Music
"Styrofoam Plates": Death Cab for Cutie
"I Thought You Said Summer Would Take the Pain Away": Hello Saferide
"Our Braided Lives": Matt Pond PA
Seth POV
Slowly I crept into my bedroom after seeing Rosalie taking care of Trevor on the couch. A dim light radiated from the dresser in the corner, blanketing Ness in a golden glow. She sat with her arms wrapped tightly around her knees and stared blankly at the opposite wall, as she had at the hospital. I sat down next to her on the bed quietly and went to put my arms around her, but she shook her head and buried her head in her knees. I paused slightly and thought about what I could do, and what was wrong. I'd never seen her so upset. I didn't care how much she protested, I was going to be there for her now; so I slid my arms around her shoulders tightly and tucked her gently into my chest, holding her steady as she tried to pull away as sobs erupted from her chest. She stopped fighting me and melted against me, letting her legs go weak and her hands grab handfuls of my shirt, she held them to her face as she hid. I rocked her gently as she shook her head and wept. My heart yearned to help her, to fix her. I picked her up and laid her against me, so I sat propped up against the headboard, and she nestled into my body. I gripped her tightly, not letting her budge.
I cooed quietly into her ear and brushed the hair from her face. "I love you. It will be alright," I repeated religiously until the sobs quieted slightly. I tried to comprehend what was happening with her, why this was hurting her so much, but I had no idea. Death was horrible, but we didn't have to deal with that, we could take care of Trevor, all of this could be resolved. She looked up at me with puffy eyes and wet cheeks. I wiped her cheeks gently as she sat up facing me, wrapping her legs around my waist. She took a breath and closed her eyes as she placed her hands on my cheeks. I saw the Cullens flash in front of my eyes, and I felt an overwhelming sense of longing. I saw Bella in a hospital bed, bloody and sick, weakness plaguing her face. A baby clung to her tightly before being pulled away. Suddenly, we were in a meadow, and there was a tense atmosphere present. I saw Bella, hugging a much younger Ness tightly, and giving her the locket. "Plus que ma propre vie," she whispered. "More than my own life. I love you." I felt confusion , fear, and hurt. The vision stopped. Ness rested her hands on my shoulders, but kept her eyes shut; tears streamed down again.
I cupped her face and brought her forehead to mine. "Your mom still loves you, they all do, and they are all fine. They aren't going anywhere. I'm not going anywhere," I whispered sternly, trying to convince her that her fear was coming from no where. She nodded and finally opened her eyes. I tried to crack a faint smile, in hopes that she would feel better. I pulled at her cheeks to try to make her smile, and she fought hard to keep a smirk away.
She took a shaky breath and let it out slowly. I tucked her under my chin once again as she wrapped her arms around my neck. I could feel her heartbeat slow as she calmed down slightly. "I'm afraid, Seth," she whispered, almost too low for me to hear. She pulled back and stared at me again. I could see in her eyes that she was searching for something on my face. I placed my hands on her hips and pulled her closer to me.
I placed her hand on my lips for a moment, and pulled it away."Did you feel that?" I asked. She nodded with a confused look. "These are yours, to kiss you forever, to tell you beautiful things, and to tell you that I will keep you safe."
I held her hands in mine and gripped them tightly. "Do you feel this?" I asked again. She nodded and smiled. "These are yours. They'll keep you safe, and warm, and protect you from anything. They'll always hold you, for eternity." I stared into her eyes as I set my jaw.
I placed one of her hands on my heart and held my hand over it. "Do you feel the beating?" She smiled and nodded quickly. "This is yours too. It beats to make you happy. It will never stop and leave you sad." She grabbed my hands and held them tightly. "Your family will protect you forever. They will never leave you, no matter where in the world, or however many miles are between you all. Trevor will be alright. We will find a place full of love. I will personally find this place. He will not be sad again." I resolved for her. She smiled again, but her brows knitted slightly as she closed her eyes and hung her head. "Ness, what's wrong?" I begged for her to tell me as I slid my hand under her chin to make her look at my pleading eyes.
She just shook her head and put on a fake smile. "I feel better, I do. I'm sorry. I've never felt so helpless before, so aware of life and death," she smiled, but her eyes bore into mine intensely.
I tried to smile back at her. "I know, but that's why I'm here. I'm not just ridiculously good looking, I can help. You just have to tell me what's wrong." She smiled even bigger at my joke. "I knew I could make you smile. Do you trust that we will figure this out?" I eyed her warily as she thought over the answer.
"Yes, I know we can." We both smiled and suddenly I was lost in her eyes and the moment that felt so right. The helplessness I was feeling fell away, and I understood that I could always be here for Ness, and that was all I needed. We could figure anything out together. I heaved a content sigh and she smiled.
