"Have you had enough, Bella?" Rosalie asked, whisking Bella's empty plate away. "Do you need anything else to eat? We can…"

"God, no. I'm stuffed." Bella smiled and pushed back from the kitchen table, patting her stomach. "Thank you. And thank you for cooking, Edward," she added, turning her smile to me.

"Of course, love. Any time. Just tell me," I replied, reaching out to stroke her hair. She hadn't stopped smiling since listening to the…baby's heart beat upstairs. Even when she was chewing, she had been smiling. I loved seeing her smile, but the reason behind it was still leaving me unsettled, to say the least.

Earlier, after the family had had their turns with the stethoscope, Carlisle had eventually shooed them all out of the room so that he could finish examining Bella. Still stunned and overwhelmed by everything I had heard and seen since getting off the airplane, I had barely paid attention to what he was doing as he poked, prodded, measured, and so forth. Even when he'd drawn a blood sample, I had hardly registered the pungent, delectable scent in the air. For her part, Bella had just beamed, and held my hand tightly in hers as Carlisle went about what he needed to do.

Impossible. All of this. Impossible. I couldn't seem to get past that, despite the evidence in front of me.

When he had finally finished, Carlisle exhaled and pulled off his latex gloves. "Well, I think that's all I can really do for today. I'm going to take these samples in to the lab in the morning to have some tests run, and hopefully they'll have the ultrasound machine I ordered ready for me to bring home. I should be able to get a picture of the baby that way and have a much better idea of what we're dealing with."

"A picture? Really?" Bella looked at him hopefully. "Will he show up already?"

"Assuming that the scan works through that placenta, I believe so. That's one of the mysteries here, Bella. While chronologically you can't be more than a couple of weeks pregnant, developmentally I'd say you're at the equivalent of about 18 weeks. I have no explanation for the accelerated rate, and nothing I've read has addressed that."

No, of course not, I had thought bitterly. Those legends were more concerned with the horror of the creature clawing its way out of the womb to worry about describing the progress of the pregnancy itself. I forcibly suppressed a shudder.

Carlisle had noticed my reaction. Edward…

Instead of completing the thought, he had spoken aloud to both of us. "That's going to be the biggest challenge here. We really have no clear idea of what to expect. It's not like this kind of pregnancy has ever been reported in any medical journals." He frowned slightly. "In fact, I have to apologize for my lack of foresight on the subject. It simply never occurred to me that a pregnancy was a possibility. I didn't know to warn you, to suggest birth control." While he had been aware of the legends, being fundamentally a man of science, he had always disregarded them as having as much basis in fact as the notion we had no reflection in mirrors. He looked up at me, and I could read the regret in his thoughts.

"Well, he's here now," Bella had said, rubbing her stomach gently. "Aren't you, baby?"

"What are we supposed to do next, Carlisle?" I had asked softly.

"I think all we can do is wait and see. I'll keep running what tests I can, do daily examinations – things could change quite quickly given the rate of development we're seeing. And I'll keep reading whatever I can get my hands on." He glanced down at Bella. "As long as Bella continues to feel well, I don't think there's any need to rush into anything…drastic."

"I feel fine," she stated without hesitation. "Hungrier and more tired than usual, but now that I know why, it's not bothering me. We're not going to do anything drastic." She had turned her face toward me and looked at me evenly. "We're not, Edward."

"Let's just not even worry about that right now, okay?" Carlisle had replied before I could say anything. Just let her be for now, Edward, he had added for my benefit. We'll wait for the tests, see how things unfold over the next few days.

I didn't like it, but I couldn't think of any way around it for the moment. I had managed a nod, and leaned over to place another kiss on the top of Bella's head. "Speaking of hungry, love. You haven't eaten since we were on the last plane. Can I make you something?"

As if on cue, her stomach had growled and she chuckled. "I wouldn't mind…"

So here we sat, in the kitchen where Bella had just eaten two grilled chicken breasts, a mound of whole wheat pasta, roasted vegetables, bread and two bowls of salad. Rosalie had still been at her post outside Carlisle's door when we'd left his office, and had followed us here, hovering over Bella the entire time I cooked and she ate.

That was going to go from annoying to extremely annoying in a big hurry.

Alice floated in the back door, Jasper and Emmett trailing behind her, fresh from a quick hunting trip. "Yay! Bella's out of her doctor's appointment! Now we can play!" She drifted over to where Bella sat. "Tell us about the island! Did you love it? What did you do there? What was your favourite part?"

Emmett snorted. "Isn't it obvious what they did there? I'd wager that her favourite parts were all attached to Edward," he smirked, delighted when he saw Bella blush.

"That's not what I mean, you pig," Alice rolled her eyes.

