Trials of Discovery

Isle Esme

Edward was secretive about where he was taking his husband for their honeymoon. Husband! It was foreign to his tongue and totally welcomed. Jacob was his husband now. The wedding tired him out, so the wolf slept on the plane. It was a dreamless sleep. As Edward traced the defined lines on his new husband's face, he heard that odd hum again. In fact, the further away they got from Forks, the louder the Sound became. 'Why can't he hear it?'

"Why can't I hear what?" Jacob was freshly awake from his nap.

"It's not important. It's just a noise that was bothering me back in Forks."

"Mm 'kay. Are we there yet?"

"We still have a couple of hours. Go back to sleep."

'Don't have to tell me twice.' Jacob snuggled closer to Edward. His breath warmed Edward's neck.

Edward grinned at his husband's adorable antics. 'Maybe it's because his heart beats so loudly that he can't hear the extra noise. I wonder what it is.'

They arrived in Brazil and after a quick stretch, they boarded a cab. The route took them through streets busy with people partying. Whatever the celebration, Jacob wanted to take part in it. They got out of the cab when it seemed like traffic was stopped indefinitely.

"Come on!" Jacob pulled Edward out of the car. When they got to where the rest of the people were, Jacob pulled him close. Edward could feel his chiseled chest through the fabric of their button-down shirt. "My turn to lead," the shifter breathed. With his arms around his vampire's waist, his hands traveled down to the middle of his (Edward's) pelvic region.

Edward turned his face back and used his arms to anchor himself to Jacob's head. They moved to the slow rhythm of the Latin beats. Fire burned in their eyes and steam flowed from their lips as they kissed. They got back to their cab because their chauffer had half a mind to leave them and sell their stuff.

Once they loaded their things onto the motor boat, Edward drove to Isle Esme. They arrived at a split-level house with huge glass panes and no obvious door. Jacob supposed he should be used to places like this, considering who he married, but he still stared in wonder. He touched one of the panes and it moved like a revolving door. He stepped inside. Everything looked so homey, but with that layer of elegance he had come to expect from his in-laws.

"What do you think?"

"I think that…well, I'm afraid to touch anything. I think I'll break it."

"If you do, we have people on-call to fix it," Edward smirked.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Jacob pulled his husband to him and kissed him.

"Let me show you the rest of the house."

The master bedroom was large and white with a bed to match. There is a separate blue room, it was smaller and it matched the master room in all but color and size. "I like it. It's very open. Is this your place?"

"No, it's Esme's. She's letting us use it while we're on our honeymoon."

"When did she buy it?"

"It was a gift from Carlisle, actually. It's called Isle Esme."

"Cool, cool. A whole island named after her."

"I could get you an island, too. If that's what you want, I mean."

"Sure!"

"Just like that," Edward snorted.

"Yeah, I'm not gonna pass up owning an island!"

"Ah! So that's why you married me," he teased. "For the island."

"Actually, I married you for your fine ass, but the island is a nice bonus." Jacob squeezed his husband's stone-hard ass. "Mm. Cold and hard. Just like I like it," he mouthed on Edward's neck. He kissed a trail to Edward's lips and from there the newlyweds christened their entrance to the beach house with sweet kisses.

"Do you want to see the beach?"

"I'd love to." Jacob tucked himself to Edward's side. They walked on the smooth-as-glass sand. "Wow. The moon looks huge tonight."

Edward didn't respond. He was too entranced by the contentedness he felt with his soulmate beside him. "What?"

"I said, we should take a swim."

"Sounds like fun." The couple took off their clothes and entered the cool salty water. Once again, Edward was speechless. He couldn't believe that this magnificent creature beside him was his and his alone.

"What is it, Beautiful?" Jacob interrupted his thoughts.

"I should be saying that to you." Edward saw the blood rush to Jacob's cheeks. Everything was so silent. All he could hear was Jacob's heart and breathing and the other noise. It wasn't as erratic as it usually was. It was calmer, almost as if the Sound was sleeping.

Suddenly, water sprayed Edward's face. "Glad I could get your attention," Jacob remarked with his wolfy smirk.

"Oh, you always have my attention." Edward retaliated equally. This started a water war of sorts. They were like children, playing in the water without care. The moon set a bit before they stopped and laid on their clothes on the beach. Edward was tracing the pectoral muscles on Jacob. "You are very childish."

"Me? You started it."

"No, I did not. You sprayed me first."

"I just wanted you to stop spacing out. You've been doing that a lot lately. We're on our honeymoon, we should be paying attention to us only."

"Allow me to rectify that." Edward picked up his new husband and carried him in a bridal-style.

"The hell?!" Jacob held onto Edward's slender and strong neck.

Edward ignored Jacob's demands to be put down. "It's in my job description to carry you across the threshold. I'm nothing if not traditional."

Jacob didn't say anything until he was placed on top of the cotton sheets of the white room. "What's with everyone treating me like a chick? I know they're just playing, but I don't think I need to remind everyone that I am a guy."

Edward lowered himself to kiss him. "Well, you are taking my last name."

"Who said anything about that," Jacob moaned in to the kiss. "Why don't you take mine?"

