Next To You Chapter 10 — Gifts

A/N: It's been a few days since my birthday (whoop whoop!) so I thought I'd better write this up before I let another month pass. Sorry about that. For anyone wanting to know, no, I didn't celebrate by getting drunk. Wish I did, but I wasn't with my BFF at the time. Here's to another year of hoping everyone's OTPs reunite!

"Singing an old song until it hurts
Just to find myself in a sea of words
I'm diving in
I'll hold my breath and then
I keep looking for something new
Will you pick me up?
Can you pull me through?
A melody, A little piece of where i come from."
— Sweet Sweet Melody by Katie Sky

'41.'

'Correct.'

Beaming at his praise, I tackled the next question with some difficulty. The problem itself wasn't hard to solve, it was the constant innocent sweeps of his fingers that danced along my skin. From tucking my hair behind one ear, to tracing my décolletage — his demands for attention and affection was distracting, yet amusing. I huffed and squirmed, furiously scribbling down the answer on the scrap paper.

Troy peeked over my shoulder and glanced at the flourish of my handwriting. 'Your penmanship has improved,' he commented. He had taken it upon himself to teach me a few pointers on the art of calligraphy. Although I wasn't in an official class, his teaching methods and systemic reward system made the painstaking process more than worthwhile — congratulatory kisses that made me weak in the knees, warm breaths ghost on my throat, one hand massaging my inner thigh… Sighing again for dramatic effect, I leaned further over the notebook propped across my lap.

'Thanks,' I merely replied, my mind too in the zone to give him his undivided attention. Feeling his stare, my gaze hardened. 'Once I'm done, I'll give you the attention you deserve.' I promised; I scanned the book's text beside me, and then abruptly wrote down another answer. Troy's fingers stroked through my hair. He was being very patient and tried to be on his best behavior.

'I didn't think you'd take studying this so seriously,' Troy chirped. He sat cross legged beside me on our bed. Decades of pretending to be a high school student had its perks; he only studied the references for ten minutes before calling it quits and claimed he remembered the material. I, on the other hand, along with experiencing first-hand "pregnancy brain" fog, and a natural straight-A student, continued to go through the necessary guides to gain a GED and finish a SAT practice test.

'I know you'll do well on both exams,' My boyfriend exclaimed excitedly. He was practically giddy with the thought that through our hard work, we could graduate early and begin a new chapter in our lives.

I hummed in acknowledgement and finally completed the last question on the practice test. Flipping the booklet closed, I then was shoved flat on my back to the bed, and Troy lunged for me and painted kisses all over my face and neck. I giggled at his enthusiasm and tiredly pounded his chest with my fists.

'Stop!' I whined, my stomach lurching from the effort to hold myself back and giving in. I felt him smile against my skin, and a deep rumble trembled inside his chest.

'Aww, you know you want to,' Troy teased, slotting himself between my parted thighs and lightly tracing my sides, his fingers inching my shirt up to expose my bare stomach. He took a moment of reprieve to refocus on lovingly caressing and trailing his lips on my growing bump. Then, without warning, he blew harshly on a particular spot, the loud noise of the raspberry made me erupt in a fit of giggles. The childish action was bittersweet; in simpler times, when I had cuddled with my father at a much younger age, he'd tickle and blow raspberries on my arms. I threaded my fingers through Troy's air and gently tugged on the strands.

'You like that?' He murmured, a hint of a playful smile tugging at the corners of his lips. 'You're just so cute.' He gushed, and repeated giving me raspberries a few more times in different areas, and each time I squealed in laughter.

With how much he cared for me and his family, I knew without a doubt Troy would be a fantastic father and future spouse. We fell into a domestic routine on helping each other do daily chores around the house. Due to my increased physical abilities from our heated activities, I had to be more careful with various objects inside the home. For example; a short while ago, when Troy washed and I dried the dishes, I hadn't realized my tight grip on a glass until it was too late. The glass suddenly shattered in my hands, and in shock from the stinging pain, I dropped it. Troy quickly assessed me for any cuts. I profusely apologised and promptly burst into tears. Despite his reassurances, the scathing words from Maria rang in my head like a gong: 'do you know how much this would cost to replace?'... 'you're so clumsy and stupid…'

It was as if I was thrown overboard off a ship and left to battle the tumultuous waves of despair. Triggered by that insignificant incident, my mind, trapped, began shuffling through all the little memories spent under the damning care of my mother. One instance stood out among the rest, and, unable to free myself from reliving the pain, I succumbed to get it over with…

Her obsidian black eyes glittered with interest. As I held the hand towel to the bleeding scrape on my arm, I'd unknowingly provoked a thirsty vampire into action. Maria stalked forth, creeping closer, and I backed into the counter. I whimpered, knowing I had mere seconds before she'd pounce. She'd just arrived home from a three day business trip, and her strange behavior frightened me.

