Author's Note: Okay, I lied. Team Jacob, be sure to read the next chapter. I had to take care of a few things in this one, but since ladybug89 has been poking with a stick, I swear that the next chapter will make a LOT of people happy.

Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment own all of the rights.

Chapter Twenty-Four: "Doting Mother" Bella's POV

Emmett and Rosalie were laying on our couch together, with Rose laying on top of him. As soon as Edward and I walked into the living room, they broke their kiss and looked guilty.

"Excellent babysitting, bro," Edward rolled his eyes, sitting on the loveseat and pulling me down with him. Jake and Abby were playing on the carpet, talking to each other in their funny little language.

"They're kids," Emmett rolled his eyes, looking a little like Edward. "They have to have bruises and accidents in order to have childhoods. And you can't tell me that you and Bella don't get a little distracted from babysitting."

I blushed, but luckily, Jake saved the day. "Maaa," he said, catching my attention. I had been trying to get them both to say Mama or Mommy, but they were still learning new consonant sounds. "Maaa!"

"What, precious?" I asked him. He put his toy phone up to his ear and started chattering.

"Whoa!" Emmett said, suddenly mesmerized. "He has a new trick!"

I giggled. "They both play with the phone and 'drink' out of Abby's plastic tea set. This is the stage in which they start identifying the purposes of objects, apparently."

"Maaa!" Abby yelled.

"What, beautiful girl?" I replied just as animatedly. She crawled over to the couch and reached for me. "No," I said. "Try to stand up, my love. Come here." I reached down and lightly took her hands, pulling gently to try to encourage her to use her feet and legs. Abby, always so stubborn, wasn't having it. I finally lifted her up to my lap, and gave her a kiss on her slobbery lips. She rested against my chest and stomach, her hands feeling my face. Edward, Emmett, and Rose started a conversation, but I was only paying attention to Abby. As she traced every facial feature of mine, I would tell her their names. Eyes...cheeks...mouth...nose...chin... She giggled loudly when her fingers touched my lips and I playfully took hold of them, sheathing my teeth, of course. I pretended to gobble her fingers up until she pulled them out and rested her face against my neck. There was nothing like an Abby butterfly kiss.

"Maaa!" Jake shouted, at my feet. His arms extended for me, too, but he grabbed the loveseat and started to pull himself up.

"Edward, look!" I shrieked. "He's standing up!"

Jake was a little taken aback at my outburst, but he slowly made it to his feet. I noticed his little legs were shaking and wobbly, but he moved his grip to my skirt and was hanging on for dear life.

"Yay!" we all cheered, and he grinned.

"You're such a big boy!" I enthused as I swept him up to his destination-my other arm. Abby was watching him intently, as if to say, Oh-that's what this crazy lady wanted!

Jake and Abby both laughed as I blew raspberries in their necks and planted loud kisses all over their faces. They sometimes had rivalries over my attention, but today they were content to share.

"They are so adorable," Rosalie sighed. "I want a baby so badly. Emmett, do you think Esme would kill you if we had a baby before the wedding?"

"Probably," Emmett replied. "Mom doesn't even believe in sex before marriage. I felt so guilty when I lost my virginity."

Edward laughed. "I remember that! Angela Weber, right?"

Rosalie started to pout. "Why are we waiting to get married, again?"

"Because Alice will kill you if you get married before she does," Emmett said matter-of-factly. "Considering she's been engaged for a year. And we can't elope, because you want the big princess fairy tale wedding. Don't blame this one on me, babe." He winked at her and kissed her cheek.

"When's Alice's wedding?" Edward asked. "I should know this, since I'm a groomsman."

"In six months," I said. "We're going to Seattle to shop for bridesmaids dresses in the next couple of weeks."

Rosalie stood up. "Ooh, I forgot about that. I'm gonna order pizza for one last carb indulgence before fittings. Bella, can I use your house phone? My cell is dead."

"I cut the line off," I replied. "It was an unnecessary expense. You can use my cell phone. It's there on the coffee table."

Rosalie grabbed it and went into the kitchen. "Can I keep the bugs?" Emmett offered eagerly.

I nodded, dodging a playful shove from Jake. "Of course. Jeez, my loves, you two are getting so big and chubby! Mommy's arms are aching."

"Chubby bunnies," Edward cooed, reaching out for one of them. "Come on, give your mommy a break for just a minute." Abby immediately fell carelessly into his arms. She was becoming Edward's pride and joy. It was very obvious he was securely wrapped around her little finger.

