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Chapter 41: Newborn behavior

Five days had passed since Edward's transformation.

Five days of hell.

Five days of not even thinking about Bella romantically.

Five days of taking over Rosalie's piano.

Five days of bloodlust.

"I think you owe me a rematch," Emmett said, coming behind him. He put a hand on Edward's shoulder. "Come on," he insisted.

Edward indulged him, hoping to take his mind off of his horrid thoughts.

They went outside, sitting next to the very same boulder as the last time. Edward put his elbow on it, managing to bury it into the rock. He shifted it so Emmett wouldn't say he was cheating. He knew him too well.

He's so stupid. He doesn't realize Edward is stronger than him, Rosalie thought, amused. She smiled when she caught Edward's eye, realizing he had heard her.

Edward winked, returning his attention to her husband. "Let's see what you can do, Emmett."

"Hold on. I'm thinking of a good bet."

"What about the same as last time?"

"Oh, but I stopped calling you two names a long time ago."

"Stop interrupting us," Bella informed him.

"Yes. It's not like I tried to be alone with Bella much, but when we found a few minutes alone, you happen to interrupt us," Edward hissed.

He smirked. "Fine. If I win…I'll move into your room."

"I'm not into threesomes," Edward announced to him. That earned laughter from everyone and a light scolding from Esme.

Emmett took his hand. It didn't hurt as much as he remembered. It didn't hurt at all. Edward squeezed it back, earning a hiss of pain from him. Oh, this was going to be fun!

"On three," Edward said, smirking. "One…two…three!"

Before Emmett could flex his muscles, Edward felt his muscles stretching and pulling under his skin as he slammed Emmett's arm to the boulder.

"Ow!" He shouted, snatching his hand back. The boulder had split in half.

"Oops?" Edward was not really sorry.

Bella sneaked her arms around his waist, leaving a sound kiss on his jaw. He looked at her grinning before he kissed her lips. Edward wished he could want her as he had wanted her during the honeymoon, a week ago. Maybe a part of his brain knew something was going to happen and that was why he had enjoyed every minute of their honeymoon.

"Stop brooding," she whispered. "I am not leaving. This will disappear."

"What if it doesn't? What if it will always be the blood before you?" he asked, voicing his worst fears.

"If you think about it, in my case it was the blood first before I started talking to you."

"You're not helping me," he groaned.

"Do you want to try it with me?" She asked after a few seconds.

"Try what?" He was confused.

"Yes!" Alice squealed, seeing Edward winning the arm-wrestling match with Bella.

"The boulder is broken," he pointed out. He didn't want to hurt her.

"There's another one behind the house," Alice told them, smirking.

Bella took his hand and walked behind the house with everyone else in tow. Edward heard Emmett betting on Bella with Jasper. He was just going to lose.

They knelt on either side of the boulder. This one looked more like a table, having a flat surface. Edward put his elbow gently on the surface and curled his fingers in the air, waiting for Bella to press her palm against his. She had other ideas.

Her fingers moved slowly from his elbow to his wrist causing him to shiver in pleasure. Edward was surprised to be able to feel the first sparks of arousal coursing through his new body. It was so different. She touched the same path again. This time he closed his eyes in pleasure, basking in the feeling while it lasted. Suddenly her small palm touched his as she twined their hands.

"Ready?" she whispered.

Edward was thoroughly dazzled by her touch. He nodded, not sure if he could talk.

"One…Two…Three."

Edward strained his muscles, not allowing her to move his hand. Bella frowned, pushing against his hand with all her might. When he thought she was going to give up, she leaned forward, watching him square in the eye. Then she pressed her lips to his, prying them open with her tongue. Edward gave her access since his body seemed to be in tune with his mind and heart for once.

His hand hit the boulder as Bella wrenched her lips from his, grinning cunningly.

"You're such a tease," he hissed, narrowing his eyes at her.

"I never said I play fair."

"I'm a rich man!" Emmett shouted. "I had faith in Ruby!"

"That means you lost," Edward said at the same time as Bella.

"But…Bella won."

"Yes, I'm no longer Ruby. I passed the title to Edward." She winked, pinching Emmett's cheek.

Edward returned his eyes to her golden ones. "You cheated! I demand a rematch!"

"Edward, you have to get used to it. Vampires like to cheat a little," Esme said softly.

"Since we cheated death and all that shit," Emmett explained theatrically.

Edward rolled his eyes, getting up and going back to the piano. He didn't make it very far.

Help Bella pack the things in her house and then go over to your house and pack whatever you want, Alice told him silently.

Edward turned around, grabbed Bella's unsuspecting hand and dragged her to her house.

