Surprises

After giving the newlyweds some ample time to settle into their new home, Edward made plans for his hunting trip with Renesmee. And to keep his son-in-law pleased, he promised not to hunt too far from home so the wolves could patrol the area just in case any visitors decided to pass through.

Both father and daughter headed up to Bear Mountain together on foot. Renesmee was especially being that it had been a long while since she'd hunted alone with her father. She really looked forward to the time she would get to spend with him. Edward challenged Renesmee to a race up the side of the mountain. She was a fast runner. Almost as fast as her father and she greatly enjoyed showing off her abilities, each of which had improved as she continued to mature. Her strength and speed were twice the aptitude she was capable of as a child. Whenever she hunted with Jacob, he would always encourage her to improve, making each meal seem more like a game rather than training. And since she was non-venomous, he could easily play-fight with her, not worrying if she accidentally bit him, in which occasionally she did if she got to excited. Though hide and seek with Jacob was just a simple form of frolic and entertainment for her, in effect it was a defense against her own enemy. Renesmee had a greater advantage, having a wolf for a mate. She knew all Jacob's tricks and maneuvers more than any of the other vampires, which challenged her to be a stronger fighter. It was an advantage for Jacob since he could take on a vampire without the risks of being poisoned by venom. At times he would chase Renesmee for miles through the forest until he could catch her, being very careful not to scratch or bite her. Not once did he ever make any mistakes; not even when Renesmee sunk her teeth on him a few times on impulse. He didn't mind since he always healed quickly but it usually hurt like hell. In the end, he knew it was worth it because the sessions with Renesmee helped transform him into the strongest of the wolves when it came down to hunting and killing vampires

It impressed Edward to watch his daughter sailing through the air, over small gorges and canyons. The two of them ventured higher until they reached an area of caves where a large den of bears resided. When they approached the tire-sized hole in the ground, Edward poked his head inside, searching for slumbering beasts and inhaled deeply. He picked up a distinct feral odor from within. Then suddenly he spotted a rustling movement. He was quite sure now that there was at least one bear inside as it began to grumbling, echoing up through the narrow hole. A pair of eyes opened and stared and Edward quickly leaped when a giant paw swung out at him.

"Anyone hungry?" he asked.

His daughter grinned widely.

The bear started to retreat further back but it was no match for a hunter like Renesmee. She ferreted her way into the hole, trapping creature. It hardly had the room to fight but did its best to claw and bite at her. Renesmee took him out quickly. Without venom, she didn't have the ability to debilitate her prey like the others. She usually had to take down an animal by force, and bears were a fierce challenge. They never gave up easily but it was a challenge she enjoyed.

Once she had hold of the bear's throat, she crushed it's trachea with her tiny yet powerful hands. The creature flailed and thrashed, gurgling as she cut off its airway. Its body finally slumped down to a lifeless mass of fur and muscle. She ripped a patch of fur and skin from its neck to expose its artery. A warm red liquid gushed out as soon as her nails tore it open. Renesmee latched onto the animal, taking large gulps while its heart still pumped blood through its veins. When she felt full, she let go and slunk back out the cave where her dad waited. They both chuckled when she let out an enormous hiccup.

"Oops, guess I was in a hurry. I was quite hungry."

"I'll say…you didn't waste any time taking him out. You used to enjoy playing with your food first," he commented with a sly grin.

"Well maybe we'll get lucky and find some of his friends roaming around." She wiped her mouth of the blood and straightened her clothes and hair that got tussled in the struggle.

"Let's head north then, shall we?" Edward suggested.

As they climbed to higher grounds, Renesmee began to lag behind Edward. He immediately noticed something wasn't right with her. She felt a nagging pain in her abdomen that slowed her to a near halt. Finally, Edward stopped to check on her.

"Ness, what is it?"

He put his hands on her arms and studied her facial expressions, clearly displaying the discomfort she was experiencing. It was the same pain she endured when she hunted with Jacob.

