Disclaimer: All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.
Chapter 41 Showing
EPOV
"But sweetheart, I don't want to get up", she told me again as she nuzzled her face into my neck and hid us underneath the covers.
I held her close, tracing patterns on her backside as I kissed her again this morning, our bodies entwined.
"I want to stay right here and try that thing that . . ."
She was cut off in mid thought by the trilling voice of my sister.
"Good morning", she said as she walked into our bedroom, shut the door and came to sit on the bed beside Bella.
"Alice", I started to read her the riot act for interrupting but stopped, her thoughts flooding my mind.
"Yes, of course, Alice, tell both of us. As much as my instincts tell me to, I promised her I would keep nothing from her.
"Well, when we ran into town this morning to get something, an ingredient from the grocers for Esme, anyway . . . when Jasper and I went into town there was the distinct smell of another vampire. Not someone I have ever smelled before. I wanted you to know first thing so that we could all keep an extra eye out, what with Bella and the other humans here with us", she said as the memory of the smell passed through her mind.
I quickly sat up in bed sending Bella scrambling to recover herself as I had taken the covers with me when I moved, "Alice! That's the same smell that was in the car that crashed into the pizza place in Forks where Bella and I were having dinner, when Jessica Stanley was killed."
"Have you seen anything from Victoria?", Bella asked, sitting up to retrieve and hold a sheet over her bare chest.
"No, just that she had planned to follow Jacob when he left to come here. I haven't seen that she is here and she hasn't made any decisions to do anything yet. I would have seen that!", Alice insisted as she became more and more flustered.
"I hear both our Moms making breakfast downstairs, Bella, let's get dressed and go talk to Carlisle about this with Alice. We have to find out what's going on before they try something. The accident in Forks and now the same smell here, it's too much to be a coincidence", I said quietly.
I lifted Bella and jumped lightly from the balcony in our room and ran with Bella on my back up the trail to find Carlisle. He and Jasper were waiting in the study, Jasper already having told him about the vampire in town.
"They are the same, Carlisle. The same vampire that Alice smelled this morning in town was the one whose smell was in the car at the accident in Forks. It's no coincidence", I told him, "The same smell on different sides of the continent has to have something to do with following where we are, someone that is curious about us."
"Or has a vendetta", Jasper added.
"No, you're right. Could Victoria be behind this? Alice, you haven't seen anything of her?", Carlisle asked.
"Glimpses of her watching Jacob, just watching. No decisions, no plans have been made", Alice thought for a long minute, trying to see.
"If Victoria killed Billy and that was revenge for the wolves killing Laurent, then it is reasonable to assume she has someone working with her to come after Bella. She is obviously set on revenge and somehow she has an idea of how your sight works, Alice. Didn't Laurent say something about going to find the coven like us in Alaska after we told him about them, remember, when he was at the house in Forks after the baseball game?", I asked.
"He did say that", Carlisle mused, "I'll call Karmen and Elesar and see if he ever made it there."
"If he did, that could be the connection", Jasper added, "The Denali clan would not think Alice's gift a secret and he could learn about her from them."
"It just feels right, like we have come to the right conclusion . . . it feels like Victoria is behind all of this", Bella added.
"She wants me to feel the loss of a mate, like she does since I killed James", I said.
"It could be more than that, Edward. Your brothers and Alice helped rip him apart and burn him. She could be after more than just Bella", Carlisle reflected.
"So what's the plan?", Jasper asked.
Emmett burst into the room, having just gotten home.
"I ran a perimeter around the town, down by mirror lake. There was a killing there last night. A winter camper in his tent out away from the campground. They ruled it an animal attack but the area reeks of vampire", Emmett informed us, "and there are two vampires in town, not just one."
"Victoria", I exclaimed reading his thoughts and the new scent he had encountered, "I'd know that scent anywhere."
"Well, its not within 3 miles of the house here, I checked all the way around. Town, now town is a different story. Trails all over the place, but not converging anywhere so I wasn't able to track where they are staying. Definitely nomads, though", Emmett added.
"We'll, everyone is safe here for now and there are seven of us. We just have to make sure either Alice or Edward is with Bella at all times, preferably two of us. The rest of us will stay close to the guests. I have the week off, so I can be here all of the time to help as well", Carlisle told us.
"Thank you, Carlisle. Thank all of you for protecting my family", Bella said.
"What are we protecting now?", Rosalie asked as she walked into the study.
"Bella", Emmett told her, slipping his arm around her shoulder, "Seems Victoria and a friend are in town."
"Oh hell no!", Rosalie exclaimed.
"Rose. I'm so sorr . . .", Bella tried to say but I cut her off. "Bella, it's not what you think. Rose isn't upset about the effort it will take to protect you."
