Esme's POV

I looked at the pile of corpses that littered the ground around me. There were so many.

"Are you done or would you like something more substantial?" I hadn't noticed his presence downwind of me, but there Carlisle stood, leaning against a tree a mere 54 feet away with a highly amused look on his face.

"I think I may have found my strange pregnancy craving," I said with self-deprecating shake of my head and a groan.

He couldn't help but laugh and I couldn't blame him.

"Oh Esme, we better hide the evidence before one of the kids comes upon us and you will never hear the end of the great bunny massacre. I'm amazed you were able to capture so many."

"Me too," I said as I added up the victims in my head. "I was tracking a deer and next thing I know I was grabbing rabbits."

"Even with this many rabbits, you can't possibly be satisfied," he said as he began to dig a shallow grave for the dozen or so dearly departed hares.

"I'm not, but they smelled good." I pushed at his shoulder as I could see him trying to suppress a chuckle. "I chose a bunch of bunnies over a deer. I'm supposed to be eating for two, right? I would need a lot more rabbits. It's not like telling you to bring home pie or pickles or ice cream."

"Or pickles and ice cream," he taunted.

"Carlisle!" I said sourly as I wrinkled my nose at the thought.

His voice was calm and contrite as he spoke. "I'm sorry. Did the deer turn your stomach? Is it not even an option at the moment?"

"No, I just wanted the cute little woodland creatures more."

"Well we are both just full of sarcasm today, Mrs. Cullen," he teased.

"Blame it on the hormones. What's your excuse?"

He paused and appeared at a loss for words. He was weighing the right thing to say, but I relieved his anxiety.

"I'm teasing, Carlisle," I said with a sigh. He gave me a rueful smile then turned to finish the burial.

I closed my eyes and listened. I heard leaves rustling, a nearby stream flowing, insects, but there were no hearts beating. I sniffed the air trying to find the deer whose trail I had been on earlier, but it was lost to me.

"Anything?" my husband asked gently as he came up behind me. He wrapped an arm around my waist and patted my stomach. There had been no change to my appearance, but it hadn't stopped him from constantly rubbing my belly. It was sweet.

"The trail is cold," I grumbled. "We should travel with the stream and I'm sure we'll come across something larger than a bunny."

"I'll help you keep focused on something more substantial," he said with a squeeze before releasing me.

We dashed off through the forest running parallel to the water, but staying hidden among the trees. It wasn't long before I picked up the familiar scent of elk. I changed direction slightly to track it. There were several. My instincts took over as I drew closer and before the animal even knew I was near I was upon it. My teeth tore into a vein as it tried in vain to flee. Its life drained away quickly and I was sated.

Carlisle had already finished his killed and had prepared a grave for the departed animals. He lifted the body before me and disposed of it.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"Much better," I said as I patted my stomach.

"I'm glad to hear it," he said as he finished hiding the evidence.

"Are you ready for the talk?" I asked when he has returned to my side. Carlisle's hand reached out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind my ear then rested gently on my cheek. I knew what I was asking of him was hard on him. "You will worry no matter what role you play, but you will also take care of me. I know this." I placed my hand over his. "Besides, they could say no way and all of this will be for naught."

"Can anyone say no to you?" he asked with a small smile on his lips.

I laughed heartily. "I believe Carlisle Cullen is certainly capable of saying 'no' to me."

"It's not easy."

"You don't make it seem difficult."

He rubbed his nose against mine. "Don't let me fool you. It takes a great amount of strength." His lips ghosted across mine before he took my hand and began the race home. I could feel my fatigue from my hunting adventures as I ran and I had to push my strides to keep up.

As we arrived, I saw Alice pulling Emmett and Jasper across the yard. "We're going for a run," she called. "Bella and Ness are at the cottage."

Emmett had a confused look on his face, but just shrugged. Jasper just shook his head. They knew better than to question Alice's decision to drag them out of the house.

