"Amelia! I can see you!" exclaimed Esme, abandoning the pot of vegetables that she was cooking along with Emily and Sue and Samantha. Chuckling wryly, Sue took over stirring the big pot as the Cullen matriarch shot over to her daughter. Never one to use her speed unless absolutely necessary, the mother in question was all but a blur as she engulfed her no-longer human child in a vampire-strength hug.
"I do believe I am visible again, yes," came Amelia's muffled voice.
"Don't you ever do that to me again!" she admonished, letting go of her daughter to glare at her fiercely through tearful eyes, before holding her close again and inhaling deeply. She was instantly soothed by Amelia's lavender scent, which was more powerful now that it did not have the underlying essence of salt and decay any more.
"I'm sorry Mom," Amelia apologised, "I didn't expect this to happen, and I got scared. I heard Rosalie and Emmett calling for me and I called back but I know now that they didn't hear me. You always told me that if we ever got separated, I should stay exactly where I was and one of the family would find me. So I did, and Leah and Seth found me. I am really sorry for all the worry that I caused everyone."
"I forgive you," stated Esme, "please don't do it again without warning me!"
"I didn't know I could become invisible," stated Amelia quietly.
"Neither did we," stated Samantha brightly, glancing up from where she was preparing a salad.
"Meat's defrosted!" hollered Jacob, entering the kitchen with half of the shifter pack in his wake. Apparently Esme was using their body heat to defrost the meat. Outside, Sam and Paul were preparing a barbeque to feed the humans and wolves. It was promising to be a serious feast. Knowing how much Esme cooked, the boys had come prepared with Tupperware containers to take home the leftovers seeing that the final human of the Cullen family had been turned.
"Thank you, Jacob," smiled Sue, taking the meat from the boys and unwrapping them, before basting them and sticking them on a massive plate.
"Mia, could you take these out to the boys, please?" asked Emily, holding out three cans of cooldrink. Amelia took them obligingly and joined the boys outside.
"Mia!" they chorused. Sam affectionately ruffled her hair before blowing a kiss to Emily, who shook her head in mock exasperation from the kitchen.
---
"You look thoughtful. What's going on in that head of yours?" queried Jasper, coming to sit alongside his baby sister when the pack had finally departed. For the first time ever, they could embrace without reservation.
"It's nice to be able to hug you properly," remarked Amelia. Jasper always remained so fearful of his control around Amelia, even although he had been the one responsible for aiding her during a rather spectacular nose haemorrhage.
He'd smelled the blood and had come to investigate. They'd sat in Amelia's bathroom for a good thirty minutes, with Jasper dutifully applying pressure to the bridge of the ailing human's nose while Amelia had pressed a towel to her nose to stem the flow of blood. It had seriously compromised Amelia's ability to breathe as her nasal cannula had become obstructed due to the blood, and a face mask would block off her access to her nose as well, but they had survived regardless. Amelia had been as calm as anything, quite accustomed to her body's idiosyncrasies, and fortunately Jasper had allowed himself to be calmed by her.
He'd had to hunt afterwards, and had hoped the entire time that Alice would see them and come to their rescue – he and Amelia were the only two at home, aside from Jemima, who would not have been any help either. He'd been surprised by the feelings of pride that were emanating from his human sister, and even more surprised to realise that they were aimed at him. Amelia was always acutely aware of his struggles around her, and felt guilty for bleeding, but that was completely overshadowed by her pride in her elder brother for his control.
"Yes, it is nice," responded the Civil War major, grinning at Amelia. "You're awfully quiet and thoughtful. It's quite a lot to take in, I imagine?" he hinted again.
"Something like that," she sighed softly, "I didn't realise that it would be so overwhelming. And on top of it all, there's still something wrong with me. I'm supposed to be very strong and very fast, but yet I find myself struggling to keep up with everyone else, yet I find that I am barely stronger than I was as a human. It's like I came out wrong or something."
"You didn't come out wrong, Mia," Jasper hastened to reassure her, "you came out as you – a unique individual with one of the most powerful gifts I have ever encountered."
"In all your years before you joined the family, did you ever come across a newborn as odd as me?"
"No, but I have also never seen anyone as gifted as you," he countered, "perhaps your gift is powerful enough to detract from your physical strength?"
"Jazz, you could be onto something," called Alice, "family meeting, guys!"
---
"You know that humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes, right?" began Carlisle, giving Amelia a brief crash course on supernatural genetics. Most of the Cullens were assembled in the lounge, aside from Bella and Edward, who had taken an exhausted Renesmee home. Kate, Tanya and Garret had gone for a hunt. Alair and Samantha remained as well, having been called from a deep discussion with Blythe, Carmen and Eleazar.
"Yes. The twenty third pair is either XX or XY, depending on the profile of the sperm at the time of conception," replied Amelia.
"Huh?" Emmett was slightly confused.
