AN:You guys have no idea how terrible I feel about taking so long with this chapter. I'm deeply sorry...but my official beta, hnwhitlock2000, has started with this chapter. She also beta's my other stories. Thanks, hnwhitlock2000!
Chapter 39
It's almost Christmas…I've spent the last month enjoying my husband and children and doing what I need to help Alice get me and the babies ready for our trip around the world. It helps that I don't have to sleep because we leave on January 16…
I'm glad that we'll occasionally get to come back to visit because I'll miss Forks… and my friends. Since I woke from my change in the condition that I have, Jacob has persuaded the Council that I'm not a danger. I've met them in my new form and they've met the babies as well. They agreed to allow the treaty to stand as Jake had arranged it in his capacity as Alpha. So, when Alice gets a vision of the Volturi coming to Forks…We'll be here.
Mom and Phil are due to land at Sea/Tac airport tomorrow night, so Carlisle and Emmett are picking them up. They went into Seattle for something a few days ago and were planning to return late tomorrow anyway.
I've put the pictures from Halloween and Thanksgiving into the frame that Mom had given me back in September. The babies now look around 6 months old instead of just three weeks. They were very interested when I was putting the photos into the frame.
"Mama, what are you doing?" I heard from the direction of the staircase. It was TJ. He was in the arms of his Gran…Esme.
"I'm putting these photos in this big frame…would you like to see?" I asked.
He nodded his little head and so she brought him to me. Suddenly my little task became the focus of the whole family. Rosalie brought Rosabeth downstairs and Alice and Jasper joined us. Edward provided background music as I told my children the simplified version of my life story. They didn't understand why there was a rather large 'Jacob' gap in my pictures.
We had to tell them that Edward had left town for a while but that Jacob loved me too so he kept me safe until Edward returned. They still didn't understand, but I obviously couldn't get into it with 1 month old children, so I told them we'd explain it again when they were older. They whined at first but when I moved on they got distracted and started laughing at some of the things in the other pictures.
Their reaction to the Disney World pictures was amazing. The wedding pictures were Rosabeth's favorites…and I must admit that I also feel that way…at least I did until we got to the Halloween picture. That was TJ's favorite, too…
Alice had dressed us up for Halloween…My silly but amazing sister had dressed me up as a pea pod with 3 peas…one was my head and then one for each baby… I thought I had it bad, but then I saw what she made Edward put on and I could not keep a straight face to save my life! TJ and Rosie started giggling like maniacal midgets when they saw Edward as the 'Jolly Green Giant'.
They saw me hold them each for the first time and the first family photo and now there are 2 slots left open. I'm saving one for Christmas and one for New Years. There will be other Albums and such but I want those to be part of my mother's gift to me.
Edward promises that this frame will be one of the few permanent pieces that we will keep with us no matter where we move to and I will hold him to that.
Now Alice has me looking at clothes online. I'm ordering items that are suitable for the local weather and having them sent all over the world. We'll spend the first month and a half finishing our American adventure, so I can use my current wardrobe, and then we'll go to Mexico, where I'll need dresses and swimsuits to go out in at night. After that, we'll be going to South America and apparently… Esme has an island near there, so we'll be visiting there for a few weeks with more need for dresses and swimsuits but then it's on to England, Scotland and Ireland with long sleeves and pants. Of course, the trip will be interrupted by the visit from the black cloud of the Volturi, but then we'll pick up right where we left off and go into Europe.
Maybe I'm in denial, but I refuse to think about the possible loss of any one of my family members.
"Bella, your mom just got their tickets switched to an earlier flight." Alice yells from another room. "I already called Carlisle and he's just got one more thing to pick up in the morning so Renee and Phil will be in Seattle by noon and here by dinnertime tomorrow instead of nearly midnight. Isn't that great?"
I smile. "Yes, Ali…I can't wait to see them and I've missed Emmett and Carlisle as well."
She comes into the room. "The next day, we'll all go get a Christmas tree and your mom and Phil and your dad and Sue will watch the little ones. It's a good thing they can eat human food as well as blood. Your human family and friends would SO not understand…"
I giggle at the thought of my mother or father feeding the kids a bottle of blood and hear Edward laugh, too.
"Oops…" I say, causing the family to laugh.
"Yes, love, your shield is still down. I heard that and it would be pretty funny to see your human parents feeding blood to the babies." My husband says. "Perhaps we should hunt so you won't be tempted while they're here."
"Yes, Edward, that's a good idea…HUNT…" Alice admonishes him.
I smirk, wondering what else he has planned as he takes my arm.
Edward says, "Come, love, let's say good-bye to the little ones and get some alone time…"
"Like you 2 don't get enough of that already, Edward!" Rosalie snickers.
"Hey…now, Rose…" He says sounding hurt. "Bella and I have only gotten 3 nights to ourselves since the babies were born. You guys don't mind watching little Rosie and TJ…do you?"
I pout at her for good measure.
