Disclaimer: All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

Chapter 33 Confidants

EPOV

I heard them before they ever got to the door, my sister's mind screaming at me to insure that I heard her.

Edward, we're here! Answer the door, we don't want to wake Bella up but you know how Emmett is!

I scooted out from under Bella's arm, putting a pillow where I had been so that she had something soft to cuddle with where my hard body had been and flipped off the electric blanket. She would be too hot under it without me to cool her and I knew she needed her rest.

I closed the bedroom door behind me so that my siblings and I would not disturb her.

Edward!

Alice was becoming insistent, having a hard time keeping Emmett from knocking loudly.

"Hey", I said, opening the door and gesturing them to come in.

"The mighty warriors return!", Emmett announced boldly.

"Stow it, Emmett, or I'll describe the look on your face when you tasted that nasty snake", Rosalie snapped.

"Awww Rose! You never let me have any fun!", Emmett declared with a frown.

"Fun is what we are here for!", Alice chimed in.

"Great rooms, Edward!", Rose exclaimed.

"Yea, ours has a giant TV room and one of the largest flat screens you can get, complete with games. You rule on this one, my brother!", Emmett high fived me.

"I have to say, the jacuzzi in our room is big enough to teach people to swim in. Well done, and a nice change from being on the boat! The size of that bed in our cabin, it's a wonder Alice and I didn't make holes in the ships hull just trying to do anything", Jasper shared with a gleam in his eyes.

"Well, I can't take any credit for any of it", I told them, "I had no idea what hotel we were staying at, Bella made all the arrangements. I couldn't believe it when we got here and I saw the piano!"

"Bella?", Rose, Jasper and Emmet said at the same time.

"Don't be so surprised", Alice chided, "Give her some credit. Our new little sister has a few moves we haven't seen yet."

"I doubt there are any moves left that Edward hasn't seen, Alice", Emmett laughed as he found a seat on the sofa.

"Emmett!", Rosalie said as she smacked him on the shoulder, "Will you ever learn how to say things a little more delicately!"

"What, Rose?", he replied with a look of mock hurt on his face, "Well they do! Who would have ever thought he could do that with a human, anyway. I sure couldn't do it. I would snap her like a twig . . ."

"EMMETT", Alice and Rose snapped as Rosalie belted him harder this time in the side as she sat down beside him.

"Well, it's getting harder and harder", I offered.

Emmett gave me that smirk and folded his arms. I knew what was coming out of his mouth next, so I beat him to it.

"Harder to control myself, Emmett! Please, just stop", I told him giving him a disgusted look.

"I think you should hunt, Edward", Alice offered, "and I'm going with you."

"I have no blood lust where she is concerned, Alice, you know that. It's just that well, I seem to get carried away when I'm close to her."

"I know, but you need to hunt. Trust me brother. Rose and the guys will stay here while we go, right?", Alice looked at Rose and Emmett on the sofa, then to Jasper who nodded in agreement.

"We'll be back in a few hours, I'll have room service bring food for Bella", Alice said as she shoved me out the door and into the hall.

She was right, of course. I needed to feed. It had been well over a week, almost two since I had hunted and the continual lovemaking seemed to us up any reserves I had. I was starting to understand why Emmett and Jasper had always seemed to be thirsty before I was and needed to feed far more often that I ever needed. Sex must make the difference. Well I mused, if our bodies use the blood we drink to make any fluids we need, venom, etc., then it only figures that I am using way more of that then ever before.

The valet brought the car around just as Alice emerged from the hotel lobby, having ordered room service for Bella to be delivered while we were gone.

"Alice, she's waking up while we're gone?", I questioned nervously.

"Stow it, brother! She needs time with the rest of the family as well. You hog her you know."

I drove as directed by Alice to a rest area down I-4 towards Tampa. We parked and appeared to stroll around the perimeter before we were over the fence and into the woods behind. There as an extremely large forested area there, uninhabited and full of deer.

"Don't you think you're about full?", Alice asked, her hands on her hips as she stood looking down at me finishing my last kill.

"What?", I asked, taking my mouth from the deers neck long enough to answer her.

"Edward, you've already had four! That's the fifth one, do you think you're about full!", she demanded.

