Baby Games, a twilight fanfic

Do not post without permission. Do not copy/print without including the above disclaimer in its entirety.

A/N: The date at the beginning of this story is correct for my alternate history; see my profile for more information. Barbie

September 2005

Nessie four months A/E two years

Esme

Jacob and Emmett were playing catch in the house. And that would have been bad enough, but the "ball" they were using was Renesmée.

Everyone else was out of the house; Alice had dragged Jasper off shopping, and Rosalie was picking up some parts for her car. I hadn't expected there would be a problem when the boys offered to babysit, and had gone out to clip some of the bushes by the house. When I came back in, I washed my hands and went to the living room to investigate Nessie's hysterical laughter.

I found Jacob and Emmett at opposite sides of the living room, tossing the toddler back and forth. "What are you doing?" I gasped after a second's startled silence.

"Oh, hi, Esme," Jacob said, turning toward me just as Emmett tossed Nessie. I couldn't help a small squeak as he turned back only just in time to catch her. "Don't worry; she's perfectly safe — and she loves it." He gave her a toss that sent her spinning head over heels across the room.

Perfectly safe. I knew, of course, that Jacob would never put Nessie in any danger. But in that moment I realized with crystal clarity that a seventeen-year-old's idea of "danger" might not exactly reflect mine.

I winced as Emmett's next throw sent Nessie skimming less than an inch from the ceiling. Of course, if she hit it, the ceiling would suffer more than Nessie…but I couldn't quite make myself believe that.

Was there ever a woman who felt entirely comfortable seeing her husband toss their small daughter in the air, no matter how much she knew he'd never hurt her? And this was far, far worse.

"She won't be able to block her thoughts," I reminded them warningly. "And…I'm not going to try."

Jacob appeared slightly worried, but Emmett only grinned. "What makes you think he'd mind?"

"What makes you think he wouldn't?" True, I might be overreacting — but if anyone in this family was prone to overreaction, it was Edward.

Neither of them had a chance to respond before the door opened. "Carlisle," I breathed on a sigh of relief. He was coven leader; surely he would be able to put a stop to this.

With one startled glance, Carlisle took in the activities and my anxious expression. Striding forward, he neatly caught Nessie in midair and continued to my side without missing a step. "Missed you, love," he murmured, wrapping an arm around my waist. *

Nessie pouted as she pressed a hand to his face, and he smiled and kissed her cheek. "I know you were having fun, angel, but you were scaring Grandma."

Nessie twisted around, holding out her arms to me, and I reached to take her. I'm sorry, Grandma, she thought repentantly as her arms came around my neck.

I pressed my face against hers. "It's all right, baby," I assured her.

Carlisle turned toward Jacob and Emmett, who stood looking slightly sheepish and as if they didn't know what to do with themselves. "Jake, why don't you go on home?" he said quietly. "I think you're going to want to be well on werewolf territory when Edward gets home. Emmett, you'd better just hope he doesn't burn the pieces."

"Right, Doc. See you later, Ness." And Jacob disappeared out the door, quickly followed by Emmett.

Carlisle pulled his phone out of his picket and quickly dialed. "Yes, Jasper…could you please come back to the house?…Emmett and Jacob were playing catch with Nessie…no, she was the ball…right, I want you here when Edward finds out…thanks, Jasper."

Nessie looked into my face with wide eyes. Grandma, Daddy won't really kill Jake and Uncle Emmett…will he?

"Umm…" I hesitated, looking helplessly at Carlisle. He slipped his phone back into his pocket and leaned his head toward us so Nessie could press her hand to his face and repeat her question.

"No…of course not."

I hoped Nessie had missed the slight hesitation in his voice. Emmett was probably safe, but Jacob really would need to lay low for a few days.

We were still standing there when Alice and Jasper arrived. Alice danced up to me and plucked Nessie out of my arms. "Come on, angel; let's go play dress-up."

Nessie pressed a hand to Alice's face, and Alice laughed. "No, Daddy's not killing anyone, angel." She aimed a hard glare at us, then skipped up the stairs.

"Well, that's a relief," Carlisle murmured.

