Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me. It all belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

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Alright, this is the last chapter and I would like to once again, thank everyone for reading and reviewing. I have received a lot of good criticism which I will use to improve my next story. XXX I am sorry that this chapter is a little squished together, but it was really hard to write. XXXX

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~*~ Chapter Twelve ~*~

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January 14th

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As I ran my hands over the smooth wood of the white crib, I smiled at the two scans – one at twelve weeks, and the other at twenty weeks – which hanged on the wall over her crib in small white wooden frames. I was relieved when Carlie had been able to do both scans – especially when I heard her slow beating heart; a sign of her hybrid heritage. I knew that an ordinary doctor would have become worried that the baby was in distress.

A musical mobile of moons and stars hung over the side of the crib, which matched the pale moon and star bedding which lay in the crib, simply waiting to be used. Along with a couple of stuffed toys and my old baby blanket that would soon be hers.

Edward had painted the room a cream colour, since he would not allow me anywhere near the fumes of wet pain, while on the floor now laid a soft white carpet, and a large soft pale pink rug.

In the corner, next to the wall of glass, sat the little white rocking horse from Carlisle – a gift he had given to us when we told him I was pregnant.

A white dresser sat against the other wall – the only items on it were a music box, which Edward had had made for our daughter to carry on the tradition my dad had started. A pink teddy bear and a photo album that would one day be filled with sweet memories.

Next to the dresser was a white wooden changing table, where packs of nappies were neatly stacked beneath on the shelf, next to the wet wipes and talcum powder.

While the rocking chair was still by the window – the only piece of furniture in the room that was not white. A cream padded cover laid over the back and seat of the chair. On the opposite wall in pale pink paint was...

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More

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My

Own

Life

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Small pale lilac stars were painted around the words. A white shelf hung from the wall which held little story books, with colorful A and Z bookends to hold them in place.

We had also had carpet put on the stairs, for I did not want her to hit her head on the wood when she started to crawl – it was then that I knew that my maternal instincts had started to kick in.

Walking over to the window I looked out over the snow covered land below like a blanket, as snow flakes continued to fall from the darkening sky. Even though it was only early afternoon the sky was dim, as it always was during winter time.

As I rubbed my hand over my stomach – it felt as though I had only blinked since the first time I was standing here looking at this room for the first time, wondering what it would look like. Where had the time gone? The last eight months have gone by in the blink of an eye. Even though I was excited I was also nervous, for I had never even held a baby before, let alone cared for what. What if I did something wrong? I knew Edward would be there to help me, but somehow the thought didn't ease my worries.

Strong arms wrapped around my large stomach, as a cool kiss was placed on my neck. My hand shot to his at the feel of our daughter kicking, as if she knew who those hands belonged to.

"Oh, that was a really strong one," I said, then a moment later she kicked again, causing me to laugh for she only kicked that hard when Edward put his hands on my stomach. Unfortunately it was still my bladder that she favored most of the time.

Turning around in his arms I placed my hands on his chest, while his hands moved to lay on my non–existent waist.

"Penny for your thoughts," he asked, after a minute of silence.

My eyebrows furrowed, as a more concerning thought came to light. "I'm just worried about...the birth." We had agreed that I would have the baby at home, for it would be more comfortable for me and more private for the both of us, but the worries of what could go wrong was always in my mind.

I had once enjoyed watching One Born Every Minute, however since I became pregnant the thought of watching a program that depicted what I would soon experience was not a favorite pastime of mine any more.

His eyes softened as he looked at me. "Bella, everything is going to be fine...my father is the best doctor you could hope for. He won't let anything happen to you or our daughter." Easy enough for him to say when he is not the one faced with the most painful experience a women can go through.

I nodded, even though his words had not helped calm my nerves. As I looked away from him my eyes caught sight of her music box and a lighter thought came to me.

I looked back at him. "You know...we still have to give her a name." So far all the names we had looked at either neither of us liked or we could not agree on, and I only had a couple of weeks to go before my due date. Well at least we had agreed on her middle name for after much discussion, he had somehow persuaded me to agree to use my middle name for the baby's middle name as well, since it had been my mother's and my grandmother's. Another family tradition that he seemed determined to continue.

I had however gotten his ironclad promise that we would use his mother's middle name, when we had another baby – if we had another. Although I never verbalized it, the knowledge that my body could become frozen in time forever, at any moment was always in the back of my mind. And I found myself praying that my daughter would be born first.

"Did you have something in mind?" he asked, with curiosity in his voice.

There were a few that we had not considered – if that was possible – that I had in mind. "Emily?"

He shook his head. "No." I had asked him 'why' so many times that I just moved onto the next name without asking questions.

"Annabelle?" I asked.

"No."

"Lilly?"

