Summary:
- The price that Bella and Edward have to pay is revealed (if not already)
- A hot lemon, so be warned!
- Edward's phone call with Carlisle, exposes the meaning behind this chapter's title!
- If you still have questions: Don't worry, I still have a lot to explain and I will!!
- Let me know what you think! Did you like it?

Maternity Leave (EPOV)

I heaved my upper body and gripped the small of Bella's back so that there wasn't even the slightest gap between us. With my hands around her, I pushed her even harder onto my groin, feeling her urge.

She was moaning something to herself and her feet were shivering from desire. I had never seen her so aroused in the 20 years that we had been married now. Even as a vampire she was behaving like any other, human pregnant women – and I loved that!

Usually she was the one who wanted kisses and hugs, but right now her shaking hands removed themselves from my neck and were slowly tearing apart my dark blue t-shirt. I could tell the thought of foreplay hadn't even crossed her mind. Of course this was definitely fine with me and I returned her the favor by tearing down her corset-like top and subsequently ripping her white, lace bra off.

Bella gasped at my speed and eagerness, but her hands had steadied themselves and were now unbuckling my jeans.

I couldn't resist the view of her pink, mouthwatering, erected nipples and leaned even closer, taking the right one in my mouth. When I started to suck hard on it, Bella hissed through her teeth, but she didn't stop with her activity and soon enough she had unzipped my jeans and was now dangerously close to the place I wanted her most.

She was massaging my member through my boxers with both hands and her hips were so tight around mine, that you couldn't possibly understand which legs were connected to which body.

Bella started tugging on my boxers and she pushed me away from her breasts. I growled, observing her angrily. When I understood though that she wanted intercede my doings, because she wanted to take off my jeans and boxers, I grinned with one eyebrow raised and moved my hips up – bringing both mine and hers body up.

The sudden movement that I made, caused Bella to both moan and pant heavily while she hurriedly removed my remaining clothes and when she kicked them off the bed, she stepped on the ground at the foot of the bed to undo herself from her own trousers. When I saw her half naked, fumbling with her buttons, I got an idea and given the fact that this new, pregnant Bella was hypersensitive and demanding only assured me of the fact that she would like it, no I mean adore it.

I got off the bed, helping her with the last of the tiny buttons her trousers had instead of a zipper and when Bella was finally standing naked beside me, she sighed from anticipation.

Bella let her hands stray around my stomach and down to my groin when she wanted to push me back onto the bed. I only grinned at her, resisting her push easily. She thought I did that only to agitate her and she pressed against my chest – this time harder. But I stood firmly on the ground.

'Bella, trying once or twice or even a dozen times won't help. I thought you knew that I am just as stubborn as you are, love.'

'Cut the crap, Edward!', her angry whisper aroused me to the point I felt pain in my groin and I did once again just what she told me. Trying not to focus on my ever growing member, I told her:

'At your service Mrs. Mason.', without giving her time to respond with yet another snap directed at me, I took her in my arms at let her body lay down on the thick golden carpet… just beside the bed. I let myself slowly descent upon her, my throbbing cock was already releasing venom on her thighs. When I looked down, I was surprised at how huge he had gotten. Bella didn't even have an idea what she got herself into…

'What do you think you are doing?!', she eyed me, irritated that I was delaying her pleasure, but curiosity was also present in her scarlet eyes now.

'Well, first I wanted to make love to my wife. Then I understood that my wife didn't want me to make love to her, but rather to fuck her.', as an instant reaction my words Bella started pushing her waist up, trying to reach my engorged cock, but I easily pulled my lower body up – I wanted her to beg me first!

'Edward, stop speaking damn it! Just do it then, alright? Even though I don't get why we should make it here when this large bed is waiting for us!', I touched her lips with mine, before answering.

'I'm glad you asked, love! It just that I wanted to get some help and the hard ground is definitely perfect for the job! After all we're speaking about fucking here, right?', she began panting again. 'I mean, you don't want some lame, old love making, is that correct?', I laughed when seeing her like this.

If she was agitated before, then you could confuse her with a wild cat now. Her lips were swollen just as much as were her other lips – the ones that were rubbing on me now.

'Yes! Is that what you want to hear? Yes, I want you to fuck me, forget the stupid inhibitions and lovely pecks. Just do it, now, Edward! Please!', that was all I needed to hear and when I spread her legs further apart, granting myself full access I dove into her depths.

