A/N:
Dear, dear readers,
Thank you so much for the overwhelming response for the last chapter.
I was certainly happy to see a number of new reviewers! Thank you so much!
Thanks to MDtwiwriter for the help and suggestions!
I do not own Twilight.
And I am proud to call the wonderful dellaterra my beta. Here's to bizarre ice cream flavors.
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Chapter 35: A Man Must His Honor Defend
I wake to the feather-light touch of Edward's fingertips caressing my stomach, moving tenderly, reverently. He adores my round body, he says, because it holds our baby. His index finger draws a slow circle on my hipbone – well, where I suppose my hipbone must be.
"Hey," I murmur sleepily.
"Hey…" He kisses the back of my neck.
"How long've you been awake?"
"Ten minutes maybe." He runs his finger around my protruding bellybutton, then rests his palm beneath it. "Your skin is so soft," he whispers.
His hand is large and warm, cradling our baby. His breath is warm too, as it catches in my hair. I know I'm smiling goofily. We're silent, and it's perfect. I run my toes up and down Edward's leg and his fingers take up their travels again, touching my belly, my waist, my thigh.
I don't even know when the tune changes, and my breathing gets labored and my heart begins to beat faster. I need to swallow as Edward's fingers move down the curve of my bump and delve into the small triangle of hair between my thighs. Slowly. Smoothly.
I open my legs, inviting him in, and he explores and touches, rubs and tantalizes. I moan happily, feeling his erection poke my thigh. He enters me with one finger and, hearing my wanton sighs, adds a second one, steadily pumping in and out.
"Edward… Oh…" I turn my head so I can capture his lips and we kiss wetly and sloppily. He never stops his movements though, and when he starts applying pressure to the most sensitive spot, I'm writhing, my whole body tingling.
He withdraws his fingers and we move in a practiced routine. My fingers dig into the pillow when he enters me.
It's the best feeling in the world. Like we were made for each other.
His hand sneaks under my sleepshirt and covers my breast, his groans and whispers hot in my ear. The pressure in my lower belly is already getting stronger, and Edward senses this, speeding up.
A low, guttural moan leaves my throat right before I come, my whole body shaking as I float away on a never-ending series of exquisite sensations.
"Ungh… Ah…" Edward's sounds are muffled by my hair as he finishes, trembling and clinging to me as his body stiffens and finally relaxes.
I can feel a slow smile spreading across my face, and I guess I look like the cat that ate the canary. Totally satisfied.
"Phew," Edward sighs as he cuddles up to my back. He kisses my shoulder. "You're one sexy lady, do you know that?"
I giggle happily, entwining our fingers. I close my eyes for a minute, and just enjoy the feel of him. His scruffy chin on my back, his long limbs, his even breathing. We're perfect.
I turn around in Edward's arms and snuggle into his embrace, resting my head in its favorite spot under his chin. My bump is between us, and Edward kisses my forehead.
"I love you."
I don't think I've ever been this close to any human being. If it were possible to be one, right now, we would be.
"I love you," I reply, inhaling his scent while his chest hair tickles my nose.
We're breathing, basking in each other's warmth.
"I don't want to get up," Edward murmurs. "I want to stay in bed with you until Monday…"
"That'd be fabulous," I murmur, raining little kisses on his chest. "But your mother would be very sad if we don't show up. Your dad, too."
Edward sighs heavily.
"It'll be nice…" I prop myself up on my elbow to look at him.
His brows are furrowed, and I smooth them with my finger.
"What's the matter? Are you okay?"
Edward's lips are pouty as he nods.
"Sure. I guess I'm just not looking forward to meeting Carlisle."
"Come on." I put a smacking kiss on his chest. "We'll have fun."
"Hmm," he growls, not convinced.
We leave two hours later, the radio playing soft music on the drive. Edward is rather quiet, but he's been having a tough time at work for the last week or so. I reach over and caress his clean-shaven cheek. He leans into it, smiling sweetly and sighing.
"You're exhausted," I say.
"Only a bit." He looks at me before he redirects his eyes to the street. There are shadows under his eyes.
Esme hugs both of us close the second we leave the car, her exuberance spilling over.
"So good to have you here, my darlings. Bella, you look amazing!"
"Like I'm ready to pop, right?"
Esme shakes her head and kisses my cheek. "Come, everyone's already in the garden. Aro and Didy are here too."