"How are you?" she emphasized the last word. I just smiled bigger for her.
"I'm fine. I feel better now that you're better."
"I heard you talking to Trev about your dad," Ness trailed off for a moment and I tried to avoid her eyes, "I know this reminds you of him."
"Yeah," I huffed loudly, "But its fine. I'm alright with it."
Ness just shook her head and smiled. "I know. You're always fine. I'm here if you aren't." I hugged her tightly as I rolled my eyes around trying to avoid a tear.
"I know," I smiled and stared down again, "I miss him, but I can still have him in my life, and live in the present. Its taken me a long time, but I've finally started to see that. We're going to be fine."
"I'm sorry I never got to meet him," Ness whispered as she let her hands trail on my chest, "He must have been a great man to raise such a great son. He's proud, I just know it."
"Thank you," I smiled bigger as I managed to swallow the lump in my throat. "He would have loved you. I know it." She smiled, but her eyes turned serious again. She grabbed my hands and held them tighter than before. Slowly she placed one on her stomach and pressed it gently.
"Do you feel that?" she asked. I furrowed my eyebrows questioningly, the smile slipping from my face.
"What am I feeling?" I chuckled absently. Her eyes bored into mine.
"This would be your baby," she whispered and paused for a moment. I felt my heart skip and accelerate. I looked at my hand and her stomach, back to her eyes, and back to her stomach again. She tried to smile. "He will be our greatest act. He will be one fourth human, one fourth vampire, and one half werewolf. He is ours, forever. We will protect him and love him. He is the next Clearwater. You are going to be a daddy." I felt my eyes grow big and a smile flash across my face.
"A daddy," I breathed, still gazing back and forth between her face and her stomach. I didn't know what to feel. I was beyond overwhelmed. I don't know how long passed, but I just stared at my hand on her stomach. I suddenly felt Ness' hands clamp around my cheeks as she made me look her in the eyes.
"Hey, I need you to say something," she pleaded. "I've been so afraid to tell you. There hasn't been a good time, but I can't keep this from you. I want to be excited about this, with you. I want us to be able to fix this too! I can't imagine a more perfect gift than to raise our child." She finally ran out of air and stared at me again. I choked on some words, but none of them felt right, which in turn left Ness even more upset. She dropped her hands and slid off of my lap, disappointment smeared across her face. She stood at the foot of the bed and looked as if she were ready to yell at me again. I quickly jumped up and crashed my lips against hers to quiet whatever doubt she had. She pulled back and stared at me.
I lowered myself to her stomach and looked up at her confused eyes for a moment before I laid a soft kiss on her midsection.
"Hello, little baby," I whispered. I could feel Ness giggle as I held her stomach. "I'm going to be your Daddy. I love you already, just like I love your Mommy." I planted another kiss on her belly and stood up quickly, wrapping Ness in a hug.
"You're happy?" I felt her smile against my chest.
"I'm more than happy," I assured her as I kissed the top of my head. She tried to stifle a yawn but I caught her. "Maybe we've had enough surprises for one day," I chuckled, "How about some well deserved sleep."
"Let me go check on Trev first," Ness shook her head. I wouldn't let her move and pulled her shirt over her head easily.
"He's fine, Rosalie is with him," I pulled off her pants and lifted Ness up to the bridal position. "We need to get you to sleep, you have a whole new person growing inside of you." She chuckled as I slid her in bed. I slipped my shirt and pants off and climbed in next to her. Ness snuggled onto my chest and I wrapped my arms around her.
"I sure do spend a lot of time in your arms," she giggled groggily.
"I'm going to start charging rent," I kissed her forehead.
"I'm willing to pay anything to live here forever," she kissed my chest. I felt her breathing steady slightly as she traced lines on my arms as I traced her stomach.
"Hey Ness?" I questioned quietly.
"Yeah?" she mumbled.
"You called it a 'he'. How do you know?"
She sat up and looked at me in the darkness. "I'm not sure, I just sort of guess that he is. I had a dream last night, before I found out, and it was you, carrying a little you around," she giggled, "It was just for an instant, but I just think he is a he."
"He could be a girl you know." I stated as she laid back down. The picture of a beautiful little girl with bronze curls circled in my mind. "She could be a little princess." I liked the picture. Ness shook her head against my side.
"We'll see. I just hope he listens and makes this an easy pregnancy. I know I didn't make it easy on my mom," Ness trailed off as sleep overtook her. My eyes popped open and stared into the night. The image of Bella, bloody and weak on the table flashed in front of my eyes again, like a sick nightmare. I suddenly couldn't swallow.
