It turns out that her son was a leach. A little clinger that refused to let her go now that she was awake. He would scream, and lord, was it loud even to her. Romulus was sweet, though, loving and constantly demanding her attention.

Edward had explained that it was because he had missed her. The three-day separation had felt like too much for the poor boy when he knew that she was just upstairs and that he just wasn't allowed to see her.

With them growing so fast, with them being so smart as it was already, so understanding, Roman couldn't fault her sweet little boy for wanting to spend so much time with her. She knew that look in his eyes, the intelligent little gleam that he got from his father, that just promised that he was able to pick up on the tense worry that the adults were trying to keep them from noticing.

At least it seemed like Renesmee was letting herself remain unaware and uncaring about their fears because she knew that there was no way that little girl wasn't noticing just as her brother was.

Roman brushes his forehead as he sits calmly on her lap, small hands clinging to her fingers tightly as they watch Ressie and Jacob play outside.

The cushion dips at her side, the scent -- a new thing that she wasn't yet used to -- bringing her to smile as she turns to face her husband, shifting slightly so she leaned against his side.

"He doesn't like Jacob."

She snorts. "I don't blame him. I don't like him either."

Romulus twists, turning to his father with a blank expression.

"He thinks he's trying to steal his sister," Edward tells her, holding a hand out to the boy.

He stares at him. Roman sighs, slowly pulling her hand away from his despite his shrieks as he protests and hands the boy to his father. His cries grow louder, face pinching as he pushes away from Edward.

Emmett chuckles from the other side of the room where he has Rosalie draped over his lap, holding the blonde in place as she frowns at the baby's cries.

"He hates him," Edward pouts, holding him away so he couldn't continue to beat tiny fists against stone skin. Her son was not so fragile as a normal child, but she didn't want him to hurt his little hands either.

"He doesn't hate you," she says softly, eyeing the pair as she bites her lip.

He shoots her a blank look.

"Alright, well he might not like you much, but it doesn't mean you let him win. He just holds a grudge."

"This isn't a grudge. He just doesn't like me."

She huffs, glancing quickly to the window where Jacob held Renesmee, the boy meeting her gaze with a sigh as he moves to bring the girl in. Bella would be pleased with that. She didn't understand why her wife didn't just ask for their daughter back if she wanted her instead of pouting at the other end of the room.

"Romulus, that's enough," she says firmly, mouth pressed into a firm line. "No more protests and crocodile tears. He is your father and you will start acting like it. You have no right to be angry with him."

The cries cease as he falls still, rosy cheeks smoothing out as he sniffles a few times, blinking tears away with thick, dark lashes. His chin no longer wobbles as he pouts. Romulus settles down, tapping Edward's arms until he pulls him closer again.

He drops his head to rest against his chest with the smallest of pouts. She sighs at his dramatic and wonders if she had gotten it from her out from Edward.

It had to be Edward.

"There. Was that so difficult?" She asks, standing to meet Jacob. She takes Renesmee from him, handing him to Bella once she gets her to take her seat. "They are still children, so treat them as children—" she turns on Jacob— "And you! Stop trying to take up all of Ressie's time or we're going to have problems. Her brother would like some time with her as well."

Smiling to herself, she turns to her in-laws with a quick side glance to her mates and children. Perfect and beautiful, it was like they forgot that a supernatural family still needed to act like a family.

She understood that they might be more willing to just let Renesmee go to whoever she wanted when she asks, but that wasn't how things should have been working.

It didn't help that she was still more than peeved with Jacob and his presence in general. She hated that he was just allowed to hang around all the time because he had imprinted on her. It wasn't like Seth stuck around all the time. He should have been able to leave just for a little while.

"You should take the chance to go hunting," Alice pipes, bouncing to her feet. "Charlie's coming for a visit."

Roman winces. "Oh. Maybe I'll just come back once he leaves."

