Heres a new chapter! :) PS - In chapter two in Bella's POV, I made a mistake and it says that she's working in New Orleans. Ignore that! Bella & the Cullen's live in Portland, Oregon!
It's like that because when I first wrote the first few chapters I planned on them living in New Orleans but changed my mind :) Anyway, enjoy the chapter!
BPOV
We just talked for about half an hour, mainly about Isla and Louie while we waited for the rest of their family to come home. Isla 'read' them her story, even though it was just gibberish with the odd word that actually made sense. Like 'mommy' or 'cow' or 'sheep'
I had put Louie on the floor and he was happily crawling around the room. He occasionally would stand himself up using some furniture but he was happy just being on the floor.
I was watching him as Isla was sat on the other sofa with Carlisle and Esme, and they were looking at her book, and she was naming the animals in the pictures.
I watched as he tried to stand up on his own but couldn't do it. He scrunched his face up in frustration and started to cry. Esme looked up at him and I walked over to him.
"Can't you do it, buddy?" I asked him. He whined. I sat on the floor next to him and he was sat in front of me, watching me closely. I tickled him under his armpits and he let out a high pitched squeal, making Carlisle and Esme look him in surprise. I laughed as he lied down on the floor with his arms above his head. I tickled his belly and he kicked his legs.
I stopped to let him catch his breath and then I pulled his shirt up slightly and blew raspberries on his belly and he giggled loudly again. He was kicking his legs, which were hitting my chest. I blew some more on his belly and then grabbed his leg, which he was hitting me with and blew some on his toes. He squealed again loudly. He looked up at me and smiled, showing his few teeth.
I sat him back up again and he grabbed hold of my hands, one with each of his and he pulled himself into a standing position. He was still a few steps away from me, but was holding on to my outstretched hands for support. I waited for him to be balanced then I decided to see if he could walk the few steps towards me. I let go and he wobbled slightly but took a few shaky steps toward me. I was holding my hands out, encouraging him to walk closer. He was about 2 steps away from me when he lost his balance and fell into me. I threw my arms around him and he giggled again as I smothered his cheeks with kisses.
"Yay! Louie!" Isla said and clapped her hands. I smiled at her and she kissed his cheek.
Louie was still cuddled close to me and I looked down to realise he was asleep. I chuckled; it didn't take much for him to get tired. I kissed his forehead gently while he slept then I looked up; too see the whole Cullen family, including him.
Esme POV
When Bella told us her story, I couldn't help but feel guilty. We'd left her to do that all on her own.
Isla was now looking through her book and pointing at all of the animals and naming them. Bella was watching Louie, who was crawling happily around the room.
I concentrated on Isla, who was telling us which animal was the sheep, and what sound it makes. Carlisle was fascinated; apparently she was smart for her age. She couldn't talk much, but you could tell she was quite mature. But she's probably been through a lot in her 2 years of life.
My thoughts were disrupted by Louie crying. I looked up to see Bella trying to calm him down.
"Can't you do it, Buddy?" She asked him and he whined. She sat next to him. I smiled at her and turned my attention back to Isla, who was tapping me on my arm. She was showing me the farmer in her story when we heard a high pitched squeal, and we all looked up to see Bella tickling Louie under his armpits. Bella laughed as he lied down on the floor with his arms above his head. She tickled his belly and he kicked his legs wildly. We watched her tickle her son, smiling at his cries of joy.
I heard someone come into the room; I turned my head to see the children, staring at the scene in front of them. I gave Edward a glare. He promised he wouldn't be coming home tonight. They all looked at me and I put my finger to my lips, signalling them not to make a sound. Bella hadn't noticed the newcomers, and was still hovering over Louie, who was lying on the floor still.
She stopped tickling him for a moment and then pulled his shirt up slightly and blew raspberries on his belly and he giggled loudly again. He was kicking his legs wildly again, and was hitting Bella with them. She blew some more on his belly and then grabbed his leg, which he was hitting her with and blew some on his toes. He squealed again loudly. I loved watching this, I had no idea Bella was so amazing with children.