Ness POV
The bed was shaking. I squeezed Seth and felt him against me. I smelled his fresh scent, so I figured it wasn't a dream. I kept my eyes locked, afraid of what I would see. I checked my body parts, and once I was satisfied that they all were connected and working I began to question the shaking movement. Earthquake? I heard a giggle. A giggling earthquake. I peeked one eye open and saw the bedroom bursting with morning light. Seth groaned as the shaking intensified.
"What's happening?" he tensed under me. I rolled over, away from him to figure out what was happening. The shaking stopped as a tiny thing plopped down next to me. A set of tiny green eyes gazed back at me. I smiled and it smiled back.
"Good morning Nessie," he whispered. Seth rolled over and peeked over my shoulder.
"Good morning Trevor," I giggled. "How are you this morning?"
"Hungry!" he grumbled, "Rosalie said I had to wake you guys up for pancakes." Seth started to pretend snore and Trev grew indignant and impatient. I giggled and winked at him. He winked back exaggeratedly. I rolled back over and started to tickle Seth. He erupted with laughter and shot up straight away. Trev couldn't contain himself at the show. I stopped and clutched the blanket to me. Seth growled and kissed my forehead.
"I seem to remember the last time you did that, started this all," a twinkle sparkled in his eye. I laughed to myself. Seth looked over at Trevor who was mercilessly mocking him. "And what do you find so funny, troublemaker?" Trev just shrugged through his giggles. Seth sprung out of bed and picked up Trev and threw him over his shoulder as he tickled him. The only thing I heard was a trail of laughs as Seth winked, pulled on his pants, grabbed a shirt, and carried the little guy out to the living room. I sunk back into the bed for a minute. I looked down at my stomach, which appeared normal still. 'Hello,' I whispered as I rubbed my stomach gently. 'I love you.' Aunt Rose walked in and sat down at the edge of the bed as I sat up, clinging the blanket over me.
She laughed. "I used to change your diapers, I've seen it all." I thought about it then got up and slid some clothes over my underwear. "How did it go?"
I just smiled and held my stomach. "He is happy. I think its all going to be alright. He's going to be a good dad." I affirmed for myself, as much as for her. She hugged me and we walked out toward the kitchen. "How was Trev last night?"
Aunt Rose's eyes darkened slightly. "It was fine. He tossed and turned a lot, but he seems a little better. I don't think he understands much about what's going on, but it will gradually hit him I suspect."
"Yeah, he'll be alright, I just know it," I hoped out loud. We turned the corner to find my husband and a five year old, mouths filled to the brim with pancakes, in the middle of trying to shove more in. We froze. I didn't know whether to laugh or yell. Seth tried to smile, but guilt spread across his eyes as he reached over to take the pancake from Trev's hands as he tried to put more in his already full mouth.
"Care to explain this?" I propped my hands on my hips. Aunt Rose walked over and handed Trev a glass of milk as he attempted to swallow the mound of food. Seth struggled to force down the giant lump.
"He dared me!" he protested. Trev just shook his head.
"No way! Seth said he could eat more than me in one bite, but I know I can." Seth turned to him.
"Nu-uh! I got two and a half pancakes in my mouth!" Trev stuck his tongue out at him.
"Come on sweetheart, bath time," Aunt Rose smiled and carried him towards the bathroom. Seth searched the table for something interesting to divert his eyes.
"You're mad at me aren't you?" he whispered to the syrup, "I didn't mean to do anything wrong, I was just having fun to cheer him up and get him to eat. I'm not a big joke. I'm can be more responsible."
I walked over at wrapped my arms around his neck from behind. "I need you to be more careful, but I can't wait to see you playing with our little guy like that one day. It's very cute. I know you're responsible. You are amazing. I love you" I kissed his cheek as he smiled to himself, full of pride. He turned the chair and faced me. He kissed my stomach and smiled.
"Good morning, little man," he cooed.
"Seth, he's just a blob right now," I chided him. He rolled his eyes.
"I don't care, I just want him to hear my voice, so he'll love me." I laughed and sat down in his lap.
"He will love you, just like I do," I kissed him chastely, quickly raking my hands into his hair and pulling him closer. "You know, you called him a 'he'? So you believe me?" He rolled his eyes and met my lips once again.
"No, it's going to be a girl, I just know it. But, I'll let you think its a boy for now I guess. I'll be happy with either." I nibbled on his bottom lip as he tried to explain his answer. I felt his chest start to rumble as a growl escaped his throat. I felt his hands trail up my sides.
