A/N: I do not own Twilight!
Chapter 36 – Discussions
"Edward?" I asked quietly, after we both had dressed.
We were sitting on Edward's coat, which he had laid onto the forest floor gentlemanly. He was leaning back against a bigger rock, with me sitting between his legs and snuggled up to his chest, while his arms encircled my body protectively. He rested one of his hands on my belly just under my coat, caressing our child through the thick layers of clothes and my skin, while he held mine delicately with the other.
"Yes, love?" he nuzzled my cheek softly.
"Do you think that Rosalie would really take away our baby from us?" I asked anxiously.
He heaved a deep sigh and tightened his arms around me. "I'm afraid so." he nodded finally, trying to restrain his anger. "But Bella, I'd never let that happen, ever. I swear to you, love. She's not going to touch our child."
"Why is she doing this?" I looked up at him questioningly. "I mean, I can understand – now more than ever -" I ran my fingertips along my belly lovingly. "how much she wishes for a child. It's been her greatest desire for long decades, and it still is. I just don't understand how could she do something like this to her family? How could she steal a baby, our baby? Does she really think that we would let her take away him or her? Or Emmett would let her do this to us? Does she even think about him? And Carlisle and Esme? I can understand that she's not really fond of me, she never has. She's always thought of me as sort of an intruder. But how could she do this to you? You're her brother, her family, even if you're not blood related. Why would she do such terrible thing to you? She was always so loyal to her family. She defended you all with her tooth and nail before. So why..."
"Shh, shh... calm down, Bella." he cut off my jabber. "I don't think that she thought this master plan of hers through enough. All she wants is to get the baby in the end. I think she believes that Emmett will stand by her as her mate, and so will Esme and Carlisle, because they know perfectly well just how much she wants to be a mother. She's sure that Carlisle will allow this to her because so many years ago it was Carlisle who deprived her of her whole future and forced her into this half-life. She's never missed even one opportunity to remind him about this ever since the day he saved her on that fateful night. She doesn't do it on purpose of course, but the result is the same anyway. She doesn't know how much she hurts Carlisle every time she does that."
I grimaced, feeling slightly disgusted by this. "But Carlisle did not take away anything from her. He only tried to help her. It was her fiance and his friends, who deprived her of her future. She would be dead if it wasn't for Carlisle. She would've never met Emmett. She could've never saved him and he'd be dead as well. Why can't she see this side of her story?"
"You're right, love." Edward nodded. "But I doubt she would see reason anytime soon."
"I feel that it's my fault." I whispered almost inaudibly, burying my face into the crook of his neck.
"Your fault?" he asked in disbelief, pushing me away slightly to look into my eyes. "Don't be silly, Bella. How on earth would it be your fault? She made her choices and now she has to deal with the consequences. It has nothing to do with you."
"Will Carlisle send her away?"
He shook his head. "No, Bella. He would never do such thing. No matter how big mistake you made." he ducked his head briefly, ashamed. I knew he was remembering his rebellious years, and how Carlisle and Esme had forgiven him and welcomed him back with open arms as soon as he'd walked through their threshold again. "In a way," he looked at me again and continued. "she's still family. But she's lost all of our trusts, and it's going to be very hard to regain it. And it's going take a lot of time too."
"What if she refuses to do it?" I asked.
"That would be the blackest betrayal of our whole family and her own mate." he answered in a very serious tone. "We always had arguments in the past, and often couldn't understand each other. She's a very self-centered and shallow person, but I learned to love her as my sister over the years. I'm furious with her right now, and I wouldn't hesitate to tear her apart if she hurt you or our baby in any way. But I really hope that she will come to her senses soon because she's as much a part of our family as any of us. She just needs to understand and accept some things or else she's going to lose everything."
"Even Emmett?"
"Even him." he nodded. "You have no idea how much he's waiting for our baby to be born finally. He simply can't wait to be an uncle and to play with our little one and teach him or her everything, especially how to hunt bears..." I couldn't help chuckling at that and Edward rolled is eyes playfully before he became serious again. "But it's not his only reason to be so excited about the upcoming birth of our baby. He hopes - or at least hoped until now - that it would make Rosalie happy finally, that maybe it would help her get over her past and somewhat forget what those monsters did to her. He hoped that she would come to terms with her life and learn to enjoy what she had. And above all else he very much hoped that it would be enough for her to be the aunt of our very special child. Apparently, he was wrong. Very wrong."
"Oh, Edward. She's hurt him very much, hasn't she?"
My heart ached for our big brother.
"Yes, love." Edward's eyes filled with deep sorrow. "He absolutely adored her and did everything he could to make her happy and make her every wish come true. He was always so patient with her and stood by her side under any circumstances. He practically worshiped the ground she walked on. And he thought it was enough. That he could be enough."
"He's an extraordinary husband." I agreed.
"Yes, he is." he smiled briefly. "Of course, he always knew how much she was suffering in the inside because she couldn't have a child of her own. He knew very well that it was her biggest dream as a human – love, husband, children... a perfect family."
"But she got it." I mumbled. "Well, she got half of it. She has Emmett. And I'm sure that he's a thousand times better husband as that Royce King could have ever been. It's true that with Royce she could've had children, but what they would've been like and how happy family they all could've been? Her dream of a perfect life with a perfect family would have shattered eventually, and she would've been miserable. More than now, as a vampire."