'Ooh, Edward…', was all Bella could say. I looked at her for a moment and she was biting on her lips so hard, that I knew she must have felt pain then.

Her hands were not in my hair or cupping my face for a tender kiss. She was gripping her breasts before she supported her upper body by getting onto her elbows, her head falling backwards. All I could see was were a few long, curly strands of her brown hair that were around her neck and some had fallen on her breasts.

I quickly shoved them away – I wanted to be able to see each fiber of her smooth pale skin. By taking the position she was now in, she could spread her legs so far apart that I was able to get the whole length of my enormous member inside her. It was as if she was eating me, swallowing every inch of him into her wet, sweet folds.

The tightness of her walls was gripping around my member so hard, that her moans changed into little whimpering and later into screams and I wasn't even going fast yet.

'Oh my god, Edward! Edward… Edward… I love what you're doing to me…', I couldn't see her expression because she held her head still backwards.

'Bella, love… you're so… tight! Are you in pain?', somewhere in my mind I was really concerned, but asking my question through the heavy breaths I exhaled, made Bella laugh.

'I love it, Edward… Don't you even dare to stop! Besides… would you… stop… if I told you that I didn't… like it?', Bella definitely was having trouble with the forming of a rational sentence.

'You're right, love. I wouldn't!'

With that I thrust faster and faster into her overflowing vagina, making her hard breasts go up and down every time I entered her. She was being squeezed between the hard ground and my even harder body. I took her legs that were around me in my grip so that I had some support each time I accelerated my rhythm.

'Edwaaard…', her elbows were threatening to collapse because of my strong thrusts, but Bella kept her legs as far apart as possible, propelling forward to face my own thrusts. Seeing and feeling this made me let short and low growls from the back of my throat.

'Do you… like it, Bella?', something just urged me on to ask her this. She made strange things with me.

'Yesss…'

At that moment I got enraged. I knew that she did answer me, but this was clearly the wrong answer to give! I wanted her to love it and I promised myself that I was going to make her love it.

I stopped abruptly which caused her to fall on the ground. But I didn't want to lose our moment… or tempo so I caught her rough by the arm and led her to my desk. It took her a few seconds before she could think straight. But I didn't want her to think straight, I wanted her erotic daze to continue, so when she opened her mouth to protest I kissed her forcefully, letting my tongue go to the back of her throat. Her groans were dazzling themselves.

When I broke the kiss – for a lack of a better word – I looked into her smoldering eyes, who had darkened to crimson red, but I wanted them entirely black, so I ordered her fast:

'Grab the edge of the desk, love.' When I saw her doubting that, I told her through laughter: 'Of course you can also not do that, but I wouldn't want you to get hurt, more than you would want to get hurt.'

With that I pushed her over, so that she was leaning over the surface of the desk, revealing her wet, enticing entrance to me.

I started massaging around her clit, my finger becoming fast soaking wet. When she squirmed and moaned I took her enlarged clit between my fingers, till she started screaming my name and I myself couldn't control myself any longer.

Without any warning I entered her for the second time, going instantly with my entire length inside her. Her groan was both from pleasure and need and I saw her hands clenching the desk, preparing herself for what was to come. And what came would give her… and me nothing but pleasure.

I was thrusting slowly in and out of her tight vagina, causing as much friction as possible. Bella was producing so much lubrication that her fluids were dripping onto my thighs now. I didn't want to waste anything that was coming from my Bella, so I collected the fluids and put them in my mouth, swallowing them fervently while my hips continued the fast rhythm.

When I saw Bella clenching the desk even harder, I decided to go even faster. It was getting a little quiet here – totally not to my liking.

I was pushing and pulling in and out of here by the speed of light now. The desk was banging onto the high pile of CD's which were looking ready to fall onto the ground, but I didn't care. Nothing could separate me now from Bella – literally!

The tightness of Bella's vagina was making me wild. It only made me thrust harder and harder, wanting it to clasp around my cock endlessly. Bella's moans were once again filling the room – and the entire house –, it was a liberation that everybody was gone.

'Edward… help me…', her grasp of the desk was making noises which indicated that soon enough the desk would become nothing that a pile of wood.