"We have visitors," I moaned, pulling away from his lips and standing up while fixing my shirt. Seth's eyes were still half shut as he huffed, exasperatedly. I leaned down and kissed him deeper than before, pulling only an inch away from his lips. "Later," I felt his sweet breath against my lips and it took every ounce of energy to pull myself away. We cleaned up the kitchen quietly, moving in close proximity to each other, both of us teasing the other. I washed the last dish when an excited Trevor ran in and grabbed my leg.
"Can Seth come play catch with me?" he begged. I couldn't say no to those eyes.
"Did you take all your meds?" I made a weird face with my eyes. He nodded eagerly.
"Rosalie gave them to me earlier! So Seth can come?" I looked at Seth who had the same silly begging look in his eyes.
"Sure," I barely muttered before they both started to run out of the kitchen, "but put on your warm coats!" I yelled. Seth ran back in and kissed my cheek eagerly.
"I love you," he smiled as he slid his coat on.
"I love you, and the fact that you're still a big puppy at heart," I laughed at my own joke. Aunt Rose helped Trev zip his jacket up as Seth grabbed the football.
"Ready bud?" he sighed as Rose layered on a hat to Trev's wardrobe. I laughed at the sight of him. I guess we all were out or practice at dealing with humans. I stood in front of the door to lay down the ground rules.
"No roughhousing too much, and if it gets too cold, come back in," they both smiled and chomped at the bit to get outside. At least Trevor was happy for now, I smiled to myself. I threw open the door to let them out. They didn't budge and I just laughed.
"Well, get out of here!" I chuckled. I looked outside and suddenly I didn't want to move either.
Edward POV
I heard three distinct heartbeats. This fact startled me suddenly, and it was because of this fact that I didn't pounce the moment I opened the door. I felt Alice grip my arms and Bella lace her fingers in mine. He had gotten her pregnant. My little girl was going to have a baby. Images of Bella during her pregnancy flew through my mind. I let out a snarl. I took a deep breath as the door jerked open suddenly. Alice squealed in delight. Ness stared back at us, mouth hanging open. Nobody moved for a full minute. I glared at at Seth and he picked up a small child and held him next to his face. Rosalie ran towards Emmett and threw her arms around him.
"Emmett! You got here so quickly!" she kissed his cheek quickly. He caught her lips and brought her against him.
"Eww," a small voice groaned from the house. We all laughed, glad the tension was broken. Bella dropped my hand and hugged Ness tightly. I could see the smile in her eyes as she clutched her daughter. Ness buried her face in Bella's hair and I could see her body shaking with sobs.
"I missed you," they both whispered in each other's ears. Ness straightened up and wiped her tears as she smiled. She threw herself my way and hugged me tightly.
"Daddy," she laughed. I hugged her and kissed her forehead.
"I love you," I cooed gently.
"Do I get some of that love?" Alice giggled quietly at our side. Ness laughed.
"Of course I missed you Aunt Alice!" She grabbed her and Jasper tightly, "And you too Uncle Jazz." Their faces shone with happiness. I smiled as our family completed itself. Bella wrapped her arms around my waist as Nessie made her way around the family.
"Grandpa! Grandma!" she squealed as she hugged them as a new set of tears escaped her, "I missed you." They looked as if they could, they would be crying. Emmett swung Ness around in a giant bear hug.
"Hey squirt!" he bellowed, "Don't forget about me, your favorite uncle! No offense Jasper." Everyone laughed again. Ness stood in between us all and couldn't have had a bigger smile on her face. My daughter looked beautiful, older, not physically, just wiser, more mature. She had a glow. I listened to her thinking about us being there. A million thoughts raced through her head; fear, happiness, and an overall worry prevailed as she tried not to think about the baby.
"Can we go play now?" I heard the child whisper to Seth. He just laughed for a second and whispered a "shhh". Ness walked over and stood next to Seth.
"Well Trev, I'd like you to meet my family. This is," she paused, not knowing what to call us. I stepped forward and held out my hand.
"My name is Edward. What's yours?" He shook my hand eagerly.
"I'm Trevor. I'm five years old. My mommy went to Heaven." He said, so matter of a fact-ly.
I winked at him. "My mommy died too, a long time ago." He smiled. I glared at Seth again. He tried not to think of anything but he couldn't stop thinking about the baby. I snarled again. He firmly looked at me. 'Edward, we need to stay calm, for Ness,' he thought. I squared my shoulders again.
"Rosalie, maybe you could take Trev over to Sonya's?" Ness begged. We all walked inside quietly as Rosalie grabbed Trev and Emmett and walked out.
"I don't want to go! I want to stay here!" Trevor whined.
"Yeah, me too," whined Emmett. I guess we knew who would be getting along best with Trevor.
"We'll see you tomorrow," Seth reassured him, "You want to take the ball with you?" He handed him the ball. Trevor held up his pinky for Seth to shake on it.
