Emmett grinned and I rolled my eyes. "Did ya get in a couple of good swipes?" he demanded eagerly. Now he was curious about the state of Bella's dress and wondered if we had shredded it in some kind of kinky forest-floor wrestling match.

"No! Of course not!" she replied, horrified at the thought.

"No, not really? You really didn't attack him?"

"Emmett!" she protested. I couldn't help the reflexive habit of glancing at her to enjoy the sight of the inevitable blush I expected to see creeping over her cheeks. There was no blush, of course, but her facial expression was the same as it would have been when she was still human: uncomfortable embarrassment.

"Aw, what a waste," Emmett groaned, disappointed. "And here you're probably the one person who could take him—since he can't get in your head to cheat—and you had a perfect excuse, too." He sighed. "I've been dying to see how he'd do without that advantage."

I grinned at my brother. Guess he'd just have to keep waiting to find out.

Bella still looked horrified at the idea. "I would never."

Jasper was staring at Bella with a frown, still trying to process the fact that she hadn't killed those humans. In all his many decades of experience with newborns, he'd never even heard of such a thing, much less seen it for himself. He was having difficulty believing it.

I tapped his shoulder with a fist in a friendly gesture of reassurance. "You see what I mean?"

Jasper's frown only deepened. "It's not natural."

Esme looked at me, her face etched with motherly concern. "She could have turned on you—she's only hours old! Oh, we should have gone with you." I'm so sorry, Edward, she added silently, unnecessarily.

I was about to respond, but noticed that Bella and Renesmee were now staring at each other again, each with an expression of longing. Mommy! Little dimpled hands were reaching out to Bella, and Bella lifted one of hers in response.

"Edward," she murmured softly, trying to peer around Jasper's body. "Please?"

Jasper's jaw clenched. He still wasn't convinced and didn't move out of her way.

Alice spoke up. "Jazz, this isn't anything you've seen before. Trust me." Jasper glanced in her direction and met her eyes for a brief moment. He finally nodded. Although he took a step away, he fell in behind Bella and placed a hand on her shoulder, walking with her as she slowly stepped toward Renesmee.

She moved carefully, no doubt conscious of the need to monitor her own reactions so that she didn't place our daughter in jeopardy. It took several long moments before she was within a few feet of where Rosalie stood with Renesmee squirming impatiently in her arms.

Finally, Renesmee had had enough. As she thought one last MOMMY! she opened her mouth and let out a high, ringing wail.

We all reacted in shock, stepping forward en masse to see what was wrong. With a more direct method of communication available to her, we had actually never heard Renesmee cry before...and the sound struck me like a dagger directly through the heart. It was the same reaction I had had hearing Bella cry out in pain in the ballet studio in Phoenix, my immediate impulse to do something, anything to make it stop.

"What's the matter?"

"Is she hurt?"

"What happened?"

Everyone's voices overlapped, everyone reaching out at the same time to pat the small child soothingly. I was about to reach for her but Jacob Black beat me to it, and Rosalie handed her to him without protest. I felt a faint twinge of annoyance, but it was far outweighed by the need to find out why my daughter was in distress.

"No, she's fine," Rosalie said, directing her response at Jacob, who had been the loudest in expressing his concern.

Renesmee pressed a hand to Jacob's cheek quickly, then reached around to stretch toward Bella once again. Mommy!

Of course. If I had taken a moment to listen instead of simply react to Renesmee's cry, I would have realized what the problem was immediately. I felt guilty, both for my failure to recognize what Renesmee wanted, and for the fact that when we had all swarmed around Renesmee, we had left Bella out, standing behind us, simply watching us helplessly.

"See?" Rosalie was saying now. "She just wants Bella."

"She wants me?" Bella whispered uncertainly.

I stepped back to Bella's side, cursing myself for reacting without thinking and especially for leaving Bella that way. I placed my hands on her arms lightly this time and urged her forward, toward our daughter. "She's been waiting for you for almost three days."

Jacob was visibly nervous as Bella approached him. Keep your hands on her, bloodsucker...stay ready...he warned me unnecessarily.

Bella sensed his uneasiness. "Jake—I'm fine."