There wasn't much to pack in her cottage and it was done in under an hour.

"Sit down," she demanded when he suggested they go to his house.

Edward sat on the couch, remembering some dim human memories of them there – playing cards, kissing, learning about her for the first time, their disastrous first time.

"You're going to stop this, right now!"

"Stop what?" Edward asked, confused.

"This!" Her arms raised then fell to her side with a little thud. "I was there too. Everyone's been where you are now. Why don't you talk to Emmett about this? You're in the same situation…almost. Rose was a vampire before him."

"In Emmett's case, he didn't know what he was losing, what he was missing out on. I know what we had last week, Bella!" He shouted. "I couldn't keep my hands to myself on our honeymoon! Honeymoon," he snorted, rolling his eyes. "I think it ended the second we left the island."

She sighed heavily. "I know how you feel. Do you realize that it will always be like this, don't you? I explained this before. You said you wanted it. You never fully understood the extent of what this life meant." She looked at him gravely. "Being a vampire isn't unicorns and rainbows, Edward. It's gruesome. I told you before."

"I was willing to take this risk…to become a slave to blood just to be with you! I thought- I hoped that I'd be able to go back to what we had before my transformation."

"And we will. Give it some time." Bella twined their fingers, bringing them to her lips. "Think about how humans have to grow up to have their first kiss. A newborn is thinking only of food, right?"

Edward nodded, for the first time comparing this to human life. It was the same, although it was so, so different. He brought their hands to his lips, kissing her knuckles.

"I love you, Bella."

"I love you, too, Edward."

They moved her packed things from the cottage to her room in the main house before going hunting. Edward had to take all the precautions if he wanted to hug his parents one last time.

When they knocked on his parents' door, it was a little after seven. The sun was low and behind the heavy clouds. He couldn't wait to go somewhere in the sun. He was curious about how he looked. Would he find his skin as fascinating as he had found Bella's?

His father answered the door, deep in discussion on the cordless phone. His eyes widened.

I almost forgot how beautiful they are, he thought before meeting his son's eyes. You didn't hear that!

Edward tried not to show any reaction, but he was too funny.

"Come in," he mouthed. "Yes, Monday. First thing in the morning," he grumbled into the phone. The man on the other end was damn insistent about talking to his lawyer sooner than Monday. "Look, Chris! I have a family! I had…" He gulped loudly, closing the front door after them. "I just lost my son," he whispered. The other man started apologizing.

Edward led Bella to the living room where he slumped on the couch. Bella rubbed his hand, trying to relax him.

"Will it always be so hard to be around humans?"

"No. Besides, you're doing better than expected. You weren't supposed to be around humans for at least one year," she whispered. She was proud of him.

Edward grinned; glad he was skipping some newborn steps – not the ones he wanted, apparently.

"Hello, my dears," his mom said from the doorway. "I have something for you." Can I come closer?

Was everyone going to ask one thing verbally and something else in their mind?

"I guess." He shrugged. "And hello."

She beamed and approached them slowly. Was she afraid? God, Edward hoped she wasn't. He wanted to hug her later.

She stopped in front of him and dropped something on his lap. That's when Edward focused on the scents and sounds around him. Ginger's small heart was thumping loudly as he stood on his knees, his back arched, all his hair standing up. Edward reached a hand to touch him only to have the cat drop on the floor and go back to his mom.

"What the…? He was used to Bella."

"Maybe she didn't want to eat him," she teased. She freaking joked about his diet.

"MOM!" Edward shouted scandalized. As open as they were about this, he didn't want to talk to her about his diet.

"What? Am I wrong?"

"Yes! I don't want to…hurt the cat. For the last time!" Edward groaned.

Why was everyone under the impression that he would hurt Ginger? First, he was his pet, and second, he was a small kitten – well not so small since he had grown up quite a bit since the last time he had seen him.

"What brings you here so late?" His dad asked, finally joining them.

"We want to pack. We're leaving tomorrow," Bella explained.

"Oh…so soon," his mom murmured, sitting next to her son without even realizing it.

It was now or never. Edward took a huge breath that burned down his throat then stopped breathing. He wrapped his arms around her, putting his head on her shoulder.

She froze. Is he comfortable? What is he doing?

"'Mkay," he mumbled.

Just then did she relax, hugging him back. It felt surreal to be back in her arms. Why was he so against hugs and kisses when he was human? He had never felt better than now. She was calming him. Her heart was thumping wetly against his cheek, but he didn't give it much thought.

Her fingers started moving through his hair slowly, as she used to do when he was little, before he fell asleep. A lump formed in Edward's throat and his eyes stung. He wanted to cry.

