A/N:
To My New Readers: This is a repost and finishing of one of my existing stories, which I had taken down a few years ago. I have decided to repost it and finish the tale, as it was originally a short story, anyway (one I really enjoyed, as well). The first four chapters were written quite some time ago, and I have since received a BFA in Creative Writing, so I hope you'll be able to spot the improvement in my writing starting in the fifth chapter.
To My Long Time Readers:Hi! So, um… yeah, I'm not dead! Woohoo! As I said above, I went to college, and have received a BFA in Creative Writing; in the meantime, I did not write much fan fiction at all, not for the lack of desire to do so, but simply because I had no time! I was also in the process of writing my own novel(s), of which I have completed two and am currently in the process of self-publication.
This chapter was originally written in 2011.
Beautiful Dreamer
Our sudden laughter startled the baby again, and Bella yelped and clutched her belly when he kicked out against her.
"Bella!" I gasped, sitting up to cup her face gently. "Are you all right, love? Look at me."
"I'm okay," she panted, slowly starting to relax, bringing one of her hands up to press against mine on her cheek, while the other one rubbed small circles on a spot on her belly by her popped out belly button. She smiled at me, though it was obviously strained. "I'm okay. Please don't be upset with him, Edward; he didn't mean to hurt me."
I was silent for a moment, eyeing her closely to make sure she was really okay, but she seemed more concerned with how I would react, worried that I would become angry with the baby again. I smiled softly, trying to reassure her, and I moved my hands back down to cradle her stomach.
"Don't touch him!" Rosalie snarled as I went to lean my head back down to my wife's belly, and a moment later I was being flung across the room, my back slamming into the media wall.
"Rosalie!" Bella gasped, her voice shocked and angry.
What… noise… loud… too loud… what wrong?
I jumped to my feet, completely furious, and I bared my teeth at Rosalie, a low growl building in my chest. "You are scaring him, Rosalie."
She shrieked a growl back at me, her body crouched defensively in front of my wife, and it took every ounce of my self-control not to snarl back at her. I didn't want to scare the baby anymore than he already was – he could easily end up seriously hurting his mother if we kept startling him like this.
"Rose, it's okay, really," Bella tried to assure my sister, reaching out to gently touch her hand. "He wasn't going to do anything to EJ—"
"You don't know that, Bella," Rosalie snarled, yanking her hand away from Bella's. "He could be just trying to get close enough to you to the hurt the baby."
"Oh, and since when were you the mind-reader, Rosalie?" I growled, my hands clenching into fists at my sides. "I could no more hurt that baby than I could hurt Bella."
"So you're saying that you're willing to hurt your wife now too?" Rosalie replied viciously, purposefully twisting my words in order to make Bella doubt my intentions. It was too bad for my sister that Bella knew better than that.
"Rose, come on, don't be ridiculous," Bella snapped, her patience finally starting to unravel. She heaved herself up into a sitting position, wincing a little with the sudden movement, one of her hand going to rub her lower back. I took a step to rush to her side to comfort her, but Rosalie side-stepped me, snarling and blocking my way. "Rose, stop! My husband is not going to hurt us!"
"Bella—" Rosalie began, but Bella cut her off angrily.
"No, Rose, just stop!" she said, her eyes welling up with frustrated tears. "I appreciate your concern for EJ, but I'm tired of all of this fighting! Edward can hear him now, he won't hurt the baby! You…" she trailed off, and turned to look at me uncertainly for a moment. "You love him, don't you?"
"Yes, Bella," I promised, slightly breathless with the amount of emotion crashing down on me. "I understand now – I understand, and I love him and you so much. You have no idea."
Bella nodded knowingly, wiping her tears away quickly before turning back to my sister. "You see? He's not going to hurt us. Rose, please, I need some time with my husband right now."
Rosalie didn't move, keeping her glare on me for a minute or so before reluctantly nodding, and moving off to the side. I dashed forward to sit next to Bella on the couch, using one of my hands to massage her lower back. She sighed and relaxed into my embrace, leaning her head against my shoulder as I kissed her forehead.
Rosalie stood awkwardly at the end of the couch for a moment, watching us jealously. I saw us in her mind as she registered that we were starting to become a real family, and that devastated her because she knew that I wouldn't give her even the slightest chance to play Mommy now.
The somewhat tense silence was broken by an insistent knocking on the front door, and Rosalie mumbled a quick "I'll get it" before disappearing from the room.
"She's just trying to help," Bella murmured quietly, tilting her head up to press a soft kiss to the underside of my jaw.
"I can read her mind, Bella," I replied, somewhat stiffly. "I know exactly what she's trying to do – and I have a feeling that you do too."
Bella sighed, nodding sadly, "I know. But if that's what helps her help me then she can think whatever she wants; I know she's not doing this for me, Edward – I know she's doing it only for the baby."
"But I wouldn't listen," I said, my voice sad as I gazed down at her, ignoring the sound of raised voices down the hall for the moment and concentrating on my wife.
She lifted one of her hands to cup my cheek and used the other to pull my hand from her back and entwined our fingers, bringing them to rest on the top peak of her belly. "You're listening now."
"Yes, I am," I said, my voice determined. "Everything is going to be fine."
Bella smiled, amusement clearly dancing in her eyes. "That's what I've been trying to tell you."
My soft laughter was cut short as a very angry, very naked, Quileute female stormed into the room, her eyes livid, Rosalie following behind her with one of Emmett's shirts.
I quickly turned my head away, closing my eyes for good measure – not that I could stop the images of Leah's naked backside from invading my mind, via Rosalie's thoughts, but I was trying to be polite nonetheless.
"Leah," I spoke calmly, trying to convey comfort in my voice. Leah didn't like us at all, but we did appreciate all that she, Jacob, and Seth were doing for us. "Rosalie has some clothes for—"
"I'm not wearing anything that reeks of bloodsucker, thank you very much," she snarled back at me, her voice menacing. "I'd rather be naked."