"Maybe not, but it's still obvious that…"

"All right, all right," I held up a hand to stop that conversation in its tracks. I was hardly in the mood for joking about such things, especially in the circumstances. "You can grill Bella tomorrow, Alice. She's tired." I knew the heavy-lidded look that was on my wife's face now that she had eaten such a big meal, and was anxious myself for some alone time where I could just sit and think.

"Edward!" Alice whined. "You're not her mother. She can…"

Again as if on cue, Bella stifled a yawn. "Actually, he's right, Alice. It's been a long day. I wouldn't mind laying down for a while."

"I'll take you upstairs, Bella," Rosalie offered, immediately swooping over to her side.

"That's quite all right, Rosalie." I couldn't help scowling at her. "I've got that covered."

Rosalie scowled back. "How do I know you won't wait for her to fall asleep and then…"

"Oh, for God's sake!" I snapped. "Stop being crazy. I'm not going to harm a hair on her head and you know it."

"A hair on her head maybe, but…"

"It's okay, Rose." Bella stood up and took my hand. "Really." She looked at me meaningfully. "I think Edward has calmed down now. It will be fine."

Rosalie glared at me. I won't be far. And I'll be listening, Edward.

I clenched my teeth together to avoid tearing a strip into Rosalie as I'd been dying to do since we'd gotten off the plane. Bella didn't need any more drama today. "Goodnight, everyone," I managed to half-growl instead, and led my wife upstairs to get ready for bed.

I was waiting for her in the large gold bed when she finished with her human time in the bathroom. I suppressed a sigh when I saw that she had emerged wearing yet another of her Alice honeymoon purchases, this one a red satin chemise with fitted bra cups which skimmed over her hips and the pair of red satin boy shorts she wore underneath. Even though I had thought on the island that I would never have another moment where I wasn't delighted to see my beautiful Bella dressed that way, tonight…there was no way I was in the mood for that.

Ignoring the look that must have been on my face, Bella slid under the covers and snuggled up next to me. She wrapped an arm around my chest and buried her face in my neck. "Do you have any idea how long I've wanted to break in this bed?"

"I thought you were tired," I said, putting an arm around her but making no move to follow her lead.

"I was until I saw this glorious bed again. Anyway, it was also an excuse to get you back to myself for a little while." She placed a few soft kisses along the side of my neck and exhaled a soft, warm breath into my ear. On the island, it hadn't taken her long to discover that doing that was a quick and certain way to get my…attention.

Now, however, I caught her hand as she slid it down my chest toward the waistband of my pajama pants. "Bella…"

"What?" she asked innocently, and threw one of her legs over mine so she could snuggle closer and reach my lips. She kissed me lightly, then again more deeply, allowing her tongue to press against my lower lip. When she breathed into my mouth, I couldn't keep from shivering a good sort of shiver.

"Really…in your…uh…condition? I don't think it's a good idea."

She shook off my hand where it held hers in place, and continued her path down my chest, then to my hip and the outside of my thigh. "I've been in this 'condition' for a couple of weeks, Edward. It didn't stop you yesterday. Or the day before. Or the day…"

"Yes, well, we didn't know then, did we?" I frowned.

"So what? The point is, I wasn't harmed in the process, so you have no basis for objecting. I feel pretty much the same right now as I did two nights ago."

I caught her hand again before it could trace its way up to my crotch, and held it firmly this time. "Well, it doesn't seem right to me."

"Oh, come on. Like Carlisle said, at the rate I'm going I'm going to be as big as a whale in another week. We need to take advantage of the time we have while I can still fit into these lovely nighties." She gestured toward her outfit and gave me her best attempt at a sexy pout.

Those goddamn nighties. And the way the shade of red of this one set off her pale skin and dark hair…the way the bra cups hugged and boosted her cleavage…

I gave my head a little shake. "Bella…"

"Women still have sex when they're pregnant, Edward. Even I know that. Renee used to subscribe to a lot of women's magazines. In fact, some women find themselves even more inclined to…"

"Bella, no," I said, in what I hoped was a firm voice. The idea that she could possibly want it more than she had on the island had me momentarily distracted.

She exhaled loudly through her nose in exasperation. "Edward, I am so sick of hearing you say that, I swear I could start screaming."

"Oh, great idea. Rosalie will be in here in about two seconds, and at least I'll have an excuse to knock her through the window." I hoped she heard me say that.

Bella pulled away slightly so she could see my face. "Is that what this is about? Are you still mad at me for…"

"No, Bella, that's not what this is about." I frowned, wishing I didn't have to say it out loud, that she just could have curled up at my side and gone to sleep. I wasn't sure how much more drama I could handle myself today. "It's about the fact that we have absolutely no idea what in the hell is happening to your body right now. It could be a disaster, and the idea of engaging in the…conduct that got us – you – into this situation just does not appeal to me right now."