"Oh, fine…just go and have fun…" Rosalie laughs and shakes her head.
Esme and Alice join in and wave at us as I kiss my babies foreheads and wait for Edward to do the same.
The little ones aren't happy to see us leaving but we promise to come back really soon so they reluctantly let go of our legs and cling to their aunts'.
Edward takes my hand and we run through the woods. I stop after a while but Edward speeds past me. I look around feeling eyes on me.
"Bella, what's wrong?" Edward says as soon as he rejoins me.
I stretch my shield to cover us both. *Edward, I feel like we're being watched…Do you hear any thoughts…or see anything amiss? * Just after I send him my thought, I adjust the shield to allow thoughts through.
Instantly he scans the immediate area and shakes his head. "No, love…but perhaps we should just hunt…I want to be close in case the family needs us."
I nod and close my shield to everything but us. I'm disappointed. We haven't been sexual since the first time Rose and Alice babysat and that was the night after I woke up. I remember it well…We'd wandered the nearby forest and found a comfy spot not too far but not too close to the house. He'd lain me down and kissed me thoroughly before slowly and carefully stripping our bodies of clothing and making sweet, sensual, not to mention mind blowing, love to me.
"I know, love…I'm disappointed too…" He murmurs.
We run along an obscure path and find a few deer. We attack at the same time and we each obtain our prey. As I sip from the doe, I get the feeling of being watched again. This time a scent comes with it.
*Edward…what is that scent? I don't recognize it. * I say with my thoughts.
"It's Vampire, my love…but not family…" He takes his cell phone out and hands it to me.
I dial Alice who answers quickly.
"I don't know who it is…I can't see that much…but they're friendly. When you ask her to identify herself she will walk out of a knot of trees to your left. You must ask or she'll run…I've seen that too. The family except for Esme and the babies will be there shortly." Alice informs us.
Edward whirls around shaking his head.
I relay the message to Alice. "No…Alice, we can handle this. Stay there to protect them."
"Ok, we'll be here when you join us then." She says reluctantly.
I hang up and take a step forward. "I know someone is there! Come out! Identify yourself!"
Edward takes a stance facing the bushes to my back and I turn to the left.
"Bella…? Is that you…?" The voice sounds familiar and yet I can't place it. The female vampire slowly walks out of the tree-line. Her eyes are bronze; her hair is a curly golden blonde tumble. "Bella! They told me I'd never find anyone who'd believe me… I'm not what they said I am…am I…?"
I stare at her. "Janet…?"
Edward stares for a moment too. "What happened…?"
I place a comforting hand on her arm and Edward's. "Honey, Alice said she's friendly. Let's take her to the house and we can talk. If she can't control herself we'll figure out another solution."
"Fine, but I'm calling Jacob. We don't want him to find out, on his own, that we're harboring an unknown newborn vampire." Edward says bringing his phone back out to make the necessary call. Then, he leads us home.
I walk next to my poor, formerly human, friend.
"What's going on, Bella? You look the same…but different…I'm glad to see that you're still with Edward." Janet says.
I don't know what to tell her yet so we just walk along behind my husband. As we come up to the back door, I hear my babies' heartbeats being taken away. "Edward, what's happening?"
"Charlie and Sue are taking the babies for a few hours. Esme only told them that we were having unexpected company and thought the noise might keep the little ones from their sleep." He says soothing me. "It'll be alright, Bella-love. We'll get this sorted out and then go to pick them up."
"Ok…" I nod uneasily. "Janet, come in. You'll be meeting some people."
Janet bites her lip and follows me into the midst of my family.
"This is my family." I say. "Esme is my mother-in-law, for all intents and purposes. Alice, you've met. She's like a sister to me, as is Rosalie. Jasper is Alice's mate…my brother. You've also met Edward already…He's my husband and the father of my children. You may recognize Jake from the night at the karaoke bar. He's my ex-husband as well as a good friend of the family. He's also the Alpha of a wolf pack located in this area. I think I told you everything else you need to know in the letters I sent you."
"You sent letters? I only got the one that said your trip across Canada went well and you had not gotten pregnant yet. I guess your last try worked? That's great!" She says. "This is the ex who was having problems with his psyche…? Did that ever get cleared up?"
I nod. "…I'll tell you more later… For now, we need to hear your story. How were you turned? Who turned you? What did they tell you? How did you find us? Most importantly… What do you feed on?"
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Bella's Bucket List
1) There are lots of different foods I want to try
2) Get belly-button pierced
3) Visit Mom and Phil
a) Go to Disney
b) Go to Universal
c) Go to Sea World
4) Give blood
5) Go to LaPush to be in Jake and Val's wedding. Ride a horse and sight see around the rez with Charlie and Jake and Seth and the girls
6) Swim with dolphins or Scuba dive
7) Get married to the man/ Vampire that I love more than anything in the world
8) Finish the semester of teaching and then resign with honor
9) Have a baby
10) Spend some time with Charlie and Sue