Hello everyone! Sorry for the late update. I was just so lazy today. I think it's my job. It takes a lot out of me, ha-ha. Anyways, enjoy! Oh, and I've posted a series of stories that I've written over the years that are unfinished. If you're interested, check it out!

Chapter Twenty-Five

"Stop," I giggled as I tried to take a bite of the food, but Edward jokingly snatched it away before I could.

He laughed. "Alright here you go."

I grabbed ahold of his hand and snagged the food out of his hand, possibly grabbing his finger in my teeth as well.

"Ouch!" He said as he tried to pull his hand back, but I made sure to press my teeth down as hard as I could. I let him go after a moment... or two.

"Next time you won't keep my food away from me," I laughed.

"I should bite you," He smiled as I picked up his next bite.

"You should," I grinned as I put the food against his lips. "But you won't."

He chuckled and carefully took the food. "You are right. I will not bite your delicate fingers."

I chuckled as he kissed each one of my fingers. I purred and snuggled against his chest. When he tried to offer me more food, I turned my head away, so he settled for feeding himself as I started to fall asleep.

"Tired is she?" I heard Carlisle say.

"I'm awake," I yawned, keeping my eyes closed.

"The children tire easily," Esme teased as she stroked my back.

"I am awake," I said a little louder. "I am technically not a child where I'm from. So, you guys are the silly ones for teasing me."

"Well, you live here now. So you are a child." Esme chuckled. "Only for thirteen more days, however."

"Bella, how do you feel about becoming Edward's mate?" Emmett asked as he lumbered over to us, holding a very large, and uncomfortably looking Rosalie in his arms. He sat down in front of us with Rosalie in his lap.

I blushed. "Um, well, pretty good I think. He's a great hunter, so I'll always be fed. And I like him a lot," I looked over at Edward and smiled. "More than a lot, actually."

"So you have gotten passed his grotesque appearance then?" Emmett laughed loudly.

Edward gave Emmett a look. "You are the one who still wears a fur when naked."

"At least I am not an unmated man." Emmett bit back.

Edward hissed furiously at him. Before he could say anything in response to Emmett, Carlisle slapped the back of his head.

"Hush, the goddess had better plans for him," Carlisle snarled lightly.

Emmett was grumbling under his breath as he placed his chin onto Rosalie's shoulder. She chuckled softly.

"You asked for it," She told him as she rubbed her small hands over his large ones that were placed on her swollen belly.

"How are you feeling?" I asked with a sympathetic smile.

"Tired," She sighed. "And uncomfortable."

Esme placed her hands over her stomach and pressed softly. "You are almost there my love. Just a few more nights to go."

Rosalie sighed. "I cannot wait. I am so tired of being tired."

"Bella feel," Esme said; since Rosalie was the only pregnant female in the village, a lot of my lessons pertaining to pregnancy and birth revolved around her. I felt badly that we used her as our guinea pig.

I placed my hand on her belly. It was solid, almost like a rock with very little give. It was also very warm, which concerned me because the last time I had felt her stomach it had not been this warm.

"Do you feel the heat?" Esme asked me.

"Yeah, why is it so hot?" I asked; I had wanted to remove my hand, but Esme pressed her hand on top of mine and moved it slightly to Rosalie's side. Rosalie winced as Esme forcefully pressed my hand into her stomach.

"It means she is close to labor. Do you feel this?" She asked as she pressed my fingers into a large, rounded vein under her skin. I had to control myself not to shudder. "This is swollen, which means the babe is turning and irritating the vein. It is why she is so uncomfortable."

"What is it?" I asked.

"I am unsure, but at the end of pregnancy, it becomes very painful, and it makes the women uncomfortable. The swelling goes down a few days after the baby's birth however." Esme looked up at Rosalie, "Rosalie dear, are you spotting?"

"A little," She nodded as she winced again.

"She is close." Esme smiled. "The closer she gets to birth; we will massage her belly to encourage the babe to come as soon as possible. Especially this part."

"Is it safe for us to massage it? It won't hurt whatever is swollen right here?"

"Yes it is safe," Esme said as she pressed both of our hands down in a circular motion over her belly. "We will massage her belly often. It helps the baby move where it needs to move."

I looked up at Rosalie, whose head was laid back against Emmett's chest. Her eyes were closed, and it was obvious she was sleeping.

"It doesn't hurt Rosalie?" I asked quietly.

"No, it feels good. It helps her sleep."

"Then why doesn't Emmett massage it every night? To help her sleep?"

"His hands are much too big, and he does not understand the amount of pressure needed. What I am doing right now is the perfect amount of pressure. You do not want to press harder because you could hurt the baby."

"How often do you massage this?" I asked.

"Now that she is very close to birth, we will need to massage it multiple times daily," She said as she continued to press my hand into her stomach. She smiled softly. "This will be your job now."

I gave her a look. "Mm hm. Another one of my jobs that you are too busy for?"

"Hush girl. I am training you. This is part of it." Her smile widening.

I rolled my eyes but smiled. "Well, since it's Rosalie I don't mind doing it."

"She is sleeping easily now," Emmett whispered as he stroked Rosalie's golden hair. "She has been having a lot of trouble sleeping, even when I make her sleep."

"Yes she is very uncomfortable," Esme said as she pressed our hands harder into Rosalie's belly. "After her third pregnancy, I cannot imagine she will find any comfort until the babe is out. We will do our best to make sure she is well rested."

"Oh!" I gasped in surprise as something kicked my hand very hard. "Oh wow."

Esme laughed softly. "Did you feel the kick?"

"I did," I grinned as it kicked me again. "That's so cool. I've never felt this before."

