It had all started with a chocolate chip cookie.

The day had begun as nothing special. Edward, Bella, and his siblings were going on a quick hunt. And since Esme had gone the day before with Carlisle, Renesmee would simply stay with his mother. Both Nessie and Esme were utterly ecstatic to have an entire day to themselves. "A Nana and Nessie Day," the child, who looked no more than five chanted over and over as she skipped up to the main house. Upon arriving Esme had scooped up the little girl into her arms and carried off to play. Edward smiled, as he ran off with the rest of his family. It was nice to know that his daughter was in his mother's exquisite care. With Esme in charge, he could enjoy a moment alone with his wife, who was still adjusting to her new life as a vampire. However, after only a few hours the entire coven stopped running. They heard it. A shrill blood curdling scream coming from their home. Edward sprinted faster than he had ever run before, only to find Renesmee in tears, screaming for help on the back deck.

"Renesmee, what is wrong?" the father's panic subsided slightly, seeing that his daughter was safe and sound.

"Nana, daddy, nana!" Nessie cried streams of hot, wet tears, as she pulled him into the house.

It was only a moment later that the rest of the coven arrived and followed the sobbing child into the kitchen. And there on the floor was Esme completely unconscious. Edward released his daughter's hand and ran to his mother's side. He had never seen anything like this before. They were vampires. They didn't faint, or get sick, or ever sleep, yet Esme was unresponsive and motionless. It must have been something incredibly strong to bring down the family's matriarch. Edward turned to his family only to be met with the same panic stricken look his own face held.

Now, a majority of the family stood outside the door of the master bedroom. After the initial find, and a few failed attempts to rouse their mother, Emmett had lifted her up and placed her more comfortably in bed. It had been a few hours since the incident and Edward couldn't tell if it was getting better or worse. He paced the hallway reading Esme's incoherent thoughts. Nothing made sense, everything was jumbled, and the only thought that stood out was that she felt as if she were dying. Rosalie, who had been leaning against the wall, arms folded over her chest, finally came forward and stopped Edward in his tracks.

"This has gone on long enough," the blonde grabbed his shoulders, "We need to call Carlisle."

"And tell him what?! That Esme thinks she's dying and that we know nothing about what's causing it?!" he ran his hands through his copper hair, "Alice, please tell me you can see something? Anything?"

Alice sat, back against the wall, with her head in her hands, a heavy sigh escaped her lips, "I'm sorry Edward. I can't see anything. Her future is like watching television static."

"Don't you think we should call Carlisle, now?" Rosalie interjected, yet again.

"I suppose that would be a good idea," Jasper emerged from the bedroom, his face plastered with discomfort, "She's afraid and in pain, Edward. Emmett, being the momma's boy that he is, is trying his best to comfort her. But, I doubt that'll squelch the terror for much longer."

Before anyone could respond, Bella bounded up the stairs with Nessie. The little girl's head was buried deep in her mother's chest. She had been inconsolable since they had all arrived back at the house, which didn't surprise anyone. Being the only person present when her precious grandmother began to deteriorate had probably traumatized the child. Nessie clung to Bella, as her mother tried to hand her to Edward.

"Renesmee," Bella spoke sternly, "This is no time for guilt. You must show daddy what happened. It could help us help Nana. No one will be angry with you."

Puzzled, Edward reached out for his daughter again. Reluctantly, she released the iron grasp around her mother's neck and settled into her father's arms. Her little chest sighed a heavy sigh as she gently placed her hand on Edward's cheek, exposing the thoughts she had been hiding from him. Playing almost like a silent movie in his mind, she shared her day with Nana Esme. First paper dolls. A typical activity for the pair. Painting in the art room. What a mess. Then tea on Esme's sun porch. Nessie's favorite. Finally, it came to them making chocolate chip cookies. Esme had let Renesmee take charge of the ingredients this time. The bag of chocolate chips did not look like a store bought brand and Renesmee had gotten them out of her own backpack.

Edward watched as his mother tossed the bag back and forth in her hands, curious of the packaging, before dumping a sizable portion into the cookie mixture. Soon after, the baking was done and Esme pulled the batch out of the oven. Renesmee graciously took one and then panned back to her grandmother. It was only then that Edward heard his child speak. "Please Nana, will you try just one. I want them to taste as yummy as yours!" Nessie pleaded. Esme smiled, grimacing slightly about having to eat human food, but she would never say no to her beloved granddaughter. Together she and Renesmee each finished a cookie before Edward noticed his mother's slight cough. Not wanting to upset Nessie, Esme turned to walk away. Her balance was unsteady, and she tried grabbing the counter to stabilize herself, but in an instant she fell. It was then Renesmee screamed, fearing that she had killed her grandmother.

Edward came back to reality as Nessie moved her hand, "My darling no, this is not your fault!" he reassured her, "Please just tell us where you got the chocolate chips!"

"The chocolate chips?" Jasper furrowed his brow.

"Yes," the father turned from his brother back to his daughter, "Where are they from?"

"The reservation," Renesmee quietly sniffled.

