CH19: THE REDFORDS

Renesmee's POV
I was really proud of myself for keeping daddy out of the loop. For one whole month, I was a success. Of course, going back to school helped out a lot. I mean, keeping the fact that my mom might be pregnant with my little brother or sister was such a heavy load on my shoulders. Momma couldn't contain herself most of the time. She kept on dropping hints. My dad became suspicious anyway when she would cover me in her shield whenever she was in the room with me. He even tried to bribe me once. He offered to let Jacob sleep over. In my room. With me.He was being so unfair.
"Daddy..." I groaned. "I can't tell you. I promised Momma and Aunt Alice."
"Alice?" He asked with his eyebrow shooting up. "Alice is a part of this?"
Oops. Just then, my aunt came prancing into the dining room from upstairs.
"I heard my name. What's going on?"
"Alice," daddy said with his velvet voice. "I know you're having a hard time keeping Bella's secret. So why don't you do yourself a favor and just tell me."
"Nope!" she replied, with a pop.
"We made a deal. She hasn't told my secret so I'm keeping my mouth shut as well." As if to make it official, she zipped her lips and threw away the key.
"Alice," daddy growled.
"Edward," she replied, mocking him.
I laughed and said, "Daddy, just relax. I thought you liked the fact that Momma can keep secrets from you. You know, it's like a mystery, totally sexy."
His expression was hard but it didn't touch his eyes. "Besides my own sweet, little girl, my sister is keeping secrets, too? Jasper probably knows as well plus he's easier to persuade," he mentioned, his eyebrows wiggling up and down like a villain.
"Edward!" she pouted, "why do you need to know everything? Have a little fun! Don't worry, our surprises are very much worth the wait." With that, he sighed, admitting defeat.
And then we heard the kitchen door get ripped from its hinges. In a flash, Aunt Rose appeared with my limp mother in her arms. Rommel was close behind them, consoling his sobbing sister.
"Rosalie, what happened?!" Aunt Alice asked when Aunt Rose placed her on the couch.
"CARLISLE!" Daddy roared. In a few seconds, everyone had gathered in the living room.
"We were out hunting and we caught the scent of some deer. Then when Bella got her kill, she drank it halfway and just stopped. She couldn't stand up so I carried her over here," Aunt Rose explained quickly.
"I'm fine, you guys," Momma said feebly. And then she vomitted a fountain of blood.
"Bella!" Daddy screamed, completely terrified. I was too overwhelmed to do anything but stare wide-eyed.
"Let me handle this, son," Poppa said, already kneeling before my mom. I just hope the baby is okay, I thought.
"Baby? What baby?" Daddy snarled. My aunt flitted to me, placing me protectively behind her.
"See, Edward? This is why we were hiding this from you."
"You mean to tell me this was Bella's secret?" He asked, more gently.
We nodded, not knowing what else to say. Gramma had already managed to clean the floor.
"Edward, I'm fine now. Everything's okay," my mom said, looking completely recovered and approaching my dad.
"Bella...are you really?" He asked, his question incomplete. With her dazzling smile, she nodded, absolutely glowing with opulence.
"But how?" Aunt Rose asked, her question pointing directly towards Poppa. By now, Emmie had stopped crying from worry and was being held by Uncle Emmett.
"Well it would explain her abnormalities these past couple of months. And now that I think about it," he paused to start pacing, "this all began about a week after your trip to Isle Esme."
"Maybe she's not pregnant," daddy suggested and at the same time, my smile and my moms smile faltered.
"Yes, I am. I felt nudges," momma replied with a pout. It looks like her mood swings are acting up again.
"But love," daddy urged, "you and I both know that this is impossible," he said pointing at her stomach.
"So what? We thought Renesmee wasn't possible." She then took daddy's hands with hers. "Edward...I'm pregnant. I know I am," she said, her eyes pleading for him to comprehend.
Again, he sighed. "Carlisle, what do you think?"
He was shaking his head in disbelief but answered, "I think she's right. I have no other explainations. There is, however, one factor that goes against her pregnancy."
"What, Poppa?" I asked.
"You see, sweetie, with you, your mother was pregnant for only a month, the same goes for Rommel and Emmie with Leila. Its been about 4 months now, and Bella isn't even showing."
"Actually, I am, kinda," Momma answered sheepishly. "I've been trying to hide it to surprise Edward."
"Bella," daddy groaned. "You shouldn't have hid this. Your life may be in grave danger."