"You can't avoid my dad forever, babe," Bella says, shifting Renesmee so that she could more easily reach Romulus that reaches for her. "You aren't awake the last time he came. He'll ask for you."

"That just seems a little risky, Bells, you don't really think that's a good idea, do you?"

"How would I explain why you aren't here?"

"How will you explain me probably wanting to kill him?"

She pulls a face. "You didn't hurt Renesmee or Romulus. How you know you'll try to hurt him?"

"That is a very different situation, Bella," she says. "I haven't been near an ordinary human yet and I doubt it would be a good idea to start now."

"He's coming soon," Alice tells them.

"I or Jasper can go with her. We'll come back in time to see him if we believe that it'll be safe," Edward suggests, handing Romulus to Bella as he stands.

She takes him into her arms readily, stubbornness fading for a moment as she turns to them with a small, happy smile.

"I'm not going to pressure you if you aren't ready for it," Bella finally agrees, turning her smile to Roman. "You can always call him if you think it'll be easier."

Roman beams. "We could try Skype. That's how I talk to Sue and Emily."

"That's because Sam won't let you get any closer. You would go running over there if you could," Jacob points out, arms crossed where he stands under the arch of the doorway, a smirk making her twitch to hit him.

Or maybe break his foot.

"Sam is just being cautious, as is his right," Esme says sternly as she enters the room, handing the shifter a plate topped with sandwiches.

It was odd to see him suddenly so relaxed within a home full of vampires, creatures that he had sworn to always hate until the ends of time. There were moments, sure, when he tended if they moved towards him too quickly or that he pulled a face if the smell was too overwhelming.

He had basically moved in, it seemed, spending more time here than he did at home. Roman sort of wished that Billy would just demand him to come back, force him to spend his nights there. Or to go back to school. He should finish high school and give them a break from having to see him all the time.

Edward shorts at her side, an arm wrapping around her waist as he places a tender, lingering kiss to her temple.

She hums, pressing closer into his side. Maybe she'll drag him to their little cottage home for a while, keep him to herself while Bella spent time with her father and their children.

Things would go much better this time around when her wife was prepared and Romulus wouldn't be pulling a fit if he went to someone he didn't like.

It was a little ridiculous that they were nearly really put down. She was sure their son would enjoy sitting on the couch with them for a change.

"I'll take Roman out for a while, Bella. Spend some time with Charlie, let him get to know the children," Edward says, head tilting toward their son as the boy looks directly at him. "Emmett, change the channel. Romulus enjoys watching golf."

The large man makes a strangled sound in his throat. "Golf? What's wrong with football?"

"Don't worry, Romu. Just wait until mamma introduces you to hockey."

Emmett scoffs. "If anyone's gonna teach the little man a thing about sports it'll be me."

She nearly purrs at the challenge, the instincts to prove him wrong strong as his grin doesn't falter.

"No."

The room stills, her ears ringing with the one, twinkling sound that was so warm like liquid gold.

Her eyes meet Romulus' sharp blue-green eyes, think lashes darkening his state as he looks at her.

"No. Mamma."

No one moves as she glides toward him, reaching out soundlessly for the boy that grabs to her tight and glares at Emmett the moment she has me.

He was a week old, give or take a few days, and even if he was growing at such a rapid pace, it wasn't meant to be possible for him to speak when he appeared to be about three months old.

But she always knew his mind was advanced, that they were both incredibly smart from the moment they could understand and comprehend in the womb. It made sense that he could speak so quickly, but she didn't like it.

Time suddenly felt incredibly fleeting, no matter how certain she was that things were going to work out. It felt like she was losing her chance to see him have a proper chance to be a kid, like she would blink and he would be a fully grown boy ready to do anything and everything without her because she was no longer needed.

It didn't escape her notice that Bella held Renesmee a little bit closer as well.

