Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Twilight but you guys already knew that.

I'm not even going to try and make an excuse for the much to long absence. A combination of the holidays, new boss, new job, new puppy…well, it's been extremely hectic. But that doesn't excuse the delay. Just know that I am very very sorry to have kept you all waiting so long and that I SWEAR it won't happen again.

The next chapter is already half way completed, so it shouldn't be very long until we pick up the pace.

I'm terribly sorry again and thank you all for the sweet emails and PMs asking if everything was okay. I promise that I am not going to abandon the story or you guys.

Chapter 8-Bombshell

EsmePOV

I stood in the open door way and simply stared at the two extraordinary people that were stretched out on the couch in front of the fireplace in the great room. My heart couldn't decide whether to sing with joy at the sight of them wrapped up in a heap of blankets and pillows laughing and smiling together or whether to break at the thought of what was unsaid between them.

"Sweetheart?" my husband's quiet voice whispered from behind me.

"Shh," I encouraged as I looked over my shoulder at the loving face that had been my world for nearly a century. "Don't disturb them."

Without making a sound, he wrapped his arms around my waist and leaned his chin on my shoulder. The comfort his touch brought was a welcome support that I hadn't been aware I craved until he entered the room.

"How long have they been there?" he said so quietly I nearly missed his words. I simply shrugged my shoulders. From the looks of the room, they had been in their own little world for some time.

Chip was sitting upright against the arm of the couch leaning against at least two down filled pillows. He was nearly swaddled from his chest down in blanket that was more appropriate for arctic survival than relaxing in the late afternoon of a fall day. But given the fact that Bella was tucked underneath his arm and cuddled up against him, it made a little more sense. They were talking like two magpies, laughing loudly at frequent intervals and even more frequently, hugging and kissing any part of the other one that they could reach. It was truly endearing to observe.

Endearing, that was, until I caught site of my son standing at the top of the staircase watching the scene below him with a heartbreaking look on his face. Every now and then, he would wince at something he obviously picked out of Chip's thoughts and it wasn't difficult to imagine what he was hearing. The pain on his face was obvious. I just wasn't sure if the pain was for Chip or his wife. Either way, it was tormenting him.

"And Edward?" Carlisle asked, making me wonder if he was actually a mind reader as well.

"About ten minutes. And he hasn't moved an inch since he arrived," I said with a sigh.

A loud snorting laugh echoed through the room, drawing the attention of all three of us. My youngest daughter had her face buried in Chip's stomach and was laughing hard enough to make her double over. The sheer sparkle in her eye as she giggled uncontrollably was enough to make me smile. She was, of all my children, the most open with her emotions. Ironic, really, considering that her mind was the only one closed to Edward. But true none the less. She never seemed to hide what she was feeling from anyone. When she was angry, we knew it. When she was excited, we knew it. And when she was happy? Not only did we all know it but we all reveled in it

It was the knowledge of that very trait that was making my heart lean toward breaking as I continued to watch the two people on the sofa that were completely oblivious to the world around them. The pain, when she learned the news of Chip's illness, would be intolerable for her and impossible to hide. As the thought crossed my mind, I noticed Edward wince visibly. Whatever he was hearing was dark enough to make him physically flinch. I watched, helplessly, as he folded his arms on the banister of the railing and then hung his head. His face, even for the fleeting moment it took for him to change position, looked completely devastated.

"What the fuck is that smell?" Bella asked, pulling all of our attention back toward the room. She had her nose buried in Chip's chest and was inhaling deeply. "It's not cologne. What the hell is that?"

Chip looked utterly stunned for a split second but it was enough to betray the turmoil he had to be feeling. And it was not unnoticed by my youngest daughter.

"What?" she asked, concern written on her face. "What is that?"

"Yo!" JP screamed at top volume from the doorway of the kitchen. I hadn't even realized he'd slipped into the house. I looked up to see him with a bowl of fried chicken in one hand and a drumstick hanging out of his mouth half eaten. God bless him, it was impossible for anyone to look upon the insane sight and not smile. "I want in on the lovin'."

"What do you want?" Chip asked through his laughter. "Jesus, JP! Didn't I teach you better manners than to scream with your mouth full?"

"Eww! That is nasty," Bella chimed in though her own giggles.

"Says the bitch that regularly tears into Bambi for a cocktail," he quipped back as he crossed the room toward the couch. With a very unceremonious flop, he fell onto the couch on Chip's other side and snuggled into him every bit as much as Bella was. It was so excruciatingly sweet, that Carlisle and I both laughed loudly enough for them all to swivel their heads and look at us.

"And for the record, I do not regularly 'tear into Bambi'. I prefer other…kinds of…drinks, thank you very much."

"Santa! I want a Red Rider BB gun and a pony and a robot and a car like Eddie's," JP said, completely ignoring Bella's statement about her diet. "Oh! And I want a machine that I can plug into my brain and make my songs just magically come out."

