Without further ado:

Chapter 35

Colorado - 1893

It certainly wasn't in his plans when he woke that morning, but somehow, someway, Edward Masen left his farm on a late spring morning to stock up on supplies with his children and a long list from his darling wife. He had planned to spend the warm, spring day repairing fence posts, but Bella insisted he had to go to town instead.

Bella had begged off the trip to town for supplies, citing a need to give the house a good spring cleaning without any males underfoot. She said she needed some time alone; to hear herself think, as she put it.

Emmett had grown three inches over the winter. He never failed to kiss his Mumby's cheek every morning and give her a firm hug every night. Jasper gained five inches and was sporting his first pair of knickerbocker trousers, a present for his fourth birthday. Gone were the baby dresses, now that he had big-boy pants to wear. Papa had taken him outside for the time-honoured, traditional lessons a man in trousers needed to know - how to pee outdoors without hitting your boots and how to button up and not pinch yourself in the process. It was a very serious, manly talk that saw Bella in fits of laughter as she listened from the porch.

It had been a long winter, but homey and comfortable. There had been plenty to eat and they were seldom at a loss for entertainment. Jasper learned his letters and to spell simple words. Emmett worked his way through addition and subtraction and was forging through multiplication. His reading and writing had improved, although his spelling was atrocious and he found himself liking geography more than he figured.

February saw a quick visit from a newly-engaged Carlisle. Puffed up and prancing like a sage grouse, he stopped off to deliver the news. The wedding was set for the end of the school year, late June. Carlisle would still build a small home on his land, a combination hunting lodge and summer cottage. Esme had purchased a large home on the edge of town, near enough to the schoolhouse for her and the girls to walk every day.

Carlisle confessed he had no idea Esme was exceedingly wealthy when he proposed. He admitted to being a bit frightened of her wealth at first, but decided to enjoy whatever life with Esme and the girls might bring. Carlisle made enough of his own money trading goods with a few of the local tribes, getting their handicrafts into mercantiles and general stores across the region. His resolute masculinity was bolstered knowing he contributed to the family coffers as well.

Edward reached town and dropped the boys off at the hotel for cake under the watchful eye of Mr. Yorkie. Jasper had his birthday coins to spend and wanted restaurant treats rather than candy. The hotel kitchens made ice cream, something Mumby couldn't make for them, so this was an extra special treat.

The only plan Edward had was to go to the mercantile. Mr. Newton, his crotchety wife, and the clerk were all engaged with customers, so Edward decided to begin the shopping on his own. How hard could it be to gather a few items? Other than the usual staples of flour, oats, sugar and such on the grocery list, Bella had written in very large letters:

6 yards white flannel

3 yards absorbent cotton

10 yards plain white cotton shirting

8 lengths white ribbon

5 spools of white thread

3 pounds fine soft white yarn

Edward had no idea why she was so specific about needing all these white sewing things, but if that's what she wanted, that's what he'd get her.

Before he left to go to town, Bella had brought up the fact that the thunder mug Emmett and Jasper shared in their room was quite chipped and dented. In fact, all of the chamber pots in the house were chipped and starting to show rust spots. Bella asked him to replace them, with one for everyone. Edward thought it a bit frivolous, given the purpose of the basins, but he didn't argue. She'd been commenting about strong odors of late, not that he noticed any, but he deferred to her judgement. The last item on Bella's list was five new chamber pots.

Edward dutifully pulled five of the enamelled basins from the shelf and added them to his crate. He felt a mite silly buying such intimate items. Next time, he'd make Bella do that part. Seemed more fitting for the woman of the house than the man to buy that kind of thing.

Mrs. Newton was able to help him with the fabrics and then counted up his purchases. It didn't pass Edward's notice that Mrs. Newton kept eying him and smiling as if she knew a secret and longed to share.

As she sorted through his purchases she asked, pointedly, "How is Mrs. Masen feeling?"

"Bella's fine." He answered, furrowing his brow. Mrs. Newton was never the real friendly sort to ask after others.

Mrs. Newton turned to reach something from the shelves behind the counter and plunked a jar and a tin into Edward's order.

"Tell Mrs. Masen these are a gift from me, if you please. She'll know why." Mrs. Newton gave him a broad smile, the first ever in all the time he'd known her. He took his hat off and scratched a little itch on his forehead, just below his hairline. He was confused and a little overwhelmed with her odd behaviour.