He thought for a second, only to say, "No." Considering my husband was over a hundred years old, he apparently was not a fan of old–fashioned named. Who would have seen that coming?

"Sibyl?"

"No."

My eyebrows pulled down with confusion, and I had to ask, "What's wrong with Sibyl?" I knew it was old-fashioned, but it was not a common name anymore, which was the reason I liked it.

His nose scrunched up immediately. "I had an aunt named Sibyl...I don't want our daughter to be tainted in that way." I was not sure what he meant by that, but chose not to ask.

I let out a sigh, then took a moment to think about the final name I had been considering.

"Don't worry, Bella, we'll think of something," he said, trying to reassure me.

I stared at my hands as they played with one of the buttons on his white shirt. "Well, there is one that I really like, and I really hope you do to." What if he didn't like it? We were running out of time and names.

His looked at me curiously. "What is it?"

I bit my lip. "Well...I've been kicking around a few things. Playing with Esme and Renee...and I've been trying different combinations...what do you think of, Ruh–nez –may?" I watched his expression for any sign that he did or did not like it, but he gave away nothing.

"Ruhnezmay?" he asked, looking at me curiously.

I shook my head. "No...R.E.N.E.S.M.E.E."

"Renesmee," he said slowly, testing the name.

"Is it too weird?" I bit my lip, as I kept my expression neutral.

He kept me waiting for another minute – as I waited for the no – before he shook his head. "No...it's beautiful...just like her mother." Leaning down he kissed me softly. My hands found their way into his hair, and I would have pulled him closer if it wasn't for my stomach getting in the way. When he pulled back he rested his forehead against mine. I felt a sense of relief that he had not rejected the name, for I had become fond of it – a combination of our pasts with all the beauty of the feature.

His sweet breath washed over my face when he said, "I actually came up to ask you if you were hungry, and then you distracted me."

I felt the corners of my lips twitch. "Food sounds good." With all the food in the world I could have craved anything, and yet my body decided on eggs.

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~ February 3rd ~

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After nine long hours of labor Renesmee Marie Cullen was born with loud cries that told of her displeasure. Sweat coated my body like I had run a marathon, while my body yearned for the sleep it had earned, but I forced my eyes to stay open.

Edward tied the cord, and cleared her airways just like Carlisle had told him to do, if he was unable to be here when I went into labor. He had tried calling him, but Carlisle was apparently in theater and was unable to come to the phone. Edward wrapped the placenta in a towel and placed it in a large bowl to dispose of it later.

My legs were still shaking from the shock of what had just happened, and I finally understood why women called it labor. For that was what I had just gone through. The early rays of the morning filled the room with a warm glow.

I smiled when Edward placed our daughter in my arms for the first time – her tiny body wrapped in a soft pink blanket – her skin flamed with colour. Her cries slowly dying down to grumbles of displeasure as she lay in my loving arms. She was even more beautiful then her father.

It was unbelievable.

It was impossible.

"Hi," I whispered, as the tears began to fall down my cheeks, blurring my vision. Her perfectly round head was covered in a thick layer of dark, damp, bronze-colored curls. Her tiny face was so absolutely perfect that it stunned me. "So beautiful..."

I never thought I could love anyone more then I loved Edward, yet looking into her innocent face I knew I had been wrong, for my world had shifted – Edward would always be the love of my existence, but Renesmee would always be my little miracle.

With a gentle touch I brushed my fingertips over her warm cheek; her skin was soft and silky. How had something so perfect come from me? She squinted up at me – the sudden shock of light around her causing her to be reluctant to open her eyes.

Her little hands were curled up tight in little fists, while her full lips parted to expose a little pink tongue. Nothing had ever felt more natural then this moment and I wished I could pause time just to cling to it just a little longer.

I looked up at Edward – I had almost forgotten that he was there. "She's so tiny..." He was looking at our daughter with so much emotion that it caused more tears to flow. He looked at her with more love then he had ever shown me, and that was how it should be.

"She's perfect," he said, leaning in to place a kiss on our daughter's head.

Our daughter!

I had a daughter.

As I gazed down at her, her eyes opened. Her irises were a familiar colour – but astonishing – chocolate brown.

She looked up at me as if I had all the answers and I could only hope that I could give her everything she needed, and be everything that she needed me to be. I knew in that moment that the saying was true – you never truly know how much your mother loves you until you become one yourself.

In a moment of overwhelming emotion I allowed another tear to roll down my cheek, as I wished that my mom and dad had been here to see their first grandchild. What advice would they have been able to give me? What stories would my mom have been able to tell me? Even though I felt the warmth of her in my arms, she still didn't seem real, as if I was in a dream that I would wake up from at any moment.

After what could have been minutes, I looked up from her little face. "Do you want to hold her?" I asked, feeling selfish for never wanting to let her go, even to her father.