He heard Bella getting up and leaving the room, but he didn't move. He wanted to remember this moment for the rest of eternity.

"Can I join you?" His dad asked in a thick voice.

Edward nodded. He was determined to say goodbye to both of them, like a normal person.

His dad sat on the spot Bella had vacated and wrapped his arms around both of them. It was excruciating to be between them, encased in their warm, pulsing bodies, but Edward kept the monster at bay. He had to.

Bella's laughter snapped his concentration. As soon as he took a whiff of their scents, Edward realized he had to move. He escaped from the embrace and was on the other side of the room before they realized he wasn't between them anymore. He wanted to be upset with Bella for interrupting his time with them, but it was for the best.

His mom was the first to realize she was only hugging her husband. Then she looked around and found him in the doorway.

"I'm going to help Bella," Edward said lamely and rushed up the stairs.

The window of his room was opened widely, letting clean air inside.

"Thank you," he whispered.

"Oh, Edward! You have to see this!" She giggled.

She was on his bed, sitting Indian style, looking through a thick baby blue book. He'd know the cover from a thousand miles away. His photo album. Since he was born. Fuck.

Edward snatched it from her hands, closing it and throwing it on the other side of the room.

"You were a cute baby."

"Shut up!" He groaned, opening his closet and grabbing the suitcase. As he started throwing clothes in it, Bella pushed him away, rolling her eyes.

"You're such a boy, honestly!"

Edward allowed her to fold the clothes and make sure they fit in the suitcase. He sat on the floor, taking apart the small cat house. Only Alice would buy a house for a cat.

"Edward!" Bella gasped. "I always wondered where those went."

He peeked at her and his eyes widened when he saw what she was holding. Shit. Edward was sure if he were human, he'd be beet red. "You….they were in my bed…one morning…"

"And you decided to steal my panties?"

"I borrowed them," he announced to her, regaining some confidence.

"Without my consent. You do realize you have had them for over a year?"

"Yes? Your point?" He asked, returning his attention to the house.

"What did you do with them? I've been with you every night!" she exclaimed.

"Wouldn't you like to know," he teased.

"I'm serious, Masen!"

Edward went to her and grabbed the panties. They were red lace boy shorts. He remembered how divine she'd looked in them. After stuffing them in his pants pocket, he kissed her nose, going back to packing the demolished cat house.

"And Bella?" he said, nonchalantly. She was watching him incredulously.

"Yeah?" she breathed.

"Some nights…you were hunting." He let the words hang in the air, letting her understand what he'd done before adding, "Besides…in May after studying for hours and you weren't here…"

"I wonder why I wasn't here," she said sarcastically.

Edward shrugged noncommittally before going downstairs to grab a plastic bag for the sand. He tried to remember where his mom kept them, but try as he might, he couldn't remember.

"What are you looking for?" His mom asked from the kitchen's doorway. "Let me help you before you destroy my kitchen."

He chuckled. "A plastic bag."

She looked confused but reached for the upper cabinet and opened the door, taking a paper bag from there.

"For the sand," he explained.

"Oh, you're taking the cat?"

That was the first time Edward realized she would like to keep him. His hand dropped before he could take the bag from her. He should have asked her.

"Oh, no! Take him, honey. He's yours." She looked sad. Ginger would be the last connection to him.

"I'll come back after him. In a few years."

"Edward, you listen to me! Ginger is yours. I'm sure he'd love to go with you," she said softly.

After the cat's earlier actions, Edward was sure he'd love to stay with his parents. "It will give me an excuse to visit," he said off-handedly.

Her eyes welled up with tears and she hugged him before Edward could stop her. He panicked, not sure how to react. It was too much.

"Mom," he warned her, extricating himself from her embrace. "Sorry."

"No, no. I'm sorry."

Why? I'm the monster, he thought mournfully. "I'm going to help Bella finish. Oh, and what is the photo album doing in my room?"

"I looked over it when I thought…when Esme called and told us…" She trailed off.

He touched her arm on his way out the kitchen. Bella was finished with the closet when Edward slipped inside his old room.

"What else?" She asked as if she hadn't heard the exchange from downstairs.

"Non-school books from my desk. I'm going to empty the nightstand drawers."

"I'm so sorry," she whispered after a few moments. A small choked sound escaped her lips.

Edward put the drawer on his bed and went to her. She was hunched over his desk, trying not to cry. He hugged her to his chest. "Why?" he murmured in her hair.

"Isn't it obvious, Edward? I destroyed your family! I always feared that this would happen when you were like me."

"I repaired my family with the decision to let them know I wasn't actually dead. Besides, you are my family now, Mrs. Masen."

