Not much changed after the reveal, Esme did replace a lot of stuff around the house that was made out of silver, she hadn't bothered to listen to Alice and Jasper's insistence that that wasn't necessary.

And Emmett did stop bothering Jasper so early in the morning.

But there was something Carlisle still needed to speak with Jasper and Alice about.

The pregnancy issue.

He had requested Rosalie to go hunting with Emmett for a few hours, Bella and Edward were at the cottage with Renesmee.

Which gave Carlisle a chance to speak with Jasper and Alice without extra ears, Esme had chose to be present for moral support.

He had chose to take on a doctor approach in this situation, he had given it a lot a thought, because vampires were nothing like humans at all.

Much less black bloods who were kind of a bridge between said species.

Vampires with human characteristics.

But still vampires.

Which meant surgeries wouldn't work nor would pills. Preservatives were prompt to fail too…

Abstinence could be a good choice.

But not a permanent solution.

The sudden knock at the door caught his attention.

-Come on in.- He called out, Jasper stepped into the studio, he looked more alive now that his shoulder had healed. Alice was right behind him, she didn't look as cheerful as usual, in fact, she looked like she would rather be sleeping than here.

-Darling, are you alright?- Esme couldn't help but ask at the sight of her daughter looking so… off.

-I'm fine.- Alice brushed off, she couldn't exactly tell Esme she couldn't sleep last night because she either spent it wondering if the nausea would grow enough to send her to the bathroom or just straight up clinging to Jasper, because he was cold and those damned heat swirls wouldn't leave her be, it was an uncomfortable feeling that was starting to get seriously constant.

But she was fine.

Jasper said it could be because of her habit to eat lots of human food in the middle of the night.

She begged to differ.

She had shoved some of her midnight stolen goods in his mouth a few times and he had never protested over feeling those heat swirls.

Her midnight snacks were innocent thank you very much.

-What was it that you wanted to talk 'bout?- Jasper questioned, he could feel Carlisle's determination, and he pulled up his "I mean business" face at his question, which made no sense, why the hell would he give them that face? And everyone was out...

Wait.

Something told him he knew the answer.

He might have been in the seventh heaven of pain.

Yes.

But he had heard Aro and Caius' words.

The main reason for him to refuse to let Jasper and Alice live.

Alice could get pregnant.

He wasn't quite sure how he felt about that fact, but they had been together for decades, there had been tons of opportunities for her to conceive.

But she hadn't.

Which meant Aro was bullshitting around or one of them was infertile/sterile (?)

-Did any of you hear anything from what Aro and Caius said? About the why he couldn't allow you to live?

-He said I could get pregnant?- Alice said, finally seeing where this was going, she did admit she found the idea… interesting, she had never actually given it thought, but she found that she liked the idea of a little Jasper running around.

But she had been with Jasper for a long time where a lot of opportunities for her to conceive had happened.

So either Aro was a liar and this was an excuse to get to them or one of them couldn't have children, maybe it was her, maybe she was the problem, maybe her time at the asylum as a human had damaged more than just her brain.

-I don't see how is that relevant. We have been together for decades and there had been hundreds of opportunities for an accident to happen. If it hasn't happened it means it can't happen.- Alice told as a statement of fact.

-Maybe, or maybe there's a deciding factor, you haven't had a reliable source of venom in decades, which means your bodies aren't in top shape, what if that was what was keeping it from happening before?- Carlisle said, what if now that they had a stable intake of venom it did happen?

-We were together for 2 years before finding you, pretty sure the venom intake has nothing to do with it.- Alice felt the need to refute, there was nothing different, nothing special, they couldn't have kids.

Carlisle had to admit she did had a point there, maybe he was worrying over nothing, maybe they couldn't really procreate and it was just some sort of ruse from Aro, or maybe they could but Alice and Jasper couldn't.

Maybe he should call Eleazar, hadn't he left the Volturi after him? Maybe he had still been there to see if black bloods could really procreate.

~

As it turns out.

Black bloods could, in fact, procreate.

Eleazar had even made copies of the journals the Volturi had used to keep track of their findings throughout the entire process.

Eleazar himself never saw the black bloods in question for he didn't felt comfortable over how the Volturi treated them.

But he knew it to be true.

And he had agreed to send Carlisle his copies in exchange of Carlisle promising to take care of them, they were the only copies he had, and the Volturi never really released their research, which meant no one really had any info on that matter.

It took a few days for the package to arrive, and when it did.

Carlisle chose to read it in private for if it was a research journal… he didn't want to think the kind of horrors that might be redacted on it, the last thing he wanted was to expose Esme or his children to the kind of atrocities the Volturi were willing to do in the name of "a greater good".