I paid no attention to her until I finished draining the kill in my hands. It was larger than the others and it would take another minute or two to finish it off. Stopping to talk to her now meant that my meal would get cold.

I sat back and looked at the carnage around me. Guess I was thirstier than I had thought and Alice had been right to make me hunt, as usual. She came and sat down on a log beside me.

"It's so good to see you hunt again, Edward. The memory of you in the meadow in Forks, sitting there alone for weeks and not feeding still comes to mind sometimes. I missed you so much when you were gone from me like that and I was so worried - terrified that you wouldn't decide to fight for yourself . . . fight for her", Alice said stroking my arm as I came to sit beside her.

"Sorry sis. I'm trying, but it's difficult . . . being with Bella. It seems like I want her more with each passing day, that I just can't get enough time with her, get close enough to her. I almost hurt her the other night Alice, I just don't know how long I can keep this up. It's too dangerous for her to be close to me, especially now that she's pregnant. I will never leave her again, but she insists that we make love often and I just can not say no for the life of me. Then when we do, I have trouble focusing, remembering to be gentle with her."

"Yes, I saw the bed break the other night", she giggled, "You handled it really well."

I put my arm around her and hugged the little pixie to me. She had always been there for me no matter what. I was closer to her than any of my other brothers and sister, though I had been with her the least amount of time. I often wondered why that was, but settled on the fact that we had a shared bond. Our gifts made us different from the others, even though Jasper was gifted as well. We just sort of complimented each other, she could show me things in her mind that were going to happen and I could see them as clearly as she did without having to speak.

She started flipping through visions now, visions of me playing football in the yard in Highlands with the entire family, Bella included. Visions of her family, laughing and talking with her. Christmas. Our houses decorated for the holidays, guest rooms filled with people staying at my house and other visions. Some visions slightly foggy . . . a dark haired man shaking hands with Carlisle, Sue and Charlie at some sort of a ceremony that had Charlie wearing a suit, Bella riding her Harley. The clearest vision of all was one that literally caused me to fall from the log where I was sitting.

Alice took my hand in hers and closed her eyes, the vision continuing. She was seeing a small copper haired boy running and playing in the yard of a house, not unlike the houses Esme always designed for us. My family was there, some of them tossing a ball back and forth over a quarter mile distance, Esme planting something with Emmet's help and Carlisle sitting in lounge chair watching. The boy appeared to be just past the toddler age, able to run and play. I would guess that he was about four years old. He ran towards a blanket on the ground and tackled a man who looked like me, laughing and rolling on the ground with him. Beside them, on the blanket, were two small children crawling and playing. Long coppery curls adorned the head of what looked like a tiny little girl dressed in pink and a mop of dark brown curls covered the head of the little boy beside her.

"Alice . . .", I couldn't speak.

"It's only one possibility Edward, you know that. The future is always changing, but I thought you needed to see the positives. You need to know what's possible!", she said with so much emotion in her face, I knew she'd be crying if vampires were able to do such a thing..

"I just needed you to know that there's hope. That you can do this Edward, for you and for Bella. She will be happy, you don't need to worry about that. You're what she wants."

"Thanks, Alice."

"But I also need to tell you that there is something wrong. I only see Victoria on and off, it's as if a switch flips and my vision goes black", she told me, "But she is planning . . . she just hasn't decided."

"Bella . . . Alice, we have to get back!", I said jumping to my feet.

"Relax, Edward. Thee is no danger right now, but there is something, something I just can't make out clearly. We just need to be aware. I'll keep trying to see, but I wanted you to know the good and the bad."

I hugged her to me. She had brought into focus the picture that Bella had showed me earlier this afternoon. I could control myself. I could remain focused and the outcome . . . our lives could be more than I had ever imagined for myself. I needed that vision to cling to because I knew this pregnancy was going to be a lot more difficult that it seemed now and that life would throw us some curves. It always did. I was never more thankful for my family than in this moment.

~oooOooo~

BPOV

I hugged his body tighter to mine, I was having the most wonderful dream. Edward, of course. He was making love to me in the most inventive new way, what with the baby and all, and . . .

Soft?