She looked at me quietly for a moment. "Edward," she said finally, "you really, really have got to work on your guilt issues. Not everything that happens to me is your fault, and you can't fix everything."

"How can you possibly say that this one is not my fault?" I snapped, frustrated by her nonchalance.

"For one thing, because there were two of us in the room when it happened. Neither of us knew it was possible, no one did! No one is to blame, here. And anyway…" her eyebrows came together in a frown. "Is this really such a terrible thing? I mean…I'm actually pretty darn excited. I was shocked at first, sure. But…this is our baby, Edward."

"That's just it, Bella! We don't know what this is! Baby? It could be a monster! It could kill you! And that is my fault. Because it's the part that's me that's the problem. The part that's you is normal, natural…But the part that's me…That will be what kills you!" I pushed away from her and jumped out of the bed so I could pace back and forth, trying to direct some energy into that so that I didn't start yelling in exasperation. Or tearing apart the furniture.

She sat back on her heels and just watched me for a few minutes. "Edward."

Pace…pace…pace…

"Edward. Please stop that and look at me."

Pace…pace…pace…

"Edward! Please."

With a sigh I stopped across from her but did not move back towards the bed. She was looking at me calmly. "I feel like I'm constantly repeating myself with this, but here it goes again. I want you to listen this time."

I couldn't reply. It was enough of an effort not to resume pacing.

"Are you listening?" When she was satisfied I was, she pressed ahead. "I do not now nor have I ever considered you or any part of you in any way a monster. Exactly the opposite, in fact. I've always thought of you as my personal angel. I love you more than is reasonable or rational. I love you more than anyone, anything. And it's because this baby is part of you that I'm so excited about it."

She paused as if to let that sink in. "This is something I thought we would never share, Edward, but I was content to accept that if it was part of getting to be with you. Instead, we're being given this crazy, unexpected chance. I just can't consider that a bad thing. I can't. I will go through whatever I need to to bring this baby, our baby, into the world. He's part of you. That means I love him the way that I love you. So I can't not be happy about that, the way I'm deliriously happy every time I look at your face. It's all one and the same now." Again, a pause. "Can't you at least try to see that?"

My heart swelled automatically at her words. How could it not? It was beyond my ability to control it, to moderate my reaction or to find some way to discount what she had said. For the millionth time it hit me that this woman loved me more than I could ever possibly deserve. But I reveled in it. I needed it the way I needed blood to exist. Maybe more.

I swallowed over the lump in my throat. "But Bella…if it hurts you…" I choked out, unable to complete the thought.

"You heard Carlisle. Don't worry about that now!" She shook her head dismissively. "Think of it this way instead, just for a minute: what if you knew, one hundred per cent for sure, that nothing bad would happen? What if that was off the table and the only thing you had to think about was my wife is having my baby? How would you react then? Would it be a good thing to you?"

I thought back to my human life, what my hopes and dreams had been for after I completed my military service. I pictured Bella, dressed in a long skirt and creamy, high-necked blouse like the kind my mother had worn.

I pictured her standing on the porch of our home in the sunshine, watching me cross the yard toward her, one hand on her softly swollen abdomen.

I pictured her with a baby in her arms, quietly singing a lullaby as she rocked it to sleep.

I pictured a small child – a girl, with long, dark hair and chocolate brown eyes, clad in a frilly white dress – tottering across a patch of green grass and into my waiting arms.

A good thing? It would be…everything. Everything I ever wanted.

"Oh, Bella," I breathed, and felt my eyes pinch where tears would have welled up if I had them. As soon as I moved back to the bed, she launched herself toward me and I wrapped my arms around her tightly, cradling her head to my chest.

"You see?" she murmured against my skin. "That's how I see it."

I felt like I couldn't get physically close enough to her, like I would melt or explode if we didn't get rid of the clothes between us immediately, if I couldn't be inside her, possessing every inch of her and melding her body with mine.

Like those which had come before it, the red satin nightie was soon reduced to scraps thrown to the foot of the bed. More conscious than ever of not injuring my beautiful bride, I kissed every patch of skin reverently, stroked the same spots gently, worshipping with my cool fingers. She let me go as slowly as I wanted, patiently watching me with a small smile when I got to her midsection and carefully explored the hard, subtle bulge with lips and hands. When I rubbed it tenderly as she had done, a tear spilled down her cheek.

And despite the continuing need for caution, we made love to each other for hours with the same passion I feared had been left behind on the island, before the events of the past two days.

When she finally fell asleep in my arms, I passed the time thinking of dark haired babies with chocolate brown eyes.

I had been wrong. I had a soul. It was right here in bed beside me.