Much less when it concerned such sensitive issue regarding the same specie as two of his children.

~

Black Blood Pregnancy

Female black bloods cannot be impregnated by male poisonous vampires, nor humans. It's believed it might be similar to how animals cannot mix each other's DNA with ease due the differences in their chromosomes.

From the 30 tests subjects 15 have succeeded at getting pregnant. It's been reached the conclusion that feeding habits are the deciding factor when it comes to it, those who only feed off of each other's blood cannot conceive, as proven by the test subjects who were kept on the cannibal diet.

Balancing their blood and venom levels before conception is very important, feeding regularly for a good two weeks before conception strengthens the chances of pregnancy. Maintaining a good schedule of feeding through the entire pregnancy is also important, if not, as proved with test subject number 12 and 13, a miscarriage might occur.

Symptoms that a pregnancy might be going wrong are; increased heat swirls that get progressively aggressive as the fetus has a hard time getting the nutrients it needs, insomnia due persistent abdominal discomfort, sweating, vomiting, fever, and body's rejection towards any intake of human food. If left untreated, as proven by subjects 14 and 15, a miscarriage might occur.

The gestation period is similar to a human's for it lasts between 8 to 9 months and it can be measured based on when did the "heat swirls" began. Heat swirls are believed to come from the fetus' intake of venom from the mother after the fertilized egg implants into the uterine lining.

Aside from the heat swirls the first three weeks present no important changes for the mother.

Week 4

Symptoms have begun showing on 9 of the test subjects; Heightened sense of smell/taste, fatigue, nausea, mood swings, and dizzy spells.

Subject 3 and 5 presented an increase in their intake of venom along with sleeping hours.

Subject 7 reports breast tenderness, lactation might be a possibility for black bloods, need more time for confirmation.

Week 5

Hypersensitivity seems to have been developed on all subjects, test subject 3 and 10 went off on their own and slaughtered an entire town over, as reported, "being too crowded", test subject 5 has killed 11 guards because they wouldn't stop following her around and their footsteps annoyed her, their emotions seem to be all over the place and their anger seems easily ignited.

Test subject 1, 4 and 11 have killed their mates in a fit of rage. Subject 8 has torn her mate's legs to keep him from walking, "it was too loud", she commented. All subjects seemed to show remorse and guilt afterwards.

Week 6

Cravings have presented, human food seems to have become toxic to the subjects despite their craving of it. Fetus might not agree with the human food particles left in the venom and blood.

Subject 6's morning sickness has worsened. She cannot keep down food for more than a few hours, blood from her own mate seems to have a soothing effect for these symptoms.

Week 7

Heat swirls have been reported to have increased among all the subjects. Venom seems to be enough to control the severity of the pain, as proven with subject 2, no intake of venom won't affect the mother past no remedy for the pain.

Week 8

Symptoms seem to appear in full force by now: nausea, breast tenderness, fatigue, and mood swings.

Subject 4 and 5 have reported extra venom in their mouth which seems to make their bites as lethal as a poisonous vampires'. Humans still cannot be turned through these bites.

Subject 9 has developed headaches

Week 9

No changes.

Week 10

Stomachache has presented on all the subjects, pain might vary in intensity. Subject 11 and 6 present growth of breasts, subject 3 has begun showing a small bump.

Subject 2, 4, 7 and 9 seem to have developed a stronger tolerance of sunlight and light in general, the intake of venom might be connected to it.

Week 11

Stomach cramps have been reported among all subjects, subject 7 has reported the pain to be unbearable, but the rest seems perfectly fine if not a bit uncomfortable, pain might vary in intensity.

Week 12

All subjects have developed visible black veins across their skin, more than the regular ones, blood volume might be related.

Subject 1, 2, 4 and 5 have begun showing, their breasts also present growth.

Week 13

Early symptoms seem to be diminishing, subject 9 and 10 have reported an increase in the dizzy spells. Subjects 2 and 4 have developed a slower heartbeat, by extension, they have grown prompt to extreme exhaustion.

Week 14

All subjects' appetite have increased towards venom and blood, their energy, strength and speed seem to have also increased. Same as with the sexual drive.

Subject 10 and 5 have developed the inability to retract back their fangs and claws.

Week 15

Subject 6 has reported sensitive gums and leg cramps.

Subject 7 and 9 seem to have grown quite clumsy.

Week 16

All subjects have presented increased hypersensitivity, it's no longer safe letting them roam free, they have been sent to the dungeons to keep a closer watch on their development.

Week 17

All subjects present breast growth, it's safe to consider lactation might actually be possible.

