THE REST OF TOMORROW

Chapter 2: Music

Au Claire de la Lune being softly played on the grand piano confirmed that Renesmee was indeed awake, though Bella and I had been otherwise occupied when our daughter left her room. We remained in our bed listening as our little girl played the first few chords, pausing when she had to figure out where to place her fingers for the next.

She's getting better, Bella thought, and I nodded in agreement. Renesmee had taken an interest in learning to play before she turned a year old, and I began by teaching her to play Chop Sticks.

The next chord played was off by a few keys, and there was another pause before we heard the cover being pulled down over the keys. Most of the things Renesmee learned came to her naturally, but playing the piano was still something she struggled with. Our daughter knew how easily playing was for me, and hadn't quite grasped that I had been doing that for nearly a century.

The next sound that drifted up to us, was a chair being dragged across the floor, and was the signal for us to get up and begin the day with Renesmee. After sharing a kiss with Bella, I headed downstairs to supervise breakfast.

In the kitchen I found Renesmee standing tiptoed on the edge of her chair as it wobbled, reaching for a bowl that was too high for her to get safely. Before the chair could topple forward, I flashed over and held it steady while gently reaching out with my free hand to keep Renesmee from falling. The odds of her getting hurt from such a fall were slim, but the need to protect her was instinctive.

"I won't get hurt," Renesmee said softly, once she held the bowl in her hands while I lifted her from the chair, and set her on the floor.

As she walked to the adjacent counter, I easily moved the chair back to the table. "You are most likely right."

Renesmee walked past me and opened the refrigerator, getting out the lactose free milk which she held with both hands. As she set that on the table, I got out her favorite cereal and took it too her.

"Thank you Dad." A moment later Renesmee sat down and began to eat, and I took the milk and cereal and put them away.

"When will I learn to play as good as you do?"

I pulled a chair beside my daughter, and sat down. "I'm not sure, but you were doing so well just a little bit ago."

"I like that one, but it isn't as easy as Mary had a little Lamb, or Frere Jacques."

"Would you like me to sit down and help you?"

As she took a bite of Cheerios, Renesmee nodded, leaning against my chest briefly as I gave her a hug.

"Dad," she asked, as she sat up and swallowed her cereal.

"Yes baby."

Renesmee stirred her spoon around her bowl before looking at me. "Is it okay if I'm not as good at playing the piano?"

Instead of answering her, I lifted my little girl from her chair, and settled her on my lap. I wrapped my arms around her as she rested her cheek against my chest. "Is that why you stopped playing?"

When she didn't answer me, I kissed the top of her head. "You don't have to play to impress me or anyone else," I told her.

"But everyone loves when you play, and I wanted them to like it when I did it too."

"Renesmee, do you know why I chose to learn to play the piano?"

She shook her head.

"There was a long period of time in my life when I felt alone."

My statement drew her full attention and she lifted her head away from my chest and looked into my eyes. "But you have Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Rose and Alice, and Uncle Jasper and Emmett."

"I did, but there were times when they would all go away, to do their own activities. So one evening, a few weeks after Grandma ordered the piano which you and I play from, I sat down and began to play a few chords from memory. I found eventually that composing and playing music helped me focus on something very positive."

Renesmee's gaze never broke from mine, and I saw recognition in her eyes as she understood precisely what I meant. "When I play I feel better, especially after I've been sad," she admitted.

"Then you must learn to play for you."

"Even when I mess up?"

"Even then."

Her stomach rumbled causing both of us to laugh. "I think you better finish breakfast."

"Will you hold me?"

I reached out and pulled her bowl in front of us, glad that for at least the moment she was feeling better.

~*~*~*~*~*~

While Renesmee sat on the piano bench, I stood just to her left, watching as she placed her fingers on the keys for the next chord in her song. We had been working on the second line of music for nearly an hour, and she was making progress, but was also getting flustered.

When she made another mistake, Renesmee hung her head, and I sat down beside her. "Why don't we make up a song for you to play?"

"Really?" My suggestion had worked to pull her from her frustration, and she even smiled at the prospect of learning to do that. "How will I know what to do?"

"You have a song you like to sing when you are with Harvey and Gracie."

"I know. I made it up because it reminds me of being safe."

"Do you remember the way the song sounds in your mind?"

For a moment Renesmee concentrated then placed her small hands on the keys. She didn't move and after a moment, pulled them away.

"Show me."