Not wanting to worry her father she tried desperately to shake it off but Edward couldn't be fooled. He also knew now that this wasn't the first time she experienced this symptom. Abruptly, Renesmee keeled over in agony grabbing her stomach.

"Ness!" Edward grabbed her around the waist too keep her from hitting the ground. Saliva welled up in her mouth and she started to experience a sensation she never encountered before - nausea. She let out a moan before the gush of blood expelled from her mouth, vomiting her entire meal. Tears ran down her face as she grasped abdomen. Edward held her hair back trying to sooth her. It was the first time she'd ever been sick. She'd never had so much as a sniffle or a cough in her entire life and her present condition truly frightened him. When she seemed to have nothing left in her to expel, he scooped her up in his arms and quickly headed back home as fast as his legs would allow.

When they arrived, Carlisle instructed Edward to lay her on the exam table he had set up in a small room where he kept most of his supplies. It was the same table he used to examine Seth the night Tara broke his ribs during their first date.

Jacob took Renesmee's face in his big warm hands and wiped her tears. "Tell me what happened?" he said in a soothing voice.

"I got sick," she squeaked. Another tear spilled down her cheek.

Carlisle tried not to be rude but he really needed to examine Renesmee without Jacob in the way so he politely asked him to step aside. Jacob reluctantly stepped out of the way but hovered as close as he could without interfering.

"Are you in pain?" the doctor asked.

She nodded. "Just my stomach."

"Did you hunt?" He gently pressed on her belly trying to feel anything unusual as he questioned her.

"Yes. Black bear."

"Did you get any?"

"Just one." Her stomach started knotting up again as she thought about it.

"And did he appear to be healthy? Did you happen to notice any open sores or anything that might have indicated the bear was not healthy?" he asked looking at Renesmee first and then over at Edward.

Edward hadn't thought of that. Though he never actually got a good look at the animal, it didn't seem to be suffering from anything, especially since it put up a good fight. Renesmee started to shake her head to reply but then she suddenly vomited blood into her lap.

"Ness!" Jacob shouted and was instantly at her side again. He was at a loss, wanting to comfort her but not knowing how.

Tears ran down her face again but not from the pain, this time it was from the fear of not knowing what was happening to her body. Her lip trembled as she cried out Jacob's name,

staring at the warm red liquid in her lap. "I'm scared," she whispered to him.

"I got you, I'm right here. Shhhh, it'll be okay." He tried to sooth her nerves but was just as scared as her. And though Carlisle appeared to remain quite composed, the others displayed the same amount of worry on their faces. The doctor was used to dealing with emergencies on a daily basis and very skilled at hiding his emotions from his patients. Though the others could not see his concerns, Edward picked up every thought in his mind, and he too feared the unknown.

"I'll need you all to clear the room, I'd like to give her a full exam," the doctor ordered.

Though Edward and Bella didn't want to leave their daughter's side, they complied in order to provide Renesmee with some privacy.

Carlisle had been Renesmee's doctor since infancy. Knowing there was no way she could ever be treated by any humans, there was no choice about it. He'd examined every inch of her body many times over, keeping track of her basic vitals, measurements and changes that occurred. She was quite used to his poking and prodding though it became less frequent as she aged more slowly and began to mature into womanhood. Renesmee usually came by the house once a month for check-ups, sometimes without Jacob since they became so routine, but this time she wanted her husband close, desperately needing his comfort. "Don't leave me," she said squeezing his hand. Jacob caressed her forehead to sooth her. Noticing it felt slightly warmer than usual.

"I think you might have a fever," he said to her while looking over at Carlisle. He pressed his hands to her flushed cheeks. They were hot and dry.

"I do feel kinda warm," she admitted.

Carlisle pulled a gadget out of his pocket and ran it across Renesmee's forehead. The digital thermometer read 109.6. He cleared it and ran it across her head again. The second time it read 110.0.

