Bred
By MoneyTunes10
Chapter Eight
Annotation: First of all, a big thank you to karen4honor for your constructive criticism. Second, please forgive me for the lack of postings…I know where I'm going with this fanfic but I am unsure of the pathway…in my first act of penance, this chapter will be longer than usual
Every vampire in the house could hear the increased heartbeat from the meek woman sitting across from Edward but only one could feel the crippling apprehension and anxiety that bombarded his senses.
Jasper's presence was immediately felt at the doorway as he looked at Bella, silently sending waves of calm in her direction.
She cowered further into her chair as she held Edward's gaze; his golden eyes were a deeper shade of amber, they pierced her skin as if seeking answers that she… would not…no…could not… offer him.
Secrecy was of the utmost importance when it concerned the Agency; as far as outsiders were concerned, the Agency was perfect, their tenets were prefect and since Bella was the product of the Agency, then she had to be perfect too. There was no other choice.
Jasper could taste the change that occurred in Bella and Edward could see it…he could see it in the way she lifted her shoulders and met his gaze with determination. She was no longer meek and cowering before him, she was guarded; transforming into a fortress built from years of propaganda from the Agency. It would take more than a simple question and an abridged history of the world to change her mind.
Bella uncurled her legs…stretching her limbs… she stood gracefully tall. Her steps were light and quick when she approached Edward; it sent an invisible signal to his body as he stood immediately to face the confounding human before him.
"I am sorry, but it is not my place nor is it in your best interest that I recount certain experiences within the Agency." Her voice was unapologetic despite her words and Edward could only nod; deep down he expected this response.
This was uncharted territory and Bella did not like the course of this conversation. In fact, she was worried about her duties as a Substitute and her need for answers concerning her future was desperate.
Edward watched as Bella cocked her head to the side, he could see from the way her eyes searched his that there was more on her mind. His patience was unrelenting and he kept his features open and engaging hoping that she would ask her question…he didn't have to wait long, "Edward, when will Emmett implant his seed in me?"
An involuntary growl vibrated through Edward's chest as his eyes narrowed. If it had not been for Jasper's presence sending him calming waves from the doorway, he would have grasped Bella by her shoulders and shaken her for uttering those words. Instead he balled his hands into tight fists and gritted his teeth as he tried to force intelligible words from his mouth rather than the animalistic sounds that were emanating from him.
"He. Will. Do. No. Such. Thing."
"Oh," Bella's forehead creased in confusion. Edward's reaction had not perturbed her, she even enjoyed watching his eyes darken to coal black; the color change fascinated her. In truth, she was annoyed that she wasn't pregnant and it was only natural for her to think that Emmett and Rosalie would take the plunge. There was no other reason for her to be part of their coven…unless Edward still wanted a baby. Maybe he was still interested…
"Well, are you still interested in being a parent?"
Edward pinched the bridged of his nose, squeezing his eyes in a vain attempt to explain how confusing the situation was, "Bella, it's hard to explain."
"Please try, I can understand."
He opened his eyes to look at her; patiently waiting…pleading even…was it really to know if he still wanted to have a baby?
Bella took a step closer, until they were millimeters apart, close enough for her scent to wrap itself around him…crushing and embracing him all at once. Close enough for him to feel the heat emanating from her body drowning him…polluting his sanity…rendering him senseless.
"Don't you want me?" Her deep chestnut eyes were wide and alluring and he had to gulp the venom that had pooled in his mouth or he would not be able to stop himself…he would have her body…he would have her blood.
"What?" His voice was soft…agony mixed with wonderment at the fragile creature that disarmed him at every turn.
"Don't you want me to have your baby?"
His groan echoed in the silent house; Edward's fists were now covering his eyes and he stumbled backwards…this was too much. Just moments ago he was sitting across from her talking about the history of man and vampires and now she was ensnaring him.
Jasper staggered into the room, trying to keep Edward's lust under control. He reached for Bella, pulling her from Edward's presence and towards his wife. He needed to go hunting with Edward, until they both regained enough control.
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Bella's eyes remained fixated on the ceiling. She was earnestly trying to listen for Edward's return but her human ears were no match for a vampire's ability to remain silent.
She'd spent the rest of the evening with Alice but noted that the rest of the family left to hunt with Edward and Jasper. The only acceptable conclusion was that they wanted to talk about her interaction with Edward. Did she make a mistake? Were her questions inappropriate? She did have a right to know when they planned the implantation…right?
In the end, she was helpless; only able to rely on the Agency's teachings and she was determined to do everything necessary to keep her form healthy. Because one way or the other, she would get Edward Cullen to impregnate her.
