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 Thirty-one: The Storytellers of the Cullen Family

The next few days were extremely hectic in my household as I packed an overnight bag for the hospital, and then Alice repacked it along with another bag for the baby that had a hat, a little blue outfit, and blankets. Lots and lots of blankets. Then Alice took my cell phone away from me, which I didn't mind, and programmed the hospital's number, Edward's number (which I memorized a long time ago), Esme's number, her number, Jasper's number, Rosalie's number, Emmett's number, Carlisle's number, and just about everyone else in Forks! It probably would have been easier to just carry around a phone book or something.

And then after I learned how to find these numbers in my phone, Edward wrote, in his very elegant script, a short list of real emergency numbers, incase I ever lose my head and need to contact someone. He made two copies, one that was now attached to the stand beside the bed, and the other I think he put in my wallet. I have no idea when that'll come in handy.

After all of this chaos, I was shuffled from my bedroom and to the living room, where Alice once again went over her vision, this time in more detail—I think she had another one—and I made myself remember the details, because this was one of the few things I would be able to control. At least, I would be able to control going to the hospital. It was my body after all; I think I'll know when I go into labor.

This was just a few days.

Now I was lying down comfortably in Esme's bed as she folded my laundry, just waiting for time to go by faster. It was as if I was stuck in a time warp, and the warp was S-L-O-W! The rest of the family went hunting, Alice was extremely serious about hunting a lot, and Edward was too. They left a few hours before hand. They didn't want to decimate the population of any animal near Forks, so they traveled out, sometimes being gone for a day or a day and a half. Hopefully, this won't be one of those trips. So far, Edward has been able to avoid the longer ones, only because I begged him to not be gone long.

"Are you asleep, Bella?"

"No Esme, I'm awake." I looked at her, and she smiled at me sweetly.

"If you're bored, we can go downstairs and watch television."

"No, I'm fine here."

"Okay honey. If you need anything, I'm only a few feet away."

I nodded my head, and was once again left to my own devices, which wasn't much. I twiddled my thumbs and wiggled my toes. I tried to ignore the achy feeling in my back, and the sporadic movements of Gabriel. He wasn't moving as much anymore, I think the space he was confined to was a little too tight nowadays, but every once in a while, he'll give me that one hard kick to remind me that he was still there. "Is he moving less?" I jumped and looked at Esme. She was watching me, her bright amber eyes comforting me in an embrace of warmth. I nodded my head.

"How did you know?"

"I was watching. You kept moving your hand to different places on your stomach."

"You notice a lot."

"It's a part of a mother's job." Esme put down one of my many t-shirts and walked to the bed, sitting down on the edge. "You'll learn how to watch for any changes soon enough. Mother's instinct."

"I only have an instinct for danger," I laughed, and Esme patted my hand, shaking her head.

"You don't have an instinct for danger. It just always finds you. And about your mother's instinct, you have it, you just haven't noticed, but everyone else has. It's been driving Edward crazy."

"What have I been doing?"

Esme smiled. "You've been more reserved, and he has no idea what you're thinking."

"I think a lot," I offered quietly, lowering my eyes from Esme's. I did think a lot, but it was always about the one subject that I thought I made a decision on. The turmoil this caused me made my insides squirm—

"What's wrong honey? I haven't upset you, have I?"

I shook my head. "No…" I said mournfully. Very gently, Esme gathered me up in her arms and hugged me. I sighed and whispered softly, "I made a big decision, and I don't know if it was the right one."

"Do you want to talk to me about it?"

"I—I don't know…" I shook my head, willing for the right answer to come to me. "I think I need to talk to Edward first…"

"Does it have to do with the baby?"

"Yes…no…sort of," I whispered. I scrubbed at my eyes, wanting the tears to stop clouding my vision. I was too far into my pregnancy to be having these meager mood swings.

