Chapter 13: We Shall Never Be the Same
When we arrived at the property we woke Bella, knowing that would be her preference. She appeared slightly improved. Getting her more sleep was on the top of my agenda.
"The houses are unfinished," I told her, as we came up the entranceway.
In truth it was a construction site more than anything.
We went into the house designated for Edward and Bella, as it, at least, had been closed in. The interior was basically bare, but at this point that seemed immaterial. The interior was warm, and I was grateful for whoever had thought of that detail.
"We finished the fireplace installation, got firewood, and started a fire," Rosalie informed us, explaining the temperature.
"Let us go to the living room and sit near the fire," I suggested as a way of filling Bella in, since she would have been unable to hear Rosalie.
When we came into the room the four of them were already seated on the floor in two sets of twos each on the other side of the hearth. I sat on the left next to Rosalie and Emmett, putting Edward and Bella near Jasper and Alice, in case Jasper's gift would be needed for them.
Edward repeated to everyone what he had learned in the mind of the native woman about the incubi.
Then everyone turned to Jasper, especially Edward, who had the appearance of a drowning man hoping Jasper was going to give him a life raft.
Jasper must have conveyed something mentally, because Edward's face dropped into desperation.
"There were stories told from some of the covens close to South America of male vampires stealing human women out of their beds in the middle of the night only to rape them and then return them before dawn over and over again until the women killed themselves. From my understanding, it was meant to be a deterrent to not venture into South America, as the rapists were made to sound like the scariest most sadistic motherfuckers," then Jasper looked abased and quickly muttered, "sorry Esme. With those stories were tales of the seed of the vampires destroying the mothers from the inside out and then ripping them to shreds along with any vampire that dared enter their lands. It was all a bit like propaganda to me."
Carlisle looked like he was examining his memories, so we all waited. Eventually his eyes gained focus once more and he offered, "Perhaps Zafrina, Kachiri, and Senna of the Amazon coven might know how much of these tales have truth. I had heard of the stories of incubus before, of course, but not about impregnation."
"How could we speak to them?" I wondered.
"Rose and I can go," Emmett offered. "They know Rose at least, and she would know how to find them."
Trying to see all the options, I asked Carlisle, "Do we know anything for certain?"
"If I did an examination, and could get a rough estimate of fetal development, then I could perhaps extrapolate a due date?" he offered.
Everyone seemed in agreement with this plan.
"That okay with you, Bella?" Rosalie asked.
"That's probably a smart place to start," she agreed looking more asleep than awake and ashen.
"I'll go find something to make that work," Carlisle offered.
"I'll help," Rosalie put in.
Right as they were standing up, Alice said softly, "I can't see Bella anymore. She's like the Quiluetes."
"My guess is that the fetus is obscuring her gift," Jasper put in.
We all collectively closed our mouths and said nothing. Voicing our concerns over this development, seeing all the others in front of us, seemed moot.
Making a decision, as it did need to be a topic of conversation eventually, I told them, "Let's sort Bella first, and then we can dissect Alice's gift."
No one disagreed and Carlisle and Rose sprinted off.
"I'll see about plane tickets," Alice stated. "Landing in Brazil?" she verified.
"As close to the eastern part of the Amazon as you can manage," I confirmed.
Jasper had his eyes closed and seemed to be using his gift, as Bella and Edward both looked more relaxed.
Knowing the well pump had been installed to completion, I went in search of some way of creating a cup for her. Unfortunately, finding nothing else, I ended up using the cup holder in my car, assured, however, that Rose could fix it.
By the time I had brought Bella water, she looked like she was falling asleep again, which was good, in my opinion.
"Leaving tomorrow morning," Alice told us. "I'm going to go shopping for some basic things for Bella." Then, she paused as if uncertain, and asked, "What kinds of foods?"
"Eggs, potatoes, greens, fruit, beef, and lamb, for sure," Edward told her.
"Okay," Alice agreed sounding relieved at the instructions.
"I'll text you some items that can be found at a drugstore," Carlisle told her.
Without doubt not seeing Bella was hard for her, but then she had all these recent years of practice living without her gift, thank goodness. I couldn't imagine how insufferable she would have been otherwise.
A few minutes after Alice left Carlisle came down. "We're ready for you, Bella."
She stood and looking at Jasper told him, "Thank you."
"You're welcome, sis," he replied, and then told me subdued, "I'm going to get a quick deer."
Emmett said nothing, but could be heard chopping wood using his hands. It was productive and allowed some of his worry to be released, I guessed.