"Females have an XX genotype, Emmett. This means that every egg contains an X chromosome. Ova and sperm have 23 chromosomes, in other words, half of the human's chromosomes. When the sperm and ova unite, we get 46 chromosomes, or 23 pairs. The exception of course is where monosomy or trisomy, single chromosomes or additional chromosomes, such as Down Syndrome, conditions occur. Males have an XY genotype, so can donate either an X or a Y chromosome. Ultimately, it is the father who determines the sex of the embryo, not the mother, genetically speaking," explained Blythe.
"Vampires have 25 pairs of chromosomes. The shifters have 24. Renesmee also has 24 pairs," continued Carlisle. Amelia nodded in understanding.
"How does this tie in with me?" she asked, "I don't quite understand."
"I think it might have something to do with your genetic profile."
"But I thought venom altered DNA? How else do we go from 23 pairs of chromosomes as a human to 25 pairs as a vampire?" asked Amelia in confusion.
"I don't know Amelia. Your body had damage to its DNA already. It appears as though there are some things that venom just can't fix," stated Carlisle softly, watching his daughter's shoulders sag in defeat.
"Is it perhaps something to do with the specific DNA mutation that I had?" she suggested.
"In terms of your Cystic Fibrosis? Possibly. Did you have the F508 deletion mutation?"
"Only one. My other mutation was different."
"Did you have a complex allele?"
"That generally causes milder symptoms. The F508 deletion was partly why my symptoms were so severe."
"Yes. It is the most common mutation, but also causes more severe symptoms. It's quite fascinating really," Carlisle's voice trailed off.
"Amelia could never be so mainstream," laughed Samantha, recalling a conversation between Amelia and Dr Anderson about her genetic profile.
"Vampirism in itself is a genetic mutation," mused Blythe, "Carlisle could be onto something here. You had two separate mutations, Mia. That has to mean something."
"Which theory is this now? Number 2? First Jasper's theory about sheer mental and cognitive abilities drawing from her physical strength, now Amelia's genetic profile? Whatever next?" broke in Eleazar.
"I have a theory as well," grinned Rosalie, "but let's muddle through this one first."
"Two mutations? I thought Cystic Fibrosis only affected chromosome 7?" interjected Esme, ignoring Rosalie and Eleazar for the time being.
"It does, but it is a recessive gene. Amelia needed two copies in order to display the symptoms. Both of her biological parents were carriers of the gene. Recessive genes by and large mean that carriers are asymptomatic, and many parents of patients don't even realise that they are carriers until they have a child with the disease," explained Blythe.
"Statistically speaking, two carrier, unaffected parents have a 25% chance of having a child with CF, a 50% chance of having a child who is a carrier, and 25% chance of having a child who doesn't even carry the disease," continued Samantha, demonstrating her explanation with a chi square.
"The dice did not roll in your favour, Mia," stated Blythe. Amelia offered a weak smile.
"You said that Amelia had two different mutations of the CF gene. How many potential mutations are we talking about?" queried Esme.
"Over 1800," chorused Blythe, Carlisle and Amelia. Alair and Samantha nodded in confirmation. Esme's eyes widened in shock.
"Amelia, do you know which other mutation you had?" queried Carlisle, rejoining the conversation.
"S549R (T --> G)," she stated. Carlisle whistled in surprise.
"That's a rarity," he breathed in fascination.
"It means that I have a gating mutation in one of my genes," Amelia explained to Esme, twisting in her seat to look up at her, "it is a Class III defect. It affects about 2-3% of CFers. My other mutation, F508 protein deletion, affects about 66% of CFers, and is a Class II. Class IV and Class V mutations are even rarer, but their chloride channel function is better than mine. Class III just indicates where the mutation occurs on a cellular level."
"I see," stated Esme.
"I don't really understand it either to be honest," whispered Amelia conspiratorially.
"Me neither," commented Blythe.
"Likewise," agreed Samantha. Alair nodded her head in agreement. Carlisle grinned and shook his head in amusement.
"Rosalie, let's hear your theory," stated Carmen. She'd been quiet for most of the evening and Amelia had forgotten that she was in the room.
"I think it might have something to do with Amelia herself – neither the inherent DNA flaw that caused the CF, nor the sheer magnitude of her gift."
"How so?" queried Eleazar.
"Subconsciously, Mia understood Carlisle and Esme's need to be proper parents, and our need to be siblings and this somehow enabled her to retain more human qualities than the average vampire."
"Amelia not a hybrid, if that is what you are implying," broke in Carlisle.
"She has no heartbeat, Carlisle. Blood does not run through her veins. She is definitely no hybrid - it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that one out. But look at our family – Amelia completed us. You can deny it all you want, but the truth of the matter is that she united us. We protect her, which is something we were missing all along – it gives us a purpose. Sure, we have Nessie, but Mia and Ness are two very different individuals with two very different sets of needs," continued Rosalie, her voice heavy with emotion.
