But Edward was there in her features, and I was there in the color of her eyes and cheeks. Even Charlie
had a place in her thick curls, though their color matched Edward's. She must be ours. Impossible, but
still true.

Seeing this unanticipated little person did not make her more real, though. It only made her more
fantastic.

Rosalie patted the hand against her neck and murmured, "Yes, that's her."

Renesmee's eyes stayed locked on mine. Then, as she had just seconds after her violent birth, she smiled
at me. A brilliant flash of tiny, perfect white teeth.

Reeling inside, I took a hesitant step toward her.

Everyone moved very fast.

Emmett and Jasper were right in front of me, shoulder to shoulder, hands ready. Edward gripped me
from behind, fingers tight again on the tops of my arms. Even Carlisle and Esme moved to get Emmett's
and Jasper's flanks, while Rosalie backed to the door, her arms clutching at Renesmee. Jacob moved,
too, keeping his protective stance in front of them.

Alice was the only one who held her place.

"Oh, give her some credit," she chided them. "She wasn't going to do anything. You'd want a closer
look, too."

Alice was right. I was in control of myself. I'd been braced for anything—for a scent as impossibly
insistent as the human smell in the woods. The temptation here was really not comparable. Renesmee's
fragrance was perfectly balanced right on the line between the scent of the most beautiful perfume and the
scent of the most delicious food. There was enough of the sweet vampire smell to keep the human part
from being overwhelming.

I could handle it. I was sure.

"I'm okay," I promised, patting Edward's hand on my arm. Then I hesitated and added, "Keep close,
though, just in case."