(Thomas POV)
Bella came back from the hunt different.
That should have been obvious. She had woken up different. She had left the house with red eyes, no heartbeat, and a thirst every vampire in the room had felt. I'd only known it was there because of the way they reacted to it.
But when she stepped through the front door with Edward beside her, it still hit me.
Bella had always seemed breakable.
Not weak. Never weak. But human in a way that made you aware of every bruise, every stumble, every stubborn choice she made with a body that could not keep up with her will.
That Bella was gone.
This Bella moved like the world had finally stopped fighting her. She was still, but not stiff. Careful, but not fragile. Her red eyes swept the room once, taking in everything faster than I could track without trying.
Rosalie stood with Ren in her arms.
Jacob stood near, already tense.
Leah sat beside Edythe, one hand resting over her stomach.
The second Bella's eyes landed on Ren, nothing else existed for her.
Not the room.
Not the vampires.
Not me.
Not even Edward.
Then Bella stopped.
Her face changed from hunger and longing to confusion.
Ren was not the tiny newborn Bella had held for one precious moment after the birth. She still had the same brown eyes. The same dark hair. The same impossible awareness.
But she was bigger.
Not a little bigger.
A lot bigger.
She looked closer to a one-year-old than something born only three days ago.
Bella's eyes moved over her daughter's face, then her hands, then the length of her body in Rosalie's arms.
"My baby," Bella whispered.
The words came out softer than before. Not less loving.
More frightened.
Edward's hand brushed her back. "She's growing quickly."
Bella did not look away from Ren. "How quickly?"
Carlisle answered gently from the side of the room. "Faster than any human child. Faster than we hoped. Slower than we feared."
That did not comfort her.
I could see that immediately.
Bella swallowed, though she did not need to anymore. "I missed it."
No one answered.
Because there was no kind way to say yes.
Rosalie's arms tightened by instinct.
Edward noticed. "Rose."
Rosalie looked down at Ren, then at Bella. For half a second, I thought she might refuse.
Then Ren turned her head toward Bella and reached out with one small hand.
That settled it.
Rosalie stood and moved forward slowly.
Bella did not move to snatch Ren away. That alone told me Edward had been right about the hunt. She stood perfectly still, hands half-raised, as if she were afraid any sudden motion would prove everyone right to be afraid of her.
"It's okay, I got you," Edward said quietly.
Bella looked at him once.
Then Rosalie placed Renesmee in her arms.
Bella froze.
Ren looked up at her with Bella's own brown eyes, and Bella's face changed in a way I did not know how to describe.
She had loved the idea of the child before. Fought for her. Nearly died for her.
But this was different.
This was recognition.
Ren's little hand touched Bella's cheek.
Bella gasped.
Edward moved half a step closer, then stopped himself.
I watched Bella's face as Ren showed her whatever she wanted to show.
Not words. Ren didn't use words. It was pictures, feelings, memories pressed into skin through that tiny hand.
Bella's eyes widened.
Her red eyes filled with something too bright to be tears.
"Oh," she breathed.
Ren patted her cheek again, and Bella laughed. One soft, stunned sound.
Edward's face crumpled.
"She remembers you," he said.
Bella looked at him. "I can see it."
Her voice broke on the last word.
Ren made a pleased little noise and curled closer into Bella's chest.
The whole room eased.
Not completely.
Never completely.
But enough.
Leah leaned into Edythe's side, watching Bella with an expression I knew too well. Happy for her. Hurting a little because of it. Trying not to let either show too much.
Edythe's fingers moved slowly through Leah's hair, steady and quiet.
Bella looked at everyone then, like she was remembering the room existed.
Her eyes stopped on me.
I lifted one hand. "Welcome back, little sis."
Her mouth twitched. "You look terrible."
"I spent your delivery being used as furniture, security, and emergency childcare."
Bella looked at Ren, then back at me. "Thank you."
That landed harder than I expected.
I nodded once. "Anytime."
