Chapter 3

Grace age update: 7 - 8 months

So after living with them for two months, Renesmee finally convinced her family to let Grace visit the wolf pack with her. Besides Jacob, she hasn't met any of the wolves. Bella dropped them off at Sam's house at around brunch and quickly made sure Renesmee had everything for Grace before leaving. Jake was the first to come and greet her, making funny faces at Grace as he did so. He invited her in and led the way to the kitchen where Emily was serving up brunch.

"Guys, you got to meet the new Cullen." he got all of their attentions.

Sam left his place at the table and signalled the pack to follow. They all gathered around Nessie, who was holding Grace. Sam bent down to be eye level with Grace, who was gaping at all the new faces (or was it their abnormal huge bodies?). Suddenly she reached forward and tangled her small fingers in Sam's hair, smiling at the new feeling. Sam was too late to stop the smile and let it slip. The rest of the pack took it as a good sign and immediately crowded closer to the baby girl. They all had a turn to say hello to her and got a glimpse of that enchanting toothless smile - well, almost toothless, for she now had teeny tiny teeth in her upper gums.

"She's adorable!" Quill exclaimed, but Paul pulled him back by his collar.

"My turn, bro. She's cute."

Seth seemed the most enchanted and couldn't stop staring at her, constantly letting her hold his fingers. Emily offered to take Grace for a minute so Renesmee could help herself to some brunch. As soon as she held the tiny person she made up her mind that she and Sam should definitely have children one day.

After brunch Renesmee decided to let Paul feed Grace, just to say she saw the bad boy's soft side. Paul was so against the idea that he claimed that he'd rather drink from the toilet than feeding a baby. But one glare from Sam made him understand that it was an order, not a request. Paul bit back all the curse words he could think of and let Nessie place Grace in his arms. She showed him how to hold her and the bottle and stepped back to sit with Jacob. Paul frowned in concentration as he fed Grace and soon found it rather easy. He smiled as she burped softly after drinking all the milk, actually feeling attached to her.

It was mission impossible to take Grace from him afterwards. Emily kept complaining that she also wanted a turn to hold her while Embry and Quill threatened to shave his head in his sleep if he didn't hand her over. Eventually, he handed Grace to Jared, who could pull off the best puppy face. They played poor Grace half to sleep and that's where Emily drew the line.

"Right, you boys had your fun and now look how tired you made her. Go clean up the kitchen and I'll put her to sleep."

They all groaned but knew better than to argue with their alpha's mate. All who stayed behind was Seth, who was staring at little Grace.

"Seth?" Renesmee asked.

"Can I put her to sleep? Please?" he asked politely.

Emily nodded and cautiously put Grace in his arms, taking a seat next to him in case he needed help. Renesmee took this as a sign to take a break and went out to find Jake. He sat on the porch, already waiting for her.

"Hey." she smiled and joined him, "Seth got Grace. He seems very comfortable with her, you know?"

Jake smiled and threw his arm around her shoulders. She could clearly tell something's bothering him and she had a good idea what it was about.

"You're thinking about whether Grace will be turned one day or not." she sighed.

Jake's eyebrows scrunched together in a frown, "How'd you know?"

"My dad's a mind reader, Jakey. I pick up a few tricks."

Jacob only huffed and rested his head on his arms, "I can't stand it when they turn humans just to have them an eternity with them. Isn't that selfish? Like, would you cage a wild animal just to look at it every day, take away its life and everything it loved?"

Nessie understood how he felt. If one of the other Cullens could hear him now they'd probably be offended, but being different made her see the other side, too. But what he said still troubled her.

"Jake, if you didn't happen to be a slow ageing werewolf, I'd also consider turning you." she said, "Because I won't be able to stand watching you get older and older and eventually die. I just won't. Besides, it's Grace's choice. She gets to decide what she wants to be."

Jacob stayed silent for a minute or two, thinking about what she said. What would he, a slow ageing werewolf, do if she was completely human and aged away before his eyes? He'd find a way to make her stop ageing, of course, even if it meant asking a leech for help. Or… he would even stop shifting to grow old with her. That’s how much he loved her.

Renesmee broke the silence and pulled him up, "Come on, I think there's time for a quick cliff dive before I have to head home."

Jake happily followed her to his bike but kept thinking about what she said earlier. Would she really turn him if he was human to spend forever with him?

