Time Marches On

25

"Bella," Edward yelled as he walked through the back door. He was home early and that was very unusual. I instantly felt myself tense in fear.

"I'm in the laundry room," I hollered. I relaxed when I saw he was excited about something. He stood in the doorway smiling from ear to ear with his hand behind his back.

"What do you have, Edward?"

"We're going on vacation," he answered.

"Where and when?" I wasn't surprised because Edward loved to travel and was constantly taking us somewhere.

"Tomorrow," he said as his grin widened.

"No, we're not!" I went back to sorting the laundry.

"Yes, yes we are," he insisted.

"Edward," I glared at him in frustration, "Elizabeth has a class party on Friday and Masen has a tournament this weekend. We are not going anywhere." I tried to make my tone sound final but Edward was obstinate when he got something in his head.

He held out a fax paper, still smiling, and began waving it in my face. I grabbed it out of his hand as my anger was beginning to build. There was no place so important that I would disappoint our kids and make them miss their commitments.

I gave Edward one last scowl and then looked at the fax in my hand. I felt my legs give out and Edward quickly caught me before I hit the ground, as we went down together clinging to each other in tears. I couldn't speak and just held tightly to Edward praying it wasn't a joke or a dream.

"What are you doing?" a sweet voice asked from the doorway.

"Mommy was just telling me how much she loves me," Edward answered as he kissed me in earnest.

"Gross, can I go to Blake's house?"

"No son, you have to go pack your clothes, only shorts and swimsuits, we're going on vacation."

I finally found my voice and turned to Edward laughing. "Go help Masen, you know he won't pack shirts or underwear since you told him only shorts and swimsuits."

Edward kissed me again and I noticed how his eyes lit up. "We're going home, love."

"We're going home," I repeated.

I couldn't sleep that night and my mind wandered over the years after we took down the Volturi. Time had passed quickly once Masen was born. We still missed our family but we focused all of our attention on our son and then welcomed a daughter four years later.

I remembered the night Edward began playing the piano again. I was making dinner and Edward was watching a documentary on the civil war. I wasn't sure if the music was coming from the television or from our house. It was so perfect and also haunting.

I walked to the doorway and saw Edward playing with his eyes closed. I could tell by the poignant jazz piece where his thoughts were. I never understood his relationship with Jasper and I felt like I was intruding. I quietly made my way back to the kitchen. Edward played the piano regularly after that night.

I assumed having a doctor as a husband would come in handy when our children had their typical childhood accidents, but Edward was useless.

One day when Masen was playing he tripped and hit his head on the edge of our coffee table. Edward turned as pale as a vampire and had to put his head between his legs.

"I can't tolerate seeing my children in pain," he confessed. "Take him to the ER," he instructed as he took deep breaths.

After returning, four stitches later, we lay in bed that night talking about Carlisle. It had been awhile since we let ourselves give in to our grief.

"How did Carlisle handle everything?" he mused. "Not only was he our father as a vampire coven, but he was also emotionally our father. We depended on him for everything."

I let the tears freely fall. "Because he loved you all so much, you gave him so much joy."

"He must have been terrified all the time. I know when I look at Masen and Elizabeth I feel the weight of the world on my shoulders." He turned onto his side to face me. "And he loved you too, you know."

I giggled and snuggled closer to Edward. "Well, maybe Elizabeth will begin to see the future and Masen will start reading minds to take away some of the pressure. And I know he loved me, just as much as I loved him."

Edward mouthed silently. "I love you."

I snuggled closer and ran my hand through his hair. "I love you, too. What do you think they are all doing right at this moment?" I wondered.

He closed his eyes and a big smile broke across his face. "Let me see, Alice is most likely shopping…"

"That one was too easy," I interrupted.

"Jasper is sitting on top of the highest peak in the Himalayas offering advice to those seeking enlightenment," he professed.

"Much better," I laughed.

"Carlisle is trying to develop a cure for the common cold, using your blood."

"Gross." I smacked his shoulder.

"And Esme is making pashmina's to sell in bulk on the internet."

"I would know her craftsmanship anywhere," I answered.

"Emmett is probably looking for a good divorce attorney…"

"Edward Anthony Masen Cullen, that was not funny!" I glared at him.