Glancing to my right, I drew a kitchen knife from the block and thrust my right arm outwards, blade directed at her.

"Back away!" I tried to keep my voice level, but Maria caught the shakiness in my tone.

"You think that's going to protect you?" She taunted. "I'm much stronger and faster than you."

Swallowing hard, I steeled my resolve. It was now or never. Lunging, I plunged the knife upwards into her gut, the sound of the squelch of blood around the damaged tissue made me lightheaded.

Her startled gasp, and then shrill laughter pierced the tense atmosphere. To my horror, she manically twisted the blade further for show, and then deftly removed it. The bloodied knife clattered to the floor, but that was background noise. Blood roared in my ears. Think, think think!

My gaze locked on her shirt stained with red. Through the tear in her top, new flesh stitched itself together to heal the open wound as if it never existed. I'd foolishly assumed I'd done some harm, maybe severed a main artery in the process. Maria's lips curled upward in a snarl, baring pointed canines. A dark blur hurtled towards me at astonishing speed; she slammed me into the wall…

Troy's face swam into view, then, his brows creased with worry. "Brie, honey, breathe with me." He said firmly.

Finding my head cradled protectively in his lap, traiter tears streamed down my cheeks. I evasively mumbled that I had to go get a broom and dustpan and clean up the mess or I'd be in more trouble.

"You're more important than some silly glassware." Troy continued to breathe slow and deep, and, reluctantly, I conceded. When the world righted itself again, my heart swelled and felt heavy with love for him. I mumbled a thanks, and he pressed a kiss to the top of my head.

Peering down, he offered a small smile. "Feel better now?"

I nodded sleepily; the panic attack left me exhausted. He didn't pry for details, but I explained what triggered the flashback. "It was the first time she attacked me," I whispered, suddenly feeling very small, yet safe in his arms.

"From now on," Troy said solemnly, "I'll be more careful. You let me know of anything that can trigger you, and I'll get you away from the situation so you'll remain calm."

I began to protest, but he silenced me with a gentle kiss to my lips.

"Even if it's the rustling of newspaper, I'll chuck it out the window." Mirth danced in his eyes, and I rolled my eyes at his interjection. He continued, clearly knowing I wasn't about to stop him from his successful distractions.

Troy's answering smile was infectious. "Or, instead of throwing the whole roll of newspaper, we can burn it and have ourselves a makeshift bonfire in the backyard. We could even camp out underneath the stars, and I'll feed you grilled hot dogs and s'mores!"

I'd laughed aloud, and just like that, the dire situation was diffused. Troy had fetched the supplies to clean the shards of glass on the wooden floor. While he swept the mess, he even went as far as dancing to tease me, sensually thrusting his hips and rolling his body along the broom as if it was a pole. I'd rolled on the floor and clutched my stomach from laughing so hard. Before his ridiculous impromptu dance, if I'd requested he'd act cute and sexy at the same time, he wouldn't know what to do with himself.

Doing the laundry was another obstacle to overcome. The same day, later, Melinda showed me how to fold clothes without damaging the fabric. She gave me an worn-out shirt to practice, and in my haste to impress her, I ripped it into three scraps.

As I stared at the pieces in my hands, my eyes had widened; I didn't want to believe I did that. If I'd accidently tore one of Troy's shorts or one of my favorite bras, I'd never forgive myself. Tears blurred my vision, and, sensing another hormonal breakdown in the works, Melinda affirmed that she had actually ruined a glove merely days after becoming immortal herself. The story did little to calm me, but it was comforting to confide in another person who had lived and been there, done that. So, she had tried a different tactic; I repeated the motions carefully with another article of ratty clothing, and then she interrupted to correct me with the softest pressure.

