I'm sorry if anything about that last chapter was confusing, but I, sadly, was rushing through that & this chapters to get to… you'll see. Please ask your questions & I'll answer them-promise! I love hearing from you guys. For those of you who wanted to know how Bella got pregnant here's your answer, but I didn't say it our right. Pay close attention to Edward. Every word has a deeper meaning. Jake uses language, fyi!
Bella was far too forgiving after we found out. She clung to my side and allowed me to sleep with her at night again. Passionate hugs and kisses were as far as we had gotten though. Both of us were studying hard for our semester finals and planning our visit in Forks.
Alice and Jasper only stopped my to congratulate us (she saw the doctor call the second he first saw the results.) and to ask Bella for forgiveness. My sisters had threatened to "never speak to her again" to put it lightly. Alice and Jasper also had a gift for Charlie, The Fisherman's Cookbook, that they wanted us to take to him.
Carlisle and Esme were, of course, more than thrilled about the news. Esme promised to helps us raise our baby as much as we allowed her and assured us that Rosalie would come around too when she realized this was her chance at rising a child. It seemed that Bella and I would never be alone again.
"Edward?" Bella was lying in bed, almost asleep.
"Rest, love. We have a long drive to Forks tomorrow." I kissed her hair. She smiled and stroked the side of my face. The temptation to have her was great, and we did have the time…
"I'm not tired." I could try to wear her our, although that might cause her to be more awake. It was worth the chance. I moved closer to kiss her neck and seduce her.
"Are you happy? About the baby?" She seemed shy. Her innocent resistance only made me want her more.
"How could you ask such a silly question? Do you have any idea what this means to me?" She shook her head. I sighed happily, ready to explain, even if that mean no sex tonight.
"My life is almost perfect now. I have the most beautiful woman in the world to share all eternity with, and now she has given me a gift I never dreamed possible for my kind: life. Isabella, you've warmed me out of my cold shell. Your warmth reawakened something still alive in me after 100 years. You've given me the chance to create life, and now these two soul will become three!"
"So you admit to having a soul now?" She kissed me.
"That's debatable, but not for tonight." And for the first time as expecting parents we rejoiced.
Bella, after not sleeping much of the night before, slept most of the way to Forks, and when I pulled into Charlie's driveway that evening I gently nudged her awake. Charlie was still at work so Bella took the liberty of cooking their dinner. She cooked fast, hoping to finish eating before Charlie got home; neither of us thought he'd let me skip dinner after driving all day.
She was halfway through with her pasta when I heard the Cruiser pull up. Charlie, after seeing my shinny Volvo, ran inside to personally congratulate his daughter. He was worried about our lives and decisions, but he tried to keep them quiet.
After he'd said his small "how are you?" speech Charlie piled the rest of the pasta on a large plate for himself. He was interested about our school, friends, and house. He still was uneasy about me paying for everything we needed-without a loan. Bella must have kept our wealth an understatement.
He surprised us both when he talked though dinner. He told us stories from the station and about why he'd never be a city cop. Bella and I pretended to listen to his age old city speech. What caught Bella's attention was Jacob's story. I forgot to tell her that he came back.
"that night after your wedding," explained Charlie, "Jacob ran off again. Billy didn't stop him, thinking he'd come back in a few days-just like before. I had a few words to say, and eventually Sam agreed that it was time t track him down. Weeks went by, but no one had heard from him or seen him. By then Billy was getting upset. And guess where they found that stupid boy. Some other reservation in the area. Something to do with a girl! Well, he sure bounces back fast, I'll give him that."
Bella was happy to be back, but sleeping down the hall from the ever watchful Charlie made sleeping with her difficult. Our choices were not at all or late at night when he was too asleep to hear. The late night option usually left Bella exhausted the next morning. Charlie would then get suspicious which only caused awkward silence. By Christmas the not at all option became the only option because neither of us had our gifts wrapped.
Christmas with Charlie was simple: early breakfast (I told him I never ate breakfast. He didn't approve, but at least I was excused from it), opened gifts, and watched any sport on TV. The three of us watched Chicago State play against the University of New York for most of the day. Charlie and Bella cheered for New York, but my Chicago won after a close match. Then Charlie got a brilliant idea.
"Bella, take the night off. Let's go down to the Lodge for dinner! I'll buy." Charlie immediately jumped up and grabbed his coat and keys. Bella shrugged and followed him, but I groaned. Getting out of this dinner would be tricky.