"Promise," Seth smiled. I heard Ness thinking about Seth. She pictured Seth and their child. The baby looked just like Seth. I ground my teeth.
"Bye," he waved at us all. Bella laughed as she sat down next to Nessie on the couch, never leaving her side. As soon as the door shut I launched at Seth and tackled him. He tried to grasp my wrists, but I easily clung to his throat. I felt him start to tremble beneath me as he growled.
"Get out of here Ness," he yelled as she watched in horror. I could hear Seth's mind try to calm down and not shift. I saw him thinking about about Ness and he tried to scream to get her to leave again. He fought so hard to try to remain calm as images of him hurting me or someone else disgusted him. I felt Jasper and Carlisle trying to pull me off of him. I had my own memories flooding my mind as I remember watching Bella wither away to nothing, fighting hard to save the life of the baby.
"He got her pregnant. It will kill her. He's killed my daughter!" I screamed. I heard Bella and Alice gasp. Seth's trembling increased as he let out a howl.
"Get her out of here!" he screamed again. Alice, Esme, and Bella carried a wailing Ness to the bedroom.
"No!" I heard Nessie scream, "Get off of him. I will be fine. Get off of my husband!" They slammed the door, and I couldn't control myself. I punched Seth repeatedly until his blood covered me. I didn't even feel the burning desire in my throat, I wanted to kill him with my bear hands. Carlisle and Jasper took a deep breath and flung me off of Seth's unrecognizable body that was still trembling. They held me tight as I lunged at him again. Seth slowly crawled to the door as I saw his clothes tear as he shifted. A giant sandy-colored wolf sprinted off of the porch into the forest. I heard a weak howl a few seconds later. I heard Nessie crying in the bedroom. Carlisle gripped my shoulder gently.
"I'm so sorry," I whispered.
"It will be alright," he mused. I guess this was how all of our reunions would be.
Bella POV
I held Nessie in my arms as she wept. I brushed her hair and looked to Alice to hopefully see something that would mean things had stopped. I heard a howl come from outside.
"I can't believe he held in shifting. He was so controlled," Alice mused to Esme in the corner.
"He is an amazing boy," Esme agreed with a weak smile, "I always knew it. Is he going to be ok Alice?" Ness shot her head up and looked to Alice. Alice cleared her throat, and I knew she couldn't be certain. She just nodded.
"I'm sure he will be," she lied. "Seth shifted and ran out to the woods." Ness wiped her face and sat up next to me.
"I'm so sick of crying," she whispered. "I can't believe I still have tears left. Why did Dad do this? Why can't he just be alright with all of this. I'm not afraid of him," she grabbed her stomach and started to rub it. "He won't hurt me. Dad loved Seth, for the longest time. What happened?"
"You dad is just worried about you. He's afraid of change, of anything that will hurt you or this family. He loves you, but the last pregnancy he went through was so emotionally draining on him, he's afraid. He is just afraid, and that's the only thing he can do. I'm so sorry for what he's doing. I'll fix this. Don't leave," I hugged her tightly.
"I won't. I'm done running." She stood up next to the bed. "I'm going to go find him." Alice and I stood in front of her.
"That's not a good idea, babydoll," I tried to dissuade her. "Let him heal. You don't want to see him like this." Ness shook her head and looked me square in the eyes.
"I can't leave him alone out there. He needs me now. I can't leave my husband out there, hurt and confused!" She yelled, "I need to see Dad," she declared.
"He left," Alice murmured, "Went to the hotel." Ness threw her arms up and sat down on the edge of the bed.
"I'll go," Esme whispered from the corner. "I'll go see Seth." I shook my head.
"No, Esme, its not safe," I explained. She just smiled back at me.
"Don't be silly, Bella. It's Seth. He showed amazing self control to not shift with Nessie so close. He needs someone to take care of whatever Edward did to him. I'll go make sure he's alright." She kissed Ness' forehead as she walked out of the room. "You need to rest, and not put any stress on your body." I saw Ness' shoulders slump as she relaxed slightly.
"I'm going to go check on Edward," Alice muttered. She wrapped her arms around Ness. "I'm sorry, baby," she whispered to Ness. "I'll take the family to the hotel. Call us later," she said to me. I kept sitting down next to my daughter.
"It's ok," Ness whispered. "I'll see you all later." She waited for me to leave.
"I'm not going anywhere, or leaving you alone," I smiled at her.
"But what about Dad?"
"Believe me, I understand his moods. Right now he feels guilty right now for letting his emotions get the best of him. RIght now, he's ashamed and hurt and is probably out running somewhere. I'll talk to him when Seth comes home." Ness smiled and curled against me like she had when she was younger.