"You're doing great," She said, and then instructed me to imagine the clothes as glass or tissue paper. I had cringed at that remark, and presented her my healing cuts from the disastrous dishwashing experience earlier. The next three minutes, I silently fumed and warred within myself to not snap because of my irritation. To punish myself, I worried my lower lip until I tasted copper on my tongue.

That definitely caught her off-guard. Melinda smelled the blood oozing from the mark and her eyes flickered to mine for an insufferable moment. "You could get scarring from biting your lips so much." She coaxed me to let go of my lip between my teeth, and I conceded. After dabbing some antibiotic ointment on the tiny break of delicate skin, she offered me another way to relieve stress and distract myself.

"Try to be involved in a hobby you enjoy; I like to knit, as it helps me to keep my hands busy, as well as train my patience."

I'd quietly said I admired her for that trait, because I could devour books on the daily if I had the chance and time.

Melinda smiled knowingly. "You have an insatiable desire to read. As you may have heard, we have an extensive library in the house. Jim's office contains many volumes I'm sure you'll be interested in. Feel free to take a few —" she backtracked with a chuckle as I felt myself pout, "—or a lot, and read as many as you want." She looked at me fondly, gave my shoulder a comforting squeeze, and then we continued our task.

December 13, 2007

The next appointment came earlier than I'd initially expected. Since we learned I carried twins, Troy kept track of our babies' developments through rifling Jim's former school medical texts. Although some books were outdated by a decade, Jim had written helpful notes on the sides of each text to correct the mistakes. Like it was his job, Troy scoured any reliable sources of information about pregnancy, childbirth, and parenthood. While we were at the supermarket, he'd promptly led me over to the fruit section. Almost verbatim, he proudly stated that the twins' were now 'the size of cherries at nine weeks.'

Overcome with affection for this man, I kissed his cheek and then unceremoniously plopped a bag of plums in the cart.

"What's that for?" He quirked his eyebrows up.

I smirked. "I figured, as they grow to the equivalents of bigger fruits and vegetables, we won't have to go back here every other week." I tugged his hand and pulled him to the cereal aisle. "Oh, and since I can't eat raw fish and cold cuts anymore, enlighten me with your choices of what I can eat."

As if on instinct, he reached for the jars of peanut butter and jelly on the shelves, but stopped mid-way and looked over his shoulder back at me.

"PB & J Sandwich Maker, why did you hesitate?" I giggled.

Troy shrugged and then added the items to the basket. "Just wondered if you wanted to back out now before you give me the go-ahead."

Afterwards, once I convinced him to get anything he recalled rom memory, he trudged the several bags from the car to our home.

"Welcome back," Jim greeted us warmly. Troy and I gathered in the doctor's office upstairs. While I pulled the hem of my shirt to rest underneath my breasts, he stood beside me, smiling softly.

Jim began the exam by questioning us about my symptoms during the first trimester, i.e. morning sickness (which I denied ever experiencing in the daylight hours. 'Usually, I feel sick before bedtime, but thankfully, vomit isn't involved.' I'd said.)

"Any muscle weakness or soreness?" He asked, positioning a stethoscope on my sternum. I shook my head, and he added, "Your vitals are strong, so that's good."

Then, sitting on the stool, he wheeled himself around to the other side of the gurney and picked up the wand to the ultrasound machine. After smoothing cold jelly on my bare belly, he moved the wand along my stomach.

After we received our printed ultrasound pictures, Troy had asked about an amniocentesis test.

Jim shook his head in reply, "It's too early for that, but as far as I can tell, there aren't any abnormalities with the fetuses nor amniotic fluid." Once he took measurements of the babies, he declared the exam finished, and we were free to go. With glee, I ran to our bedroom and dove for the bed, climbing under the covers for a much-needed nap.

Troy settled himself beside me, chuckling. "I think you used up the last of your energy for the rest of the day."

I whined in response, resting my head in his lap and throwing one leg over his calves. "You going to stay up and read?" I wondered aloud.

"Yeah, I want to finish this book about parenthood…"

Detecting a note behind his tone, I fought against sleep long enough to reassure him. "You have nothing to worry about, babe. I'm scared, too, but we'll figure this out together, okay?" Feeling him rumble with slight laughter, I peered up at him. Troy had a wide grin that almost reached his ears. "You never called me that before."

I huffed, burying my face in the crook of his neck. "What?" I mumbled.

"You called me babe."

Heat rushed to my face, but I refused to feel embarrassed by the new petname. "It kinda just rolled off my tongue, so what?"