Renesmee stretched forward even further, arms still out, tiny hands repeatedly curling into fists and uncurling in her eagerness. Bella closed the remaining distance without hesitation and reached for the small child, pulling her towards her own chest as though it were the most natural thing in the world. Jacob allowed Bella to take her but didn't remove his own arms. The result was that he was still holding Renesmee at the same time Bella did.

A violent impulse ripped through me, surprising me with its force and its suddenness. It was the sight in front of me: Bella, with our daughter in her arms as she should be...but with Jacob Black cradling her simultaneously, as though he were her other parent. As though he were the one who should be sharing this moment with Bella.

I heard Alice gasp very softly at my side. She reached out to place a hand on my forearm just as Jasper sent out an explosive wave of calm, directed solely at me, to keep me from reacting to what must have been very apparent from my face and my sudden change in mood.

I struggled for a few seconds, forcing back the urge to tear Jacob's arms from their sockets once and for all. I wouldn't ruin this moment for either Bella or Renesmee. It was about them and not this dog's continual presumptuousness. Ripping out his throat would only scare and shock them both.

I focused on Bella's face instead, and Renesmee's thoughts. She was smiling at Bella again, and reached out a small palm to place on her mother's cheek.

It was an odd moment for me as I saw from Renesmee's mind the thoughts and images she was transmitting to her mother—meaning that for that single moment, I knew what was in Bella's mind as well. Silent to me for so long, it was almost as though her mind were suddenly open. I listened and watched, overwhelmed as Renesmee showed Bella her last memory of her: Bella's face twisted with pain, covered in sweat and blood, eyes struggling to focus as I placed Renesmee on her chest mere seconds after she had been born.

Just as quickly, the image was gone. Renesmee had dropped her palm from its place on Bella's cheek and now simply smiled again, showing off the dimples in her chubby cheeks.

Everyone was quiet as we waited for Bella to react.

"What...was...that?" she finally managed to choke out.

"What did you see?" Rosalie was the first to ask. "What did she show you?"

"She showed me that?" Bella whispered, stunned.

"I told you it was hard to explain," I murmured, leaning close to her ear. "But effective as means of communications go." Almost as suddenly as the rage at Jacob had overtaken me a few moments before, now I was awash with a feeling of intimacy and connectedness with my wife. For those short seconds, I had almost been inside her mind. I hadn't realized how much it would mean to me.

"What was it?" Jacob asked. I realized that he was more interested in the answer to that question from Renesmee's perspective, what she had chosen to tell her mother for the first time—rather than in Bella's reaction to it. The change in his focus still surprised me.

Bella blinked, trying to articulate it. "Um. Me. I think. But I looked terrible."

"It was the only memory she had of you," I explained quietly. While Renesmee had certainly gazed at her mother's unconscious form from my arms while I waited for Bella to get through the transformation, those moments following her birth were the only memories she had of her mother aware of her presence, looking at her and smiling back at her. The vision made me cringe a little—I couldn't wait for Renesmee to replace those memories with something far more pleasant than those moments had been.

I continued. "She's letting you know that she's made the connection, that she knows who you are."

Bella gazed down at Renesmee, clearly still stunned. Renesmee had reached out to take a lock of Bella's long chestnut hair in her tiny fist. "But how did she do that?"

"How do I hear thoughts? How does Alice see the future?" I shrugged. "She's gifted."

"It's an interesting twist," Carlisle said, more to me than to Bella. "Like she's doing the exact opposite of what you can."

"Interesting," I agreed. "I wonder..." I know. Me too. What is the opposite of what Bella can do? Carlisle mused silently. It wasn't clear yet what Bella's "talent" was, if anything...except that she was still somehow able to block me from hearing her thoughts. Was there anything apparent about Renesmee that was a mirror image of that?

I was distracted by Bella's voice, now murmuring quietly to Renesmee. "I remember you, too." She leaned forward and gently pressed her lips to the child's forehead. My dead heart swelled at the sight.

Careful...Jasper had sucked in an anxious breath at the proximity of Bella's mouth and nose to Renesmee's flesh. "She's fine," Alice murmured reassuringly, as though she had heard his thought herself.

Jacob's voice interrupted the moment. "Haven't we experimented enough for one day? Okay, Bella's doing great, but let's not push it." His voice was laden with concern for Renesmee. I supposed I had to appreciate it despite the pervading sense of irritation I still felt where he was concerned.