His smile widened as he pulled me on top of him. "And Edward is getting lucky with Bella."

"You must be psychic," I teased right before my lips crashed onto his.

I stepped from the boat onto the all too familiar dock. My legs were shaking badly as I walked. Edward took my hand and squeezed it hard. I could see the tears he was blinking back. He picked up Elizabeth with his other arm as I took Masen's hand and we headed toward the house.

Carlisle stepped out first and I flew up the steps into his arms. I kissed him over and over again and marveled at the tears running down his soft, warm, face.

Esme opened the door and I heard Edward choke out a sob before rushing into her arms. Elizabeth was trying to squirm her way out of Edward's hold and away from the crying and kissing.

"Who do we have here?" Carlisle asked.

I wiped the tears from my face and put my arm around Masen. "This is our oldest child Masen, he is 10 years old." Carlisle shook his hand and turned to Elizabeth. She moved her body behind mine as we all laughed.

"She is a little shy, Elizabeth, say Hello."

"Hello," a soft whisper came from behind me.

"She's six," I explained.

I didn't quite know how to introduce Carlisle and Esme to my children. I wanted to call them Grandpa and Grandma because that was how I saw them, but they were way too young to pull that off.

After a long hug between Carlisle and Edward we walked into the house and I saw two little boys who looked identical sitting in front of the television.

"Seth and Sean, come meet family," Esme called to them.

I squealed in delight and hugged them both tightly. "How old are you?" I asked.

"Eight," they answered in unison.

I turned back to Esme and sobbed all over her shoulder. I wanted to ask if the others would be coming but I felt greedy. It was more than I had expected when we received the fax from Carlisle asking us to come visit.

The kids quickly warmed up to each other and played as the adults sat on the veranda catching up. When I heard a familiar booming voice I jumped from my chair and ran into the house just as Emmett and Rosalie walked in.

Rose and I ran at each other and crashed into a screaming mesh of tears. I felt like Alice as I jumped up and down in Rosalie's arms. She finally pulled away to look at me. "You look exactly the same Bella."

"You look….." I wanted to say fat, Rosalie was fat and I found that hysterically funny…. "So happy."

She pretended to smack my arm. "I look like a mom and that is all I ever wanted to look like."

I pulled her to me again and she whispered in my ear. "I am happy, Bella, I am very happy."

I was aware of an awful lot of noise going on around us and it took a moment to register the house was full of kids.

"Are these all yours?"

"Only six of them," she laughed.

Emmett came walking in from the veranda with Edward tossed over his shoulder. He was still huge, but most of it was a beer gut instead of the intense muscles he used to have.

"Boys, come say hi to Uncle Edward… Cullen style."

A parade of young boys lunged at Edward and piled on top of him. "Do you have any girls?" I asked in shock.

"One, Lucy's five….and in six months we're expecting another girl."

I hugged her again and felt tired just thinking about having seven kids.

Emmett laughed as his boys wrestled with Edward. "Let me introduce my guys," he said with pride. "The oldest is Emmett Junior, of course."

"Of course," I agreed with a laugh.

"Next we have Chase Carlisle." I noticed Carlisle smile with pride. "Then we have Brady Edward, Corbin Jasper, and finally little Theodore Bear."

I gasped. "No, Rose, please… tell me you didn't let him name your son Teddy Bear?"

"Yes, I did. The Bear stands for Bella, Esme, Alice and Rosalie," she answered defensively.

"I'm calling social services!" I announced.

Carlisle hugged and kissed Rosalie and then handed her off to Esme. They didn't speak; they didn't have to, they just hugged each other as the tears fell down their faces.

Carlisle tossed Emmett keys to the other house. He assured them it had been added onto since we left eleven years ago, as had the main house. He pointed out some golf carts they could use to get to the bungalow; although with that many kids they would have to take several trips.

I was somewhat relieved that Edward and I would not be staying at our old house. I didn't think I could stay composed in front of my children if we returned to the place where our nightmare began. The place held good memories, especially next to the kitchen table, but also sad ones. I knew Edward was happy to be human again, but I also knew there were things about being a vampire he missed.

We all headed outside to see Emmett and Rosalie off to their rooms when another boat pulled up. We rushed to the front of the house to see Alice and Jasper, sparkling in the bright sun as they walked down the dock.