Edward grabs my hand, and I can hear him sighing softly. I give his fingers a little squeeze and he replies with a lopsided smile, shrugging his shoulder as if to say, You know what they can be like.
After we've said hello and hugged every single member of our family, a lavish lunch is served. Actually, the atmosphere is quiet and relaxed – Emmett is cracking jokes, Alice talks about her collection, and Aro chats with Esme. I can tell that Edward is a bit tense, but I don't know if it's his worry that something might happen with Carlisle, or if he's really just tired from work. He had a strange look when he returned last night, but I attributed it to a long week at the hospital.
He smiles at me now and then, cute wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.
"You likey?" he asks over dessert, a delicious cheesecake with strawberries. He kisses my cheek.
"Mmm," I reply with a full mouth. "Delishush."
"I'd like to make a toast," Carlisle announces, raising his glass, "to my beautiful wife. Thank you, my love, for the last forty-five years. You've made me happy every single day."
Esme wipes a way a tear and they kiss. It's really sweet, and we all applaud.
EDWARD
Mmm, I love my wife's legs. Right now, they're resting across my lap as we're lounging in the swing seat in my parents' garden.
Everyone is taking it easy after lunch, and not even Alice dared to complain when Bella and I found our somewhat secluded spot. Al, the black cat, followed us and made himself comfortable with us, purring like a tiny lawnmower.
I pass my fingertip over Bella's smooth thigh. So soft. Her head is on my shoulder and she has her eyes closed.
"Tired?"
"A bit. Was a lot of food," she smiles. She opens her eyes. "You seem preoccupied. Is everything okay?"
"Yeah." I watch Emmett as he swings Anna around in the air. She shrieks happily.
I haven't told anyone of Victoria's attempt at blackmailing me. I wanted to tell Ben, but only saw him in passing yesterday. I really don't know what to do. Tell Demetri, I suppose.
Would he believe her?
I can't imagine that he would. He's known me for years. He knows Bella, and he knows that I adore her. Even the thought of this whole situation makes my stomach hurt.
Still, what if he does believe her?
It's a fucked up situation.
"What's going on?" Bella's whisper draws me out of my thoughts. Her breath is warm on my neck.
"Nothing… Just… work."
"Oh, baby." She kisses my ear. "You should relax a bit."
"I guess. Hey, look who's here!"
It's Anna, walking toward us on short legs.
"Edda! Edda!"
"Hey, little miss."
Bella moves her thighs from my lap and I help Anna climb into the swing between us. She's the cutest little button, her blonde curls exactly the same color as Rose's hair. She leans into Bella's side, making my heart melt when she puts her pudgy little hand on Bella's round stomach.
"Be careful, sweetheart," Rose, who has joined us, says softly.
"Baby," Anna says.
"Yes, honey," she confirms. "That's Uncle Edward's and Auntie Bella's baby. She'll be with us soon."
"'morrow?"
"No, darling," Bella smiles. "In seven weeks." She holds up seven fingers. "seven weeks, and we'll have our little girl."
Anna touches her stomach once again. "Baby girly?" she grins.
"Uh-huh. A little baby girly." Bella smiles widely, looking so beautiful and content that it tugs at my heart – and the thought of Victoria comes immediately back to my mind, and to my stomach.
I cringe.
How dangerous is she really?
An hour later, Bella and Rose are still on the garden swing, a sleeping Anna between them, talking animatedly about pregnancy and babies. I got out of it when the conversation turned a little gory, telling me things I really don't want to hear from my sister.
"Hey, boysie." Aro puts an arm around my shoulder. "How're you doing?"
For some reason, his proximity makes me feel better, less helpless. Aro always had a solution for everything. Maybe he does now.
"Hey," I reply. "Listen, do you…" I clear my throat. "Do you have a minute?"
Aro's expression gets more earnest as he sees my face. "Sure."
Moments later, we're in the library, Aro sitting in Carlisle's armchair and me in the loveseat. I pour out the whole story, and Aro listens quietly. It's so good to be able to open up about it all, from the little insinuations with which Victoria started, to the final threat.
"I just don't know what to do now," I say. "Should I talk to Demetri? What if he believes her? What if Bella hears about this shit? I don't want to burden her with it…"
When my ramblings have ended, Aro is silent for a while.
I'm getting fidgety when he stays silent.
Finally, he exhales a huge breath.
"Wow, that's bit fucked up, boysie."
