Chapter 26: Surprise

The apartment was quiet, calm. The Cullens had gone out hunting, with escorts of course. My mother had a few vampire bodyguard from the Order, as humans would have been at risk and quite unsuitable for the job. They took Eli with them, fully turned and thirsty as was possible. He wanted to do the vegetarian lifestyle and Carlisle and the others gladly offered to help him through it. They all left to hunt while I sat out on the balcony of the top suite, my legs crossed as I stared out into the black ocean against the blacker night sky. We were in Indonesia now, having not stayed on the island long. I felt the familiar draw to it, one I had not felt in many years, not since I had first left it. The power there was immeasurable, incomprehensible, yet tangible. Even Edward and his family could sense it, though it may be because the place, and the story that was born there, was so mystical in their eyes. Yet, even as I felt my instinctual urge toward the water, I could not see the island, despite may cute senses; such was the purpose of the island, far enough away to not be seen by any mortal—and most immortal—being.

My mother said across from me, her body folded identical to mine. I sighed, looking down at my lap, at the object of her gaze. The small leather-bound book was in impeccable condition, considering its age. According to my mother, the first pages dated back before 3,000 B.C.E, with the earliest inventions of papyrus. My father was very resourceful and he often invented things for him and Mother that humans would not figured out until many centuries later. The pages got more modern as they progressed, like a living history of paper itself. The book wasn't very old, the blue leather genuine with a intricate gold clasp that had clamped the pages shut, at least until now.

The clasp was opened from the vial of venom that my father had left to us, one which my mother kept in a safe deep in the confines of this hotel, which was private and only for the most high end guests. The book had opened effortlessly and we all had bent over the pages, curious beyond belief.

We were all disappointed.

The pages were filled with mindless gibberish, all in my father's hand (according to my mother). The characters were that of our language, but the combinations did not form any words at all. I had learned the basics of the written language, mostly through Mother's and Amba's minds, but we never wrote down any characters; it would be too suspicious and leave some sort of record of the language behind. My mother was fluent in it, of course, and in many other languages, yet she could not find any rhyme or reason to the writings. We even sat there working out riddles and codes in our head that would perhaps legitimize the writing, but to no avail.

Frustrated, we all decided to take a break; the Cullens decided to hunt, after my mother's persuasion that they didn't know when they would be able to again. My mother had gone to get more updates from the Order while I showered and fed from some of the packets of blood in the fridge. I came out here, but I was unable to separate myself from the book. She had joined me out here after, both of us in our own minds, trying to make out the mystery my father had left for us.

"He never mentioned it to you?" I asked, my eyes focusing on her. She shook her head, her expression frustrated. I sighed again, opening the book to a random page and staring at the characters, trying to make patterns out of them that were clearly not there. I growled gently under my breath, annoyed when I came up empty, tossing the book at the foot of the lounge chair I sat on and leaned back, rubbing my eyes. I had a migraine; my head was killing me from this mental and physical stress. I felt the rubber tension of the chair bounce slightly just as I felt my mother's hand on my forehead.

"Are you alright?" she asked, concerned. I nodded, brushing off her concern.

"I'm fine. Just irritated. And thirsty. I guess I still haven'y completed recovered yet," I admitted guiltily.

"Well, the past few days have not been a help, either, I imagine," she added. I nodded my agreement. My eyelids fluttered, my body suddenly overcome with fatigue. I shook my head, trying to awaken myself.

"Come on," she murmured, her voice softer and more flowing. She often used that voice when she was trying to lull me to sleep, allowing the full force of her vampiric nature to overcome her vocal cords. She gently pulled me up and I let her lead me to the bed. I was already dressed in a soft spaghetti strap tank and soft silk pajama pants. I climbed to the center of the bed, snuggling under the blankets while my mother settled besides me. I dozed off easily enough, falling asleep with my head on her arm and her heartbeat in my ear.

It wasn't the sun that awakened me a few short hours later; it was black as pitch outside when my eyes snapped open. Throwing my blankets off, I darted into the bathroom off the bedroom, throwing up violently into the toilet. I could feel a hand holding my hair back while the another rubbed soothingly into the space between my shoulder blades. The hand was warm and I felt instant comfort at my mother's presence, and glad Edward wasn't here to worry about me more. All thoughts were expelled though as nausea overcame me and I was sick again. The vomiting didn't wane for a long time and, when it finally did, I slumped down, slightly relieved by the cool porcelain of the toilet. I felt her sit up slightly to flush the toilet before settling beside me, her hand going to my cheek to brush a loose strand of hair that had stuck to my sweating skin.

"Did you drink something bad?" she asked verbally, her worry from last night escalated. I shook my head slightly, dizzy from even the smallest movement. I felt my mother nod to herself slightly before getting up. I followed her with my ears, opening my eyes only when she offered me a cup of water. I took it, sipping from it, more for her contentment than to my betterment. She knew that though and she gave me the expression that told me I wouldn't be leaving my position until I finished it. I obeyed, continuing to sip until I bolted upright again, dry heaving into the toilet as cramps overcame my body. When I recovered, I was panting and my mother pulled me to her, laying a wet washcloth across my forehead. I made a small sound of thanks and she acknowledged it mentally. But her mind was elsewhere and, curious, I searched her mind. She had blocked me off though and I met her eyes questionably. Her face was impassive but I could sense something brewing, could sense her calculating.