"Edward Black?" He kissed the russet skin under Jacob's ear. "Doesn't really suit me." His icy tongue traced the areola around Jacob's right nipple. "Jacob Cullen, though, has a certain ring to it."

Jacob whimpered. "I like the sound of Edward Black. Jacob Cullen, I don't know." He pulled Edward back to his face. "But maybe you could convince me to change it." The fire in his coffee eyes told Edward all he needed to know to convince his husband of the name change.

Wood splintering and the sounds of whimpering and moans with a couple of screams at the end. Those were the sounds the came from their bedroom that night. In the moments between the moans and pleas, it sounded like steam was being created from the contact of intense chill meeting intense warmth. Finally, the bedframe was wrecked, the sheets were torn beyond repair and a very tired wolf shifter rested his head on the chest of his freezing husband. Freezing to others, but to him, it was perfect.

Edward held his husband and waited for him to dream. Jacob's dreams were more colorful this time around. He was in his dad's living room watching TV in his boxers and his favorite Ninja-Turtles t-shirt. Suddenly, he heard, "Jake! Breakfast!"

"Coming!" He eagerly sat down. In front of him was a stack of pancakes, bacon, sausage, the works. He served himself some apple juice. "This looks great!"

"I'm glad you think so," the voice replied. The person speaking dropped what she was doing at the stove and sat down at the table with Jacob and the person holding a newspaper.

"Mom?"

"Oh, Jake. My little cub." Sarah Black née Wilde reached across the small table to hold her son's hand. "I never wanted this life for you."

"Which one? Me as a wolf?" More cautiously he continued, "Or me and Ed?"

"I sure hope she's not talking about my son," another voice came from behind the newspaper. The person put the paper down and folded it neatly before placing it on the table. The woman who did this looked so familiar. Her hair and eyes that until now was hidden behind the newspaper, he knows he has seen them before.

"Mrs. Masen?" Jacob was now too aware that he was only in his boxers.

"Please, call me Elizabeth or Mother or even Liz. Your mother is particularly fond of the last one." While his mom was dressed in clothes that were more for comfort, Elizabeth dressed has a formal dress and corset with vertical lines on it and ruffles in the middle.

"You and Ed, you look so alike."

"Yes, I know. Junior never really liked that much, growing up. He always wanted to be more masculine looking like his father."

"And to answer both your questions," Sarah intervened. "I mean you as a wolf."

"So, you like Ed, then?"

"Both of you are beautiful together."

"Yes, you and Junior complete each other." It elated Jacob to hear both his mom and mother-in-law say that. "But right now, we have something else to discuss that is of the utmost importance."

"She's right, baby. We need to talk about the changes you'll be going through."

"Kind of late for that, Mom."

"Jacob. Listen to me, the changes you will go through are different from Shifting."

"The changes you go through," Elizabeth added. "You will need them to save Edward. Please, Edward is in danger."

"What's going to happened to Ed," he pressed.

"I'm sorry, this happened because of me."

"What are you talking about? Just tell me what's after Ed. Is it the Volturi," he asked more urgently.

"Tell Edward that I'm so sorry," Sarah pleaded to her son.

"Please, save our Edward," Elizabeth implored.

Their voices started to fade and the light got brighter.

Jacob woke up with a start. He took a sharp, shallow breath and settled back on top of Edward. "It was longer this time."

"What do you think they were trying to warn you about?"

"I don't know." Jacob sat up a bit and took in his surroundings. "What the hell happened to our room?"

"We happened," Edward smirked.

"We've never done this much damage before."

"Well, this room is old. Esme hasn't gotten around to reinforcing the bedframe with wrought iron."

"Oh, God. There are feathers everywhere. Any chance that we could get those repair people here?"

"They'll be here tomorrow morning."

"Cool. So, what are we doing today?"

The couple hiked the entire day and stopped by a waterfall and had sex there too. They decided to spend the night in the forest. "It's odd, don't you think," Edward remarked.

"What?"

"Being here, truly alone. No siblings or packmates or parents to disrupt us."

"Yeah, it's nice. I don't think I've had this much silence in like over a year, but you know, I kind of miss the noise."

Speaking of noise, The Sound, as Edward dubbed it, was practically singing since this morning. It was especially active when they cannonballed down the waterfall. Now, it was dim. 'I guess you're sleeping now.'

"Who's sleeping?"

"It's nothing. It was just a stray thought."

"You've been having a lot of those lately and you've been spacing out a lot, too."

"I know, I'm sorry."

"Wanna tell me what's been bothering you?"

"I don't know how to begin."

"Look, I want you to tell me, but I'm not gonna make you. So, when you feel up to it, I'll be here."

"Always?"

"Always." Through the trees, they saw the full moon. "It's bigger today than yesterday." Neither man knew that Jacob's eyes started glowing a dark red.

In the morning, Edward and Jacob traveled back to the split-level house. "The repairmen should be here within the hour."

"Alright, I'm gonna take a shower."

"I'll get started on breakfast, then."

"Can I get–"

"Extra bacon and sausage?"

"It's like you read my mind." Jacob left with a chaste kiss. As Jacob was scrubbing himself clean, he felt a slight movement in his abdomen, but dismissed it. By the time he got out of the shower and dressed in cargo shorts and a forest green V-neck t-shirt, the housekeepers/ repairmen had arrived.