Edward's eyes went wide, "Ness, go find the bag of chocolate chips. Bella call Jacob. Alice, grab some gloves and put all the cookies in a bag, they could be poisonous to us. Be safe. But please keep them…"

"Why are we calling the dog instead of Carlisle?! Shouldn't we tell him that his wife may be poisoned?" Rosalie yelled in frustration.

"Not yet," Edward grabbed his sister's shoulders, "Jacob may know more about the chocolates than Carlisle, since they are from the reservation. Perhaps he knows of some type of antidote."

"Then what should I do in the mean time?" the blonde almost spat.

"Sit with her," the brother sighed, "Remember the comfort she brought you in your worst moments? It's time to repay that now."

Reluctantly, Rosalie agreed, taking slow steps into the bedroom. She was afraid, Edward read her mind. Although she refused to show it, Rose was terrified of losing her second mother. Esme had stayed by her side during her transformation and gave her all the love and support she needed to transition to this new life. They shared similar histories and understood each other's past pains in a way that only came if you had experienced yourself. It was a rare day that Rosalie called their parents by anything other than their first names, but in light of recent circumstances she had been thinking differently.

"Esme…" Edward heard Rose begin, "Mom," she corrected herself, "We're doing everything we can to help you. Just try to stay calm. And please don't worry. Emmett is here. Jasper too. And me, mom, I'm here for you."

After sending out a distress call to the pack, Jacob, Leah, and Seth phased in to human form, and quickly bounded up to the Cullen's doorstep. Edward approached Jacob, with Renesmee in one hand the bag of chocolate chips in the other. Nessie placed her hand on Jacob's cheek and showed him what had happened. Immediately after, he took the bag from Edward, looked over then strange markings, before handing it over to both Leah and Seth. The brother and sister both shrugged before turning back to their pack leader.

"Why are you showing us these?" Jacob looked at Edward, "We have no idea what these are."

"They're chocolate chips Renesmee got at the reservation," the copper haired vampire spoke calmly, "They've made Esme very sick."

"Miss Esme is sick?" a pang of sadness hit Seth as he remembered how well the vampire mother had cared for his pack, "Can we help?"

"We were hoping you had a cure or an antidote," Bella chimed in, "Nessie thinks it's her fault."

"Well, it's not her fault," Jacob defended his imprint, "But," he began nervously, "I'm afraid we don't have anything to help."

"WHAT?!" Rosalie was down the stairs in a flash, with Jasper not far behind her, "You dogs don't have a cure for your own poison?"

"Easy Blondie," Leach almost growled.

"Our mother could be dying and no one knows how to help," Rose seethed, "That's it, Edward, I'm going to get Carlisle, whether you want to or not!"

"It's getting worse," Jasper spoke quietly, "She's twisting in pain, and Emmett can only do so much. And I'm no help, the room is full of her emotion. Carlisle is needed."

"Fine," Edward agreed, "I will go with Rosalie, Jacob could you…"

"I can help Emmett," Seth interjected, to everyone's surprise, "Miss Esme has done a lot for us. I'd like to do something for her."

The drive to the hospital was quick and silent, except for Rosalie constantly repeating 'I told you so's' in her head. The sibling pair had a hard time walking at a human pace upon entering the hospital's ICU. Edward asked the nurse at the reception desk to page their father. However, she politely told him, he would have to wait until he was done preforming emergency surgery. Rosalie was furious, could that dolt of a human not see that they were experiencing an emergency of their own. The Cullen children waited in the chairs closest to the door, hoping to catch their coven leader's approaching thoughts or sent, but he still seemed to distant. Finally, Edward caught a brief dialogue of Carlisle's at home to do list, he must be on his way out. Before he could say anything to his sister, Rosalie pushed through the door.

Carlisle was stunned at the sight of his children standing in the hospital doorway. They never visited him at work unless it was a true emergency. In that moment, looking at his distraught son and daughter, Carlisle feared the threat of the Volturi again.

"Dad, it's worse than that, this time," Edward answered his unspoken question.

"It's mom," Rosalie's strong voice quivered.

Carlisle Cullen had never left work so abruptly, nor had he ever driven this fast within city limits. Even Edward, who was seated next to him, look scared as they weaved through traffic. His son tried to explain quickly and in the most detail what had happened to Esme, but none of it made sense. Reservation Chocolate? Pain? Migraines? He had never heard of such symptoms in a vampire before. He would have to consult his research logs, after attending to his wife. His wife, he sighed. Carlisle did want to imagine his beautiful, beloved Esme in any sort of agony, especially not one so unexplainable. He had to be by her side, even if that meant leaving Edward inside the still running car. As the doctor stepped into his home, he watched Emmett jump over the counter and quickly grab the kitchen trash bin. Carlisle followed him back up the stairs, only to see his wife immediately vomit blood into it. In an instant, he was by her side, holding back her hair.

"You waited this long to come get me?!" Carlisle shouted at his children, without even turning to look at Rosalie and Edward as they entered the room.

