A/N: Sorry for the long wait for this chapter. Between school, moving back home for the summer, seeing the bf for the first time in three months, and being sick for about two weeks straight, writing has been at the bottom of my priority list. But I'm back with an admittedly hastily written update, so sorry for any mistakes! Btw anyone wanna beta for me? PM me if interested.

I guess if one good thing about being away at school and stuff, though, it's that six weeks in clinicals at L&D can sure give you a lot of technical baby knowledge I (or anyone else) never heard of, and it helped a lot when writing this chapter! Hopefully you don't get bored with it.

You would think that after spending an entire day participating in conversations ranging from a cathartic heart-to-heart with my future father-in-law, to being mercilessly drilled about ideas for nursery themes by the persistent and always alert Alice, to dealing with a grumpy customer at the shop, I would be exhausted as I crawled into bed next to Nessie that night. But even all of that couldn't bring down the excitement within me as I thought of the morning's prospects.

As I settled into the warm sheets, my sleeping girlfriend stirred slightly when I curled my body against hers and settled my arm around her waist. I had closed up the shop tonight, and by the time I had dealt with the difficult customer, who was trying to bargain a discount out of us for her tire and oil changes, and on top of the regular extensive closing duties, it was nearly midnight by the time I made it to her house. I could have made it a bit earlier, but I thought she'd appreciate it if I was clean enough to smell decent and not leave oil stains on her ivory sheets, so I went home for a quick shower and to grab a bite to eat. I vaguely wondered if my father knew as I passed the closed door to his room on my way out, and I felt guilty for not telling him myself immediately, but there was plenty of time for that tomorrow.

"Jake," she muttered, her backside snuggling into my front even more as my body heat registered in her brain while she slept.

I smoothed her hair down with one hand and caressed her belly with the other. I can't stop myself from doing that every chance I get; the idea that my growing baby is inside her just doesn't seem real at all until I can physically cup the little bump in her normally flat tummy. I knew she tried to stay up for me since the lamp on her bedside was still on, but this pregnancy was making her tired; once we found out, her recent fatigue was explained perfectly. I shushed her gently and encouraged her to sleep, and as the warmth of her body and the plush mattress cocooning my body slowly relaxed me, I felt the familiar sensation behind my eyelids for a few minutes, before I slipped into my unconscious completely and utterly unperturbed.

I awoke the next morning to a cold bed (or as cold as I could physically feel) and my immediate thought was wondering where Nessie was. The bathroom door was open and the light off, so I knew she wasn't in there, and as far as I could hear there was no heartbeat in the house but mine. I realized guiltily that it was already eleven when I glanced at the clock on the nightstand. I grabbed some of my clothes from her closet and dressed as fast as I could before heading downstairs.

I was greeted by the sight of Bella standing in the kitchen, undoubtedly cooking me breakfast as I was the only person who ate actual food around here. "Hey, Jake," she chirped without even turning around, whisking away at a bowl of eggs. She moved so fast I barely saw the movement, even with my sharpened vision, and the next thing I knew there was a plate piled with buttered toast and homemade muffins waiting for me on the bar. "I whipped those up when I sensed you were awaking. I think it's best if you stay here for a while."

I took a seat on the barstool but wanted answers before I took her offertory meal. "Why? Where's Nessie?" I questioned.

"She woke up earlier with a, um, craving." I'm not sure what my responding look conveyed but apparently it passed along my confusion because Bella sighed exasperatedly before replying, "Specifically for some Type O."

I was glad for the fact I hadn't taken a bite of food because I literally gagged at the thought. I had learned to tolerate the sight of her drinking the animal blood, but the idea of my Nessie drinking human blood had me ready to run for the toilet.

"I feel bad," I sighed, sinking, defeated, into my seat more and picking up my fork. "I mean, how bad of a boyfriend am I that I can't even be there for her when she needs something like that? She's my imprint; I'm supposed to be anything she needs, including her omnipresent support system."

Bella smiled at me as she dumped the pile of now scrambled eggs onto my plate. "Maybe the imprint knows that it would make Nessie feel bad if you puked your guts out watching her drink what she wants, what the baby needs. It's interesting, actually. She mentioned wanting some bacon the other day. The balance between his or her vampiric, human, and wolf genes that are apparent at this point has Carlisle fascinated, and he's only been studying her for a little over a day."

I nodded, not really sure what to say. "I think she's more like her," I manage, trying to avoid the mental image of Nessie's morning activities. The moment the words are out of my mouth I realize that even though my kid might prefer blood over bacon, I would like almost nothing more than if she came out just like Nessie. "She couldn't stomach eggs the other day but her normal deer blood was just fine. I kind of thought the more natural vampire part might have been bred out though…"

Bella's chime-like laughter permeated the air and was infectious, though I had no clue what she was laughing at. "Oh Jacob. I think irony was not lost on our little family, was it?"

I sensed what she was referring to. Between her and Edward's relationship to Nessie's miraculous conception between an undead father and human mother; our supernatural love was just as paradoxical, two species meant to kill one another since the beginning of their existence and here we are having a baby, a mix between the two. Now that I thought about it, it is kind of funny. I chuckled and shoveled a huge bite of eggs into my mouth. "No, I think you're right, Bells."