His breath ghosted along my face. "I like it. You should say it more often."

I affectionately gave his waist a quick squeeze and then murmured, "Good. Just don't call me 'honey dew drop' or some other ridiculous name." Then, I shyly added, "If it's not a bother, maybe something common from your times, in the 30s? That'd be really nice, I guess."

He hummed in agreement. I heard the rustling of paper as he turned a page. was Otherwise, he was silent for a minute, and I drifted off to the sound of his pulse and steady breathing.

'Sweet dreams, baby doll.'

December 14, 2007

Hot blood coursed through my veins, and the mind-blowing sensations sparked a reaction within me. Needy hands pressed furtively between my thighs… pleasure bloomed and catapulted straight down again. Whining, I shifted restlessly, panting. 'Wildcat, please!'

'You're doing so well.' Troy praised, continuing to overstimulate me. 'Think you can come again for me?'

I keened, not knowing how to process the onslaught of conflicting slight pain mingled with the ecstasy. 'I… I don't kno—' And then, it hit me like a freight train. Shuddering, I let out a broken moan. Troy finally relinquished his hold on me and kissed my face while I recovered.

'Happy Birthday, Brie.'

Smiling wearily, I groaned in mock annoyance. 'Thank you. Why didn't you wake me up with this? You wore me out with what — two orgasms?'

He grinned cheekily. 'Three,' He said smugly. 'And I needed your expressed consent first. Are you sore?' He turned serious and attentive for a moment.

Speaking of which, my thighs did ache terribly from trembling so much. 'Yeah. I might have trouble walking today.' I dreaded the inevitable teasing from the others, mainly Tyler.

A somber expression crossed Troy's face. 'I'll go run you a bath. It should help soothe your tense muscles.'

When I proved my legs did turn to jelly and I almost face planted into the carpet, Troy caught me and easily hoisted me in his arms. Said bath was relaxing and every bit as enjoyable as promised. He even sat behind me in the tub, playing with my hair while we prattled on about anything and everything through our Bond. When we towel dried each other, I smelled the lingering scent of the green tea bath gel on both of us. Neither of us minded in the slightest.

'You smell extra good today, sir.' I said teasingly, running my hand up his arm.

'Why thank you. You smell even more delicious, too,' Troy said, and we snickered as we dressed together. Due to my soreness, he suggested I lie on the bed while he'd help me put on a pair of underwear and loose sweats.

'This is so not how it usually goes,' Troy snarked, tugging the materials further up my thighs. 'Lift your hips, baby doll.'

At the slightest attempt to move, I whimpered at the flash of pain between my legs. Feeling the echo through the Bond, Troy rubbed the pads of his thumbs in circles along my pelvis.

'You weren't this sore our first time, right?' He asked, reaching around me with one hand to hold my buttocks up and the other to hoist one side of pants up an inch.

I shook my head in reply, blushing. 'There was slight pinching involved, but you didn't hurt me. You were so sweet,' I cooed, and winced involuntarily as the fabric gradually drew closer to my hips.

Troy looked mildly offended. 'I'm still sweet!'

I giggled breathlessly. 'Of course you are. I'm just saying that I wouldn't want to trade that special experience for the world.'

With a few more tugs, the pants were comfortably in the correct place. Then, Troy carried me downstairs and set me on the loveseat to join in the festivities. Melinda baked me a chocolate fudge cake, Jim gave me a stack of books he collected over the past few decades, Emily handed me my first credit card, and Tyler's… he actually blushed but nonetheless ported a wide grin.

"Here you go, sis," He added cutely. I almost wanted to squish his cheeks together, but I felt Emily might not like that too much. Maybe for another time. Troy raised an eyebrow at feeling the surge of affection in me, but didn't comment.

Tearing open the package, I felt my jaw hang open. My mate tensed beside me. Rendered speechless, I stared dumbly at the sleek black box. Nestled in the center, lay a bright blue bullet vibrator roughly the size of my palm.

Melinda opened her mouth to speak and then closed it. Instead, Jim was the voice of reason, and asked the question everyone, sans Tyler, desperately wanted answers.

"Tyler Harris, care to explain why you bought a sex toy for your future in law?"

Finally, I tore my gaze from the present to look at a red-faced Tyler.

"Well, it's a gag gift. The thing doesn't even work. The real present is underneath it." He explained hastily.