"Other than your stomach and fever, is there anything else I should know?" he asked as he headed for the large storage cabinet behind him.

Renesmee shook her head feeling helpless. Carlisle turned around holding several small vials. "Well, let's start with some blood samples then."

She knew the routine. Since her skin was too tough for any needle to puncture she used her razor sharp teeth to bite down on her arm and create an opening for him. The lack of venom allowed her to heal without leaving a scar. Once that was done, Carlisle proceeded to run a series of tests on her, making sure he didn't miss anything.

By the time he finished, her pain subsided and she was no longer feeling sick. Carlisle instructed Bella to take her upstairs to rest. Not knowing exactly what was wrong, he opted not to give her anything but he did suggest Bella lay with her to try and cool her and bring down the fever. She fell asleep quickly as Bella curled up next to her and hummed her lullaby. Jacob and Edward remained down stairs, both pacing about as they waited for answers.

The doctor checked her x-rays, tested her blood and urine for disease and infection but everything came back negative. He was at a loss. Until… a single thought popped into his head and suddenly he felt extremely stupid that it never dawned on him before. Of course! He thought.

As Carlisle ran one more test on her blood, Edward listened in closely to his thoughts from the other room. Suddenly his demeanor went from calm to rage and he was on top of Jacob with seconds.

"How could you! You promised me you'd be careful! You swore to me! I knew I shouldn't have trusted you!" Edward shouted.

Jacob hadn't seen Edward this angry in years. He had no idea what was going through the vampire's mind but he wasn't about to let him treat him this way no matter who's property he was on.

Taken completely by surprise, he shoved back though the vampire didn't even so much as flinch from the minor assault."What the hell is your problem!" he growled, staring back at Edward's pitch black and angry eyes.

Esme heard the commotion and ran into the room, followed by the others. When Carlisle figured out what was happening he quickly pulling Edward back before anyone damage could be done.

Jacob spoke directly to Carlisle. "What's going on? Did you figure out what's wrong?" he asked, ignoring all else around him.

"Yes. I don't know why I didn't think of it in the first place when I noticed that Renesmee's hCG levels are through the roof. That explains everything."

Jacob was lost at his new revelation. "Um…can you gimme that that in English?"

Edward glared at Jacob. "It… means… she's… pregnant," he hissed slowly.

Jacob suddenly felt his knees buckle. A lump came up into his throat and gravity suddenly began to pull him to the floor. His heart raced faster and then he stumbled back but caught himself quickly before falling. When he was able to stand, he ran upstairs as quickly as he could to the bedroom and slowly opened the door to peek in.

Bella's head popped up and she looked over at him. "She's still out." she whispered noticing who it was.

Jacob entered tip-toeing over to the bed to see his wife. Renesmee looked like an angel when sleeping he thought

"Is everything alright Jake? Did Carlisle find out anything?" Bella asked.

Jacob's eyes started glossing over and tears rolled down his cheek making Bella's eyes widened with fear.

"Jake? …JAKE! You're scaring me. What's wrong?" she whispered more loudly this time.

"Bella, please just give me a minute with my wife. I need to talk to her. Go ask your vampire, he'll tell you what it is."

"No, Jake, tell me now! What is it?" she demanded.

Before Jacob could answer, Renesmee woke. She rubbed her eyes looking up at Jacob and then rolled over and looked at Bella.

"You guys are so loud," she mumbled. "What are you yelling about?"

Jacob sat down on the bed next to Renesmee and caressed her hair. "I'm sorry to wake you. How do you feel sweetie?" he asked her.

"Better. Just… so tired. Have I been out long?" she asked.

"No, not long." He paused and took a deep breath before going on. "Carlisle figured it out though. We know why you're sick," he said.

Renesmee sat up in the bed and then ran her fingers through her hair, pulling it off her face. "And ?" Her eyes darted quickly back and forth between he and Bella, waiting impatiently for an answer.