Taking the time with everyone else occupied, I imagined my spark and imagined it filling me, while not completely losing myself to the sensation, as I had initially been prone to do, and asked it to help guide us on the best path for us all. Given the events, I was grateful for Carlisle's gentle insistence that I practice being intentional about using my gift and keeping a part of me aware of the present.
In the meantime, Carlisle's voice could be heard giving Bella instructions, and it sounded like Rose was aiding him. He was asking questions I vaguely remember being typical, like possible dates of conception and first changes in appetite, smells, or anything similar.
When they finished, Bella and Edward came downstairs and resumed their position in front of the fire, I opened my eyes trying to be attentive to what my gift might be trying to tell me. Offering Bella the cup full of water, she was reluctant to take it, but had the cup emptied by the time Rose and Carlisle descended.
Emmett came back in with a few logs, which he threw on the fire, and told Bella, "I made you a rough outhouse. It's nothing to be pleased about, but at least you'll have an illusion of privacy."
"Thanks, Em," she told him with a smile.
Edward appeared very grateful, offering him a slight smile also.
Jasper told us, "Alice said to continue without her, and will be filled in."
Carlisle looked around to all of us. "Bella appears to be at the end of her first trimester already. I'm estimating her conception to be a week to two weeks past, which would mean a due date of about a month from now."
We were all shocked, including Bella, who appeared to be wrapping her hands around her stomach.
Carlisle looked around and with great hesitancy told everyone, "It would be amiss of us to not discuss the options, including termination."
Bella winced and seemed to hold herself tighter, while Edward looked grateful and relieved.
"Let's start with your thoughts, Bella," Carlisle offered.
She looked up at him, tears in her eyes with a flare of anger.
With great tenderness in his tone, he told her, "I get that in your era a woman's body is her own to choose whether to carry a baby or not, and the option of choice has been hard fought for. At the same time, please realise that emotions are running high, and already your body's natural instinct to protect your young has started. Please trust us, as you have all these years. Whether you like it or not, carrying your fetus to term has great impacts on all of us. If you didn't survive, neither would Edward, and although we'd have a new life, it would be at the cost of you both." She went to argue and he rebutted before she spoke, "Don't try to convince me that Edward could go on without you when we both know that's not the case, new life or not."
Bella sagged, her anger fled, and the tears increased.
"If you were to survive, it would be likely as a vampire, which alters our plans in multiple ways. I'd need to resign, you would need to pull out of your PhD program altogether, and us all move to a place more appropriate for a newborn plus the child. Our plans of being here would be unwise with so much unknown. Then, there's a chance that you wouldn't be able to with your child for at least a year. So, the child would have to be raised by the family, while we also assisted you through your newborn years. Additionally, there's the fact that we don't know if this child would be like an immortal child, which is against the law. We don't have enough information to rule out anything, and so the risks to us all are the greatest we've ever faced, even possibly more than Victoria's newborn army. This must be a family decision," he stated with conviction.
It was rare for Carlisle to speak in this way, but when he did it would take a fool not to notice how persuasive he could be.
Her tears were flowing even heavier and her body posture had turned into resignation, which was a shame. Simultaneously, it was better than her fighting us.
It took her a few minutes collecting herself and a look passed between both Edward and Jasper as well as Bella and Jasper to know he was helping her.
Eventually Bella spoke, "I am already in love with the peanut growing inside of me. I never intended on having children, but having something that is a combination of Edward and I, which I thought was impossible, seems like a miracle. I can't imagine a miracle being evil. If some James-like creature had stolen me from my bed at night, raped me, and then impregnated me, then I might want to die. In that situation, my child might be full of pain and hurt, acting poorly without a mother's love and a monster for a father, but this isn't that. Edward and I could not have created a monster. No one is good or bad just because of their species or nature. This creature growing inside of me will be beautiful and wondrous, because love and warmth and family will surround it. Not to mention that we have a doctor, an empath, and a mindreader to help. I just can't believe in anything other than my peanut being a beautiful gift and expression of our love."
Her words were moving and as equally persuasive as Carlisle's, particularly it appeared to Rosalie. She had truly grown into herself beautifully.
"Edward?" Carlisle requested.