"Preferably not exactly like that again," Emmett said from behind Jasper.
Bella's eyes flicked to him.
Emmett stiffened.
Then Bella smiled.
It was small, but it was Bella.
"Agreed."
Carlisle stepped closer, cautious but warm. "How is the thirst?"
Bella looked down at Ren in her arms.
Her expression sharpened with concentration.
"Still there," she said. "But not like before."
Edward watched her carefully. "Are you okay holding her?"
Bella's gaze softened. "Yes."
I believed her.
So did Edward.
Jacob, unfortunately, chose that moment to breathe a little too loudly.
Bella's head turned.
Her eyes landed on him.
The room went still again.
Jacob looked like he would rather face an entire army than the newborn vampire mother currently holding the center of his universe.
"Jacob," Bella said, a mix of emotions in her tone.
His mouth opened.
Nothing came out.
I almost felt bad for him.
Almost.
Ren turned in Bella's arms and reached toward him.
Bella looked down, surprised.
Then back at Jacob.
"Why is she reaching for you?"
No one answered fast enough.
Bella's eyes narrowed.
Jacob swallowed. "Hey, Nessie."
Every vampire in the room went perfectly still.
I closed my eyes for one brief second.
Of all the possible ways to make this worse, he had selected the one with a monster nickname.
Bella stared at him.
"Nessie?" she repeated.
Jacob's face went pale.
Bella looked down at Ren, then back at him.
"You nicknamed my daughter after the Loch Ness Monster?"
Seth made a strangled noise that he tried to turn into a cough.
Leah whispered, "Oh no."
Edythe's hand stilled in Leah's hair.
Edward stepped closer to Bella. "Love…"
Bella's gaze snapped to him. "Did you know about this?"
"The nickname?" Edward asked carefully.
Bella's eyes narrowed further.
Edward made the wise choice and did not answer that directly.
Jacob lifted both hands. "It just came out."
Bella's voice went low. "Put it back." unknowingly repeating my line from the first day.
I bit the inside of my cheek.
That did not help.
Emmett made a noise from the corner.
Rosalie looked ready to murder him for finding humor anywhere near the situation.
Ren, traitor to her own mother's dignity, made a happy sound and reached toward Jacob again.
Bella looked at her daughter's hand.
Then at Jacob's face.
The humor vanished.
Because Jacob was not looking at Ren like a friend.
Not like an uncle.
Not like someone who was just about to be forgiven for a bad nickname.
He was looking at her like gravity had changed, and she was the only reason his feet were still touching the floor.
Bella saw it.
Her body went very still.
"What," she said slowly, "is that?"
No one moved.
Jacob's hands lowered.
"Bella," Edward said.
She did not look away from Jacob. "What is that look?"
Jacob shut his eyes.
That was answer enough.
Bella's arms tightened around Ren, but not dangerously. Protective. Instinctive.
"No," she said.
Edward moved closer. "Bella."
"No."
Jacob opened his eyes. "I didn't choose it."
The room got colder.
Bella stared at him.
"What did you just say?"
Jacob looked like every word scraped its way out. "I imprinted, you know it's not voluntary."
The silence after that was worse than shouting.
Bella looked from Jacob to Ren.
Ren blinked up at her, calm and curious and entirely unaware that half the room had stopped breathing.
Bella's lips parted.
Then she looked at Edward.
"You let him live?"
Jacob flinched.
Edward's face tightened. "It is not what you think."
"He imprinted on my baby."
"She is not in danger from him," Edward said. "Not from that."
Bella's eyes flashed brighter red. "Do not explain this to me like I'm being unreasonable."
"I am not," Edward said, voice still careful but firmer now. "I am explaining because if you move before you understand, someone innocent will get hurt."
Bella smiled then.
It was not a good smile.
"Oh, I understand enough."
She shifted Ren toward Rosalie.
Rosalie was there instantly, taking the baby because no one in their right mind argued with a newborn mother handing off her child before impending violence.
