Chapter 13
Mood Swings
"Surprise!" Alice's voice screamed from the phone.
It felt like my head was screaming with thoughts. This couldn't be happening, it wasn't possible. Was it even what I thought it was? Another light kick in my stomach instantly told me that it had to be what I thought. But how?
I looked at Edward, still holding my hand over my stomach. He looked worried, but I could also see surprise and hope in his eyes when they traveled to my belly.
"How is that even possible?" Edward asked Alice, not getting his eyes away from me.
"The potion and well your love to tear each other's clothes off. About that, Bella, we'll have to go shopping when you guys come back. I doubt you have any nice clothes left." I heard her chuckle.
"Alice, this is serious!" My voice came back to me. "You didn't think you should mention that the potion will get me…pregnant." The last word didn't want to come out of my mouth, it was an odd one, I never thought I would ever say it.
"Everything will be fine, you both wanted it after all." Alice sighed on the phone.
She was right, of course, I always wanted kids, but that thought was hidden away. Locked in a special place in my brain, the key was thrown out. When I was human, I pictured my and Edward's kids. A boy and a girl with messy bronze hair and his emerald eyes running around Hogwarts, going on adventures, and cuddling with us in front of the TV in the evening. That life was all I ever wanted, why was I so scared all of a sudden.
"We are coming home right away, I want Carlisle to examine Bella with every possible test he can find," Edward spoke and hang up the phone before Alice could say anything else.
A moment later, my husband was already by my side on the couch. He took my hands in his and looked me in the eyes warily.
"How are you feeling?" He asked.
"I don't know," I replied honestly.
I didn't understand the emotions I felt, there were a few I could identify, hope that this was true, fear for the unknown of what this is going to turn out into, definitely anger towards Alice. How could she not tell us? This was a huge thing…A baby. What are they going to be? How long will they live, how can they develop in my dead body without proper nutrition? I hoped she had the answers to those questions because I couldn't lose the baby. After everyone that I've lost already, I didn't think I would be able to live normally if I lost someone so literally close to me.
"I'll pack our things," Edward spoke quietly, brushing my hair and kissing me on my forehead.
He left me alone with my thoughts for a few minutes. I couldn't concentrate on what was happening around me until we got to the airport in Rio in the evening. Edward wrapped his hand around me and I instinctively looked up to see his face.
"What are you thinking about?" I asked.
"I'm just worried something might happen to you." He whispered.
"We've never discussed this topic after we reunited…" I spoke quietly. "Do you still want…to have kids?"
That was something that has been on my mind since we found out earlier today. I knew my feelings about it stayed the same. Nothing changed since my human life. But maybe it did for him.
"Bella, I would be the luckiest man on Earth. I already am, considering that you chose me to be your partner for the rest of eternity. If…we can have this baby, as long as you are staying safe and healthy, I might consider asking someone to pinch me because I won the lottery. You are my love, my life. To share a child with you would be my honor." He said seriously and I sighed with relief.
"I love you," I whispered and wrapped my hands around his shoulders. It felt like the tears of happiness were going to burst out of me right that moment, but all I was able to do was dry sob into his shoulder.
"I love you, honey." He pushed me as close to him as our seats would allow.
In about a day, we were finally home. Back in our house in Alaska. The family met us with hugs, I guessed Alice already told them the news, judging by the thrilling expressions on Esme's and Rose's faces.
As soon as I saw Alice coming out of the living room to greet us, I stormed toward her.
"No more surprises, ever! I swear to God, Alice, if I hear that word coming out of your mouth one more time, I will burn down your closet and cut all your credit cards into tiny little pieces." I screamed. "My life is not something you can toy with; you should have told us what that potion would do! Being pregnant and having a kid is a serious decision that should be discussed, and I don't care that you saw that we would be happy about it! You should have told us."
"Understood." She spoke quietly. "I'm sorry."
Alice was looking at her shoes now. This was the first time I saw her like that, quiet and feeling guilty. To be fair, this was probably also the first time the whole family saw me being so enraged about something. I was always calm and never raised my voice.
"O-kay." Emmett whistled. "Congrats you two…um, who wants to go for a hunt?"
I growled. I needed Edward to tell me if I was being a little hormonal and if the family thought I was being irrational. To be fair, this was undiscovered territory and all of us felt a little confused about the situation.
Carlisle told me he had some tests he wanted to run on me upstairs, Rose and Edward came with us. The rest of the family went out for a hunt. I laid down on a special hospital bed that Carlisle managed to snatch from the hospital. The ultrasound didn't show anything, my skin being too hard to read through. Other tests didn't give us anything either. The only thing that Carlisle could determine was that the baby was growing at an incredibly fast rate. I already had a small bump on my stomach which I haven't noticed before.