Without a word he lifted her out of my arms with gentle hands, cradling her in his arms as he continued to sit next to me on the bed. She looked even smaller in his arms somehow. I smiled softly as I watched him gaze at her as if he was seeing the sun for the first time, and I knew from that moment, she would have him wrapped around her little finger.

"She's beautiful," he whispered, as his finger gently brushed her little cheek.

"That's because she takes after her daddy," I said, softly, and for once he did not argue, he simply leaned in and kissed me softly, as if he was afraid I would break, despite what he had just witnessed me endured for the past nine hours.

"I love you."

"I love you, more," I whispered back.

He smiled against my lips. "That's impossible." I rolled my eyes, since I was too tired to think of a clever reply. After a moment Edward said, "How about I clean her up, while you get some rest?" Sleep did sound good. "Okay." Placing a kiss on my forehead, I watched him stand and walk out of the room. I was reluctant to close my eyes – the need to see her, hold her again was so strong, but the exhaustion I had been fighting was stronger, and with a sigh I closed my eyes and allowed my dreams to take hold.

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~o~ Two Years Later ~o~

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As I sat on our red tartan picnic blanket – I smiled as I looked down at my daughter's small head of brown curls, as she sat on the blanket playing with her colorful wooden blocks. Her wide eyes occasionally looked around, taking everything in around her, as a soft warm breeze moved through the trees, carrying the scent of pine, earth and wildflowers.

I enjoyed these moments when we could escape the confines of the house and enjoy the warmth of the summer, and the beauty of the nature around us. For during the winter, it was too cold, and dark, to enjoy spending time outside.

In that moment of peace and contentment, I found my mind going back to that night, nine months ago when she was born...

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...After ten months of hoping that I would be blessed with another miracle I had begun to wonder if another would ever come, then one day my prays were answered, and on the first of April at three o'clock in the morning, after only six hours of labor Carlie Elizabeth Cullen was born, two weeks before my due date, unlike her sister who was born on the day she was due. Edward cut and tied the cord, then wrapped her in a small white blanket, and cleared her air ways.

I could feel my heart beating inside my chest, as a million different emotions ran through me at once.

When he placed her in my arms, I looked down at her little face through blurry eyes. As her cries died down she looked up at me with the most beautiful emerald green eyes I had ever seen, causing my breath to hitch in my throat, for I knew I was seeing Edward's eyes. From that first touch my whole world had shifted once again, for where before there had been only two people, I could not live without, now there were three.

I ran my fingers over her damp dark curls that lay against her perfect head, as her little pink tongue poked out from two pink lips – the bottom a little bigger then the top.

"Hi, there," I said, around the lump in my throat. Although I had loved every moment of the last two years, I had longed for those first steps again.

That first word.

That first smile.

I kissed her wet forehead, as Edward disposed of the placenta in a towel then placed it in a bowl and placed the bowl on the chest of draws to dispose of later. I wiped the tears off my face to clear my vision as I looked back down at her; she was so small. I felt a sense of peace and joy, knowing that my daughter would not grow up alone as I had done. She would always have someone to play with. She would always have a friend to grow up with, and experience life with.

"She looks like you," Edward said softly, as he sat down next to me on the bed – I heard the emotions in his voice as they ran through me – "She's beautiful." He kissed me softly, as if once again he was afraid he would break me. How could it be possible for her to be so beautiful and yet look like me? I gazed at her for the longest time, mesmerized by her long eyelashes, her tiny fingers and the feel of her soft wet skin beneath my fingertips.

I wished I could have pause this moment in time, for a part of me knew that this could most likely be the last time I would feel the joy of holding my baby in my arms for the first time, hearing that first cry for air, and falling in love at that first touch.

Yet at the same time I knew that I had so much to look forward too. So many precious moments to come...

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The change that I knew would come someday, came – one morning – only a few months later, freezing me forever at twenty one. I had always wondered what it would feel like when it finally happened, since my mom had never talked about it. Would I feel different? Would it hurt? But there was nothing.

No pain.

No ache.

No wave of release as my body was transformed from mortal to immortal. Only the heightening of my senses, and the sensitivity of my skin. Every shade of colour was brighter and clearer, sounds were louder with a clarity to them I had never heard before.

Even my dreams were more vivid and clear, which had resulted in more then one pleasant morning, before Renesmee came to get us up. And although I had felt a moment of sadness at the prospect of not having any more children, I knew I had already been blessed with more than I deserved.

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...I was suddenly brought out of my thoughts by the sound of Renesmee's joyful laughter. I smiled as I watched Edward throw Renesmee high into the air, then catch her. Her laughter filled the air, as her brown eyes shinned with childish joy.