Irritated and picking up the crude plastic toy and foolishly handing it to Troy, I reached to find a small velvet drawstring bag. Intrigued, I carefully opened the sack and out dropped a particular set of keys. I had to stop tensing my muscles from bouncing in my seat in excitement.

"Please tell me this is real," I said, a smile stretching my lips.

Tyler nodded, grateful the attention was no longer on him. "Yep, she's in the garage —"

At that, I lunged for Tyler, ready to envelop him in a hug. My body screamed in protest, and I nearly kissed the ground again. Troy caught me before I even took two steps. I whimpered in his arms, regretting the sudden movement. Stupid legs. Stupid, talented boyfriend.

He looked apologetically at his family. "Gabi overworked her legs this morning. She can't walk well."

Tyler nodded in understanding, and was ready to give a witty reply. Emily kicked his shin to distract him.

"Hey! Why'd you do that to me?" He yelped, rubbing his leg.

Emily tskd at her husband in disapproval. "I knew what you were going to say. Don't tease her, especially on her birthday," she said, and directed her focus on me. "We've all had our hang ups with sex. Since we live as a family in one house means there's very few secrets to hide from each other, so don't feel too bad."

Mortified, I buried my face in Troy's chest. Troy soothed me and then whispered, 'Just like with the rest of our family, she understands the implications of intimacy in a relationship. Please don't be embarrassed.'

Nodding, still being held up by him, I made grabby hands for him. Laughing quietly, Troy conceded and lifted me, carrying me to the garage.

In the back corner of the lot, beside Troy's Audi, was another vehicle hidden underneath a dark sheet. Setting me on my feet, he helped me untie the cords securing the sheet. With a pull, the sheet slithered off and revealed a sleek, cobalt blue coupe. Inside, along with the exquisite leather interior, was a quad-cab. After peeking through the open windows, in the backseat, two child car seats were already buckled and ready to be used. Excitement broke the bubble of embarrassment previously in me, and a squeal of delight burst from my lips. Including the driver, there'd be enough room for five people. Since I just acquired my driver's license, I was more than eager to take it out for a spin.

"It's a BMW M3," Tyler helpfully supplied, his smile gaining confidence. "Technically, it's from all of us, but Troy chose to have the color blue."

Recalling the similar color of Troy's eyes whenever he was excited, my joy bubbled near the surface. "Thank you, everyone."

My boyfriend waved his hand and gestured for me to look at the front of the car. "There's another surprise."

Curious, I wobbled closer, and clapped my hands. On the hood, a subtle silhouette of a cheetah mid-sprint painted in a lighter hue. Spinning on my heels, I shuffled to Troy's car to compare. Why have I never noticed before? His had his favorite animal, a leaping cougar, painted in a cherry red shade.

Enveloping my family in a group hug, I expressed my appreciation several times. "It's perfect!"

Feeling the tickle of Troy's warm breath fanning in my ear, he whispered, "Happy eighteenth birthday, baby girl."

The rest of the day was spent in a much lighter mood. I had my cake, and ate it, too. After the celebrations, I called it a night, thoroughly pleased but also tired. Time for my routine nap. The fluttering resumed in my stomach, and I giggled. In bed, Troy fiddled with something in his hands. Rolling over to face him, it dawned on me he still hadn't thrown away the broken vibrator I passed to him earlier.

"It's not been used, right?" I said almost inaudibly. He heard me and shook his head.

"No, Tyler said he got it dirt cheap online… but I was wondering… do you want to try toys in the bedroom?"

Something in his tone made me feel uneasy. Although he said it casually, I detected a note of insecurity in his voice. "Hey, look at me," I coaxed, bringing both hands to cup the sides of his face. His startling blue eyes bore into my bare soul. "Mutual decision, remember? If you're not comfortable with toys, then we don't have to use them." A smirk tugged my lips and my hands traveled to his toned chest. "Besides, you're perfect. Your love, talented hands, mouth, dick… you're more than enough for me."

Wetness glimmered in Troy's eyes. "You're absolutely amazing, you know that? Kind, thoughtful, brilliant mind with a beautiful body… how did I get so lucky?"

I chirped and squeezed his backside. "Must've done something good in your past life."

"Alright, no more dramas for you," He chuckled. We laughed together at that and surprisingly, stayed up late talking about our hopes and dreams for the future and our growing family.