Flabbergasted Phenomenon

Summary: "This is the most unique situation I have ever heard of with a human and a vampire," was what Carlisle said, but all I could think was, "I'm going to have a baby."

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, New Moon, or Eclipse. I just own the scenarios where I thrust my favorite vampire and his family and the love of his life! Yay for me!

Chapter Eighteen: Rollercoaster

The tension was high in the house, and I was not entirely sure what caused it. It was as if everyone was on edge, and it didn't help that my pregnancy hormones had me bouncing from one mood to the next and my body was beginning to ache with the weight of the baby. I tried not to overly concern Edward, only informing him when it hurt too much, which only happened a few days ago, when he tickled me.

Edward's even been acting strange. I think he's frightened for me. He's afraid that every step I take might end up with my face hitting the floor, he's afraid to leave me alone, and I am most definitely not allowed to go anywhere by myself. Since Port Angeles really, he hasn't let me out of his sight, unless I was taking a human minute, or I was in the care of a doctor, and even then, his thoughts were in tune with the doctor's.

My condition, as I have been calling it, hasn't changed, but Carlisle's determined that it will get better before the start of my third trimester. I trusted him, and with Edward agreeing and reassuring me with Alice's visions, I felt safe. But that still didn't stop his worrying.

That's why I was surprised when we sat down at the table, each doing our own respected finals for English, I had to get a glass of water, and I got it for myself. He didn't attempt to get it for me, he just said okay. I made sure that I didn't fall, and I kept my balance well enough, but I probably would have fallen with the fact that I got the water by myself.

I think he was preoccupied.

"Bella, what exactly is your final for English about?"

I looked away from my text book to look at my angel. The look in his eye told me that he wasn't totally into the conversation. I decided to humor him, pretending that I didn't notice his lack of interest. "It's really easy. The Puritans lack of mercy on man in the 1600's. I have to prove that the Puritans had no mercy for man. I did almost the same thing in Phoenix when I read The Scarlet Letter, except it was an essay based on Hawthorne's writing. Have you read that book?"

"Only a thousand times." Edward leaned across the table to look at me closer. His topaz eyes put me in a trance. "Is The Scarlet Letter considered a classic?"

I had to swallow hard and take a deep breath before I could answer him. "Most definitely. It's the best book that gives insight to the Puritans insanity and lack of mercy, well, The Crucible does too, but that's a play. Besides, everyone reads it when they're in high school." Edward eyed me critically, as if I was insane for considering the book a classic, and then he smiled at me, making my heart flutter. I tried to ignore him and work on my essay. My pen was poised above my paper, and I began to write again.

After working for a few more minutes, Edward suggested that we take a break, and I wholeheartedly agreed. With my newly acquired love for avocados and celery, Edward carefully cut up my snack and put it on a plate. I sat at the table and nibbled on it while Edward moved to a seat beside me and rested his chin on my shoulder. He wrapped his arm around me, and I was basically in his lap, but I didn't mind. Edward hummed a song that I didn't recognize, but it entranced me all the same.

"Beautiful, beautiful, Bella," Edward murmured in my ear, kissing my cheek. I blushed and swatted his arm.

"Don't lie Edward, it's not flattering."

"You don't believe me?" He pulled away from me and looked me in the eyes. "You've never seen yourself clearly."

"Clearly?" I asked incredulously. "Before, Edward, I almost believed you, but now I'm as big as a horse! I can't possibly look as nice as you say, especially in my sweats."

Edward shook his head. "You've never seen yourself clearly. Believe me, you're beautiful." He kissed me softly and left me breathless. I closed my eyes when he pulled away and leaned my forehead against his. Edward left soft kisses all over my face and I breathed lightly, forcing myself to stay conscious.

He kissed me again, and I wrapped my arms around his neck, holding on tightly. We stayed that way for quite awhile, and I wouldn't have minded if we stayed like that for eternity, but I needed to get reacquainted with oxygen. I leaned against him again and nibbled on the last stalk of celery. "That was a great snack," I murmured, sure that Edward heard me. He laughed in my ear and kissed my neck

It was quiet between us for a few minutes. Edward stroked my side and I looked up at him. "What about William?" he asked, resting his hand against my stomach. "As the baby's name?"

"William Cullen," I said aloud, shaking my head. "It doesn't have a nice ring to it. And I don't want to call him Willie."

"Why would you do that?" Edward pressed his cheek to mine, his hand moving over my stomach once again.