I continued to stare at her while she worked out whatever it was. Suddenly, swiftly, she moved from my side to the cabinet under the sink, taking a box out. When she returned to sit beside me, she held it out to me. I stared at it before meeting her gaze.

"Just to be sure," she assured me. I gulped before taking the box of pregnancy tests.

The ten minutes it took for the test results to come seemed to drag but, at the same time, flew by. When my mother looked down at the watch on her wrist then met my gaze, I could feel my heartbeat increase.

"Would you like to look? Or would you prefer I did?" She asked. I contemplated for a moment before answering her silently. She nodded, before getting to her feet, me following. We approached the countertop where the two tests lay on a piece of paper towel, their screens covered by a section that had been folded up. I took a half step forward, fingers trembling. Taking a deep breath to try to calm myself, I unfolded the paper towel. My mother and I saw the results simultaneously, but I reacted first. The two double pink lines made me freeze for a moment in shock. Less than a second later, I was trembling, shaking so badly I thought my legs would give out. My mother apparently thought the same because I felt one of her hands grip my forearm while the other curled under my back, gently helping me sit on the floor across from the counter. She kneeled beside me, saying nothing, her hands running up my arms in a soothing manner, her eyes intent on my face. My breathing was haphazard and I struggled to control it. She murmured to me gently, hushing me as she restated beside me, sitting crosslegged. She pulled me into her arms and I curled into her, my cheek against her shoulder. I was still shaking and small gasping sounds were coming out of my mouth. I knew, in some small part of my brain, that I was having a full-blown panic attack. But, not he surface, I didn't know what I was feeling; everything was so jumbled up. I felt fear, I felt confusion, but I also felt hope and happiness, excitement.

I was pregnant.

Neither of us said a word to each other until I had regained some of my composure. I sat up slowly, my mother still holding up most of my weight, and met her gaze. Her eyes were concerned and she placed her hand against my cheek, which I leaned into, breaking our gaze.

I'm sorry, I asked.

There's nothing to apologize for, baby. It's a shock for anyone. she replied. I met her eyes, betraying my unbridled fear. She smiled slightly, hushing me gently when my body began to panic again. But then I thought of something, and I stared at her, turning our mental conversation verbal.

"You knew I could get pregnant?" I asked, bewildered. Her expression remained calm.

"No. I had no idea whether it was possible for you or not. I didn't know which side would have dominance. You never had a menstrual cycle, but neither did I, when I was human the second time. I knew it couldn't be ruled out though, especially since I know male vampires aren't sterile," she said. I looked down, processing this, my mind going to Edward. Fear rocketed up to the top of my list of emotions. What would he say? Would he want this? Neither of us—the whole family, in fact—were prepared for something like this. With what we've been going through and now the issue with deciphering the book, none of us gave it a second thought. My mother had though, as I could tell that box had been there for a while. She always thought about that type of stuff.

"It's part of my job, darling," she said, smiling ruefully. I gave a small smile in response as she hugged me again, tucking my head under her chin.

"And do not worry about Edward. He will be thrilled, just as the rest of the family will be, just as I am," she murmured. I looked up at her, surprised.

"You're happy?" I asked. She laughed lightly, her teeth flashing.

"Of course, sweetheart," she assured me. I smiled and relaxed into her. She leaned back into the wall and held me in her embrace. I reveled in the bliss of the news before waves of fear and horror came to me. I bolted upright, my mother coming up with me as she saw my reaction.

"If the Vercrian are after me, they will be after the baby even more. They'll come after me, after the baby," I said, my voice panicked. My mother's face remained controlled, calm and firm.

"I know," she said, "But do not worry about that now. No one will touch either of you. We will figure that out later. Right now, you need to rest. It's been an eventful couple of days, both mentally and physically straining, and tomorrow will be no different," I gave in, relaxing in her arms, her hand running up and down my back.

"What is tomorrow?" I asked nonchalantly. I felt her smile as her chin moved on top of my head.

"Tomorrow," she began, still smiling, "you get to tell Edward that he is going to be a father." I smiled in return. I look down at my waist, laying a hand against my abdomen delicately. My mother's hand joined mine and I let my head fall to her shoulder.

In that moment, it felt everything was right in the world. I was reunited with my mother and my family. Edward and I were equals in our relationship. Eli had been changed, something that he had wanted since he first discovered the existence of the vampire world. I had returned home to Neverland, to a place where I lived care freely and happily, with no cares in the world.; that island still emitted those freeing vibes even now, amongst the havoc. And now, on top of this, I was with child. In these aspects, I couldn't be happier.

But I knew the truth. I knew I was putting everyone in danger; I knew that there were countless deaths on my hand, from my childhood friend to my own grandmother. I knew my father had left us a cryptic book with no instructions on how to decipher it. And I knew that now the most dangerous creatures on the planet were targeting me and those I loved most.

But, in that moment, I didn't let those bad things dampen my mood. I allowed myself that one blissful moment, of laying in my mother's arms, protected and relaxed, at least for that one moment.

Hey everyone! So this is the final chapter for Neverland! :(

HOWEVER, its sequel will hopefully be up soon (perhaps even by this weekend). There were many questions answered in this story, but many more raised. And I will answer all of them with the sequel, which will be entitled "Amethyst."

Thank you to everyone who has been there throughout this story, those who only caught on later, or those who will not read this story until much later on.

Also, thank you in advance to those of you who will come with me to Amethyst to finish the story :)

Love you guys! Please review if you want! I love your comments! :)

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~Melinda :)