"If you need help, just ask Bella. I'm more than willing to help you with anything." Esme was quiet for a moment, and then she began to smooth my hair. "Does this pertain to your change?" Another miracle observation for Esme; score: Esme two, Bella none. I closed my eyes and nodded my head. Esme hugged me again and whispered, "Oh Bella, don't punish yourself over your decision, I'm sure you made the right one."

"I'm not sure Esme. I feel like I'm being selfish towards Edward…"

"You know Edward only wants the best for you and the baby."

"I know."

"Then just trust your instincts." Esme kissed my forehead and then pulled away. "I can hear the Jeep. They'll be here in a few minutes. I'll help you get cleaned up." It took a few minutes just for me to get out of bed and into the bathroom. Then I splashed cold water on my face and wiped it off, almost all remains of my tears gone.

Esme carried me back to my bedroom, and I was in bed a few seconds before Edward burst into the room, flying to the bed and collapsing beside it. I don't think he trusted himself to jump on it anymore.

"I missed you," he breathed, kissing my cheek. I wrapped my arms around his neck, not wanting to let go.

"I missed you too." Our lips met in the briefest of kisses, before Edward was wretched away from me by a small pixie like vampire's voice.

"Reunions later—Bella you need to rest."

"Alice," I whined, listening as Edward chuckled softly.

Suddenly Alice gave me a very pointed look. "Resting can include talking. It'll help." My eyes opened wide at the realization that she knew, and then I was dumbfounded, how could she not see this? She even told me she saw this when she called me during my time away.

"Okay." My voice sounded even weaker than before, as I tried to find the proper way to bring up the ensuing conversation. I looked at Edward as Alice disappeared, closing the door. He looked confused, and a little worried.

"What was that about?"

"Edward, we need to talk." I decided to take the formal approach. In the blink of an eye, Edward was on the bed near my feet, both of my hands in his. Very carefully I began to sit up, easing myself into a more comfortable position. Edward followed along wordlessly, and then I looked at him again. "I probably should have told you this six months ago…"

"You can talk to me Bella," Edward whispered, giving my hands the slightest squeeze.

"I know that." My voice was shaking and I closed my eyes. With a shuddering breath, I looked up at Edward. "I've been thinking a lot."

"I've noticed." His voice sounded forced.

"And I decided…" My voice was choking up. It was hard to say this out loud! Edward gave me a reassuring smile, but I knew that his patience was wearing thin, especially with anything that I thought about. "I decided that I don't—" The words got caught in my throat, but my lips moved wordlessly, saying, "—want to change."

All at once, Edward's face went blank. In that same instant, I felt as if my life slipped away from me. I did make the wrong choice, but nothing has happened, I can change my mind! Even with these thoughts, I knew my heart wasn't in it.

It was a torturously long minute before Edward whispered, void of emotion, "What made you change your mind?"

I couldn't bring myself to look at him, so I lowered my eyes to the blanket, picking at it. I couldn't answer for a second as I tried to find courage to tell him the truth. Murmuring quietly, my voice barely louder than a whisper, I said, "I don't want to deny Gabriel what my mother, and your mother gave us as children; a warm embrace and the unyielding love that he deserves, and Edward, you know just as well as I do that I will be a monster for the first year, maybe even longer, and who knows if I'll thirst for my own child's blood?" I shuddered at the memory of my nightmare about Edward leaving me.

"Bella, I…" Edward struggled for words—one of the few human attributes that he displayed, and the pain in his struggle for words made me look up. I took a deep breath and waited for what he wanted to say. He very gently held my face between his hands, his topaz eyes looking apologetically at me. "You have every right in the world to make this decision, and I will be right here with you."

"You're not angry?" I whispered, my hands trembling as I touched his hands that were holding my face. Tears were building up in my eyes, but I did not want to cry.

"Angry, love? No, never," Edward breathed, leaning his forehead against mine. "I cannot even formulate a question to get you to abandon Gabriel's needs, just so you can quench my own selfish ones. As a human, you'll be able to give him all the warmth a mother can."