He looked down at Bella and then over at Carlisle and myself. "More than anything I'm afraid. I cannot shake the images of immortal children ripping their mothers apart and then destroying towns. If that were not enough, it seems cruel to me that she and I were finally so happy, having done the hard work to mature together, both in repairing the wounds of the past and ensuring that Bella's physical age of twenty-three was not a barrier between us, and waited to make it smoothest for the family, only to be thrown back into a space of risking our lives. If the choice were mine alone, I would choose the safest path to ensure Bella's as well as the family's well-being, which would be to terminate the pregnancy."
It was hard to see them disagreeing over something so important. Yet, she lay in his arms, crying, while he comforted her. The fact that they were able to discuss this and support each other was a huge testament to their growth and maturity, especially Edward's.
"Rosalie?" Carlisle asked.
She sighed and looked like she was fighting a war within herself. "I'm torn. On one hand, I naturally reject any threat to the family. I'm risk aversive to say the least, and I dislike change generally. Yet, the opportunity to have a baby in the family is an incredible one. A part of me wants to say it's worth the danger, but another part of me tells me that even a baby isn't worth us all perishing from the Volturi, or worse, it being an immortal child and we having to kill it ourselves in order to keep the law. Tanya, Kate, and Irina have never gotten over their mother's death as a result of her creating an immortal child. On top of that, they say that it's very difficult to kill an immortal child, because of their innocent appearance. I'm uncertain and am hoping Emmett's and my trip can help bring answers, so I can make a more informed decision."
Her weighing the options instead of jumping into a direction based on her emotional reaction alone was a testament to how much growth had occurred within her.
"Emmett?" Carlisle requested after a few minutes had passed.
"My thoughts are very much like Rose's. When human I enjoyed my younger siblings including helping my ma raise them, but I don't think it's worth dying over, especially if it would be an immortal child," he said sadly.
"Jasper?" Carlisle asked.
"I speak for Alice that we have preferences over Bella than any child," he stated. "For me without more information, the risk is too great."
Something passed between Jasper and Bella, which caused Bella to relax and for her to offer him a tight smile.
"Esme?" Carlisle requested.
"My thoughts are somewhere between Bella and Rosalie. I don't want to have to imagine living the rest of my existence without Bella and Edward, and any new life would not replace the hurt such a loss would cause me. At the same time, I believe that the stories are warnings and do not speak the truth. I choose to hope that even if this child were not human, it still could be taught right from wrong and grow into a productive member of our family."
Bella smiled gratefully at me.
I returned a smile of encouragement.
After a few minutes Carlisle spoke. "I am torn between my role as doctor and desire to keep our family healthy and whole. The risks are immense. Thus, I am inclined to protect what we are, even against an unknown danger. I agree with Rosalie about the difficulty of ending the life of an immortal child, even if we were to agree that it needed to be done. However, as a doctor, I have sworn an oath, which includes mothers and their unborn children."
When he said nothing more I enquired, "How long do we have?"
It took him a little over a minute before answering, "A week to two before we're in the third trimester, assuming that the rates of development hold."
"Shall we wait to decide until Rose and Emmett find out more?" I offered.
"And if they can't?" Edward asked his tone pleading.
"Then, we will have to decide based on what we know at that time," I suggested.
"Can we give it the full two weeks, then?" Bella implored us.
"Seven days," Jasper requested, clearly disliking that idea.
"Ten?" Rosalie offered.
Bella looked disappointed and meekly requested, "Eleven? And I promise to seriously consider the consequences to everyone, to come to a place of acceptance of what we decide, even if it would be extremely painful to lose my peanut."
Compassion coating his tone, Carlisle told her, "Many parents are required to make the difficult choice you are making. Not all fetuses are viable to the world, and on occasion the parents decide to terminate for the health of the mother, as she is not likely to survive. Even if the time scale isn't usual for humans, these are difficult problems faced all over the world, Bella. If it comes to that, we can have a funeral or anything else you might need to grieve. Either option is a challenging path."
His words seemed to comfort her, as she nodded her features relaxing.
Jasper looked at Bella and no doubt taking in her emotions along with her care and love for her, agreed reluctantly, "Eleven."
She looked over at him and thanked him.
"Eleven it is," I announced with a heavy heart. "We will all do our part to come to a place of peace, irrelevant of our final decision."
Reluctantly, everyone agree.
Rosalie and Emmett went for a quick hunt.
Jasper went to do his usual route of securing the grounds, laying trails, and such things. It was how he handled extra stress.
Carlisle got out the laptop he had travelled with and started ordering hospital equipment.