She sat him back up again and he grabbed hold of Bella's hands, one with each of his and he pulled himself into a standing position. Bella let go of his hands when he was balanced and he took a few shaky steps. I could see Bella's face; she looked shocked and so happy. He was about 2 tiny steps away from Bella when he lost his balanced and fell onto Bella. Bella threw her arms around him and smothered his cheeks with kisses. I turned to the family, they were all watching in amazement. They obviously didn't know about Isla and Louie, Im guessing.
"Yay! Louie!" Isla said and clapped her hands. Bella smiled at her as Isla kissed Louie's cheek.
Oh, my heart is about to melt. This is the sweetest thing I think I've ever seen.
Bella hugged her children close then looked up to see the family.
Bella POV
"Erm..." I said. I didn't know what else to say. I avoided looking at him, concentrated on Alice's face; I'd talked to her before. I didn't want to look at him; I'd probably break down if I did. I'm not ready to see him yet.
There was an awkward silence for a few seconds. I was still sat crossed legged on the floor, sleeping Louie still clutched close to me and Isla was sat next to me, clutching my arm.
"Children, Bella wasn't really expecting to see all of you tonight." Esme said, I looked up at her and she was glaring in their direction. I know who she was aiming that comment at. I heard footsteps that were getting quieter, and I eventually heard the front door open and then close. I still had my face buried in Louie's curls. I didn't want to look up, in case he was there. I knew if I saw him, then I would probably break down.
"He's gone Bella." Esme started, and sat down next to me. "You don't have to talk to him yet."
I relaxed slightly but was still tense.
"Sit on the couch with him; you can't be comfy sat like that." She said.
I smiled at her and stood up carefully and slid onto the couch that was behind me. Esme disappeared and came back with a blanket, which she draped over Louie. I smiled in thanks to her and pulled Louie closer to my chest gently as he slept. Isla jumped up onto the couch and snuggled up with me and Louie, sucking her thumb.
Esme sat down gently next to us and looked up at her 'children'.
"Why did he go, anyway?" I heard someone say, it sounded like Emmett.
"Bella said she didn't want to speak to him. Not yet anyway. When he said he was going out tonight I didn't think he'd be back. I think he got the message when I said that before." Esme said. "I didn't tell you guys that Bella was visiting because you'd want to stay and see her. We wanted to speak with her alone before she saw you, and she wanted to talk to us too." I smiled up at her as she rubbed my knee comfortingly.
"Bella I'm sorry for before." I heard Alice say and my head shot up. The rest of the Cullens hadn't moved, and were stood next to the other couch. "I shouldn't have nagged you like that."
"No, I'm sorry." I said. "I shouldn't have spoken to you like that. I was rude, I didn't mean it."
Alice sat down on the other side, next to Isla who was looking at Alice curiously.
"Who's this little one then?" Alice asked, looking at Isla.
"Isla." I said. "She's my daughter…"
I heard them gasp, excluding Carlisle and Esme.
"She's beautiful! He is too." Alice said, nodding her head towards Louie when she mentioned him. I smiled, glad that she hadn't asked about how they were… conceived.
"You have children?" I heard Rosalie say and I stiffened. I knew how much she wanted children, and I got them so easily, just by kissing. I feel so bad for that.
"Erm...Yes." I murmured, and looked up at her through my eye lashes, to find she wasn't looking at me, but was looking at Louie in my arms.
"Can I see him?" She asked quietly while she stared. I looked up at her properly and nodded my head. I stood up and she walked closer, and I gently placed Louie, who was still sleeping into her arms. She looked up at me and smiled. It was a real smile; I'd never seen Rosalie smile at me like that before. Louie relaxed in her arms, probably used to the cold and hardness of her skin because he was always so close to me.
"He's beautiful." She whispered. I nodded a small smile on my lips and I felt Isla tugging on my sleeve. I turned to see her and she lifted her arms up to be lifted up. I lifted her up onto my hip and she snuggled her head into my neck. I turned my head to kiss her nose and she giggled softly.
"What are their names?" Rosalie asked who was still rocking Louie gently.
"This is Isla, and he's Louie." I explained and she looked up at me.
"They have such lovely names..." She said. "Do you want him back now?"
"No, it's okay." I said. "You hold him for a while, he's asleep anyway."