Renesmee reached out placing her hand on my neck. She showed me a day a few weeks ago when she was in the clearing dancing ad singing her song. The chords were easy for me to pick out, and I got a pen and pad that I kept on the piano and began to write them down.

A couple minutes later, I put the pad up on the music stand, and played the first chord, which consisted of only four keys.

My daughter clapped and took her turn. It wasn't long before she caught on, learning how to play the rest on her own while I sat by and proudly watched.

The moment the song ended, I wasn't the only one to applaud her. We turned around and found the rest of our family in attendance.

It must have overwhelmed her, because Renesmee hugged me, and I felt her cheeks warm with a blush. "That was very good," I told her.

"I love it. do you have words for that song?" Rosalie asked.

"Yes, but I'm not ready to tell just yet," Renesmee whispered, as she let go of me and slid to the floor. A moment later she was in my sister's arms whispering in her ear.

I nodded once to Rosalie's unspoken question, watching as she turned and carried Renesmee out of the living room to help her get dressed. Despite my daughter's best intention at secrecy, Bella and I were aware that she had asked to go back to Carlisle and Esme's house, something Renesmee rarely requested when my wife and I were home.

Jasper and Emmett left first, and after Esme gave Bella and me a hug, she and Carlisle left as well.

"She liked that," Bella commented while I wrapped my arms around her.

"She needed something that would encourage her to keep playing, and her song doesn't have any complex notes like Au Claire de la Lune."

Before more could be said by either of us, Renesemee came back. I barely had a chance to get to my knees before she tackled me with a hug. "Aunt Rose says it's dreary enough for us to go to the park Dad."

It was indeed, and I couldn't deny her a visit there, especially when Renesmee was feeling this secure. "Make sure you take a jacket." She had on a pink short sleeved shirt with a gray cat printed on the front, with its paw placed on a blue ball of yarn. Along with that she was also wearing a pair of tan kaki slacks and her pink Birkenstock Sandals. It would be too chilly without a jacket to warm her. Over the past few months she had become more sensative to cold. Whether or not that was a result of what had caused her ulser was unclear, and to this date one of us holding or hugging her didn't bother her in the least.

"But it isn't cold."

"Come on Nessie," Rosalie called out while at the same time letting me know by her thoughts that she had the jacket. I was grateful for my sister's foresight, not wanting to spoil this moment with an argument with my daughter.

Once Bella had received a hug, Renesmee ran out of the room and it wasn't long before it was just my wife and me.

"So, what should we do?" I asked, once I was standing again.

Bella walked over to me and reached up, placing her hand on the back of my head. I didn't resist as she pulled my head down, and couldn't think when her lips crushed against mine.

With the house to ourselves, I should have taken the initiative to discuss what Carlisle had said about moving, but when we fell to the floor and Bella began to rip open my shirt, my own desires took over. For a long time after that the only thing that existed for me was the beautiful woman who had captured my heart, and showing her exactly how much I loved her.

~*~*~*~*~*~

While Renesmee ate her dinner, she was trying to tell us in between bites, what she had done while they were at the park. "Uncle Emmett got there after we did. He said he had to hunt so he wouldn't get thirsty if he saw any animals."

Once again she had asked to sit on my lap, and as she told us about her adventure, Bella sat next to us in an accompanying chair.

"Did he behave himself?" asked my wife as Renesmee took another bite of her chicken.

"Yes he did. He pushed me on the swing really high. Mom, did you know they have big ones so the grown ups can swing too?"

Bella smiled. "I think I recall going to a few playgrounds that had those types of swings, but you need to eat before your food starts getting cold."

Renesmee took two more bites of chicken, washing it down with a glass of water, before sliding the dish away. "All done. Dad may I call Jacob?"

I looked over at the clock hanging from the wall over the microwave. Seeing that it would still be early in Washington, I agreed. When I told her, Renesmee hopped to the floor and ran the counter, retrieving my phone.

After dialing the number I gave it back to her, grinning at Bella as our daughter walked from the room.

"You just made her day," Bella told me, as she stood up and reached out to take the plate for cleaning.

Instead of letting her go, I reached out and grasped Bella's arm with lightening speed, pulling her down so that she was sitting on my lap. "We can do that later," I whispered, moving her hair away from her neck and kissing the skin that I exposed. Bella wasn't the only one hit with sudden desires, though there wasn't much we could do to act on them while our daughter was still awake.