Edward sighed. "I'm afraid, she's too bitter to see that. To see any reason. She can't get over her mourn over her lost humanity."
"Edward?" I asked, worried about the strange undertone of his voice.
"I'm so angry with her, I can't even begin to explain it. But on the other hand, I can understand why she feels like this and why she's the way like she is." he explained. "I'd been this bitter for almost a century. Until I met you."
"Oh, Edward." I cradled his angelic face and leaned to press my lips to his. "But you would've never hurt her or any member of your family like this. You would've never taken something so precious away from her."
"No, never." he nuzzled my cheek softly.
"I don't understand her." I sighed and tangled my fingers into his hair, pulling him closer. "Sometimes I feel that if, by some miracle, she could be human again, she would choose that in a heartbeat, even if it meant that she would have to leave Emmett. For a child she would throw away Emmett and the love they share. And it all just feels so terribly wrong."
"Your feeling is right." he murmured sadly. "She would leave Emmett for an opportunity to have a child."
"And that's just it." I shook my head angrily. "She would throw everything away for a child. For someone else's child. Anybody's child, really..." I took a few deep breaths trying to compose my raging emotions. "I can't imagine bearing the child of another man." I admitted softly. "I know that that baby would be still mine, a part of me, and I would probably love him or her too, but it just wouldn't be the same. This child..." I placed my hand on top of his on my belly. "your child, our child... God, Edward...there are no words for it... I need him or her like I need air to breath. I need this precious angel like I need you. I simply can't exist without you two. I can't imagine bearing any other child inside me. And I definitely can't imagine being intimate with someone else, other than you, just to get pregnant. I can't imagine having another man touch me and see me naked."
Edward growled and tightened his arms around me possessively.
"Do you understand now, why I always found most of your reasons for why you wouldn't change me just meaningless?" I asked after a long moment of silence. "They just never felt real to me."
He pulled slightly back and raised one of his perfect eyebrows questioningly, waiting for me to explain it.
"You always said that you couldn't give me anything, only take away things. Like a chance to have a family, children and grandchildren with a man, who I could be human with and grow old with. And I always said that I didn't want children – I had never wanted any in my whole life, even before I met you - and I said that there was nothing in the world that I would ever want more than you. Of course I was wrong..." I smiled. "...or rather I was only partially right. I've never wanted a life without you, I've never wanted to be with anybody else but you. It was easy to accept that I would never be a mother, because you simply couldn't give me a child. Why would I have wanted something that I couldn't have with you? Why would I have wanted something that I'd never wanted before? And especially with another man? I knew that if I ever changed my mind about this, I would want only your child, anyway, I could not and would not create another precious life with anybody else, but you. Only something that comes from you can make me this happy, so why would I settle anything less?"
"Oh, my Bella..." he breathed in awe.
"All of you were right." I caressed his cheek softly and watched smiling as he furrowed his brows adorably in confusion. "I could have had a long and perfect human life, with everything a human could dream of. But it wouldn't have brought me happiness. Maybe small delights, but not that perfect contentment or that blissful happiness that an eternity with you can bring."
His lips found mine then, and he kissed me with so much love and tenderness. His whole body trembled softly against mine with the force of his emotions.
"I love you so much, Bella Masen Cullen." he breathed against my lips.
"I love you more." I smiled, raking my fingertips through his silky hair again and again.
"Impossible." he purred softly.
We sat there in that small clearing, somewhere in the middle of the Alaskan forest in each other's arms, kissing and whispering sweet words of love to each other for a few more hours.
"We should head home, Edward." I sighed eventually, reluctant to burst our little bubble of happiness. "I'm sure the others worry about us by now. Especially Esme and Carlisle."
He heaved a deep sigh, burying his head into the crook of my neck – well, at least as much as my scarf let him. "I don't want to share you just yet." he breathed and I felt him pouting like a sulking child.
"I know that." I giggled. "I don't want to share you either. But I think that they were pretty upset already when we left, and I imagine that it only increased while we were here. We can't draw it any longer, we really should go home and talk to them."
"Fine," he nodded. "It's getting late anyway."
He sprang up to his feet, holding me carefully in his strong arms, and I yelped at the sudden movement, making him chuckle.
"Hold on tight, love." he flashed me a wide grin and waited until I wound my arms tightly around his neck, tangling my fingers into his bronze hair. Then he bolted into the forest toward our house.
"Bella, Edward." Esme greeted us as soon as we stepped into house. She wrapped her arms around me and hugged me close. "I was so worried." she whispered into my hair.
"I'm sorry, Esme, if I upset you." I kissed her cheek softly, squeezing her to me.
"You didn't upset me, Sweetheart." she smiled, shooting a worried glance toward upstairs, where, I supposed, Rosalie was momentarily. "I made you some dinner. I thought you would be hungry when you got home." She brushed my cheek lovingly and I took her hand in mine. I hadn't noticed until now how much I missed her and her gentle, motherly care.
"Thanks, Esme. But I'm quite full right now." I looked briefly at Edward and blushed bright pink. "Edward took me out hunting and it was pretty satisfying."
"What did you just say?" Carlisle asked, walking down the stairs into the living room. His wide eyes flashed between Edward and me, while Esme stood beside us, shocked.
"We should probably sit down and discuss this and everything else calmly." she said quickly after composing herself.