"Edward," momma replied, patting his cheek. "I'm a vampire now, remember? Nothing can hurt me."
"Exactly. You're a vampire now, and that means it's impossible for you to be pregnant," daddy responded fiercely.
My mom shook her head and said, "Why must you be so stubborn? Alice and Nessie believe me."
"Hey, I do, too," Aunt Rose joined in. "I guess this family is just blessed with miracles," she said with her eyes grazing over me and her twins.
"Oh, how exciting to have another grandchild," Gramma added with her hands over her heart. Aunt Alice and my mom exchanged a wary glance. I wonder what her secret was.
"Yes, very exciting," Poppa said, now having his arms around Gramma's waist. "I suggest we go and visit my friend Stephan Redford in Salem. He should have an answer for us."
"Let's go right now. It's nearing twilight and we can reach Oregon by midnight," daddy said.
"Bella, what do you think?" Poppa asked.
"Okay, let's go," she answered with a nod.
"I'm coming, too! I don't want to go to school," I exclaimed. No way was I missing out on finding out about my little brother or sister.

The drive to Salem, Oregon flew by just like the trees we passed on our way over there. I was anxious to meet the man that knew about my kind. Poppa called him while daddy was on the wheel, gripping it so tight that the tendons in his knuckles seemed close to popping out. I couldn't understand why he was acting this way. To lighten the tension in the atmosphere I started asking Poppa questions.
"So what kind if vampire is this Stephan Redford guy?"
Poppa was quiet for a good minute before he answered me.
"He's not a vampire. He's actually a warlock," he said slowly.
Momma and I were speechless. Are all the myths true? Vampires, werewolves, and now, witches and warlocks?
Daddy's laugh nearly shook the car.
"What's so funny, Edward?" My mom asked.
"It's Renesmee. She's questioning about the myths in the world."
I'm glad my curiosity was amusing him. Maybe now he'd loosen up a little. It wasn't long until we were in front of what looked like a small book store. The lights were out but once we shut our doors, they flickered open. Even with it being spring, the Pacific Northwest still had fog rolling in. We neared the entrance of the store and we were greeted by a handsome, lanky man. He wore square, black rimmed glasses that did no justice to his icy blue hypnotic eyes. His hair was combed very neatly, almost as if he didn't even have to try to look so suave.
"Carlisle Cullen. Long time no see, eh?" He said, extending his hand to Poppa.
"Precisely, my old friend," he replied.
"Well come in, come in! I wouldn't want you to stand out in the cold. Oh, what am I saying? You vampires don't even feel the cold!"
We laughed at his little joke and we ushered into the store. Row upon row of shelves were filled with all kinds of books. Stephan led us to the back where we went up a flight of stairs. A few moments later we entered their living room.
"Auvril, honey, they're here," Stephan called while he gestured for us to sit. Just then, a woman with long, sleek black hair and big brown eyes stood before us. She was a good 4 or 5 inches shorter than her husband. She was very pretty with rosy cheeks.
"Welcome to our home," she said with the warmest smile, with a dimple showing, almost as if it were shy. "I was going to bake a pie but Stephan reminded me you don't eat."
"Oh, yes but thank you for the thought," daddy replied.
Her eyes darted between my parents and I and daddy answered her silent question.
"Yes, she's our daughter. This is Renesmee and my wife, Bella."
"I'm pleased to meet you all. Stephan and I have 2 of our own, Anne and Ethan. They were tucked in bed already when you called."
"It's fine, it's fine. We wouldn't want to wake the children," Poppa waved off.
"So Renesmee, tell me, are you a hybrid?" Stephan asked.
I nodded and Auvril's eyes lit up.
"Oh, how intriguing! I haven't seen one in centuries," she claimed exasperated.
"Do witches and warlocks live forever, too?" I asked, my curiosity taking over.
Daddy gave me a chastising stare. Auvril and Stephan noticed.
"Oh young Edward, don't scold your little one. She's just very open, I like that," Stephan said with a genuine smile. "You see, for warlocks and witches we don't necessarily live forever. We age once every 50 years or so. The more we practice our magic, the longer we live. Anne and Ethan are still fairly young and so we try and make their lives as normal as possible."
"I see," I said and nodded.
"Anyways, I noticed when you called that there seems to be an emergency," Auvril said.
"Yes, there is indeed. Bella here, seems to be pregnant. But you and I both know that it's impossible for our kind to reproduce. We were wondering if you had a book of some sort to answer our questions," Poppa answered.