His clear blue eyes look straight into me. Aro knows me so well. No one but Bella or my mom knows me so well.
"So? Any idea?"
"Do you really believe your boss would give any credence to that skank's lies?"
"I don't know," I shrug helplessly. "Well," I add, having thought about it with as much of a detached mind as I can muster. "I can't imagine it. He knows me."
Aro nods thoughtfully. "But still, you're worried that he might?"
"Yes." I scratch my neck. "And if Bella hears about it, she'll freak out, and I can't have that. We had that scare earlier on, and only recently, she had this fainting spell… I'd die if anything happened to her or the baby…" I swallow.
"What if you don't talk to your boss?" Aro questions. "Don't you think that's a much greater risk? If she goes on with her plan?"
"Fuck." I drop my face in my hands. "This is so fucked up. I mean, she must be crazy, don't you think, to make up such a plan in the first place. As if it's certain that her husband would get Ben's job if he quit."
"Do you think her husband – what was his name again, Tradewell? – is behind this?"
"No idea. I don't really know him, only met him a few times. I had the impression that he's a stoner."
Aro chuckles. "There were times when you wouldn't refuse a nice joint yourself, boysie."
"One summer!" I groan, but can't help my smile. "One summer, with Miss Magdalena Greene from Chicago, Illinois. And I was nineteen."
"And I caught you smoking weed," Aro laughs, "on the beach at Long Island, serenading her."
By now, we're both laughing out loud, and it feels good to let go. Such a relief.
"So you think I should tell him?" I say a few moments after our laughter has subsided.
"Yeah. Before she can wreak more havoc. Think of Bella. You want to have that out of the way. When's her due date?"
"September sixteenth," I say proudly.
I sometimes wonder if this is a male thing, this pride at having made her pregnant. I guess it is.
"It's good to see you so happy, Edward," Aro says, considering me. "I'm glad you found her."
"And I'm glad you found Didy," I reply.
"Yeah," my uncle says dreamily. "She's something else." And then he clears his fogged-over expression and stands up. "C'mon, we should get back outside."
I get up as well, but before we leave the room, I give Uncle Aro a hug.
"Thanks. And… please don't tell anyone. I don't want them to worry."
The door opens, and it's my father, looking surprised when he sees us hugging.
"I was looking for you," he says. "Your mom wants to cut the cake."
"Oh, okay," I say, wondering. Is he pissed? That we talked without him? In his library? But he knows that Aro and I are close, and always have been.
His eyes, the same blue as Aro's but somewhat sharper, and less mirthful, follow me as I make my way to the door, and I feel strangely guilty.
The rest of the afternoon passes quietly and I'm almost glad when we leave after my mother has laden us with several Tupperware containers stuffed with food.
Bella falls asleep on our way home, and I have to gently wake her. She's muddled and sleepy, looking at me with wide, dark eyes.
"We're home." I kiss her nose.
"Huh… I dreamt such nonsense. There was a witch, like the one from The Wizard of Oz, and she was riding around on her broom…"
"Was Toto there?" I murmur against Bella's soft cheek, and feel her smile.
"No."
"Let's get upstairs?"
"Yes."
Later, when we are in bed, Bella sighs, moving around uncomfortably.
"I'm so hot…"
"Oh, baby." I kiss her shoulder. "I'll get you a cold compress."
"Oh, yes," she exhales.
She relaxes a little once I've placed the cold cloth on the back of her neck. We're lying side by side, and I can feel our daughter move against my stomach. Bella grumbles.
"She's going to be a boxing champion."
"Or a wrestler," I murmur.
"Or a circus artist…" Bella yawns.
"She'll be as beautiful as her mom," I whisper, reaching over her and massaging her back.
"Mmm…"
"Sweet dreams, my love…"
=====oOo=====
I don't want to go to work.
I know that I'll have to talk to Demetri, and that's not a conversation I'm looking forward to. When I ask him if he has a moment, he says yes immediately, telling me to come to his office after lunch. The morning passes swiftly, but I can't get rid of the underlying tension at the prospect of telling my boss about my seemingly crazy colleague.
"Edward," Demetri smiles when I enter his office shortly after one. He gestures for me to sit down. His office is much bigger than mine, with a group of seats and a coffee table by the large windows. The sun is very bright today. It's almost August, and the city is sweating. I hope Bella is taking it easy.
"Great job you did with Mr. Schuster."
"Thanks."