The Cullens' lives slowly got more interesting when Grace learned to crawl. They could hardly take their eyes off her or she'd disappear or pull something off the coffee table. Esme had everyone baby proof the whole mansion and nearly bit off their heads if she found something dangerous lying around.

Until now, little Grace has already gotten hold of Emmett's phone and turned it into a chew toy, she tore one of Jasper's books that were within her short reach and almost stuck a pen down her throat when no one was looking. Every Cullen knew that the real challenge was starting; keeping her from grabbing and eating everything she saw.

Finally, Rosalie could take out the toys Alice and Bella bought. The usual rubber toys, stuffed animals and plastic balls. Emmett built the pit for the balls and couldn't wait to put her in. Little Grace's eyes were wide with excitement when placed inside a pit full of rainbow-coloured balls. The whole house could hear her laugh and giggle as she went crazy with them. At some point, Emmett joined her and also found the balls to be entertaining. He threw everyone who dared walk through the door against the head and even made a mental note to teach little Grace to do that when she's older.

Growing tired of his childishness, Rosalie stole Grace when he was retrieving the balls he threw and took her upstairs to her playroom. She had a toddler-sized dollhouse set up and couldn't wait to see Grace's face when seeing her own little play corner. She was more than satisfied when seeing the reaction the girl displayed. Unfortunately for the blonde, Alice came in to take Grace for her bath. Grace giggled when Alice placed her in a bath full of bubbles and bath toys. She immediately started playing with the mermaid dolls. After the bath, she dressed Grace in Disney themed pyjamas and took her to the family room.

Edward was playing the piano with Renesmee, Emmett was playing Flappy Bird on his phone, Carlisle and Esme were snuggling on the sofa, listening to the piano duet while Bella and Rosalie were talking about who knows what. Jasper was the only one reading in the far corner, not caring what the rest of the family was doing.

Alice put Grace down to let her decide for herself to whom she'll go. Almost immediately she made a dash for Jasper, crawling and sailing all the way to where he sat. He seemed surprised that she chose him when there were eight other family members to choose from, but at the same time felt genuinely happy. He pulled her towards him and opened another book, an animated one with cowboys and Native Americans. Grace touched the pages clumsily and seemed to be focusing only on a cowboy with shoulder-length blonde curly hair. He took his time flipping the pages, letting her examine each page thoroughly. Eventually, she yawned and slouched back against his chest.

"I think it's someone's bedtime." Esme smiled lovingly as she watched the dozing girl.

"I'm on it," Rose said but Edward was already on his feet.

"I'll do it."

"Not a chance, Ed. It's my turn," she argued.

"I'm reading your thoughts, Rose, and you had your turn two days ago," he smirked as her smile dropped.

"Kids, please." Emmett pushed them apart, "We all know I get to put her to sleep on Wednesdays."

Carlisle chuckled and picked Grace up, "Boys, Rose, just admit it, it's my turn."

That left them speechless as he ascended up the stairs. Grace played with the top button of his shirt that he usually left untied as her tiredness increased.

Carlisle sat down on the armchair and held her close to him, feeling a warmness spread throughout his entire body. Nothing else could make him feel this way, except for Esme, of course. The feeling was unexplainable. Some part of him deep down wanted to hear her call him "dad" or "papa" when she's older. Another part of him couldn't imagine her actually growing up, even though it would take longer than Renesmee. And the rest of him didn't want to lay her down in her crib as she finally fell asleep. He tiptoed over to the crib and placed her on the soft velvet covers.

Before leaving, he pressed a kiss on her head, whispering in her ear the following words, "I love you, my Grace."

He double-checked to see if her stuffed bat toy was at her side before switching off the light and joining the family downstairs again. Everyone was just the way he left them, except for Alice and Renesmee, who were in the kitchen busy making dinner for Renesmee.

Suddenly, a loud crashing sound caused all the vampires to rush to the kitchen where Alice dropped a plate. Her golden eyes were wide as she experienced a vision. Jasper grabbed her just as her vision ended, helping her regain balance.

"Alice, what did you see?" he asked in concern.

They all knew the difference between a good and a bad vision and that one was, without a doubt, the latter.

"They're coming." she stammered.

Rose frowned, "Who?"

Edward had a horrified expression on his face as he read her thoughts and said the words that she couldn't, "The Volturi."