"No, Charlie, I'm not hungry," I told him again when it was time to order our food. Bella had offered to share her meal with me, and eventually Charlie gave in. Then Charlie looked up and saw an old friend.
"I'll be right back," he said as he left.
"Bella? Edward?" Jessica Stanley's voice called a few tables down. We invited then over, and she, Mike, Angela, and Ben squeezed into Charlie's booth.
"We thought we'd never see you again!" said Angela. All four of them thought Run-away Renee's past rubbed off on her daughter.
"Well, it is hard to come back, but we'll visit sometime," lied Bella. It wasn't convincing, but it was the best she'd ever told.
"What's it like up there?" asked Mike.
"It's colder, gets dark faster, but when the sun is out all day…" I smiled at Bella. She smiled back and finished for me.
"It's beautiful." Then, out of nowhere, came the foul, wet dog stink of the werewolves. I snapped my head towards the door and found three wolves with three women. Charlie noticed them, too, and asked the waiter to sit them near us.
"Edward, who is it?" asked Bella. Her hand grabbed my arm.
"The imprinted family-most of them anyway. Sam and Emily, Jared and Kim, and Jacob and Charlene."
"Jake and who?" She also looked at the approaching group.
"You'll see," I laughed. I really shouldn't have; there was nothing funny about imprinting, but old prejudices left me no choice. It was strange not to hear a single thought about Bella.
"I can see thing are going to get awkward so we'll see you later, Bella?" asked Angela as all four of them left.
"Cullen, how are you?" politely asked Sam. His mind fought back the insults, but as always several passed through.
"Fine. You?" The six sat down at their table and looked at the menus.
"Fine," replied the wolves at once. Kim and Emily rolled their eyes and smiled at Bella. Charlene seemed the most comfortable, but then again Jacob hadn't told her about our world.
"I don't think we've met…" started Bella.
"Charlene. I'm Jake's girlfriend." She smiled at us, and Jacob grinned at his girl.
We all got along, but there was still that tension that grew throughout dinner. If one line snapped the three wolves would have attacked me on the spot. Bella's presence was perhaps the only thing that held back the natural war. Soon we all left, and Jacob was sent, literally, back to the dog house.
That night, hours after Charlie fell asleep, a husky voice entered my own thoughts, disturbing my peace.
Edward! it called. Careful not to wake Bella, I slowly crawled out of bed.
Get down here, you damned bloodsucker! The voice was now screaming inside my head.
"Edward?" Bella noticed her stone cold lover was no longer by her side.
"Hush. Go back to sleep. I'll be right back," I promised before I ran downstairs to let in the pup.
Get your ass down here, you fucking vampire! I opened the door.
"Break the chains?" I asked coolly.
"Shut up, and let me in!" growled Jacob.
"Watch your language and be quiet." I stepped aside to let him in. "What are you doing here?"
"Like you don't know," he growled. "I want answers! Billy's had me locked up and the pack hasn't had a chance to tell me anything."
"What are your questions?"
"Where's the Treaty?"
"In the glove compartment of Bella's truck which I believe is yours now."
"Is it signed?"
"Sam agreed that we don't have to sign it until we change Bella. The baby's due in late June so we'll change her after that. Give me time. Do you want her to be one of us?" Raging thoughts shot through the young wolf's mind.
"I don't like that it's taking so long. So, she really is?" He thought it was an excuse to give us time or something. His reasoning didn't make any sense to me. Maybe it was disbelief.
"Of course she is! Are you blind?"
"I didn't see her stand us or anything." He was almost shouting. Upstairs Bella called my name just soft enough for me to hear.
"Stay here," I ordered, and I dashed up to our room. Behind me Jacob was close. He wanted to see the truth for himself.
"Jacob, Charlie is just down the hall," scolded Bella, who was sitting up in bed, wrapped tightly in her covers.
"So? I just needed to know a few things and to get out! Being imprinted and grounded is a nightmare in Hell!"
"Imprinted? Jake, where have you been? Why did you run off like that?" I sat beside my worried wife, and Jacob sat in the rocking chair in the corner. His story flashed quickly inside my skull.
"It's a long story, but if you've got the time…"
"I'd like an explanation for the fight with the vampire," I said.
"Jacob, what's been going on?"