Carlisle reflected briefly again on his conversation with Rosalie when she had been the one to convince him to adopt Amelia. What she had not said that day, the unspoken words that lay between them were the most powerful of all that day. I need a sister, not a friend. Rosalie's words resonated with him then, and they were doing it again. She was right, Amelia had brought them together. Renesmee had helped, of course, but Amelia was the cement, the proverbial glue that held them all together.
"The dynamic of our coven relationship has evolved since Amelia's arrival. It felt as though we were close friends living together, more like housemates, but now it's as though we are a real family. Amelia's brought us together," stated Jasper, ever sensitive to the family's changing dynamics over the past few months.
"I've said it before, and I will say it again. Adopting you was the surest decision of my existence, both mortal and immortal," stated Esme, beaming down at her daughter, who shyly grinned back. Had Amelia still been capable of blushing, there was little doubt in anybody's mind that she would be a delicate shade of red.
"Was it that obvious?" queried Alice, directing her question to Amelia.
"What, that you needed someone to hone your protective skills on? Nah, not that obvious," giggled Amelia.
"I wondered briefly how we would all cope when you became human-" began Carlisle.
"Me in particular," interrupted Esme, glaring at Carlisle playfully.
"-your mother in particular," he dutifully copied, winking at his wife as he did, "You required round the clock care. We adjusted our daily routines to incorporate your care into them, and it was as though we had always done it."
"You made me feel like a proper mother - not that having five 'children' to take care of for several decades didn't help in that regard. Even Bella, when she was human, was very independent and headstrong and didn't require the assistance that you did," mused Esme. Amelia reached across and grasped her mother's hand tightly.
"I wanted to be a kid for once. I didn't expect to be waited on hand and foot nor did I expect to have half a dozen family members at my beck and call. I just wanted to be able to act like a fifteen year old, and later, sixteen year old, that I was, not the pseudo-adult that I had to become," stated Amelia softly, ducking her head in embarrassment.
"You have a very vulnerable, child-like side that came out very rarely. I wished that I could see that side of you more often. You always seemed so closed-off," remarked Carlisle gently, "do you still have your doubts that we might leave you behind?"
Amelia nodded slowly. "I'm sorry," she apologised, "It's going to take me a while. Where I come from, adults aren't very good at keeping their promises. Peter promised me that he would take care of me, and look what happened. I understand now that it was beyond his control, but at age three, it was devastating. In my world, the real monsters never hid in the closet or under the bed. In foster care, you compartmentalise because you can't show weakness. You can't show fear."
"Even the toughest of facades eventually crack," whispered Esme.
Amelia laughed bitterly. "That they most certainly do."
"And when they crack, it all comes tumbling down," remarked Samantha. Amelia nodded, recalling the meltdown she had had in Rochester.
"You all seemed so different to my other foster families, aside from one. I think that's why I let my guard down occasionally. When you get bounced around from home to home, you don't even bother to settle in and get comfortable because you just know that one day in the not so distant future, you're going to be told to pack your things up and be ready to leave in half an hour."
Carlisle groaned internally. It seemed as though Amelia's insecurities would haunt her for a while still.
"Where you go, I go," stated Esme, hugging her daughter, "even if you tell me to leave. I'm going to stick to you like glue for the rest of eternity."
"Sounds like a plan," grinned Amelia, snuggling deeper into her mother's embrace.
"Now you have eight of us kiddies to take care of, Mom, one of whom is a slightly unusual immortal. Piece of cake," exclaimed Emmett.
"Blythe and Mia make eight," grinned Esme, remarking on how their family had expanded in the past few months. It brought her such joy to see everyone flourish. Amelia certainly had since arriving. She'd been fortunate enough to have spent her teenage years in a more stable environment, but having spent her formative years moving homes every few weeks had done its damage, and she'd thrived since arriving at the Cullens, blossoming as an individual even as her physical health deteriorated.
"That sounds like the name of a bad sitcom," remarked Alice.
"Way to wreck a moment, Alice," commented Blythe, rolling her eyes in exasperation.
"So, anyone else got a theory or can we wrap this shindig up?" stated Emmett, "there's a movie showing on TV right now that I've been dying to watch."
---
Author's Note
Hi all. I do apologise for the week long delay! I have been studying my behind off for Friday's exam. The pressure is on, so there won't be another update for at least another week.
Many thanks to the supremely awesome BloodyBatty for all her help with this chapter. She had the idea of Amelia's mutation being partially responsible for her abnormal newborn characteristics, and also how the Cullens have come together as a family since Amelia's arrival. Without her, this chapter would have taken far longer to be written. Thank you :)
Carlisle's reference to the conversation between him and Rosalie ("I need a sister, not a friend") comes from 'Amelia gets her PEG feeding tube removed' and can be found in the One-Shots work on my profile - check it out if you have not already. I hope to update that next weekend.
Have a great weekend, everyone!