She smiled and sat down on the couch, still rocking him gently. I smiled at the sight, happy that I'd made Rosalie happy for a while. I was also thankful that she didn't hate me for having Louie and Isla. I thought she would've. I sat back down on the sofa, next to Rosalie and Isla snuggled into me, sucking her thumb again.
Emmett walked over and stood next to Rosalie, and looked at Louie.
"He looks like you Bella." He said, and I looked up at him. I ran my hand through my hair and smiled again. "I missed you, you know. We all did. We thought you were dead." His voice broke slightly.
I instantly felt bad; I'd never seen Emmett upset like that. I gently placed Isla, who was now sleeping, onto the couch next to me and I stood up and wrapped my arms around Emmett's large stomach. He stiffened for a second but then did the same.
"I missed you too." I started. "All of you...so much."
I hugged everyone in turn, and told them all how much I'd missed them all.
Maybe seeing the Cullens again wasn't such a bad thing…
- x -
I was still in the Cullen household at 9 o'clock. We'd spent the whole time just chatting, about random things. They were asking me a lot of questions about how I was changed, and I explained about Laurent. They asked me a lot about Isla and Louie as well, but also avoided asking how they were conceived, and I was thankful for that.
Isla had fallen asleep in my arms and Louie was still asleep in Rosalie's. It was 9oclock now and Edward still hadn't come back yet. I was hoping that he wouldn't do, and I didn't think he was going to, thank god.
"Are you working tomorrow, Bella?" Esme asked me nicely.
"Yeah." I said, grimacing.
"Why the face?" Alice asked.
"I just hate it." I explained. "But it's the only part time job that had a decent pay. And it still doesn't pay enough."
"Why don't you work full time?" Rose asked.
"I'd rather spend time with them than be at work 5 days a week." I said and she nodded in understanding.
"So I'll see Isla and Louie tomorrow then." Esme smiled and I nodded.
"Why would you?" Jasper asked.
"Oh, you don't know do you?" Esme asked. "They attend the day-care that I work at."
"Ah, so that's why you were acting weird yesterday. I thought it was just because that kid had gotten hurt." Emmett said.
"'That kid' was Isla." Esme said and I laughed.
"Speaking of which, how is her nose now?" Carlisle asked.
I looked down at Isla, who was sleeping in my arms. "It's not so bad. Just bruised, it should be gone by Thursday, I reckon." I said, it was Tuesday today.
"Yes, it should do by then." He said, nodding.
I heard Louie whimper slightly from next to me. I looked at him and he was frowning in his sleep. Rosalie, who had him in her arms, looked down at him in alarm.
"Is he okay?" She asked me. I nodded.
"Probably just nightmares. I think he's going to talk in his sleep like I did. He usually gurgles and stuff while he sleeps. He said momma once though." I said, smiling.
"Does he get nightmares often?" Alice asked. I shrugged.
"Maybe about once a week?" I said. "Not too much, Isla might get them too but she doesn't make much noise when she sleeps at all."
I looked at the clock to see it was half 9.
"I should probably get them into their own beds..." I murmured.
"Yeah, you probably should. They can't sleep in your arms all night, they'll get sore." Alice said.
"Louie sleeps in my arms all night a lot." I shrugged. "But I'd rather they were in their own beds. They might panic if they wake up here."
I stood up, pulling Isla with me. She was limp in my arms, as she was in a really deep sleep. I smiled, she must have been exhausted. Rosalie stood up to, still holding Louie.
"I guess we'll see you tomorrow?" Emmett asked.
"Yeah, I'll probably see you sometime during the day." I smiled. I said bye to him, Alice and Jasper and Esme, Carlisle and Rosalie came outside with me.
I opened the car door and put Isla in her seat and Rosalie did the same with Louie. When she was in, I shut the car door gently, trying not to wake her up by slamming it. I turned to see Carlisle and Esme standing there.
"Thank you for coming. I know it was hard." Esme said and pulled me close. I hugged her back and she pulled away after a minute. "And I'm sorry for what you went through." Rosalie was staring curiously, wondering what she was on about. I forgot she didn't know. I shook my head at her and she got the hint, hugged me bye and walked back into the house.
"She's got a soft spot for them." Carlisle said, laughing. I nodded.