Bella giggled again and came around the other side of the bar to hug me around the neck as I ate. "And since when is "she" a "she"? You won't find out for sure until later today, if the ultrasound is even able to penetrate the embryotic sack."

I shrugged. "You know how you had your instinct, even though it was totally wrong?" She rolled her eyes and I laughed. "I just have one, too. And no matter what some men say, how boys are easier and carry on the family name, I think every one of them really want a daughter. A little girl who looks just like their wife and is someone they can protect, who will need them longer than a son will." I stuff half a blueberry muffin into my mouth in one bite and smile at Bella around it. "An' at if I I fnk I haf a da-er," I said, knowing it drives her crazy when I talk with food in my mouth. Bella can be a bit proper and prudish at times, in case that wasn't obvious. Sometimes I think Edward's rubbed off on her a little too much.

Sure enough she didn't let me down, shrieking, "Jacob Black, stop that!" I laughed again and did my best to chew the giant mouthful of muffin. "At this point you can probably head over to the main house after you finish eating and be safe. Carlisle was going to document her measurements after she had her breakfast, so if you hurry you might make that at least."

I scarfed down the rest of my food and brushed my teeth upstairs before Bella and I made the quick run to Carlisle's home. I sniffed the air when I walked through the back door connected to the garage, but couldn't make a definitive decision on whether it was safe or not to find Nessie. "Am I good?" I called to no one in particular.

"Yes, you pansy, the coast is clear," came the obnoxiously sultry voice of Rosalie from the living room.

"In here, Jake," I heard the most beautiful, cheerful voice from the same room.

I made a dash through the spotless kitchen to the living room and spotted Nessie immediately, curled up in the corner of the couch. I felt like it had been days instead of hours since I'd seen her. I threw my arms around her and attacked her neck with playful kisses, simultaneously indulging myself in her laughter as well as checking for the leftover scent of blood on her breath. There was nothing but minty freshness coupled with that natural sweetness that was part of her vampire allure. I pulled away from her neck and pressed a couple of chaste kisses to her lips before plopping myself next to her on the couch.

"So where's Carlisle? When can we start this?" I asked excitedly, stretching my arm around Nessie on the back of the couch.

Nessie smiled up at me, obviously pleased with my enthusiasm. "He had to get some stuff from the hospital. Some ultrasound equipment, I think."

"Do you wanna know?" I asked. "The gender, I mean?"

Ness shrugged. "Do you?"

I smiled at her and kissed her again. "Let's decide when we're in the moment. After all, we may not even be able to see our little one, like we couldn't see you." I tapped her nose and she giggled, standing up to get herself a glass of water.

With Nessie in the kitchen, Rose and I were the only ones left in the living area. Bella had stopped in the garage as we passed Edward, Jazz and Emmett tinkering with a vintage Mustang that one of them had just purchased a few days ago, and Alice and Esme were in Seattle shopping for nursery decorations.

An awkward silence filled the room immediately after Nessie's departure. It was no secret that Blondie and I weren't the best of friends now, nor had we ever been. Small talk was not our forte when in each other's company.

Out of nowhere her voice cut through the silence. "I love Nessie like she's my own daughter, you know."

I shifted my gaze from the pillow in my lap to her undoubtedly stunning face, her golden eyes staring at the piano across the room. "I know."

"I just think you have the right to know I'm not going to do anything to put her life in danger for the sake of your baby, Jacob. Don't get me wrong, I love it as much I love Nessie, even if you are the father." It was as close to friendly humor as we could get, so I offered a grimace to show I didn't take her comment seriously. She gave her own smirk and continued. "Looking back, I think I lost sight of what was really important during Bella's pregnancy, and… I apologize. I realize I'm not Nessie's mother or her baby's mother, nor could I ever be. All I'm asking is that you not shut me out during this, despite our lack or cordialness. I think you saw right through me during Bella's ordeal even if I didn't even see it myself."

I clutched my heart dramatically. "Rose! That's probably the nicest thing you've ever said to me, maybe even to anyone! And an apology? Be still, my heart!" I flopped back onto the couch, my hands still over my chest.

She gave a low growl, but her overall demeanor was too relaxed for it to be malicious. "Don't push it, dog. Do you accept?"

I nodded, suddenly serious again. "One shady move though, Blondie, and I swear you'll not speak to Nessie for the remainder of her pregnancy. And once the baby's born, you can't hog her like she's yours, like you did Nessie. They're both mine, and I'll do anything to protect them."

She nodded her consent. Now that we were back to our little pet names for each other, our silence resumed just in time for Nessie to come in and break it with her presence. She rolled her eyes at our pointed gazes away from one another. "Oh, you two. Can't you drop the hate act for even a little while?"

I chuckled and kissed her cheek. "Actually, I think we're being quite civil with each other. Don't you think so Rosalie?"

Blondie gave a dazzling smile, and it almost looked sincere. "Quite, Jacob."