I felt my heart sink. They had chosen not to make the change. Were we still in danger? Would we end up running again, but this time dragging our children with us?

We met them on the front porch and everyone was a lot more subdued as we all hugged and kissed. Alice was as bubbly as ever and insisted on hearing all the kids' names. Then she turned to Rosalie, "Are those Italian shoes?" she asked suspiciously. We all laughed and Esme invited us inside.

When everyone walked through the door Jasper pulled my arm keeping me outside. He led me to the far end of the porch before speaking.

"I didn't get to say thank you." He had the same southern drawl that melted my heart. I threw my arms around his cold, hard, neck.

"I love you, Jasper. Everything I have I owe to you."

He leaned over and kissed me softly on the lips. It wouldn't seem like much to most people, but I realized the restraint it took for Japer to have his teeth so close to me.

"I love you too, Bella, I would be alone if it wasn't for you."

Jasper looked up at the screen door and noticed Edward standing there. He smiled and nodded for Edward to join him. I was nervous as they stood on the porch in a silent hug. Edward had only seen Jasper for a couple of angry minutes in the last eleven years.

"Edward, my brother," Jasper said softly.

For the first time Edward looked older than Jasper. They stared at each other silently, noticing the difference time can make. Edward put his hands on the sides of Jasper's face and leaned in until their foreheads met.

I saw a lone tear fall from my husband's eyes. "I have so much to say and I don't know where to start," he whispered.

Jasper put his arm around Edward and led him off the porch. I watched as they walked toward the beach and out of sight, locked arm in arm as they talked. My heart swelled and I knew in that moment they would be fine.

Over the years I had tried to discuss the subject of Jasper, but Edward would never talk about it. I didn't know if he was harboring a grudge or just missing him. He never asked about the two weeks I had spent in Italy working with Jasper, either. My deepest fear was that Edward would never be able to forgive him.

I turned around to find Alice standing behind me.

"You were amazing you know," she said.

"I think the word would be terrified!"

"I finally understand it all. The whole reason I'm a vampire. The reason it was important not to drink human blood. I used to think it was all you, but now I see it was all of us. "

I smiled at her because it all made sense to me now, too. It took a love so strong it could transcend the bonds of death to rid the earth from the evil that had grown. It took Elizabeth's love for Edward.

She needed someone who could love her son as a vampire and as a human to pull it off. She needed me to be so disconnected I would find my way to her. She had lured me to the forest that night so many years ago.

But I was only part of the solution. The Cullen family was the rest. They were special, too. Alice's visions could be led by Elizabeth over the years, compelling her to see her way to drinking animal blood and finding the Cullens.

And Jasper's love for Edward would drive him to wipe out his own kind in order to protect the man he was inexplicably drawn to; the only two vampires on the earth without any chance of succumbing to the temptation of power.

Carlisle and Esme were chosen for their strong ethical values. They were the only two people Elizabeth would trust to love and raise her son.

Rosalie and Emmett were just as valuable. Rosalie's drive to return to her human life would keep the family open to that possibility. Emmett's simplicity and love for any kind of life would help to counter Edward's inclination to wallowing in despair.

"I wish it was over," I said sadly.

"It will be some day," she said. "Come on, Bella; let's not waste a moment away from our family."

We went into the house where Alice began filling everyone in on the state of leadership among the vampires. The blood supply has been so fully saturated with my immunities that vampires who did not end up changed were forced to hunt animals. Very few remained but Alice and Jasper were determined to stay unchanged until the race died out completely. They held the key to the blood supply and were vigilant in making sure it spread.

The funny thing was the children never seemed to question Alice's supper strength or Jasper's amazing speed. Even their sparkling skin didn't seem out of the ordinary to them. Once they saw how much their aunt and uncle were loved they followed right along.

Rose and I were resting in a hammock as our girls played together in the sand. We were laying end-to-end with our hands locked between us.

"Where do you live?" I was relieved to finally discuss such things with my sister.

"Santa Rosa, California. We started an auto repair franchise and it took off. It keeps Emmett pretty busy, so he doesn't complain about all my time being spent on the kids. I could sure use my old strength," she sighed.

