The Plane Ride Home

This is a one-shot. I always wondered what they were thinking on the plane, and this is what I imagined.... enjoy!

We were both so quiet. For Edward, that was normal when something was bothering him. With anyone but Edward, that might normally be true for me as well. But I needed more than anything to talk to him right now.

Neither one of us had spoken much since Edward's comment about how Carlisle would 'take care of the situation.'

The more I thought about it, the more I came to realize that it was not just a situation. It was a baby. Maybe not a completely human baby, but my genetics had to fit in there somewhere, didn't they?

There were so many questions that I needed answers to. First, how the hell did Edward even manage to get me pregnant? Did vampires have super sperm or something? I guess it wasn't out of the realm of possibilities. Edward certainly wasn't aware of his own abilities in that area, since his first experience with sex was on our honeymoon.

I knew that Edward wasn't strong enough to make a rational decision about this. He had no way of knowing what was going to happen, and it was in his nature to overreact and expect the worst.

I could see the desperation in his eyes, the panic in his voice when he talked to Carlisle. Honestly, for a few moments after I voiced my suspicion of being pregnant, I thought I had shocked him into a permanent solidified state. But once he came back from wherever he had gone in his mind, the fear was almost permeable.

That's why I called Rose. I knew if anyone would understand my situation, my need to have a choice in this matter, it would be her. She would support my decision to keep my child no matter the cost to herself or to me.

Edward still wasn't aware of my phone call to her. He apparently was so consumed with his own thoughts that he hadn't had the inclination to check his family's. We had spoken to Carlisle, and briefly to Alice. Everyone knew, since they could have easily heard the conversation between myself and Carlisle and his diagnosis of my condition. I couldn't help but wonder what everyone was thinking.

The boat trip from Isle Esme to the mainland was quicker than I remembered on our trip there. I'm guessing that Edward had pushed the boat's nautical speed to the limits to allow for us making an emergency flight back to Washington. The waves and the speed made me nauseated at times, but feeling the nudges and flutters inside of me gave me a strange sense of well being and calm.

Once we were back in South America, Edward was being very careful to protect me. He never took his hand from mine, never allowed me to carry anything, and always made sure I was not off balance anywhere. If I wasn't so preoccupied with my little nudger, I would have found it to be very sweet.

I was, however, very preoccupied. And I wanted more than anything to share with Edward my fears as well as my increasing… joy?

This was our baby. Mine and Edward's. We had created him (or her) out of a love so intense and pure that it transcended any barriers that two different species could have presented. Not that I had done the math, or even knew how to calculate such a thing, but I know that we conceived our child on the first night of our honeymoon. It was the most beautiful night of my life, being with Edward for the first time.

The fact that it was the first time for both of us made it even more amazing. We discovered so much more about each other than just what we looked like naked. We found a whole new level of communication, of bonding and sharing each other. We fit together perfectly, and after our second time, it was apparent to Edward that we could have a physical relationship without risking my life. I could tell that he was both proud of his control and thrilled that there was a 'human experience' that he could give me. And the fact that I could give that kind of experience to him made me pretty happy, too.

As the plane took off, Edward sat in his seat with his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. He always did this when he was stressed. He barely heard the flight attendant ask us if we wanted anything to drink.

"I'll have a ginger ale, please." I replied. Edward looked up at me as if I had been speaking to him, and quickly realized what was going on.

"Nothing for me, thanks." He said quietly.

"Are you alright?" he asked me, leaning over.

"I'm fine, Edward. I wish you would relax." I said.

"Bella, please. How can I possibly relax, knowing what's going to happen to you?" His brow furrowed, and he looked down as if he had done something horrible to me.

"Edward, stop it." I tried to keep my volume low, since voices carried even in first class.

"You did nothing wrong, and this may not be as bad as it seems. Let's wait to find out exactly what is going on inside of me before we panic, okay?"

"Carlisle knows what's going on. The longer this… monster stays inside of you, the more at risk your life is, Bella. I can't lose you, I just can't." He shook his head and then cradled it in both of his hands. All I could do is rub his back, trying to sooth his anxiety. If he could have cried, his golden eyes would have been spilling over with tears at that moment.

When he finally looked up at me, I leaned over and kissed him gently on the lips. He responded, but with the chaste kisses I remember from the beginning of our relationship. It was obvious that he felt responsible for whatever horrors he was anticipating once we landed.

We spent the next hour in silence. I held his hand and rubbed the soothing circles on the back of his hand the way he would to mine when he needed to calm me for some reason.

I tried to pay attention to the movie playing, but my mind kept wandering to what would happen when we arrived home. Would Carlisle be as convinced as Edward that the child growing inside of me would somehow cause me harm?

