Chapter Text
October 2006
We sat together in Carlisle’s lab as he reviewed the results of my latest bloodwork. Edward gently held one of my hands while my other absently rubbed across my growing stomach. At twenty-two weeks I was in an awkward in-between phase. Limited to wearing either leggings or sweatpants until my maternity clothes fit.
“The anemia is getting worse. It’s affecting you both now.” Carlisle’s voice was strained. “It has gotten to the point that you may need transfusions.”
My stomach sank. “Okay. So we’ll do that then.”
Over the last couple weeks my red blood cell count had become dangerously low. I was tired all the time and had even developed dark circles beneath my eyes. Our daughter’s growth had started to slow a bit as well. She needed more from me as she continued to grow and she wasn’t getting it for some reason. We were going to need to do more to get it under control.
“I don’t think it’s that simple, Dani. Any transfusion I can do would be with human blood. I don’t even know if it would be fully compatible with your blood.” He sat down next to me. “There’s also the issue of your magic. She’s using that too and a transfusion would further dilute those cells. We need to know more about her.”
My brows drew down and I looked into Edward’s equally concerned, green eyes.
“An amniocentesis will tell us how much she’s using and what she needs.” Edward gently explained.
I closed my eyes and sighed. “Okay. Let’s do it.” I felt her fluttering in response to my anxious voice. A small smirk spread over my face and I looked down. “We’re gonna be okay baby girl.” I whispered.
Edward pulled my hand to his lips. “Thank you.” He murmured against my skin.
I looked over at him and cupped his cheek in my hand. He turned his face to kiss my palm. He had grown just as attached to her as I had. I highly doubted he would push for a termination at this point, but I also knew that if it came down to it, he would still choose me.
“Are you ready to do it now? I have everything I need.” Carlisle interrupted.
I held my hand more firmly over my bump and nodded. “Might as well.”
Carlisle got everything together while Edward came closer, wrapping an arm around me so he could hold me. Carlisle cleaned my stomach with an alcohol wipe before adding the gel and looking for a clear spot to get a sample from with the ultrasound machine. He pulled out the absurdly long needle and my heart began to race.
“Oh my god. Why is it so big?!” My eyes widened.
Carlisle set the needle down and took my hand. “It’s pretty far to the amniotic sac. Please don’t worry, I’ve done this procedure plenty of times. I can give you a moment, if you need.” He offered.
I took a deep breath and shakily let it out through pursed lips to try and calm my panic.
“I’m right here with you, baby. Can you use a topical anesthetic or something?” Edward asked him.
“Yes, that shouldn’t be a problem. Would you prefer that, Dani?” Carlisle gently rubbed his thumb over the back of my hand.
I shook my head. “No, it’s okay. Let’s just get this over with.”
Edward let out a small sigh and kissed my temple as he ran a soothing hand up and down my arm. “Are you sure?”
“As sure as I can be, it’s not the pain I’m scared of. Have at it, Carlisle.” I waved a hand toward the giant needle that would soon be near my unborn child.
Carlisle picked the needle back up and placed the wand over my abdomen again to find a good spot to stab me.
“Okay, you’ll feel a pinch here and perhaps a cramping sensation, but it shouldn’t be worse than that.” He gave me a reassuring nod before inserting the monstrous needle into my abdomen.
I felt the stabbing ‘pinch’ and looked away, squeezing my eyes shut as I held Edward’s hand tightly. He pressed his warm lips to my forehead.
“He’s almost done, love. You’re doing great.” He reassured me.
As soon as I felt the needle come back out I opened my eyes and exhaled the breath I didn’t even realize I was holding. I looked down to see the puncture hole sealing shut, leaving just a single drop of blood behind. She was still giving me enough magic to heal. Somehow, she always knew when I was hurt and needed it.
“I’ll need some time to analyze this, but that went perfectly.” Carlisle smiled as he prepped the sample for analysis. “You will need to take it easy for the next twenty-four hours and no baths or intercourse for the next forty-eight hours.”
I glanced at Edward with a slight frown. He smirked and kissed my hand again. Abstaining was going to be somewhat difficult. We were still very much newlyweds and could not seem to get enough of each other.
“You may also experience some light spotting and mild cramps. That is perfectly normal. If you experience anything that concerns you at all though, let me know. Drink plenty of fluids and get some rest.” He held a hand gently to my shoulder as Edward helped me sit back up.
“We’ll stay here tonight. Just in case.” Edward pulled me closer as he lifted me from the bed. He likely wasn’t going to let me walk on my own for the rest of the day.