She immediately noticed the tears on his cheek and she became frightened. "Jake! What? Tell me, now!"

Jacob touched her faced. "You're… pregnant."

She stared at him in the face for a few moments and blinked, allowing the news to sink in. Then the corners of her lips turned up and she started to smile. "I'm…I'm pregnant?"

A surprised Bella put her hands on her daughter's shoulders. Renesmee looked at her mom and then she hugged her tightly. Bella wasn't quite sure whether to be happy or worried.

Jacob shook his head. "I'm sorry. I should have listened to Edward. He was right. I was wrong."

"Sorry?" she questioned.

"What do you mean, listen to Edward?" Bella asked. She was unaware of their little agreement.

Renesmee turned around. "No! No you shouldn't have. I'm glad you didn't. He has no place discussing my personal life with you like that."

"Wait what? What are you guys talking about?" Bella said even more curious now.

Edward stood in the doorway, listening to their conversation. "When it comes to protecting my daughter, I have every right to discuss the measures I think are necessary."

Renesmee jumped up from the bed. "It's my honeymoon dad! And that's not something I want my husband discussing in detail with my father! In fact I thought you didn't want to know anything about it and then I find out you give him advice on contraceptives?"

"Ew, Edward! Really?"Bella made a face.

"I was trying to avoid this situation! That is all. I wasn't trying to barge in on your personal life!" he argued.

"You nearly ruined my honeymoon dad!" she shouted.

"I allowed Jacob to marry you but only if agreed not to get you pregnant. I didn't want you to take any unnecessary risks!"

"Ness calm down. Don't get yourself all worked up," Carlisle warned as he heard the voices carry and came up to observe his granddaughter's condition.

Renesmee became very angry and Edward knew he'd said too much. She suddenly folded her arms and started concentrating on some of the more intimate details of her honeymoon.

"Ness!" Edward shouted, reading her mind. "Stop it!" He ordered.

She continued however making her father turn his back and storm out of the room. The house shook when he slammed the front door as he exited the house.

The others started to come in the room and huddled around the bed. Bella put her arm around her daughter "What was that all about?"

Renesmee just turned and hugged her mom. "Am I the only one who's gonna be happy about this baby?" she asked.

Instantly Rosalie sat on the bed next to her. "Oh course not sweetie!"

Jacob knew that look she had in her eyes. "Hell no! You stay away from my wife, Blondie!"

Rosalie hissed, barring her teeth at him.

"Jake, knock it off!" Renesmee ordered.

Suddenly Carlisle stepped in to break up the confrontation before it got out of hand. "Alright, that's enough! Let's remember what's important here shall we? He said looking at them both. Then he focused his attention on his Renesmee. "Ness, when you're up for it, I would like to run some more tests and see if an ultrasound will show us anything. How are you feeling?"

"I feel fine now. I'm really… hungry actually."

"Oh that's a good sign. Want me to get you some blood?" Rosalie offered.

Jacob growled at her knowing what she was up to. He wasn't about to let her anywhere near his wife or his unborn child.

"Thanks Rose. Maybe in a little while. I think I'd like to talk to my husband privately first."

"Whatever you need sweetie, just let us know when you feel ready," Esme said caressing her head. Then she shooed her other kids out of the room.

Before exiting, Bella hugged her daughter and whispered in her ear. "I'm happy for you sweetie." Then she looked her in the eyes. "I'm just not so happy that you've made me a grandmother already."

Renesmee chuckled. "Sorry."

When they all left the room Jacob tried to wrap his arms around her but she held her hand out to his chest pushing him back. He stopped.

"Jake, did you and my father make a deal? Did he really only allow you to marry me if you promised not to get me pregnant?"

Jacob hung his head and sighed. "Yes," he mumbled.

The tears welled up in her eyes now. "So you just lied to me? All those times we talked about having children? It was all a lie then?"