While I saw myself in her eyes, her little features were purely Edward. Unlike Carlie who's features were a beautiful version of my own, with her fathers emerald green eyes. I had always known that I wanted to be a mother, yet I had never imagined what happiness it would bring me, and I sometimes wondered how I had lived without them. How I had gotten through a single day without the sound of their giggles, and the sweetness of their smiles.

"'Gain, Daddy," she squealed with delight. He complied with a smile, throwing her into the air again, before catching her again, and clutching her close. He was so good with her – with both of them – as I always knew he would be.

I was so thankful that I had been lucky enough to give my children not only a loving father, but also a grandfather that doted on them at every chance he got.

Edward kissed Renesmee's bronze-colored loose curls that fell to her ears, then sat down next to me with her on his lap. Her little pale feet stained with the green of the grass that covered the ground.

"Do you want your juice now?" I asked, as she watched Carlie attempting to put one of the blocks in her mouth. Just like her big sister, nothing was unsuitable for her to taste, which had resulted in us removing more than one gross substance from Renesmee's mouth. Thankfully none of them were harmful.

She looked at me with a crooked smile – just her fathers – showing her tiny pearl white teeth. "Juice." I took that as a yes and reached into the small picnic basket next to me, and handed her her pink sippy cup filled with juice, which would keep her occupied for a minute, if we were lucky. She had so much energy that I was constantly grateful that she had parents who could tire her out without exhausting themselves in the process.

"Have you thought about what I said?" Edward asked. It took me a moment to remember what he was referring to. With a sigh I looked out at the still waters of the lake. I had thought about it and although I had told him I needed time to think, the decision its self had been easier then I had thought it would be.

Looking back into his beautiful golden eyes, I answered, "Don't buy it."

His expression remained neutral. "Are you sure? It may not be back on the market for years...and I'm not suggesting that we would live there, however the house would forever be yours, to do with as you wish." A couple of years ago, I may have taken him up on the offer, but I knew now that I would never, could never, call that house home again. For the sad memories far outweighed the good.

I gave him a soft smile. "I was born and raised in that house, and I will always have fond memories to cherish...but my home is here with you and the girls."

With a soft smile, he closed the small gap between us. The kiss was gentle, causing delicious shivers to run down my spine. His lips felt so soft against mine, I had to resist the urge to take his bottom lip between my teeth.

Just as a fire was beginning to build inside me, he pulled back as he always did when the timing was inappropriate for what my body desired. It constantly amazed me that I had yet to burst into flames.

Renesmee chose that moment to climb off of Edward's lap – her sippy cup still in her hand – and went over to the small pile of Lego laid out on the picnic blanket in-front of us, which I hoped would keep her mind off of exploring for a couple of minutes.

Even though Edward would be able to get to her within a second, the thought of her getting too close to the lake made me nervous, for although we had been blessed with an intelligent and beautiful child, she was still only two – years – old and her lack of fear was just trouble waiting to happen.

I knew that we would truly have our hands full when Carlie began to walk, for her wide eyes followed her sister around as it was, as if she longed to join in her sisters fun. It always warmed my heart to see how good Renesmee was with her little sister – always ready to try and comfort her when she cried. I smiled to myself as I remembered how happy she had been to meet her little sister for the first time.

The feel of Edward's fingers tucking a piece of hair behind my ear, caused goosebumps across my skin. His gold eyes were soft with emotion, and for the millionth time I wondered what he was thinking.

"Do you have any idea how much I love you?" He asked, as he cupped my cheek. I leaned into his touch – the slight coolness of his skin felt nice against mine.

"I know how much I love you," I answered.

He rolled his eyes. "You compare one small tree to the entire forest."

I shook my head. "Impossible." It never made sense to me that he would love me – there was nothing extraordinary about me. When he dropped his hand, I wound my fingers through his.

As I looked into his deep gold eyes, my heart felt as though my chest could barley contain it, as if the love I felt for him was too much for my heart to hold. He had done so much for me, given me so much and all he had asked for in return was my heart.

"Have I ever thanked you?" I asked, with a soft smile.

His eyebrows pulled down in confusion. "For what?"

"For rescuing me that night in the woods...I was quit literally drowning, and I never thought I would be happy again...and then you found me...you changed everything for me...you gave me something worth waiting for...a family."

His hand gently cupped my cheek. "You were worth the wait..." Leaning in he kissed me gently. My fingers wrapping around the collar of his shirt, in an attempt to pull him closer.

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And then we continued blissfully into this small but perfect piece of our forever...

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I know some people would have liked to have seen more of Edward and Bella with Renesmee when she was a baby, but I didn't know how to write it. XXXX

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I would like to thank, once again, everyone who has reviewed and everyone who will now it is finished. I have loved writing this and I hope to come back with more stories.