Edward carried me to our old room and helped me get comfortable on the bed. Piling pillows behind me and placing a large blanket over me as I pulled my hair up into a messy bun. After momentarily disappearing from the room, he returned with a bottle of water and a bowl of feta stuffed olives, my latest pregnancy craving.
“Thank you.” I popped an olive into my mouth before pulling him onto the bed with me.
He tucked me against his side as I ate my snack and breathed him in.
“She’s going to be fine. Carlisle will figure this out.” Edward brushed the backs of his fingers across my cheek and kissed my temple.
“I know.” I murmured as I held a hand over our kicking daughter.
“She’s moving quite a lot.” I could hear the smile in his voice. “That’s a good thing.”
“I think she likes your voice.” I looked up at him with a smile of my own.
His face lit up and he leaned down to gently press his lips to mine. “Evangeline?” He spoke against my lips.
I pulled back and made a face. He laughed at my expression. We were getting nowhere on the baby name front. He wanted a classic, boring name and I wanted something uniquely suitable for the first witch/vampire hybrid in existence that wasn’t completely moronic. We both had to agree on it though. So far we had a couple ‘maybe’ names but nothing we both loved.
“That’s a rich old lady’s name. One who used to host tea parties for the wives while their husbands gathered at the country club.” I smirked as he rolled his eyes.
“What’s your latest suggestion then?” He held a hand to my stomach, gently brushing his thumb over it.
“Well, I’m still partial to nature inspired names. What about River?”
Now it was his turn to make a face. “Sorry love, but no. Hard no.”
I laughed at his almost disgusted expression. “Fine. I do know what I’d like her middle name to be though.” I pulled my lower lip between my teeth with a warm smile.
“Really? What is that?” He asked as he nuzzled his nose into the side of my neck.
I sighed as I reached up to run my fingers through his hair. The next forty-eight hours were going to be miserable. Pregnancy had somehow made me want him more and he seemed to really appreciate my changing body. We were exploring things together, figuring out what we liked and didn’t like. Our sex life was incredible.
“Elizabeth.” I said quietly as I bit back the moan that wanted to escape when his lips met the mark on my neck.
He pulled away to look at me. A radiant smile lit up his beautiful face. “My mother’s name?”
I moved my hand from his hair to hold his cheek. “Yes. It’s beautiful and would work perfectly with almost anything.”
“I love it. Thank you.” He said quietly before leaning down to place a kiss on my stomach. “Evangeline Elizabeth is too alliterative. So I suppose I can let that one go.”
I laughed as I covered his hand with my own. “That was never going to be her name. Sorry, my love.”
He silenced my laughter by pressing his lips to mine. “You need to rest. Do you need anything else?”
“No, I’ve got everything I need right here.” I leaned my head against his shoulder and relaxed in his arms.
He picked up a copy of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ and began to read it aloud. This had become a regular activity for us. I loved listening to him read and he readily took every opportunity to talk and sing to our daughter. He wanted her to know his voice. I was pretty sure he was worried that she might be afraid of him after she was born. He never said as much, but I could sense his apprehension. I knew that was impossible. She already loved him, I could feel it.
It was strange. I didn’t know if this was a normal part of every pregnancy or unique to her, but I could almost sense what she was feeling. I somehow knew when she would move whether it was in response to a certain sound or movement or something I ate. She could tell when I was injured and I would feel her worry as she somehow gave me enough magic to heal. We were physically connected, but it seemed like there was a mental or emotional connection as well. As I started to drift to sleep, I could feel her settling as well. She loved us both.
The next day Rose, Alice, and Esme decided I needed a relaxing girls’ day. They set up everything we needed in Rose’s room for mani-pedis and planned a movie marathon of ‘Say Anything’, ‘The Princess Bride’, and Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’ - I requested a horror movie and they thought it would be funny.
Esme put together an array of food for me too. Everything from my favorite pizza puffs to a s’mores dip with graham crackers and pretzels. They had all been insistent on keeping me on a healthy, high-iron diet, so I was taking full advantage of the opportunity for delicious, unhealthy snacks.
They had me seated in what was essentially a pillow fort on the floor while ‘The Princess Bride’ played in the background and we took turns painting each others’ nails.
“What’s the worst horror movie you’ve ever seen?” Rose asked as she worked on cleaning up my cuticles.