"No. No, Ness I swear. I wanted to have children. I never lied. It wasn't until I asked Edward when I could marry you that he sat down and expressed how he felt about us having a baby. He was worried about what could happen and the more he talked about it the more I started thing that maybe he was right. I'm really afraid Ness, look how sick you you've been."

"Jake, pregnant women get sick. It's no big deal."

"What about the fever?"

"That happens too. It's all okay. You have to just trust me."

He shook his head.

She put her hands on his face. "Please Jake, Please…I just want you to be happy. I want to give you a son. Don't you want that?"

He put his hand over hers. "Not more than I want you….alive."

"That's not going to happen. I can feel it. I know it Jake."

"How? How do you know?"

"I can't explain it. I just sense that I will be fine and so will this baby. Please be happy… you can pass on your family name." She put her forehead against his and knotted her fingers in his hair.

He pulled her in close and held her tightly against his body. "I won't care whether it's a boy or a girl, just so long as you're both healthy," he said.

When Renesmee came out of the room with Jacob he protectively kept his arm around her as she walked. Renesmee wanted to let Carlisle try the ultrasound as well as try to eat some more but she took a quick detour to talk to her father first. She found him sitting on the porch with his hands in his face. Bella sat with her arm around him while they spoke in a low tone. Renesmee let go of Jacob and proceeded alone to talk with her father. When she approached, Bella's head looked up.

"Hi mom. Can I talk to dad?"

She got up and hugged her daughter. "Of course," she said then kissed her forehead and headed for the door. Bella gave Jacob a shove when he tried to stand around to keep an eye on them.

"Quit pushing! I'm going already!" he protested.

Edward sat with his face in his hands. He didn't move as she approached and sat in front of him. "Daddy,…" she said in an angelic tone. "I'm sorry I hurt you."

When he lifted his head she saw the most anguished expression on him. He reached out and touched her.

"Don't apologize. I understand why you were upset. I intruded and it was wrong of me. Bella set me straight. I should not have tried to force Jacob to do what he did. It was because I fear you will face the same experience as your mother. I nearly lost her and I can't bear to lose you. Please forgive me."

"I can't forgive you for loving me dad."

Edward made a poor attempt to smile but the sadness still shown through his eyes as he listened.

"I'll be fine. Please don't put yourself through this. It's not necessary. I'm not mom. In fact I'm stronger than she was as a human. I don't think I'll have to face what she did."

"That's what worries me. The only thing that saved her was the venom. If anything goes wrong Ness… I can't do the same to save you," his voice crumbled at the end of his sentence.

"You'll just have to trust me dad. I feel good about this. I can't explain it but I know everything I'll be ok."

"Do you feel the baby yet?"

"No. Not physically at least. It's just something I sense. I don't know…you just have to trust my instincts."

He reached out and pulled her in closer to hold her. He felt a rush of emotion as he touched him giving him the same comfort she felt about the baby. She tried to make him understand her feelings for the baby. It helped that she could provide him with that at least.

He held his daughter's hand as they entered the house and she was now ready to see Carlisle.

Edward and Bella waited outside the room while Carlisle performed the ultrasound. Knowing her thick skin would never allow him to see anything through her belly; he explained he would have to try and view the baby from another direction. Jacob's eyeballs nearly popped out when Carlisle pulled out a giant wand, realizing where he was going to have to put it. This pregnancy thing would take some getting used to, he'd thought. Everything seemed so surreal and it was all happening so fast.

"Just try and relax okay?" he instructed her.

As they watched the monitor, Carlisle moved the device around until finally he found what it was he searched for. It only looked like a tiny white bubble, but in the center of that bubble was a pulsing object. Then he turned the sound up on the machine and they heard the swishing noise of the heart beating.

Renesmee knew right away what that sound was. She smiled and looked at Jake but he couldn't stop looking at the monitor. He was amazed. Now it all came to life for him. It was his baby in there, his own creation, a new life.

"Jake are you okay?" she asked squeezing his hand.

He looked at her with a dazed expression and nodded.