I leaned over and whispered in his ear, "I love you," while my hand gently rubbed his thigh, trying to calm him a little.

He looked up at me with a sad expression and said, "I love you, too, Bella. So much." He then picked up my hand and kissed the back of it so tenderly that I barely felt his lips brush against my skin.

The suggestion of danger was enough for Edward to jump to conclusions and decide that if something was even remotely threatening to me, then whatever it was must be stopped. In the state he was in, I knew I would have to be the one to make the decisions that would affect the rest of our existence together.

If I had to fight against them to keep my child, who would be on my side? I could certainly count Rosalie as an ally, and Emmett would go along with whatever she said. I also suspected that Esme would be sympathetic, having lost a child herself. Alice might be able to influence Edward if she saw a positive outcome after the baby was born. But, if she saw something different…… As if on cue, my little nudger moved inside of me again.

Eventually I curled up against Edward's shoulder and closed my eyes. After a few minutes I could feel myself drifting off into a much needed sleep….

EPOV

How did this happen?

We had to get this…thing out of my Bella, my wife. My reason for being.

I would not lose her. This was my fault, but I would not let it cause her harm. If only I had known the risks, we could have done something to prevent this from happening. What exactly, I don't know, but something.

Bella was unbelievably insistent that we make love once we were married. And I wanted that as much as she did, so I didn't hesitate to hold up my end of our compromise. And it was, without a doubt, the most wonderful experience of my existence. But now we would pay a dear price for those insanely wonderful moments.

Carlisle knew what to do. Even with my two medical degrees, I couldn't fathom the task he faced. After all, Carlisle considered Bella his daughter, and now he had to –

I couldn't think of it.

This was supposed to be one of the happiest times of our married lives. Our honeymoon, our time of discovery and unbridled passion. And here we were on a plane, racing back home to –

I realized how into my own thoughts I was when I just barely heard Bella say something. I quickly discovered she was talking to the flight attendant, and politely declined a beverage when she looked at me expectantly.

I realized I was pinching the bridge of my nose again when Bella told me to relax. How could she be so calm? She apparently didn't realize the gravity of the situation. Maybe that was best for now. Stress would not be good for her overall health, and she would need to be strong both physically and emotionally.

I was not surprised Bella started rubbing small circles on the back of my hand. She surely knew that I was mentally torturing myself, and that was my way of calming her down when she was upset. It was probably the only way she would ever consider touching me again after this.

Almost a century of being a vampire, two prestigious medical degrees, and more reading than a Bainbridge scholar. Still I didn't know what the hell I was doing, or the risks I would subject us both to.

"You did nothing wrong, and this may not be as bad as it seems. Let's wait to find out exactly what is going on inside of me before we panic, okay?" My angel was forever the optimist, but I couldn't help but try to keep a sense of reality around us now. This thing that I had put inside of her must be destroyed before it could hurt her.

"Carlisle knows what's going on. The longer this… stays inside of you, the more at risk your life is, Bella. I can't lose you, I just can't."

Like so many times before, I wished I could read Bella's mind, to know what she was thinking.

Mostly what she was thinking of me.

I raised my head to look into her kind, chocolate brown eyes so I could get a feel for what that might be, when she leaned over and gently kissed me. I truly did not deserve the pure, wonderful love that this woman felt for me.

Bella seemed to become interested in the movie that was showing for a while, and soon after she leaned up against me and fell asleep. I silently hoped that she would not start talking, since whatever was on her mind usually became vocalized.

She slept for the rest of the plane ride. While I held her gently so that she would be comfortable, I wondered what the reactions of my family would be.

Carlisle and Esme would both be extremely caring and supportive. Alice would be upset and angry at herself, since she didn't see this coming. Jasper would be a train wreck, feeling the heavy emotions rolling off of everyone. Emmett would shrug it off once it was over, and then forget about it.

Rosalie….. I had no idea what emotions she would be feeling, but I was sure they would be intense. She never held much regard for Bella, and held her responsible for any inconvenience that our relationship brought to our family. This would not do much to improve their bonds, but I would make it a point to warn her against showing any animosity towards my wife.

The plane finally landed, and as people began gathering their belongings and carry-on luggage I gently woke Bella.

She looked around, apparently forgetting where she was, then realization came over her face and she looked down at her hand covering her stomach. I felt my dead heart break some more as I thought about how this should be a joyous thing for her to do, not a terrifying one.

We disembarked the plane, and I should have known that when it came to surprising me, Bella would not disappoint.

She ran straight into the arms of… Rosalie?

Even though this is a one-shot, I would really appreciate reviews - just let me know if you liked it or not. Or if you imagined something totally different?