Chapter 17: Awakening Nessie’s POV

    My eyes slowly opened. I noticed that I could see a tiny bit clearer and my sense of smell was a little more finely tuned. I didn’t feel exhausted or weak anymore and there was no pain. I looked down in a panic, I was wearing different clothes and my stomach was flat. That is when I realized that I must be dead.
“Renesmee?” Jacob asked his voice breaking
    As I sat up in confusion he was at my side. He was looking at me so strangely.
    “Oh god, did you die too Jake?” I gasped at the difference in my voice, it had always been silky, but I practically purred as I spoke now.
    He smiled at me as though he hadn’t seen me in years. “Nessie we aren’t dead. You really aren’t dead…I tohught that I lost you” He whispered as he grabbed my face ferociously our lips met urgently. I started to lay back down pulling with me, when. I noticed my parents and grandfather in the corner watching in amusement.
I sat up and looked at them all in mortification. It was so strange that my face didn’t flush like it used to. “What exactly happened?”
Jake looked at me wistfully, “You started to die in childbirth and our son saved your life.”
    I looked at him in mystification, “Don’t you mean our daughter? I held Sarah I saw that we had a girl. Where is she? Is my baby ok?”
    Jake grinned as he stared at my grandfather and my parents who chuckled.
He smiled at me happily and kissed my forehead. “Yes everything is fine.” He smiled wider, “ Sarah is alright and so are her brothers and sisters. You are the mother of sextuplets.”
I felt dizzy for a minute. “SIX?!” I asked in disbelief.
My grandfather shook his head in wonder. “I don’t know how you did it Renesmee. I don’t know how they didn’t kill you, even for an immortal it was close. No wonder you had such bad morning sickness. Your heart stopped beating we thought that you were dead. Jake was going to change you but it all happened so quickly.”
“SIX babies…” I whispered again feeblemindedly. “I carried SIX babies?”
    Jake nodded amused by my reaction, “and you gave birth to them too.”
    I looked at him in wonder as sobs filled my throat. “Why don’t I remember,” I touched my cheek as I continues to sob tearlessly, “And why don’t I have any tears?”
    Jake looked at me in anguish, “You were dying Nessie, our youngest son bit your womb on the way out. He saved your life by changing you into a full vampire.”
    I contemplated it all for a moment it was a lot to take in. I shook my head slowly, “But how did we have so many babies?”
My grandfather nodded clearly enthused by my interest in the scientific standpoint. “ I figure that this has to do with the genetic make up of both of you but especially Jacob. It is almost as if you had a litter for lack of better words of course.
Jake looked at him through narrowed eyes, clearly offended.
Grandpa continued, ignoring his reaction. “I have been thinking about it, imprinting is meant to make the genetic lineage stronger. When Jake was transformed into a vampire he became a sort of super vampire, as did Seth and Leah. They retained their ability to shape shift as well as gaining the qualities of vampirism. They overpower Sam and the rest of the shape shifters. They are as strong as newborns permanently, like you Nessie and stronger than just about any vampire I have ever encountered. My theory is that the genetic line up of the two of you together was so well-built that it encouraged as many babies as possible to be conceived.
“Aren’t multiples genetic?” My mother spoke up. “Jake has twin sisters.”
My grandfather nodded, “I am sure that is part of it too. It makes sense, this is the beginning of a new race so to speak it needs to start strong. They are all half vampire and half human. Interestingly enough, they also contain the extra chromosome for shape shifting that Jake has”.
My mother smiled at me, “Nessie you have your own little army.” She joked..
I looked wildly around the room, “Where are they, are they ok? I want to see my babies.”
My father smiled at me, “ they are fine they are out of their incubators. They no longer need to be in them. They are downstairs with everyone. He fell silent listening to the thoughts below as he chuckled. “It is taking Tanya’s coven as well as our entire family to keep them busy, they are impatient to see you”.
He eyed me carefully, “how are you feeling?”
“Daddy I am fine.” I truly didn’t feel that different except for the fact that I no longer had a heartbeat, which was really strange given that mine was always so fast; the silence was new.