"Um..wait a sec…" Carlisle interrupted, staring intently at the screen. Something had happened when he shifted the wand. Suddenly, there was another bubble on the screen.

"What's wrong?" Jacob asked.

Renesmee gasped looking at the image.

"There's another baby." Carlisle answered. "Twins."

Suddenly Jacob's world was spinning again. He felt completely nauseated just before feeling his legs give out beneath him. The room started to become black and he heard Renesmee calling out his name just before he reached the floor when suddenly he felt a cold arm underneath him.

It was Edward. He'd dashed into the room sensing that Jacob was about to pass out from the shock. He pulled him out of the room and found a seat to plop him in, then he ran back into the room to be with his daughter. Bella was already in there holding her hand, looking at the two little pea pods on the monitor.

"Um dad, this is really awkward," she said.

She was extremely glad that Carlisle had covered her up with a sheet and she was turned toward the back of the room but it was still really weird for him to be in the room.

Edward came over and stroked his daughter's hair. "I pretty much delivered you, changed your diapers and bathed you myself. There's really no shock factor for me anymore. Don't even worry about it."

He smiled but it soon faded when he saw the two embryos on the screen.

"Well Carlisle? What are your thoughts?" he asked.

"I think everything looks really…normal actually. Honestly Edward, I'm not sure you have much to be alarmed about at this point.

Renesmee smiled.

"I told you to have a little faith." Bella said as she nudged him.

He put his arm around her and kissed her forehead finally smiling.

"How Jake, dad?" Renesmee asked, concerned for her husband's weakened state.

Edward thought for a moment.

"He's fine. He just went to the kitchen to get some water. Seth and Tara just pulled up. They'll take care of him for a while."

"Why don't we get you dressed and try some more food for you if you are up for it?"

Renesmee nodded. She was feeling quite empty now.

Jacob sat at the kitchen table with his head in his hands trying to keep the room from spinning. Seth and Tara had just walked in the front door, noticing it was extremely quiet. They knew Jacob had to be there since his car was out front so Seth's first stop was the kitchen.

"Hey Jake," he said first but then noticed his friend looked really horrible. "What's wrong?" he panicked. Seth rushed to his friend and sat next to him, putting his hand on his shoulder.

Jake cleared his throat before he spoke. "Um…Ness is…pregnant," he had difficulty spitting the words out.

Seth sat back and his eyes widened. "Uh, really? Already? You sure?"

Jacob nodded. "We just looked at the ultrasound."

"Wow."

"That's not all…"

Seth waited anxiously.

"She's having twins."

Seth's jaw dropped. He looked over at Tara who had the same shocked expression on her face and then back at Jacob.

"Wow!" he said again. "I…I don't know what to say Jake. Congrats?"

Jacob shook his head. "I don't even know how to feel right now."

"Well how did the ultrasound look? What did Carlisle say?"

"I don't know. I nearly passed out when he said the word twins. I had to come in here and shake it off."

"Can I go see her Jake?" Tara asked. She was concerned about her best friend.

"She's up stairs with Edward and Bella looking at the …babies." He has to remember there was more than one now.

Tara ran for the room. When she arrived Renesmee was fully dressed and sitting up on a table like she was waiting for something. Bella and the other women stood by her engaged in a quiet conversation that seemed to involve baby names.

"Tara!" Renesmee squealed as soon as she saw her.

Tara entered and carefully hugged her friend. "How are you?" she asked.

"I feel pretty good right now. Hungry though. Dad and Carlisle went to get some human blood for me. I haven't been able to keep anything down so they thought they'd try it to see if the baby likes it better."

Tara nodded. It seemed like a good idea.

"Well it's exactly what you needed when Bella carried you. It only makes sense." Rosalie said smugly from the back of the room.

Before long, the men returned with two units of blood. Carlisle handed one of them to Renesmee.

"It's got a tube in it already. You can drink from it like a straw."