"Glad you're so comfortable in your own skin then," Rosalie muttered sarcastically.
"What's wrong with Jacob?" Leah demanded, ignoring the vampires in the room and directing her question to Bella, who I could feel blushing furiously next to me. "Why did he leave like that?"
"Leah," I began again, trying to ease her anger by explaining the situation in a gentle voice. "He just needed some time to himself – he'll be back. It's just been a stressful day, and—"
"Was I asking you, leech?!" Leah screeched, her voice and thoughts furious.
I turned my head back and opened my eyes, chancing a look at her. She was trembling so badly that I was afraid she would lose her control at any second and transform. Standing up, I began to walk forward, my hands up in front of me to signal that I didn't mean any harm.
"Leah, I—"
"Don't talk to me!" she yelled, glaring at me before turning back to Bella, who was cradling her tummy protectively, shaking in fear as Leah's furious gaze landed on her. "What did you do to him, you whore? Don't you realize that every day that you asking him to stay is another day that you're killing him? He loves you more than he can comprehend, and you treat him like this! Asking him to stay when you're dying by carrying a bloodsucker's demon spawn?"
"Leah—" I growled, starting to crouch in defense, but she cut me off, still screaming at Bella.
"You're killing him! What's he going to do when you die, huh? You think he can just get over that? You're nothing but a selfish bitch, and I hope you die! I hope both you and that disgusting thing growing inside of you die and leave us alone!"
"Get. Out," I snarled, no longer caring about politeness or gentlemanly behavior. I bared my teeth at her in fury, storming forward to grab her upper arm and drag her out of the house, but she jerked out of my grasp and raced for the door by herself, bursting into her wolf form before she even touched the last step of the porch.
Quickly, I turned back to Bella, rushing to her side just as the first sobs started to escape. I cradled her to my chest for a moment, before taking her into my arms and standing up, starting for the stairs.
"Where are you going?" Rosalie darted in front of me, blocking my way, her voice and expression anxious.
"I'm taking her up to bed, Rosalie," I replied, completely exasperated with my sister's attitude. "She needs some rest."
"I-I'm okay," Bella sniffled, pressing her face into my chest. "I can r-rest on the couch. I don't want to be treated like an invalid."
I sighed, shaking my head, "Humor me, love – everyone is out hunting, and I'm sure our bed is a lot more comfortable than the couch."
Bella was silent for a moment, before nodding into my chest, hiccupping a sob back at the same time. I looked up at Rosalie, patiently waiting for her to move. She hesitated for a moment, glancing nervously between Bella – or, rather, Bella's stomach – and me, and then she slowly moved out of the way, but not without a parting thought.
I'll be listening.
I rolled my eyes at her theatrics, carefully maneuvering the stairs so that I didn't jostle Bella too much, and a few seconds later, I was slowly laying her down onto our bed, the bedroom door shut firmly behind us.
"Do you need anything, love?" I asked, reaching over to brush her limp hair out of her red-rimmed eyes. "Do you want some extra pillows? Do you want me to change your clothes? Something to eat or drink, maybe?"
Bella shook her head and sniffled, reaching out for me, "I want you."
"Shh…" I soothed, slipping into bed with her so that we were facing each other on our sides. I gently kissed her forehead and rubbed her back and the side of her belly, while she tangled her fingers into the hair on the back of my head, tugging lightly.
"I'm a horrible person," Bella mumbled, tears streaming down her face, her chest heaving with sobs.
Momma… sad… Momma sad… no sad… don't want Momma sad… make better… Daddy make better…
I couldn't help but smile at the baby's thoughts, and I cuddled myself closer to my wife, so that our bodies were pressed together as close as they could be, what with her belly in the way.
"Shh…" I soothed her again, gently bringing her lips to mine. "Sweetheart, calm down – you are not a horrible person—"
"Yes, I am!" she wailed, wincing when the baby jerked in her womb, startled by his mother's suddenly loud voice.
Sorry… sorry… no hurt Momma… sorry…
"Bella, stop," I said, gently, but firmly, but she shook her head stubbornly.
"Leah's right," she sniffled, guilt evident in her voice. "I don't know why I can't let Jake go! I just don't know! And I know it's hurting him, and you, but I don't know what to do! I feel so torn…" she trailed off into broken sobs against my chest.
"Bella, it's all right," I promised her. "Jacob understands, and so do I. Don't listen to Leah, darling, she doesn't know what she's talking about. Now, please calm down."
"I c-c-can't!" she hiccupped, her voice bordering on hysterical, and I knew that if I didn't do something right now, she could easily end up triggering early labor or, at the very least, an intense panic attack.
"Bella," I said sternly, trying to gain her attention. She looked up at me, but her sobs were still heavy. "Bella, kiss me."
"Wh-what?" she sniffled, startled by the command in my voice.
"Kiss. Me," I repeated firmly, bringing my hand up to cup her jaw. "Kiss me now."
Bella stared up at me for a moment, slightly stunned, before tilting her head further up and moving forward, pressing her lips to mine.
It was rather short and chaste, and we pulled back after just a few seconds, but then she leaned forward again and kissed me again, just the same as before, pulling back after only a few seconds. And then again, and again, and again.
We repeated this kiss again and again, for nearly ten minutes, and then her eyes drifted closed, followed by my own, and the length of time our lips were pressed together increased with each kiss. Five minutes after that, our tongues were tentatively sweeping across each other's lips, each of us silently begging the other for entrance. Of course, Bella couldn't be in my mouth – at least, not until she was changed – and so I was graced with the privilege of finally tasting her again after so many weeks and days of being denied, and both of us were panting heavily in desire, her tears long forgotten.
Warm… Momma warm… mmm…
I laughed a little into our kiss, and Bella pulled back by a few centimeters, eyeing me curiously, her breath ragged. "What?"
"What were you thinking about?" I asked, amusement clear in my voice.
"You were kissing me like that, and you want to know what I was thinking?" Bella asked incredulously, her cheeks flushed. "You know what I was thinking, Edward Cullen."