Edward was guiding the elder Brazilian couple inside the house. "Jake, this is Gustavo and Kaure. They're our housekeepers." In Portuguese, he spoke "Este é meu marido,Jacob." (This is my husband, Jacob.) The couple greeted Jacob warmly and excused themselves to see to the damaged room. "We'll just leave them to it, then."

Jacob noticed Kaure's apprehension to Edward. As the housekeepers tended to the wrecked room, he asked. "Does she know about you?"

"She suspects. She's native Tacuna and they have legends of blood-drinking demons that prey on beautiful men and women."

"And you have me here all alone. All to yourself." The couple cuddled on the sofa and watched a few slasher flicks.

It was sunset when Gustavo and Kaure were finished. "Tenho um presente para o seu marido." (I have a gift for your husband.) Kaure smiled kindly to Jacob. In her hand was a purple plant that looked like lavender. Jacob reached for it, but then he started feeling dizzy. He nearly fell on top of Edward. Through Kaure's thoughts, Edward saw that Jacob's eyes glowed a deep crimson color. "Lobisomem," she awed. (Werewolf.)

"My head hurts," groaned Jacob after the housekeepers left.

"I didn't know you were allergic to anything."

"Only when I was a kid." Edward handed him a glass of water. "Thanks. My mom used to grow these weird flowers, but I'd always get sick, so she stopped." He saw Edward's solemn expression. "I'm okay, don't worry so much."

"Your eyes glowed."

Jacob went straight to a mirror. "Are they doing that now? I thought that being a wolf meant no allergies."

"Evidently, that isn't the case."

"What are you thinking about?"

"There's something I need to tell you. It's why I've been so pensive lately. I've been hearing this noise around you lately. It started off as a hum and I thought someone was spying on us at first, but the Sound kept going and lately I've grown so used to it that I almost expect it to be there."

"You've been spacing out because of a noise? What's so important about that?"

"The Sound goes wherever you go. Are you sure you don't hear it?"

"I would've told you if I had. Whatever you're hearing, I'm not." Jacob paused. "How come you told me about it now?"

"When Kaure tried to give you that flower, the Sound was going crazy. I felt a surge of power coming from you. It's going to sound ludicrous, but I think the Sound was trying to protect you from it."

"Not gonna lie, that does sound a bit crazy. We're talking about a noise, Ed."

"I know, but remember what your mother said? You are going through changes. Maybe the Sound was part of the change and then with your eyes glowing…all I'm saying is that it's worth looking into."

"Yeah, okay, but not tonight. My head still hurts."

Jacob rested peacefully that night until he entered REM sleep. His mom and mother-in-law were at the table again. Like before, they would say Save Edward and I'm sorry.

"I'm tired of these damn dreams," Jacob emphasized. Edward tried to tire him out during the day, so that his nights were more peaceful, meaning no dreams. Finally, his labors to tire his husband worked, but in all the effort, he forgot to feed himself.

For the first time during their honeymoon (two weeks), Jacob woke up alone. On the nightstand, he saw the note that Edward left.

If you find this note, it means that I'm not back yet from hunting. I would've taken you with me, but you looked too serene to disturb. –Edward.

"Now I feel bad. Hope you get back soon," Jacob sighed to himself. He explored the fridge and found some of the food that Kaure had left for them. She and Gustavo had come to the island on and off the last few weeks. According to Edward, she had started to suspect that Jacob was the true monster and she carried that strange flower with her and held it out each time Jacob was near.

Other than that, the couple believed she was harmless. Jacob heats up the casserole in the oven and decides to eat straight from the pan. He gets a few bites in and then he started feeling nauseous. He smelled the casserole more closely. It stunk like that flower! He ran to the bathroom as fast as he could and started to throw up the food he had eaten.

Edward had come back in time to see him upchuck in the toilet. "Get out of here Ed," he said weakly. "You don't need to see me like this. I'm gonna kill her."

"Tell me who and I'll help," Edward responded playfully.

"Your homicidal housekeeper. She tried to poison me!"

"WHAT!" Edward growled. He saw in Jacob's mind what had occurred. He went to the kitchen to inspect the poisonous food. "She hid it in the cheese. I think she hoped she could cover up the smell that way." He threw the plate across the ocean. He got closer to his wolf who was sweating through his clothes and holding on to his abdomen tightly.

"It hurts so much, Ed!"

"We need to get you to Carlisle, quickly."

"What are we gonna do? Pump me full of Benadryl until we get to Forks?"

"If we have to, then yes."

"I'll be fine in a couple of minutes. I feel better already," Jacob strained.

"The Sound is going crazy right now. The flower is affecting it too," Edward said without paying attention to Jacob's words.

"It's just a dumb noise, Ed. I'm telling you, I'm fine." Then, Jacob screamed. His insides felt like they were contorting. Something was twisting them. He was burning up. It was worse than when he shifted for the first time.

"Jake!" Edward picked him up and put him on the bed. "Don't worry, love. I'll get you help."