"That's a very good idea." Carlisle nodded, then gestured toward the empty sofas. "Edward, Bella."
After Edward helped off my coat, scarf, beanie and boots, and took off his as well, we all settled in the living room, and were joined by Alice, Jasper and even Emmett. His broken expression tore at my heart and Edward wrapped his arms around me reassuringly.
"Emmett?" I asked, but the words stuck in my throat. I didn't know what to say, how to ease his obvious pain. I still felt that what had happened today was somehow my fault.
"It's okay, little sis'. I promise." he gave me a weak smile. "But what have I heard about you going for a hunt? Without me?"
I couldn't help smiling at him.
"Edward?" Carlisle raised his eyebrow at Edward questioningly. "I guess, everything went well, son."
"Yes." Edward nodded. "It was much easier than any of us expected."
I looked up at him slightly confused.
He smiled and brushed his fingertips along my flushing cheeks tenderly. "After you asked me on our meadow to take you out to hunt when the time would come, and we agreed to try it, I spoke to Carlisle and asked his opinion about it, hoping he could help me and give me some advices about it. He thought that when you would start to crave for blood, when it would become a necessity to your body, it should not be so difficult for me to hunt with you nearby."
"Because then I would be more like a vampire than human?" I asked curiously.
"Yes," he nodded, flashing me a small smile. "But he also warned me that it could still be dangerous, so that I should be very careful and always on alert, keeping my instincts in check."
"And I suppose, it was much easier than we originally thought." Carlisle smiled.
"Her presence never stirred my instincts." Edward said. "At least not in that way." he added and leaned to kiss my temple lovingly.
I blushed crimson and the others chuckled, clearly amused and also very much relieved that everything had gone well.
"And her appetite?" Carlisle asked.
"She had a very healthy appetite. Like a true vampire. " Edward answered. "She drained a whole elk and half of a rather big wolf."
"No bears?" Emmett asked, ruffling my hair a little.
"No, sorry." I shook my head. "Maybe next time." I smiled at him and took one of his huge hands in mine. I wanted to erase the pain and sorrow from his eyes so much. I felt completely helpless.
"And then she shared the wolf with me." Edward murmured quietly, staring down at me.
"Really?" Jasper and Carlisle asked at the same time.
Edward and I nodded in unison.
"Sweet," Emmett chuckled softly, squeezing my hand ever so gently.
"Not a common thing to do for a newborn vampire." Jasper said.
"I don't think that title befits Bella." Carlisle noted, smiling. "She's definitely not a classical newborn vampire. Her transformation hasn't even finished, yet, so she's not even a full vampire."
"Right, of course." Jasper nodded.
"I'm so happy for you." Esme beamed at us, practically vibrating with joy.
Alice stayed strangely quiet, though she smiled too.
"She's going to be a perfect huntress once her transformation is complete." Edward smiled down at me proudly. "Her instincts are incredible already. I took her into the woods, but it was her who found her preys – both the elk and the pack of wolves."
"And she didn't even make a mess of herself, there's not even a drop of blood on her clothes or on her face." Emmett pouted.
"Thank God." Alice sighed in relief.
I chuckled at them, feeling the remainder of my anger from earlier disappear quickly. I simply couldn't be angry with these people, they were just too important. They were as much as a part of me as Edward and our child were. They were my family, my father, my mother, my brothers and sister. I loved them with every fiber of my body and I couldn't bear a grudge against them for loving me and Edward, and wanting to protect us. And with all the troubles with Rosalie, we really needed to stand together as a family, strong and confident, as one, to help her see her mistakes and be fully part of this family again.
"How are you feeling yourself now, Bella?" Carlisle asked curiously, breaking my train of thoughts.
"Well... I feel full... and very satisfied... I've never felt this way before... I mean as a human I've never felt so perfectly full and sated before. It's completely different. And the baby seems to be much calmer too since then." Edward caressed my belly lovingly and I smiled up at him, covering his hand with one of mine, while I still held Emmett's with the other.
"It's understandable." Carlisle nodded, smiling at me softly, fatherly pride shining in his golden eyes. "It's a half-vampire child, after all. But it's not only your child who seems to be calmer. You also seem more... serene. And so does Edward."
"I think, Edward is more tranquil only because Bella and the baby are, as well." Jasper said thoughtfully. "Ever since he can hear Bella's thoughts, their emotions seems to be in perfect tune. So much more than ever before."
"Really?" I asked, surprised.
"Yeah." he nodded. "It's really fascinating to witness, you know." he smiled a small smile, before continuing more seriously. "Bella, I'd like to apologize for what happened earlier. It was a mistake, we should've trusted Edward and you, as well. We both know that he would never do anything to hurt you or endanger you or the baby. I think, we just got frightened and panicked. You and your child are just too precious to us, to this whole family. We would be broken forever if we ever lost any of you."
I was speechless momentarily, my cheeks turned beet red, again, and Emmett leaned to press his cold lips to my flaming skin, giving me a big, sloppy kiss.
"He spoke the truth, baby sis'." he said flashing me a big grin. "You're a gift to our family." he added, whispering softly. "You and this little trouble-maker."
I smiled up at him. "Thanks, Em."
"After all, finally you've made a man out of our prude Edward. I didn't think it would ever happen." he chuckled.
I groaned and Edward pulled me closer to his side protectively, shooting a glare at his brother.