"What? . . . No. It's not like that anymore, Bella. You're my sister now and you're carrying my nephew. This Victoria bitch is history, that's what I meant by 'oh hell no'!"
Bella stepped away from me and Emmett and threw her arms around Rosalie, who returned the hug willingly.
"Bella, nobody fucks with my chances of having a nephew! And um . . . well, I've kind of grown accustomed to you as well", Rosalie added, almost embarassed about caring for a human as she spoke to Bella.
"And you, you finally look pregnant!", Rosalie added, staring at Bella's belly.
"Bella!" I exclaimed as I looked down and put my hand on her belly.
We had been in such a rush to leave the house and talk with Carlisle, I hadn't really paid attention. Bella had grabbed a pair of sweats, a t shirt and hoodie, throwing them on in a hurry before we left over the balcony. All of a sudden, since last night, she really did look pregnant.
"Well, it seems the baby is going into its fifth month", Carlisle said, "The baby becomes too large to hide behind the pubic bone any longer and all of a sudden the uterus takes a position higher in the abdomen, poking out over the bone rather than behind it. It often happens overnight while you sleep, then when you stand, the baby is all of a sudden obvious in the abdomen. Is he moving a lot yet?"
"Now that you mention it, he is going a little nuts this morning", Bella said as she took Rosalie's hand and placed it beside mine on her belly.
Sure enough, Masen kicked us . . . repeatedly. I dropped to my knees and put my ear against her, listening to the noise the movement from the amniotic fluid made and to the baby's heartbeat.
"Carlisle, I can hear the baby," I said, somewhat dazed.
"Edward, I can hear the heartbeat from here, I'm sure we all can", Carlisle said.
"No . . . I can hear his thoughts, Carlisle", I said, "He's . . . happy. He doesn't have specific thoughts, just feelings . . . and he is totally happy."
"Well, this will help. You can perhaps tell him to keep calm in there. Now that he is moving around, his strength may become an issue. He is probably much stronger than Bella and the fewer cracked ribs we have in this pregnancy, the better". Carlisle said, as if to allude to what was coming.
"All right then, let's stick to the plan. Rose, I believe you have a delivery coming this afternoon that you would like us all to be 'not here' for, correct?"
"Yes, well, Bella and I do, bur she should probably go with the rest of you, since none of you can't see the delivery except Jake. He agreed to help me this afternoon", Rose stated, kind of amused.
Rosalie was doing a fair job of blocking me, I knew there was a storage building involved, but I had not quite gotten the full story on what else was coming. The rest of us were going into town to do all the last minute shopping and such, though I thought Bella and I were actually through with all of our shopping.
We left my parents house, hand in hand, with Rose and Alice coming along. Rose, along with Esme, had some plans for the nursery to go over with Bella.
"Bella, Edward!", Renee greeted us as we walked in the front door. Looking over at Esme, Renee said to us, "We didn't see you leave the house this morning." "We thought you two were still in bed", she said not so discretely winking at Bella. I could feel Charlie roll his eyes without ever having looked over at him sitting in the recliner, watching the morning news.
"I couldn't sleep so we decided to go for a walk and see if Rose was up yet so that she could show me the plans she and Esme have for the nursery", Bella explained.
"Well! We'll be needing that nursery soon from the looks of it! I would swear you gained a baby overnight sweetie", Renee told Bella as she stared at her stomach with her mouth agape.
Charlie and Jacob's thoughts were not as pleasant. They were both putting their best foot forward and watching every word they said, but it apparently took great effort for both of them, especially Charlie. Though he knew the circumstances surrounding the pregnancy, he just could not get used to the idea of his little girl being with a man, much less being impregnated. His thoughts ran almost as old fashioned as my own. I had to chuckle to myself and wonder if I would be any different if it were my daughter, married and pregnant at 19 years old. I would never find out. This little boy would undoubtedly be an only child. As much as I wanted this child, we would not slip up again and risk her health. No, he would be an only child for sure, regardless of the vision Alice had shown me of two other small ones, twins playing on a blanket with me.
Jacob was quiet. Too quiet. He said nothing to diminish Bella's happiness, but his thoughts gave him away. He was out of his mind jealous and doing everything he could to let it go. He knew how she felt about me from the beginning. There was no deception. She had insisted all along that they could only ever be friends, but he had hoped. I couldn't fault him for that. I knew that if she had decided to be with him, I would be doing the same thing he was. I would remain her friend, waiting in the wings, biding my time till a mistake was made, a circumstance that would find her running back for comfort.
I was pulled back to the present by Renee asking if I wanted breakfast.