“We need to make sure that you are in full control of yourself the babies are part human, we cannot take any chances,” my mother informed me.
I turned to her, “Mom, I can handle it.”
Grandpa looked at me critically. “She doesn’t seem to be like normal newborns. Perhaps it is because she was part vampire her entire life".
My father assessed me silently. “Her thoughts are perfectly normal.” His eyes widened in revelation. “ She isn’t even thirsty.”
I spoke calmly yet firmly, "I do not thirst for blood, I need to see my children."
Jake stood up and yelled out the door, “Amore, can you come here please.”
She timidly walked into the room with my Uncle Emmett, Seth and Uncle Jasper flanking her. She flinched away from Jake.
He sighed and looked embarrassed, “Amore I am really sorry I had no right to blame you. It wasn’t your fault. Can you forgive me?”
She scrunched her eyes up like a shrewd merchant. “That depends are Seth and I the godparents of all 6 babies?”
Jake turned to me with an eyebrow raised.
“What is this all about?” I demanded.
Jake looked down, “Um when I thought you died I kind of flipped out on Amore and sort of blamed her for not seeing the entire future…”
I looked at him in shock, “Oh Jake, you didn’t… Amor, it was most definitely not your fault.”
She glanced at me sadly, “I guess my powers are fading or something.”
I shook my head, “No they aren’t look, I am fine and Sarah is fine just like you said.”
She smiled a little as she stepped into the room. Uncle Jasper hovered closely behind her and I felt his calmness wash over the room; he was scared that Jake might change his mind and snap at her.
She made her way towards me and hugged me, “I was so scared that we lost you,” she whispered.
I hugged her back, “I'm not going anywhere, and you are most definitely the godparents of all six.” I cringed, “Are you sure that you want that kind of responsibility?”
She nodded excitedly, “Oooh Aunt Alice and my mom and I have to go shopping…”
I giggled at her.
Jake looked at her with shame,“Can I ask you a favor?”
She nodded, Amore rarely held a grudge
“Amore do you see any problems with Renesmee going right to the babies?” Jake asked her.
Her eyes clouded over, “Do you really trust me with that?”
He nodded, “Yes, we do.”
Her eyes drifted far away as she pondered what might be. She held Jake’s hand so that he could see what she did, and after a moment they both smiled.
“It will be perfectly fine, she is not a typical newborn, like I was for example.” Amore joked.
My parents, grandfather and Uncle laughed with her at the memory.
Grandpa nodded, “Very well but just to be safe I want her to have some blood first.
My mother left the room and returned with two cups of blood for me. I closed my eyes happily as I drank it, I was relieved that I was done with eating raw animals and was back to something that I was familiar with.
Once I finished, Jake helped me up. As I walked by Amore’s mirror I gasped at my reflection. I had never really paid too much attention to my looks but I was mesmerized by the woman I saw. She was tall, had long bronze ringlets that fell down her back. Her skin was creamy like fresh milk. Her lips were full and perfect. The only freaky part were the red eyes. I was wearing a silver satin, floor length gown with spaghetti straps that clung tightly to my newly lean figure. My hands rested on my flat stomach as I longed for my babies.
I turned to my husband with determination, as my velvety voice pleaded, “Jacob, I need to see them. I promise I am fine I wouldn’t risk their well being you know that.”
He smiled at me as he wove his hand through mine, he turned to face my parents and grandfather. “We are going downstairs now, I trust her judgment.”
He led me down the stairs, I couldn’t help but notice that all of my movements were more fluid than normal. As I entered the living room I took note of the smiling faces of my family… but I focused intently on the 6 strangely beating hearts and the angel faces that accompanied them.
My hand flew to my mouth as I saw my beautiful, dark haired brown eyed babies for the first time. They all looked like a combination of me and Jake but with Jake’s dark hair and russet skin. “Jake, they are beautiful,” I whispered, unable to breathe or think.
My Uncle Jasper lingered nearby my side I could tell that he was nervous. I looked at him and squeezed his hand, “Don’t leave my side, please. But I think I am going to be ok.”
He smiled, “Don’t worry Nessie I will stay with you, you will do just fine.”