It was Bella, however, who finally seemed to have had enough of him. Her eyes narrowed with a deadly glare in his direction, a look I never thought I would see her cast his way. "What is your problem, Jacob?" she snapped, tugging Renesmee to try and extricate her from the hold he still had on her small body. Instead of taking the hint and releasing her to Bella, Jacob merely tightened his hold and stepped closer so that Renesmee was pressed between Bella's chest and his.

That was the last straw. The presumptuousness had been tolerated long enough. "Just because I understand, it doesn't mean I won't throw you out, Jacob," I hissed, my voice low. "Bella's doing extraordinarily well. Don't ruin the moment for her."

Although she had put up with him well until now, Rosalie was more than ready to back me up. "I'll help him toss you, dog," she growled. "I owe you a good kick in the gut."

Bella was still glaring at Jacob. I could only assume that she was still trying to figure out why he was so concerned about a half-vampire child, why he was still around now that she was herself a vampire. He was aware of her eyes on him, but his concern was Renesmee, and his own eyes were trained on her face, gazing at her in the reverent way he had been gazing at her the past several days. His thoughts were focused on her, whether she was really safe in Bella's arms, whether the family of vampires would do a good enough job of protecting her.

I was again irritated at the implication we wouldn't, and was about to open my mouth to tell him he'd worn out his welcome.

It was Bella's sharp gasp that prevented me from getting the words out. "No!" Her entire body went rigid in shock and anger. I heard Jasper's teeth snap closed and wrapped my arms tightly around her chest, guessing at what made her react so strongly so suddenly—at what she had likely just realized. Jacob's expression was too adoring, his concern too deep to be simply the concern of a good friend. And Bella was perceptive.

Whether he recognized the signs that Bella had figured out his secret or not, Jacob responded to her sudden tension and aggression by yanking Renesmee out of her arms. Bella didn't fight him. She seemed at the edge of her self-control.

"Rose," she said slowly, through a tightly clenched jaw. "Take Renesmee."

Rosalie quickly stepped forward and Jacob relinquished Renesmee to her without hesitation. Then both he and Rosalie took a few steps back.

"Edward," Bella said next, "I don't want to hurt you, so please let go of me."

I hesitated. I was torn between two competing impulses. On the one hand, I was tempted to let Bella express the displeasure I knew was headed Jacob Black's way, to let her surrender to her own anger and tear his head clean off if she wanted to, the way I had wanted to when I first found out he had imprinted on my infant child.

But on the other hand, I knew that once she calmed down, she would regret it if she killed him.

Wouldn't she?

I certainly wouldn't.

"Go stand in front of Renesmee," she suggested when she noted my hesitation.

My decision was made. No doubt it was selfish, but I was prepared to let the chips fall where they may, and let Jacob deal with the consequences of what had happened. There was absolutely no doubt in my mind that he would have done the same to me and enjoyed every last moment of it. He would probably stand on the sidelines cheering as she tore me limb from limb.

I didn't owe him any better. At least not now.

With that, I let her go.

Immediately, she leaned into a hunting crouch and took two slow steps toward Jacob. She looked positively feral, no different than James or Victoria or any of the newborns had during our battles with them. "You didn't," she snarled.

Jacob backed away, palms up in a gesture of surrender. "You know it's not something I can control."

"You stupid mutt!" I raised my eyebrows, a little surprised at her use of such a derogatory term for her putative best friend. "How could you? My baby!" she demanded, her voice almost a shriek.

He had backed so far away that he was now at the front door, shuffling quickly backward down the stairs. She followed after him, still in a crouch. "It wasn't my idea, Bella!" he protested.

"I've held her all of one time, and already you think you have some moronic wolfy claim to her? She's mine."

I followed at a few paces' distance, and suppressed the urge to do a little cheering from the sidelines myself. I would maintain a little more decorum than Jacob Black would have if the tables were turned.

"I can share," he said pleadingly, now scurrying across the lawn.

"Pay up," Emmett muttered quietly to Jasper from the doorway. While the rest of the family except for Rosalie and Renesmee had trailed along to watch Bella and Jacob, no one was inclined to intervene, at least not yet. Surprisingly, that even included Carlisle.

Bella's fury seemed to be building. "How dare you imprint on my baby? Have you lost your mind?"