He packed their belongings and high-tailed to a private airport where a plane was waiting for them to take off. Edward never left Jacob's side, or rather, Jacob didn't let Edward go more than a foot away from him. Whatever was hurting him, hurt less when Edward was near.

On the plane, as they settled in their seats, they discovered that a mass started to grow on Jacob's tummy. They thought that Jacobs stomach was getting swollen with blood. Upon their discovery, Alice had called. Edward and Jacob had disappeared from her vision completely.

Near Chico, California

"He's your grandpa, maybe you should forgive him," said Bree. They were traveling in a rental car. Her and Riley were in the back and Edie and Charlie were in front.

"I don't see why forgiveness is even a factor. It's not like I didn't expect this from him."

"What I'd like to know is how you got Bree and me passports and first-class tickets?"

"However, you did it," Charlie interrupted "I don't want to know. Sounds illegal."

"It's not illegal if you don't get caught," Edie remarked, then relented when Charlie raised an eyebrow to her.

"I thought we were going to San Francisco. Why are we in Chico?" Riley asked when they passed the city sign.

"We're not stopping here," Charlie answered for Edie. "We're going to see a friend of mine and collect some clues."

"What kind of clues," Bree queried.

"Werewolf DNA," Edie answered matter-of-factly.

"Why didn't get some from the pack then?"

She hit Riley and Bree on their head. "Why did you hit me? He's the one who asked."

"This way, you both learn at the same time. The pack are wolf shifters, not actual Children of the Moon, or werewolves as you put it."

"I thought you said that there weren't any."

"There are still some packs around. There are even some hunters, but they don't know about us."

"Hunters?"

"Yeah. It's just a family who think they're the saviors of humans. They hunt the werewolves relentlessly."

"Do they ever kill anything?"

"They've been honing their skills for centuries. At some point, they have to."

"But the secret is exposed. Don't the Volturi intervene," the question came from Charlie.

"They could, but the hunters are doing them a favor by hunting the wolves."

"That's awful, but it makes sense." The car came to a stop at a sheriff's office. "We're here." Bree and Riley stayed in the car. "Hi," Charlie greeted the front desk clerk. "I'm looking for an old friend of mine. His name is No–"

"Charlie!" A man with sandy blond hair greeted them from an office with glass for walls. "You can let them in, Deputy Clark."

"Hey, Noah. It's been a long time. How's your son?"

"He's okay. He's in high school now. How've you been Bella?"

"I'm sorry, Sir. I'm not Bella. I'm Agent Sarah Cullen."

"My bad. So, Charlie, Sarah, what brings you to my county?"

"You're Sheriff now? Congrats. We're here because our investigation brought us here. There's some trouble in Forks and we found a connection to an arson case here from a few years ago."

"It would help if we could see the sight for ourselves," Edie insisted. "And any survivors left from the case."

"Well, I can give you directions to the sight and you can look with discretion. As for survivors, the only one in town is in a coma and the other two left after the funerals."

"That's a shame. Thanks for the help, Noah."

"No problem, Charlie. Can I ask what the investigation is about?"

Edie answered. "We're looking into a string of murders that are covered up by a family that originated in France."

"France?"

"Yes. If I were you, I'd keep an eye out for any arms dealers and security firms moving into the area."

Charlie and Edie went to the car and drove deep into the woods to a burnt-out shell of a three-story home that must have housed at least ten or twenty people.

"This place stinks worse than the pack."

"It's supposed to. This house was home to a very large werewolf pack until a crazy woman decided to burn it with them inside."

"I smell something else," said Bree.

"That's scorched flesh, Bree," Charlie confirmed.

"Yeah, I get that, but it's different from the nasty dog smell."

"It's humans. It's customary for some packs to have humans in them." Edie breathed deeply. "The woman who killed this pack also killed many humans."

"Isn't the number one rule not to get humans involved," asked Riley.

"Children of the Moon don't live by our rules. If they did, then they wouldn't have hunters after them. Come on, we need to start looking. I want to get to San Francisco by tomorrow."

"What are we looking for?"

"Anything that smells especially bad. Any symbols that connect this place to a pack." By the time they were done, the vampires had traumatized noses.

"Edie! I found something in the basement," Charlie exclaimed.

The trio went down to find Charlie. "Is that a vault?"

"Yeah. It's one of those that banks use. You think the spirals mean something?"

"We could pry it open and find out," Riley suggested.

"We can't. It needs to be intact for when the owners come back. Let's take a picture and cover our scents."

They packed up the rental and went to the hospital where Charlie and Edie went to visit the coma patient. From there, the group went to the nearest airport.

San Francisco, California

They arrived at their hotel that night. "How are you gonna handle that witch coven tomorrow" Charlie voiced.

"Witches? Like pointy hats and spells," asked Bree.

"Yes, but this coven doesn't really use the hats. Don't track water inside, guys. This is a five-star hotel."

"Jeez, okay," Riley griped mildly. "So, we're contacting witches tomorrow. Do they know about vampires?"

"Yeah, but not everything."

The next day, the group was parked outside an early 20th-century manor. Riley and Bree had their jackets and hats on and their hands in their pockets. "What's our cover," Riley queried.

"We're a coven of vampires from Washington and we need their help to stop the Human Holocaust of the 21st century."

"Ha-ha. Wait, seriously?"