I laughed again, "Yes, I do. Do you know, every time you become aroused, your uterus gets warmer? The baby likes it."
Bella blushed darker and groaned. "Way to ruin the mood, Edward."
"Sorry," I laughed, genuinely contrite. The knowledge didn't dissuade me, but apparently, she didn't see it in the same light. "That wasn't my intention – I was only telling you because I thought it was sweet."
She cocked an eyebrow at me, "You thought it was sweet that our baby likes when his mother gets aroused?"
I laughed loudly, understanding her point, but I explained my view between chuckles anyway. "Well, that's not exactly what I meant. He likes the warmth – it comforts him; he doesn't really know why you're getting warmer, only that you are. His thought processes about it are adorable. I wish you could hear him too."
Bella smiled, her eyes shimmering as she reached up to cup my jaw, stroking her thumb across my lips. "I'm just glad you can hear him. I was so worried that even if everything worked out, you wouldn't want anything to do with EJ."
I pulled in a shaky gasp at her words, the image coming unbidden to my mind: Bella and me, immortal and beautiful, a gorgeous, little, brown-eyed, brown-haired boy on Bella's hip. In my mind, I leaned forward to press a kiss to Bella's ruby lips. As I pulled away, the little boy reached out for me, tilting his head up, his lips slightly puckered, wanting kisses too. I turned away from him, my expression cold, and giant tears spilled from the child's chocolate eyes.
The image was so wrong, I thought I would be physically sick, which, of course, was impossible for me. I shook my head hard as if the motion could shake out the images in my head, and I crashed my lips back to Bella's, probably a little too hard, but I couldn't bring myself to mind at the moment.
"No," I whimpered against her lips, my tongue sneaking into her mouth quickly between words. "No, love. That would never happen – how could I not love something that's a part of you? Loving him was never a choice – I was just so…" I broke off with a sob, struggling to continue. "I was angry with myself, Bella. I thought he would be every bad part of me with no awareness for human life – for your life. Watching you waste away because of me… you have no idea how guilty I felt – how I still feel."
"Don't feel guilty," Bella pleaded, her eyes shimmering with tears again. "He's worth it, Edward – every bit of my pain is worth it for EJ to live."
I didn't know what to say to that because I could see both sides of the argument clearly. On the one hand, I agreed with her – now that I understood fully and completely, and I could hear the baby's beautiful, innocent thoughts, I agreed that our baby was worth any pain or struggle either of us might face. However, on the other hand, it killed me to see her suffer in any way. I had heard many a husband and father, while doing my hospital rotations during my med school days, wish that they could take some of their mate's pain when it came to pregnancy and labor – I now understood that wish and desire on a level that I never could have imagined.
I gave my wife a weak smile and pressed my lips back to hers, softer this time, before pulling back with a small chuckle. "Bella, are you happy?"
She smiled back at me, a combination of relief and confusion in her expression. "Yes, of course."
"Really happy?" I insisted, my smile turning into a bit of a smirk.
"Yes, Edward," Bella replied, leaning forward to place hot, open-mouthed kisses up and down the underside of my jaw. "Extraordinarily happy."
"Mmm," I sighed, gently rubbing the side of her belly, slowly circling down until my hand started slipping up underneath of her shirt. "Bella?"
"Hm?"
"Can we discuss his name?" I asked, biting my lip nervously when she paused in her kisses.
"Isn't it tradition to name boys after their fathers?" she countered with her own question, obviously avoiding the real reason I was going in on this; she knew that I knew.
"Jacob isn't his father," I said gently, tired of beating around the bush.
"Edward," Bella said firmly, pulling back to stare up at me. I couldn't tell if she was mad at me or just being stubborn. "Don't do this – Jacob has done so much for us, I have to—"
"He won't appreciate it," I interrupted her, forcing my voice to be void of any jealously, though I couldn't tell how well that worked. "You know he won't – he hates the baby because it's mine. What makes you think he would appreciate our son carrying his name?"
She was silent for a moment, playing with the top buttons on my shirt, and when she finally spoke, her voice was wobbly with emotion again, and I cursed myself for bringing her out of her good mood. "Even if he doesn't appreciate it, I still want the baby's middle name to be Jacob. Please, Edward? It would mean so much to me."
"Ugh," I sighed, laughing a little bit in frustration. I smiled down at her, defeated. "Damn your please's – I can never say no to you when you use that word. But I want to choose the middle name for a girl," I added quickly when she smiled smugly at me. "Deal?"
"Okay," she laughed. "I didn't have one picked out yet anyway."
I smiled, "Now, I really hope it's a girl."
Bella rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at me, and I smirked, tilting my head down quickly to capture her tongue between my lips. She was surprised at first, but quickly melted into my impromptu kiss, running her hands up and down my chest, underneath my shirt, her nails scraping deliciously along my muscles. I couldn't help but let out an audible groan when her nails caught on my nipples, sending pleasurable shivers down my spine, and she laughed, her voice slightly husky.
"Edward?" she murmured, pulling back just a little bit, her expression eager and hesitant at the same time.
"Hm?"
"Make love to me," Bella requested in a small voice, and my eyes widened in surprise.
"I…" I trailed off, eyeing her closely for a moment. "Would you be… okay? If we made love, I mean. If you think you might be uncomfortable—"
"I'll be okay," she promised, tugging my shirt up and over my head. "I want to."
I swallowed thickly and nodded, taking my shirt from her hands and throwing it to the floor. I breathed in deeply, smelling how aroused she was, and my body responded accordingly, becoming hard and aching for oneness with her.
Pressing my lips back to hers and sweeping my tongue into her mouth, I carefully started tugging her shirt up, and I tried not to move too fast or rough, but apparently my slowness was annoying to her because she lowered her hands from my face and quickly pushed her shirt up and over her head. As she threw it to the floor, I took the time to gaze down at her now exposed torso.