"She's getting real hot, pops," Emmett relayed, "I haven't left her side since this happened, and her temperature's been going up this entire time."

"Well, then can some please get me some…" the doctor began.

"I've got a cool wash cloth and everything frozen in your freezer," Seth bounded into the room, arms full.

"Thank you Seth," Carlisle stated surprised.

"No problem, Dr. Fang," the youngest pack member replied, "What else can I do?"

"You and Rosalie can go into my office. Grab my medical bag and research logs," the blond man commanded, "Bring the bag here, and have the others begin looking through my notes."

"Come on, pup," Rose sprinted out of the room.

"My love, my love," Carlisle murmured softly, as he kissed Esme's knuckles, "What are we going to do with you? Give me something, anything, that'll let me know how to help you through this."

"She's thinking of you," Edward placed a hand on his father's shoulder, "The first clear thought in hours."

"Carlisle, get closer," Jasper spoke quietly from the corner, "When you touch her, despite everything, it calms her down."

"I guess Rose was right," Emmett chuckled, "Mom just needed Dad all along."

In one swift movement Carlisle was in the bed next to his wife. He pulled her into grasp and brushed his fingertips along her arms. Esme's face looked more at peace, uncomfortable, but not unhappy. Seth trotted back into the room, the black medical bag secured under his arm. He immediately noticed the silence in the room and handed it to Edward before heading back downstairs. Edward immediately grabbed the thermometer and checked his mother's temperature.

"That's hot for a human, but let alone one of us," he ran his hand through his copper hair.

"She's worried," Jasper timidly spoke.

"We are too, but we're going to figure it out," Emmett spoke softly to Esme.

Edward let out a soft chuckle and rolled his eyes, "She's not worried about herself. She's worried about us kids."

"Come on Ma," the bear of a man shook his head, "But, hey, she's thinking clearly, and Jazz is channeling normal emotions. Does that mean she's getting better? You must be a pretty good doctor, Carlisle, healing Esme in just one touch!"

"One would hope," Carlisle sighed, "But I doubt this is doing much of anything, but keeping whatever is going on at bay."

"She embarrassed now," Jasper grimaced, going through the ringer, tracking his mother's emotions.

"She wants us to leave," a small smile played on Edwards face, "She just wants Carlisle."

Jasper breathed a sigh of relief, his job done for the time being. Emmett grinned, lightly touching Esme's arm one last time before leaving. Edward was the last in the room, he gripped his father's shoulder lightly, and nodded.

"Don't worry about us doing research, we've done it before. If we find anything, you'll be the first to know."

"Thank you, Edward," the doctor nodded as his first son left the room.

Carlisle turned to his wife, racking his brain for any possible solution as to why a chocolate chip cookies had had this effect on her. They had forced themselves to eat human food before, in front of guests, at charity galas, and hospital Christmas parties. And even though Esme found all of it disgusting, it had never made her ill. Perhaps they were infected with something? But, honestly what infects a vampire. Carlisle thought for hours, as he held his wife, as he waited for his children to find a possible solution, as he waited for normal to return. But, there were still no answers and normal seemed like a distant memory. So Carlisle Cullen did exactly what he was taught to do in desperate situations. Pray.

Edward quietly popped open the door to the master bedroom and peered inside. There at the edge of the bed, with his hands folded, and head bowed, he found his father. This picture matched so perfectly with the troubling thoughts he was reading from downstairs. Almost silently Edward crept in, knelt beside his father, folded his own fingers, and bowed his own head.

"Edward?" Carlisle turned to him, brows furrowed.

"It's not just God who can hear your thoughts?" a smile curled on the edges of young vampire's face.

"Ah, yes," his father pursed his lips, "But, why are you here? I know this isn't a belief we share."

The son shrugged, "I know the prayers, and I could use the Latin practice."

"Very, well," The doctor nodded, before shutting his eyes once more.

"But, for the record," Edward whispered, "If there is a God for our kind, I don't think this is him punishing you for changing us. I just don't think he would do that. I do believe Esme will be alright and that if it is in his power he will make her alright. And if there is a heaven, and if for some reason you and Esme find yourselves there, your names will be at the top of the list. But, if can be honest with you, I know my mother. She will pull through, on her own, for all of us. But especially for you. Eternal life with you is her heaven, Carlisle, and Esme would walk through hell, time and time again, as long as you're what's waiting on the other side. And all she can think about right now is holding you."

"Thank you, I needed to be reminded that…that…that…"

Carlisle tried to finish his statement after his son's heartfelt sentiment, but a small, faint sound was interrupting his train of thought. It was sweet and familiar, like music in his ears. He turned to Edward, his eyes darting around the room, he could hear it too. Carlisle looked his wife up and down. She looked like Esme, she smelled like Esme, and despite the fever, she felt like Esme. Yet, in that moment he knew this wasn't the same Esme he had left the day before. For as the sound grew louder and stronger, Carlisle recognized the rhythmic pattern he swore he'd never forget. It was a heartbeat. It was her heart beat.

Esme had a heartbeat.