It took me a moment to gain my speech. I blushed, and I knew Edward could feel the warm from my cheek. "I want a name that I can give a nickname to. Edward has Eddie, which I will never call you," I said when he narrowed his eyes at me. I knew how much he detested being called Eddie, no matter how may times Emmett suggested that I call him that.

"Jonathan?"

I looked at Jasper, who was standing at the bottom of the stairs. "Jonathan Cullen…eh, I don't like it much anymore." He sat down and watched us pensively. I smiled tentatively, and Edward leaned his head against my shoulder.

"I will not name him Edward."

"He could be a junior."

"Emmett! Name him Emmett!"

Edward's brothers and sisters were now standing at the bottom of the stairs, undoubtedly throwing names at him through their mind. To poke a little fun at Edward, I said, "I kind of like Emmett Jasper Cullen. It has that ring to it." A huge grin spread over my features, and I looked up at my husband with pure euphoria on my face.

Edward winced and looked at me, a little pitifully. "If you like it, I'll agree."

"And I can call him Em-Jay." I was shaking with my silent glee and it took Edward a moment to realize that I was joking, and in the end, we all laughed together.

Emmett made the surprising comment, "I wouldn't like it if he were named after me; he'd have one heck of a legacy to live up to."

"If only he were a girl," Alice said, sighing dramatically. She sat down in Jasper's lap and wrapped her arm around his neck. "I had so many visions of you choosing a girl's name, in the beginning when no one knew what it was."

"I've always been partial to girls." Rosalie said quietly, leaning against the banister. "An asexual name might work. Kelly or Sam maybe?" Rosalie sounded hopeful, and I felt my heart break in two. She truly wanted to have a child.

"Are you crying?" Edward asked disbelievingly, sweeping one of his fingers over a traitorous tear that escaped.

"No!" I said, sniffling. "I am not crying." The burning hot tears were more than willing to fall after the one escaped. I swear to the stars, my emotions are out to get me! I rubbed at my eyes furiously and shook my head when Edward asked me again.

"I think you'll find the name soon enough," Alice said, tapping her temple. "And you'll be excited that you thought of it all on your own. Do you want a hint?"

"Oh don't ruin it for her, Alice," Emmett said. "That's like telling someone the end of a game, which you do frequently, might I add." Alice shoved Emmett, and he barely budged. I'm sure if I tried doing that, I would have fallen down the stairs. I smiled though, because this was the family that I missed. There really was a gaping hole amongst the Cullen's when Rosalie and Emmett disappeared.

But with the Cullen's back together and Edward swearing that the Volturi had nothing to do with anything, why was everyone stressed out? I understand that I'm a main source of stress, I thought, eyeing my family once again. Alice was looking at Edward, her eyes piercing into his gaze. But am I the only source? It looked like Alice and Edward were having a private conversation.

I closed my eyes, wanting to stop thinking. It made my head hurt. Breathing deeply, I knew I could fall asleep within minutes, and since the conversations around me were like soft vibrations, I was being lulled to sleep. Fighting for the strength to do so, I decided that finishing my essay would be in my best interest before I got swept up in dreamland. "Here, let me up and stretch," I said, pushing on Edward's hands.

"Be careful," Edward said, gently lowering me to my feet. His hands stayed on my hips a second longer than normal, and then he let go of me.

I walked with a hand on my back to the living room. I heard someone hiss something, and then there was silence. I wonder what that's about I paused for a split second, and then I closed my eyes. I hope they're not trying to scare me! I hate it when Emmett gets ideas like that. I searched the living room for a second, looking for my book bag. I needed my rubric for the speech.

"Found you!" I said, seeing the bag on the couch. I walked to it, and then froze to the spot, one hand covering my mouth and the other holding on to my stomach. The baby's moving! I rested my hand above my navel for a second and I was sure I felt the movement again. "E-Edward," I stuttered, unable to move. Why is this so shocking?

"Alice what did you see? Are you hurt Bella? Oh God, let me get—" Edward was standing in front of me in a flash. I stopped him mid worry and grabbed his hand, forcing him to rest his fingers against my stomach. "What is wrong?" he asked worriedly. I looked into his eyes and saw that he was about ready to tear his hair out with his fretting. If only he could read my thoughts.

Technically, the first time I felt the baby kick, it was on the way home from the grocery store, and that hurt. But now…I don't know…it's not like he stopped moving from that day, but with this movement, I felt like crying.

I moved his hand slightly to the left, shivering from his cold fingers, and then I stopped. Edward's brow rose. This was obviously not the first time he's felt the baby move either. Since he couldn't hear my thoughts, he probably couldn't understand my joy at just feeling the baby move. "Bella?" Edward asked worriedly.