"What?" Emmett asked innocently. "It's true."
Alice and Jasper snickered quietly, while Edward rolled his eyes.
"Emmett, though my child is still in his or her mother's womb, he or she is already pretty intelligent and can understand mostly what we say. So I would appreciate if you watched your mouth." he scolded his brother. "I don't want my child's first words to be something vulgar."
"Chill, brother." Emmett said. "You should give me some credit."
Edward only glared at him again.
"Alice, I'd like to apologize too." I turned toward her, ignoring the boys little argument, and sighed. "I was unfair to you. I don't want you to feel like I forbade you to buy anything to your niece or nephew, or that I'm trying to shut you out of our life. It's not the truth. At all. I just..."
"I know, Bella." she cut me off, smiling brightly. "And I understand, believe me. I don't think that you try to shut me out of anything or that you forbade me or any of us something. This is your first and only child and I really understand and respect your need to buy your little one's first clothes, toys, blankets and any other baby stuff. I can buy tons of things for him or her later. You know how fast children grow. Especially my little niece or nephew."
I smiled back at her. "That's true." I rubbed my belly softly. "Alice?" I asked, my smile widened as an idea popped into my head. "Would you like to accompany Edward and me tomorrow to the mall? Though we still have plenty of time, but I think, we really should start to plan the nursery and replace all the clothes and toys and everything else that have been... destroyed." I frowned at the memory of the horrible scene back at our former home.
"Really?" Alice started to bounce in her seat excitedly, her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.
"Really." I nodded, chuckling at her childish excitement.
"But we have veto, Alice. About anything." Edward added quickly. "Try not to go overboard, please."
"Don't worry, Edward." she rolled her eyes. "I'll behave, I promise, and will only buy things that you approve first. Scout's honor."
"You're not even a scout, Alice." Edward rolled his eyes.
Jasper chuckled beside her and mouthed 'thank you' to me. I smiled at him warmly, before turning to Esme.
"Would you like to join us, too?" I asked her.
She beamed at us happily, flashing us a wide grin. "Of course, Sweetheart. I'd love to join you to your shopping trip."
"Just think about all those cute baby clothes..." Alice sighed dreamily. "Tiny hats and socks and shoes... little shirts and skirts..."
"Alice, are you aware of the fact that we don't know yet if we're having a boy or a girl?" Edward stared at her sceptically. "You can't buy skirts or anything gender-specific, for that matter."
"Why not?" she looked at him confused. "Personally, I think that we should buy a whole wardrobe of clothes for both genders. It'd be the best. That way you would be prepared for both possibility properly."
"But it would be wasting money." I shook my head. "It's completely unnecessary. What are we going to do with all the girl clothes if it's a boy? And vice versa?"
"Silly Bella." she laughed. "You should know by now that money isn't a problem to us."
"I know that, Alice." I huffed. "But that doesn't mean that we should waste it."
She heaved a deep sigh. "Bella, seriously. It wouldn't really be the case, believe me. We can donate the unnecessary pieces later to charity as we often do with our own clothes."
I bit my lip hesitantly, still not fond of the idea.
"She has a point there, we really can do that, love." Edward smiled, already fond of Alice's idea.
"I know." I sighed. "It's just... I already know that I'm going to fall in love with every single piece of clothing and blanket and anything else we're going to buy. Just like last time. And it would be so hard to give up any of them... I know it's silly. I just... I don't know. After what Jacob's done with all the clothes and everything else we bought last time..."
"No, it's not silly, at all. Believe me." he shook his head softly, brushing his fingers along my cheek, caressing it tenderly. "I understand it really."
"I'm sorry, Bella." Alice pouted. "I didn't think about that."
"It's not your fault." I smiled at her. "It's just my stupid emotions again, I think. Sometimes they make me feel and do crazy things."
"And it's all natural." Carlisle chuckled.
"Well, yeah." I nodded, chuckling too.
"I think, we should decide this tomorrow." Esme suggested. "Maybe you'll change your mind in the shop."
I groaned, knowing that I, in fact, was going to change my mind in the shop. Who could resist those cute baby clothing? Especially feeling our baby moving inside me in the meanwhile.
"I think, it's a good idea." Edward chuckled and kissed my forehead lovingly. Traitor.
"Oh, it's going to be so much fun." Alice clapped her hands.
"Just don't go overboard, Alice." Edward reminded her again. "And please, try to remember that Bella is still human – at least partly - and pregnant."
I shivered at the thought of a shopping marathon in Alice's style. Not exactly what I'd had in mind originally.
"Don't worry, Edward." she frowned, annoyed. "I care about Bella, too, you know."
"I know that perfectly well and I'm not questioning your love for her, but sometimes – especially while you're in shopping mode - you tend to forget that Bella doesn't have limitless energy, like you, or that she has human needs."
"It's okay, Edward. Both you and Esme will be there to keep her at bay." I kissed his cheek softly.
"Maybe we should take Jasper, as well." he murmured worriedly.
"Edward!" Alice shrieked then crossed her arms, pouting.
Edward only shrugged innocently, while Jasper shook with silent laughter. Well, at least until Alice shot him an glare. That shut him up instantly.
"Carlisle, there's something else that happened while we were hunting." I changed the subject quickly.
"Ugh, Bella. We really don't want to hear about that." Emmett wrinkled his nose.