Subject 6 and 9 have reported kicks from the offsprings alongside backache.

Week 18

All subjects have started showing.

Week 19

No changes.

Week 20

All subjects have developed leg cramps, backaches and headaches. Their hypersensitivity has also increased.

Week 21

Sharp pain has been reported on the hips and abdomen.

Week 22

Their hair and fingernails seem to have grown shinier and longer too.

Week 23

All subjects have developed the inability to retract back fangs and claws.

Week 24

Subjects 9 and 11 have reported brain fog.

Week 25

All subjects' libido has decreased. General discomfort has been reported, along with insomnia, and exhaustion.

Week 26-28

No changes.

Week 29

All subjects' breasts have begun leaking a somewhat silvery/blackish fluid, it's not venom, nor is it blood, need more observation to determine what might it be.

Week 30

Subjects 6 and 7 have reported heartburn, venom seems to be the trigger.

Week 31

Early symptoms have come back, breast tenderness has been reported alongside heat swirls and a heightened sense of smell/taste.

Week 32

Subjects 1, 4, 7, 9 and 11 have reported/presented Braxton Hicks contractions.

Week 33

Shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, heartburn and spouts of uncontrollable shifting have been reported.

Subjects 1, 2, 3, 7 and 11 have reported upper abdominal pain near the top of their uterus, it might be because of the abdominal wall being stretched by the growing uterus. Pain is tender to the touch, becomes worse when the offspring kicks.

Subject 3 seems unable to retract the scales across her arms and the lizard tail. It's been reported to cause pain and numbness of the area.

Week 34

All subjects have reported movement in several variations.

Subjects 8 and 9 have become impossible to approach, their rage fits seem longer and their mates seem to have become influenced by said rage fits, they won't attack each other, but they will attack any outsider who might approach.

Week 35

Braxton Hicks contractions have increased among all the subjects. Insomnia has reached all subjects and none of them will sleep, their hypersensitivity seems to have been worsened by lack of sleep.

Subjects 1, 10 and 11 have also become impossible to approach. At lack of mate subjects 1 and 11 seem to have joined forces to protect each other with the same ferocity and uncontrollable violence the males have developed.

Week 36

All subjects seem to have stopped having shortness of breath.

Subject 4 has grown non-verbal, subject 1 and 11 seem to have taken her under their wing and presented same aggressive behavior towards outsiders who attempt to approach subject 4.

Week 37

Pelvic discomfort and increased abdominal pressure have been reported.

Week 38

All subjects have become unapproachable and more prone to fits of rage. Males have become violent and unreasonable towards outsiders.

Subjects 4 and 11's water broke after two days of displaying restlessness.

Males had to be eliminated for they wouldn't allow outsiders' access to subjects 4 and 11.

The female subjects in labor had to be restrained for they wouldn't accept help, the offsprings were cut out to speed the delivery process.

Week 39

Subjects 1, 3, 6 and 9 have gone into labor, they have also had to be restrained to deliver the offsprings.

Week 40

Subjects 2, 5, 7 and 8 have gone into labor. Subject 8 was compliant and allowed outside help without a fuss unlike 2, 5 and 7.

Subject 7 had to be eliminated after she attacked her offspring.

Week 41

Subject 10 was eliminated after she tore out and killed her offspring.

All other subjects had to also be eliminated after attempting to kill the offsprings under subject 10's influence.

Black Blood's Offsprings' Observations.

Subjects present louder heartbeats than their adults' counterparts, their awareness seems to go above average human babies as subject 3 and 7 proved by following the movements around them not even hours after being born, subject 7 was even able to hold eye contact for a few minutes.

Their eyes seem to fall on the human eye color category, as all subjects were born with blue or brown eyes.

Their bodies seem to resemble more that of humans as in there's no special strength in their skin or bones. Their growth is as slow as a human's and their need to breathe seems more primordial to their survival than for an adult black blood.

Subjects have also displayed zero interest towards human food, blood and/or venom.

Their skin presents no reaction towards sunlight and more of a resemblance to a poisonous vampire's skin under sunlight. Their bites do seem capable of turning humans into poisonous vampires, none of the newborns turned by the subjects lived for longer than two hours.

All the subjects have died after a week of refusing to feed.

~

Carlisle stared outside of the window with a nauseous feeling in his gut, fingers curled into tight fists in a failed attempt to reign in his emotions, he was just glad Jasper was out hunting with Alice so he couldn't feel his emotions.

What he just read…

He knew the Volturi were cruel.

But he would have never thought them inhumane enough to cross such a line and treat living beings as nothing but guinea pigs with no identity whatsoever.

Subjects, offsprings, fetus.