I went and collected more firewood, as Bella had seemed to be shivering some, even if the temperature wasn't low. My first consideration was how to get this house human liveable with Bella here. The plan had been for them to return a month from now, by which most of the construction would be complete. Her lungs wouldn't do well with the particles construction would bring.
Bella and Edward hadn't moved, even though I had brought Bella more water.
Rosalie and Emmett returned about the same time as Alice. She had purchased way too much.
"I didn't look to see what we needed, so I bought everything," she answered to my curious look as I put things away.
She started taking the personal stuff up to a room upstairs, well without walls or doors it was hard to call it a room per say, but it was meant to be one. About the same time, Jasper reappeared and helped her. It only took them a few minutes, since they were moving at a normal speed.
"Requests?" I asked Bella.
"Omelette," Edward stated.
"They seem to be the food that I like the most since peanut's arrival," Bella qualified.
It was an easy enough request, so I got started.
Fortunately, Alice had even thought to buy coolers and ice. Electricity and outlets needed to be the first job, for sure.
Alice and Jasper next joined Edward and Bella.
"You know I love you like a brother," Jasper told Bella.
"Yeah," she agreed, sounding tired.
"I hope you're right and you prove me wrong," he continued looking at her earnestly, "but you know my past. I fought for many years and it is ingrained in me. I will fight to stay on this earth and keep this family together. Please don't see that as me fighting against you. I am fighting to preserve what I have."
A few tears rolled down her cheeks, as she assured him, "I know that." Taking a pause, she then added, "I can't explain it. Everything inside of me wants to make anyone who threatens my peanut an enemy. That's not to say that I believe you, Alice, or even Edward are my enemy."
He nodded. "It's natural. Mothers are the most ferocious of all creatures, especially when defending their young. As long as you remember that everyone here loves you, loves Edward, and only wants what's best for the family, then you'll do fine, regardless of the outcome."
She cried some more and when she collected herself told him, "Maybe it's the hormones. I feel excessively more emotional than usual."
By the time I brought Bella her food, Rosalie and Emmett had grabbed what they needed, and less than a minute later raced away.
Looking at the six of them, I stated, "I think we should change our plans and do Carlisle's and my house first. Once it's complete, Bella and Edward can move in, while we work on theirs next."
"And if we have to move?" Jasper enquired.
"Then, we'll hopefully have four habitual spaces that we can rent rather than as they are," I explained.
"Fair enough," he agreed.
"As soon as the stores open, I'm going to call and get items delivered," I informed them. Then, looking at Bella, I instructed, "Sleep. Your job is to take care of yourself. Sleep, eat, drink water, and let us know what you need."
Smiling and looking impishly she replied, "Yes, ma'am."
While Bella slept, Alice and Jasper went to catch something to quench their thirst. Carlisle and I held each other, conveying without words our fear and hope.
Once business hours began, Carlisle called companies about maternal care equipment, including an ultrasound, and I called all the vendors and companies to deliver material meant for my and Carlisle's house. There were a few things that wouldn't get here until tomorrow morning, but the important items would be here in a few hours. It would cost more in delivery fees than the materials, but the price was irrelevant to me. I would have paid even more if they had required it. In fact, it was a few hours later when the trucks began to appear. With each delivery I also tipped the men a couple thousand in cash and thanked them for doing what it took to get it to us. Hopefully it would get us in the local's good books, while also making it more likely to get what we needed moving forward.
As soon as the last truck left, Alice and Jasper showed up, having perfect timing as usual. Carlisle appeared at my side, letting me know that he could do no more for Bella, and was thus ready to work. The first items were wiring and plumbing. Jasper chose electrical, so Alice joined him, leaving Carlisle and I to do the plumbing, after I showed Jasper the heating and cooling unit I had purchased for all the homes, which had zones, allowing different parts of the houses to be a different temperature than others. The electrical elements also meant putting up the solar panels, although the actual panels were one of the things not able to show up today.
In the many things Alice had purchased included blankets, pillows, and a foam mattress. With them Edward had made Bella a bed. It was almost ten hours later when she awoke, and then there was the sound of her retching.
"And she thinks this is a good thing?" Jasper pondered to himself.
"A mother will endure almost anything to ensure the welfare of her child," I reminded him.
"Humph," he grumbled, but then went quiet once more.
They were an incredible team, as Alice didn't need instructions to accomplish what he needed.
Usually in this type of work Carlisle and I would be chatting, but we were both lost in our own thoughts.
"Edward needs to hunt soon," Carlisle uttered clearly midway between some line of thinking.