They walked up the stairs to the wooden double doors with stained glass windows. Charlie knocked on the door. "What are you doing?" She stared bewildered at Charlie.

"Proving that being the only human here means that I'm the only one brave enough to actually knock."

A little boy around six or seven years old answered the door. "Hi!"

"Hi," Edie answered back. "Is your mommy or your aunts around?"

"Yeah," the little blond boy said.

"Can you go get them, please?"

A couple minutes later, a short brunette woman came to the door. She reminded them a bit of Alice. "Hi! Why don't you come in?" When the group got through the door, they froze on the spot.

"Tell me again, why I didn't just blow them up?" Another brunette woman, older than the previous one, griped.

"Because they're not evil, they're in pain. They need our help," replied the empathic middle sister.

"Whatever the situation, I'm ready with potions," said the youngest sister.

"See? Now, unfreeze them."

The eldest sister reluctantly did so. The group from Washington kept their balance mostly as they got out of their frozen state. "We need your help."

"We know. I saw you in my premonition."

"Okay, great. Then, I'll get straight to the point. I need you guys to do a genealogy report."

"What exactly are you looking for," asked the youngest sister witch.

"There is no biological way that I was able to be conceived, yet here I am. I need to know if there was some sort of magical component to my conception."

"We'll need your blood and DNA samples to compare to the other magical components."

"I have two here," Edie tossed them the bag with werewolf hair in it, plus a second one. "I just need like a test tube or something for another one."

The youngest witch sister disappeared then reappeared with something in her hand. "Will this work?"

"Thanks." Once the glass was filled, Edie gave it back to the witches. "Don't touch it directly. It's venom."

It took some time to come up with a proper method to trace Edie's genetics. They began by comparing her DNA with the samples she provided. The youngest witch brought Edie up to their lair at the highest level in the manor. "We started comparing your blood with others to see if we can identify what your lineage is."

"What did you find?"

"We found that your maternal side has a component that we cannot identify yet. We were hoping you could tell us. You see, it's not completely human and I found traces of tribal magic."

"Oh. It's shifter DNA. My mother's tribe is able to shift into animals."

"That's awesome! Magic never stops amazing me. This brings me to my other news. The second hair sample you provided me brought me at a dead end. It's weird it's like it's frozen, somehow. I used a spell to temporarily unfreeze it, but it only works for a couple seconds at most. I asked my sisters to help me with that and we found something that I think that you'll find very interesting."

"What is it?" Edie was handed a long scroll. She saw what she expected to find on it, except for… "Am I reading this right?"

"There's something else I need to tell you. We had an accident and the werewolf hair touched the venom. They exploded. The way I see it, you have all the components here to make a kid, but not with each other. You're right. Your parents should not have been able to conceive you."

"So, we're at a dead end."

"Actually, I think the answer lies with magic. Theoretically, these two can have a kid because of the magic present, but it's only a theory. Another one is that your parents did the dirty during or under a magical phenomenon like I don't know, a solar flare or if they conceived you under the aurora borealis."

"What about an eclipse?"

"That could work too."

"Thanks, I really appreciated this."

"It was fun working on this." Edie stretched out her arms and destroyed any trace of her in the attic, even the ones that were hidden. "What the hell?!"

"No one can know I was here. Thank you so much."

Downstairs, the rest of Edie's group was out the door. The last they saw of them was a blur zooming out the double door entrance.

Forks, Washington

Edie, Charlie, Riley, and Bree arrived at Forks a full week before Edward and Jacob. Edie's cell phone rang. "Alice? What's up?"

"It's Jacob! He and Edward disappeared."

"They're missing?" Edie's heart beat went frantic.

"I don't know. Wait!" There was a beat. "I saw us going to the airport to pick them up. They're on their way home."

"I'm coming too. I'll see you soon."

"Something wrong," asked Charlie from his recliner.

"Edward and Jacob are coming home. We'll be back later, Charlie."

Cullen Residence

Everyone waited at the Cullen residence until it was time to pick up Edward and Jacob. When they got back, Carlisle wasted no time getting Edward and Jacob into a separate room in the house where all types of medical equipment were stored.

"Are you still in pain?" Carlisle used the tips of his fingers to further pinpoint the abdominal pains.

"No. The pain stopped a while ago, but the bulge is still there," Jacob responded.

"I'll run some tests. In the meantime, relax. We'll do what we can." Carlisle left to do just that.

"How is it?"

Puzzled, Edward asked, "How is what?"

"The Sound. I know I gave you a hard time before. I'm sorry. I mean, the Sound did tell you I was in trouble, I should've listened."

With a gentle smile, Edward said, "Thanks. The Sound is relaxed right now, but all that matters to me is that you're okay. The Sound can wait."

The pack came when Alice called them. Some were pacing and others were sitting. Edie was closest to the room trying to figure out what sound they were talking about. She slid against the wall to the floor. She held her rings on her leather necklace against her heart.

"Are they gonna know today?" Riley sat with her.

"I think so."

"Are you nervous?"

"Should I be," Edie was breathless. "I don't know."