Whether I liked it or not, I needed Alice to tell me what she saw in her visions. I was also getting thirstier than before. Carlisle thought it to be a good sign, I was craving more blood. His theory was that the blood was the nutrition that the baby needed. I felt relieved that I wouldn't have to eat any human food. Yuck, that would have been awful.
Edward and I went into our room, and I lay on the couch, thinking over the past two days and how incredibly interesting they were. I heard a knock on the door, and I told them to come in.
"You wanted to see me?" Alice spoke quietly. I gave her a small smile; I was still angry but not like before. "Bella, I want to apologize again. I realize now that it was wrong of me not to tell you. From now on, whatever you want to know, I'll tell you."
"Is the baby going to be fine?" I asked her.
"Yes, healthy little…"
"I don't want to know the gender." I quickly interrupted her. "That can stay a surprise."
I saw Alice was trying to contain a giggle.
"Thank you for hiding that from me, little sis," Edward complained.
"Maybe you shouldn't be reading my mind, big bro." Alice showed him her tongue.
"Is everything going to be fine with Bella?" Edward asked her worriedly.
"Yes, as long as she drinks blood, everything should be fine. But your future is blurred...like something is trying to block me from seeing it." She smiled curiously. "Nevertheless...Healthy momma, healthy baby, everything will be great!"
"I haven't forgiven you just yet," I told her and saw her eyes lose their focus.
"Oh, but you will!" She squeaked a little. "Okay, I'm going to leave now before you throw that pillow at me."
I stopped my hand as I was reaching for a pillow behind me. Urgh…that little devil pixie.
Everything went back to normal; everyone went back to their normal days. Carlisle measured my stomach twice a day, to calculate when the baby was going to come. Esme was looking into new places where we could live. Obviously, we would have to leave Alaska after the baby was born, it wouldn't be safe. Rose and Alice were talking about nurseries and baby clothes that they had to get. Jasper was trying to find any information about the babies like mine and Edward, even going as far as traveling to Juno's wizarding world by himself to visit the bookstores.
Emmett was the worst though. As a self-proclaimed 'fun-uncle' he was already filling this duty by finding something new each day that was as big as my baby bump and placing it on the kitchen table. I had to give it to him, he was being very thorough in his investigation, consulting on the size of my baby with Carlisle every day. Esme had to donate a bunch of fruits and vegetables that Emmett had bought and piled onto the kitchen table already. The most recent ones were a pumpkin and a quaffle.
I found Rose being closer to me than before now, she was on guard when we went into the city or to school, which I still attended. Alice hid my bump under baggy sweaters and coats. Rosalie always volunteered to go hunting with me and the last few times even went as far as killing the animals for me to drink. Edward acted in a similar way, and I was kind of getting tired of it. My skin was still unbreakable, I was as fast and as strong as the rest of the vampires, and yet they treated me like I was a helpless human. The overprotectiveness was getting out of control
"Until my stomach is smaller than a watermelon, I would like both of you to leave me alone," I told them with a bit of anger in my voice. This happened right after school when one of the kids accidentally threw the volleyball my way and it hit my arm. To me, it was no big deal, I barely felt it, but Rose and Edward were so mad. Alice barely had the time to stop them from going to the police station and writing a report about Mason Finley abusing me in Gym.
When my baby bump was too big to hide under a baggy sweater, Carlisle wrote a note to school that I had to overgo treatment for my previous infectious disease. This time away from school and all of my siblings were unusual. Edward begged Carlisle to write the same note for him as well, but the former expressed his opinion of the two of us both being ill would draw suspicion to our family. He also mentioned that Esme would be home and can call the school and the hospital to get all of them back home immediately. Carlisle was right of course, but it still upset me. Esme was a nice company, she let me decide if I wanted to spend time alone or with her. I spent all my days at home now, only going out to hunt. It was only a couple of weeks of me being pregnant, but I was as big as two watermelons combined. It was strange seeing the difference in my body. It stayed the same for nearly three centuries.
Denalis visited us on most days and helped Esme entertain me. It was nice of them, but more often than not I just wanted to be left alone. The library room was my haven, and I made a rule that no one can disturb me while I was in it.
I was finally too big to hunt, which relieved my siblings as well as Carlisle and Esme. One of them would bring me blood in bottles every night now. My thirst was growing at an incredible speed, and I now had to drink every day otherwise my mood would worsen. The whole family would become very irritating to me, and it created an unfriendly atmosphere.
Pregnancy wasn't very fun, the uncontrollable mood swings were a true pain not only for me but for the whole family as well. I could sense the tension between me and my family members, and I knew they were counting the days until the baby was out. I couldn't blame them, since I wanted that too. As much as I loved the idea of the baby being protected in my undamageable belly, the kicking worsened, and I could feel the baby move around now. Carlisle predicted it to be a few more days, maybe a couple.