When I felt her clenching and unclenching around me, I hugged her around her stomach, bringing her exactly onto my groin.

Soon I felt her waves of ecstasy flushing over her and she wanted to look at me, but I stopped her.

'Don't move, Bella!', while I held her in an iron grip against my groin, I felt my release too.

Streams of venom was filling her and she was growling satisfied. When I was ready I loosened my hold of her and Bella collapsed onto the desk. Just when it wanted to fall apart I took her in my arms, smelling the scent of her body. Seconds after that, desk collapsed in its entirety.

When I had put Bella onto the bed, she wanted to cuddle under the sheets, but I stopped her by pulling them on the ground.

'I fulfilled my part of the deal, did you forget about yours?', she stared aggravated at me, but a smug smiled crept upon her lips. They were still swollen… and seducing me greatly.

'You sure did fulfill your part… But please don't even try to make me think it was merely an obligation for you, Edward.', her voice was hoarse and very, very seductive.

When she began licking her lips, I knew this was an invitation to come closer, so I jumped on the bed and she gasped while observing me from head to toe.

'Enjoying the view, I hope?'

'Certainly…', Bella spread her arms, letting me know that I was welcome for an embrace. When I cuddled her in my chest, I let her know that she couldn't distract me from her vow.

'Don't get too cozy, love! I'll go to call Carlisle and tell them that you've finally agreed to hunt and after that we'll head for Port Angeles.

'Why, Port Angeles, Edward?', Bella sounded extremely curious now. I wasn't sure she would like my answer though, but she had agreed and I would make her live up to her promise whatever it took me – for her own good.

'Because the choice there is much bigger.', I stared at her, watching for any change that may occur on her face.

Bella swallowed a few times, when she asked me:

'Edward, will you do something for me?'

'Of course, love. Anything. Except getting you out if this!', I added the last part quickly, remembering how she lured me into telling the truth about her pregnancy in the first place. She merely smiled back and asked me again:

'Will you choose only the most, most terrible ones? Like you've done before? Please?', her stare was begging me now.

Why did she even think I wouldn't do that for her? She was my everything! I would kill for her – even if this someone was a saint!

'Love, why wouldn't I do that for you? Of course, I will. I'll do anything, Bella. Anything for you and – I touched her belly – our baby.'

'Thank you, love. Oh Edward, I will go and take a shower while you call Carlisle, ok?'

'You don't have to, love.', I focused on her stomach while speaking, not wanting her to see the amusement in my eyes.

'But, I'm… ahem I am still a little wet and it doesn't feel very comfortable. Especially when we'll go to hunt.', her voice was trembling and I smiled at her sudden shyness.

'I am perfectly able to take care of that!'

Before she had the chance to unravel my secretive intentions, my hands were spreading her legs apart, this time carefully and as gentle as I possibly could.

She gasped when I licked around her opening, eagerly sucking all of her lingering juices. Now that I wasn't hurried or blinded by passion, I could taste them with every fiber of my mouth and the flavor was amazing. It was sweeter than sweet, but yet it somehow quenched my thirst for her.

Being so occupied, I hadn't noticed that Bella was shivering all over again and holding onto the pillows and wanting to be a good husband I put my middle finger inside her, quickly adding another one and then yet another one.

When this time she came, she didn't look feral, all I could see was happiness in her eyes. I removed my fingers and made sure that I hadn't miss a single drop of her sweet liquids. After that she said with her eyes closed:

'Thank you.', and when she opened them I saw that she was ready.

I could see that she had finally accepted the fact that to have this baby, she should hunt for humans, because the blood of animals wasn't strong enough to support the two bodies. She had to hunt for humans and twice as often.

Bella had at last acknowledged the truth. The terrible truth which was that in order for us to create a life, somebody else's life should end.

I guess that was the price we have to pay… We had to go through hell so that we could cross the threshold into paradise. But I was willing to pay any price. I wanted a child of our own and seeing the commitment that was now sparkling in Bella's eyes confirmed to me that she wanted it just as bad as I did.

'Any time, love.', she giggled at my response and went to the wardrobe. Each piece of clothing that she chose was very comfortable and sporty. She was definitely preparing herself for the hunt.

'Love, I'll go downstairs and drive the Vanquish to the main driveway. I'll wait you there.'