He tickled her and played with her while I snuggled with Jake. He had become fascinated with my nose, and he kept grabbing it and pulling it. He was also trailing his mouth across my face and neck, making muah noises. After a few minutes of puzzling over this, I realized he was trying to kiss me like I always kissed him. "Mmm, sweet boy," I cooed to him, rubbing my nose to his. "Mommy loves your kisses." I pressed a kiss to his little red lips.

"Who would have thought that Bella would be the maternal one out of all of us?" Rosalie mused.

"Yeah, these kids have brought out the best in me," I agreed. "Sometimes I can't believe that I'm a mother. But they're already such good kids…I think I'm doing a good job."

"At least they're not like those little devils in the grocery store," Emmett groaned. "The ones who cry and scream and kick. Mom never allowed us to throw temper tantrums, did she, Edward?"

Edward was busy snuggling with Abby, but he shook his head. "No, we knew better than to do that kind of crap. Dad would have tanned us raw."

"Good," I said. "I don't have to swat my kids' diapers much, but when they hit the terrible twos, I have a feeling I'll have to spank some butts and hands. I'm enjoying the baby stage."

Edward nodded. "They're extremely pleasant right now."

Emmett snorted and then added, "Enjoy it while it lasts." There was something about his voice that made the simple sentence sound ominous.

The sound of screaming woke me up. Again. This time it was Jake. He and Abby had taken turns screaming at the tops of their lungs all through the past two days and nights, and I couldn't figure out what was wrong. "I've got him," I told Edward, who had shot up. I rolled out of bed and went to the nursery to grab Jake before Abby woke up. "Alright, little man, you've got to give Mommy some kind of sign," I whispered, bouncing him as I walked to the bedroom to grab my bathrobe. "I have no idea what is going on with you and your sister."

Edward was sitting up in bed, sleepily waiting for us. Jake still cried when I sat in bed next to Edward, laying my little man on his back. "I have no idea what's wrong," I moaned to Edward. "What do I do?"

"Are you sure you don't want me to go buy some pacifiers?" Edward asked me wistfully.

I nodded. "I refuse to use pacifiers. They're bad for the development of the mouth, and they're so germy. Plus it's just a bad habit to start."

"I know, you've told me," he sighed. I could tell that Edward was craving the relief a pacifier would bring the entire house.

I looked back at Jake, who was still crying. "Jakey, Mommy loves you, but you have to hush." I softly traced his lips with my finger. He engulfed my finger in his small mouth, and his little gums bit down roughly. I stared groggily at him as he gummed my finger.

"Ohhh," I said, burying my face in Edward's shoulder.

"What is it, love?" he asked me, resting his head on mine.

"I'm so stupid! They're teething," I explained. "Finally. They've been late bloomers. The pediatrician told me not to worry, though...some kids take longer, especially premature kids..." I groaned as Jake took full advantage of my finger.

"What do we do?" Edward asked me.

"I need Baby Orajel," I said. "I don't have any..."

"I'll go pick some up," he offered. "Surely they have some at Wal-Mart."

"Are you sure?" I asked him. "I could go pick it up, if you would like to stay in bed and let your pinky be a teething ring."

"Nah, I don't want you out driving at two AM. Do you want me to pick up some teething rings?" he asked me.

I hesitated. "Yeah, that's fine. They're not as addictive as pacifiers. I hope."

Edward kissed the top of my head before walking out of the bedroom. He didn't even bother to change out of his pajamas. As I let Jake teeth on my finger, I laid down next to him and drifted off until Abby woke me up. "Be right back," I promised Jake, putting the corner of the blanket into his mouth and blocking him with pillows so he wouldn't roll off. I pulled Abby out of her crib and instantly gave her one of my fingers. She chewed, still fussing. "See?" I whispered to her, kissing her temple. "Mommy knows what's going on. I'm so sorry, lovey."

I went back to Jake and laid down between them, giving them each a hand to teeth on. I had Baby Motrin but I didn't want to interrupt them while they were (mostly) quiet. Edward would be back soon enough.

And he was-in record time. He entered the bedroom with a box of Baby Orajel, Baby Tylenol, pink and blue teething rings, and...a bottle of whiskey?

"I called Mom and asked her about teething," he explained. "She said that if the Orajel and Tylenol don't settle them down, then it won't hurt to rub a little whiskey on their gums."