"Everyone seems too." I said. "They attract everyone. You should come grocery shopping with me someday. All the old ladies smother them..." I laughed.
They laughed too and nodded. "We need to see that one day!" Esme said.
"Thanks for tonight." I said. "It felt good to tell someone about everything. I haven't had anyone to talk to, who I could tell everything."
Carlisle hugged me. "We're always here for you, remember that." I smiled and him and opened the car door.
"I'll remember that." I smiled, hopped in my car and drove back home.
When I got home I tucked Isla and Louie into bed and took a shower. It was now 11oclock and I was sat on the couch, trying to concentrate on the TV. I sighed, giving up when the moving picture started to make no sense. I've always hated the night since becoming a vampire. During the day, I have Louie and Isla to keep me occupied but at night, I never know what to do with myself.
I went upstairs and grabbed the laptop from my 'bedroom', and brought it downstairs. I turned it on and it opened up quickly, I'd finally gathered enough money to get a decent one. I turned the internet on and thought about what to do to pass some time before the morning. I pursed my lips, thinking. What would a normal 23 year old do on the internet? I only used the internet for work, or to do some online shopping for clothes or something.
I hesitantly typed in 'facebook', to see what the fuss was about. I didn't know what it was exactly, but I have heard some of the girls talk about it at work. It came up and I didn't bother making an account, but I searched people instead. I was bored, what else could I do?
I was tempted to see if Charlie was on here. If his profile wasn't protected then I'd be able to see everything. I hovered over the keys for a second, hesitating before I typed in 'Charlie Swan.'
A couple of people came up in result; I didn't recognise a single one of them. I set the settings of the search so it looked for Charlie Swans in Washington, and 2 results came up. One didn't have a profile picture, and the other had a picture of a motorbike. I huffed, and clicked on the one without a profile picture. His profile wasn't protected, so I could see everything even though I didn't have a Facebook account. I clicked on his wall and there wasn't much to see, although it was clear that this was my father, because there were a few posts from Billy on there. 'Coming over for the game later?' was one of them. I was happy that he was happy, I guess. But I wish that he didn't disown me like he did. I wish he was part of Isla and Louie's lives. But, I suppose I'd have to fake my death anyway because I turned into a vampire. I sighed again, and turned off the laptop. I looked at the clock, it was now 1am.
I just turned on the TV again and tried to concentrate on the movie that was playing.
I was actually getting into the film; it was about a woman who had lost all memory of her life. She'd woken up and not known who she was. I was interested in what was going to happen, so my attention was on the screen.
It was getting up to the part when she was meeting her husband for the first time since the accident when I heard Louie scream from upstairs. I leaped up from my seat and ran up the stairs, vampire speed. I walked over to his crib and pulled him up into my arms, and rocked him gently.
He rested his head on my shoulder and cried.
"What's wrong?" I whispered into his ear. "You have a nightmare again?"
He didn't answer, not that he could anyway. I stroked his back slowly and sat in the rocking chair in the corner. I felt his cheek and noticed he was really warm. I frowned; I'd only dressed him in a thin body suit to sleep in. He was still whimpering slightly and I wondered whether it was because he was so warm. I took of his body suit, leaving him in his diaper. He seemed to calm down instantly, and cuddled close. I kissed his forehead and tried to rock him to sleep.
After around half an hour, he was still awake. I sighed, realising he wasn't going to sleep again, so I lifted him up, holding him on my hip and walked out of his nursery. I walked past Isla's room, and snuck my head in, to see that she was still fast asleep in her crib. I smiled and shut her door again gently, careful not to make a noise.
I took Louie downstairs and grabbed the thermometer from the first aid kit that I had in the kitchen. I sat him on the kitchen counter and he sat there obediently, staring up at me. I read the instructions on the box; I'd only used one of these on a child a few times. I pressed the button and put in under his armpit and he giggled. I pecked his nose and tickled him under his belly button slightly. I heard the device beep and pulled it from under his armpit to look at the result.
Oh crap.
Sorry to leave it on a cliff hanger, haha! I've written half of the next chapter already so I might put it up tonight or tomorrow depending on when I finish it :)
Let me know what you think! :)