Aside from the horrid purple blotches covering her stomach, the first thing I noticed was that her breasts had gotten bigger, which I knew happened with normal pregnancies as well. Cautiously, I brought my hand up to cup one of the swollen mounds, but I immediately pulled back when she gasped, her expression uncomfortable.
"I'm sorry," I murmured against her lips. "Was I too rough?"
"No," she promised, shaking her head minutely. "They're just sore."
"Maybe we shouldn't do this," I said, pulling my face back from hers to look down at her in concern. "If you're hurting—"
"No, it's okay," she interrupted me quickly, her fingers making sweeping motions up and down my bare chest. With every pass, her hands came closer and closer to the waist of my jeans. "I want to, Edward. I need you so much. And you can touch my breasts – just be very, very gentle."
I swallowed my nerves and worries back thickly, nodding uncertainly. She seemed to take that as her sign to start undoing the fly of my jeans, purposefully pressing against my straining erection, which elicited a deep groan from me, my eyes rolling into the back of my head at the sensation.
Bella struggled for a moment against me, and then I reached down to help her lower my pants and underwear, throwing them to the floor before bringing my hands back up to work the remainder of her own clothes off.
Sooner than I had anticipated, we were both naked, our kisses becoming heavy, our caresses of each other's bodies becoming more daring. I couldn't help but let out an appreciatory grunt when I felt her warm hand wrap around me, giving a few gentle strokes before letting her thumb play in the fluid that was quickly gathering at my tip.
"Ungh… Bella…" I groaned, pulling my lips from hers to nuzzle my face into her neck.
I brought my hand down to gently cup her, and, though I had suspected as much from her scent alone, I was surprised to find her wetness so thick that it was weeping down her thighs. For a moment, it scared me, as I thought her water might have broke, but the baby's thoughts were sleepy and content and not in any distress, and Bella didn't seem to be in any pain.
Without even realizing what I was doing, my hips started thrusting slowly, forcing my erection to slide in and out of the grip of my wife's hand, my arousal making a decent lubricant. Out of reaction, she tightened her grip, and I let out a strangled groan in her ear, unable to keep my sounds at bay. Apparently, all my voice knew when I was intimate with Bella seemed to be animalistic sounds and her name. That's not to say that we didn't talk during sex at all, but the majority of it was just sound and feeling.
"Feel good?" Bella breathed in my ear, and I nodded my head frantically, whimpering like a child whose toy had just been stolen.
"So good…" I moaned, forcing my voice to string something together that sounded at least halfway coherent. "My Bella… God, it's so good…"
"Be inside me," she beckoned in a sensual voice that rendered me into nothing more than pile of mush, only malleable by her hand alone.
"Are you sure?" I managed to ask, my concern for her well-being – and now our child's as well – above all else.
Instead of answering me with her voice, she used her grip on me to try and pull me to her.
"Wait, wait," I gasped, pulling away from her for a moment.
"Edward—" Bella began, frustration evident in her voice, but she broke off as she watched me shift my position, climbing over her so that I was spooned up behind her instead, my hips pressed against her backside, silently showing her what I wanted. "Oh."
"Is this okay?" I panted, bushing her long hair away from her neck so that I could kiss behind her ear. "I didn't want to put any weight on the baby, and I thought you might be hurting if you were on top."
She nodded, agreeing with me, and arched her back a little, causing my aching erection to slip down and between her thighs. I was breathing heavily in anticipation, and I gently reached down and pulled her top leg up and back a little bit so that it was propped up by my leg, while my other arm pushed under her pillows so as to cradle her as we made love.
When we were situated comfortably – or as comfortably as she could be, anyway – I asked her again if she was sure; when she simply reached down and started to touch herself, I had my answer. She hardly ever touched herself in my presence.
Groaning, I gripped her thigh a little bit tighter than I should have and gave a few shallow thrusts through her wetness, trying to find her entrance without having to let go of her and guide myself.
Giggling sweetly when I growled in frustration, Bella tilted her head back to smile up at me. "Need some help, lover?"
"Please," I begged, my body tingling with pleasure and joy at her use of that particular endearment. She'd never called me that before – sweetheart or darling were usually the only endearments she used for me. She'd once called me babyin the middle of a climax, but had blushed a brilliant red afterwards, when she realized what she had called me, despite my telling her that I had thought it was sweet.
Reaching under herself and back, Bella gently took me into her grip again, guiding me through her warmth and to the place where we wanted me to be. As soon as I felt the familiar opening against my tip, I thrust again and slid halfway in, and we gasped in unison, her hand dropping away from me, no longer needed now that I'd found where I wanted to go.
But, dear lord, was she tight! I realized that it was probably a combination of the position and the weight of the baby pressing down on her. Glancing over my shoulder to the bedside table behind me, I made sure that her box of tissues were still there, and I sighed in relief when I saw them. I knew with all of this pressure on her body, she wouldn't be likely to hold my fluids in her body like she had when we'd been at the island, and as soon as I pulled out when we were finished, a mess would be sure to follow.
Giving another shallow thrust, my body slid fully into hers, my hips flush with her backside, my tip pressed firmly against her cervix. I worried about the latter though, so I pulled back a fraction of an inch to take the pressure off of that particular part of her body, making sure the baby didn't feel uncomfortable. His thoughts were actually quite content, and I wondered if he might even be sleeping.
"Is this okay?" I asked Bella again, my breath coming in heavy pants by her ear. "Is it too tight, my love?"
"No," Bella sighed, taking her hand away from herself to reach back and rub her wet fingers against my hip in a soothing motion. "I'm okay – I'm just so happy to have you inside of me again. I feel whole now. Please make love to me, Edward…"
I groaned, dropping my head to nuzzle my face back into her neck and started moving, rocking my body gently in and out of hers with slow, shallow trusts.