"Excellent," I said. Leave it to Esme to know that little trick. She truly was an angel. I ripped open the bottle of Tylenol and forced it down the bugs' throats with the medicine dropper. After that, I pulled out the Orajel. It came in little Q-tip like tubes. I figured out how to crack the tubes and release the medicine into the tips. While my babies screamed and fussed, I rubbed a Q-tip each on their gums. "Shh," I groggily tried to soothe them, moving the medicine to the bedside table and opening the teething rings. I stuck one in each of their mouths. They quickly took the hint and started to chew.

"Mission accomplished," Edward mumbled as they laid flat, still making noise as the pain gradually left their bodies. This time they protested more softly, though, and for that, I was grateful.

"I'm such a terrible mom," I groaned. "I don't know why I didn't think of that sooner."

"You are not a terrible mom," Edward said, drowsily kissing me. "It happens to everyone. Um, are they sleeping here?"

"I'm not leaving them alone," I replied. "I already feel guilty that I didn't treat their pain sooner."

Edward gave me a small smile. "Relax, love. At least we know now. Come on, let's go back to bed."

We moved the babies so they were laying between us, still quietly humming as they chewed. Their eyes were growing increasingly heavy. It was hard to sleep in this position; I wanted to snuggle up to Edward.

"You know I love the bugs insanely," he murmured, half-asleep. "But I want to touch you so badly."

I laughed. "Me, too. Let's figure this out." I snuggled closer to Abby until my feet could twine with Edward's. And I held his hand above our heads, resting on the pillows. "Better?" I asked him.

"Mmm...love you..."

And then he started snoring.

The next morning, we only woke up because the bugs woke up and Abby and Jake were crawling on top of Edward. His green eyes opened, and he smiled at them. His sigh did not escape me, though. "Morning, my loves," he murmured, and I scooted closer to his side. Abby came and snuggled into my belly.

"They're probably hungry," I whispered.

Edward nodded, yawning. "Five more minutes."

Jake and Abby Hope had been so good about sleeping through the night. Edward and I weren't used to getting up so much anymore. Maybe once a night. Not eight or nine times like last night.

"You can sleep," I told him, kissing his lips. "I'll feed them."

For once, he didn't argue. I took the kids and balanced them on my hips as I walked to the kitchen. I set them in their highchairs and found their breakfast. I hoped they would like the apple juice in their bottles. They preferred formula over the grape juice and cranberry juice I had tried. Apple juice was a whole new experience.

I was relieved when they seemed to like it. I gave them their baby food and even put some Cheerios on their plates. Since they were teething, I thought it would be a pretty good idea to get them started on chewing solids. I knew that they were starting later than most babies, and that bothered me a little, but I reminded myself that every baby develops at a unique pace.

"Knock, knock!" a cheerful voice said as the front door opened. I was pouring myself a bowl of cereal.

"Hi, Esme," I replied quietly, trying to keep my eyes open. "Do you want some Cheerios?"

"Sure! I just came to see how our babies are feeling." She kissed their cheeks.

"They're feeling better this morning," I replied. "I had to try the whiskey at five AM. It worked like a dream."

"I did that for all three of my children," she said. "Old Southern remedy. Where's Edward?"

We had both made bowls of Cheerios, so we went and sat at the table with the twins. Jake and Abby were staring suspiciously at the Cheerios I had given them. "He's asleep," I confessed, feeling only slightly awkward to tell this to his mom. "He was up a lot last night." I yawned. "We both were. I'm so tired."

She nodded. "I know. You need a break, Bella."

I turned to the kids. "You eat them," I explained pointlessly, picking up a Cheerio and putting it in Abby's mouth, knowing that if she ate it, Jake certainly would follow her lead. She tried to mash it up, still getting used to chewing. Finally, she grinned and grabbed some more. Jake giggled at his silly sister and started to eat his Cheerios slowly.

"Are they eating solids?" Edward asked, surprising us. His voice was husky with drowsiness.

"Yes," I said proudly, glancing up at my man. He was beautifully disheveled-hair pointing in every direction, that gorgeous stubble dominating his face. He was still in his pajamas. "I think the Cheerios feel good on their little gums."

Edward smiled. "Good. Hey, Mom. Good morning."