That comment earned a snort not only from my daughter but from my son as well. Bella twisted her head around and looked at him for what I thought was the first time since he'd taken up residence at the top of the stairs. The smile she gave him was both blindingly beautiful and adoring.

"So? What ya'll doing'?" JP asked as he winked at Chip.

"He was just about to tell me why he smells funny," Bella answered for him before he could even open his mouth.

"What do you mean?" JP asked as he too stuck his nose in Chip's chest and inhaled deeply. "I don't smell nothin'."

The long lanky musician began to fidget in his position tucked into Chip's side, whether to continue trying to smell the scent Bella was picking up on or just to be difficult, I had no idea. But it didn't matter the reasons. Because just seconds after his squirming began, Chip closed his eyes and winced.

"What? What is it?" Bella asked, her face contorted in confusion and concern.

"Nana, I'm sorry dude. I didn't mean to hurtcha," JP said, a look of seriousness on his face that I was positive I had never seen.

Chip kissed JP lightly on the forehead and then turned his head and did the same to my daughter. He closed his eyes briefly and took a deep breath, apparently steeling himself to say something unpleasant.

"You didn't hurt me JP, don't worry. But I do need to talk to you guys." I watched helplessly as he began to adjust himself into a more up right position, Bella and JP looking at each other with the questions written all over their beautiful faces. "Actually, I need to talk to all of you. Would you mind getting everyone else for me?"

"You want the youngin's too? Or just the grown-ups?"

"Just the adults. Marcus will stay with the kids if you give him a call."

My heart hurt for my youngest as a deep crease formed on her forehead. She knew that what was coming wasn't good. I could nearly see the wheels in her mind spinning. I cut my eyes to Edward, who had obviously drawn the same conclusion and was now making his way slowly down the stairs.

"Do you want the Cullens also?" she whispered as she caught sight of Edward. Or more specifically, the pained look on Edward's face.

"Yeah, baby girl. Probably best to talk to everyone at once."

Before the sentence was complete, the rest of my family filed quietly into the large family room. Alice had apparently seen Chip's decision and gathered them all. I didn't know if she had given them any information on what was coming but they were all uncharacteristically subdued as they took seats around the sitting area beside the fire. I also noticed that Jasper was standing on Bella's left side in a mirror image of Edward on her right. I knew my son well enough to recognize that he was already trying to calm Bella, picking up on the anxiety that was escalating in her system quickly.

"Are you ready for this?" my husband asked quietly as he placed a soft kiss on my neck. "It's not going to be easy for anyone in this room."

I turned in his arms and placed my cheek against his chest as I hugged him to me. His powerful embrace circled me and gave me the strength to face what was about to happen to my family.

"No, it's not. But if Chip can handle this, there is no reason that we can't either. I just hate to see her hurting."

"I know," he said so quietly that his mouth barely moved. "I do too. But she's stronger than anyone I know and she'll get through it."

We were interrupted by the humans entering the room. Heidi's eyes were locked on JP, while everyone else looked around puzzled at the gathering and somber tone of the room.

"Thank you all for coming," Chip said with no delay. "I know this is…unusual."

"What's up Chip?" Dimitri asked in a lighter tone of voice than his posture would have indicated.

Very gently, Chip sat down in an oversized wing back chair right beside the fireplace that Emmett usually favored. He looked, for the first time, frail as he settled himself into the large chair. I quickly glanced at my daughter and wanted to cry at the look of pain that was written in her eyes.

"About three months ago, I started to feel sort of off," Chip began, his gaze locked on the area rug under his feet. With virtually no sound, Buddy crept into the room and curled up at Bella's feet, his head resting on the top of her foot. "I thought, at first, that I just had a stomach bug or really bad heart burn. But it only got worse over the course of a couple of weeks."

"Chip," Bella said so quietly that I didn't think any of the humans could have heard her. She was gripping Edward's hand hard enough to crush it but he made no move to stop her.

"So Marcus and Heidi," he continued with a small smile in her direction, "convinced me to see a doctor about it. It took some time to finally figure out what was going on with me."

"Nana?" Jane said in a tiny voice that in no way fit with the strong woman that I knew. "Are you okay?"

"No, Janie, I'm not."

Immediately, I smelled the salt of tears from several different directions. JP sat stone still, his eyes streaming and Heidi rubbing small circles on the hand she clasped. Felix tucked a bleary eyed Jane under his massive arm and held her quietly. My own children looked equally as distressed but would not be given the relief of tears to help ease their emotions. Jasper was rubbing Bella's shoulder while also hugging Alice to his chest. Emmett and Rose held hands in a desperate sort of embrace. And Edward, my poor Edward, could do nothing but stare at his wife, seemingly trying to absorb the pain that had to be tearing through her.