Edward and Rosalie were sitting in the living room talking quietly, but stopped as we entered. Their heads turned to us. Their eyes questioned why the four of us had been left alone.

"Alice can be anything but subtle sometimes," Carlisle mumbled.

"We're assuming you two needed to talk to us about something," Rosalie said. Her eyes flickered quickly from my midriff to our faces. She was trying to remain emotionless and steady. When it came to a poker face Rosalie was the best.

"We do," I said as I took a seat, pulling Carlisle down with me.

"What is it, Carlisle? Esme?" Edward asked.

I had thought a lot over the past two weeks as to how to address this. I'm sure Edward probably already had a clue, but as this was my idea so I spoke first. "I'm in a bit of a dilemma and I wanted to request both of your assistance."

They both sat still, waiting for me to continue.

"Let me preface this before I go any further by saying that you can say 'no.'"

"Do you think she wouldn't say 'no?'?" Edward teased gesturing to Rosalie.

"Shut up, Edward," she said with a push at his shoulder.

"Edward," Carlisle warned.

I sighed dramatically and cut to the chase. "Edward, although things did not go as planned when Bella gave birth, the plan had not been for you to deliver your own child. It's not that you couldn't and in the end you had to, but the plan had been for you to be at your wife's side. You would have held her hand and encouraged her and been the supportive husband and father."

Rosalie snorted. "Yeah, sure that was the plan."

"Rosalie," I snapped.

Carlisle jumped in. "In any case, I would have been the delivering doctor so you, Edward, didn't have to be the doctor. And that's the favor we want to ask of one or both of you. Allow me to step back to hold Esme's hand throughout this process and be her husband, not her doctor." Even though we had talked it through many times it was still tough for him to relinquish the title.

Edward looked worried. "Khalida said to treat you like a human, but you're only going to get one shot at this and if something went wrong…" his voice tapered off.

"Carlisle of course would step in if there were complications," I added.

"What if there's blood?" Edward queried.

"I'll do it," Rosalie interrupted.

"Rosalie, you lost it over Bella's blood," Edward cautioned.

"One time, Edward! I have lost it one time in seventy years! I also hadn't fed in a month. You need to get over it."

"It was Bella and Renesmee!"

"And they are both just fine. I let the dog take me out before I would let myself hurt them. Do you think I would let myself starve again before attempting to deliver their baby? Do you think I would risk anything happening to Esme? She looked me straight in the eye. "I'll do it, Esme. Thank you for asking."

"It won't be too much?" I was so concerned about her, but I didn't know if asking this of her would be therapeutic or agonizing.

"Not for you. I want to help you. I want you to experience all the joy that you should experience. I know you worry about me. I worry about me some times. I would be lying if I said I wasn't having pangs of jealousy over what you have been given, but that doesn't mean I would deny you." I could see the honesty in her face. She was being open in a way that she rarely exposed. "Esme, I love you. You earned this through your good deeds and your heart, and maybe if I was a better person Khalida would have turned to me instead of you."

"Don't say that, Rosalie. You are a good person." I was so proud of her.

"But not good enough. I know that. I know my faults and my failures. I see the good you do – the good Carlisle does. Emmett and I are just not on the same level as you when it comes to goodness, but I don't regret the choices I have made by his side as part of this family. In the scheme of all of this I accept that. I can't change anything, but I can try to embrace what is happening here in our home." Her eyes met mine once again. "You deserve this, Esme. I want to support you and if Carlisle needs his hands free to hold your hand then I will do what you have asked."

"And I'll be there to help if needed," Edward chimed in.

"Thanks, boy wonder," Rosalie said with a roll of her eyes.

"Thank you, both," Carlisle interjected before Edward retorted.

"Yes, thank you so much," I said as I walked over to hug Rosalie. She reciprocated as I held her just a beat too long. When I pulled back I felt her hand land on my belly. I placed my palm over her hand and held it for a moment. "I'm on your side," she breathed.

"There are no sides this time. There is no conflict."