I walked up to each of my babies they all struggled to get to me, sobs mounted in my throat as I touched their silky smooth faces. They were so warm. Sarah struggled the most to get out of Alice’s arms.
“Nessie, take her first before she falls.” My aunt Alice commanded.I took her from my aunt who kissed me on the cheek, “That dress was perfect I outdid myself.” I rolled my eyes at her she looked at me seriously, her voice breaking. “Renesmee don’t you ever scare us like that again.”
I nodded, "I don't plan on it." I kissed her cheek as she kissed mine at the same time.
Cradling Sarah in my arms I stared at her. Uncle Jasper stood very close to me while Jake was on my other side. I ignored them I was consumed with this little stranger who I knew so well.
She reached her hand up and touched my face. I laughed in shock as I realized that she possessed the same power as I did.
Silently she shared her first memories of me as I was dying… much the same as I had done with my own mother years ago. She crinkled her nose looking at me intently, “I tried to keep them calm mama, but they don’t listen very well.” She pouted in my arms. A tear trickled down her cheek.
I rocked her in my arms,“Don’t cry baby, it’s alright.”
Jake looked at me, “She is the alpha of the pack.”
I stared at him incredulously as the rest of my family did.
“Excuse me?” I asked.
Jake smiled, “She already explained it to me. Sarah is the alpha amongst the babies. They can communicate the way that Seth, Leah and I can."
Emmett groaned, “That is going to be fun…”
Jake looked at me sadly, “Sarah blames herself for not having better control over them. She thinks that it is her fault that you died.”
I looked at my baby horrified, “Oh Sarah! My sweet little Sarah. Is that true?”
She nodded. I turned to my husband. “Did she just NOD?”
He grinned, “Yep… did you expect anything less than spectacular from our children?”
He leaned down and kissed me. Sarah placed a hand on each of our cheeks and the happy image of our family reunion played out with us kissing. She was showing us how happy she was that we were together and I was ok.
I kissed her forehead and then handed her to Jake as I met the rest of my children. They were all remarkable and I couldn’t wait to learn more about them and bond with them. I already felt close and bonded to Sarah because for the extent of my pregnancy I was connected to her, she was the only one that I thought was in there.
    My grandfather handed me the smallest baby boy, “And here is the hero of the day. He saved you Nessie.”
    I looked down at my little man and felt my chin quivering. “I don’t even know what to say to you. Thank you for saving me."
He placed a hand on my cheek, I wondered if he had the same power as his older sister. His was a little different. He could speak in full intelligent adult sentences, there were just no pictures. He was only hours old! As his hand touched my face his words filled my head, “Of course I would save you mama. I love you, I will always protect you.” I kissed his forehead.
    My grandmother looked up from the baby boy that she was holding, “So do you have any names picked out?” The room filled with laughter as I shook my head weakly, “yea, one girl’s name”.
Jake kissed my cheek, “We have a boy name picked out too.” I looked at him curiously. He gestured towards the baby he was now holding. He was the spitting image of Jacob, I had seen baby pictures of him before and the resemblance was uncanny. Jake looked at me to see my reaction, “I was thinking he would be Jacob Edward.” I smiled, it was perfect. My father looked up in surprise.
“As far as the other names, we have plenty of time to work it out,” he told me.
I shook my head, nope I have them all picked out. Amore looked at me in wonder, “How?”
I smiled, “It’s easy they will be named after those who love them and have helped to keep them alive and well. I looked to Jake to see what he would think.
He smiled, “You go ahead and pick Ness I am sure that they will be perfect.
I looked down at Sara. “Well Miss Sarah, you are named after a very special woman. Daddy’s mommy."
She placed her hand on my face, her thoughts were confused she wondered where she was.
I smiled sadly at Jake as he looked at his daughter, “She is in heaven sweetheart, watching out for all of you.”
I continued on, “Your middle name is Esemeleah. You are named after your grandmother Esme, Aunt Emily, and Aunt Leah. Grandma and Leah looked at me, I could tell that they were touched.
“That is beautiful Renesmee,” my grandmother said as she took her namesake from me and handed me another little girl.