“Oh man, there have been so many.” I chuckled then pursed my lips and thought for a moment. “Oh! I watched one from the eighties called ‘Death Spa’ about a haunted high-tech gym. It was probably the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen.” I laughed. “That’s an hour and a half of my life that I’ll never get back.”
Rose chuckled. “We’ll put it on the list. I’ll make Emmett watch it with me.” She smirked.
“Worst romance movie?” Alice asked next to me, where she was working on Esme’s nails.
“Easy, ‘Love Actually’. Everyone was a horrible person in that movie. Except Emma Thompson, she carried it.” I chuckled.
“Aw, I like that one!” Alice pouted.
I gave her a small smirk. “My opinion doesn’t invalidate yours.”
“Very true.” Esme winked at me. “How are you feeling?” Her brows drew down and she gave me a small frown as I yawned.
“Sorry, I’m fine. Just tired. I’m always tired.” I huffed a humorless laugh.
Rose’s concerned gold eyes met mine. “You should rest if you need to. We can pick this back up later.”
I shook my head. “No, I’m fine. Really. I just hope we can figure out what’s going on.” I held the hand she wasn’t working on over my growing stomach.
“You will. Carlisle is very determined to keep you both safe and healthy.” Esme offered.
I smiled warmly at her. “I know. He’s been wonderful.”
Rose moved on to painting my nails a pastel blue color.
“Should we play truth or dare?” Alice asked with a wide smile.
I tilted my head down to look up at her with a skeptical expression. “Because that went so well the last time we played.”
She laughed her tinkling, magical laugh. “It was fun!”
I rolled my eyes with a laugh. “True, but there were consequences. ‘Never have I ever’?” I offered with a raised eyebrow.
Esme’s face drew down and she shook her head. “What is that?”
My eyes widened and my lips pulled up into an excited smile. “Everyone starts with five fingers, you go around and say something that you’ve never done. If anyone else has done it, then they put down a finger. Usually there is alcohol involved, but none of us can partake.” I shrugged. “It’s still fun though. A solid bonding experience.”
“Yes! Let’s play!” Alice turned toward me with an ecstatic smile. She held a hand up. “I’ll start. Never have I ever eaten pizza!”
“No fair!” I put a finger down with an amused glare. Rose put a finger down too and I gave her a questioning look.
“I’m from New York. Of course I’ve had pizza.” She chuckled, her gorgeous face lighting up with a smile.
“Okay, your turn, Dani.” Alice lightly bumped my shoulder with hers.
I could take the easy win and use a uniquely vampire experience, but wanted to learn more about the women in my family, so I thought for a moment. “Never have I ever… gone skydiving.”
They all put a finger down. “What?! All of you!” I laughed.
Esme shrugged. “It was a family activity. We’ll take you next time. Though, you’ll probably need a parachute.” She smirked.
My eyes widened. “You all jumped out of a plane without a parachute?”
“It was a helicopter.” Rose corrected as she moved on to adding a top coat. “And we don’t need them, they just slow us down.” She glanced up with a wink.
My family was awesomely insane. “Holy crap! Okay, Rose. Your turn.”
Her smile grew mischievous. “Never have I ever blown up a transformer.” She looked up with a raised eyebrow.
“Emmett told you about that?!” I felt my face flush as I put another finger down.
“What happened?” Esme asked curiously.
“Nothing! Moving on. Esme, your turn.”
Rosalie bit back a laugh as I nudged her with my knee.
Esme tilted her head with a small smirk. “Never have I ever stolen a car.”
Me, Rose, and Alice all put a finger down. “Noo!! You hoodlums!” I cackled as we all burst into laughter.
It only took one more round before Rose was out of fingers and I learned that Rose and Esme both have tried to get drunk, Rose had capsized a boat by having sex on it, and Alice was nearly arrested once. We had a blast pointing out all of the inaccuracies in ‘Dracula’ while swooning over Keanu Reeves and ended the day with them teaching me how to play Bridge. I couldn’t have asked for a better family. It was exactly what I needed to take my mind off of everything.
Edward and I found ourselves back in Carlisle’s office the next day. He had the results already. Having a fully equipped obstetrician’s lab for a single patient came with many advantages.
“Well it’s not exactly what I expected and I’m not sure what the solution would be. You may need to consult with Maeve on this.” Carlisle looked and sounded deeply concerned.
Edward held me closer and I looked between them. “So, what is the problem?” I raised my eyebrows, waiting for someone to tell me what was going on.
“The amnio shows that she has a combination of human blood, your prodigious cells, and crystalline vampire cells.” Carlisle started to explain.