"Alrighty…here goes nothing." She put the tube to her lips and the red fluid traveled up to her mouth. She continued until it was completely empty.

"How was it?" Bella asked.

"Mmm. Real good. I'm starving."

"You want another?" Rosalie asked.

Renesmee thought for a second, making sure she wasn't queasy. Then she nodded for more.

Carlisle handed her the second bag and she drank it almost as fast as the first. Her belly felt full and satisfied and everyone seemed relieved that she managed to hold down the blood.

"Why don't we move you to a more comfortable setting now?" Rosalie suggested, wanting to take her to the living room.

"Actually I'd like to go see Jake now." She spun her legs off the table to hop down but the moment she stood, her head spun and the nausea set in.

Only Edward knew what was wrong and he suddenly grabbed a pan to put under her chin. He made it just in time. Both bags of blood came hurling out of her unexpectedly. Bella held her hair as Rosalie held her arms balancing her as she nearly fell forward convulsing.

Tara stepped back feeling tempted by the smell of the fresh blood. A low growl came from her chest and Edward suddenly shoved her back. Her body went flying through the door and out of the room. At the same time, the pan of blood Edward held fell to the floor splattering everywhere.

Tara crashed into the wall and landed on the floor but when she got back up her black eyes fixated on the blood and she began to charge. Fortunately Seth and Jacob were already on their way back to the room and as soon as Seth saw her he charged at Tara slamming his body into her before she could make it back into the room.

Rosalie no longer had hold of Renesmee, she began to lose control too when the blood spilled everywhere and Jacob had to leap between her and Renesmee to keep his wife safe.

Edward dragged Rosalie out of the room and slammed the door shut keeping everyone else out and leaving her in there with only Jacob, Bella, Carlisle and Esme. He knew she'd be fine with them.

Jasper and Emmet grabbed a hold of Tara quickly before she could charge again.

"Tara! Calm down before you hurt someone!" Emmett shouted holding onto her arm.

Jasper tamed her mood as he held her other arm and she started to relax. When she finally snapped out of it, she realized what she'd just done. She gasped and fled instantly trying to get away from the smell.

Alice was proud of Jasper for not being the one who lost control this time. He was so concerned for Renesmee he didn't even think about the smell but it started to finally get to him and he decided it would be best to leave the area as well and Emmett decided to follow, taking Rosalie down stairs until they could clean up all the blood.

Seth still lay on the floor in the hall, clutching his arm. He took out his shoulder when he ran into Tara.

Once everyone else was gone Edward looked back in the room to check Renesmee's status. She was no longer ill but she lay curled up on the bed while Jacob and the others tried to clean up the mess with bleach soaked towels.

Seth pushed himself off the floor and peeked in. "How's Ness?" he asked.

"I'm fine. How's Tara?"

"Probably upset. I'll check on her. I just wanted to make sure you're not hurt though."

"I'm not. Let he know I don't blame her, and I'm really sorry for all the blood."

"Aw…no worries. It's not your fault either."

Carlisle took one look at his arm and knew it was dislocated. Without warning he snapped it back into place. Seth yelped sharply.

"Sorry, had to be done," The doctor said.

"Thanks," he moaned holding back several profanities. As he started to leave the room to look for Tara Edward mentioned she was in the garage.

He just gave him a mental thank you and went down stairs.

When Seth entered the garage however she was nowhere to be seen so he called out for her. .

A small sigh came from the corner. He walked over and saw her sitting on the floor near some open gas cans. The fumes irritated her nose and helped mask the blood scent. He walked over and sat down next to her still favoring his tender arm.

She glared at him. "You hurt?"

He nodded. "Remind me to never run into you like that again. You're like a brick wall."

She frowned. "Is it broken?"

"Just dislocated. Carlisle fixed me up, as usual. No worries."

She growled and shook her head. "I can't believe I did that. I don't know how I could be so careless."

"That was a lot of blood. You can't expect too much of yourself."