No names.

No ages.

Nothing.

30 innocents people had been involved in their research.

And all of them died.

Same as all those babies who had starved to death…

God.

All those women who had to be subjected to something so horrible, so inhumane, and Carlisle had a feeling those rage fits and violent behavior had been rooted to the fact that they had been in such hostile and unsafe environment, three of them had even killed their own mates…

Carlisle couldn't begin to imagine how heart-wrenching that must have been for them when the blind rage was gone and realization had dawned upon them. To know you killed your own mate… that must have destroyed them.

And then having to stand constant scrutiny, invasive questions, prodding, blood tests, no relief for their pain just because people wanted to see what would happen if they were denied pain relief…

All males becoming violent and unreasonable with sounded more like "protective over their very distressed very vulnerable mate". None of those females had felt safe, the males had done nothing but protect them, shielding those who lost their mates was probably instinct, they were females, alone, in a very vulnerable situation as that of about to give labor.

Even humans would react protective of those who were in such vulnerable situation.

The mental picture of those poor women having to watch their mates get slaughtered right infront of them. Be restrained like rabid animals as random strangers sliced them open to cut their babies out…

One of them even tried to kill the child after birth, one killed the baby before it could be born.

Animals put in hostile and stressing environments would attack their babies to spare them the suffering, Carlisle had heard of humans having done the same, choosing to kill their child to save them from a life of suffering, committing suicide alongside their children…

He felt sick.

Even more so when he thought about the fate of those innocent babies… treated like lab rats, starved to death because no one was smart enough to realize that without the mother to feed the baby they wouldn't last.

He ran a hand through his hair and took in a shaky breath, trying to reign himself in.

If the Volturi took Jasper and Alice… would they try some kind of experiment on them too? The idea alone sent shivers down his spine and made the floor sway beneath him, absolutely not, they would have to kill him first.

His children were no one's lab rats.

No one's.

As he threw another look at the pages scattered across his desk his eye caught a paragraph.

"Symptoms that a pregnancy might be going wrong are; increased heat swirls that get progressively aggressive as the fetus has a hard time getting the nutrients it needs, insomnia due persistent abdominal discomfort, sweating, vomiting, fever, and body's rejection towards any intake of human food."

"11, it feels like 'm burning."

Alice's voice jumped in his mind and he felt himself freeze.

A feeling of burning on lower abdomen, sweating, warm skin, looking generally like she would rather be sleeping…

Her irrational argument with Jasper and general anger from the past three weeks felt like a slap.

A cold bucket of ice fell over him as dread overtook him.

Oh God.

He watched Emmett emerge from the forest, holding Alice's legs on his shoulders as she hung behind him upside down like some kind of backpack, her laughter loud and heartily, the others following right behind.

He knew Emmett liked to treat Alice like his personal WWE companion due her height, it had taken years before Jasper stopped trying to remove Emmett's head whenever he treated Alice like that, Carlisle knew Emmett would never hurt her and that he was always careful with his strength.

But right now all of Carlisle's instincts were screaming at him to get Emmett to stop holding her like that.

He slammed the window open and before he could think about controlling his voice or tone he spoke.

~

Carlisle was known as a calm and soft spoken person.

So the last thing anyone could have expected was the shout that came from him.

-Emmett Dale McCarthy Cullen, release her this instant!

His voice was absolute and so stern Emmett almost dropped Alice on reflex as he flinched under the unexpected shout.

But he caught himself at the last second, tightening his grip on her ankles instead, if he dropped her Jasper would tear his arms off and slap him with them.

He felt Alice lift herself up, grabbing his shirt as she did, soon enough she was sitting on his shoulders and he reflexively knelt down, he held Carlisle's gaze through the entire ordeal, he didn't seem mad, just… scratch that, the guy looked like he didn't knew if to faint, have a nervous breakdown or apologize for having raised his voice.

It wasn't until he heard Edward swear behind him that he knew something wasn't right, Edward didn't swear, ever.

-Are you sure?- Edward questioned, voice… perplexed? Shocked?

-What? What is it?- Esme asked worriedly, she had never heard Carlisle raise his voice in such manner, much less at any of their children, he knew Alice was in no danger, if she had been Jasper would be the last person on Earth to be so calm.

So why would he shout at Emmett?

And she could tell by that spooked look along with Edward's perplexed one that something had happened.

But what? What would make her husband shout like that at their own son as if he was about to kill his own sister?

-Eleazar sent me the copies he stole from the Volturi long ago before leaving Volterra, the ones about the black bloods' pregnancies' research.

-So?

-I might be wrong, but I have reasons to believe Alice's pregnant.