“Okay, that makes sense considering we both made her.” I pushed for more.
“Your cells combine to stabilize each other. They work together to create something new, something stronger and they appear to be keeping the pregnancy stable as well. That is likely why you’ve been able to have a relatively normal pregnancy so far. However, your prodigious cells aren’t keeping up with Edward’s crystalline cells. There aren’t enough of them to keep the balance anymore.” He paused, giving me a moment to process. “Because of this imbalance, it appears she needs to use more of your blood to continue to grow.”
“I need more magic. I haven’t been practicing. I haven’t even spent time outside!” I exclaimed. “You’re right. Maeve might be able to help.” I looked at Edward, his face was drawn down into a frown.
“And if she can’t?” He asked.
“She has to know something. I need to at least spend more time in nature. I may not be able to use magic, but I can still absorb it. I should have been doing that this whole time!” My voice broke. We were so focused on keeping me hidden from the pack that I didn’t even consider that she would have additional needs.
Edward pulled me closer and I tucked my face into his shoulder. “Shh. It’s okay, baby. We’ll figure it out. We can spend more time outdoors. We’ll hike, have picnics, whatever you want.”
It seemed like common sense now that I should have been accumulating more magic for her. Instead I let myself get weak and it was hurting our daughter.
“I knew she needed my magic. Why didn’t I even think of finding a way to give her more?” A small sob broke through.
“You couldn’t have known, Dani.” Carlisle’s voice was low and soothing. “This is brand new territory for all of us. We’re all learning as we go here.”
I sniffled and turned back to Carlisle with a nod. “I’ll call Maeve. See if she can come over soon.”
“I’ll take you to her if we have to.” Edward offered. “We all need to know more about your witchcraft.” He pulled back to look at me. “We’re going to be raising a witch soon.” He smiled softly.
I huffed out a teary laugh. “We are, aren’t we?” I held a hand to my stomach. “A very strong one too.”
Edward took me back downstairs where Esme had a lentil chicken soup and fresh fruit ready for me. I thanked her as I sat down to eat and Emmett came to sit across from me.
“Maybe we could plan a baseball game soon? Get us all outdoors, have some fun?” He winked. “We’ll introduce the mini witch to our traditions early.”
I smiled back at him. “That would actually be great. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you all in your element.”
Edward came over to gently rub my back. “Would it be too loud for her?”
I looked over at him. “I don’t think so. We can ask Carlisle though?”
Emmett’s smile widened. “He says it’s fine.” He waggled his eyebrows as I laughed.
“I’ll call Maeve after lunch and you guys can work that out.” I paused to take in my incredible family. “Thank you.”
“Any time, little witch.” Emmett gave me a dimpled grin as he grabbed a strawberry from my plate and sniffed it. I snorted a laugh as he carefully licked it. He raised an eyebrow and took a small bite. His face immediately pulled down into an expression of pure disgust before spitting it into his hand and tossing it across the room, right into the trashcan.
I started laughing uncontrollably. “You have got to stop trying to eat food dude!” I popped a strawberry in my own mouth and rolled my eyes.
“I don’t think he’ll stop until he finds something that either tastes good or kills him.” Jasper smirked as he came in to join us.
Emmett glared at him and quickly threw a blueberry at him, clearly aiming for his mouth.
Jasper dodged it with a chuckle and sat next to me. “How are you feeling, Dani?”
I shrugged. “A little better now that we know what’s going on. Where’s Alice?” I asked.
Jasper glanced at Edward, who smirked and nodded back at him. “She and Rose went into the city to pick up some clothes.” He paused. “Baby clothes.” The corner of his mouth pulled up as I smirked and shook my head.
“She’s going to grow out of the things they keep buying before she has a chance to wear even half of it.” They had already packed her closet and dressers with more clothes than one baby could ever need. I couldn’t believe they were buying more.
“They’re excited.” Edward interjected. “It’s literally the first time either of them have gotten to shop for a baby.”
My heart melted a little. “Yeah, I can understand that. I suppose they can have their fun.”
“Rose is having the time of her life.” Emmett chuckled. “I’m sure you know this is something she’s always wanted, she may be living a bit vicariously here.” His smile grew a little sad.
“Well, they say it takes a village. Given her strength and magic, we’re going to need a lot of help with her. So she’s gonna need all of her aunts and uncles on deck.”
He leaned down and gave me a wide grin. “You’re definitely not going to have a problem there.”
“She’s our family too. We take care of our own.” Jasper added with a wink.