Bree saw them and sat on the other side of Edie. Emmett didn't know what to say. He wanted to comfort Edie, but he didn't know how to do that without telling her that he knew about her and he wanted to respect her wishes. Finally, he went over to her. At eye-level, he held her shoulders and said, "They're going to be fine."

"Thanks, Bro. I sure hope so." Finally, Edie got up and went to Carlisle's office. It wasn't in her nature to sit and do nothing. "Hi," she greeted her grandfather.

"Hi. Are you still mad at me?"

"Let's just not talk about it again. Okay, Grandpa," she whispered the last part as low as she could.

"Okay, Sweetheart." Carlisle's shoulders dropped with relief.

"Are the tests done? Is he?"

"Yes, he is. They'll want me to explain how it is possible."

"I know. That's why I left. I have their answer here. I went to a witch coven to get it."

"A witch coven?"

"Yeah. Here, let me explain to you how it works."

Carlisle went to the room where Edward and Jacob were. "I have your results with me."

"We're ready, Carlisle." Carlisle handed his son the piece of paper that Edie gave him. "What is this?"

Jacob grabbed the long and brown paper. "It looks like a family tree."

"It is in a way." Carlisle explained, "Jacob, on the right side is your family, rather, your genes and what is represented in them. The green line is your shifter DNA. It traces to your father and so on."

"Okay…"

"What's this for Carlisle," questioned Edward.

"The plant you described to me is called aconite. Jacob, do you see the black line represented on your mother's line?"

"Doc, please, just get to the point."

"On your mother's side, you have werewolf DNA. By that, I don't mean shifter. I mean Child of the Moon. That is why the aconite affected you so much. It's used to repel your kind."

Jacob stammered, "So, I'm like a real howling-at-the-moon werewolf?"

"Yes."

"This might also explain your size," Edward put in.

"My size?"

"Yes. You've hardly bulked up like the rest of the pack, but your wolf is much larger otherwise."

"Yes, that's right. Though any knowledge I could obtain to confirm it is long gone or in Volterra," Carlisle furthered. "Now Edward, I want you to pay attention to the left side of the paper where your side is represented. Do you see anything odd.?"

"It's all silver except for that tiny segment of blue in some parts."

"The silver represents your vampiric nature. Parts of Jacob's side is white because they represent normal humans in his ancestry. Yours is silver because you've stopped being human and are a complete vampire."

"What does the blue mean?"

"I believe it represents your Wiccan heritage. You heard me right, Wiccan."

"Ed's a witch," Jacob snorted. Edward gave Jacob a tiny shove. "Hey, I'm the patient here."

"Yes, he is. On his mother's side, which explains a lot, mainly if your mother knew what I was all those years ago."

"This is all very fascinating Doc, but if all I have to do is stay away from that plant, then why is this information important?"

"Being away from aconite will not get rid of that bulge. Do you mind if I perform an ultrasound?"

"Do what you need to do Doc."

Carlisle squirted the cold gel on the bulge on Jacob's abdomen and used the wand to roam over it. When he was at a certain spot, he stopped. Do, do-do. Do-do, do-do. The noise coming from the machine repeated.

Suddenly, Edward exclaimed. "The Sound!"

"That's what you've been hearing? It's just my heartbeat, right Doc?"

"No, Jake. That isn't your heartbeat."

"You're scaring me, Carlisle. Whose is it," Jacob faltered. "If this is your idea of a practical joke, you're doing it all wrong. I. AM. A. MAN! Ed, say something!" Jacob leaped off the patient's bed by the time he was done.

"I'll give you two some privacy."

When the doctor left, Jacob proclaimed, "Let's go, Ed."

Cliff Overlooking Forks

Without thinking, or remembering how they got there, Jacob and Edward arrived at their cliff. Jacob screamed out to the open space. He was dangerously close to the edge of the cliff. Edward held him back from falling. When Jacob felt those strong cold arms around him, he let himself fall into them. He cried and looked every bit his age. "This isn't fair! I'm a fucking freak!"

"No, you're not."

"Oh, really? You know another pregnant man," Jacob snarked. "It was just supposed to be you and me."

"You've taken on a lot this past year. Discovering your heritage, being with me, and now this. It's a lot."

"I don't know how to handle it. Tell me honestly, what do you think."

"I'll do whatever you think is best."

"Don't give me that bullshit. I want to know what you really think." Jacob bore his gaze onto Edward's golden eyes.

"I think it's dangerous to have this baby. We don't know what will happen. You could die and I can't tolerate that."

"If it wasn't dangerous?"

Edward's gaze fell and he sighed, "I would be ecstatic. I want this child with you."

Unexpectedly, Jacob responded, "Me too."

"What?" Edward looked up.

"Getting past the whole, freak-of-nature thing–"

"You're not a freak!"

"Getting past that, I would love to have this baby with you."

"You do?"

"Yeah," Jacob breathed. "I guess… I mean, I feel like we're supposed to have this baby. You could hear it this whole time, our baby's heartbeat."

"I didn't know what I was hearing at first. However, now I think it's the most magical sound I've ever heard." Edward knelt so he could put his ear on the bulge. "Hello, my darling. I'm your daddy." Do, do-do. Do-do. The baby responded.

"We're having a baby, Ed."