"Is your shield off?" Edward sat up straight one night when we were lying in the bed together.
"No." I sat up next to him. I saw him beam and touch my stomach. "You can read baby's mind?"
"I think we have another surprise." He chuckled and his hand traveled around my bump. "I can hear two minds."
"Two?" I asked shocked and instantly smiled. That explained why the bump was so big. Maybe we had a little more than a few days then. I would also need to have a chat with Alice about the second baby that she failed to mention. That could wait though. "What are they thinking?"
"They want to meet you; they like it when you read to them." He smiled and looked at me. "They like the sound of my voice too."
I felt like I was about to cry again.
"I love you both so much, my little angels. I can't wait to see you too." I spoke through the sobs. Edward kissed me on the lips.
The need for crying stopped immediately, changing into something else. I deepened the kiss and threw myself on top of Edward. Mood swings, oh I loved them at times.
In five days, we knew it was time for the babies to come out. It was getting very hard for me to move around; I haven't been able to see my feet in a week now. I was the clumsiest vampire at that moment. Rose, Esme, Carlisle, and Edward were in his office now, where the stolen hospital bed still stood. Esme was by my right side, while Edward was holding my left hand in his. He was extremely worried that something was going to happen to me. No matter how much Alice assured me that I'd be fine by the end of the day, he still kept worrying. I had to admit if the roles were reversed, I wouldn't be able to react in a different matter. His safety would be my number one priority.
The process was painful, I winced in pain when Carlisle's teeth were ripping a way for the kids to come out. The horrible sound that reminded me of metal screeching on metal filled the house.
"Don't eat me whole, old man." I tried joking to ease the process for Edward, who looked tormented. I heard a laugh coming from downstairs and then something flying across the room and breaking. I guessed Jasper didn't think Emmett's laugh had a place to be.
"Sorry, Bells." Emmett apologized from downstairs. "You're very strong, hold on!"
I could see that Edward was debating whether he should stop Carlisle so we could find another way to deliver the babies. We both knew this would be the only way to do this though, that was the reason why I didn't want him to be in the room while it happened. Of course, I also wanted him to be here to support me and hold my hand...
Esme hovered over me as well, getting my hair off my face and soothingly rubbing my shoulders. She kept saying the words of support and I felt bad for cursing in front of her. I wanted her to be here more than I wanted anyone else in the room. She was my mom, it definitely felt that way after so many years. And she was the only one in the family who gave birth herself. I needed her support, her motherly words of encouragement.
Even though Esme didn't raise me, sometimes it felt like she did. She welcomed me into her house without judgment or a second thought. She always supported my decisions and gave me advice. I never felt like a kid, always being responsible and smart…I never realized what I was missing growing up without a mom until she came into my life. She gave me the opportunity to be a kid, to be scolded for bringing the mess into the house and bickering with my siblings, or to feel proud of myself for reaching some of my goals.
My dad was the best father I could ask for, but he was always more of a friend to me, something I loved about our relationship. He barely ever cared what grades I got in school or if I brought mess into the house. He actually never cared about the mess; he was never strict about keeping the house clean. My relationship with Esme and Carlisle was different. They were the responsible parents that I've heard my classmates complain about.
"Here they come," Carlisle spoke after he bit me one last time.
I heard a cry coming from in front of me and I tried to extend my neck to see someone it belonged to. It was the most beautiful thing I've ever heard. I gasped when I saw a tiny baby in Carlisle's arms.
"It's a girl," Carlisle spoke and handed the baby to Edward who left my side to take her in. I heard him cooing at her as he wrapped her inside the blanket. Edward then brought her to me and placed her in my arms.
I winced in pain once more when Carlisle bit me one last time.
"And you have a second girl." He spoke with happiness.
"You did it, baby," Esme spoke from the right side of my head. She reached her hand to touch my firstborn's fingers.
My body felt empty, I guessed I got used to the babies being inside of me, no matter how uncomfortable it was. My heart though felt like it was going to erupt with the love that I felt. I couldn't keep my eyes away from the baby that was in my arms right now. Her eyes were already open and looking at me with adoration and surprise.
"Hey, little girl." I cooed. "I'm your mommy."
For some reason, I had to say that. Saying that made it feel real. Her deep green eyes looked at me again and she reached my face with her tiny little hand. I gasped when my mind filled itself with memories that weren't mine. The picture wasn't clear, but I could see myself like I was looking through the mirror. It stopped as fast as it started.
"How did she…" I looked at Edward and stopped talking when I saw my second-born baby girl in his hands.
"It's her gift." She spoke with a proud-father smile. "This one has one too."