"Would you mind if I examined you, Bella?" Auvril asked politely. "We can step into our bathroom, if you'd like. I guess you can call me some sort of witch doctor or nurse," she added with a tiny laugh.
Momma agreed, getting up. Daddy followed them, never letting go of my mom's side.
Stephan began entertaining us with his questions, mostly towards me.
"Darling Renesmee, I must know...do you have a power?"
"Yes, I do," I replied. "Do you want me to show you?" I asked peeking through my lashes. I didn't want to make it obvious that I was staring; I didn't know that witches and warlocks can be so graceful and beautiful as well.
He nodded eagerly and I touched his cheek.
(Is my mom really pregnant? I would really love to have a baby brother. Or a baby sister. Either way I just really want a sibling.)
He smiled, dumbfounded at my gift. "How extraordinary," he whispered.
It took awhile for him to compose himself, and answer my question.
"From what I know and researched about the vampire world, it is possible for your mother to be pregnant. It is, however, very rare."
After that, Auvril and my parents returned to the living room.
"What's the verdict?" Poppa asked, as anxious as me.
"Bella's pregnant," daddy breathed, truly elated.
I jumped up from the cushion and did a happy dance.
"Momma's pregnant!!! Yes, I'm going to have a baby brother or sister!"
"But wait, we still don't have an explanation," Poppa persisted.
"Yes, well Bella and Edward described where they conceived. There are only about 3 mystical caves in the whole wide world that have been untouched by human mining. The cave that they entered had magical fertility gems, if you must, that enabled them to conceive. It's very rare, indeed, but Bella was able to carry Renesmee when she was still human so her reproductive organs are still working, but over time it will completely stop," Auvril explained.
"It's a miracle!" I proclaimed. Everyone smiled and she continued.
"Now with this pregnancy, your symptoms are very similar to that of a human. Bella is very well into her 5th month and I'm guessing she'll be due in September or October. She is, after all, carrying a vampire child, although he or she will be very unique due to her power as well as Edwards."
"Is there anyway of monitoring the fetus? How will we deliver it? Will she be in any pain at all?" Poppa asked, question after question.
"Unfortunately, no, there's no way to monitor the baby. Her skin is acting as a barrier, protecting it. Bella will be able to deliver normally, but a C-section is what we recommend. As for the pain, it will gradually come as she nears her due date. The last month should be the hardest."
"Also like Renesmee, this baby will grow quite rapidly. He or she would most likely reach maturity within a year or two," Stephan added.
"Is there anyway to find the sex of my baby?" Momma asked, reserved.
"We can look into my crystal ball," Auvril suggested. I couldn't control my snicker. This time my mom joined me.
"Yes, we know, it's very stereo-typical but I gurantee you, it works," Stephan said, with a hint of laughter in his tone as well. I'm glad they weren't getting offended.
We all went downstairs to the back room of the book store. Auvril opened an empty cabinet. She closed her eyes and clasped her hands together. She was murmuring a chant in a language I didn't understand. And then out of thin air, the crystal ball appeared right in the center. She took it and placed it on the table.
"Bella, can you stand next to me please?" she motioned. Stephan said we would have to watch from afar.
Auvril started chanting again. With one hand on the round, crystal ball, she rubbed my mom's stomach with the other. Ripples and blotches of a magnificent green and silvery white danced and intermingled within the crystal surface. Daddy was staring intently at her, reading her mind. After one full minute, the ritual was done and my dad had the biggest grin on his face.
"So what did you find out?" Momma prompted.
"I'm glad to say that you're going to have a healthy and handsome vampire baby boy," Auvril announced.
I raced over to my shocked mom and hugged her tight. I lowered myself so that I could talk to her stomach.
"Hey baby bro, I can't wait to meet you," I crooned.
Everyone was all smiles and cheer. Once Auvril had put everything away, she used her cool witch powers and everything disappeared, we left.
"Stephan, we cannot thank you both enough for tonight. We do apologize for barging in so late," Poppa said with his hand on Stephan's shoulder.
"Hey now, what're old friends for? Just don't be a stranger, alright? We should definitely meet again soon, have our families bond, yeah?"
"That's a brilliant idea. " Daddy exclaimed. We said our goodbyes to Stephan and Auvril and raced to get home before daybreak. I feel asleep as soon as we hit the freeway. When we reached the house, I heard daddy say something like: "Now time to deal with Alice's secret." I was too drowsy to react.