Very slowly, Bella slid from her position on the couch onto her knees on the floor. Without moving her eyes from the man that was every bit the father to her that Charlie had been, she walked on her knees toward the chair by the fire. When she was as close as she could get to him, she sat back on her heels and placed her hands into his lap. Chip grasped both hands and raised them to his mouth to kiss her knuckles. They almost seemed to be communicating silently as they stared at each other.

"What's wrong," she said in the smallest voice I had ever heard from my daughter. In my peripheral vision, I saw Edward choke back a sob.

"Pancreatic cancer."

The two words broke my youngest daughter and my heart simultaneously. Her shoulders shook violently as she lowered her head into his lap. His hands softly stroked her hair as he leaned over and kissed the back of her head. She gripped his hips in a very awkward hug, trying to return the comfort he was giving her, all the while whispering the word "no" over and over.

Edward moved to her so fast I couldn't discern the movement. He dropped to his knees behind her and wrapped his arms around her body as tightly as possible. Chip reached out a single hand and placed it on my son's shoulder, whether in thanks or as a gesture of comfort, I didn't know or care.

Pain hung so thickly in the air that even to my immortal body, it was breath-taking. JP had wrapped is arms around his own body and was doubled over at the waist, the tears flowing so violently that he was having trouble breathing. Heidi was having no more luck calming him than Edward was having calming Bella.

"Carlisle, do something honey," I said, my own voice quavering.

I knew, or perhaps just prayed, that the doctor side of my husband would take over and hopefully bring the situation under control before the emotions overtook. As gently as he could, he knelt down beside Chip's chair. He looked around the room carefully. Dimitri, Chelsea, Felix and Jane were all visibly shaken but precariously maintaining their composure, as were Alice, Rose, Emmett and Jasper. With a sad smile, he found the quivering form of JP, still folded in on himself and Heidi trying desperately to soothe him.

My husband quickly stood and without a word, walked to JP and scooped him up into his arms. It was a measure of just how upset JP was that he didn't react on any level to being picked up and carried across the room in the same way a toddler would be. Carlisle sat him down directly beside Bella at Chip's feet. Immediately, JP reached out and grabbed Bella around the waist forcefully. In stunted raw movements, they both clung to each other and looked up at Chip, their identical expressions nearly begging him to tell them it was all a misunderstanding.

With an aurora of strength, my husband knelt back down beside Chip's chair. All eyes immediately fell to him. I couldn't help but smile just a small bit at the compassion echoing in his eyes.

"Chip and Marcus have asked me to act as his physician through his treatment and I have agreed," he began soothingly. "The necessary equipment has already been ordered and should be arriving in a day or two. I promise you, I will do everything in my power to see him through this."

Chip smiled at my Carlisle and with the hand not stroking Bella's cheek, grasped his fingers in thanks and comfort. During the silent exchange between the two men, I also noticed that Edward still had a death grip on Bella's waist and was whispering into her ear non stop. The words were too low for any of us to hear but it didn't matter what he was actually saying. My youngest daughter didn't seem to hear any of them. Her eyes were distant and glassy and focused solely on the older man in the wing back chair. Her voice actually startled me when she spoke just a second later.

"What…what's….the smell?" she said, struggling to contain her emotions.

"I imagine that it's the chemo drugs, Baby Girl. I had started treatment before we left to come out here."

"I've spoken to his doctors," Carlisle said to my daughter. When her gaze didn't waiver from Chip, he reached out and gently touched her cheek to turn her head. She seemed almost dazed to see him sitting so close to her. "We have all agreed on the treatment processes. They did everything right there and we are going to do everything right here. I promise you, Bella, I'm going to take the very best care of him that I can."

"I know," she whispered and closed her eyes. For the first time, she leaned back into Edward's embrace and her hands rested on his forearms that were still locked around her waist. "I just…"she trailed off with a slump of her shoulders.

"I just…" JP picked up for her but with no more luck in finishing the sentence. "Heidi?" he said in such a young voice, I nearly went to him myself. The dark haired beauty flew to his side with nearly vampire speed.

The two couples in the floor at Chip's feet were so different from one another, yet so similar. Both held their spouses above all others and both were trying desperately not to fracture under the weight of the pain they were facing. Edward and Heidi were both holding tight to the people who made up their entire world and they were both struggling. We were watching Bella and JP slowly fall to pieces.

"We're gonna get through this," Chip said calmly, bringing JP and Bella's attention back to him. "I know this came out of nowhere but we are gonna whip it, okay guys? I'm staying here as long as I need to. Carlisle and Esme have opened their house to us for as long as is needed."

"You are all welcome to stay as long as you'd like," Carlisle added, looking around at the other humans in the room. There were small nods and tiny smiles of thanks from them all and I knew that we would have them all for the duration of the treatment. Chip had been right. Now that he needed them, they would all be there for him, just as he had always been there for them.