"If one arises, you know where I stand." She kissed my cheek and backed away. She turned to Carlisle. "Do you want to discuss her medical care?"

"We don't have to right at this moment," Carlisle said gently, but Rosalie was all business.

"Now is as good a time as any. Let's take this to your office and you can bring me up to speed on any new developments I need to know about. Doc Edward, would you like to come along?" she called over her shoulder as she headed for the stairs.

He looked from her to me. Go, I thought as I nodded at him.

"I'm coming," he said as he exited.

Carlisle stopped at me on his way. "Do you want to be part of this discussion?"

I shook my head. "It's just going to be a 101 course on current OB/GYN planning and procedures, right?"

"That is a way of putting it. It will take up a few hours," he said with a nod.

I felt weary from the hunt and the emotions. "I'll stay down here."

He kissed me. "I'm happy to fill you in later."

I nodded my head to agree before he slipped away up the stairs. I sat down on the sofa feeling completely exhausted as I turned on the TV. The news was on, but my eyes were bleary. It wasn't long before I laid down, resting my head on one of the throw pillows, as I let sleep win.

Carlisle's POV

It was a long afternoon and evening of teaching. Rosalie wanted to be thorough. I had to hand it to her – she wanted to be prepared for any situation just in case I wasn't there.

"I won't miss the birth of my own child, Rosalie." I affirmed to her again.

"You didn't think you would miss Renesmee's, but you remember what happened there," Rosalie stated tersely as she flipped through one of the pregnancy books on my desk.

"Those were extenuating circumstances." She knew this was the case. The situation was Bella was no win at the time. She was dying and needed blood. I wouldn't have done things differently.

"I've gotten over Carlisle not being there, Rosalie. I think it's time you move past it, too," Edward said gently. He wasn't trying to antagonize her for once. He was attempting a truce.

"Sure, as long as you never bring up my unfortunate behavior that day ever again." Rosalie had always been a negotiator.

"Only the part where Jacob took you down."

"Edward," I warned before Rosalie did the same to him that I heard Jacob did to her.

"Fine," Edward said raising his hands in a sign of peace.

Rosalie nodded then turned back to me. "I still want to be prepared for anything."

I wasn't going to argue with her. It couldn't hurt to give her every bit of knowledge I had. By the time Rosalie was satisfied with her education it was late.

"If we're finally finished here then I'm going home," Edward said as he headed out the door calling back, "Good night" as he flew down the stairs.

Rosalie lingered and didn't seem in any hurry to leave.

"Are you sure you are okay with all of this, Rosalie?" I asked.

She looked up from the book in her hand. She seemed to let down her guard as she spoke. "If by all of this you mean the medical information you have provided, yes, I feel fine. As odd as Esme's pregnancy is Khalida said it's going to be similar to a human pregnancy so the birth should be the same. If you mean the rest of all of this, I'm handling it all in my own way. If I can't have this then there is no one I would want to have it other than Esme."

"What about Bella?" Her sister-in-law had been given the blessing of a child. Didn't she deserve her?

"What about Bella?" I heard an edge in her voice.

"She has a child."

"She has a hybrid," she clarified as if the niece that Rosalie adored was suddenly not the little girl whose life she fought so hard to ensure was brought into this world.

"She gave birth. Renesmee is hers and Edward's," I stated defending Bella.

"Are you going to psychoanalyze me, Carlisle?"

I looked at her and then at the doorway. She could go or stay. Her face scrunched up in defeat before she went over to close the door before taking a seat. I waited for her to say whatever it was that she was holding on to.