"All right then, thank you, Mrs. Newton."

He read the labels of the items Mrs. Newton included—boiled ginger sweets and ginger tea. Chalking it up to some woman thing, he let it slip from his mind the moment he read it.

Edward added a few peppermint sticks to his order at the last moment, as a little walking-home treat. He also threw in a small bag of caramels for Bella, hoping she would enjoy them enough to possibly make caramels for them at home.

As Edward paid his bill, he marvelled at the fact that it was less than in years prior, and took pride in the fact that he now had such a frugal wife. He gathered his boys and they began their journey home.

It did not escape Edward how different this trip home was from the one he had taken the same time last year. He'd been so lost, so confused and stupid. Thinking it over, Edward decided he really was stupid back then. He'd learned a great deal over the past year—about life, about himself and most importantly, about his lovely wife. Bella was everything he never knew he needed and everything he ever wanted, all wrapped in one small package.

Even after they scaled the big hill and walked all along the boring stretch of road home, Edward thought how every step was leading him back to her. For him, it seemed that every road, every action always led back to Bella.

Edward wondered how she was occupying her time alone on the homestead. He pictured her filling the tub in front of the fire and soaking the weariness from her bones. Imagining the way the soap would slip against her wet skin, the path the bubbles might take, Edward envisioned how she might run her hands over her slippery flesh, her head back and eyes closed.

Just last night, in a fit of passion, his wife had climbed onto his lap and slowly rocked the both of them to a sweaty completion. Remembering Bella as she was scarcely a few hours before, was a vision he would revisit as often as possible. A slow, sly smile crept across Edward's face as he now pictured her in the bath instead, glistening and flush in the steamy water.

Frequent lovemaking with his wife was keeping Edward a very contented man. The fact that Emmett and Jasper had learned to sleep through Bella's shrieking in the night only encouraged Edward in making it his life's mission to make her shriek like that as loudly and as often as possible.

With great delight and through tender exploration, Edward found Bella had this secret little spot between her legs that set her shrieking if pressed just right. Edward wondered if other men knew about this, or if it was just special to Bella's body. Rachel sure as hell never had one, or hers was broken, because she never acted as wild in bed as Bella did once he touched that magical spot. It was like the difference between sitting in a real church and going to a tent revival—one was boring, quiet and stodgy, and the other was singing, dancing and writhing about.

It certainly was eye opening for Edward. He had thought about pulling Carlisle aside and filling him in on this new information, but he decided to wait. Carlisle deserved to have to find out on his own.

Edward was pleased—plum-tuckered, but pleased with his newly found skill, reaping the benefits just as much as Bella did. His sweet wife had become even more amorous than before, when they were first married, well, since first sharing a marriage bed. Almost every night she'd be ready and willing. Other than her monthly time, that is, and even then, Bella would touch him in ways no other ever had.

He blushed at the memory, but once she had even put him in her mouth and sucked. It was one of the most glorious feelings ever in the entire world. Edward had to stop this line of thinking and fast—before one of his boys caught sight of the front of his pants and the tent he was pitching there. Emmett had already gotten out of the cart and was looking for bugs under rocks several yards down the road behind them.

Calculating the grocery list again in his head calmed his body down and slowed his mind's racing. Edward looped Jessie's lead around her neck for a moment and walked to the back of the cart.

Jasper was asleep, tucked amid the sacks, so Edward took quiet care in finding the peppermint sticks he had bought. He tucked a piece of the candy in the side of his mouth and twirled it for a moment before catching up to his horse. Old Jessie nudged him with her nose, but kept walking at a steady slow pace. He let the cool sweetness pool on his tongue for a bit as he walked.

Edward had also treated himself to a new axe, as his was starting to wear out. The handle on the old one had to be replaced too many times and the blade wouldn't keep its sharp edge no matter how often he sharpened it.

Thinking of the other things he purchased, Edward began to wonder what Bella planned to do with all that white stuff—the ribbons and yarn and fabric. He really hoped she wasn't planning on outfitting all of them in white. There was no way on God's green earth his sensible, frugal wife would do something that absurd.

Usually, only young ladies and babies dressed in all white. Bella wore darker colours, red, blue or green. She had a grey dress that she didn't wear very often, only around the same time as her monthlies; but all her underclothes were white. Perhaps Bella planned to make all of them new underclothes. That would be a good use of all that white fabric, but Edward hoped none of his or the boys' would have ribbons. Ribbons weren't manly, and the heck if he knew what she was going to do with that much of it.