"Mmm…" Bella sighed, pushing back at me, her hand moving from my hip to cover my hand that was gripping her thigh. "Oh… God. I love you, Edward, I love you… oooh…"
"I love you too," I promised breathlessly, pressing loose, wet kisses up and down the column of her throat. We'd barely been coupled for more than a minute, and already I felt close to losing it. Little zaps of electricity were sparking in the pit of my stomach, and pleasure mounted on top of pleasure. "Oh, Bella, oh… it's… I… ungh… so good… nngh…"
"Talk to me," she begged. She knew me so well, my beautiful wife – talking would distract me a little longer, helping me to hold out.
"Bella," I cried, my voice strangled with pleasure. The muscles in my stomach were twisting and jumping erratically, and it took every ounce of my will power to stop focusing so much on what was going on in my stomach and groin and talk to her. "You feel so good, sweetheart. I never – ungh, oh God! – never want to stop. Never, ever!" I looked down at her, her face and breasts flushed in a beautiful red as she gazed up at me. Her eyes were slightly glazed over and unfocused, her mouth parted to let out her labored breaths, and I couldn't stop myself from crashing my lips down on hers, my tongue sweeping briefly into her mouth. "Nngh… taste so good… want you always, my Bella. I can't wait until I can taste you everywhere." She cried out in ecstasy against my lips as she realized what I meant and tightened her grip on my hand, her muscles squeezing me deliciously. "These beautiful lips… you have such amazing lips, my love… I want to see them wrapped around me… sucking on me…"
Okay, maybe this talking thing wasn't such a good idea – I was suddenly feeling closer than ever. Bella, on the other hand, seemed to love my words, responding with more vigor than I had thought she was capable of in her current condition. We were rocking our bodies together quickly now, but I was careful to make sure our movements weren't too rough, and her stomach and breasts weren't being jerked around.
"Oh… oh, my Bella… please… oh God, please," I begged her, but I knew it wasn't going to help. She was thoroughly enjoying herself, but I knew she wasn't close to climaxing like I was. She'd always taken a longer time to reach orgasm, and I nearly always came before she did. Males were more sexually sensitive than females, vampire males even more so, but I had certainly never been so close to losing it, so fast. It usually took me at least ten minutes to get to this point.
We were barely going on to three.
"Talking isn't – oh, nngh! – isn't helping?" she asked, and I had to admire her for being so strong as to bring herself out of the haze and talk to me.
I shook my head, hiding my face in her neck again, frustrated with my utter lack of control.
"What can I do?" Bella asked, her voice slightly pleading. She knew it embarrassed me to lose myself so fast, and she wanted to help.
"Come!" I sobbed into her neck, completely desperate. I was so close, I didn't know whether I would be able to force myself to slow down or even stop to collect myself again. "Please, come!"
"I can't," she cried back to me, her hand gripping mine tightly. "God, baby, I'm sorry – I can't come."
"Ungh," I groaned at her endearment, the coil in my stomach tightening even more. Summoning as much control as I could, I managed to slow my thrusts, but Bella was still pushing back at me, trying to force me to keep going. I tightened my grip on her thigh a little bit. "Bella, please, wait just—"
"No!" she cried, her voice defiant as she kept pushing back at me. "It's okay, Edward, just let go."
I shook my head, mortified. "But you're not—"
"You'll take care of me," she said knowingly, using her thumb to rub soothing circles across the back of my hand. "Go ahead and come, and then you can concentrate on me, okay? I want to feel you."
My body twitched inside of hers, as if agreeing with her, and I couldn't bring myself to argue with her. I may have waited for one hundred five years to indulge myself with sexual pleasures (and I was thoroughly glad that I did, because no one could compare to my wife's beautiful body), but now that I had, the past two and a half weeks of celibacy had been utter torture. It had been so long, and I was so close…
Groaning in defeat, I started moving again, slipping my hand out from under hers to reach across her and grab onto the mattress below her. My fingers easily shredded through the fabric as I started channeling my excess strength into that hand. My body was moving frantically behind hers, my thrusts becoming erratic as I fell deeper and deeper into sensation.
"Oh… oh, Bell-Bella… oh, I'm… I'm… oooh," I couldn't stop the noises and words coming from my mouth as my body started spiraling out of control. I barely registered that Bella had moved her hand back to grip my hip, whether for leverage for herself or to encourage me, I didn't know, but the sensation of her warm fingers gripping my hip and pulling me towards her set me off. I gave one final thrust and then froze, my hips flush with her backside. I barely had enough sense to make sure I wasn't pressing hard against her cervix before I started spilling my seed into her. "Oh, oh, oh, oh… ungh, coming… I'm coming, Bella!"
"Mmm…" she sighed in response, a lazy smile pulling at the corners of her lips. My body begged me to close my eyes and revel in sensation alone, but I refused, knowing the sight of my beautiful wife would always manage to prolong my orgasm. "I know, lover, I can feel it."
"Oh!" I cried out at her words, my hips giving an involuntary jerk. Dear lord, did she even know how sexy she was? "Oooh, Bella… it's so good…"
Bella was amazing, patiently guiding me through my orgasm with soft, encouraging words. When I had finished and practically collapsed against her, my body spent, she allowed me the time I needed to collect myself, rubbing soothing circles into the flesh of my hip, murmuring words of love and pleasure.
Letting go of a sigh, I lifted my head from her shoulder, and she giggled at the lazy, satisfied smile that I gave her. Quickly, I darted my head forward and captured her lips with mine, disentangling my hand from the remnants of the mattress – making a mental note to order a new one soon – and bringing it back to press my fingers against her wet flesh.
"Do you know how good you just made me feel?" I whispered, pulling back from her lips to breathe and murmur against her delicate ear. She squeaked and then moaned deeply as my cold fingers made contact with her clit, massaging the tiny bundle of nerves the way she had shown me that she liked, in what seemed like forever ago, on the island. "I love coming in you, my Bella; you're so warm and wet, and it feels amazing."
I nibbled on the shell of her ear with my lips for a few minutes, my fingers working her closer and closer to release, and I reveled in the sounds of pleasure she was emitting and the flutter of her muscles twitching around me as her body prepared to peak.