"Emmett!" I yelped, horrified, blushing again, furiously.
His booming laughter filled the room, though I couldn't help but notice that it wasn't so bright and cheerful as before. It was poisoned with hidden sorrow and pain.
"What happened?" Carlisle asked warily.
"We ran into a nomad vampire." Edward answered.
"What?" Esme and Alice gasped.
"There was no way for you to see it, Alice." Edward assured her. "Don't beat yourself up over it."
"A nomad?" Jasper narrowed his eyes.
"Not again." Emmett growled.
"No, he's not like that. He's a friend." Edward said. "He knows you, Carlisle. His name is Garrett."
"Garrett?" Carlisle asked, surprised. "I haven't seen him for a very long time."
"What is he doing here, in this area?" Jasper asked, still warily.
"He was looking for the Denalis. He'd like to join them for a while. To try the vegetarian lifestyle." Edward explained.
"Ah, another challenge, I guess." Carlisle chuckled, shaking his head slowly. "He's always loved big challenges."
"Yeah," Edward nodded. "But now that he knows that we have a permanent residence in this area too, he'd like to meet you and the whole family. So we can expect a visit from him soon."
"How soon?" Jasper asked.
"In a few months. I told him that we'd just moved here and were settling in, still. He doesn't want to intrude, but he's very curious, and looks forward to meet Carlisle again very much." Edward said. "He was delighted to hear what a wonderful life and family you built for yourself during the decades." he smiled at his father.
"And what was his reaction to Bella and her condition?" Esme asked, staring at me intently, love and worry shining in her golden eyes. Ever since she had found out that we were blood related, she was even more protective of me and my baby – if it was even possible –, almost as much as Edward.
"He believed she was a vampire." Edward assured her.
"He did?" Emmett raised his eyebrow in disbelief.
"She just finished off the elk when he appeared. The lifeless, bloodless body of it was still laying nearby and there was a small trail of blood in the corner of her mouth. I think, it was a pretty convincing sight, that she was obviously not human."
"And Edward became quite protective when he showed up." I noted. "He stood between us the whole time they were talking, shielding me with his body. Garrett didn't have a chance to notice that I'm pregnant."
"That's alright." Carlisle nodded, while Esme sighed in obvious relief. "Though we can't keep the existence of your child in secret forever, especially after his or her birth. It will be inevitable for others to find out about him or her sooner or later. But for all of our safety, we should keep this to ourselves as long as possible. We don't need anybody to jump into wrong conclusions about him or her."
"What conclusions?" I asked, confused.
"Bella," Carlisle sighed. "Maybe we should have talked about this a long time ago, on the day you found out about your pregnancy. I'm sorry that we missed it."
My eyes flickered briefly to Edward. He looked at me apologetically, which only confused me even more.
"First of all," Carlisle continued. "I'm sure that you're aware of the impossibility of your situation. And now I'm not talking only about your pregnancy, but your whole relationship with Edward. It's absolutely unique. There's never been a romantic relationship between a human and a vampire before. At least none of us knows about such thing."
"Not even Aro." Edward noted. "He thought about it when we were in Volterra." he explained when I looked up at him questioningly. He knew I wanted a further explanation. "That was one of his main reasons why he let us go that day. Our relationship was one of a kind and it fascinated him and also made him curious."
I nodded curtly, then shivered at the memory of the ancient vampire. It made my stomach churn.
Edward kissed my temple reassuringly.
"So as I said," Carlisle continued his explanation "there's never been a relationship among the members of the two races. At least that kind of relationship that you and Edward share."
Emmett chuckled quietly beside and I raised my eyebrow at him questioningly. "What?"
"One word, little sis'. Succubus..." he wiggled his eyebrows teasingly.
"I'm sure, you heard some vampire legends about beautiful women who seduced human men centuries ago." Carlisle jumped in, cutting off Emmett silliness, and turning the conversation serious again. "These demonic women are called succubi. According to these legends, they took the form of a highly attractive and inhumanly beautiful woman in order to seduce men, usually through sexual intercourse. They were just so alluring that it was impossible to resist them or reject them. Of course, there are also legends about their male counterpart, the incubus, a male demon who seduced beautiful, innocent human women. And these intercourses with the succubus or incubus resulted in the serious deterioration of health and - more often than not - even death."
"And those legends are really true, then?" I asked.
"Yes." Carlisle nodded. "Well, maybe not all of them, but at least they surely based on reality. You even know some of those women."
"Tanya, Kate and Irina have always loved to play with humans." Emmett said.
"The Denali sisters?" I asked. To be honest, I was not surprised at all.
"It was before they chose to live in a different way. As vegetarians." Edward said softly. "Ever since then, they value human life, the way we all do."
"But of course it doesn't stop them to flirt with any men, still, whether they're humans or vampires. Seduction is simply in their nature." Alice shrugged.
I grimaced at that, remembering all too well the way Tanya's long, thin, pale fingers had curled around my husband's thigh so intimately and even possessively only a short day before our wedding. The memory stirred my instincts and I felt a sudden urge to mark my mate. He was mine and no other female supposed to touch him that way.
I felt Edward's body tense against mine. He growled, a low, rumbling sound. "You can't think things like that." he pressed an open mouthed kiss on my temple, his lips lingered on my skin, sending small tremors of pleasure down my spine. "Later, beautiful. I promise." he breathed.
