Chapter Text
That summer, Bella got the best idea that she had ever had, which was saying something because she had gotten the idea to kiss Carlisle once.
Carlisle listened with fascination as she described it excitedly.
They would need to test on animals first as they did not want to screw anything up while doing it.
The first step was to find an animal to test it on. They researched and debated the subject for days before settling on pigs.
The Cullen backyard got a small barn and fenced in area made of a mix of Chromium and Inconel which together made for a surface that was incredibly difficult for even a vampire pig to break through.
It only took a day for the pig to transform and just like with vampires, it glittered in the sun. Suddenly, the world had its first vampire pig that lived entirely on pig blood.
They spent nearly two weeks studying the pig’s genome comparing and contrasting it to human vampires. The fantastic thing about the summer was that she could work eleven hours every day without anyone saying boo, even if it was not technically legal.
Even if most of that time was without Carlisle, she worked hard and showed him her findings when she was done. That was perfectly fair because he worked during the night while she slept, and she always had a report to read when she woke up.
They were almost frantic in their research, though they made themselves go slowly enough to make sure they were doing things correctly. They could not make any mistakes in this.
Once they felt they had a handle on the pig’s genome, at least as best they could, they began experimenting with its venom.
The very first injection of it resulted in the pig dying, which was a little scary.
So, the pig was burned creating a strange yellow smoke though that was based on what Carlisle reported to her. He did not in any way allow her to inhale the smoke as he feared what it would do to her. Considering the pig had actually died from an injection of its own modified venom, that was fair enough. Carlisle did not breathe while he burned the pig deep in the woods on the mountain where no one else could get to but a vampire.
Soon after, the world had its second vampire pig. They studied its genome even more closely than the first. It seemed to be about the same as the other pig’s, but they wanted to be absolutely sure that the pig did not die this time.
They worked long hours, both reading every single piece of literature they could find on genetics and genetic modification.
The problem was that vampires had the best immune system on the planet by way of their venom, which was why they were using the pig’s venom to change it. If the venom recognized it as mostly the same, perhaps it would let the pig change the way they wanted it to.
The second pig died too after three agonizing sounding days. That poor pig’s death sounded like the most painful thing that had ever happened to it or any pig, including its initial transformation.
The world soon had its third vampire pig.
They worked relentlessly, though Carlisle occasionally enforced strict breaks where she was not allowed to do anything related to science. She spent it in a combination of making love with Carlisle as best they could, spending time with Jake on the reservation, with her friends from school, with Alice, Jasper, and Edward, and with her father.
Still, her life revolved around their work. She loved it and wanted so desperately to make this actually happen. They were on the right track, she just knew it and Carlisle agreed. It was just a matter of figuring it out.
It was incredibly difficult. It was the most difficult, migraine inducing work she had ever done. She even saw Carlisle occasionally rubbing his forehead in frustration.
That said, it would not be fun if it was not difficult.
By the time school started, they had killed six pigs. She was wildly frustrated to be going back to school, but she knew that she did not have much choice if she wanted to go to college.
Still, every class felt like a waste of time. She did more difficult math at her job, she probably understood anatomy better than her teacher, history was boring, and literature was interesting, sometimes, when they were not learning how to write professionally, which Carlisle had already shown her. The only classes she had to work hard at were gym, to make sure she did not get hurt, and Spanish, which Jasper was happy to help her with.
Even more frustrating was the time she spent studying for the ACT and SAT. After that, she knew, was college and scholarship applications.
They had decided to go to Alaska. The ‘kids’ would be going to college, Esme would continue to work as a freelance architect, and Carlisle would continue to work as a doctor. Naturally, they would continue their studies when they got there.