"Won't you come for me, my love?" I pleaded, my voice husky with desire. I was already hard again within her, but I made no attempt to move, wanting to concentrate on her alone. I was rewarded with a fresh coating of hot arousal from her, her body twitching, climbing higher and higher. Almost there…
"I can't wait until you're more durable," I whispered quietly in her ear, as if I were sharing a special secret with her, which I guess I was, in a way. I also knew her just as well as she knew me – talking to her about our love life after her change always managed to get her going. "You'll be the most beautiful vampire in existence. I hope I'll be able to read your mind, but it's okay if I can't because I can read your body so well, I'm starting to think I don't need to be able to read your mind. We fit so well together, do you feel? We were made for each other, and it's only going to be more amazing when I don't have to hold back for fear of hurting you."
"Yes, Edward!" Bella cried out, bringing her hand down to clutch at mine, buried in her soft, wet curls. She held me there firmly, her silent communication to me that I had better not stop until she'd gotten her orgasm.
I chuckled, feeling how close she was, watching as her body started to unravel before my eyes. Time to go in for the kill…
"And Bella?" I said in a deeper, predatory voice. I breathed gently against her ear, taking in her beautiful scent, automatically swallowing back the venom that welled in my mouth in response. "When you're finally able to fully withstand my strength, the first thing I'm going to do when we're alone, is take you so hard that the only thing you'll remember is my name, and I'll have you screaming it for hours."
That did the trick.
"Edward!" Bella gasped, and I had a feeling that she was purposefully trying to keep her voice down so that we didn't startle the baby. There was nothing like a strong kick to the ribs to ruin an amazing orgasm.
I crashed my lips down on hers when I felt the scream rising in her throat, and as soon as our lips were touching, her muscles clamped down on me – hard. I gasped and grunted against her lips as the sensation of her muscles milking me pulled another orgasm from me, albeit not as intense as the first one. Her muscles twitched and contracted more heavily when she felt me spilling into her again, her orgasm becoming more intense, and she bit down on my lip in reaction.
Damn.
I panted heavily as the waves of pleasure slowly faded, Bella's muscles giving erratic twitches around me as she experienced little aftershocks. I wrapped my arm around her, my hand moving up to cradle the bruised underside of her belly, and I leaned down to nuzzle my face into her hair, my lips searching out the sensitive skin behind her ear.
She laughed lightly at my administrations and brought her hand down to cover mine, so that we cradled her swollen and battered tummy together. "He's okay?"
"Mmm," I sighed, brushing my thumb gently across her badly stretched skin. "He's fine. He's either resting or sleeping – if the latter is possible, of course. He's very calm."
I felt her cheeks pull upward, and I could hear the smile in her voice when she sighed happily in response. I chuckled and lifted my head to gaze down at her for a moment, and then pressed a swift kiss to her cheek.
"Um, Edward?" she asked after a minute, a blush rising on her cheeks, her voice slightly uncomfortable.
"Yes, my love?" I replied, frowning in concern when she avoided eye contact with me.
"It is a little too tight now," she whispered in reply, her face becoming redder.
"Oh!" I gasped, surprised for a moment. "Of course, darling – just a moment."
Gently, I slowly withdrew myself from her, and – just as I had suspected – her body wasn't able to hold my fluids in because of the pressure bearing down on her. I quickly reached behind me and plucked a few tissues from the box on the bedside table and went about lovingly cleaning up the mess so that she could rest comfortably.
"Oh, my God!" Bella gasped, completely mortified when she felt it. It took me a moment to realize what she was so embarrassed about – it's not like we hadn't had to change the sheets on a daily basis when we were on the island – and then I realized that she thought that she had lost control of her body.
"Calm down," I laughed lightly, handing her one of the used tissues to examine. "It's just my semen, love – nothing to be embarrassed about."
She took the tissue from me and looked it over for a moment while I cleaned up the rest of the mess. She hesitantly rubbed her thumb on the wetness, and then sighed in utter relief when she recognized the lukewarm, sticky feeling of my fluids. "Nothing else?"
"Nothing," I promised, taking the tissue from her and throwing it into the trash bin with the others. Snuggling back up behind her, I pressed a kiss to her still slightly pink cheek. "I love you."
"I love you too," she sighed happily.
Ngh… ooow…
I gasped, startled by the baby's suddenly uncomfortable thoughts, and sat up on my elbow, leaning over my wife's prone form worriedly.
"What's the matter?" Bella murmured sleepily, gazing up at me in slight worry.
"Are you in pain?" I asked quickly, and I distantly heard Rosalie rushing up the stairs. I let out a low warning growl – low enough that Bella wouldn't be able to hear – and my sister hesitated, resorting to nervously pacing just outside my bedroom door, listening in on every little sound with tightly-spun nerves.
"No," Bella replied to my question, lifting her hand to cup my cheek. "Edward, what's wrong?"
No move… no hurt Momma… no move… ow, ow, ow…
"His legs…" I tried to explain, my heart constricting with worry and love. "He's… he's trying not to move because he knows now that it hurts you when he does…" I trailed off, shaking my head in horror. It was terrible that there could be no peace for an extended period of time – if the baby was fine, Bella wasn't, and if Bella was fine, the baby wasn't. There wouldn't be any peace until the baby was born…
"His legs are cramping," I explained, my voice thick with emotion. "There's so little room now that he's grown so big."
Bella frowned at my words, her eyes shimmering with building tears, and I quickly leaned down to press my lips to hers as her tears spilled over.
"It's going to be okay," I murmured quietly, but I was trying to convince myself of that just as much as I was trying to convince her. Parting my lips from hers, I carefully trailed kisses down the side of her exposed body, down her neck and shoulder, across the outer swell of her breast, down to her swollen and bruised tummy.
"Bella," I said in between laying soft kisses on her belly. "Bella, I think that the baby might be further developed than we previously thought." I looked up at her, and took a deep breath, more worried about my nosy sister's reaction to my next words than my wife's. "I think maybe we should consider delivering him sooner rather than later."