I let out a frustrated sigh, trying to erase the memories about the beautiful, strawberry blond seductress and concentrate on something else, other than claiming Edward as mine. Fortunately Carlisle decided to continue.
"I think we wandered off from the subject." he smiled at me reassuringly. "What I was trying to tell you with all of this is that every relationship that was formed between a human and a vampire before was purely physical. It was always about the vampire fulfilling his or her physical needs. There was never an emotional connection between them.
"But you and Edward... you've been different from the first moment you laid your eyes on each other. He's a vampire and you're a human, even his singer. Your life should have ended in that moment he caught your scent for the first time. But he resisted, like no other vampire before, and against all odds, he fell in love with you and formed a deep, unbreakable bond with you – stronger than what most vampires share with their mates. Then the two of you together, out of this special love, managed to create such an impossibility – bigger than your whole relationship – like this child." he gestured to my belly, smiling. "He or she is truly a miracle baby. No one has ever dreamed of the possibility of the existence of such an extraordinary creature. And to be honest, I'm not sure if it's a real possibility to any other vampire."
I furrowed my brows, not really understanding what he was trying to say.
"Do you really think that that's the case?" Edward asked in shock, staring at his father mouth agape.
"I believe, it is." Carlisle nodded. "In the past months every time I did a check up on Bella, I drew some blood from her, and later, after I checked the regular things, I used these samples to analyze them more profoundly alone. It was just a mere idea that popped into my head when you came to me with your suspicion that Bella might be pregnant, and I was trying to prove or disprove it with these searches all along."
"What are you talking about? What idea?" I asked frustrated, hating when they were having a silent conversation.
Edward pressed a few loving kisses to my cheek, rubbing my arm soothingly. "Carlisle thinks that the only reason why we managed to conceive a child is the fact that you are my singer."
"Really?" I asked, astonished.
"My searches seem to prove this theory." Carlisle nodded. "Though I haven't managed to prove it fully."
"So Edward is the only vampire who can father a child?" Emmett asked, staring at his brother.
"No. Any male vampire can father a child, but only with their singer. At least, it seems so. I'm still researching on this matter."
"That's suck." Emmett grimaced. "Honestly, whose idea was this? There's no vampire who could resist the call of the blood of their singer. Well, except Edward, but he's just... Edward. That's different."
I couldn't help chuckling at his outburst, and I wasn't the only one.
"Maybe that's the point in the whole thing." Carlisle nodded seriously. "And that's the key to the mystery of singers. Aro has always wondered about the real reason of their existence. He thought that they were born for a higher reason, other than only to bring a few minutes of heaven to a vampire."
"I don't think, it's an information that we should share with him." Jasper said.
"I agree." Carlisle nodded. "He's already too interested in Bella and what she's going to turn out as a vampire."
Edward hissed at that, pressing me closer to him possessively.
"I still don't understand it." Emmett furrowed his brows. "It just doesn't make sense. If only with his singer could a vampire conceive a child, why does the scent of her blood have to have such a strong effect on him? It just makes the whole thing totally impossible."
"I'm sure it's not accidental. It has to be that way for a good reason." Esme said.
"Maybe the answer is quite simple: natural selection." Jasper noted. "Nature makes sure that way that only the strongests of us would reproduce. After all, we're all indestructible and immortal. Just imagine what it would be like if every vampire could have children with any human anytime... personally I think it would be disastrous."
"It might be the case." Carlisle agreed. "We're one of the most powerful creatures of the world, and Mother Nature offers us a great challenge by this, and in return we could gain such an incredible prize as a child of our own."
I smiled up at Edward and he leaned to press a soft, loving kiss on my lips.
"And that's what makes Bella and Edward's child even more special and unique than we already thought." Carlisle continued. "That's one of the few very important reasons why we have to keep the existence of such a child in secret for as long as possible. We can't know how would our world react to him or her."
I sucked in a deep, shaky breath, staring at Edward, panicking. The whole situation terrified me. I just want our baby to be safe and have as normal future as he or she could possibly have. But with all of this mess surrounding him or her, how could it be possible? If the vampire world found out about this, if Aro did, would our miracle baby become a guinea pig or would they want him or her dead like in my old dream?
Jasper was by my side in a flash and rested his hands on my shoulders, trying to calm me. I let the waves of serenity wash over me, I didn't want to upset my baby too.
"It's not just our baby, love." Edward rubbed soothing circles on my upper arm. "You and me would also share his or her fate then. If Carlisle's theory about the singers is true – which is most likely the case – all three of us are quite unique creatures among vampires."
So if Aro ever learned about this, the three of us would become his primary targets. How could he resist such a temptation? His desire to enslave us would be a thousand times stronger than the way he wanted Alice now. And what would happen when he would be denied what he wanted so much?
"What's the other reason?" I asked hoarsely, turning to Carlisle again, after my brain finally registered all of his previous words properly. "You said 'reasons', as in plural."
"Yes, I did." he nodded. "And this is what I originally wanted to tell you about. You know that there aren't many rules in our world."
I nodded, listening intently, trying to forget my fears and worries.
He continued. "Actually, there's only one, that breaks down into many facets, and that is 'Keep the secret'. You know very well just how seriously the Volturi take this law."
"Yeah," I breathed.