"Okay, I'll tell all about hockey when I get back, alright? I'll teach you both everything I know before your Uncle Emmett can give you the wrong ideas," she says, peppering kisses all over his handsome little face before stiffly giving him back to Bella — giving her and Renesmee the same treatment, bringing the little girl to giggle brightly.

She left in a blur, latching onto Edward and dragging him forcibly behind her as she took off into the trees. She didn't stop until they were well out of hearing range and she was free to collapse into his arms.

There was no fear that they were going to up and disappear, that they would grow old and die before they even had the chance to live because she believed that everything would be fine — they were part vampire, right? Roman didn't see the need to fear their death, but Edward must not have gotten that in her jumbled, nonsensical thoughts.

"Everything will be fine, Roman," he tells her, dragging her up the front of his chest so her feet were off the ground and her face was buried in his neck. "We'll figure it out."

"How? What if I leave them for a minute and I miss something?"

"Most parents worry that they'll miss something," he tells her, holding the back of her neck. "But I don't want you worrying, my love. We'll go to South America soon to look for answers."

She can't help but feel like he still wasn't getting it, like she was the only one that had the concerns she did.

Roman nods anyway, agreeing with him that getting answers was important even if she had no doubt that she would have her children forever. There were still blanks that she needs to understand.

The hunting wasn't as relaxing as she wanted and no matter how many animals she based, it wasn't much of a relief. Roman has never been a nervous eater, but spangly she was now — the burn in her thirst only multiplying whenever he suggests that they head back.

Feeding so much in the same area wasn't good for the ecosystem, the forest ranger in her raging at her own actions, but she couldn't bring herself to go so far away from the children no matter how much she wanted to head for the mountains.

She wished Bella was there with her, that the three of them could enjoy the hunt together. No one in the family enjoyed the hunt more than her.

More than that, she couldn't help but imagine a time in the future when the five of them would go out, maybe make a trip of it. Seth and Jacob could come, they could make it into a game.

In the future, hopefully far in the future, it would be great fun. 

Edward never strayed too far, sticking by her side as tackled animal after animal, laughing when he lets out a disgruntled sound each time she snatched his meal away from him. 

Suffice to say, they never returned in time to see Charlie, but they had gotten back in time for her to explain hockey to the pair as she wanted, beaming down at them as Emmett grumbled about her brainwashing them into liking her favourite teams. 

It was easy to distract herself from her fears with Bella and Edward to assist her, with Seth there to play games and Leah 'reluctantly' coming around to join them more often. She had Romulus and Renesmee and she had no time to let herself despair as the others were slowly beginning to. 

Perhaps it was what helped her grow closer to Jacob no matter how badly she hated his presence. The shifter was always ready to go along with her plans for fun for the children, eagerly going along with whatever she suggests the moment her daughter smiled. 

And what a powerful smile it was, making her look so much like Bella. 

Too soon they were speaking full sentences, only a few days after they started talking. Three weeks after they were born, they were walking on their own. 

Bella took to vampire mythology a lot more than she would have as a human, reading up as much of it as she could when she wasn't busy diverting the hours of the day to their family. Roman did not read much of it, not able to keep herself focused even with the strength and acuity of her new mind, she couldn't focus. 

It was only when they dragged out maps that they had trouble pulling her away as she traced out potential leads and various possibilities based on the legends that were described to her. It was like she was pulled in, sucked down until she wasn't able to snap back until someone physically came for her -- dragging her from the tracks and paths that surrounded her in her mind. 

"Mamma, come play," Romulus tugs at her as she holds a ballpoint pen precariously between two fingers. He was in Seth's arms, the boy so tied into her emotions that he could easily see the panic that bubbled through her when he walked on his own all the while looking like he was less than a year. 

He was too small, too young for him to be speeding through all the milestones like this. 

"Ressie is waiting outside with Jacob. She wants to play hide and seek again," he continues, pulling on her more firmly this time. 

She snaps out of her mind, focus immediately drawing into the pair. Seth grins at her, easily handing her son as she faces him. Squeezing his warm fingers, she can't help but relax as he squeezes back. 