Bella opened her mouth to respond, but didn't have the chance to speak before Rosalie slammed open the door, a snarl ripping from her throat, her expression livid.
"Rosalie!" I admonished in outrage, quickly grabbing the blanket from the foot of the bed to cover mine and Bella's bodies. "What part of the word privacy don't you understand?"
"I know exactly what you're doing, Edward," she hissed, stalking forward to hover over us menacingly. "And I won't let you trick Bella into thinking you have the baby's best interests at heart."
"Rosalie…" I growled, my lips pulling over my teeth in a snarl.
Bella reached for my hand, which was covering her stomach protectively, and she gave it a light squeeze as she looked up at my furious sister and began to speak in a placating tone. "Rose, I trust Edward's judgment – let's just listen to what he has to say before you go jumping up on the defensive."
Rosalie ground her teeth together in frustration, her thoughts emanating discontent, but she relented. Crossing her arms angrily across her chest, she sat on the edge of the bed and glared at me. Start talking, Doctor.
Instead of talking right away, I reached over and grabbed Rosalie's hands and pulled them over to Bella's tummy over the thin blanket that was tossed over us, resting one on the underside and the other on the top peak. She resisted my efforts for a moment at first, but relented when she realized that I was allowing her to touch the baby.
"This is his head," I explained softly, patting the hand that was resting on the underside of my wife's belly. With my other hand, I patted the hand that Rosalie had on the top peak. "This is his bottom." Taking my hands away from my sister's, I laid them in the middle of Bella's stomach, spreading my fingers out to cover the remaining space. "His legs and arms are all curled up here. Do you feel how tightly he's compacted? We were going by the inch-a-week method, but that's not always the norm – it depends on the size of the mother and the size of the baby. What if we miscalculated? Bella is small, and he's growing so quickly – he's in pain. Wouldn't it be better to deliver him now than wait for Bella to go into labor? If the stories we've researched have any scrap of truth to them, labor should be something to avoid, for both the baby and Bella's sakes."
Rosalie's expression was beginning to crumble as she realized the truth of my words, and she glanced up at me uncertainly. "Are you sure he'd be okay being delivered now?"
I nodded quickly, taking advantage of the small chink in her armor. "Yes, Rose. He's very clearly developed beyond what we had guessed, and even if he was at the development of thirty-four weeks – like we had thought – it would still be safe to deliver him. The only things we need to worry about are his lungs, but I'm fairly certain that he'll be fine."
"Rose, I think Edward's right," Bella murmured, her cheeks still a little pink from embarrassment at being seen while in a post-coital state. "It really is getting tight in there – it feels like I'm about to split open as it is."
"You're okay with this?" Rosalie asked, eyeing Bella suspiciously. "I mean, you're not agreeing with him because you two just had sex, right?"
I rolled my eyes and Bella's blush flamed up again, but she glared at my sister as she replied in a cold tone. "I would not agree to this if I thought it would put EJ in danger, Rosalie, regardless of anything Edward and I might have just done – which really isn't any of your business anyway."
Rosalie's eyes flashed in fury, but, mercifully, she held her tongue until she grappled control of her emotions again. She looked between Bella and me for a minute or so, debating of whether to be a helper or hinderer. I let out a breath that I didn't even realize I had been holding a second before Rosalie opened her mouth to speak.
"Well," she finally huffed, a bit of temper still in her voice as she turned to glare at me. "You better call Carlisle while he's still out so that he can bring home everything he might need."
"Thank you, Rose," I breathed quietly, hoping that she felt the real gratitude in my words.
Don't make me regret this, Masen, was her only reply to me, her thoughts hard and cold, but just that she was going along with this was showing that she was starting to crack.
Outwardly, my sister simply harrumphed, shook her head once, and then stood up and made a quick escape back downstairs, slamming my bedroom door so hard behind her that the wall of windows on the south side of my bedroom rattled dangerously.
Excited, I shucked the blanket off of us with a flourish, and it fluttered to the floor just as I was slipping back into bed next to Bella, my cell phone in hand. Bella carefully turned over so that she was on her other side, facing and looking up at me as I sat back against the wrought iron headboard and quickly dialed my father's number.
"What if he's still hunting?" Bella asked quietly, gently rubbing my thigh in her anxiousness. She pressed a soft kiss against my hip as she continued speaking, "We shouldn't interrupt – it's not been that long since they all left."
Putting the phone to my ear, I brought my free hand down to tangle my fingers through her hair, the motion soothing us both. At hearing her words, I unconsciously glanced toward the clock on my bedside table, taking in the time, and chuckled. "It's been nearly an hour and a half, Bella – he's probably taking a break, if he's not already finished. He tends to 'eat and run,' if you will, when he's stressed."
She looked surprised and opened her mouth to respond when Carlisle finally answered after five or so rings, and his voice was breathless. I winced as I realized that I should probably listen to Bella a little bit more.
"Sorry," I mumbled into the phone guiltily. "Did I interrupt?"
"No, it's okay," my father panted, and I could hear the edge of bloodlust still swirling in his voice. I swallowed convulsively against the sudden flow of venom as I thought about the fact that I had probably interrupted my father in the middle of a kill. "I just finished – I was distracted. Is everything all right? Is Bella hurt again? Do I need to come home?"
"No, no, everything's fine," I promised, gently massaging Bella's scalp with my fingers while she laid kisses up and down my hip. "I just wanted to discuss something with you. If you want to hunt some more, I'll call back—"
"No, Edward," Carlisle interjected, his voice soft and kind once again. "Like I said, I just finished. Now, what's going on?"
I took a deep breath, trying to figure out what to say, and I looked down, my eyes seeking out Bella's in comfort.
"It's just…" I began nervously. "I think… I think maybe the baby might be further developed than what we had thought."
There was several seconds of tense silence as I waited for him to respond. Finally, he drew in a ragged breath, "The… baby?"