"Every vampire has to live inconspicuously, not drawing the attention of humans with anything. We must not let them notice that we don't age or what we look like in the sunlight or how fast and strong we really are. We also must not let them get suspicious of our feeding habits, we have to keep a low profile while hunting. And of course, we have to keep control of every new vampire we create. A wild newborn, who knows no boundaries can be quite dangerous and can expose us to the world easily.
"But unfortunately there are some of us that can't be controlled, no matter what. There was a time, centuries ago, when many of our kind decided to create new vampires out of humans who were extremely young."
"Young? Children?" I asked, shocked.
"Rather toddlers only." he said.
"They bit toddlers to turn them into vampires?" I felt disgusted by those unknown, old vampires. "How could they do such thing to innocent children?" I couldn't understand what might have been their motives.
Carlisle smiled a sad smile. "They were truly beautiful. They were like tiny angels, right from heaven, completely enthralling and charming and so very adorable like no other creature of this world. You had but to be near them to love them, there really wasn't a choice in that matter. But they could not be thought, at all. They were frozen, just like every other vampire, at a very early level of development. They knew no boundaries. They didn't understand the rules. They couldn't control their thirst. They couldn't repress their bloodlust. Once they wanted blood, they went after it, not bothering about who might witness their massacre. There were no words of reason that would restrain them.
"And of course, humans saw them and stories started to circulate. The main secret of our kind was put in serious danger."
"I guess, that brought the Volturi upon them." I murmured.
"That's right." he nodded. "The Volturi became involved. They couldn't let this go on any longer. The damage was too great already."
"Did they destroy them?" I asked, already guessing the answer to that question, but unable to stop myself asking it.
"They studied them, first, between the walls of the castle of Volterra, where they could not expose us to the world, until Caius decided that immortal children were completely incapable of protecting our secret, so they had to be destroyed immediately, without mercy. And Aro agreed with him.
"But of course, it wasn't that easy. The children's covens fought against this decision. They were completely devoted to these tiny, enchanting creatures, determined to protect them with their own life till the end. But the Volturi showed no mercy. The decision had been made and the children had to die, along with those who protected them. Many lives lost then. Whole covens got eliminated. The brutal carnage shook our world like nothing else before, not even the southern wars. And ever since then, immortal children became the biggest taboo of our world. To create such a child is one of the most forbidden acts."
I took a deep, steadying breath, trying to take in every little detail of this real horror story. "Do you think that if an outsider saw our child, they would mistake him or her for an immortal child?"
"That's exactly what I think." Carlisle nodded. "He or she is obviously more than human. There are many signs of this already. The extraordinary rate he or she is growing, faster than a normal human baby; he or she is also much stronger physically than any other fetuses. I'm sure, if you hadn't started to change into a vampire, your baby would have crushed you from the inside out, already."
Edward shuddered beside me and a low, agonized growl ripped from his throat.
"That's why I think that it's crucial for the mother to start the changing process in the moment the fetus is conceived. This is what makes possible the whole pregnancy to develop. It's not an accidental side effect, as I originally thought. It's a necessity. And maybe it's another peculiarity of the vampire-singer connection, but I'm not sure of this. It's just a mere theory, really.
"And then, of course, there's your baby's gift. Or rather gifts. The ability to share his or her thoughts and memories with others and the ability to protect. Very powerful talents he or she obviously inherited from both you and Edward, with a little twist of course."
I couldn't help smiling, feeling a strong motherly pride.
"Your child is so special, so unique in so many ways." Carlisle continued. "It would be difficult enough to hide only one of these features, but the combination of all those things just makes it impossible. Only one glance will be enough for any vampire and they will surely jump into the conclusion immediately that he or she is one of the forbiddens, and it would bring the wrath of the Volturi upon our whole family. And Bella, if they come after us to punish us for breaking the law, for creating such a child, nothing will stop them, they will listen to no reason or care about any explanations. They will destroy us without mercy."
"Even if Aro wants to keep Edward and Alice so much?" I whispered breathlessly.
"Even then." he nodded. "Even if he wants you so much."
"How do you know this so surely?" I asked.
"Tanya's mother and sire, a vampire named Sasha, created an immortal child centuries ago." he explained.
"Her mother? She did that?" I asked in utter shock.
"Yes." he nodded. "She broke the law, though no one knows what could be her motives to create such a child. Not even Tanya, Kate or Irina. Sasha kept them in the dark, they were completely oblivious to the whole thing until some day the Volturi learned about Sasha's crime and came for her and the little boy."
"A boy?"
Instinctively my hands clenched around my belly, cradling my unborn baby protectively, while he or she kicked inside me. This whole story was just so horrible and reminded me of my nightmare so much.
"And this was what saved the sisters' lives. Aro touched them and saw that all three of them were innocents, that they did not know anything about what their mother had done. They hadn't so mush as seen the boy before, until that moment, let alone partaken in committing such a crime. Caius, of course, wanted them to share their mother's fate, despite Aro's unquestionable assuranceabout their innocence. He wanted to exterminate the whole coven."
I grimaced at the thought of the white haired ancient. Of course he had wanted to destroy all of them. His cruelty knew no boundaries. He loved power and thought of himself as a god, who stood above all else. Only Aro was more powerful and more dangerous than him.
"So why Aro let them live?" I asked. "I mean, he could have easily let Caius have his way and destroy the sisters too. No one would have known about their innocence. No one would have known that they were punished for something they hadn't even done."