"He's moving!" I cried, unable to keep it in any longer. The baby was just moving, a normal, every day occurrence, and it had me breaking at the seams. I saw through the corner of my eye, Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie leaving the stairs and coming into the room. They moved slowly, as if not to surprise me, and then suddenly, Alice was beside Edward. She brought her hand to my stomach, as if she knew exactly when and where the baby was going to move next. I felt the little thump as he moved against her fingers. I looked up from Alice's hands to Jasper, who was hanging back sheepishly.

"Don't be afraid," I whispered, the tears running freely down my cheeks. "He won't hurt you."

"That's not really what I'm afraid of," Jasper said, his eyes briefly meeting mine before looking away. I noticed that Emmett and Rosalie were standing even farther back, and I was surprised to see that Rosalie seemed to be consoling Emmett, instead of the other way around. Rosalie saw that my attention was on her, and she strode towards me.

"Can I?" she asked, and I was familiar with this question. I nodded my head and she touched my stomach. We both waited for another movement from the baby, and when it happened, Rosalie gasped. She looked at me and smiled a small smile. "This is amazing," she whispered, letting go of me. Emmett was behind her in a second, his arms wrapped around her middle. Rosalie opened her mouth to say something, and then she stopped. I saw Edward's eyes narrow at her, and I immediately thought she was going to say something hurtful. After a second, she just smiled. "You're doing everything that I imagined you wouldn't be able to do, Bella. Congratulations." Not sure if I should take that as a compliment or not, I smiled a little nervously.

"I just can't believe that is real," Emmett joked, pointing at my protruding stomach. "It's almost like I'm waiting for someone to pop out and say, "You're on Candid Camera" or just kidding or something. But maybe…maybe I'm going to be an amazing uncle for an alien." Emmett paused for a second, and then tentatively touched my stomach, and in response, the baby kicked against his hand, making him retract his hand almost immediately. "There, there little Ella, don't hurt your mother!" Edward rolled his eyes, and Rosalie tapped the back of his head, rolling her eyes as well. Alice and I just laughed.

Edward gently put his hands on my shoulders and directed me to sit on the couch. I sat down slowly, and curled into his arms when he sat down beside me. Both couples left us in the living room alone.

"What was that about?" Edward asked. I looked at him, wiping at the still freely flowing tears.

"He was moving and kicking—I swear he even flipped upside-down. Aren't you happy?" I felt a little resentful that Edward didn't understand my joy. But those feelings went away when he smiled at me and brought me closer to kiss me gently. Before either of us could get carried away, he pulled our lips a part.

"Those hormones."

Almost immediately after he said that, a thought came to me, and I sighed quietly, lowering my eyes. Edward lifted my chin so I could look at him. "If you don't tell me what you're thinking, I'll tear my hair out."

Without thinking, I whispered, "Sometimes I feel like I'm making Emmett and Rosalie upset with every day that passes." I didn't add that it made me feel guilty that I was doing the exact thing that Rosalie couldn't do.

"Don't think that Bella," Edward said, kissing my forehead. "Sometimes Rosalie can't find the right things to say, but if you could hear her thoughts, you would think differently." I looked at him, as if asking, 'Really?' and he smiled. "Believe me Bella; Rosalie is really happy that this is happening."

"And Emmett?"

"He's like a crystal clear lake. He says exactly what he thinks, without editing." Edward laughed and I heard a "Hey!" being yelled from upstairs. Edward kissed the top of my head and I nestled closer to his chest. I recalled what he just said, 'he says exactly what he thinks...' and I smiled.

"Can you hear the baby's thoughts?"

"I've never tried…" Edward closed his eyes, and he listened hard. I looked up at him and saw his brow furrowed in deep concentration. Then he began to shift until I was sitting up. He laid on his stomach and rested his head against mine. I instinctively ran my fingers through his hair, waiting for him to say something. Edward was quiet for a minute, probably tuning out his family and anyone nearby. Then he whispered, "I can't hear a thing. Maybe once he's born, I could hear him. Or maybe he's like you, and I won't be able to hear a thing."

"It would be comforting for you to hear him. We would know when he's hungry or when he needs changed, or if he's sick."

"You will know all of that before even I do. It's a mother's instinct."

"Do you think I'll be a good mother?" My fingers were still entwined in Edward's hair, and I looked down at him. He was looking away from me, his ear still against my stomach.