"We are." Edward lifted Jacob and spun him quickly. "We're having a baby! Oh, sorry. I probably shouldn't do that."

Jacob pressed his lips firmly on Edward's. "I love you, Edward Cullen."

"I love you, Jacob Black." Edward insisted Jacob piggy-back him on the way back to the Cullen home.

Cullen Residence

"Ladies and gentlemen, we're gonna have a nephew!" Alice squealed.

Edward and Jacob got back the house in time to see Alice jump for joy. 'Figures your sister would tell everyone before us.'

"Alice, why couldn't you have waited for us to tell everyone before you did this?"

"Tell everyone what?"

Edward searched her mind. 'She doesn't know.'

"Who's having a kid, Alice," Jacob asked.

"I am," Sam announced with his arm around Emily. When Rachel was told that Jacob was coming back Kim and Emily decided to go to the Cullen mansion too. "Or at least, Emily and I are thinking of having one. Looks like we will."

"Congrats, Sam."

"Thanks, Carlisle is waiting for you two."

They got to the room they had abruptly left a while ago. Jacob saw his father-in-law waiting for them. "I know this was a shock."

"That's one way of putting it."

"Carlisle, how is this possible? Jake and I, we aren't exactly compatible in that way."

Carlisle referred back to the chart with Edward and Jacob's genetic lines. "The way I see it, Jacob's tribal magic along with yours, is what created this opportunity."

"How far along am I?"

"I don't exactly know. You're presenting like you're in your second trimester, but in order to know for sure, I would have to see and the amniotic sac is only letting me hear the baby, not see it. Edward, when did you start hearing the heartbeat?"

"About three months ago."

"The heart doesn't develop until about six or seven weeks, so I'd put you at around five or four months."

Jacob turned to Edward. 'I know when it happened. Are you thinking the same thing?'

'Yes. Looks like we're still getting surprises from that night.'

"We should probably tell everyone. Wait, let me guess. They already know."

"Rose is taking a poll for the gender of our baby."

"Come on, let's see what they came up with."

Downstairs, Rosalie was buzzing around a board with the labels "boy" and "girl" on top. "We have 6 for boy and 4 for a girl. Jasper? What's your vote?"

"I'm gonna have to go with a girl. You know, you haven't asked our resident future girl yet."

"That's right! So, sister-dear. Are we gonna have a future niece or nephew?"

"Seriously, you guys couldn't wait until we told you the news," Jacob griped with no real malice. "Jasper, couldn't you contain this a bit more?"

"Not when there's this much excitement," Jasper shrugged.

"Jacob! We're so happy for you and Edward."

"Thank you, Rose," Edward responded. "We still haven't heard your response, Sunshine. Will it be a girl or a boy?"

"Sorry Edward, but guessing the gender isn't exactly on my top things to do today."

"But Edie," Alice whined. "It's a baby. Our niece or nephew!"

"I know, Alice, but I didn't come here for baby showers. I came for–"

"A battle that will determine our whole future. Yes, the same old song and dance. It doesn't mean we can't have fun in the meantime."

"You've been 'having fun' for the last four months. This isn't a game Alice." Edie then focused on the everyone else too. "I've been waiting for you all to realize it. I thought that vision would've been enough for you to see."

"Why are you getting so angry?"

"I'm not angry, Edward." Edie clutched at her heart. "I'm not you, the next seventy years already happened for me."

"What's wrong with enjoying news like this?"

"Nothing's wrong with it," she breathed. "You and Jacob and your future. I'm trying to make sure that you have one," she struggled.

Carlisle noticed her hanging on to her chest. "Sweetheart, do you need to sit down?"

"I'm fine Carlisle. Just tired of having to explain how important this is."

"Maybe we would grasp it if you stopped giving us half-truths," Leah accused.

"Half-truths?"

"Edie, we're getting tired of these pieces of information. Now tell us, what exactly happened? We don't want to hear 'I'll tell you later'. We want to know now," Leah demanded.

"But you guys already know, and you continue to disrespect her," Bree fought back.

"Stay out of this, shorty."

"No! She's been telling you for months about the future and you guys just ignore her."

"We're not, we're–" Jacob tried to intervene.

"You completely disregard what she says and coming from you, it's especially bad. She's y–"

Riley covered Bree's mouth. "Cool it."

"Sunshine, is that how you really feel," Jacob carefully asked the hybrid.

Edie felt claustrophobic. "I'm happy for you. I just want you guys to be safe."

"But I've heard that before, Edie. Is that the truth?" Edward asked.

"When did this get to be about me," Edie deviated. "This is about you. It's always been about you."

"What?"

"I'm here because of the choices you all made. I'm here because of this." Edie projected an image around them.

At first the vision shown was of humans having a normal day at a park. Then, the air became unnerving. It was vampires appearing in broad daylight with their skin glittering. They were going towards what looked like a vendor's booth. The vampires picked out something from a menu the vendor had out. The menu items were of different blood types and they all had prices attached to them. There were different categories; from women to men and young to old. The salesperson pressed a button on his electronic tablet.

It signaled a young girl in the park whose wrist was flashing red. Her mother took her to the merchant and presented her daughter to the vampires and then left rapidly. The little girl and the vampires were then taken to a dining room and then the door closed behind them. The girl's screams were muffled. When the door finally opened, there was no sign of the child or her blood. There was only a faint scent. The vision then changed into something different.