"So, Edward, what can I do for you?" He folds his fingers and rests his chin on them, watching me from dark, intelligent eyes.
"It's a bit… difficult," I begin. I scratch my chin. "There is a situation… No, not a situation, but a problem, between a co-worker and me."
Demetri stays silent, waiting for me to go on.
"This… person… has been making insinuations for quite some time, and now it seems that..." I let put a frustrated breath. "Wow, this is really hard. I don't want to seem as if I'm badmouthing someone. I've been thinking about this a lot, believe me…"
"What is it, Edward?" Demetri is frowning now.
"Victoria Trackwell," I say.
Demetri looks at me as if somehow the fact that there's a problem with her doesn't surprise him.
"Tell me."
"She… she threatened to accuse me of sexually harassing her."
"What?" Demetri's frown deepens. "Why would she do such a thing?"
"Remember last year, before you offered the job to me? There was this doctor from Pennsylvania who applied for the position as well. Dr. Trackwell. Her husband. She has developed this idea that he should have received the job, and she now wants me to…" I sigh, feeling horrible about telling Demetri all of this. "She wants me to somehow have Ben kicked out of his job, because she thinks that her husband would be next in line, or something like that."
"And she is trying to blackmail you?"
"Yeah. I guess so. I mean, I'm not sure that she would, but, yes, that's what she said. I don't know what to do about it."
"It's not true, Edward, is it?"
"No!" I almost shout. "No, of course not."
"I'm sorry. I had to ask."
"Yeah, the problem is," I bite my lip. "This is embarrassing. She told me she'd have another woman confirm her story. Dr. Mallory, who quit last summer."
"Dr. Mallory?" Demetri repeats incredulously. "How does she figure into that mess?"
"I had a one-night stand with her."
"Edward!"
I've never seen Demetri so shocked, and I suddenly realize what he must think.
"About four years ago," I add quickly. "Tanya and I had separated, and I was… very unhappy. It was a one-time thing, but she wanted more, and it appears that she still bears a grudge."
"Wow." Demetri shakes his head. "Suddenly I'm not so unhappy not to have your looks."
I smile wanly.
"Seriously, Edward, I'm glad you came to me. Does Bella know any of this? She seemed so happy when I saw her the other day. She told me she was collecting you for the birthing class."
"No, she doesn't know. I mean, she's thirty-four weeks pregnant. I don't want to burden her with this sh- stuff."
"I see." Demetri pauses, thinking. "Well, what do you want me to do?"
"I don't really know. I guess there isn't much you can do. I just wanted you to be aware of the situation."
"I can't fire her for something that hasn't happened. I can talk to her. Tell her she's walking on thin ice. Something like that. Make her understand I trust you. You're my best man, Edward."
"Thank you."
I feel slightly relieved that the worst part of the conversation is over.
"I'll talk to her," Demetri says. "And I'll see to it that you don't have to work with her in the near future, okay?"
"That would be really, really good."
We talk for a few more minutes until his secretary comes in and tells him that his one-thirty appointment is there.
"Don't worry, Edward," he tells me as we part. "We'll find a way."
BELLA
I'm just returning from my twenty-fifth trip to the bathroom when I hear the front door, and my heart lurches. It's only shortly after six, and I never expected Edward to be home this early.
"Hey, baby," he calls from the hall. "I'm home. And I brought ice cream!"
"Mmm…" I peek around the corner. "That sounds good!"
Edward's face lights up with a smile and he walks to me, greeting me with a gentle kiss.
"Hi," he murmurs against my lips and pulls me close – well, as close as possible with my baby belly between us.
"Hi…"
For the first time today, I feel myself relax. It's been a shitty day, which I spent stranded on the sofa, watching bad daytime television and munching popcorn and apples, trying to shoo off Cedric, who wanted to cuddle up to me, his warm fur sticking to my sweaty legs. Despite central air conditioning, I feel hot all the time, and lethargic too. I hate myself for acting this way. I'm just pregnant, for God's sake, but the huge belly makes me so immobile, and most of the time, some part of my body hurts. Katie says that everything is fine with the baby, and that I should go easy on myself, and that every woman experiences pregnancy in a different way. The most important thing is that we're okay.
I agree with her line of thinking, and, needless to say, so does Edward, but still. I should be doing something, something useful, instead of lying on the sofa like a fat blob, stuffing my face and ogling Ashton Kutcher's ass in That Seventies Show.