"Good morning, sweetie," Esme replied. Edward came over to me to kiss me once, and I swear Esme almost exploded with satisfaction. I could see wheels turning in her head-engagement parties, wedding details, more children that she could officially call her grandchildren. It was all plain on her face. She was a planner, which explained the unstoppable force that was Alice Cullen.

"Will you make coffee?" I asked him sweetly. He gave me his crooked smile and nodded. After loading the coffee pot, he came and sat beside me, resting his head on the table. I softly ran my hand through his locks, massaging his scalp. "You can go back to sleep, honey," I told him. He shook his head, and once again, Esme had a million dollar smile on her face-just at my little pet name for her son.

I was the one who stood up to pour up the coffee into three cups. My body was craving the caffeine like crazy. As soon as it cooled, I downed it in one take.

Esme clucked her tongue in disapproval at our exhausted states. "You two need a mini-vacation," she said firmly. "Let us keep the twins for a day or two. Bella, you're starting to permanently smell like Desitin."

I snorted. "They're teething...I can't leave them...and they would bother you."

"I've survived three children, darling. You don't even have to go any further than Edward's house next door. Enjoy the peace and quiet. Enjoy each other." She winked at me. "But...not too much."

Edward chuckled, still slumped over the table. "Mom...you're such a mom."

"Well now I want to be a nana," she decided. "Please let me keep them."

"Soon," I agreed to keep from hurting her feelings. "But not now. I need to be there for them when they cut their first teeth." I continued to gently rub Edward's scalp. He let out a happy sigh. Hmm, somebody liked it when I played in his hair.

"Very soon," Esme agreed. And I could tell by the look on her face that she liked it when I played with her son's hair, too.

It wasn't very long until both of the bugs had accomplished cutting their first teeth. I was the one who discovered their little pearly whites peeking out of their gums. Edward had to keep me from becoming a little obsessive about their oral health after that. I wanted to brush those little teeth all the time! Yes, I was officially a proud, doting mother.

Right after the twins hit nine months, Esme reminded me of her offer to keep them while Edward and I had a chance to get away. Honestly, this time I was a lot more excited about her offer. The pressures of raising two children together were starting to burden us. We were in a new relationship, yet we didn't have time to nurture that relationship. Only at nighttime did we have alone time. We both worked five days a week so we didn't even have nap-time during the day except on weekends.

Edward was feeling it, too. Emmett and Rosalie wanted to take the bugs to First Beach for a fun day. The bugs absolutely loved the beach, and I knew I couldn't resist that offer. As soon as they walked out the front door, Edward nearly broke the couch by tackling me on it, meeting my lips with his.

"Mmm," I said between kisses. "Have you missed me?"

"Just a little," he replied, pulling away and wrapping his arms around me. "I don't get to hold you enough."

"I miss you, too," I admitted. "I know it sounds ridiculous, but I really do."

He lovingly stroked my hair. "Why don't we let Mom keep the kids for next weekend? You're going to Seattle with Alice on Friday, right?"

I nodded. "Bridesmaid dress shopping, in the morning. Rose and I are both taking sick days from work."

"What if I drive up to Seattle later that day?" he suggested. "I'll meet you after you girls are finished. We can get a hotel room and spend the weekend in the city."

I bit my lip, internally debating. I loved the idea-a weekend of peace and quiet, with no sore gums or dirty diapers. A weekend full of Edward.

But I also knew that a hotel would suggest some certain nighttime activities. Edward would never pressure me into sex, as he often reminded me, but I couldn't help but wonder if he expected it in a freaking hotel.

And I couldn't help but wonder why I wasn't entirely opposed to the idea.

I nodded slowly. "Okay. It's a deal. As long as Esme and Carlisle don't mind keeping them."

"I'll call them now," he said, leaping up to grab his phone.

"Nah, I'll do it," I replied. "I think it would sound better if I asked them."

To no one's surprise, both Esme and Carlisle loved the idea. Carlisle would be spending most of the weekend at the hospital, and Esme wanted the company that the bugs would provide.

"Okay," I said, ending the call and looking at Edward. "We're going to Seattle."

A thrilled smile covered his face as he pulled me to him. "I can't wait."

And as his lips trailed along my neck, I realized that I couldn't wait, either. I couldn't help but feel that this weekend would elevate us to a whole new level of our relationship.

Reviews are dwindling. I realize this story is a slow burn, but can anyone speed up a pregnancy or the grieving process? No. But the next chapter will be worth it. That's what starts the real drama.

Please leave me a review so I'll know if I still have readers.