"Where are your mom and dad?" 

Little arms curl around her neck. "They went hunting. Uncle Jasper said that she wasn't being safe." 

She hums. "Mom doesn't go as often as I do because her control is better, my little bean. Your uncle is just being cautious." 

"Can I go hunting soo?" 

Eyes darting to Seth, he places a hand to her shoulder in support as she frantically tries to give him a normal response without letting him know how desperately upset his question made him. 

"When you're bigger, we'll take you. We can make a trip of it, yeah? We can go camping, baby."

"Do you like camping?"

"I went camping a lot when I was little. I was a junior forest ranger even back then so I was always outside."

"Can Seth come?" he asks, looking to the boy with happy, hopeful eyes. 

She bites her tongue to keep from cooing at him. 

"Do you want me to come?" Seth asks, head a small skip in her step as he trails behind them.

Romulus squeezes her neck tighter as he shoots up in her arms to look at the other boy. "Yes!" he exclaims, giggling softly at the whoop that Seth lets out. "Mamma, Seth is my best friend." 

"Is he, baby?" 

He nods, face pressed into her neck again. She can feel every soft exhale against her skin, each puff of warm air as his heart races in her ears. 

"You'll have to break the news to everyone else, then, little bean."

"Don't worry, little man. I'll fight them all for you," Seth promises, laughter poorly hidden as his voice cracks and wobbles. 

Rolling her eyes, she leads them outside to the wanting pair, Ressie reaching for her the moment she's in sight -- little hand pressing to her cheek in question, big brown eyes blinking eagerly. 

Kissing her palms as she pulls away, she nods once and closes her eyes. 

"One, two, three," she starts slowly, teasing. 

Romulus squeals, shoving away from her as quickly as he could as he scrambles for Seth. She can hear Renesmee smacking Jacob, no doubt telling him to hurry, to go fast. 

She can hear the boys running as quickly as they could, can hear her son complaining in rushed whispers that Seth was going to slow and that they were going to lose. She can hear the chuckles from inside that mixed with the sound of the wind and the crunch of leaves beneath feet. 

Small animals, tiny creatures that were brave enough to live so close to a house full of vampires were loud as they prepared for winter, the birds that stayed for winter ruffling around the tops of the trees. 

It was all so sharp, so intense, cataloguing little details in her mind before she could even try to think it through. 

"Six, seven, eight, nine, ten," she continues, throwing her voice so that she was sure they could hear her. 

"We can we play?" Emmett calls, her gaze jumping to catch his face in the window. 

"When you don't cheat," she taunts, sticking her tongue out at him when Rose's laugh twinkles free. 

"He's going to crash your party anyway," Alice tells her, voice floating down from her room. "As soon as Edward and Bella get back so that you can't cheat." 

"I don't cheat!" she protests, glaring at her window. 

"That's what he thinks of it. He thinks Edward and I cheat as well." 

There's movement to the east, scraping of shoes against the bark of a tree as someone climbs unsteadily. Jacob was ridiculous sometimes, but it made sense that he would end up doing whatever Renesmee asked of him. 

She would wander by just to check, just to be safe. It was probably fine, though, she was sure of that. 

And her little girl would love being so high up, she just knew it. She loved to be brought up to the roof, just as Romulus could spend hours sitting in the bath playing in the water if we let him. 

"You might want to hurry along before they think you forgot about them," Rosalie says, appearing at her mate's side in the window.

Nodding, she spins on her toes feeling much like a graceful dancer bending still air around her. The motion is swift, done in a blink of an eye, done before she even processes the thoughts that she wants to move. 

"Twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five," Roman calls out, linking her hands behind her back as she walks into the forests, surrounding herself with trees as he mind comes alive. "Ready or not, here I come!"

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hello! I hope everyone is well! and that this chappie isn't bad or confusing! 

unedited 

2020-04-15