Contemplating Bella's underthings caused Edward's mind to go right back to their nighttime adventures. He pinched his own thigh hard and forced his mind back to less enjoyable things.

Edward could just see the roof of the house in the distance. A couple of the shingles were beginning to curl and would need replacing. He wondered what other chores would have to be done before planting began. The outhouse could use a coat of paint, too. After all, they'd be using it more now that the weather was better.

His mind went back to the basins. Edward thought it was odd that Bella asked him to buy five chamber pots when there were only four of them in the family. He'd heard of having special towels and linens for guests, but not thunder mugs.

Perhaps Bella noticed something about the outhouse Edward hadn't. There had been more guests of late. Maybe the one they had was nearing full. This fall might be a good time to dig another outhouse. Edward was careful to keep as much sawdust as possible from his projects in the barn, just as Bella saved the ashes from the hearth and stove. They mixed the two together, and a scoop of the powder sprinkled down the hole after each visit to the outhouse kept the stink and flies at bay. Why would they need five chamber pots? Bella even kept the slop water barrel smelling clean with some sort of herb concoction.

Edward's mind kept running; from chores, to Bella, to making love, to chamber pots and ribbons, back to Bella—over and over again.

Before he knew it, Edward was standing in front of the house staring at Bella as she stood on the porch. She had one hand on her hip and the other was clutching a hand towel to her mouth. Her eyes were wild and bright and though her hair was down, she had it tucked behind her ears to keep it out of her face. As she cocked her head to the side and stared back at him, a blush began to creep up her neck.

Smiling at his pretty wife, Edward threw Jessie's lead over the mare's neck and, walking to the back of the cart, began unloading. Emmett took one of the smaller crates of goods into the house. Jasper was given the axe, with its leather guard strapped on tight, and asked to rest it just by the door to the barn. Edward lifted out the biggest crate and carried it into the house, passing Emmett, who was on his way back out the door.

Bella made no effort to help, instead, she sat on the rocking chair and watched the activity, slowly rocking back and forth with her hands on her lap.

Emmett ran off to play with the dogs as Edward brought in the last of the purchases. The last crate held the damn chamber pots and the brown paper-wrapped parcel of fabric, yarn and notions Bella had requested.

Edward didn't say anything as he passed by his lovely wife, just a flashy grin and a wink. Bella looked up at him and smiled, but made no effort to get up or go back into the house.

Moments after he entered the house, Edward dropped the crate, making a god-awful clatter and ran back out the door to the porch.

He pointed a finger at her and proclaimed,

"We do need five basins. You're having a baby!"

"I know I am." Bella confirmed with a teary smile.

"You're having a baby?"

"Yes, Edward. You are too, you know."

Bella's gentle laughter spurned him into action. Edward rushed over and picked her up out of the rocking chair, spinning them in circles. He didn't stop until she pounded on his shoulders with her fists.

"Put me down, silly man." Edward had stopped spinning, but still held her aloft. "You know, when I came here a year ago as your servant, you said I'd be left unmolested by you. This is not unmolested, Edward."

Reeling slightly, Edward set Bella on her feet, and holding her close, clasped her face in his hands.

"You're having a baby." He whispered. Bella nodded.

"Do you need anything? Should I go to town? What can I get for you?" Edward rambled, not taking a breath.

Bella looked at her husband's handsome, but confused face. She turned and gazed out over the small barnyard and farm that had become her most favourite place on this earth.

Emmett was jogging out of the barn, Bullet and Leah close on his heels. Jasper and his little shadow, Ralph, had met up at the workshop door and were running over to them. The sound of the creek could be heard just above the children's chattering to each other.

Grasping her by the waist, Edward sat them both in the rocking chair, and held her tenderly on his lap.

"I think I have everything I need right here, Edward."

She raised her hand and, stroking the soft hair just behind his ear, leaned in and kissed her husband, a smile still on her face.

AN: This story would not be this story without Vagabonda, who made me write it better and gave it more romance. Or without Beachcomberlc, who gave it lustre and shine. Or without IpsitaC77, who turned the story into a picture.

My thanks and a nod to RKO Pictures, Stephenie Meyer and others for the source material.

There will be an epilogue to follow but for now this tale is finished.

Thank you for reading and thank you for letting me write this story.