Fingering the delicate Cullen crest that hung on her necklace, she turned over, silently pleading for the door to open and Edward to walk in.
Of course he did not.
In fact, it seemed that Edward avoided her at all costs. She no longer saw him in the mornings when she descended to prepare for the day. She even eyed the mansion when she went for her morning runs and he was never looking at her from one of the many floor-to-ceiling windows. One day, she finally got the courage to ask Emmett; his answer immersed her heart in sadness.
Apparently Edward felt more comfortable at the family penthouse in the city. She ran him out of his own home. What did she do for him to react so drastically?
Gloom permeated her being but she never allowed it to deter her from her daily activities. The evidence that her diet and exercise had been impeccable was noticed by all, especially Michael Newton.
He watched her toned legs and arms as she moved gracefully around the store. He even glared at the male customers who ogled this fine specimen of a woman. The worst part was that she remained unattainable; she was a Substitute that belonged to one of the most powerful families in North America. This was even more alluring. He didn't even have the courage to invite her out under the guise of showing her around town. Emmett would tear him to unrecognizable pieces and then burn them to ashes…everyone knew not to cross the Cullen Coven. He was left to playfully flirt with her and thankfully Emmett thought it was hilarious to watch Bella blush at Michael's jests.
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Rosalie's perceptive gaze also took note of Bella throughout this time. Edward made the family vow to care for Bella in his absence and she was only doing her part. Some of her human characteristics were apparent in Bella; their tenacity for trying to gain perfection was the most obvious. During her human life, Rosalie had been groomed to exude perfection and Bella was no different. Bella's rigorous diet and exercise schedule left no room for mistakes; she weighed herself constantly and fretted when she lost too much weight, yet she did not alter her work-out routines. Instead she ate a little more until she felt that she was the perfect number. That was not healthy.
The family agreed to let Rose take Bella to visit their neighbor's home. He had a Substitute who was just like Bella when she first arrived. But through sheer patience and love, she had transformed into a fierce mother and the love of his life.
Surprise colored Bella's features when she found out that she would be spending the day with Rosalie and not Emmett. She had no qualms with the gorgeous blond but she would miss Emmett's jovial banter in exchange for Rosalie's stoic beauty. Emmett only laughed at her and assured her that his wife didn't bite…hard.
She expected Rosalie to usher her into her red BMW; instead they headed down the driveway and turned onto an obscure path through the woods. On the boarder of the Cullen land, they came upon a smaller mansion deep in the woods. Rosalie strode to the door and rapped her hard knuckles against the solid oak door. She turned an appraising eye to Bella, who was standing a little farther back with an inquisitive look on her face.
"It's ok Bella, no need to be shy. There's someone here who I want you to meet."
The door was opened by a smiling Angela Webber, "Hello Mrs. Cullen."
"Angela, please call me Rose. I'm going to assume that Ben isn't home." Angela nodded as her expression turned curious, it wasn't everyday that a Cullen visited their home. Just then she heard a bang from her kitchen.
"Collin and Benjamin, you two had better not break anything in my kitchen!" Angela's hands were on her apron-clad hips as she turned her body slightly to right to face her kitchen. She hoped that Rosalie wouldn't take too long; if she left those two alone for too long she would not have a kitchen to cook in.
"Sorry Rose." Angela gave Rosalie a sheepish smile as she returned her attention back to her. Rose stepped aside revealing a stunned Bella, "Angela this is Bella, Bella this…"
Rosalie was suddenly cut off by the intense embrace and crying that consumed the two humans. Bella was sobbing uncontrollably into Angela's shoulder as Angela stroked her back and silently cried tears of her own. The two friends never thought they would see each other again after Angela left the Agency.
"Well, I can see that you two already know each other. I guess this will be easier than I thought." Bella looked at Rose with such intense gratitude that she couldn't help but give the human a smile. "I'll come back later today so we return home together; enjoy your day with Angela." Rosalie smiled as she bid both humans goodbye. She needed to look up more information on Angela Webber…
"Mama, are you ok?"
Bella pulled herself free from Angela's embrace to see identical boys looking at Angela with concern on their faces.
They spoke in unison when they voiced their concern for their mother, but apart from the ethereal beauty that the twins exuded, it was the word 'Mama' that left Bella's mouth ajar.
Angela was their Substitute but they referred to her as their mother? Bella gave Angela a bewildered look before she followed her inside.
After reassuring the boys that she was crying happy tears at seeing her old friend, she ushered Bella towards the kitchen.
Bella couldn't take he eyes off the two children who were clearly Angela's. They had her soft brown hair and kind eyes. Their eyes differed in coloring from their mother, as Bella expected; four golden orbs with streaks of brown throughout that remained fixated on Bella.