Tears started building in my eyes as I struggled to hold back my overwhelming emotions. “Love you guys.” My voice wobbled a little as a couple tears escaped.
Jasper huffed a small laugh as he put an arm around me to pull me into a gentle hug.
She was definitely the luckiest witch/vampire hybrid baby in the world.
Maeve came by the next day. Edward and I showed her around the new house as we explained the situation to her. That the baby was using my magic and I needed to somehow give her more.
“I’ve never heard of anything like that before. Though every witch pregnancy I’ve seen has been with a human.” She gave me a pointed look.
“That’s what we’re thinking as well.” I sighed.
“Do you have any ideas about what she can do to build her magic back up?” Edward asked, firmly holding my hand in his own.
“If you need more magic you should still be practicing. That has always seemed to make you stronger. You also have a unique ability to feel and absorb the magic around you. Use that too.” Maeve explained.
I gave her a curious look. “You’ve pulled magic from me. Is that not a universal witch thing?” I asked.
“Not the way you do. You feel it everywhere. You can draw from it without contact. You can even feel and distinguish the magic from spells. I could only share your magic because it’s so much stronger than mine.” She explained. “How about you show me your garden?” She said softly.
Edward stayed behind to give us some time alone as I took her to the garden in our backyard. Jasper built a large, u-shaped raised bed for me. So far, I had planted some sage, lemon balm, lavender, mint, and lady’s mantle. She bent down to look everything over.
“This is a good start. I’ll bring some more seedlings and help you plant them.” She smirked and reached a hand up for me to join her. I carefully sat down next to her, crouching was getting more difficult these days. “I want you to pull the magic from one of your plants. Not too much, just enough that you start to see a change.” She directed just like she used to when she was still mentoring me. I was glad that hadn’t changed.
I gently squeezed her hand and thoughtfully chewed my lip before choosing a mint plant to focus on. I felt the tiny bit of magic it held and pulled at it. As soon as I saw the leaves begin to curl in on themselves I stopped and looked back at Maeve.
“Very good.” She smiled wider, her light blue eyes lighting up with pride. “Now give it to another plant.”
My brow drew down in confusion. “You don’t think I should keep it?” I asked.
She gently shook her head and her expression softened. “No, you need to practice in a more balanced way. This will allow you to keep working your magic muscles without having to use any of your own magic.”
“That makes a lot of sense.” I huffed a laugh. “This is why you’re my favorite aunt.” I gave her a playful smile and she chuckled in return.
I looked for the magic inside me that I had just taken and pushed it back into the lavender. I watched closely and stopped just as some of the green buds turned purple and bloomed before our eyes.
“That was perfect.” She reached out and took my hand. “You can do this Dani. I have a good feeling about that little girl you’ve got there.”
I held a hand to my stomach. “Me too.” She lightly fluttered beneath my hand.
“Spend more time outdoors. Take only what you need and practice like this. Samhain is in less than two weeks. We’ll get the coven together for a ritual. It’s a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with our ancestors, solidify our bond, and practice magic.” She stood and helped me back up with a small laugh.
“That would be wonderful.” I felt a tear fall to my cheek. “Thank you so much Maeve.” I pulled her into a hug and held her tight. “I have another question.” I sniffled as I stepped away again.
“Hopefully I can answer it.” Her hand came up to wipe my tear away.
I held a protective hand over my stomach again. “Sometimes it’s almost like I know what she’s thinking or feeling. Is that normal?”
Maeve scanned my face and glanced down at my growing belly. “That’s definitely not a normal part of any human pregnancy. You may be unique in that aspect as well. Or you may just be more strongly connected because of her magic.” She reached a hand toward my stomach. “Do you mind?”
I lowered my hand. “Not at all. Go right ahead.” I smiled.
She held her hand gently over my bump and closed her eyes. A smile spread over her face as I felt the baby moving. “She is definitely something.”
“I think she feels your magic.” That was at least the impression that I was getting from her.
Maeve opened her eyes again. “You just might have yourself a unique connection with her.” She let out a small laugh. “I can tell that she loves you very much.”
She lowered her hand and I replaced it with my own. “I love you too, sweet girl. So much.” I spoke to her as she started moving even more.
I linked my arm with Maeve’s and led her back to the house where Edward had tea and sandwiches waiting for us. He truly was the most incredible husband. I pulled him down for a kiss before sitting with Maeve to eat and spend some more time together.
We made plans to get the coven back together for a Samhain celebration. My first ritual since the initiation months before. I couldn’t wait.