At that moment Carlisle strode through the front door carrying a bottle of blue gel and a machine that was probably much heavier than the way he held it with one arm implied, judging by the four swivel wheels on the bottom. He flashed us an easy smile when he reached the stairs. "Nessie, Jacob, if you would please step into my office." He sped up the rest of the flight in a blur.

We followed him up the stairs and down the hall at a normal pace; by the time we crossed the threshold of the room that was Carlisle's office, he already had the machine hooked up and running next to the examination table. "Ready to get started?" he asked, his demeanor calm and pleasant as usual.

Nessie nodded excitedly and jumped onto the table. Carlisle grabbed a clipboard, pen, and measuring tape. "I want to do a simple physical very quickly before we attempt an ultrasound. I'll just be taking your abdominal measurements, height, weight, and a tiny blood sample to check your iron levels and such. Sound okay?"

"Sure, Grandpa." I took a seat in the chair next to the table Nessie was sitting on.

Carlisle instructed her to lie back and to lift her shirt. Since she was wearing a sports bra Nessie just removed the shirt and watched to the best of her ability as Carlisle stretched the measuring tape from her pubic bone to right above her little bump. "What I'm measuring is the fundal height; in simple terms, the growth of your uterus. Generally this measurement isn't really reliable in tracking the growth of a baby until about the twenty week mark, but with our special case I want to be sure to document everything from the beginning."

He read the measurement and scribbled it onto a chart. "Your fundal height is a little over five centimeters, closer to six. In a normal pregnancy, 'normal' is for the measurement to match the number of weeks you are pregnant. Of course, that is just the textbook expectations; actual pregnancies vary, but not by much. However, unless I'm mistaken about the time of conception being four Saturdays ago," he paused to give us a chance to correct him, but we simply blushed, "I'm going to conclude as of today that, like Bella, you're pregnancy is advancing a little faster than others. Not nearly as much as Bella's, of course, but faster nonetheless. For the sake of my research I would like to take this measurement every day around this time from now on."

"Okay," Nessie answered, smiling. "Can we do the ultrasound now?"

Carlisle chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Let me write down your height and weight and then yes, we can attempt the ultrasound."

I was glad that Nessie was never one to obsess over her weight (not that she had ever really needed to, as her diet was blood), since she had already gained two pounds. "That's good, right? Gaining weight means they baby's growing?"

Carlisle nodded. "Weight gain is normal. Usually it's not quite this early, but again that is just another piece of evidence that points to my theory that the pregnancy is progressing unnaturally fast."

Her height was at its usual five-eight-and-a-half, and when she lay back on the table she grabbed my hand as Carlisle poured some of the blue gel on her stomach. She audibly squeaked and shuddered at the apparently cold sensation, and I laughed. "You don't even flinch when a stone-cold vampire hugs you but a little goop and it's like you're in a blizzard!"

She giggled and swatted at me, but became too entranced by Carlisle spreading the gel across her skin to do anything more. Her grandfather watched the screen, a black and white mess that my untrained eyes couldn't decipher. Just as I was starting to get a little worried he wasn't going to be able to see anything, Carlisle stilled the wand and smiled brighter than he had all afternoon. "Listen carefully, and you can hear the heartbeat on the machine." We both basically stopped breathing as we strained our already sensitive ears to hear something, anything.

And there it was. A faint, but rapid, glug-glug that made a smile appear of its own accord on my face. Nessie apparently must have found it also, because she gave a little gasp. "It's so… real."

Carlisle laughed. "Yes, he or she is very real. Unfortunately I can't seem to get a very clear picture of the fetus; the embryotic sack must be too thick. Interesting…" I could practically see the wheels turning in his head as he made mental notes and who knows what else.

When Carlisle went to his desk to document some of his observations and such, Nessie looked at me and smiled. "Well, at least now we can start a few good family bets on the gender. Dad just bought the Mustang, but I know for a fact he and Aunt Rose have been eyeing the same Viper."

"What do they think the baby is?" I asked, curious.

Nessie shrugged. "Does it matter? Whatever one thinks it is the other will think opposite. I swear you and Dad are just like each other in that sense; you both secretly love to constantly be at odds with Rose."

I chuckled and shook my head. I squeezed her hand. "What do you think our baby is, Ness?"

She ran her hand over the bump and said quietly, "I know I'm supposed to say I don't care, that as long as it's healthy I should be happy. And that's really true, but I kind of hope he's just like you, so that makes him a boy in my mind."

My heart melted a bit. "I think the same thing about you."

Nessie smiled, her eyes a bit watery, and leaned down to kiss me. "If it's a boy, I expect foot massages at my discretion."

I raised my eyebrow at her. As if I would tell her no if she requested a foot massage anyways, especially after she's had our baby. "And if it's a girl?"

She smirked and sat up to pull her shirt over her head, giving me a quick kiss again. "I'll get back to you on that. But it'll be a boy."

"You're on, Cullen."

"Bring it, Black."

And so began the biggest Cullen betting war yet.

TBC. Please review