"Yes, Carlisle," I answered patiently, rolling my eyes a little. Bella giggled softly at my expression, pressing her face into my hip. "He's grown so quickly, and the space is getting smaller by the hour. I really think it would be best if we can deliver him sooner rather than later. I mean, what if we wait too long and Bella goes into labor? Isn't that something we want to avoid for Bella and the baby's safety?"
"…He?"
"Carlisle, are you even listening to me?" I growled out in frustration.
"I…" he began haltingly, his voice astonished. "Yes, Edward, I am listening, but – is Bella next to you?"
"Yes, why?" I replied, and I heard him let out a tense breath, the sound not exactly relieved, but more accepting, like he had expected my answer.
"You just surprised me, calling the fetus 'baby' and 'he,'" Carlisle explained, and my heart twisted painfully in my chest, anger and guilt swirling in my stomach as he continued. "But I know it upsets Bella when she hears those phrases, so I was wondering if you were pacifying her if she was near you. How close is Rosalie to you now?"
"She's downstairs."
"Oh," he said in surprise. "Are you and Bella in your room?"
"Yes, but Carlisle, I—" I began, but he cut me off, already in doctor mode.
"I can deliver it whenever Bella is comfortable with it," he said, his voice professional. "I'm assuming you discussed this with her and Rosalie first?"
"Yes, but Carlisle, I don't think you understand—"
"As for what will happen after the delivery, we still need to discuss," he continued, and I knew without actually hearing him that he was completely absorbed in his thoughts, thinking out the process in his head. "I think we can safely say that you'll be changing Bella right after to ensure her survival—"
"Yes, but—"
"—but as for the fetus, we'll have to act quickly. I took the opportunity to speak with Alice and Jasper while we were away from Esme and Emmett, and they've agreed to help as best they can. Alice said she would stay with Rosalie, Esme, and Emmett during the birth to distract them, and Jasper has agreed to take the fetus once it's born and…" he trailed off for a moment, his voice slightly uncomfortable, "take care of it."
"No," I snarled viciously, and from the few seconds of stunned silence that followed, I knew I had finally broken through his clinical thoughts.
"Edward?" Carlisle asked, his voice wary.
I took a deep breath to calm myself, closing my eyes and concentrating on the feel of Bella's hand on my thigh and her lips on my hip. "I can hear his thoughts."
"What?" my father gasped, amazement and intrigue wrapping around his voice.
"It started just a little while after you all left," I explained quickly, my voice thick with emotion. "It was just small noises, and then words and images, and now—" I broke off, a shuddering, overwhelmed breath rattling out of my chest as I moved my hand down from Bella's hair to rub gentle circles on the side of her rounded tummy. "He's so smart, Carlisle, and so loving. He loves us – we were wrong about him, about what he is; so, so wrong. He's perfect."
"Oh, Edward…" my father breathed, his voice thick like mine, amazement, guilt, fear, and every other emotion overwhelming him. "You've fallen in love."
"Yes," I whispered, nodding, though I knew my father couldn't see that. "Loving him was never the issue, though – I never had a choice in that. But I'm… accepting it now, embracing it like I should have in the first place."
I could have sworn that I was able to actually hear Carlisle wince through the phone, or maybe it was just obvious in the tone of his voice as he replied, "I'm so sorry, Edward – I never even considered you're feelings about all of this, especially in the beginning. I was just so worried for Bella, and I just assumed that you would want her to be safe – and you can't deny the stories of the Cambion and Immortal Children were cause for terror; I fear I may have acted quickly and irrationally."
"You were just being a doctor, Carlisle," I spoke quietly. "You were trying to help."
"But I went about it the wrong way, it seems," he sighed.
"We both did."
"I still don't know about this, though," Carlisle admitted, somewhat reluctantly. "We know it—"
"He," I corrected automatically, and Carlisle chuckled weakly.
"Okay, he," he corrected himself. "We know he's stronger than an average, adult human – even as an unborn infant. We know he has a taste for human blood too…"
"You'll see," I assured him, my voice hopeful and eager. "He's not dangerous – he's so loving, Carlisle. Once he realized that his movements were hurting his mother, he started holding as still as possible, even though not moving causes himpain – which is what brings me back to wanting to deliver him earlier. He's all cramped up in there, and it's hurting him."
"I see," Carlisle hummed, the doctor taking over again. "And you think he's sufficiently developed to survive outside of the womb?"
"I'm sure of it," I promised, my response confident. "I wouldn't risk him or Bella."
Carlisle let out a tense sigh, the uncertainty clearly obvious in the tone. "All right then. The soonest I can be back is tomorrow by noon – I want to be able to have enough donated blood on hand, just in case. Do you think they will be able to hold on for that long?"
"I believe so," I sighed, refusing to allow any sort of uncertainty to creep up on me. "He's incredibly careful now that he realizes how dangerous his movements are, and, of course, Bella will be off of her feet as much as possible."
"Okay then," my father said, resignation in his voice. "The others should be back in a few hours – Esme is coming with me. I guess I'll see you and Bella tomorrow."
"Okay," I murmured quietly, reluctant to say goodbye for some reason. "We'll see you tomorrow."
There was a few seconds of silence where I could still hear my father breathing on the other end. He sighed, and after another few seconds there was a soft click and then he was gone. Swallowing nervously, I brought the phone down from my ear and pressed the end button, staring down at the glowing screen until it faded.
I turned to look down at Bella and couldn't help the smile that curved my lips as I saw that she had fallen asleep. My poor girl; she was so tired, and she'd been fighting it off, but she looked so peaceful now, her head tucked into my hip, her hand resting softly on my thigh. My eyes trailed down her exposed body, coming to rest on my own hand resting on her belly, my thumb rubbing gentle circles on the badly stretched skin.
"Just one more day," I murmured quietly to myself.
Now I just had to make sure Bella and EJ were safe and comfortable until then – but, really, what could happen in twenty-four hours anyway?