"Was it really that easy?" I asked around a choked laugh.

"What?"

"I've been stressed about talking to you about this, and I guess—I guess I sometimes forget you're so understanding. And I'm thankful too…" I sighed and burrowed my face between Edward's shoulder and neck. He hugged me gently, running his fingers up and down my spine.

"How long have you been thinking about this?"

I shrugged my shoulders halfheartedly. "A few times throughout the pregnancy, but for the past month, nearly constantly."

"You can't do that," Edward chided softly, pulling my face away so I could look at him. "You'll just hurt yourself more with hiding your thoughts—and drive me and Jasper crazier." He added the last bit impishly, kissing me before his words left his mouth. I smiled against Edward's lips and pulled away, not wanting to get caught up in the kiss.

"You're sure?" I asked, referring back to the earlier conversation.

"I'm behind you one hundred percent with any decision you make."

"Does that mean you won't oblige to cuddle with me?" I asked, lowering my eyes and looking at him from beneath my lashes. "Please?"

Edward had no chance when I said please. Very gently, he got off the bed and grabbed extra pillows to put beneath my knees and beneath my abdomen as I got onto my side. It seemed like this was taking longer than necessary to do. Then Edward was behind me, molding his body to mine. His hand traced random shapes against my stomach as he hummed my lullaby. I was a goner when the first note was evident.

"Bella, it's okay, Bella, just breathe."

Without comprehending, I sucked in a breath, and that's when my brain tried to start up again. Everything around me was foggy, and I had to shake my head a few times to clear it. When I opened my eyes, Edward was leaning over me, concern etched onto his features. Was I dreaming? I tried to ask, but that came out as a mumble. Edward's concern was replaced with a gentle smile and he kissed my forehead. "Sleep love."

I obliged.

When I woke again, fully, my face was pressed against Edward's shirt. I took a huge breath and got heady from the scent of him. I took another, and then one more big lungful before my attention was focused on extremely soft words, from what sounded like the end of a story.

"And the couple lived happily ever after."

"Edward?" I mumbled against his chest, not wanting to leave his embrace, but my body was alight with curiosity.

"Yes, love?" He dropped several kisses on the top of my head, and I shivered, burrowing closer to his body.

"What were you doing?"

"I was telling Gabriel a story."

I looked up at Edward, a hurt expression on my face. "Why didn't you wait until I was awake? I would have liked to hear it." I bit my bottom lip, and Edward smiled at me gently.

"Do you remember last night at all?" I shook my head, my heart picking up a furious pace as I thought about what could have happened when I was sleeping. Talking was an obvious one, but what could I have said to incriminate myself this time? My face was on fire when I began chewing on my bottom lip. "I'm not surprised, you weren't very conscious…" Edward lowered his eyes to my swollen abdomen and he touched it gently. I winced at the tenderness of my skin. "You had a single contraction."

"Am I okay?"

Edward chuckled, touching my cheek with the softest of touches. "Finally, it seems like your body is working with you. It's almost the end of your pregnancy."

The prospect of my pregnancy being over made my heart skip a beat. "Is it really almost over?"

Edward gently pressed me against him, his body shaking with silent laughter. I looked at him, a frown covering my features. I didn't find anything funny. After a few seconds Edward whispered, "You sound so hopeful."

"Don't even get me started." I leaned my head against Edward's chest and I drew imaginary shapes as Edward murmured quietly,

"Once upon a time…" I listened to Edward's velvet voice as he retold a story filled with legendary characters and a beautiful princess named Isabella. Edward's creative side kicked in, because this wasn't a story that happened long ago, it was modern, with not as deadly or vicious vampires and werewolves, and by the sounds of it, a very happy tale as well. Hearing this story made me happy, because I knew Edward wasn't just talking to me but to Gabriel too.

The next two weeks weren't as smooth as Edward's story though. Once I had one contraction, they kept coming. Thankfully they weren't regular, because mentally, I haven't prepared myself for a baby. But Alice on the other hand, had me nearly murderous with her constant checking of my bags.