Edward was many things, but soft was not one of them. I reached over and turned on the light in the room only to find that I had indeed been hugging a pillow. I jumped out of bed and grabbed a t shirt and shorts from one of the drawers where I had unpacked them and headed to the bathroom for a human moment and to put some clothes on. I liked naked, but only when Edward was with me.

I opened the door that led to the other part of our suite to find Emmett, Jasper and Rose all sitting on the sofas watching a movie. My first thought was how in the world did Rosalie get Emmet and Jasper to watch 'Letters to Juliet'. The second was curiosity over what food that wonderful smell was coming from on the room service cart that sat beside the dining table.

"Hey everyone!", I said as I moved to lift the silver cover over the food to see what was for dinner. I never had to wonder if food was meant for me or not, since the rest of the family never ate indoors.

"Bella", Emmett roared as he grabbed me for the customary swing around the room that he always did when he first saw me after I had been away from him for a day or two, "How are you little sister?", he asked, "We heard about the first bed break! Way to go, and you didn't even wait till you were a vampire to do it! You do me proud!"

I must have turned six shades of red as I sucked the apple pie off my finger from where I had stuck it in the slice to taste it. "Edward told you?", I asked in amazement.

"No way, Alice saw it", Jasper chimed in, "and she saw the part about your mom and Phil walking in as well, so don't think we don't know about that."

"You shouldn't worry. Emmett always keeps track of how many beds are broken in the first couple of years. He thinks it's some kind of a contest to beat his record", Rosalie added.

"Yea, but that's vampires, newly mated vampires. We're talking one vamp and one human here. Breaking a bed at all has to be a record of some sort, without breaking her that is!", added Emmett.

"Emmett!", we all said together.

"Don't pay any attention to him, Bella, " Rosalie advised, "I can't wait to tell you how big a wuss he was with the big snakes down on the Amazon!"

Jasper laughed heartily and my curiosity peaked - I could not wait to hear the story.

"Edward went for a hunt with Alice, in case you were wondering", Jasper offered, sensing my mood, "They should be back in a few hours."

I sat the food at the table and pulled out a chair to sit and enjoy my meal. I could understand that Edward had been thirsty, I was starving after all of our horizontal activities lately.

"So I hear you're responsible for the awesome rooms we have, is that right?", Emmett asked.

"You like them then?", I asked, eying him over the glass of coke I was drinking and hoping they had gone over well.

"Love them," Rosalie responded, " Emmett is in heaven over the TV, he wants one that big now."

"Huh. Emmett wants a bigger one . . . figures", I threw the words out there to see what they would say.

"Bella! Nice! You go girl! You're certainly in rare form today aren't you!", Jasper said with amusement in his voice.

"That's right, go ahead little sister. I can take it", Emmett said as he came and sat at the table with me, "Tell me, what else has the human planned to entertain the vampires with?"

I had to laugh at Emmett.. He was such a teddy bear.

"Well, we have tickets to Universal, both parks for tomorrow and Saturday, tickets to Disney on Friday and tickets to see Muse play at the Hard Rock amphitheater Saturday night, front row", I told them, shoveling another bite of roast into my mouth to follow the mashed potatoes and carrots.

"Really?", Rose asked, "I love Muse! I didn't even know there was a venue here . . . and how in the world did you get front row?"

"Just lucky. Timing is everything I guess. I hope that's okay with everyone, Edward doesn't know but Alice was thrilled about it on the phone day before yesterday when I spoke with her", I said expecting the worst.

"No, it's not okay, Bella", Rosalie said as she came to sit at the table with me as well, "It's perfect! This is going to be so much fun! We haven't done anything like this in years and years."

"Emmett, why don't you take Jasper to our room and show him that big ass TV and all the video games. I'm sure you can find one to play, " Rose said as she kicked him under the table.

"Ouch, Rose! Jasper, you up for Call of Duty on a 60 inch?", Emmett asked.

"Absolutely. I don't mind beating you whenever you want it, brother. Especially when it gets me out of watching a chick flick", Jasper retorted as he held the door open for Emmett and gestured, "If you ladies will excuse us. This way to the massacre."