"How was your day?" Edward's breath tickles my ear.
"I cleaned out the kitchen cabinets while Miss Kaure was here," I say. "And I sorted through all my stuff in the bathroom and threw away a ton of old lipsticks and stuff. Nothing really interesting." I kiss his chin. "Ice cream, please!"
He chuckles and we walk to the kitchen. Edward yawns and pours himself a glass of white wine before he joins me at the table, lifting my feet into his lap as he sits down. He massages them lightly. He looks tired.
"So how was your day?" I ask, feeding him a bite of raspberry-and-meringue ice cream.
"Okay," he shrugs. "Nothing out of the ordinary." He caresses my calf. "Frankly, I just want to cook dinner and have a quiet evening with my two girls."
"'kay," I shrug.
I can tell we're both not in the best of moods, which is unusual. Normally, if one of us feels low, the other pulls them up and vice versa.
We agree on making a stir-fry. Edward brings me vegetables to chop while he takes care of the chicken and the rice. When we eat, it's in companionable silence. I guess we're just both tired. Edward offers to do the cleaning up.
"You don't have to, darling, I can."
Edward kisses my forehead. "Please, let me. Why don't you go and choose us a movie to watch?"
It's silly, I know, but I feel as if he told me I'm not capable of filling the dishwasher. I nod my head and leave the kitchen.
I sink back to my place on the sofa. Cedric hops up next to me, purring happily.
I switch on the TV.
Ding, ding, ding, jackpot!
"What Happens in Vegas?" Edward asks when he joins me a few minutes later, putting his arms around me as he sits behind me.
"It's funny," I shrug.
"We've seen this movie, love."
"I know."
"And now we're seeing it again?"
"It's funny," I insist.
Edward sighs, but so softly I'm certain I wasn't meant to hear. I turn around and face him.
"What do you want to watch?"
"It's okay," he says, wrapping a strand of my hair around his finger. "Really."
"No, we can put on a DVD," I insist. "What do you want?" I scramble out of his arms and get up, walking over to the DVD shelf.
Even though Edward and I have a common taste in films, there's my Laurence Olivier addiction, and his love for Stanley Kubrick. I pull out a random movie from his "favorites" shelf.
Edward's eyebrow lifts.
"A Clockwork Orange, Bella?"
Ugh. We watched it a couple of years ago. Suffice to say it wasn't my cup of tea.
Grumbling, I put the DVD back and pull out another one.
Shit.
"Rosemary's Baby?" Edward's voice jumps an octave. "No way are we watching that film, Bella. Can't we just go back to Ashton and Cameron?"
I've been irritable all day. I know it's not right to take it out on Edward. But he is driving me mad right now.
"Then you choose something!"
"I just did. Let's watch the movie you started."
"But you don't want that. Because it's a chick flick."
Gah, I hate this. Hormones seem to be taking over.
"We can watch – " I pull out another random DVD. "Fight Club!"
"Baby," Edward says softly, stretching out his hand for me. "Come back here? Let's just watch your chick flick?"
But I'm pissed.
I want to have it out. Maybe I want a fight, even. Not like in the movie, of course.
"You just said you didn't want to watch it."
"I didn't," Edward shrugs. "I didn't jump up and down like my sister, but I…" He sighs, running a hand through his hair. It's already messy, and he makes it even more so. "Baby, what's the matter? I'm sorry… I'm so tired… I don't want to fight with you."
"I'm tired, too."
We stare at each other.
I try to stifle my tears, hating myself for being a moody bitch.
"Bella?"
Edward gets up and crosses the room, standing in front of me. He takes my hands in his. They are large and warm. His eyes are tender.
"I'm sorry," I whisper, a tear running down my cheek. "I… I guess my moods are swinging like a mighty fine Benny Goodman tune…"
Edward laughs softly. He lifts my hand to his lips and kisses my knuckles.
"You know what we should do?"
"Hmm?"
I look up at him through damp lashes.
"Watch Spartacus."
I have to giggle, because this is not the first time he has suggested this. It's the perfect combination: a film with Laurence Olivier, directed by Stanley Kubrick. Edward knows how much I love that one scene, where Olivier is half-naked and wet…
Fifteen minutes later, we're snuggled up on the couch, watching the movie, whispering and smiling in between.
But for some reason, I can feel that Edward is still tense, and it worries me.
ooOoOoOoOoOoo
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