Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Stephenie Meyer created it all. I'm just grateful that she lets us play around in her little world.
I just received word that Unloved Unwanted was nominated for an Emerging Swan award – Best Drama/Angst/Hurt/Comfort Complete. Please go over and check out the nominated stories - some of my favorites are there. Voting goes through September 5, 2011.
http:/emergingswanawards(dot)blogspot(dot)com/p/voting(dot)html
To thank the readers for the nomination, I've done a chapter on Charlie (per the many requests). Please find, as my treat, the first half of the chapter below. The second half to follow in a few days.
Finally, after many suggestions, I've finally signed up on Twitter – come join me as I learn to navigate the Tweet world – content1april.
Charlie POV
The shrill cry cut through the cool, foggy night…a human screaming in pain. Then the noise stopped abruptly, as if cut off by some unknown force. A moment of silence reigned as expectation flourished…then another sound carried on the wind, a baby's cry. It was the ultimate representation of life, the squalling baby fussing after leaving the comfort of its mother's womb.
The individuals around me shifted, and I turned to see Bella's ecstatic face as she twirled in Edward's arms. She was literally vibrating in excitement, as was Alice beside her. My son-in-law smirked at my daughter's enthusiasm; he was putty in Bella's hands…incapable of denying her anything. The one time he'd attempted it had been the impetus for everything…Bella's kidnapping and change, Jacob's imprinting, my own change. Maggie turned in my arms to look up at me with her burgundy eyes, the moonlight glistening off her red curls.
"I'm sure Billy is ecstatic!" she said to me before turning to Edward. "Boy or girl?' she asked.
He grinned. "Girl."
"Why do you find that so amusing?" Emmett asked from where he stood, Rosalie enclosed in his massive arms.
"Jacob's whole world and priorities just shifted again. He's already imagining killing any man who comes close to her." Edward chuckled and arched his eyebrow at Bella…he was, of course, insinuating that he understood how Jacob felt and that Jacob, himself had been an object of such feeling from Edward at one time. "AND…he just realized she might be a perfect imprint possibility. He's considering locking her up out of sight for the next twenty years."
Bella's astounded laugher echoed through the forest, and I wondered just how much Jasper had to do with the incredibly pleased atmosphere that surrounded us. I wouldn't put it past him.
"I wish Carlisle would hurry up," Esme said, uncharacteristically inpatient.
We heard the "good doctor" snort from inside the home several hundred yards from us. "Patience, Dear. You'll get to meet her soon." His soft voice carried to us.
It couldn't occur soon enough for the women. Each one, even the normally reserved Rosalie, couldn't wait to get their hands on Jacob and Evelina's newborn child. She'd had even commented that the last seven and half months of waiting had seemed longer than the whole of her immortal existence. I guess that was another benefit of having vampires for friends. Bella had said that the expression on Edward's face when he saw Eve and heard the almost imperceptible fluttering of the fetus' heartbeat had been priceless.
Who needed a pregnancy test when you had a vampire with medical training? It was a shame the boy couldn't practice medicine like Carlisle. Edward's imprisonment by the Romanians had thrown him for a loop, and although his control over his blood lust was much better than any other than his father and my daughter…he took few chances. I wondered though, if in the future he might try because even I could see the gleam in his eyes when Carlisle discussed medicine with him. I'd actually laughed when I witnessed the soft spoken and easy going Carlisle stand up to Aro about having a job. The horrified look on Aro's face had been priceless. Of course, Carlisle had won. Aro would give him anything. It was only part-time hours at a hospital in Florence, but it was enough to make Carlisle happy. And when Carlisle was happy, Aro was happy. What a mess…
I wouldn't even pretend to understand that relationship; it was enough for me to fathom that Edward and I liked one another. Although I'd hated him for what I'd thought he'd done to Bella, we'd formed an unbreakable bond in immortality. In a strange and convoluted way, I understood and respected what he'd attempted to do. He had a heart too big for his chest sometimes, especially when it came to Bella or Jacob.
Within a few minutes, we smelt the acidic smell of fabric burning and knew that Carlisle had cleaned the room and burnt anything that had blood on it. I couldn't determine if the splashes I heard were water for the baby's and Evelina's baths or Clorox for Carlisle's super effort to obliterate the smell of blood. I figured, knowing Carlisle, it was both. He wasn't going to take any chances.