"We'll be straight across the hall if you need us, darlin", Jasper said as he looked at me and exited the room.

The apple pie was delicious as I dug into it, having finished everything else on the tray. It was obvious that Rose wanted to talk, so I sat and waited for her to begin while I ate.

"So, Bella, tell me how you're feeling . . . I mean about being pregnant. Are you throwing up a lot?", she asked.

No sooner had the words left her mouth than my stomach clinched. I finished the bite I was chewing and reached for my coke, it always helped to sooth my stomach.

"Most of the time I'm just fine, Rose. At three months, all I really notice is that I get really tired easily, I'm always hungry and I have to pee all the time it seems. I'm starting to have a little nausea sometimes, but not so much. Hopefully I skipped that part, at least most of it."

"Well, nothing is showing yet, do you feel anything? Does anything feel any different?", she asked somewhat shyly.

It was incredibly unusual for Rosalie to be shy about anything. I had asked her to be there for the baby and apparently she wanted to help me before it was born as well. Maybe she was just curious because she had wanted a child so badly and had not had the opportunity to be pregnant before she was turned. Whatever her reasoning, sharing with her would ultimately bring us closer and she was my sister now.

"I can't notice anything, Rose. I can't feel it move or anything like that." She looked down at her clasped hands on the table seeming nervous, an extremely unusual thing for the Rosalie to do. I needed to let her feel like a confidant, really take her in. I hesitated, then decided to dish, "Edward says that everything inside is 'softer, more padded', but I can't tell."

Her eyes lit up with the realization that I had given her such an intimate detail. She responded in typical Rosalie form, "Well, he should know. Vampires are sensitive to even the smallest changes anyway with the perfect recall thing."

"It's just so unexpected. I never wanted children, I think you and I talked about that several times last year after we first met", I said shyly, "Truth is, I still don't have any desire to have kids. I just want this kid, this whatever it is that Edward and I made together. Does that make any sense?"

"It's both of you combined, of course it makes sense. It's strange to hear you say you still don't want kids though. How does Edward feel about it?"

"He's scared the baby will hurt me. I'm pretty sure that if it was left up to just him, we wouldn't go through with the pregnancy. He worries so much and you know how overprotective he is."

"God yes, he overreacts to almost everything as well. He has to go full tilt on everything he does, doesn't he," Rosalie chuckled.

"I was so worried about telling him! I thought something was up and got one of those tests from the drug store. When it said positive, I must have sat in the bathroom an hour just looking at it. I couldn't believe it!"

"Carlisle confirmed it before you left Highlands . . . how did you get him to go along with it Bella, and not tell Edward?", Rosalie asked.

"Carlisle was great. He said that since I had come to him as a doctor, not as my father-in-law, he was bound to keep anything medical between us confidential . . . doctor-patient relationship. He explained some of the legends and hinted at the horror stories and once I heard them I knew Edward would freak and have Carlisle taking the baby instantly without giving himself or us any time to consider the options."

"That's true. I can see Edward reacting like that without giving himself time to really think about it", Rosalie agreed.

"So", I continued, "the timing was perfect in that we were leaving for Isle Esme. That's why we didn't stay in Rio with you guys longer, I wanted to get him alone on the island and in some ways I just couldn't wait to tell him, to share it with him. It kind of seems like a miracle. Edward was always worried about not being able to give me a family and I think deep down he always wanted children of his own, he is such a sweetheart."

"You are so gooey where he is concerned, you know that, right?", Rose said with a smirk.

"I know, I know. Anyway, I thought if we were alone on the island he would be forced to take the time to consider the options, to consider having the baby. Carlisle had said there was no immediate danger and after I put him on the phone with Edward, Edward seemed to calm down at least a little. I had to call Carlisle because your brother thought I was delusional, that I had lost it thinking I was pregnant. It was kind of funny, he was trying to get me to willingly get back in the boat and go find a doctor in Rio to have a look at me. If I hadn't gotten Carlisle on the phone I'm pretty sure he would have carried me to the boat kicking and screaming caveman style."

We were both laughing at this point, knowing how very caveman and overprotective he really could be. Rosalie had been with him for over 70 years and even though she had been quite aloof and somewhat of a bitch to him most of that time, I was sure there was a lot of love between them. She really did care for her brother.