"That's just the way Aro is." Edward said. "He likes to show mercy every now and then, like he did to us in Volterra."
"If there's something to gain in return. Or the promise of it." I murmured.
He snorted quietly.
"So what are we going to do? When Garrett and the Denalis come here to visit us?" I looked up at Carlisle questioningly. "After what happened to their mother, what will Tanya, Kate and Irina's reactions be? We can't let them endanger our family."
"We'll protect you and your baby." Esme said firmly. "Alice will see when they decide to visit us."
"I thought, the baby blocks her visions." I said confused.
"Partially." Alice nodded. "I can still see others' future. The Denalis, the Volturi, even your mother and your step-father." she grinned mysteriously. "I will see them decide to come here. Don't worry."
"We will decide how to solve the problem then, but until then you just need to focus on keeping yourself and our grandchild strong and healthy." Carlisle smiled.
"Of course." I nodded, blushing.
"And now, would you let me do that checkup on you?"
I nodded and stood up with Edward's help. He led me up the stairs into his father's office.
"Incredible." Carlisle breathed in awe about half an hour later. "Your wound, where Edward bit you, has already healed completely, leaving only a small scar behind."
I brushed my fingertips along the side of neck, grazing Edward's mark on me softly. I felt the tiny bumps on my skin where his teeth pierced through it in the heat of our passion.
"You heal in an inhumanly fast speed now." Carlisle smiled. "It's a good thing for you."
"Definitely a good thing." Edward chuckled.
"And your baby has a very strong heartbeat." Carlisle continued. "I wish we could see him or her on the ultrasound." he frowned a little.
"We'll see him or her soon enough." Esme, who had decided to join us for this checkup, patted his hand and mine gently.
"Yeah, very soon." he agreed. "It seems that your pregnancy develops in a faster rate now, according to the weight you've gained already and the size of your belly and also your hormone level."
"How much time remained, Carlisle?" Esme asked excitedly.
"I suppose, eight to ten weeks." he grinned.
"Eight... eight to... ten?" I stuttered breathlessly. "Edward," I reached for him. He pressed his forehead against mine, grinning ear-to-ear.
"Bella," he breathed my name softly.
"We're going to meet our son or daughter soon." I whispered.
"Yes, love, I know." he pressed a small kiss to the tip of my nose. "I can't wait."
"We have so much to do until then." I stroked his cold cheeks lovingly.
"Yes, we do." he nodded. "But right now, I need to put my little family into bed. You both should rest, love. It's late and tomorrow is going to be a long day."
I sighed, wrapping my arms around his neck tightly, while he lifted me up into his arms carefully. "Okay. I can't wait to see and touch those cute little clothes. Carlisle, you have to come too."
They chuckled at my dreamy expression.
"Good night, Bella." Esme kissed my forehead, then Carlisle repeated her action.
"Good night." I waved to them as Edward carried me to our bedroom. "We still have to finish unpacking." I let out a frustrated sigh as he placed me on the bed.
"We will. We have plenty of time. Don't worry." he assured me, kneeling down in front me on the carpet. "But if you want, I'll do it on my own. It wouldn't take much time in vampire speed." he winked at me.
"I know. But I'd still like to do this together." I pouted.
"Then we're going to do it that way." he smiled. "Anything you want, my Bella."
"Thanks." I blushed bright pink.
"Would you like to take a shower before going to sleep?" he asked, rubbing my thighs gently.
I shook my head. "No. Rather in the morning. I feel tired. It was a long day."
"Okay, love. Let me help you change into your pajamas then." He stood and disappeared in our monstrous closet.
"I want to sleep in one of your T-shirts." I yawned.
"Okay." he chuckled.
A few minutes later, I was snuggling to Edward's strong body, trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in and also get as close to him as physically possible, when his cell phone started to ring.
He reached for it quickly and lifted it up to his ear, pressing the pickup button. "Hello." he greeted whoever was on the other end of the line, while I rested my head on his bare chest, listening to his velvety voice. "No, she's still awake. Would you like to talk to her?"
He reached out the phone to me and I took it from him confused.
"Renée," he mouthed and my eyes widened.
"Mom?" I asked surprised.
"Bella, sweetie. How are you?" she asked, her familiar voice dripped with a strange, wild excitement.
"Fine. Actually more than fine." I smiled. "I'm very happy with Edward. He's the most wonderful husband on the face of earth."
There was a few seconds of silence that made me a bit anxious.
"Mom?"
"I'm so glad to hear that, baby." she said finally, her voice shook a little bit.
"Mom? Are you alright?" I asked worriedly, popping myself up on my elbow.
Edward hovered over me, listening intently.
"Yes. I'm just so happy for you." she cried.
"Are you crying?" I asked shocked.
"Just a little bit." she admitted, laughing. "It's nothing, really."
"Are you and Phil alright?"
"Don't worry, Bella. We're perfectly fine. Actually this is why I'm calling you." she laughed softly.
"Has something happened?" I was impatient. Her odd behavior made me uneasy.
"Yes, baby. I need to tell you something." she took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. "I thought it would be much easier to tell you." she mumbled nervously, chuckling quietly.
I bit my lip, looking up at Edward, scared. "You're frightening me. What is it?"
"Bella, I'm... I'm going to be a mother again... I'm pregnant."
"What?" I breathed in complete, utter shock.