"Mom, this is a giant mess," she whispered.
"No, this isn't. This is family. We'll figure this out," I answered, full of conviction. She sat up with me and heaved a heavy breath. I absently played with her necklace, as I always had. It wasn't her locket.
"This is beautiful," I mused. She blushed.
"Oh, yeah. This is my anniversary present," she giggled awkwardly. "I put your locket in my drawer. She stared back at me with my own eyes. "I wanted to give the locket to my daughter one day." I smiled at her answer. Ness sat rubbing her stomach awkwardly and staring blankly at the wall.
"Give it to me straight, kid," I smiled. She took a deep breath.
"I'm sorry I left. I love you, all of you," she started. "But I had to. Do you understand?"
"Of course I do. Look who you're talking too. I did become a vampire because of love. I understand, and I can't say I wouldn't have done the same thing," I laughed a little.
"You knew didn't you?" she stared at me with widened eyes. I rolled mine dramatically.
"You're my daughter, I know what I'm capable of, and I know what you're capable of. I see how you look at him, how you did. I knew it would happen eventually, I just hoped I could persuade your father before it happened." She smiled.
"You're amazing."
"Honestly, you could do worse than Seth. He's good to you, that's all I need and I'll approve. How long have you been 'married'?" I made quote marks in the air around that word. Ness blushed again.
"Um, I don't really know. Since Jake's wedding. We just sort of started using that term." I frowned for a second, disappointed I wouldn't see her ceremony ever; that I was missing this important step.
"I'm happy for you. I knew it would happen!" I gushed, hiding my recent musings. "Tell me about who you are now! We need to get your mind off of everything that's happening," I demanded as she laid down on the bed. "What do you do? What has happened?"
"Well, I volunteer at the hospital in town; its small, but I got to know a lot of people. There's Sonya, she's sort of taken me under her wing, and really got me and Seth involved in the community."
"She sounds nice. I want to meet her, and go see where you volunteer." She smiled at my wish.
"Yeah! I can take you over tomorrow when we pick up Trev."
"That was the little boy whose mother died?" I was afraid of where this was going. "Is he yours now?" She shook her head.
"What? Ohhh no. His mother died early yesterday. I couldn't let him be shuffled around, so we're fostering him until it gets settled," she had a dreamy look on her eyes. "He was my first patient. He has cystic fibrosis, so he's in and out of the hospital. He's amazing." I smiled at who my daughter was becoming. She gushed about that little boy for a few more minutes."If there isn't somewhere for him to go, I will adopt him," she decided. I paused, fear gripped me.
"You can't Ness, you have to let him go with another human. We live in too complicated of a world for that. He will be fine. Someone will love him, and protect him," I hushed her.
"No, I know what I will do, I owe him this," she whispered sternly.
"How about we let time decide," I decided and she agreed. "Is that what's worrying you so much?"
"No," she nodded and closed her eyes, "Its pretty much a tie between whatever is growing inside of me and the fact that my dad is ready to disown me and my husband is wondering around the wilderness somewhere."
"Are you afraid?" I asked as the hazy memories from my pregnancy trickled through my mind. It was the biggest blur in my human memories, but I know that it hurt and I almost didn't make it. Ness would never show me what she remembered of it, and I knew it hurt her to think about it.
"No," she whispered as she grabbed her stomach again, "I love him. If you can do it, I can too."
"How far along?" I asked, "Have you been to the doctors?" She laughed.
"I just found out yesterday. We were planning on making a trip back to have Carlisle check it out."
"Will you come back during the pregnancy?" She just shook her head.
"No, I live here. This is where my life is now." I gulped at her answer as I felt my chest tighten. "I can't go back to living with you guys, I'm starting a family now, but I want it to be included in our bigger family. Here, I don't know, we have a shot at some normalcy. I like it," she trailed off.
"Feel better?" I laughed as she huffed.
"Yeah, a lot better. Now all I have to do is fix it." Seth walked in casually. His face was still somewhat swollen and one of his eyes was still very much blackened.
"I think that's my job," he grinned. Ness jumped up and threw herself around his neck. Esme walked in and sat down next to me. Ness plastered kisses all over Seth's face and he winced slightly.
"Oh! I'm so sorry," she muttered, backing away from him quickly. He grabbed her, the pain visible on his face.
"Where do you think you're going?" he laughed as she squeezed his eyes shut. "I do believe you're paying rent to be here anyway," they both laughed. Seth kneeled down and kissed Ness' stomach. "Hello baby," he whispered, "first piece of advice ever, you have to keep your hands up in a fight, Emmett taught me that, and it only took me getting beaten up twice to truly appreciate it." Seth laughed loudly as he clutched his side.