The moment Ren was out of Bella's arms, Bella moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
Edward moved too.
So did I.
But Bella was newborn-fast and already angry.
Jacob did not defend himself.
He saw her coming and just stood there, hands half-raised, like part of him thought he deserved whatever she was about to do.
"Jacob!" Seth shouted.
Seth hit him from the side.
Not hard enough to hurt him.
Hard enough to move him.
Bella's hand caught Seth instead.
She tried to stop. I saw it. She really did.
But stopping a newborn body was not the same as stopping a human one.
Her palm hit Seth's chest, and Seth flew backward into the table.
Wood cracked.
Leah screamed.
Everything changed.
Bella froze.
Seth groaned from the broken remains of the table, stunned but conscious.
Jacob was at his side immediately. "Seth!"
Rosalie turned away with Ren, shielding her from the crash.
Edward caught Bella from behind…not restraining exactly, but holding her in place before horror made her move again.
Bella stared at Seth.
"I didn't…"
"I know," Edward said quickly. "I know."
But Bella looked horrified anyway.
Good.
Horror meant Bella was still Bella.
I took one step toward Seth.
Then I heard Leah make a sound I had never heard from her before.
Not a scream.
Not pain exactly.
A short, shocked breath that cut through the room sharper than the breaking table had.
I turned.
Leah stood half-risen from the couch, one hand locked on Edythe's arm, the other pressed to the underside of her belly.
Her face had gone pale.
Edythe had one hand at Leah's back and the other already reaching for her stomach, eyes focused with terrifying precision.
"Leah?" I said.
Leah looked down.
So did I.
There was water on the floor.
For one second, no one moved.
The sound was small.
The meaning was not.
Carlisle was already crossing the room.
Edythe's voice cut cleanly through the panic. "Medical room. Now."
Leah swallowed.
Her eyes found mine.
"Thomas," she said, and for once there was no sarcasm in it. No pride. No shield.
Just my name.
My sister had just woken up a vampire.
My niece had just met her mother.
Jacob Black had somehow made the worst possible conversation even worse.
And then Leah said my name, and the rest of the room stopped mattering.
I was at her side before I remembered moving.
"I've got you," I said.
Her fingers gripped my shirt. "Seth?"
"I'm okay," Seth called from the floor, voice strained but clear. "I'm okay, Leah."
Jacob helped him sit up, guilt written all over his face.
Bella stood frozen beside Edward, looking like she had just learned exactly how dangerous she was.
There would be time for that later.
There would be time for Jacob.
For the imprint.
For Bella's rage.
For all of it.
Not now.
Edythe looked at me over Leah's shoulder.
No panic. No wasted motion. But her eyes were sharp enough to cut through stone.
"Move," she said.
I lifted Leah carefully.
She made a small sound and buried her face against my neck.
That did something to me I did not have time to examine.
Carlisle was already ahead of us, clearing the way.
Esme took one look and moved toward the stairs. "I'll get Sue."
"Call her," Carlisle said. "Tell her labor has started."
Leah let out a breath that almost became a laugh. "She's going to say I told you so."
"She can say it from the medical room," Edythe said.
Leah's mouth twitched despite everything.
Then the first contraction hit.
Her fingers tightened hard enough to hurt.
I held her closer.
Behind us, Ren made a soft questioning sound.
I did not look back.
I carried Leah toward the medical room while Edythe walked beside us, one hand never leaving Leah's shoulder.
This time, the room was ready.
This time, Carlisle was here.
This time, Bella's blood was not on the floor.
I kept repeating that in my head as we crossed the threshold.
This time would be different.
Leah lifted her head just enough to look at me.
"Thomas?"
"I'm here."
Her jaw tightened.
"Don't let me bite anyone."
Edythe laughed once.
Short. Sharp. Almost relieved.
I looked down at my wife and kissed her forehead.
"No promises," I said. "Some people might deserve it."
Carlisle opened the medical room door.
And I carried Leah inside.