Super thanks to Meg and May, and my muse, Cece.

"I know it seems strange, but human infants are much more self-reliant than Cullenite newborns," Angela says, pulling a brochure about infant cubs from the drawer in the small desk. "Though both of them are completely helpless from a standard point of view, our young are also born with their eyes sealed shut and their ears closed."

"Does that mean they can't hear?" I ask, concerned that my babies won't recognize my voice.

"In the traditional sense, no," she replies, handing the brochure to Edward. "But that doesn't mean they won't recognize you or your voice. We, as a species, have special receptors that interpret sound." She glances at Edward, smiling, and then back to me. "It has even been suggested, in the past, before our generation, that our offspring's emotions were intertwined with the mating bond for the first few months of their lives, but there's no way for us to be sure."

"That's it," Edward says, awe filling his expression as his eyes dip to my small bump. "It all makes perfect sense now. The connection between Bella and me has become quite forceful as of late. I chalked it up to hormones or even just the strengthening over time, but it's neither of those." His eyes are glassy as he moves from his chair to perch beside me on the chaise. His large palm covers the swell of my stomach. "It's our cubs. They're participating in our emotional connection."

I gasp, reaching my hands down to be engulfed beneath his larger ones. "You think they're cognizant? At barely seven weeks?"

"Their brains aren't formed yet, so we shouldn't assume too much." Angela pops the wondrous bubble that has surrounded this proud mother and her equally delighted mate. "But I'd venture to guess that if that is indeed what's happening, you should consider it more like a spark instead of a full-fledged flame."

Even though cold water has been splashed on our discovery, I don't feel an iota less excited because Edward is right. Why else would we have felt the moment our children came to be? Their existence is a shimmering green vine that resides at the very core of our bond.

"I believe there are old diaries in the records room that might shed more light on this," Edward says, his eager gaze trained my way. "Our generation has always passed them up as fables, since the mating bond is such a foreign concept to us, but now that it has happened, we should give them another look."

"Can we go there today?" I'm unable to hide my thirst for more information. "I can read them while you meet with the king and queen tomorrow."

The light in Edward's eyes dims just slightly, and I wonder if he already knows what they want to discuss with him. "I'll have them brought to our new home."

"Thank you," I mouth before turning back to Angela. "Should we draw a sample to test their DNA, or is it too early for that?"

"I don't think that's necessary quite yet," she replies, motioning to the door. "A lot can be ascertained by an imaging scan, which is more in line with a first appointment test, so that's what I think we should do now. Unless you have more questions?"

I glance at Edward, who tilts his head, deferring to me. "I think that sounds like the best way to fill in some of the unknowns. It's completely harmless?"

"Of course." She pulls open the door, and Edward stands to help me to my feet, so we can follow her to a room across the hall. "This is the most accurate way of predicting where your pregnancy falls within the norms between human and Cullenite."

My legs tremble as we're led into the new room, this one more diagnostic-oriented than the simple room we just vacated. There's an exam table in the center with a large screen on the wall directly across from it. A robust metal arm extrudes from a machine off to the side, and it has a chair with an electronic pad to control it.

"Have a seat, Princess," Angela says with an encouraging smile. "This is a very simple process. I'll position this over you"—she points to the long arm—"and it'll do all the work. The images will display on the screen for you to view in real-time." She takes a seat at the control panel. "Do you have any questions before we begin?"

"Do I need to change or move my clothes?" I'm currently seated on the exam table with my legs dangling off the side.

"Nope." She smiles brightly. "This technology is a modern miracle, and all I need is for you to lie back and wait for images of your cubs to appear."

I do as she asks, my hand shaking as Edward lifts it and places a tender kiss on the back. "Don't be nervous, love. I'm here for you." Waves of brilliant color surround us, and the room brightens from the pulse of emotions that swirl between us. "Please, Angela, show us our cubs."

While she gets to work, I close my eyes and take a deep breath to calm the exaltation flowing through me so forcefully that I fear I won't be able to concentrate. A myriad of colors blend and become one, calming me almost instantly.

Green.

The color of life.

My children.

My eyes pop open, the blank monitor before me buzzing to life. The first thing I see is two circles of light that stand out in the darkness surrounding them.

"Here we are," Angela says, but I don't dare look away from the screen. "This is an overall view of the fetuses. You can see that we're dealing with two separate sacs, which means that your cubs are not identical twins."

"They're so tiny," I muse, noticing how small they look in the large pit of darkness.

"Not as tiny as it seems," Angela says, huffing a laugh. "Amazing." The image narrows, zooming in on just one of the babies. "Let me measure to be sure…" She pauses, her fingers working furiously in my peripheral. "Ah, yes. Exactly as we'd hoped. This cub is measuring larger than a human fetus normally would at this point."

"And the other one?" I hold my breath while she shifts to my second baby.

"Almost exactly the same," she muses, and I can hear the smile in her voice. "This is marvelous. Much like our scientists have predicted, your cubs appear to be progressing at almost a perfect midline between Cullenite gestation at twenty-five weeks and human at forty."

"Does that mean my pregnancy will be mostly normal?" I ask. "So far, it's been very routine. Not even any morning sickness."

"Other than a shorter gestation time, we expect this to be very similar to a normal pregnancy for you," she says. "You've already developed a noticeable bump, but that would be in line with a fetus developing at a faster rate, which is what our cubs do."

"Does that mean the Cullenite genes are dominating my own?" I'm not sure how I feel about that, other than I want healthy babies.

"There's no way to be sure this early in the pregnancy," Angela says, tapping on the pad and zooming closer in on baby two. The image is crisp and detailed, but the baby's features aren't developed enough to ascertain much. "Our technology is top-notch, but unfortunately, the fetuses are in the very early stages of development."

"How many weeks do you predict until my cubs are born?" Edward asks, his sharp gaze studying the screen with just as much wonderment as mine.

"Thirty-one to thirty-four weeks," Angela replies, bringing up a set of measurements across the top of the screen.

I study the image of one of my children, my eyes drinking in every tiny detail. The shape is beginning to take form as tiny appendages jut from a bean-shaped middle.

"Is that…" I narrow my eyes at the screen. "Is he a boy?

"Well, I'll be," Angela says with a small laugh. She zooms in on the extra appendage that is taking shape. "Just like its father."

"A tail," I say in awe. "My baby has a tail."

I almost forgot y'all this morning.

I'll post another teaser later today.

See ya Thursday :)