"Next time she rests," I told him, aware of how Bella had been clinging to Edward. It was my assumption that a small part of her old fears were appearing with these events.
All along Edward and Bella could be heard talking. He made her breakfast and then they reclined in front of the fireplace again. A few hours later she insisted that she wasn't an invalid and walked over to the communal ponds, respecting my request that she stay away from the construction dust.
With the land and its location, I had decided to collect the rainwater, placing it in water tower near the top of the houses. Then, any grey water from the four houses was to be funnelled into a three tier pond that would clean the water, provide a visual water feature to the property, which would include fish, and contain back up water if we needed. The black water was being piped into a special tank that would allow it to be changed into something like fertilizer after a year or two of processing. Of course, all of these elements for the four houses were designed to meet human uses. I couldn't imagine us meeting that demand, since the only water we used was for bathing, and the only black water would be the little time left of Bella's humanity.
Despite the excess needed to present the appearance of our human needs, between these systems and the solar panels we were hoping that it would allow us to live without the need to hook up to the city supplies. Our only true concern had been the possible smell. More than anything, it would allow us to behave normally without questions being raised and it supported our story to the locals regarding our wanting housing so far away from the town. It had actually been Bella's idea, as we had always done the opposite and tried to fit in.
"You'll never fit in," Bella had argued. "Better to give them a reasonable human explanation for being odd. Writing you off as eccentric is better than being curious."
Bella came over to the part of the ponds where Carlisle and I were working and sat in the grass nearby. Once they arrived, I set Edward to work in the house with Carlisle. To Bella I explained what all the pipes were for and how they would work. She was more aware than I about the chemistry that made it all function, but she seemed to appreciate the practical elements. Explaining while I worked slowed me down some, but it was enjoyable.
When she was hungry once more, Edward walked back with her and made her food. Afterwards, Carlisle requested to measure Bella once more, as it was close to 24 hours since the last time he had done so.
It didn't take long, and then he told her and us, "Rate is a little faster than I had estimated. Looking more like 12.5 days to her third trimester."
Jasper's discontent could be felt, even though we were nearly at different sides of the house. In my attempt to support him, I sent him my hope.
By the time Bella ate dinner she had been sick three times, struggling to even keep down water, and when she joined us appeared greener than her usual porcelain tone. Jasper came over to her and sent her to sleep at her request, even though asking him to do so seemed to disgruntle her. Edward went on a hunt and Carlisle returned to doing construction, and I did a few small jobs in their house while keeping an eye on her at all times.
It was about an hour later when Rose rang to say that they had landed, cleared customs, and were heading out with the satellite phones. The atmosphere seemed to change with her news, as there seemed to be more hope. By the time Bella had woken, Edward had returned, and she asked him to take her to the outhouse. They then returned to the nest he had made for her in their house. She seemed to fall back to sleep, for which we were all grateful.
Jasper and Alice were beginning to finish up with the fundamentals, so started on insulation, as well as the light soundproofing on the outside walls, as we had agreed. Carlisle and I finished installing baths, shower stalls, sinks, and toilets just as the sun began to rise indicating the start of the next day. The project was actually a welcomed distraction from the worry that could have been occupying my mind.
During the evening, Edward went on another quick hunt. Due to the stress we were all under, we knew it would be important to go regularly, and him more so, especially as he seemed to be only getting a bare minimum each time.
Alice and Jasper agreed to hunt tomorrow night and Carlisle and I would go the following evening.
Bella awoke and repeated her morning as it had been yesterday. It was a few hours after she had joined us, once more next to the soon-to-be-pond, that I was able to test the water system.
"You should be able to stop using the outhouse sometime today," I let her know.
With a huge grateful smile, she told me, "That sounds great. I've never been so glad for vampire speed as I am right now."
Chuckling, I went back to work, all the while talking to her about the different elements of the house. We were using state-of-the-art human technology to portray her suggestion to the human world.
Carlisle and Edward were tiling the bathrooms. Jasper and Alice then finished their jobs and began putting up the sheetrock along with installing the outlet locations. Everyone in the family had been trained years ago how to read my architectural drawings. Thus, they could install everything as designed without instructions.
About two hours later following a short nap, Bella asked if I could spare Alice to accompany her on a walk. Knowing that continuing to be active was an important part of pregnancy, I gave them my blessing, while I took the opportunity to go and install the kitchen counters.
They seemed to talk about inconsequential things, simply enjoying each other's company, although there was some conversation about Alice's clothing business as they headed back.