"Lay down please," Ness scooted him to the bed. Esme and I walked out to the living room.
"I'm so sorry," I muttered at him as I walked out.
"It's ok Bells. Believe me, I would kick my ass too if I was him," he grinned that same puppy grin I'd always known, and it made me feel a little better.
"Come on Bella," Esme grabbed my hand, "We're going to give them some time. We have a family meeting tonight and Carlisle is going to take a look at Ness and run some tests." I gladly agreed. I needed to find my Edward and figure out what was going on with him.
Seth POV
Don't do it, I whispered to myself. I felt Edward's cold hard hands around my throat and it was becoming increasingly hard to keep from shifting, but if I did, I knew that I could hurt Ness, or even a Cullen.
"Get out of here Ness!" I screameed as my body started to tremble. I couldn't brea the thought of her seeing this. I didn't know what was going on, but I was losing this battle really fast. I couldn't bring myself to fight back too much, I didn't want to trigger a shift.
"Het got her pregnant. It will kill her. He's killed my daughter!" Edward screamed. Fuck, I mentally screamed. He was thinking the same thing I was. I didn't know what to do. I started to tremble more and I let out a weak howl. Bella must have figured it was because I was about to shift, and she grabbed Ness tighter as she made her way to me. No, its not because I'm going to fight back, I should let him kill me for what I've done.
"Get her out of here!" I screamed again, but this time they listened. The girls dragged her into the bedroom.
"No!" I heard her scream. Maker her stop hurting. "Get off of him. I'll be fine. Get off of my husband!" she sobbed. Edward started to punch my face and I almost couldn't take it. If he didn't get off of me soon, I'd shift. I felt each rock hard punch on my face and ribs. I couldn't see anything, my eyes were clouded with my own blood I guessed. I felt the weight leave my body as Edward was pulled off of me. I tried to look back at him as I crawled out the door, but I could only make out shapes. I had but one thought on my mind, and that was to shift away from them, away from everyone. I let out a howl in pain once I'd shifted. I ran as far as I could before I collapsed. Blood matted into my fur as I tried to roll over. Intense pain surged throughout my body. Edward was right; what if the baby would hurt Ness. It was composed of the most toxic things that could be combined. I had to go back though. I tried to stand but my sides hurt too much. Everything went black. I felt someone shaking me. I shot up and started to growl, ignoring the pain in my head and chest. Esme jumped backwards quickly. I lowered my head and sighed.
"Hey Seth," she smiled, concern laced her voice. I flopped down on the ground again. She threw me some clothes from the bag she had clutched to her side. "Get dressed. I think we need to talk." She turned and started to walk away for a moment. I shifted back and put on the clothes quickly. I found Esme sitting on a pile of rocks a few meters away. She stood up and hugged me gently. I winced at the pain but hugged her back. I'd missed her more than I knew. She pulled some bottle out of her bag and some bandages.
"Come here," she gestured to a rock. I sat down and she started to dab at me. I could smell the alcohol, so I prepared myself, but the burn hurt worse than I expected. Esme worked with a determined look on her face.
"Up," she helped me stand up and I lifted my shirt up a little. She wrapped my ribs and finally sat down.
"You know how to do that pretty well," I grinned.
"Husband's a doctor," she shrugged, "You pick up a few things every now and then." A silence fell over us.
"I messed up, didn't I?" I stared at my hands as I asked.
"No, Seth, you didn't." I scoffed at her.
"Really? Because from what I remember, Ness is pregnant with a half werewolf, fourth vampire baby. Two violent opposites. Bella barely made it from Ness' pregnancy."
"But she did," Esme whispered, "And I know for a fact she wouldn't change one part of it. You have to trust that it will be ok."
"I want to so badly, but I just don't want to see her hurting."
"Seth, when did you shift for the first time?" Esme questioned me.
"I was about fifteen, why?"
"And for the first fifteen years of your life, you were perfectly healthy and normal, correct?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
"Well, don't you see?"
"See what?" I was confused by this form of questioning.
"The baby right now is technically only one fourth non-human. I'm not a doctor, and you're going to have to have Carlisle run the tests and everything, but to some extent, doesn't it make more sense that possibly the baby will be more normal than anyone else?" I smiled all of a sudden as I did the math.
"Yeah," I whispered hopefully. "You're right!"
"See, I'm pretty useful after all," she smiled. I hugged her against my bandaged side.
"You're pretty smart too," I laughed.
"Now, what are you going to do about Edward?" she eyed me nervously. I sat back and thought for a second.
"Talk to him. We can't be fighting all the time. I'm not trying to take Nessie away from you all," I promised. Esme noded in understanding.
"I know, dear," she whispered.