That's what I was doing on a rainy day in the living room, a few minutes before the family was due to leave to hunt.

"One more check."

"Alice—"

"You have the baby bag packed, and it's by the front door?"

"I put it there myself."

"And you have your overnight bag?"

"Yes."

"You're not feeling sluggish or—"

"I am entirely in tune with my body Alice. I know what day it is. I have eleven more days of pregnancy left, and you're making me frazzled. Just stop."

If I had enough energy, I would have ripped out my hair. Alice was more excited about having the baby than I was! I guess the weather has been mirroring the one from her vision, and with my sporadic and inconsistent contractions, it had everyone on edge.

Alice pouted, breaking my heart. "I'm just trying to help—"

"I know Alice!" I said, exasperated. I grabbed her hands and pulled her closer to the couch in the living room. "I'm just a little stressed Alice. I didn't mean to yell at you. Do whatever you believe you need to do to make sure this runs smoothly."

"That was a dangerous idea, Bella."

I looked at my lovely angel as he walked into the room, carrying a plate of toast and jam. My appetite has almost been nonexistent with the mix of nerves and just an overall feeling of being not hungry. But I forced myself to eat like clockwork, just because I wasn't hungry didn't mean Gabriel wasn't.

Alice glared at Edward, and I think she was daring him to contradict her thoughts. Whatever they were, I knew I would have no chance to deny her requests, I already promised to allow her to do whatever she wanted.

"I'm just saying," Edward mumbled, sitting down on the floor and handing me my toast. I began to eat it as Alice and Edward argued like vampires. I managed to catch a little less than half of what they said, but in essence, they were arguing about my wellbeing and mental capacity to deal with Alice for very much longer. I allowed it to happen, it was one way Edward could release his stress.

As for me, I took my stress out on my toast, chewing it a bit harder than necessary.

If this was what the last week and a half of my pregnancy was going to be like, I would need a lot more toast. Just as I thought that, Jasper and Rosalie came trudging down the stairs. In seconds, soothing waves hit the living room, and I smiled, relieved.

I could visibly see the tension leaving Edward's body, and I looked at Jasper. He had his hands on his temples, rubbing them slowly. Alice was beside him instantly, and then the two of them were gone.

Soon, Esme and Carlisle came into the living room, each smiling gently at me.

"Emmett?" Edward called, looking up at the ceiling. My gaze followed his. Tonight was going to be an interesting evening since Emmett was going to be my babysitter. I half expected him to fly down the stairs at the quiet mention of his name.

I was right. Within seconds, Emmett was standing by the couch, two movie cases in his hand. "You need to be careful with her Emmett."

"I know Eddie, she's almost due. I've had this talk before." Emmett rolled his eyes at his brother and then sat down by my feet, tapping my knees gently. "I've got my eye out for her, and if you don't hurry up and leave, I will be with her for that much longer." He gave Edward a serious look. "I have all the emergency numbers under the sun memorized, don't worry."

Even though Emmett sometimes took his joking too far, and he was just entirely too playful to be watching me in my state, I felt safe with him. Obviously Edward did too, or else Emmett told him something in his head, because Edward relaxed and smiled a little tentatively at him.

After a few quiet moments, Edward looked at me, his eyes pleading for me to say one word to make him stay. No matter how much I really wanted to do that, I knew that he needed to hunt. "I love you Edward. Don't stay out too late."

"I won't." He kissed my forehead and whispered in my ear, "I love you."

I shivered and nodded my head, whispering, "Me too. Come back soon." He took a piece of my heart when he stood up and backed out of the room, his eyes only on me. I waved to him before he disappeared from the house, closing the door gently.

"So what distraction do you want to watch first? An action packed, blood filled, victorious hero movie, or an action packed, not as much blood, but a lot of fighting and killing, victorious hero movie?"