I'd been a vampire for five years now, and it was probably good that they still treated me like a newborn. Vegetarian vampire I was not. I'd been worried about being around Evelina after childbirth, afraid that the smell from the birth would be too much, but in typical Jacob fashion, he'd refused to allow anything to stand between us. A shirt spotted with her blood had been sent to me to discern my capacity to handle it…and the werewolf smell had all but made me violently ill. I knew that Jacob was up to it again when Carlisle stepped through the door headed across the way and into the woods to us. He carried another such offering, and the stench made us all step back before he even drew close. His chuckle was enough answer, and a flip of his wrist produced a flame from the lighter he carried. The item flared and was quickly consumed.
He knew they were just waiting for his word. "O..." Esme raced past him "…k." He shook his head at the blur that was his wife. The man was as besotted as the rest of us with his mate and wasn't about to admonish her for her enthusiasm. Her squeal from inside the house made him smile brilliantly. I wondered if he'd ever regretted not being able to have children with Esme. He would have made an exceptional father...made an exceptional father, I corrected myself, as I saw his "children" crowd around him to walk toward the house.
Jacob and Billy met us in the tiny living room. Jake had brought Eve back to the reservation to have their child. They'd purchased a home in Seattle while they both attend the University of Washington, but from what I'd heard, a night of partying and the aftermath had resulted in an "OOPs." The "OOPs" being the precious child we were here to welcome into the world. Worry had overlaid the event; Carlisle had been concerned about Eve's ability to conceive and carry a child. He'd been more concerned that she would be unable to withstand her nature and that had she changed during the time she was pregnant…well Carlisle wasn't so certain it would end positively. Eve had astounded us all, her pregnancy as normal as possible considering the child's mother and father were both mythical creatures. Esme came through the door then, carrying the tiny bundle. From beside the door, I watched in fascination as an arm flayed out of the covers. The baby's skin was the color of teakwood.
"She's beautiful, Jacob. She's going to have Eve's eyes!" Esme exclaimed.
"How can you tell?" Jacob grinned; it was clear he was a proud dad.
"I can already see the blue," she said, and then she moved so that all the other Cullen women could get a look. "May I present, Sarah Isabel Black," Esme announced softly, rubbing her nose to the child's gently.
I was surprised to see that neither Billy nor Jacob seemed nervous. Considering the circumstances, I would've thought he'd stay glued to the baby's side. I was, however, glad to see that the babe had been named after Jacob's mother. She'd been an incredible woman, and to know that her memory would be carried on through the child made me happy.
"Jacob, go. We'll take care of her," Edward said softly, having picked up on the boy's thoughts, and Jacob dove through the door in an effort to get to Eve. Smart man – taking care of the mother while the baby was coddled.
We heard the soft words spoken between them but attempted to give them some sense of privacy.
I wanted to bark out in laughter when Alice peeked under the blanket and then grinned in pleasure. "Good choice, Jake! I particularly liked that outfit when I got it."
Both Jacob and Eve's combined laughter drifted in to us. Unable to see the sex of the baby, Alice had bought a boutique full of both pink and blue things.
"Charlie, come over here," Billy called out, but I must have had a look of panic on my face. "Just hold your breath," he grumbled, causing the others in the room to laugh out.
The baby was perfect, and thank the Lord above, looked like Eve except for the tanned skin and silky black hair. Edward was right…Jacob had a reason to be concerned. She was going to be a looker. I'd almost pay one of the Quileute to act as if he'd imprinted just to see the look on Jacob's face. I heard Edward's attempt to suppress his chuckle and then our eyes met. It was a definite plan now. It wouldn't be the first time that Edward and I had gotten in trouble together.
Using some of my air, I told Billy, "She's going to keep you busy."
Billy looked at Bella who'd come to rest by me. "OH…I can only imagine," he replied sarcastically, bringing the obvious to light…the chaos I'd lived through since she'd fallen in love with a certain vampire.
Bella grinned up at me, and I returned it. I'd forgotten a lot of things during my change, but I could clearly remember the young woman at my side as a doe eyed brown eyed baby, wrapped very similarly in yellow blankets. She'd looked like a delicate china doll, blinking those eyes at me, as if even then, she was attempting to figure out how to manage my life. I saw Edward move closer to us and realized he was probably enjoying my memories of her. I obliged him, remembering clearly the day she wrapped her fingers around mine for the first time. It had been as if I could feel the connection of the strings she'd wrapped around my heart…the tie that had never been broken.
(…second half in a few days.)
Would love to know what you think!
To hopeforastalemate: Thanks, my dear, for agreeing to beta this. I'm glad you liked my "Charlie," although, I know your favorite part of the chapter is to come. You are the best!