Chapter 4

Jacob and Renesme entered the Cullen home. " We're back!" Renesme exclaimed throughout the house.

Carlisle entered the room and scooped her up as she ran to him. Jacob followed close behind.

" Did you have fun?" Carlisle asked.

Renesme's eyes lit up, " Yes. I can't wait to go back. Jake said I can go again soon."

Jacob smiled, " That's right Nessy. We'll have another fire again soon. Only next time we'll tell some ghost stories."

She stuck her tongue out at him, " I'm not afraid."

Esme joined them by the doorway. "Hi Jacob. Thanks for looking after her."

"Anytime." He grinned and looked at the clock, " Sorry to get her here this late."

Renesme yawned.

"It's fine," Carlisle assured him, "Once in a while is alright."

"Well, I'm going to get back to the reservation."

Renesme's head sprung up from where it was lazily placed on Carlisle's shoulder. " No!"

Jacob laughed, " I'll be back in the morning."

"You need to get some sleep," Esme brushed her hair back, "And I'm sure Jacob does too."

" Your mom and dad should be home soon." Carlisle told her. She smiled at the thought and hugged Jacob goodbye, staring as he walked into the forrest.

"Time to go to sleep," Carlisle said with a smile. He winked at Esme knowing it would draw a dramatic reaction from their granddaughter.

"No." She protested, " I'm not tired yet. Can't I wait until they get here? I never stay up past my bed time."

The three of them exchanged glances and Renesme began to smile when she realized she had won them over.

" We'll put on a Christmas movie," Carlisle told her, then added, "But I bet you'll fall asleep on the couch before they get home."

She smiled, "Bet ya I don't." She jumped out of his arms and made her way to the living room.

Esme threw on Rudolph in the DVD player and Renesme plopped herself comfortably in the middle of the two of them on the couch. It wasn't long before her eyes fluttered shut and her breathing steadied out.

Not long after, Jasper and Alice entered through the back door and accompanied the rest of their family by the TV.

"Classic movie," Jasper said, pointing to the flat screen.

Alice stared down at Renesme, " She's so precious."

" Fast asleep before the reindeer even left the workshop." Jasper smiled.

"Where are the rest of them?" Esme asked.

"Still out and about," Alice told her, " Did you see the moon before?"

" The eclipse," Jasper elaborated, "It's supposed to bring out the crazies."

Renesme suddenly awoke, "That's not true Uncle Jasper."

They all laughed at her quick correction.

Jasper squatted to meet her eye level with a big grin, "I thought you were asleep munchkin. But I have to say, I think I'm right."

She shook her head, "No. Jacob said miracles happen during a lunar eclipse."

" The dog may be right," Alice laughed to please her niece. They both stuck their tongues out at him.

Jasper crinkled his nose and made a funny face back to make Renesme laugh.

A moment or two later the rest of the family made their way home and into the living room. Renesme raced to her parents' arms.

"You're still up?" Edward exclaimed, unable to keep a smile from his face.

She nodded and yawned with heavy eyes. Bella kissed her daughter on the forehead.

Emmett looked at the TV, "Rudolph. Nice." He nodded with approval at Renesme's movie choice.

"Time for you to go to bed, little one." Edward told her. This time she seemed fine with it and allowed him to take her upstairs.

" 6 a.m. out the door, right Carlisle?" Emmett asked.

"Yeah, 6 a.m. Be ready, I can't have you getting their late on your first day." Carlisle gave him a fatherly look.

"I'll make sure he's ready," Roslie chimed in, then joked, "No more high school for you Emmett. Time for the real world."

He rolled his eyes and the two of them made their way to somewhere else in the house.

"What time did Jacob bring Renesme home?" Bella asked Carlisle and Esme.

"Around ten," Carlisle answered, "Then she suckered us into letting her watch a movie until you two got home."

Bella smiled, "Yeah, she has a little charm about her."

Alice and Jasper had been so quiet, Bella forgot they were in the room. Both of them had their eyes glued to the television.

Everyone turned their attention to the two of them.

"It's a good one, isn't it?" Bella joked. They looked like two little kids on Christmas.

"You know, Bella," Alice started, "Since you've become a vampire you've gotten a little..."

"Mouthier," Jasper finished with a devilish smile. This made everyone snicker a little.

"What did I miss?" Edward asked.

"You should know, you're the mind reader," Alice shot at him.

Bella saw Carlisle and Esme glance subtly at each other. Carlisle raised his eyebrows and looked away, gently beginning to rub the back of her neck.

Edward turned to look at him and shook his head momentarily with a closed mouthed grin. Carlisle eyed him right back, never hinting to anyone else what was running through his mind.

"Edward," Bella said sharply.

He turned to her, continuing to smile and mouthed the words 'peeping tom' underneath his cupped hands around his mouth.

She shook her head and changed the subject, "So did anyone else see the eclipse?"

Esme saw Carlisle off as he and Emmett left for work. The house was more or less quiet. Alice and Rosalie were decorating the interior with stockings and other Christmas decorations. The boys were off doing something and Bella was preparing breakfast for when Renesme awoke.

The smell of cinnimon and pine filled their house. Thanks to Jasper, their tree had been set up nicely in the corner of the living room. There was something about the Christmas season that made Esme happy. It highlighted the importance of the little things and brought the family together.

Alice made her way into the kitchen, eager to help Bella cook. It wasn't often that these opportunities came around, though they were becoming more frequent now that Renesme had come along.

"Can I help?" Alice offered, begging for a chance to play housewife.

Bella nodded, "I'm going to wake her up in a few minutes, so you can take over if you want."

Alice slide behind the counter and began stirring pancake batter. Bella remember how much she loved pancakes as a human, though now the sight of them did nothing for her tastebuds at all.

"Hey, Alice. You can start to pour the batter in. The stove is on."

Alice's eyes drifted off far away from the kitchen they were standing in. Jasper was suddenly at her side. Bella knew what this meant; Alice was having a vision.

"What is it Alice?" He asked her, eagerly awaiting what she would say next.

A smile spread over her face. By now the rest of the family had gathered around.

"It can't be something bad," Roslie stated, "She looks happy."

Jasper placed a hand on her back and waited for the vision to come to an end. He then stepped back and let her speak.

Alice looked at Esme, "You're going to have a baby."