I looked at Emmett. To be honest, I was going to fall asleep before the climax of the movie, so I didn't care. I shrugged my shoulders nonchalantly, and said, "It doesn't matter."

"The second choice then!" He got off the couch, put the movie in and had the remote in his hand before I could even take a breath. Then he sat down next to me and was about to press the play button when he looked at me. "Are you even going to watch this, Belly?"

I smiled at the use of my nickname, and shook my head. "I'm not in the mood for a movie. I'll probably just fall asleep. But you can watch it, Emmett. I'm not stopping you."

"I don't want to watch it without you!" He pouted and I laughed again, shrugging my shoulders. He flipped his wrist and held the remote out to me. "You can pick the movie then." But I wasn't listening as my eyes caught a half crescent moon shaped scar on his wrist. Instead of grabbing the remote, I took his arm and ran my fingers over the scar.

"When did you get this?" I knew he didn't have one here before I left.

Suddenly, Emmett was quiet as he slowly tugged his wrist out of my grasp. I looked him in the eyes, and I knew he was trying to decided if he should tell me or not. Finally, he looked at me and said, "There was a fight—" I gasped, my eyes widening, but he shushed me, saying, "It wasn't that big of a deal, I just got bit once. It only stung for a minute."

"Who was it?"

"Jane."

I frowned. More questions came to mind as I thought about Emmett's ability to not keep secrets. It wasn't that Edward wouldn't answer my questions, it was just, being with him after not being near him for a month was enough for me to be content. And I definitely didn't want to upset either of us by asking him what happened, knowing he blamed himself for everything…plus, the atmosphere was always wrong. Too comfortable. "Emmett, what happened while I was gone?"

Emmett was quiet again. I think he was contemplating what he should and shouldn't say. I waited patiently only for a few seconds before Emmett put down his remote and turned towards me. I could see an emotion that I wasn't used to seeing on Emmett's face; sadness.

"After Edward took you, we cleaned the house. Alice saw that it would be a few days before the Volturi got here, so we bleached everything to get rid of your scent. It did help that nearly all of the furniture was destroyed before you left. It was mostly Edward's room that needed the most overhauling, and we decided that a little bit of your scent leftover would help the illusion that you had just passed.

"When all of that was taken care of, I went to the cemetery and dug a plot and Alice got a tombstone." I shivered at the thought of me already having a plot for a grave—and a tombstone. Emmett lips twisted into a half grin. "Don't worry, that's gone too. We couldn't leave it in the cemetery too long because the humans would have gotten suspicious."

"And when the Volturi were here?" I persisted when Emmett lapsed into silence.

"It was downright horrible." He paused, and I saw him swallow—was it really that terrible? "They were here for awhile, because for the first week and a half of their visit, they just thought you were hiding somewhere close by. They followed us everywhere, and even kept guard on Carlisle at the hospital. They even went down to the reservation to check for you there.

"That was when the fight happened." Emmett stopped, and I didn't press for details, obviously something happened that he didn't want to talk about. I waited for Emmett to continue. It took him a few seconds to gather his thoughts, and then he said, "We didn't hunt the entire time you were gone, because we knew that the first chance the Volturi got, they would hunt in our immediate area. It's a hassle to travel outside of someone's territory, just to hunt, and they were annoyed. Esme didn't leave the house, not once, just so she could keep her eyes on them.

"And then they left our home about two and a half weeks after their initial visit. Aro and Caius actually left and went back to Italy, but Jane and a few others stayed behind. For a few days, they just stayed around the house, waiting for us to get you. Then they were slowly leaving, but that took a week and a half. The Volturi just don't trust us."

Emmett closed his eyes and leaned his head against the couch, as if he was struggling with what he wanted to say. "It was hard being inside this house. There was no joking, no laughter, everyone was just…existing." He paused again, and then glanced at me. "I never realized how…morose our lifestyle was before you met Edward. Whether you know it or not, you're the light in our constant darkness." He looked away from me again, staring at something on the wall. I felt a blush beginning on my cheeks, and tears began welling up in my eyes.