'The Vanquish, Edward?', her eyebrows were raised as high as possible. I thought I should spit the truth out since she was willing to go through with this.

'Love, you don't even know how often I've thought of dragging you out of the house against your will all the way to Port Angeles or even Seattle and then make you hunt down somebody. Now that I don't have to drag you, I want to get there as fast as possible. Don't be mad, love.'

'I am not mad, Edward. But why didn't you tell me that you were in truth so worried about this?', she came to my side and caressed my whole face while I answered her.

'Bella, I knew that you had already too much pressure on yourself. You'd just had these 'hallucinations' and felt so much pain and pushing you even further didn't seem the best option to me.'

She kissed me tenderly and went back to our wardrobe which was for 2/3 full of her clothes and Alice's additions to that.

I went quickly down the hall and to the garage. I had to talk to Carlisle before Bella came outside. When the doors began opening, I didn't wait till they were entirely up, but I crawled under them, entering the Vanquish in seconds. Before I drove it to the small dirt road in front of the house I dialed my father's number. Luckily he answered by the first ringing.

'Listen, dad, I'm sorry to interrupt you, but this is important. Bella agreed minutes ago to go and hunt in Port Angeles.'

'That's great, Edward. Did you tell her of our decision, son?'

'No, I really didn't have the time to do so. Besides, I truly want her to hunt first.'

'Are you afraid that she might oppose it, Edward?'

'Well, maybe. I don't know. I just don't want to jeopardize the hunt, so I'll tell her after that.'

'So what do you want me to do now?'

'Has Alice seen Bella's decision already? That she'll hunt today?'

'I don't know. Alice is gone somewhere with Jasper and Rosalie, but I'll call her right away.'

'Great, thanks! Please tell her to buy tickets for her, Esme and Bella to Alaska for tonight, departing from Port Angeles. I don't know how long the hunt will last, so Port Angeles seems more suitable than Seattle right now. Tell her to leave me a message on my cell, right after she purchased the tickets.'

'I'll make sure Alice got that, Edward! Esme wants me to tell you that she'll be ready to go right after you two have finished.'

'Thanks, Carlisle and tell mom that I really appreciate it. I'll hang up now, I hear Bella locking the front door currently. Bye.'

'Bye, son.'

After this, I took a few heavy breaths, satisfied that everything was going to be alright after all. I had been terrified for days that Bella wouldn't agree to go to hunt, which meant that she had to stay here in Forks… And tonight was the night that Bella and I came to Forks in the first place – Alice's vision.

Tonight, at midnight was exactly the seventh day and we had planned on attacking the pack just after midnight. During the three days that Bella was 'unconscious', Jasper had made dozens of strategic attacks and Carmen and Eleazar had agreed to join us. Esme and Carlisle had began hesitating since they knew they were going to be grandparents, but Jasper had assured us that their feelings were getting really strong and protective, which meant that they would probably unite with us soon.

I had done everything to conceal the upcoming attack from Bella since the moment Carlisle called me and revealed to me that we were about to be parents. I couldn't and wouldn't allow any of these filthy mongrels to come near her. So I had arranged that Esme and Alice took Bella back to mine and Bella's mansion and stayed there till the fight was over… or better said, till we were done with them!

It made me feel guilty when I thought of Bella's trance, which we now knew was in fact her talent forming itself, as my aid. Since these three days, Bella had lost any track of time and after everyone promised to hide the attack from her, she had really forgotten about it.

Of course everyone was also pretty much entirely occupied with something for Jasper's strategies, so we were the practically only ones in the house.

The separation, even for only a couple of days, would be devastating for both of us. And I had without doubt lied to my father, because I knew that Bella would be mad, furious, but most importantly sad and maybe even disappointed in me. I shook the thoughts away. I had to protect her!

Even if I had to physically put her on the plane, I would definitely do it. I wasn't lighthearted when I told her that she was my everything and I couldn't afford to take risks whereas my wife was concerned.

I put my dark thoughts to a halt, when Bella opened the passenger's seats and entered the Vanquish. I instantly started the engine and took off to Port Angeles, not wanting to meet her gaze. I was afraid that she would see right through me.

I was afraid that if she knew about her leave she would persuade me to let her stay here.

I couldn't let myself fall into the deep lakes of her penetrating eyes…