I looked down at baby C, she was beautiful, her dark brown hair was straight with some bronze highlights. Her brown eyes reminded me so much of my mother, she appeared to be very shy and she hid behind my hair. I giggled at her, “I know who I am going to name you after. You remind me of someone very important. My mother. You are Isabelle Alicia-Rose; named after three of the favorite women in my life. My mother and Aunt Rose and Aunt Alice smiled at me. I couldn’t figure out if Belle had any powers or not she was so shy she could barely look at me. “I love you sweetness,” I whispered to her, as I kissed her cheek I handed her to my mother who cradled her the way that she used to hold me.
    Next Amore brought me another girl baby D. Amore smiled at me, “She is very interested in artwork. She is so tiny but she has been staring at my drawings, I feel like she is critiquing them." She giggled at the baby as she passed her to me.
She seemed shy like her sister, she also hid behind my hair but her curiousity got the best of her and she peered out occasionally. A passing ray of sun hit me and I was blinded by the sparkle of my skin. Her eyes opened wide as she pointed towards all of the separate colors and then she started playing with my dress. Apparently she was interested in clothes too. I smiled to myself, I could picture her and her Aunt Amore being very close. “Well little one, you remind me of someone very dear to my heart. My first true friend…Sienna. Your first nme is also part of your Uncle Nahuel's name as well. He helped to save mommy and Aunt Amore awhile back. Your middle name is going to be Renee. She is Grandma Bella’s mommy."
She scrunched her eyebrows as though she was deep in thought over her new name but then nodded in approval. Amore smiled at me sadly as she took her from me, “Thank you…” she whispered.
I smiled at her, “I will never forget who you were in the first place, I love you now but I will never let go of Sienna…”
Amore kissed my cheek, “I love you too Ness.” She walked off with her new little shopping buddy.
My father handed me the next in the yet to be named category. “Two more he smiled.”
I looked at my son, Baby E. He had very wise brown eyes. Those eyes reminded me of the oldest soul that I knew. My father in law. I smiled at my baby, “I am going to name you William, after your grandpa. We will call you Billy. He is a very wise man, a tribal elder and it is a very special name. Your middle name is Seth, after your uncle."
Jake’s eyes crinkled as he smiled at me he didn’t have to say anything I knew that it meant the world to him.
    The last baby to be placed into my arms was the tiniest. “Ah, my little protector”, I said with a grin. He beamed… a baby that was less than a day old and he BEAMED at me…
“You are going to be named Elijah, after your Uncle Emmett, Grandpa Carlisle and Uncle Jasper- three of the most wonderful men that I know. If you pick up any traits from them you will be a wonderful man someday I know it. Your middle name is Charelsam, it is something I just came up with you are named for your Grandpa Charlie Grandma Bella’s daddy; and for your Uncle Sam. He placed his had on my cheek, “Do any of them protect you?” He asked.
I smiled at my little guardian, “They all do love, but not nearly as well as you do.” He beamed again and then settled back into my arms sleepily. I looked up with a happy smile, "So that's it, Sarah, Jake, Belle, Si, Billy and Eli."
Jake wrapped his arms around me as I cradled our sleeping son, "The names are perfect Nessie." He kissed my cheek and I turned my face to meet his lips. I was even more attracted to him than ever before. I didn't know if it was because we had almost lost each other, or if it as that I was a vampire now or even if this was becuase he was the father of my children. But desire for him tore through me as I moved closer to him. Eli stirred in my arms and distracted, I pulled away from Jake. He smiled at me and whispered in my ear, "Later..." I sighed and lay my head on his shoulder. as my Uncles and Seth and Nahuel snickered.
Just then I noticed that Tanya, Carmen and Eleazer were gone.
“Where are the Denali’s?” I asked.
Uncle Emmett looked at me worriedly, “We didn’t want to say anything but –um Kate and Garrett still haven’t returned they became worried and took off a little while before you came down.
I looked at my father anxiously, “You don’t think that the Volturi…”
My father looked at me firmly, “I am not going to think anything until I hear bad news or Alice or Amore have a vision, nd you would be smart to do the same. Speculation never helps anyone."
I sat down on the couch cradling my tiniest son as I worried for our friends.