"I can and I do. I almost hurt my best friend and I injured you in the process. I can't lose control like that again."

"Don't worry. I won't let you."

She sighed again. "We're married but we're not attached at the hip you know."

"Tara, the Cullens have your back to, so don't beat yourself up over this, 'kay?"

"Are they mad?"

"No, actually they're worried about you. They're just preoccupied trying to clean up and take care of Ness."

"Is she okay?"

He nodded. "She seems to be for the moment. She's not puking blood anymore at least. Are you ready to go back up stairs? I'm sure the blood is all cleaned up by now."

She nodded.

Inside, Bella helped get Renesmee cleaned up and then moved her to the couch. Jacob curled up next to her stroking her cheek until she fell asleep. The run of events wore her out completely.

Within a couple hours she awoke again feeling hungry but she was too afraid to ask for more blood. Edward really worried about her condition now that she was unable to feed.

Rosalie was even more concerned about the babies not getting enough nourishment. It had been at least three weeks since she has any blood in her digestive system and she suggested the idea of hooking her up to an IV. Carlisle thought it was worth a try if he could get it to stay in place once he got it in her.

When Renesmee saw Tara and Seth enter she immediately perked up.

"Tara!" She reached out her arm for her.

She slowly approached her friend feeling horrible about her actions earlier.

Renesmee took Tara's hand in hers and showed her all the events that happened, the ultrasound and everything. Tara smiled.

"It's okay Tara. It's not your fault. I'm not mad."

"Thank you," she responded and then gently hugged her best friend.

Edward suddenly groaned and then looked over at Seth with a frown. "You're pizza delivery is here. Please get rid of him quickly," he ordered.

Just then, the door bell rang.

Seth had ordered some pizza since it was late and he and Jacob hadn't eaten dinner.

"Uh, sure. I'll go take care of it. Had to get something ya know. Not all of us like blood," he said.

As soon as Seth said those words, it instantly triggered a thought.

"Ness?" Edward said.

"Yeah dad?"

"Would you like me to make you some eggs?" he asked.

"Um, …" she thought about it for a second. Eggs actually sounded pretty good to her right about now. Her hollow stomach ached for something to fill it.

"Okay but you might want to get a bucket ready just in case."

"Good then. I'll be right back."

As Edward sped into the kitchen and scrambled some eggs, Jacob followed and he and Seth stuffed their faces while Edward cooked.

He brought her a plate full along with a large bowl, just in case his theory backfired.

Tara decided it would be best if she stayed in the kitchen with Seth, just to be careful.

Renesmee sat up and cautiously took a bite. She chewed slowly at first but they tasted so good she proceeded to scarf down the whole plate.

Then they all watched and waited.

So far so good. Ten minutes passed and she held them down. She finally decided to lay back down making herself comfortable.

"I think that did the trick," she said.

"Human food," Carlisle said. "The babies don't want blood, they want real food. They're rejecting a blood diet."

Jacob smiled. He knew that meant the babies must be human then. He began feeling better instantly. He smiled and then kissed his wife.

"Hmm, you smell good," she said.

"I do? What do I smell like?"

"Cheese and sauce and… garlic."

"Sorry, it's the pizza."

"Is there any left?"

"A bunch, but… you hate pizza."

"I know, but for some reason it smells really, really good. Maybe I could just try it?"

Bella ran into the kitchen and grabbed a whole box. Renesmee pulled a slice out and started to nibble on it. They all eagerly watched as she chewed.

Within a few more bites she was done and asked for more, until she nearly finished off the rest.

"Well there's no doubting those are your kids in there!" Seth joked.

They all chuckled with relief except for Rosalie who just rolled her eyes. Her excitement about the babies was suddenly relinquished by the thought of them being more like Jacob and less like Renesmee. Jacob could see the disappointment in her expression and he was glad.

He suddenly looked at his wife in a whole new light now and all his fears suddenly drifted away as he gazed upon the mother of his children.