"Does grandma Esme want to hold her granddaughter?" I looked back to see Esme dry sobbing into her arms. She nodded and put her arms out for the baby. Rose was by her side already, admiring her niece. They had to have names, or it would get too confusing, I thought to myself.
Edward passed me the second baby. I introduced myself to the little girl and looked into her curious big dark green eyes that had a hint of chocolate brown in them. I grabbed her hand in mine gently. Nothing happened for a second until something pushed our hands apart.
"I think she has a shield, but a physical one. That's why Alice couldn't see her, and Jasper couldn't feel two sets of emotions coming from your belly." Edward explained.
"But you could hear her thoughts." I finished for him.
"You're just like your mommy." I giggled. "You and I are going to have so much fun fooling around your dad and auntie Alice."
I heard Emmett's laugh coming from downstairs and raised my voice a little, telling them they could come to meet their nieces now. Carlisle took care of my ripped stomach, putting the pieces back together and a few minutes later, it was back to its normal state.
"Are we going to keep calling them baby girls for now? Or do you have some ideas?" Esme asked me when she handed the firstborn baby to Rose.
I looked at Edward and he smiled at me, squeezing my hand at the same time. I looked over the room, Emmett was making funny faces at one of the twins who was in Rose's arms. Carlisle was holding the other twin in his arms, while Alice was playing pick-a-boo.
"Rose, you are holding Vanessa Elizabeth Black-Diggory" I smiled at Edward. We used the first name of his mom and the second name was chosen for Elizabeth Masen.
"And you, old man, by the way, I can rightfully call you that name now since you're a grandpa." I laughed at Carlisle, the rest of the family joined me. "You are holding Savannah Esme Black-Diggory." The first name was one that both Edward and I chose back in Hogwarts when we were picking baby names for our future kids. The second name came to me just now. I was sure Renee would have been a good mother to me if she had the chance, and I loved her for giving me life…But the truth was, she never got a chance to be my mom, while Esme did and was so amazingly good at that.
I felt Esme brush her fingers through my hair. She placed a small kiss on my cheek.
"It's an honor, Bella. Thank you, dear." She whispered in my ear.
I gave her a half hug since I was still lying on the bed.
"Thank you for being our mom," I whispered back and felt her hug me a little tighter. I knew those words meant a lot to her.
"Yes, thank you, Esme!" I saw Emmett's head out of nowhere, he was now crushing both of us with his giant arms in a hug. I saw that Edward, Alice, and Jasper joined in the hug as well, making it incredibly hard for me to see through their body parts. Esme started laughing uncontrollably and soon the rest of the family joined in.
Alice could still only see Vanessa's future, Savannah's came out blurry, but she told us that they were hybrids, just like Edward and me. That helped my anxiety. I was worried that the fact that they slept and had normal-colored eyes would mean they were human and wouldn't live as many years as we were. I couldn't even think about what would happen to me if they were to grow old and...leave us.
Alice assured me that they would grow until they looked adult and then stop. They would live forever. Carlisle also tried feeding them human food, which they both threw up. I guessed my blood diet left them with the same attitude towards human food as every vampire had. Yuck! Emmett immediately volunteered to go get some animal blood for the girls. To his self-proclaimed 'fun-uncle' title, he added another self-proclaimed 'go-food-getter-uncle' and disappeared into the woods. Everyone in the family found his attitude towards being an uncle very sweet. He was doing so good already.
"I would thank you, Em, but I'm sure Rose will do it tonight for me." I laughed when I saw Emmett coming back into the house with two sippy cups filled with red liquid.
"What can I say, you turn me on when you are so ready to help with the girls." Rose giggled.
"Hey hey hey, there are babies in the room!" Edward raised his voice a little.
"You know, you turn me on when you are being so protective of our kids." I thought to Edward. I caught him smirking at me.
That night, we placed two cribs into mine and Edward's room, although it turned out to be unnecessary since the girls seemed to only be able to fall asleep in someone's arms. They slept, they actually slept! Edward would tell all of us what they were dreaming about and the whole family seemed to be occupied with them. It was starting to get a little ridiculous. Eight adults, all sitting in the living room, staring at two sleeping babies.
"The best day of my life, November 22nd, 1969." He kissed me on the temple, still holding Savannah in his arms.
I froze the moment he said his last sentence.
"Edward," I said a little shocked. "Our kids are technically eight years older than us."
"This would be hard to explain to our friends." He laughed when he realized what I was talking about.
Please review!
P.S. So as I said before, I'm graduating from college, so all my projects and exams are due next week...I'll try my best to give you guys updates, but it's very hectic right now!
P.S. (2). This story isn't going to focus on the kids, however, they will be in the story and will play their own roles in how the Battle of Hogwarts will go!