Edward's nose rubbed against my cheek. "You seem to like it kicking your hand."

"It feels weird, but kind of magical? That sounds stupid. Here you feel." I said as I grabbed his hand and lifted it to touch Rosalie's belly.

Both Esme and Emmett hissed when I did this, and Edward quickly jerked his hand out of mine.

"Edward cannot touch Rosalie's belly." Esme said. "You did not know this, so it is okay. But no other man can touch a pregnant female's belly."

"Why is that?" I asked.

"It is bad luck," She answered. "Only the women and the female's mate can touch her belly."

"Sorry," I quickly said as I pulled my own hand away now.

"Emmett, you should take Rosalie back to your hut. She will sleep for a while. When she awakens again, come get Bella and she will massage her stomach so she may go back to sleep." Esme said.

"Thank you, Bella," Emmett said as he carefully stood with Rosalie in his arms.

"Of course," I smiled at him. "Thank you for volunteering me Esme."

Esme giggled. "Do not worry, one day you shall have your own healer to train."

"You mean to give jobs that you don't want to do."

"That too." She smiled widely. "You two better go on to bed now. Rosalie will not be asleep long."

I sighed as Edward lifted me into his arms and started walking towards the hut. I figured it was going to be a quiet night since Alice was off tending to Jasper.

"Do you not mind going to massage Rosalie's stomach?" He asked. "I can tell my mother that she can do it."

"It's fine Edward," I smiled at him. "I don't mind. If it makes Rosalie comfortable, then I really don't mind."

"As long as you do not mind." He smiled back. "It will make Rosalie feel better. It is good practice too."

I placed my head against his chest. "It is."

"Then you must get as much sleep as you can. Rosalie will require a lot of massages to help her stay comfortable."

I chuckled. "I never really had much interest in medical who-ha when I was on the other side, so it's so crazy that I'm doing all of this. I wanted to be a scientist, not a doctor."

"Sometimes our destinies chose us, even if we do not want it." He said.

"Nicely put," I smiled at him. "You could be a poet."

"What is that?"

"It's a storyteller, but they make all of their words rhyme."

"Ah, I see." He said as he set me on my feet so I could wash my face in the water. I did so, every night and every morning like I was supposed to, even though I wasn't quite sure why I was supposed to do it. There were a lot of things I didn't understand, but I did them without question.

Edward waited for me to finish before walking into the hut. He took his usual place and laid back so I could lay on his chest. It was very comfortable because he was so big. His body just naturally cradled mine. It was almost like I was meant to be in his arms.

"Why are you smiling?" He asked me as his fingers stroked my back.

"I just really, really love laying on you." I said. "You're comfortable."

He chuckled. "I love you laying on me. You were meant to be in my arms."

"I was just thinking the same thing." My smile widening.

He nuzzled the top of my head. "Of course. We are meant to be. It was the goddess's will."

My smile soften and I fought the urge not to sigh. Edward had long accepted that the goddess had moved onto the great beyond, but I could still feel the aching pain within him. It ached in my heart too.

I yawned. "She is still with you in spirit."

"Go to sleep," He whispered softly. "I am sure Emmett will be here to collect you to massage Rosalie's belly."

"I don't know why we didn't just sleep in there hut."

"Emmett will not allow other men into his hut while Rosalie is with child. He cannot allow it."

"Why is that?"

"It is his instinct to protect his mate. His inner hunter will take over if any male enters his home and he will kill them."

"Wow that's intense." I said as I yawned again.

He pressed his lips brushed against my forehead. "Sleep now."

Two Hours Later

I was awoken by someone gently shaking my shoulder. I grumbled lightly as I lifted my head from Edward's chest. Emmett was crouching down beside me, his hand on my shoulder. He smiled at me when I looked at him.

"Hey," I said as I rubbed my face. "Is Rose awake?"

"Rose?" His brows furrowed. "My Rosalie is awake, but I do not know a Rose."

"It's just a nickname," I said as I carefully sat up. "Let's get going. I'm sure she's uncomfortable."

He held out his arms for me to get in. He easily lifted me up and carried me out of the hut. I looked back to see Edward making a face as he felt that I had left. I smiled as he was still sleeping, however.

Emmett's hut was on the lower level of the tree. It was similar to Esme's and Carlisle's, which wasn't very surprising. I think the huts were just for resting and that's about it.

When we got to his hut, Rosalie was sitting up against the wall, rubbing her stomach with a pained look.

"Hey," I said sympathetically as Emmett placed me onto my feet. "Up already?"

"Yes," She said as she took a deep breath. "I am sorry I woke you."

"It's okay," I smiled. "Let me see what I can do."

Emmett moved so he was cradling Rosalie in a more comfortable position. I placed my hands on her belly and began rubbing as Esme showed me.

There was a moment where Rosalie looked as if she were in pain but finally sighed in relief as I hit the spot that was bothering her the most.

I had assumed she'd fall asleep instantly, as she had done before, but she still looked as if she were in pain. My brows furrowed.

"Rosalie, am I hurting you?" I asked.

"No, it feels nice."

My brows furrowed even more. "Well, why aren't you asleep? Last time you knocked out immediately.

"I am not sure—," She gasped and leaned forward, "Oh."

I took my hands away immediately. "Did I hurt you?"

She was holding her stomach. "No…Hold on please."

Emmett lifted her torso up as he placed his hands over hers. "Rosalie?"

"Oh no," She gasped again. "No, no, no."

My eyes widened. "I'm going to get Esme."

Before I could get to my feet, a gush of warm liquid spilled out onto my bent knees. The smell of rust filled my nose.