"We were all hanging onto Alice's visions of you, because that was the only way we were able to see you. And Edward was struggling to not—to not fall apart. Jasper tried to control his raging emotions, but it got to the point where it just didn't work anymore, and he ended up reflecting Edward's emotions on us, instead of changing them.

"It was as if you had truly died…I don't think I've ever felt such intense sadness before. It was like someone ripped me open—no. It was as if someone had taken Rose from me." Emmett stopped talking, and I saw him take a deep breath. This was the first time I had ever seen Emmett struggle with his words, and it made my heart clench tightly.

I knew exactly what he was talking about. "I know, Emmett." I reached for his hand and patted it gently.

"And the night I came to get you…" Emmett finally looked at me again. "I had finally cracked. I got inside the Volvo and I left. I wasn't intending on getting you—only Edward knew where you were." I was going to ask Emmett why he was driving, and he said before I asked, "I couldn't stand being inside the house. I needed to be as far away as I could.

"I was driving over the border into Oregon when Alice called me. She said I had to pick you up, and since I was driving south, I was almost there."

"I was south?"

"In Burley." At my questioning look, Emmett grinned. "Burley, Idaho."

"Wow."

"I know. Edward picked a great place to hide you."

"So you picked me up?"

"And I was driving home when you woke up, screaming your head off. I'm surprised you were asleep as long as you were."

"You didn't hunt…"

"That was dangerous, and Edward yelled at me for that, but I drove with all the windows down, but yours. And I didn't breathe much either. There was no way I was going to allow myself to hurt you. You mean too much to me for that, to everyone, really. And Rosalie found me pulled over on the side of the road. I guess she was leaving Forks to find me.

"After we brought you home, you left and went to Charlie's, and we went hunting in Olympia. And the rest is history."

I was crying, and I put my head in my hands. I felt just the slightest of shifts, and then Emmett had his arm around my shoulder, his hand patting the top of my head. "Belly, I didn't mean to upset you." His voice was careful and apologetic, and then I heard him murmur, "Edward is going to be so pissed."

I laughed a little and looked at him, wiping my eyes. "Thank you for telling me, Emmett."

"Why didn't you ask Edward? I'm sure he's a better storyteller."

I scrubbed at my eyes. "When I'm with Edward, I don't want to talk about anything. I just want to be close to him, and since I came back, I haven't had the urge to know what happened…I only wanted to be near him, to make sure it is real, that I'm back—that he's back."

Suddenly I was being crushed against Emmett's chest as he hugged me. "I never believed that a human being could be as…as wonderful to our kind. But you've proved me wrong, Belly." He laughed and I giggled, trying to hug him back fiercely, but there was no way I could compare with this bear hug. He pulled away from me and patted my head again. "You bring out the best in us vampires, Belly, you really do."

I blushed at his compliment, and I shrugged my shoulder halfheartedly. "I wouldn't be where I am today without your family."

"Tell me about it. If you weren't with Edward, I'm pretty sure there wouldn't be a bun in the oven." His eyes glanced to my stomach. "And the timer is about to go off, I think."

"I know." I rubbed my stomach. "Contractions are coming at me by the boatload." I sighed and then looked at the television. "So what movie did you want to watch?" Emmett grinned brilliantly at me, and grabbed the remote, pressing the play button. I sighed and shifted on the couch so I was resting against his arm, and I watched as the movie erupted into an explosion of blood and guts, before the real opening scene.

I was in for a treat.

xoXoXoXox

BB/N: So technically, this is chapter thirty one, and so far I have typed half of chapter thirty five, the last chapter of this story. So this fanfic is coming to a close, my friends. T.T

Well, this chapter is long! :) It's 5,033 words, twelve pages, and I'm pretty sure it's one of the longest in this story! This is a treat for all my patient reviewers.

Four more chapters, my loves!

Love,
Bob Bennit