Jacob was still backing up, toward the trees where Seth and Leah remained waiting for him in wolf form. "It was involuntary!" he insisted, and was relieved when Seth and Leah stepped forward to take his flanks. When Leah snapped at Bella, I flew to her side, Emmett and Jasper only half a step behind me.

Bella, however, was unphased. A vicious snarl ripped through her body, from the depths of her chest and through her still-clenched jaw. She didn't even seem aware that Emmett, Jasper and I were now beside her.

"Bella, would you try to listen for just a second? Please?" he begged. "Leah, back off," he added, without moving his eyes from Bella's. Leah's teeth remained bared in a snarl of her own, but she stayed in place.

"Why should I listen?" Bella hissed.

"Because you're the one who told me this. Do you remember? You said we belonged in each other's lives, right? That we were family. You said that was how you and I were supposed to be. So...now we are. It's what you wanted."

He's gotta be kidding! Emmett thought incredulously. He thinks that's a good explanation? What an idiot!

As predicted, Bella was not inclined to simply accept that. "You think you'll be part of my family as my son-in-law!" she screeched. Emmett laughed.

"Stop her, Edward," Esme murmured from behind us. "She'll be unhappy if she hurts him."

Part of me knew that to be true, but the other part now had to wonder. Even I hadn't expected quite this level of fury...but it hadn't escaped my notice, either, that despite her rage she still had enough control over herself not to have torn him to pieces five minutes ago. Even in these circumstances, she still somehow had a tighter reign over her emotions than any newborn could expect.

"No!" Jacob exclaimed at the same time. "How can you even look at it that way? She's just a baby, for crying out loud!"

"That's my point!" she yelled.

"You know I don't think of her that way! Do you think Edward would have let me live this long if I did?" He had a point there. It was only the pureness of his thoughts that had kept me from killing him myself. "All I want is for her to be safe and happy—is that so bad?" he continued, his voice still pleading. "So different from what you want?"

Bella merely growled in response, but still made no move to actually attack him. I was starting to think that if she hadn't yet, she wouldn't...despite her anger. The Bella in her wouldn't allow her to harm someone whom, fundamentally, she still loved.

Carlisle was equally astonished by this display of her control, marvelling silently as he watched these events unfold before him. He wouldn't tolerate violence or an actual breach of the treaty with the Quileutes, so he was prepared to intervene—he just didn't think it was necessary.

"Amazing, isn't she?" I murmured.

"She hasn't gone for his throat even once," Carlisle replied out loud, sounding stunned.

Emmett grunted at Jasper. "Fine, you win this one," he muttered under his breath.

"You're going to stay away from her," Bella was hissing, still glaring at Jacob through narrow eyes.

"I can't do that!" he exclaimed, appalled at the idea.

"Try. Starting now," she growled, teeth pressed tightly together.

"It's not possible. Do you remember how much you wanted me around three days ago? How hard it was to be apart from each other? That's gone for you now, isn't it?" Jacob asked a little desperately. She simply glared at him. "That was her," he continued. "From the very beginning. We had to be together, even then."

I was startled to hear this. Even in his thoughts, he hadn't articulated it this way before. His inexplicable draw to Bella during her pregnancy...and perhaps even before? Could this possibly be the reason for all of it? Right down to his inability to let go of her even when she chose me, even once she was actually married to me?

That was certainly food for thought. I looked at Jacob with wide eyes. It cast the history among the three of us in an entirely new light.

Bella had hesitated long enough to absorb these words herself, but her anger hadn't dissipated. "Run away while you still can," she muttered simply.

"C'mon, Bells! Nessie likes me, too," he insisted.

Bella froze and stopped breathing. I could feel my own body tense at the tension that was rolling off hers. Was she finally going to snap? Why now? Emmett, Jasper and Carlisle all stepped forward quietly, ready but waiting.

Finally Bella spoke again, her voice so low it would have been inaudible to humans. "What...did you call her?"

I almost chuckled. It was the nickname—the silly nickname Jacob had given Renesmee. That that was the thing that might finally send Bella over the edge was so peculiar it was amusing.

Jacob took another step back and looked sheepish. "Well," he murmured, "that name you came up with is kind of a mouthful and—"

"You nicknamed my daughter after the Loch Ness Monster?" Bella screeched, then finally lunged for his throat.