"Your daughter is beautiful," I observed.

"Shhh," she cut me off. "She is talented, and smart, and tough as nails."

I laughed at Rose, but understood her desire to make Lucy see all of her qualities not just her beauty. "Just like her mother," I added.

"Do you think Alice is happy?" I asked.

We both looked over to the veranda where Carlisle was in deep conversation with Alice. He looked mesmerized as she spoke, his eyes still held the look of a proud father.

Rosalie looked sad but shook her head yes. "Alice doesn't remember being human, she spent a lot of time in an institution, so I think being a vampire has been the only happiness she has ever known. And Jasper will support her in anything, just as Emmett did for me."

"Have you heard anything about Tanya?" I asked with sudden apprehension.

"Yeah, she has been married four times…just can't seem to understand the whole monogamy concept." Rose laughed shaking her head. "She looks awful, her beauty faded quickly. She still likes to drink her dinner, if you know what I mean."

"She still drinks animal blood?" I was horrified.

"No, Bella….she's an alcoholic."

I looked over at Edward and I suddenly felt sorry for Tanya. He was still too thin, but when he met my gaze and gave me a heart stopping smile I couldn't help but feel like the luckiest woman alive.

"Did you hear what I said?" Rose was asking.

I turned back to her and shook my head. "Sorry, I was a little distracted."

"I said," she huffed. "That I know this because she showed up at my door looking for Edward."

"Ed…what….you didn't tell her did you?"

"No, Emmett covered really well. I didn't want to be so gracious, but I guess I kind of felt sorry for her."

"How lucky are we Rosalie? We have such amazing men. Do you think being vampires helped them?"

"I think it made them appreciate being human, I know it did for me. How's Edward doing?"

I smiled and felt myself blush, "I love him so much. He still drives too fast, but he has adjusted quite well, of course birthdays are a huge deal in our family."

She nodded in agreement. "Does he still have the Vanquish?"

"Stop right there," I held my hand up. "I am not getting into a car discussion with you."

"Hey, Eddie," she yelled to where Emmett and Edward were playing with the kids in the water. "Do you still have the Vanquish?"

"Call me Eddie again and I will run you down with it and yes, I still have it." He headed over to talk with her, so I jumped off the hammock and made my get-a-way.

I walked into the kitchen to see Esme starting lunch, "Let me help," I offered. She turned to give me a wink and handed me a watermelon to cut.

I stared at her as I cut the pieces and put them in a bowl. She was so beautiful and still had that motherly quality about her that made you feel like you were loved. "I missed you so much," I finally said when I couldn't contain myself any longer.

"You kids have no idea how much we ached for you. We consider Seth and Sean our seventh and eighth children." She reached for a towel to dry her eyes.

I laughed hardily. "I'm sure that makes Rosalie feel better."

Esme stopped and turned to look out the window. "It does my heart good to see her fulfill her greatest desire. I watched her mourn for a child for too many years to count."

I put my knife down and walked up behind Esme and put my arms around her shoulders. "You have always been the best mother. I see so much of you in Edward; he carries you and Carlisle with him in everything he does."

She placed her hands on my arms and gave me a gentle squeeze. "Thank you, I had hoped they wouldn't forget us."

We were standing there looking at our now huge family as they played and bonded with one another. Alice came running into the kitchen. "I planned a party for tonight, catered food, and fireworks, the whole nine yards."

Esme and I looked at each other and shook our heads as we doubled over laughing.

"Some things never change," I added.

That evening a boat arrived to set up a food buffet and place a barge in the water for the firework display. I grabbed Edward's arm and pointed to the muscle-bound man captaining the boat. Jake's face broke into a huge smile as we made our way towards him.

I hugged him tightly before he put out his hand for Edward to shake. "How are you both?"

"We're great; it is so wonderful to see you." I purposely looked at his hand for a ring.

He caught my glance and held up his hand. "Yep, I married Leah finally."

"Do you have any kids?" I asked hopefully.

"We're expecting our first at Christmas."

"Congratulations." Edward and I responded at the same time.

"Are any of these kids running around here yours?"

"All of them," Edward responded. "Bella is very fertile."

I saw Jake's eyes widen in shock so I quickly elbowed Edward in the stomach. "Only two of them are ours. He's trying to be funny and obviously failing."