"So he agreed to having the baby?"

"Yes, well . . . he agreed to try. If anything goes wrong, even the slightest hint of wrong, I'm sure it will become an issue all over again. We agreed with Carlisle that he would take the baby by cesarean section a few weeks before it's due, just to make sure I don't have the baby wanting to get out on its own."

"I heard. That's just terrifying that they come out that way!"

"It really is, but Rose, even if it did . . . won't venom fix lots of injuries? I mean, they thought Esme was dead from jumping off that cliff and Emmett was ripped up pretty badly by that bear, wasn't he?"

"Yes, that's true. I'm not sure that's a good chance to take on purpose though, but it is always there in reserve", she reflected, "It's good that it's at least an option."

"Rose, you saw Edward without me, before he found me again. He probably wouldn't survive if something happened to me now and I won't risk that, at least I won't risk anything happening to him and my surviving to see it. I want this baby, I love it already, but I love Edward more. I'm really conflicted over all of it. We just have to take it one day at a time and see if this is even possible."

"Well, Alice is excited so it stands to reason that she sees a good outcome as a possibility at least. No bets against Alice!", Rosalie laughed.

"So when do we get to shop for the little guy? Have you decided which room is going to be his?", she asked.

"I don't know, all the rooms are on the other end of the house from ours. I suppose I will keep Masen in our room till he grows a little, though with Edward's hearing I'm sure he would be safe in one of the other rooms", I told her.

"Masen?", she said staring at me.

"Yes", I said ducking my head. I wasn't sure we were sharing that information yet, but I might as well continue now.

"We're naming him Masen. It just seems better to give him a name and refer to him as a person . . . I think it will help Edward to see him as a baby, not just a threat. I hope he is a mini Edward."

"Oh God. Just what the world needs, another Edward to have to deal with! If he inherits his father's gift, he will probably be insufferable as well!", Rosalie said as she laughed.

Her laughter was infectious and we were both soon hugging and laughing so hard that tears were running down my face.

It was just at that moment that Alice and Edward walked in. Edward flew immediately to my side and put his arms around me asking me what was wrong and frantically wiping the tears off my cheeks with his thumbs. He turned to Rosalie with a murderous look on his face and asked her what the hell happened, but she didn't answer him. She just burst out laughing and was soon joined by Alice as well as myself. I couldn't help it.

My silly, loving, overprotective vampire had just rode in on his white horse ready to protect me when absolutely nothing was wrong. The fact that we had just been discussing his overreactions made it even more hilarious . . . but not to him.

He knelt by my chair with his arms around me genuinely worried that something had hurt me and whatever it was, whoever it was, he was ready to rip them apart, his sister included. I had to calm him and let him know that I loved him caring for me so much that he would react so strongly to seeing me crying.

"Nothing is wrong, sweetheart", I told him as I stroked his face with one hand and his chest with the other trying to sooth him, "We were laughing so hard that tears just started rolling down my face. Absolutely nothing is wrong, especially now that you're here."

I put my arms around him and kissed his lips, playing with my favorite hair at the nape of his neck and tracing circles on his shoulders to calm him.

"How was your hunt?", I asked as he gazed at me with a puzzled expression.

"Fine, the hunt was fine," he said dismissively, "Bella I don't understand. You're crying. Are you sure you're alright?"

"Sweetheart I have slept, I have eaten a huge dinner and I am absolutely fine. Nothing is wrong. Rosalie was keeping me company while I ate, and your brothers are across the hall probably playing Call of Duty. You should go join them. Seriously, I'll be fine here with Rose and Alice", I said as Alice sat down at the table with me as well.

Edward looked at me suspiciously and hesitated for a moment, probably to read Rose's mind and understand what had just happened. He gave me my favorite crooked grin and kissed me before standing to go and join his brothers.

"Wow", Rosalie said after he had left and shut the door, "Overreact is perhaps not a strong enough word! You really have a way of calming him instantly though, Bella. I've never seen him go from zero to full overblown reaction and back quite that fast before. Trust me, I've seen Edward overreact PLENTY of times in the last century! You two are really good for each other."