"I believe you'll be a phenomenal mother." I closed my eyes and leaned my head back. Edward shifted, as if to relieve some of the pressure that his head had against my stomach. "It is really extraordinary to hear the heartbeat. Sometimes when it's quiet in the house, I can hear it along with yours. It's music to my ears." Edward dropped a very gentle kiss above my navel, and then he sat up beside me, pulling me into his arms. He nuzzled my neck, and I sighed quietly.

"Jasper apologized," Edward murmured in my ear, making me shiver. I turned and looked at Edward, questions burning in my mind. Before I could ask him why Jasper apologized, he said, "He apologized for being short with you. He's not afraid of the baby, he's afraid of hurting him, afraid that if he accidentally touches you too hard, he will cause too much damage."

"He shouldn't be afraid; he caught me when I fell, didn't he?" I looked up towards the ceiling and stared for a second, knowing that Jasper was getting upset. How much did I really influence Jasper? I bit my lip, and I finally said, with a stern edge to my voice, "Jasper Hale, I swear to the stars, if you do not get over yourself, I—I don't know what I'll do, but—oh! Just get over it. You're not going to hurt me, or the baby, and your wife can confirm that with you, just ask her." I glared knowing that he heard every word.

Edward's body shook, and I looked at him. He was laughing, but was trying to do it silently. Was what I said funny to him? I was just about to ask him, when he kissed me, a breathy laugh escaping his lips. "You showed him Bella."

"Did I really?" I asked hopefully. To install some fear in a vampire would do wonders to my ego. I smiled at the thought.

"From what he's thinking, I'm sure you did." He smiled crookedly at me, and I was lost in his gaze. Before I could even comprehend that he moved, Edward kissed me, holding me closer to his body. I knew I was a goner at this point, but I didn't care, as I ran my fingers through his hair.

Later that day, well, technically it was evening; I took a shower, and was standing in front of the mirror wearing pajamas, towel drying my hair. Edward was watching me, and I had no idea why. It was as if he was waiting for me to break down or something. Was I supposed to? Alice could have seen something.

I sighed and quickly brushed my hair, tucking it behind one shoulder so I could brush my teeth without getting paste in it. When I finished, I glanced into the mirror and Edward had his eyes closed, his head leaning against the wall.

"Are you all right Edward?" The words fell from my lips gently as I walked to him and knelt down, putting a hand on his cheek. He looked at me, and I was surprised that his eyes were tortured.

"You scared me this afternoon." I couldn't formulate a response, and he said, his voice barely audible, "I know it sounds silly, but I'm terrified."

"Of what?" I could see that he was struggling to say what he was thinking, and I very gently moved my hand across his cheek and to his chin and I lifted it up.

"I'm terrified about everything that involves you! I just want you to be safe."

"I am safe, Edward," I whispered, kissing his forehead. He put his hands on my hips and nuzzled his nose against my neck, breathing deeply. I hugged him, whispering into his hair, "You don't have to worry about me—"

"I always worry about you." I smiled despite the conversation, and kissed his cheek. Edward tightened his grip around me and murmured, "I love you."

"Oh Edward." A huge lump formed in my throat, and I blinked rapidly, trying to stop the tears. Edward pulled away from me quickly, holding my face between his hands. His eyes narrowed and he asked,

"Are you crying?"

"What do you expect? Hormones!" I said defensively, fanning my eyes. I hated crying when it wasn't even needed! I stood up, ignoring the flaring pain in my back and moved to the sink, gripping it tightly. Edward was with me in an instant, his arms wrapped around me.

"I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?" I snapped, looking at him with tear laden eyes. He looked taken aback by my tone of voice, and I started to cry even harder. "Why do I have to have mood swings? They make me so angry!" My tears turned into angry tears, and I fought to make them stop. "How does Jasper cope?"

Edward kissed my forehead and whispered, "You just need to sleep."

"No, I need to punch something." I relaxed into Edward's embrace though, and closed my eyes. Soon the tears stopped, and then Edward walked with me to our bedroom. I wasn't even in the bed before I was asleep, and then something dreadful happened.

I dreamed of Jacob.

xoXoXoXox

BB/N: It has been a very long time since I've updated, and I'm sorry! Moving was a lot more hectic that it has ever been in the past. I can't even begin to describe the problems…

Anyway, thanks for the reviews!! I appreciate them, even after such a long hiatus! Almost a month…I'm so sorry! Hopefully I'm back to normal. (Again, I can't stress enough that I've never been normal.)

Love,
Bob Bennit