Bella turned in his arms and clutched to the front of his shirt. "That means you aren't upset with me for changing you without your permission?"

"Bella," he snorted. "You had my permission since I realized this was the inevitable next step in our relationship!"

She smiled, snuggling closer. He raised her chin and dropped his head to kiss her.

"Tonight, when we go back, I want to be with you."

"I would like that," she murmured against his lips. "Now, let me snoop through your things." She gave him a playful shove, turning around.

Edward slapped her ass earning a gasp and a pencil to the side of his head. It broke on contact. He chuckled, turning upside down the drawer and emptying it on the bed.

"Holy shit! It looks like a trash can exploded in here."

She laughed. "Is there something you haven't told me?"

Edward glanced over his shoulder to see a stack of wallpapers from the bottom of his desk. He had forgotten about them.

"They've been there for at least four years, Bella."

"Seriously? You haven't cleaned in four years?"

"Mom cleaned it," he explained, feeling weird for admitting that his mother was cleaning his room.

"Poor Elizabeth. But the posters are quite beautiful."

"Bella, cut it out! They're just actresses!"

"Do you want them?"

"Yes."

Edward started sorting through the mess of his first drawer. Pens, bits of paper, a bracelet of shells. He stopped at that, admiring it. He had forgotten about it, like he had forgotten about many things. It was from two years ago when Leah had the idea of making friendship bracelets. Edward was the only boy who managed to make one. Jake had broken every shell when pushing it on the wire and Seth had cut his fingers, so Edward ended up exchanging his with Leah's.

"That's beautiful," Bella whispered from under his arm where she had poked her head a second ago.

"Yes, it is. Leah made it. Mine looked horrible, I'm glad she ended up with it."

"You exchanged shell bracelets?" she asked, laughing.

"I was the only boy to be able to make one, thank you very much."

"Oh, handyman."

He dug his fingers in her sides. "I'll show you handyman, you little tease."

She shrieked, trying to escape. He was stronger, something he loved about being a newborn. Probably the only thing he loved about it.

He heard his dad approaching his bedroom, wondering what they were doing. Edward let go of Bella, but not before he gave her a kiss. He realized he could think of other things if he was fed properly.

"What are you doing to the poor girl?" His dad asked from the doorway.

Bella was rubbing her left side, glaring at Edward playfully. Had he hurt her? It was possible since he didn't know how much pressure to apply.

"We were cleaning."

He rolled his eyes. "Do you need another pair of hands?"

"You don't have to…" Edward started saying.

"Nonsense. I'd love to help you pack."

"So we'll finish faster and you'll send us out the door and go to sleep?" He joked.

"You guessed."

His mom joined them when she came looking for her husband, a few minutes later. Edward was glad she and Bella were on the other side of the room.

Besides useless crap, Edward had empty condom wrappers in his drawer and empty boxes of condoms. He hoped his dad wouldn't mention them, but Murphy's Law took actions.

"I thought you didn't need them." Trust him to remember their conversation of so long ago about Bella not being able to have children. "Well, now I understand why she can't get pregnant."

"Dad," he hissed, glancing over his shoulder. Bella was in deep conversation with his mom about the pictures on his desk. "Isn't it like an unwritten law that a parent and a kid shouldn't talk about that shit?"

"But I'm just curious."

She used them for blowing me. How do you like that for an answer? "Some things are better left unsaid," Edward muttered.

He laughed, clapping his son on the back before wincing. Edward wasn't happy he got hurt, but he couldn't help but smirk. "See what happens if you don't mind your own business?"

They continued working in silence until he became aware of where his mom and Bella had disappeared. They were downstairs, looking over the baby photos.

"Why is Mom still keeping those embarrassing photos?" he whispered to his dad.

"She was waiting for your wife to see them."

"It would have been nice to break the tradition."

"You don't have many indecent pictures," he said seriously. "My parents used to let me run naked around the house when I was little. I used to pose. So young and stupid," he said under his breath. "Your mom nearly peed herself when she saw them. I had to be near her and endure it all while your grandma showed her every photograph, explaining it. It took an entire day."

"Ouch."

"Yeah, you can say it again."

"Thank you, MOM!" Edward shouted so she could hear him.

Whatever for? She wondered silently.

"I'm going to join them. Coming?" He asked his dad. They were done sorting through his stuff.

When Edward reached the living room, he perched on the armrest of the couch. "For not taking embarrassing photos of me," he answered. Then his eyes fell on the one Bella was looking at.

His toddler self was in dirt outside, surrounded by plastic toys…and he was fascinated by his…cock.

"I take it back," Edward mumbled, cringing as they started laughing.