"What can we do?" JP's broken voice asked the room at large. "What…what is this exactly? I mean, can we do a transplant or something?" He looked up at Chip and my husband with hopeful eyes, the vibrant green irises still flooding with tears. "I mean, if it will help, you can have mine. Can we do that Doc?"

"Aww, my sweet boy," Chip stuttered, tears in his eyes for the first time since he'd started the conversation. "I wish it were that simple. I know you'd give me yours if that would help," he said with a wistful smile as he leaned down and kissed JP's forehead.

"Unfortunately, JP, that's not a course of action we can follow. But thank you. There's really nothing anyone can do except to be here for Chip in whatever way he needs. Edward and I have already ordered the equipment and supplies and will start the treatments as soon as they all arrive."

A shiver ran down my back as my youngest daughter's eyes flashed dangerously. I didn't think anyone else in the room noticed it, certainly not my son who was still crouched behind her hugging her to his body. But I got an ominous feeling that my husband's last statement wasn't going to go over well with her. I knew, as she would have had her rationale been the dominant part of her view, that his withholding this bombshell was at Chip's request. But at that moment, all she knew was that her husband had kept earth shattering information from her.

The nightmarish scene only lasted a few more minutes while each person asked the questions that would hopefully help ease their minds. Neither Bella nor JP moved from their positions at Chip's feet until he wiggled in his chair slightly and stood in an effort to stretch his back. He reached out a hand to both JP and Bella and pulled them into standing positions before him, his face serene and calm.

"We are all going to make it through this, okay? I need for you two to believe that."

They both nodded their head and attempted to smile. Neither of them succeeded. But the attempt seemed to be appreciated nonetheless.

"I'm going to make you some chocolate chip cookies," Bella said in a vacant voice. "You always liked my cookies."

Chip stared at her for a moment, obviously as concerned at the lost demeanor as I was. But neither of us looked as concerned at her far away appearance as Edward did. His face was nothing short of terrified.

"I'd like that Baby Girl," Chip finally answered. Without another word, she turned and headed to the kitchen.

"I need a drink," JP said as he turned toward the doors that would lead him to the back garden. We all scanned the room, our vision alternating between Bella and JP. Both were far from alright but JP did at least seem coherent. As my youngest disappeared into the kitchen, I turned toward my son, the same questions in my head written on his face.

"Is she going to be alright?" I asked Edward quietly as my husband's arm slid around my waist. The comfort was soothing given the last hour's turmoil.

Rather than answer, my son…my century plus year old son, simply looked down at his feet and shrugged. In that moment, he was a young boy whose family was, once again, terminally ill. I couldn't help myself. The pain and uncertainty that radiated from his like the plague was too much for any mother to take. I stepped forward quickly and grabbed him in a bear hug. He didn't even have the strength the hug me back. But his body simply melted into mine. He allowed me to comfort him for a long time. Without thinking, I stroked his hair and kissed his cheek and gently rocked him from side to side. It was all I could think to do in that terrible moment. Finally, with a great huff of breath, he stood up and kissed me back with a soft "thank you".

"I should go check on Bella," he said, the man now fully back in control and exceedingly concerned about his wife. "As hard as I thought this was going to be, it's ten times worse."

As he left our group, we all moved toward the stairs. With my husband's arm still firmly around my waist, I along with Chip and Marcus began the climb to the top of the stairs. I needed something, anything, to do with myself until the emotions could settle.

I busied myself with straightening the bed coverings, while Marcus and Chip puttered around the room unpacking a suitcase. Carlisle simply leaned against the dresser, his arms crossed over his chest. None of us spoke but we all seemed to calm from the repetitive motions and distractions.

We couldn't have been upstairs more than just a few minutes, when the tentative tranquility we had found was, once again, shattered.

"No! You son-of-a-bitch! Don't you fucking touch me!" rang through the house so loudly that the panes of glass rattled in the frames.

We all stared wide eyed and perfectly still as my daughter's voice rang through the house with the force of a bomb.

"Fuck you!" she screamed loudly enough to damage her vocal chords. "You…you knew… and you didn't say a fucking word, Edward. How…how… could… you? How could you keep that from me?" she sobbed and raged simultaneously.

My son's murmured voice was audible as he desperately tried to soothe his wife. But I knew, with nothing more than the recollection of her eyes as she had heard of his beforehand knowledge of the new that had decimated her, that he was, at least for the time being, fighting a loosing battle. There would be no easy calming right now.

The barrage of shattering glass and the sound of metal twisting combined with her continued shrieks of betrayal prompted Carlisle and me to sprint downstairs as Chip began to cry in earnest.

"No, Edward! Don't! Stay the fuck away from me!" was the last of her voice I heard before the sound of a door being ripped from its hinges exploded through the eerily quiet rooms of the house.