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Medusa Sparrow-Descouedres: 'What would I do without you? Crash and burn.'

9. Aftermath

Everyone was staring at me now. My cheeks flamed, and I looked down. I hadn't realised, I had thought it was some side effect of my unusual vampirism, but –

"Pregnant? Are you sure?" Rosalie's voice was shaking. She had put down her book and was standing up, staring at everyone.

Carlisle nodded. "No question about it."

"Dearest Bella." Esme breathed. She was at my side in a flash, her arms around me. "You could try a home test if you like?" She looked at me, concerned. I shrugged mutely, and Rosalie stalked out of the room. A minute later, a loud bang resounded from above.

"Don't worry, she'll get around." Edward muttered, pulling me against his chest. His skin was paler than usual, and his eyes looked bright, feverish.

I gulped, shaken. "I -"

Jasper turned towards Alice. "Alice?"

Alice skipped over. "I kept seeing a little child in my visions. It was obvious, really, what had happened, but I stayed silent about it. What happened last time -" her face creased up as she thought about what had happened last time she had seen me diving off a cliff. It was all about extreme sports, but Edward had mistaken me for dead and tried to kill himself by forcing the Volturi to kill him. It had ended with me going to Volterra to stop him. "- If I had ended up wrong again, I wouldn't be able to stand it." She smiled at me sweetly. "Congratulations."

I stared at her incredulously. "This is nothing to be happy about! Unless it's a normal thing for vampires to end up pregnant all the time, then, sure."

"Actually, it's never happened before. It can't happen." Carlisle explained.

"Vampires have no living cells. In reality, they are the walking dead. What has occurred is virtually impossible."

"Great. I'm the freak of the vampire world." I muttered.

"I could perhaps conduct some tests on you, if you like?" Carlisle offered.

"Will it include needles?" I asked.

Carlisle nodded, and I grimaced. My becoming a vampire may have cured my blood phobia, but that didn't mean I had to stop hating needles as well.

"If it helps you find out more about me, feel free to do whatever you want." My voice was strained.

"Esme, are you sure that's Bella's pregnant? It could be a side effect of her unusual vampirism." Edward cut in suddenly. I was shocked – I had been thinking exactly the same thing moments before.

Esme stared at him levelly. "All the signs are there, Edward."

"You're not positive it's true, though." He growled.

Carlisle shot him a warning glance. "Edward, don't you think Esme would know? She has been a mother herself." He reminded him. Edward's face stayed sullen, and Carlisle steered me towards the kitchen.

"Why is Edward so set against me being pregnant?" I asked, once we were out of earshot of the others.

"Bella, there have been vampires for millions of years. You have heard the Quileute tales about the cold ones; there are many references on the modern media. The vampires they portray may have different names and slight differences in their… abilities, but they are all the same mostly. And then you come along, and -" Carlisle shook his head, busying himself with the syringe. "- Everything changes. Everything Edward has believed in his decades as a vampire is proven to be wrong. I find it hard myself to believe what is happening, but it is true. It may be that the way vampires evolved from normal humans may be happening again, but I am unsure as to whether this is the case, or just you." I winced as the needle struck my flesh, and then Carlisle slipped it back out, inspecting the blood.

"Hmmm. I'll test these in the lab and examine the results. I'll send word back to you when I have the report. And by the time you see him again, Edward will have accepted your situation, you'll see."

"Thanks." I jumped off the chair, and walked to the door. I always ended up back in the kitchen, doing one thing or another that had nothing at all to do with cooking. Edward was waiting for me in the hall, leaning against the front door. There was no sign of the others, and his eyes were closed.

I observed him, noting that he looked tired. He looked up when he heard me walking towards him, his face lighting up, and enfolded me in his arms, planting a deep kiss on my mouth.

"Let's go to the meadow." He suggested.

I nodded, and Edward picked me up in his arms. "Hey, I can run as well, you know!"

Edward laughed at the enraged expression on my face as I struggled to break free from his grasp. "You happen to be pregnant, Bella. I am taking absolutely no chances at all with your well-being, so you may as well stop struggling, for all the good it will do you."

I huffed and stopped protesting, lying back in his arms as his feet covered the ground. Soon new were at the meadow and Edward gently set me down on my feet, pulling me onto the grass. Thankfully it was sunny. Imagine if it had rained. Ugh. But the sun meant that we would have to stay out of sight of the humans – glowing like a diamond in the sun isn't exactly the best way to introduce ourselves as vampires, unless we wanted them to go screaming for the hills.

"Bella, love, can I ask you a question?" Edward spoke up from where he was lying on his back besides me, his arm wrapped around my shoulder.

"Sure."

Edward exhaled loudly before continuing. "About…you being pregnant…"

He hesitated. "It's impossible for a vampire – for me - to have…gotten you pregnant, so…in the last couple of days…"

I stared at him, puzzled. "What about the last couple of days?" I sat up so I could see his face whilst he spoke.

"Did you…by any chance…be with Jacob?" Edward sat up to mirror me, and the pain that flashed across his face, that was so raw in his eyes, literally made my chest feel tight.

"I -" I blinked, and realised what he meant with horror. "No. No! I wouldn't…I'm not like that – I'm married!"

A smile broke across Edward's face, and his eyes grew soft. "No chance at all?"

I shook my head firmly, a smile tugging at my lips. "None. I've only ever been withy you. Not that I would want to be with anyone else."

Edward laughing, the sound joyful. My heart sang with happiness. "I love you, Bella."

I would never go grow tired of him saying those eternal words. "I love you too, Edward. Always and forever." I stayed lying next to him; my head craned towards him, content to just memorize the perfect lines of his sculpted features. He held my hand up to his face, his nose skimming across my wrist.

"Edward?" I asked, after a while.

"Yes, Bella?"

"You didn't really want me to be pregnant, did you?"

Edward shook his head. "No, Bella. It's an impossible feat, but how could I resist the thought of a little you running around in our home, brightening our lives, if…when you have the child?"

I smiled to that. "So if it's a boy, what would you want him to be called?"

"What would you want him to be called, Bella?" Edward threw my question back at me.

"Well…" I paused, musing over my choices. "I was thinking if it's a boy, maybe Edward?"

Edward laughed. "Hah! I think one Edward in the family is enough without adding another!"

"Charlie, then?"

Edward thought for a moment. "That would be a good name, but it has its reservations."

"Jacob?" I pressed.

Edward hesitated. "I…it has potential. And since you really want to, I think our boy should be called Jacob. I'm behind on whatever you decide."

I swallowed, a lump in my throat. I couldn't believe I had ended up with someone like Edward. I didn't deserve him; he was too good for me. He knew how much Jake had hurt me, and he had never really taken a liking to him. But here he was, agreeing on letting his child be named after his rival. "And, I was thinking, if it's a girl, how about Elizabeth?"

Edward smiled, relaxing from when he had tensed up before. "Now that would be a perfect name. Thank you, Bella."

I smiled. "Don't thank me, I'd want our child to be named after her grandmother."

Edward grinned. "Elizabeth definitely has plenty of potential."

I agreed.