Jake and Edward laughed hardily.

Carlisle came to meet us and shook Jake's hand. "How's your father, Jake?"

"He died two years ago. I've taken over the family business."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Carlisle seemed genuinely sad.

We walked with Jake toward the house as a crew set up for the party. Rosalie stepped out onto the porch and glared at him. I wasn't sure how she knew it was Jake but she obviously figured it out.

Jake immediately put his hands in the air and laughed. "I'm not doing anything and I'm keeping my shirt on." He looked around as if looking for someone. "Where's the spooking guy that stares at me from afar?"

I met Rose's gaze and we both laughed at the thought of Jasper standing by a tree looking exactly like he did eleven years ago watching Jake's every move. I was sure both Jasper and Alice would remain out of sight until the humans moved to the barge for the fireworks.

We chatted with Jake until the food was ready and said our goodbyes. He made us promise to come to the mainland and see him again before we left. It felt so good to be able to greet an old friend without fear. I wished Jasper and Alice could do the same.

After the fireworks we all sat around a bonfire. I was in a low lounge chair as Elizabeth laid between my legs fighting sleep the best she could. Rose was sitting in a chair next to me holding Teddy asleep in her arms, as Lucy curled up between her legs just like Elizabeth. Alice was on my other side holding little Corbin as he bounced on her lap.

Carlisle came out of the house carrying a guitar and we all smiled hopefully. He sat on a blanket next to Esme and began playing softly. Emmet was lying across a blanket with four of his boys using his large frame for a pillow. Edward and Jasper came and sat down in the sand between Alice and me. Masen stayed in a hammock with the twins.

Softly Carlisle began singing a sweet melody of a song from long ago. It sounded like an Irish love song. When he finished he handed the guitar to Jasper. Jasper sang 'What a Wonderful World' in his clear, perfect vampire voice. I felt the tears running down my face.

Jasper passed the guitar to Edward and I noticed how his hand lingered on Edward's shoulder. I reached out and placed mine on top of his. I was so happy to see things were good between them again. I was actually relieved to see Jasper still felt a pull towards Edward.

Edward warmed up on the guitar for awhile and then began playing 'He ain't Heavy, He's my Brother.' His voice was so filled with emotion that I could honestly say it was the best he had ever sounded. I noticed Emmett swallowing hard and trying to contain his emotion.

When Edward finished Emmett jumped up without taking the guitar. "What's wrong with you all; this is supposed to be a party. Come on boys lets show them how to do this Cullen style."

His four older boys jumped up and Emmett began beat boxing before breaking into a very cheeky version of 'Baby Got Back." His boys sang right along as if it was a family tradition, while they shook their backsides to the crowd.

I was laughing hysterically, but also very relieved Elizabeth and Lucy had fallen asleep. Rosalie just rolled her eyes and bounced lightly to the beat. The love at that moment was so overwhelming it was hard to tell if everyone's tears were from laughing or just being together.

For our final day on the island we hired a nanny service to watch the kids as the adults took one last boat ride before heading home. It was wonderful being together again and we felt like nothing had changed. We were one big happy family and words like human and vampire didn't mean anything to us anymore.

"Who wants to go skiing?" Carlisle asked as he held up a ski.

"Not Bella, she's afraid of an enema," Rosalie joked.

"We could play Rose's favorite game and stare in a mirror all day," Alice quipped.

"Or, we could listen to Alice talk and talk and talk and talk," Edward teased until Alice splashed water up at him.

"We could check Edward's pockets for panties," Emmett bellowed as Jasper laughed.

I dutifully flipped them off. "We could always watch Emmett try to arm wrestle Jasper," I smirked.

"All of you stop this right now." Esme stood in the middle of the boat to chastise us. "I didn't raise a bunch of hoodlums and you are not going to act like children when you are finally adults. Now, who wants to ski?"

We all hung our heads, embarrassed for bickering like children. It was quiet until Jasper stood. We all looked up expecting him to take the ski from Carlisle but instead he stepped towards Esme.

Then, cool, calm, tranquil, Jasper, always the perfect southern gentleman, pulled Esme into his strong arms and tossed her high into the air and right into the water.

Life is sweet.