Then, seemingly out of the blue, Bella told her, "I feel like I've just messed everything up. I'm a human that knows the secret and then I go and get knocked up. I'm torn between my sense of obligation and desire to protect the family and my love for my peanut. I wish there was a way to help you understand. Maybe I'm foolish; it's just impossible for me to consider that love creates a monster."
Alice's sigh was heavy. "The women who turned the immortal children loved them, even though it was illegal, and even though it was a death sentence. We don't always love the things that are healthy for us."
Images of Charles flashed through my mind, and on cue Edward became more ridged. Bella's love for Edward and his love for her had been an unhealthy version before her 18th birthday. His love had been possessive and hinted on being overbearing and controlling. Many times I had warned him about how he was close to the line of being like Charles. And Bella's love contained such a lack of self-value that she would have literally given her life to feed him. Then, there was Rose's love of Royce, or maybe more accurately, the money, position, and title he would have given her.
Proud of Alice's assessment and speaking the truth, I had to agree that although love could be wondrous, it could also be destructive. The question was which kind of love was Bella displaying towards her fetus.
Bella said nothing back, which hopefully meant that she was taking Alice's words seriously.
"I'm going to make myself something," Bella told us, as she veered towards their house with the camping stove and food.
Edward went to go.
"Don't," I told him. "Give her space to think, process, and be alone."
Disgruntled, but agreeable, he settled back into his job. Sounds of her making a bowl of cereal seemed to calm him.
It wasn't thirty minutes after she had finished eating that she called his name and sounds of her retching could be heard. After she was back in the house, she told him, "I don't think that agrees with me. No more cereal or milk."
"Rest please," he pleaded and about ten minutes later her even breathing could be heard.
Alice and Jasper were almost done taping, mudding, and sanding the walls when Bella woke up. Carlisle had completed the bathroom tiles, including the floor, and had begun the fine carpentry aspects, while I was about a third complete with the tiles in the kitchen, which included a tiled floor. Coiled electric wires under the floors heated the house, which would be under foam and wood flooring in the rest of the rooms. Maybe by morning the house could have Bella enter it without fear of her being electrocuted.
When she woke from her rest, Carlisle asked to examine her and this time did not alter the dates, much to our relief. We all were acutely aware that forty-eight hours had passed, leaving only nine days for us to come to a decision.
The next four days went much like the previous two days. The exception was the progress on the house was slowing, as we couldn't use vampire speed as much, Bella had an indoor toilet and kitchen, and she seemed to be unable to eat any processed foods or dairy. She was also keeping less down generally, which increased everyone's worry.
It was then on day seven that we got a call from Emmett and Rosalie.
"We're on the way home," Rosalie informed us. "We were able to talk to the locals and get some facts. It's lukewarm at best. We also left a satellite phone with a solar charger in case we have follow-up questions. We'll be on the next flight home."
"Okay," Carlisle confirmed. "We look forward to your news."
For the next eighteen hours we all tried to focus on the tasks that needed to be done, including Bella who had offered to paint. The house was finished, apart from furniture, which were mostly in storage, so were unable to finish the house until a decision was made.
"Can we tell stories to celebrate?" Bella asked.
It was one of the small ways that her humanness had changed us. Before her we never stopped to celebrate until the job was done. To her one house was an accomplishment. To us the job would be completed when all four were done. Nevertheless, we indulged her acknowledging that it might help our worries.
Alice told stories about her years alone and Jasper told a few funny ones that included Emmett and then surprisingly, Carlisle told a few from his early years. They were ones I had heard, but everyone else hadn't and enjoyed them. When Bella went to sleep, we got started on Edward's and Bella's house. It was quicker, as the layouts were similar, except that it had a basement for experiments and other such things. We were a few hours away from finishing the plumbing and electrical when Bella awoke. She was still eating her omelette when Emmett's truck could be heard. We all collectively sighed in relief and gathered in front of the fireplace in Carlisle's and my home. We didn't light a fire, as Bella said she didn't need it.
Ironically we ended in the same configuration as the last family meeting.
Strangely Emmett was the one that started, wrapping Rose in his arms, "So, Zafrina, Kachiri, and Senna were easy enough to find, as they greeted us after about fourteen hours of searching. What took so much time was that they knew of local offspring between a male vampire and female humans and had offered one of the children their protection. It took some time and explaining our situation for Kachiri to go and ask if the offspring would speak to us. He must have agreed because we met him. His name is Nahuel and he has half sisters. All of them are the products of rapes from a vampire called Joham who believes himself to be creating the next version of vampires who will rule the world. We also met Nahuel's aunt, Hullen, who helped his mother through the pregnancy, and was turned by Nehuel. According to Nehuel, male offspring are venomous and females are not. He also said that blood is required to be given to the mother, as the fetus needs blood to grow and survive."