Bella knew that the mixed diets of hybrid children were manifested in their eyes. Children who only had human blood had crimson eyes, those who only had animal blood had golden eyes, those who had both blood and human food had unusual mixed colors, like Angela's twins. Of course parents were encouraged to feed hybrid children both human food and blood to ensure that their growing bodies got all the nutrients for a healthy life. Thus it was normal to see hybrid children with various eye color combinations.
Angela stopped when she saw the mess in her kitchen. Cookie batter was smeared on the counter and it had the distinct imprints of little fingers. She turned to glare at her two children, "Benjamin and Collin Cheney, what have I told you about eating cookie batter?"
"Collin made me do it!" Benjamin was first to clear his name, but Collin was just as quick with his retort, "Did not!"
Angela sighed, "Just go outside and play. But stay where I can see you ok?"
"K!" Collin sent a grateful smile in Bella's direction as he and his brother ran outside. He knew that if she wasn't there, they would have had a timeout.
Bella sank onto the nearest stool, "how old are they?" She was still looking at the back door they had just retreated through.
"Chronologically 120 weeks, developmentally five years…"
That was the first of many questions, laughter, tears and reminiscing between old friends. Angela and Bella had been inseparable in the Agency. They were two of the few that had a hard time dealing with their parents' abandonment. This solidified their bond and dependency on one another; that was the reason for their devastation when Angela was chosen. It was also the reason for their joy at the unexpected reunion.
The day was spent catching up and completing chores around the house. Both women were keen on sharing their experiences since the separation and Bella could not help but fall in love with the twins. The best part was the laughter that ensued when both women tried to convince the boys to eat most of their human food before they had a cup of blood. Collin and Benjamin were well versed in debate tactics and they eagerly shared their reasons for only wanting blood. It was normal for them to have a slight repulsion to human food and a highly developed taste for blood. In the end though, the boys ate their medium rare steaks and some veggies before they were sent out again with large cups of the delicious red liquid.
Angela took that time to pull out albums to show Bella pictures of her little family. She talked lovingly about Dr. Cheney and how scared she was when she first came to live with him. She even had a picture that he took from her first days with him; Angela looked like a frightened girl, most likely because that was exactly what she was. She confided in Bella…telling her how hard it was to believe that Ben wanted to be a single father. She even confessed that she no longer adhered to the Agency's teachings; this sent a jolt of fear though Bella. There was no way she could abandon the teachings.
Yet, Bella could see Angela's glow, the softness in her body and Angela's wider hips from birthing her twins. She could see the sparkle in her eyes when she talked about Dr. Ben Cheney and her twins, Benjamin and Collin. There was so much love and adoration that tears fell from Bella's eyes as she listened to her and scanned the albums. She traced her fingers over a picture of Angela's pregnant form. She sighed when she saw the picture of a beaming vampire next to a haggard Angela on a hospital bed. They had two bundles wrapped in soft blue blankets.
Bella knew how special twin hybrids were; they were adored and desired by many vampires because of their rarity. Angela was such a special woman that Bella couldn't be happier or more astonished that she had the gift of twins and found love with her vampire. This Substitute-Vampire love was taboo; preventing them from getting married. The fact that the boys saw Angela as their mother was also eclectic. Bella wondered if that was the reason they lived deep in the woods. Angela's trust in Bella led her to share the idea that there could be love between a Substitute and a vampire, albeit many looked down on vampires who had human consorts.
When Rosalie returned later that day, the three women spent some time playing with the twins. They were in the middle of a high seas pirate battle in the small backyard pool when the boys suddenly cocked their heads in the direction of their front door. They leapt up, capsizing their miniature pirate ships and running towards the door. When the women followed the exuberant children, they found them saying hello to their father. Bella then had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Cheney, who was not surprised to see Bella. Rosalie had a conversation with Ben prior to bringing Bella to meet Angela; he was a longtime family friend who shared the Cullens' compassion for humans that most other vampires lacked. The loving interaction between Angela and Ben floored Bella to the point that she was constantly blushing and barely able to form words.
When dusk approached and darkness began to stretch itself throughout the surrounding woods, Bella and Rosalie bid their hosts farewell. After promising to return the next day, they departed towards the Cullen mansion. It was one of the most memorable days of Bella's life; she was in a daze as she followed the blond woman who patiently kept a human pace. There was so much to process…the life Angela led with her vampire was unconventional to say the least.
Bella's day reached epic proportions when she walked in and every member of the Cullen family was present.
Her eyes locked onto Edward's lips, "the Agency will be conducting an inspection this weekend."
A gasped escaped Bella's mouth as her heart took off, she wasn't with child yet and there was inspection coming.
This was bad…very bad…