My wife sighed, leaning her head back against my chest. "I really hope Jacob will be able to come for her birthday, it's so important to Renesmee."

When Jacob came to visit it was almost like seeing our daughter as an entirely different person. She still worried, but Jacob helped her cope when he was around. Carlisle guessed her reaction to Jake being around, had something to do with the imprinting, but we had no more to go on than just observation and theory. "It would be nice for him to be here. Bella I meant to bring this up earlier, but Carlisle…"

I wasn't able to continue, because a moment later Renesmee entered the kitchen all smiles as she twirled around handing Bella the phone. "Jake wants to talk to you Mom."

My wife got up from sitting on my lap, taking the phone.

Before my little girl could get away I gently snagged the back of her shirt. "Are you forgetting?"

Renesmee turned around wearing a pout on her soft pink lips.

"I know you don't like it, but taking your medicine is important."

"Do I have to take it forever?"

"Not forever. Grandpa believes your body will heal itself but until then we have to help it out."

I got her medicine from the refrigerator and poured it into a medicine cap. Once I had gotten her purple cup and put human blood in that, I turned and handed the first to Renesmee.

"I don't want to do it tonight," she whined.

"Just hold your nose and take a big gulp. When you are ready, you can have this cup," I tried. It was a struggle for me and Bella to have to watch her go through this, but we both had to be strong and make sure Renesmee took her medicine. After this past summer, when our little girl had gotten sick, we were both on alert. Neither my wife nor I wanted a repeat performance.

Renesmee shuttered as she took the medicine and gulped down the contents of her purple cup afterward. As she finished, she had tears falling down her cheeks. I picked her up, wiping them away as I carried her to the sink, putting her medicine cap and cup there.

"Renesmee, do you want to say goodnight to Jacob," Bella asked as she joined us.

Our baby nodded, and I took the phone, holding it to her ear.

"Hi Jacob," she whispered sadly. Renesmee waited as he responded sniffing once. "I had to take my medicine and it was really bad."

Again our daughter paused. "I miss you Jake… Yes, I love you too." Renesmee turned her head and pressed her face against my neck as I lifted the phone against my ear. "Hey Jake, thanks for speaking to her."

"Not a problem. We are planning on leaving tomorrow night. You sure you can put up with my entire pack?"

"I think we can manage," I answered, as Bella frowned placing her hand on Renesmee's back. Once the call ended, I put it in my back pocket, taking Bella's hand with my free one as we made our way down the hall to the foyer and up the stairs.

~*~*~*~*~

A half hour later Bella and I rested in our bed with Renesmee snuggled between us, listening as she read a short story from Hans Christian Anderson called the Bond of Friendship . Renesmee loved reading almost as much as Bella. She had read many stories from the classic children's authors, such as Kipling, Hans Christian Anderson, and J.M. Barrie. Her favorite's focused on works from those three in particular. From time to time she read works from the more adult authors and novelists, but the stories from these authors seemed to offer my daughter a great deal of comfort.

As she leaned her cheek against my chest, Renesmee continued the story, pausing now again as she shared the images she saw in her mind that she got from the story. "Anastasia was my betrothed, and a few days later she became my wife."

Renesmee began to hunt for another story, but Bella's hand on the top of the book stopped her progress. "Time for bed," my wife said.

"Do I really have to go?" asked our little girl, sleepily.

I leaned to my right and kissed the top of her head. "It's late, and you've had a long day."

"May I sleep here?"

At one time, Bella and I did our best to enforce our daughter staying in her own room, but now it didn't matter as much.

As Bella shut off the lamp, I helped Renesmee snuggle down under the covers, and began to hum her lullaby. I reached my arm above Renesmee's head and pulled Bella a little closer. We still needed to talk about what Carlisle had brought up. Perhaps after our baby was asleep we could do that.

~*~*~*~

AN: Thank you for stopping by to read this, and thank you to those of you who left reviews for the first chapter. Maddy, I think eventually she will learn to do that but she has alot going on at the present. As you can see I like writing through Edwards thoughts and he won't be slipping in the back ground any time soon. I promise Renesmee will come into her own and be stronger than she is now, she just has to iron out the complexity of things..

Also wanted to give reference to the paragraph where Edward talks about teaching her Chop Sticks. I did a one shot called Edward and his Daughter where that story is told, so if you are interested take a look.

Thanks again for stopping by.

~Ella~

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