They were now outside of the city. There were large walls the size of the Chrysler building surrounding various areas. There were only vampires coming in or out of them. The ones guarding the camps, it was the only appropriate word for those areas, had the Volturi emblem on their dark red cloaks. It was a shield inside a large V with vines wrapped around it and sticking out. There was something unusual about these guards; they seemed bigger somehow and their strength was nearly god-like by vampire standards. The last vision was one of Aro's sinister grin.

"That little girl," Kim sobbed. "How could her mother just abandon her like that?"

"That child was one of many created for the sole purpose of quenching a vampire's thirst. There is rarely child born out of love anymore. There is only a lucky few who live to an old age, but even then, their deaths are never natural."

"You could've told us," Jared insisted. "We would've, I don't know."

"This is your life. Mine hasn't started yet. I have no right to force you into making decisions that you don't want." Edie exhaled. "I'm sorry for showing you that. I'll be better tomorrow. If it's a girl, I hope you name her after Esme. She's a great mom-figure."

Esme choked up when she heard that. Jacob felt a warmth on his little bulge. He took it to mean that his baby was happy, too. "Thanks, Edie." He tried to go for a hug, but Edie retreated.

"I should go. Charlie is expecting me." She left alone. Riley and Bree felt they had to stay to keep an eye out for the smaller version of their teacher.

"We've been taking her for granted, haven't we?"

"No, shit," Riley commented. He rolled his eyes, "But she doesn't see it that way. She just wants you guys to have a future."

"I hate to admit it, but you know her more than us. I wanna know. Is she pulling away from us?"

"She doesn't think she is."

"We're gonna leave guys," Sam announced. As he and Emily headed to her car, they were stopped by Jacob.

"Sam! You didn't really say anything back there. What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking we should've listened to her earlier."

"I feel bad about that, too." Sam and Emily started walking away again. "And about my baby?"

"You can talk about that tomorrow," Emily spoke instead. She knew her wolf was thinking deeply about that particular subject. "Sorry, Jake. We really need to get back home, my sister asked us to help her."

Jacob watched them leave. He felt Edward come from behind him. "Let's go tell your dad."

Their visit to Billy's house lasted the rest of the afternoon. "Your dad took the news better than I thought. I thought he would kill me." Edward and Jacob walked across the forest.

"I thought he was gonna faint. But, you know, we live in a world where people turn into wolves and drink blood and predict the future, read minds and all kinds of shit. Should he really be surprised?"

When the couple came by the house to share the news, Billy had to restrain himself from showing his complete jubilance. He told them he was happy to get a grandchild, he was careful to not refer to a gender.

They walked in silence, holding hands for a while. "So…"

"So…"

"So, what do you want? A boy or a girl?"

"I just want a healthy baby."

"Bullshit!"

"Did you, Mr. Proper, just say bullshit?" Jacob grinned so wide, his teeth were showing.

"Yes. Everyone has a preference."

"Look, with our luck, we'll probably have like triplets or something. They're probably all in sync just so they could trick us into thinking there's just one." Edward chortled. "I'm serious! I'll be happy if we just have one kid. What do you want?"

"Honestly, I'm just amazed that I can father a child even after being 'dead' for ninety-odd years."

"Yeah, I mean, it's weird to think that there's a little person crawling around in me. Still, boy or girl?"

"This isn't a preference. I just think that with the dreams you've been having. I think we'll have a girl."

"What would you name her?"

"I honestly don't know."

"Any boy names? Just in case?"

"No, none."

"Okay. Well then baby," Jacob spoke to his little bulge. "We'll call you Junior until we do."

"Junior?"

"Yeah like that movie with the Terminator and the dad from Matilda."

Edward squinted a bit. "I don't recall that movie."

"Ed, baby, love of my life," Jacob stopped him melodramatically. "That movie is our reality. It's literally about a pregnant man."

Edward chuckled. "Then I'll watch it to educate myself."

"I'll make it my personal mission to do it." Jacob kissed his vampire chastely. "I also chose Junior because it's what your mom called you, right?"

"Right." He kissed him sweetly. "We're here."

"Good, I'm exhausted." Jacob barely took one more step toward the mansion.

'They'll be so excited. I hope they like it.'

"Oh, man. I don't think I can take another surprise."

"Come on," Edward crouched down.

"Fine. I'm too tired to argue." Jacob climbed on top of him.

"Esme," Edward called out. "Is it a big surprise?"

"Not like the one this morning. Trust me, you'll need this as much as you'll want it."

The trio only traveled for a couple of minutes through a trail that was familiar to Jacob. "I remember this place."

"I've been fixing it up as a pet project of mine and I thought that you two might want it," Esme explained.

"Oh, Esme. This is…we can't. I mean, we will, but…it's perfect." Jacob stuttered as he looked upon the stone cabin with a Spanish tile roof.

"I'm glad you think, so." 'Wait until you see the garage.'

"We have a garage!"

"Yes," Esme was a little taken aback. 'Did I say that out loud?' "I'll leave you two to explore the inside for yourself."