On the landing, Alice paused and turned back. "Edward and Bella will be here in fifteen minutes."

"We shouldn't have talked about Edward killing them in front of Nessie," I murmured.

Jasper smiled slightly. "She feels bad for doing something she shouldn't have, but she's not really scared…I don't think she believes her father is capable of killing anyone."

"He wouldn't," I whispered, "…would he? Alice said…but did she 'see' it or was she only trying to reassure Nessie?"

Carlisle smiled. "He wouldn't," he said firmly. "Bella'd never let him."

I drew in a deep breath; of course, Carlisle was right. But I still found myself tensing as Edward walked through the door with Bella.

He already knew, of course. I had never been good at blocking my thoughts; trying not to think of something invariably made me think of it.

His eyes were smoldering darkly as he stopped just inside the door. "Just let me be angry, Jasper," he half growled. "For gosh sake, she's a baby, not a-a rag doll!" He flashed Bella a quick glance of apology; still enough of an old-fashioned gentleman not to use even minced swearing in the presence of a lady. "How could you let them, Esme?" he asked more quietly, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Carlisle's arm was instantly around me, pulling me against him as I shrank back from the intensity of Edward's eyes. If he was this angry now, I shuddered to think of what he might have done without Jasper's influence. "Don't blame Esme, Edward," Carlisle said almost harshly. "She didn't like it any better than you did."

Edward sighed. "I'm sorry," he said in a low voice. "I —" He broke off, his gaze fixed on the stairs.

Alice stood on the landing, holding the hand of… was that really Renesmée? With her hair up, she looked like a miniature teenager; where had Alice even found such a sophisticated dress in that size? She smiled as she floated down the stairs beside Alice.

Edward was staring at her in shocked horror. "Alice," he hissed. "What did you do to my baby girl?"

Nessie stopped in confusion at the bottom of the stairs, her gaze darting from Alice to Edward.

Half absently, Edward held out his arms to her, his eyes still fixed on Alice. Nessie ran to jump into his arms, an anxious expression in her eyes as she pressed both hands to his face. He bent to kiss her forehead. "No, baby," he murmured, "of course I'm not mad at you. Come on. Let's go home and change you into something more…appropriate." With a hard glare at Alice, he turned and put a hand on Bella's arm to guide her from the room.

Alice waved her fingers at Nessie over Edward's shoulder, then turned and winked at me as she hopped up to perch on the newel post.

Jasper chuckled. "Little minx," he teased her.

She stuck out her tongue at him. "Well, it worked."

"I'm sorry…" Carlisle said slowly, echoing the confusion I felt.

Alice sighed dramatically. "He can't be mad about two things at the same time," she explained. "But he won't be as mad about me dressing her up as about her being a live ball. By the time he deals with that problem, Bella will talk him 'round."

She turned as Emmett peered around the corner from the kitchen. "Is it safe?" he asked in a stage whisper.

Alice grinned. "Edward went home; Bella will convince him that he's overreacting." She jumped down and stood glaring up at him with crossed arms. "You and Jacob owe me, Emmett. Big time. I don't like making Edward mad at me."

Emmett grinned. "Anything you want, sis," he promised rashly.

A slow, speculative smile crossed Alice's face, and she tapped her foot thoughtfully. "Let me think…"

"She'll ask for the moon now, Em," Jasper warned teasingly.

"Ooo!" Alice squealed, pouncing on Jasper's back. "I'll get you for that, Jazz!"

Carlisle looked at me, raising one eyebrow. "Never a dull moment, is there, love?" he commented dryly.

I laughed. "I know. Jasper! Emmett! Don't play catch with Alice in the house!"

The End

*Illustration for this scene can be found at femalechauvinist . deviantart . com [slash] art [slash] Perfect-Catch-701013598

I proofread all my stories at least once before posting, but if you see any mistakes I might have missed, please let me know!

Please note that I have internet access only once a week, and may not have time to respond to all reviews/messages. If you have questions regarding my Twilight alternate history, check my profile first to see if they're answered there. Thanks for your understanding! Barbie