Did Carlisle know Bella might be able to get pregnant?

**IsabellaCullen** · Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2008 10:03 am Post subject:

I think its also safe to say that for all intents & purposes, Bella wasn't supposed to be human long enough for any of this to take place anyway ... The deal was get married, 'try' to have an intimate relationship, then transformation ...

If the plan had gone the way that I'm sure the whole family thought it would ((one maybe two nights of 'trying' and then she'd be on her way to becoming a vampire herself)), even if Carlisle had heard of any possibilities of a pregnancy in the past, he wouldn't have thought the information to be pertinent to their situation.

Bella only decided while they were on Isle Esme to delay her transformation --- wanting to extend her human experiences for fear that she would miss out on the closeness that she felt with him after she was changed (at least for the first few newborn years) ..... there was no way that Carlisle would have known that she changed her mind ... was still human ... and was still engaging in marital relations with Edward ....
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Dianec · Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2008 4:38 am Post subject:

I really don't think that Carlise thought of it at all. I know if he did, he would have warned Edward (or wouldn't even need to as Edward would have read his mind). Edward and Carlise clearly discussed "the event" before it happened so I am sure if he ever had even one thought of this, it would have been brought up. I think he does keep up with science and Edward has 2 medical degrees but everything they learned is about humans and animals - nothing supernatural like Vampires. I know there are rumors of this happening but in his 300+ years he's never seen it happen..and he knows there are tons of untrue rumors surrounding the vampire 'myth'.
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**Lisa 314** · Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2008 9:54 pm Post subject:

This one line is the one that leads me to believe Carlisle had some kind of inkling: we're more genetically compatible than I'd thought

Why not explore this greater, if the possiblity existed in your mind?
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**ferrarimum** · Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2008 10:30 pm Post subject:

**queenofmycastle** · Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2008 11:51 pm Post subject:

What a great topic! I don't have a definitive answer to the question so I'll throw out a "what if".

We know that Carlisle is a man of science but we were also shown that he's a man of faith. We all know, in the real world, sometimes science and faith just don't mix (ie. creation vs. evolution). I wonder if, in this one instance, Carlisle's beliefs and humanity overwhelmed his scientific judgement. While Carlisle did believe he had a soul, perhaps there was a part of his faith that had always been tested because he'd never witnessed a male vampire's ability to procreate in the "normal" human fashion. It's possible that he didn't believe it could happen because it was another form of atonement for what they are.

Carlisle has spent his existence furthering the advancement of human medicine but I'd never gotten any indication that he'd ever studied zoology. At the end of EC, Jake had to phase back to his human form because it was the only way that Carlisle knew how to apply what he'd spent ages practicing - human, not veterinary medicine (ie. chromosomal differences being genetically compatible). He'd only just discovered Jacob's chromosomal make up after treating his injuries. Perhaps this is another way that his humanity clouded his judgement. He doesn't see them as animals at all, but as humans who exist on a different plain, so the idea to apply the concepts of animal procreation to Bella's condition didn't enter his mind.

My final thought on the whole matter is that medical science doesn't work backwards - you don't find the cure before the disease. Well, actually, I guess it kind of does work backwards but you know what I mean. How could Carlisle know the treatment for Bella's condition before he believed or had proof that the condition was possible?

Thanks for the great discussion, Lisa!
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Tessa · Newborn Joined: 16 Aug 2008 Posts: 36

IMO, Carlisle wouldn't have kept the knowledge from Edward if he'd thought it was a possibility. Edward's always saying how 100% sincere Carlisle is (and he should know). And why would Carlisle do that to Edward & Bella?

He just thought it was genetically impossible - he says so in BD. Heck, how long did people think the earth was flat, even though they stared up in the sky and saw a round sun and moon? Seems like that would have at least given more people the idea it was a possibility. Even the Volturi hadn't ever heard of a vamp conceiving a child -- that's proof enough for me as to how prevalent the opinion was.

And I'm sure Edward racked his brain trying to figure out something else to worry about! That was his hobby, afterall, before Bella's change. I just think his focus was on the potential of hurting Bella to the exclusion of any other worry.Hindsight's 20 / 20, right? Very Happy

**Lisa 314** · Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 10:51 pm Post subject:

Barkingkitty · Newborn Joined: 26 Jun 2008 Posts: 15 Location: Tennessee

Genetics are an interesting and complicated thing. 50% of the genes in a banana are the same as those of humans; with chimps, it's as high as 98-99%. While sharing genes is a very different thing than the chromosomal pairings and similarities, it's an interesting point to keep in mind.

Anyway, in my humble opinion, I don't think Carlisle ever dreamed it would still be an actually possibility; he was perhaps as horrified as Edward upon first learning of the pregnancy. Again, just my opinion... Mr. Green

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"Before you, Bella, my life was like a moonless night. Very dark, but there were stars - points of light and reason. ... And then you shot across my sky like a meteor. Suddenly everything was on fire; there was brilliancy, there was beauty." NM, p 514

Tessa · Newborn Joined: 16 Aug 2008 Posts: 36