None of that sounded so bad, so when Emmett took a breath, it was clear that the rest would be poor news.
"The parts of the tales that are truth are that Joham steals women from their homes at night, rapes them, returns them, and waits until they get pregnant. When they begin showing, the communities shun the women for not having a man and since the gestation is rapid, claim that she's carrying a demon, and expel her from the village. Then, according to Nahuel, he follows the woman until she gives birth and steals the child from her. He holds no value to humans and sees them as breeding cattle. As a result, Nahuel's half-sisters, who were raised by Joham, have his beliefs. Nahuel is different and under Zafrina's protection from Joham, because when Nahuel's mother was tossed out of the village Hullen went with her. Hullen taught him to respect humans and how deplorable Joham's actions are."
If I weren't mistaken, it was like Emmett was delaying.
Then, sighing heavily he went on, "All the women died. Every single one. We asked Nahuel if a woman could survive, and he was emphatic that it would be impossible as a human, but couldn't say about surviving as a vampire. None of Joham's victims lived, but then Hullen pointed out that they had little care and no support. She honestly was more hopeful than Nahuel, but not much."
Rose spoke, but it was into Emmett's shirt as if needing his protection against the words. "All the offspring grew rapidly and then slowed eventually becoming immortal, at least as it seems, as Nahuel is 150 years old, more or less. He eats human food and consumes blood. He is stronger than humans, but less than vampires. He can go out in the sun without drawing much attention. The offspring are children in every way that human children are, albeit with a faster development period, but the birthing process killed the mothers. There were none that survived the process. Hullen said that Nahuel ate himself out of his mother's womb, and the amount of blood loss would make it challenging to have enough blood in the human body to allow the transformation into a vampire."
Then, she shook with grief and Emmett strengthened his grip around her.
"Thank you," Bella uttered, and then paused before adding, "I wish it hadn't brought you such suffering."
"You're welcome," Emmett replied on both their behalf.
"I need time to consider this information," I informed everyone.
Carlisle added, "I will begin the process of acquiring Bella's blood type. Either way, it seems like she would do well with a transfusion."
Agreeing with his input, I then suggested, "In a few hours we will be starting our day nine, since we decided to await making a decision. We still have time. How about in the morning after Bella sleeps we'll reconvene?"
No objections were made and Carlisle got started on getting some of Bella's blood type.
"Jasper, would you mind hunting a deer? You and Emmett can drain the blood for Bella?" I requested.
"Yes, ma'am," Jasper replied quickly with Emmett in agreement shortly afterwards.
Alice and I returned to working on Bella and Edward's house. We did not speak, each lost in our thoughts. More than anything I empathised with Rosalie's reaction. To hear such horror stories be true and the loss of human life was atrocious. Yet, that was not Bella's story. Did it mean another outcome? I didn't know, but what I needed was Carlisle's arms. When he came to the house, I stayed close to him working next to him allowing his proximity to soothe me. When Jasper and Emmett returned, we three went to observe Bella curious as to the outcome. We all but Carlisle held our breaths while Emmett brought her a cup of blood and Rosalie added a straw at the last second. Bella was half awake and hesitated at first, but then with pure determination drank it down. Almost immediately her colour looked better.
"Food?" I suggested.
"Yeah," she agreed, still not fully awake.
I served her a beef stew and then considered how I could begin making dishes that contained blood. That was a problem to be solved in a bit. She ate the stew more heartily and readily, which was a relief. As soon as possible, I looked for recipes calling for blood and found a few. With my new meal plan in mind, I went back to the house to work until sunrise. When the stores opened, I left going into town. After collecting all my ingredients and getting home I started with black pudding. It was supposedly a morning dish, which I figured that I would add to her omelette, one of the few things she still kept down.
In the morning she sat eating while we joined her to talk things through. It was joyous to see her eating the pudding first. It gave me hope.
Carlisle started the conversation, his tone serious with a hint of his doctor demeanour. "So, after considering the information Rosalie and Emmett bravely brought back, these are the options as I see them, but please be free to add others. One, we decide to terminate the pregnancy."
Bella paled, but said nothing and kept eating.