"I'm just trying to do what's right for us. I don't know, I'm so confused." Esme stood up as the sun started to go down.
"I think we should go back and fix it," she smiled.
"Yeah," I stood up next to her, "Time to step up." I shuddered. The walk back went by quickly and before I knew it, I was walking in the back door. Esme squeezed my hand and ushered me onwards.
I heard Nessie whisper, "Yeah, a lot better. Now all I have to do is fix it." I strolled in and she shot out of bed. She threw her arms around me and I couldn't hide the pain the flashed across my face.
"Oh! I'm so sorry," she muttered, backing away from me quickly. I didn't like this reaction. I grabbed her and pressed her against me.
"Where do you think you're going?" I chuckled weakly and closed my eyes. "I do believe you're paying rent to be here anyway." We both laughed. I lowered myself with some effort. "Hello baby," I whispered, "first piece of advice ever, you have to keep your hands up in a fight. Emmett taught me that, and it only took me getting beaten up twice to truly appreciate it." I let out a louder laugh than before. Ness grabbed my hands and pushed me toward the bed.
"Lay down please," she begged. Esme and Bella got up to leave.
"I'm so sorry," Bella smiled as she walked by me. I saw the pain in her face, but I could never blame her; hell, I didn't even blame Edward.
"Its ok Bells. Believe me, I would kick my ass too if I was him," I grinned at her and she smiled slightly. Esme and Bella left and I was left staring at Ness as she fawned over me.
"Hey babe," I smiled, "I'm totally fine. I'll be healed in a few hours." She laughed.
"I know, I just, I just don't know anymore. I feel like our world is never satisfied for too does all of this happen?"
"Test us," I answered automatically.
"I'm sick of it."
"I know. But I have a feeling its going to get all the more normal."
"What do you mean? she eyed me skeptically.
"Esme said something interesting," I sat up too fast and gripped my side as my head spun. "She said that technically, the baby right now, is three-fourth normal, because technically, I didn't shift until I was fifteen, but as a child I was normal. So, the baby is only one-fourth vampire. We have a very good chance of him being normal." Ness smiled.
"Isn't it weird that we consider it normal for our baby to be only one-fourth normal?"
"Yes, its terribly weird, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Tonight we'll have Carlisle do the tests. How long do you think they're staying?" Ness started to pace around.
"I don't really know, but eventually they will," a new sadness filled her face. I got up and hugged her.
"But we'll visit. It will be fine."
"I know," she reached up and brought her lips to mine. I placed my hand behind her head as I brought her closer to me.
"Are we alright?" I smiled as she panted against my lips. She nodded and crashed her lips into mine again. I forgot about all my other questions and worries.
"When the world fails, at least we're alright," she breathed. I pushed her gently and she ended up sitting on the dresser. Her legs wrapped around my waist and my hands grabbed hers eagerly.
"I love you," she panted as I moved my lips from hers and replaced them to her neck.
"I love you," I panted as I nibbled her ear lobe. Her fingers found their way to the hem of my shirt and it quickly came up over my head. She gasped and gently traced the bandages. I smiled and started to take them off. Only a faint greenish tint colored my sides.
"All better," I smiled. She smiled also. I brought her head back to mine and kissed her quickly.
I felt her hands wrap around the waist band of my pants as she drug me closer to her.
"I like being a country of two," I moaned. She nodded eagerly.
"I haven't felt this relieved in a long time," she panted.
"I could possibly help make you more relieved," I growled playfully into her ear. I slid my hands up her side I pulled the shirt over her head. I found her lips again. I traced her lips with my tongue, finally gaining entrance I felt her tongue wrestle with mine. I felt our hearts both beating faster. I heard the phone start to ring and I slumped my head on Ness shoulder.
"Hello?" she panted. I bit her neck gently and heard her squeal.
"That sounds great," I heard her voice sound happier.
"Here at eight, see you," she hung up and threw her phone on the floor. "We have a family meeting at eight." I looked at the clock. We only had ten minutes. I groaned.
"It sure does feel like they're back." Ness smiled.
"Yeah, are you ready?"
"Definitely," I assured her. Not at all.
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I had a lot of fun writing this. I'm sorry its so long, but I didn't want to stop.
I just wanted some closure, sort of.
I owed you all for the teaser from the last chapter XD
I'll probably be going back and rewriting the earlier chapters because I think I can do better now that I've found a more solid voice and plot, because I sorta started out blindly.
I know I can make them better, so bear with me please! Any ideas for the earlier chapters? nows your chance.
I'll probably be adding the music I listened to for each chapter. That really helps me write a LOT!
K, mucho love for anyone who reads this.
it makes my life to get reviews. I'm not kidding!
k, 'nough said here!