"They didn't want her! Bella was going to sacrifice her human life to become a vampire to be with Edward. She didn't care about ever having children. Edward wanted to abort her. He didn't care about his own flesh and blood having a life at all. They just wanted each other. I love them both and I adore Renesmee, but if she didn't exist – if Bella hadn't become pregnant and she had just been changed into a vampire, she still wouldn't want a child. Meanwhile, Esme and I have always desired children. We always wanted to be mothers. You wanted nothing more than make her a mother and I know Emmett would love to be a father. So am I happy that this happened to Esme, and you, yes, of course. I am ecstatic for her as I know she would be for me if it was me instead of her. Do I think it is fair that if two couples in this family were somehow, beyond anyone's wildest dreams, against everything we know about vampires, were able to have children that the other couple was them? I find it tragic. I find it completely unfair."

It wasn't very often that Rosalie let down her guard, especially in front of me. While her strength was different than Esme's, I regarded them both as two of the strongest women I had ever come across. So when I heard the sob rising in her chest, I moved to sit by her and cautiously took her hand. She didn't pull away.

"Am I wrong, Carlisle?" she weakly asked.

"You have every right to feel what you feel."

"That is not what I asked. Am I wrong to think it's unfair?"

I understood her logic and I couldn't argue with it. She was right. As grateful as we were that Renesmee was in our lives, having a child was something Bella had been extremely willing to give up. It wasn't something Edward had ever given much thought to prior to it being inevitable. "No, you're not. You're right. It isn't fair. There are so many things about this life that are unfair and at times it feels like the unfairness just seems to pile up."

We sat in silence for a few moments and I felt her hand squeeze mine.

"Was she worried about me when she found out?" she inquired.

"Esme? Yes, very much so. She was afraid you would leave us."

"I won't leave her. Next to Emmett, there is no one in the world that means more to me than she does. I hope she realizes that."

"You and Esme have a very special bond. She loves you so much."

"I don't want to be a cause of stress for her during this time. It's not good for her or the baby. I want to help and support her."

"And you are supporting her. I can assure you that your willingness to deliver the baby lifted a weight off her."

"I would never want to burden her."

"I know, Rosalie."

"No, you didn't," she stated calling my bluff. "You know my faults, Carlisle. I am selfish and stubborn."

I cut her off. "But you also care deeply about every person in this family and you don't have to prove anything to me right now. You have displayed your love for Esme."

"And you."

I paused. Rosalie rarely used the word love when it came to me. I knew that over the decades she had found a way to forgive me for bringing her into this life, but at times the resentment still arose. We respected each other, and while I loved her as a friend and daughter, she was not as reciprocating of her feelings. Several times she had voiced her happiness for Esme over this pregnancy, but had not been as supportive of me.

My hesitation drew her eyes to mine.

"I haven't been as accommodating to you about this situation as I should have been, but I hope that being Dr. McCarty will show you that I do care."

She leaned over and hugged me.

"I'm happy for you, too, Carlisle."

I held her.

"Thank you, Rosalie."

We separated and she stood up. "You're not too bad at the father thing. You're great at the leader thing. I think you are going to do just fine."

I smiled at her. It was generous praise.

We could tell from the footfalls on the stairs that Emmett was on his way toward us. As we reached the door we found him on the landing and he wasn't alone.

"She fell asleep," he loudly whispered as he carried Esme in his arms. "I was going to put her in your bed. Do you want to take her?"

I nodded and took her from his arms.

"Good night, Carlisle," Rosalie said quietly as she took her place in Emmett's arms.

"Good night," I said with a grin in their direction before carrying Esme up the next set of stairs. There wasn't any visible noticeable weight gain, but she was slightly heavier. I pulled down the bedding before placing her on the sheets. She stirred as her head touched the pillow.

"Everything alright with Rosalie?" she mumbled.

"She's good," I said as I smoothed her hair back, kissing her forehead as I pulled the blankets up over her. I kicked off my shoes as I walked around the other side of the bed.

"She's wonderful," she said dreamily before descending back into land of nod.

"She really is," I agreed to myself as I watched my wife dream.

AUTHOR'S NOTE - I hope not to leave you again for so long! It's been a lot of writer's block and not a lot of time available to work through it. It feels good to be back writing fan fiction. Thanks for your support! XOXO