"Two, we decide for Bella to carry the fetus. For option one, after the last eight examinations and taking into account the information given to us by Nahuel, it would seem that the embryo sack is more like vampire skin than human. Thus, it would require a caesarean section, opening up the sack, most likely by the use of teeth, and then removing the fetus. Assuming option two, it would seem that delivery would be the same as what I just described. To ensure the fetus' and Bella's success, I would want to remove the fetus before its due date by one to three days, which should still permit enough gestation without the fetus initiating its own delivery. If these were to be the steps of delivery, along with someone else initiating the change, and then me sowing up Bella's wounds, while also giving her a blood transfusion, I believe both can be saved. Both options are risky to Bella as they both require the same procedure. The exception is that with option two the fetus and sack are at greater risk of harming her."
Everyone was frowning, even Bella.
"Clearly with option one we have some chance to continue as planned and Bella can be transformed as intended. However, with option two we would absolutely need to secure the houses, finish what we can, and move to a remote location, perhaps even the cabin in Newfoundland." He allowed about five minutes before requesting, "Bella?"
"I trust your expertise as a doctor, as well as Rosalie's, and Edward's to help me survive. Already with the blood I feel better."
"Edward?" he enquired.
He closed his eyes tight. "Either way Bella is at risk. At the same time, I can see Nahuel in Rosalie's and Emmett's mind. This fetus isn't a demon, although I can see why the stories were painted that way, especially as the males are venomous. As much as it terrifies me, I don't want to go against Bella's wishes when the greatest of my fears are not true. This won't be an immortal child."
After some silence Carlisle requested Rosalie go next.
She looked at Bella. "Selfishly I want you to carry it. If you are willing, then I will support you. But that means you giving over the responsibility of raising your child to the family until you're past your newborn year. You need to think about that. It's a huge cost in the short-term."
Tears rolled down Bella's cheek and she mouthed thank you.
Emmett went next. "It seems risky either way. My concern was an immortal child. If that's not the case, then I'm down with having a kid around, even if that means a lot more work for us all and more risk to Bella."
There was silence for a while until Jasper spoke looking at Bella seriously. "What you carry within you cares for you, and you are deeply attached to it. My greatest fears are also removed. I don't like the risk, but I also see helping you accomplish this wish of yours as a chance to redeem some of my crimes from when I was with Maria. A creature that grows and changes, a child that matures into an adult, no matter how much vampire nature it has, deserves a chance at life. That assumed that you're willing to carry it and pay the price. This won't be your and Edward's child like humans think. This will be the family's, especially, as you won't be able to be the caregiver for at least the first year. You would be taking a tremendous risk to offer a gift to the family. If you're going to be resentful or upset that this offspring is not yours, then you might want to reconsider carrying to term."
Not even a minute later Alice spoke up and looked at Bella. "Make sure you're willing to pay the prices. I'll support your decision either way."
Bella's gaze came to me, and I told her, "I would be honoured if you blessed the family with a baby, and I will do everything to find food to help you along and raise your offspring to know that you are the mother, but it is a huge sacrifice to carry a child and then miss those first years, especially as the development speed is theoretically so much greater."
Bella looked around and after some breaths requested, "Can Edward and I talk about it and we reconvene in a few hours?"
There were no objections.
Edward and Bella decided to take a drive to have some privacy, while the rest of us went to work on their house.
When Jasper and Rosalie were in the same room, she asked him, "Can you truly feel the fetus' feelings?"
His voice was reverent, "Yes, it takes some work to separate it from Bella's, but they are beautiful and pure, full of contentment and peace and affection. I can feel how attached Bella is also, which impacts my own sense towards it."
It was a while, but then a soft "Thank you" from Rose.
Two hours later Edward's Volvo could be heard heading our way.
Going to my house's kitchen, I started making Arroz de Cabidela.
Once Bella was in the kitchen Edward took the blood that had been set aside from the deer and warmed it. Gratefully he had warned me. After her cup of blood I served her the dish, which she seemed ravenous for.
When she was finished Edward let the others know, while I washed the dishes.
Putting the last dish away, it seemed like such a menial task in comparison to how monumental the next conversation would be. It was an odd juxtaposition. No matter what we chose as a family, what was certain was that we would never be the same. Centring myself and imagining my spark, I squared my shoulders to face whatever our future might hold.
A/N: Hopefully this chapter really highlighted how much the family has changed, individually and as a unit, at least that was my intention. Thought? Opinions?