"No thank you, I grabbed something at my Mom's while Bella was getting Rose", I told her.
"I however, am starving, Mom. How about feeding your only daughter and your only grandson!", Bella feigned being hurt, trudging off towards Esme in the kitchen and the smell of coffee and bacon, her hand holding her belly.
~oooOooo~
BPOV
I ate everything in sight. It was a good thing that Jake, Phil and my Dad had all finished their breakfast because I ate everything that was left.
Esme just smiled at me as she finished putting the last of the dishes away.
"I remember being hungry like that when I was pregnant", Esme said, "then no food looks good because there is no room in there to put it, and even when you do, the heartburn would take over."
"That sounds terrible", Rose exclaimed as she walked into the kitchen with the baby room plans in her hand, "Is it always like that?"
"Everyone is different, but either the nausea or the heartburn will come into play at some point. It's more than worth it though, just as soon as you see that baby for the first time, dear", Esme comforted.
"Now, lets look over these plans", she said as she cleared the last bits of breakfast from the counter.
I looked over all the plans they had, and there were lots of choices. Things from character theme rooms to baby blues to primary colors and they covered anything from cowboys to spacemen.
"Okay, first", I said putting some of the plans off to the side, "we discard anything that requires us to build on to the house."
"But . . .", Rose interjected.
"No", I added, "There is no way we need to add onto a 4 bedroom house just for the 3rd person that will live here, and he's only a baby!"
"Yes, but babies need lots of things and lots of room, Bella", Rose pleaded her case.
"No. Just no, Rose", I firmly insisted.
"Now, that leaves these. If I take out all the theme characters, that leaves this one in blue and cream, and this one in blue and green", I told them.
Rose looked horrified that I had dismissed the other choices so quickly, but Esme only smiled. I called Edward over for an opinion, causing Rose to exaggeratedly roll her eyes and wonder what had gotten into me, asking a man about room design.
"Yes, love?", Edward answered sweetly as he walked up behind me and looked at the plans over my shoulder.
"Which one do you like, sweetheart?", I asked.
"Well, I like them both, but I really like the blue and green theme you came up with earlier this week in the last guest room that got furnished, that's the room the baby is getting, right?", he asked.
"Yes, that's the room you wanted as well, isn't it?", I asked.
"Yes, it's the largest and the closest to our room, though that won't really matter. I will probably be able to hear his heart beating if you took him up the hill to visit Esme!", he said laughingly, "But I really like the blue and green. Who's design is this one?"
"Mine", Rose said with a smile.
"I love them both, they're just beautiful, the furniture, the colors, everything about the rooms you have designed. Esme, did I hear you say you were doing a babies room at your house?", I asked my new mother in law.
"Yes, dear, I want to", she smiled with a kind of 'kid caught with their fingers in the cookie jar' expression.
"You're thinking what I'm thinking, aren't you love", Edward said with a smile.
"How about we make the baby room here blue and green and turn Edward's old room at your house, Esme, into a baby room in blue and cream!", I suggested to them both.
"Remember, though, the room here first! Rose, this one is your design, right? As soon as our guests are gone first thing next year, lets get going on this", I said to them all.
"Does that mean I can go ahead and order the furniture?", Rose asked.
"Yes, let's order the furniture for both, but only if you let me pay for it", I added.
Edward snickered. I knew he would like me to start feeling alright with having money at my disposal, and I was starting this Christmas.
"Absolutely not", both women said at the same time.
"Mom, Rose . . . let us do at least that part, let Bella pay for the furnishings that are ordered for our son. You both know you are going to go nuts with the extras anyway, and do all the work involved besides", Edward suggested.
"Fine", Rosalie almost spat. Good thing I knew she was only kidding.
"Well'', have you decided on things", Renee said as she came into the kitchen and stared over us at the plans on the counter.
"Yes, we are going with blues, no characters, no theme furniture. Just dark wood here with greens and blues and light wood at Esme's with blue and cream", I told her.
"You are such a lucky girl, Bella, to be able to do all this at once. Your father and I had to buy a piece at a time when we could afford it after you came", Renee added.
I excused myself to go to the rest room, it seemed I was in the rest room a lot lately, and it was a good thing I had on these pants because I wasn't sure my normal jeans were going to fit anymore.
"Alice", I called to her as I passed through the living room. She flitted over to me, excited because she already knew what I wanted her to do.
"Will you help me choose some maternity clothes on line, you always get the sizes right. I don't think I will be able to keep wearing the clothes I have", I added, "Isn't there a maternity shop in town? Maybe while the others finish Christmas shopping we could look at some things for me.. I am going to need something to wear right away unless you want to see me in sweats all the time!"
We all piled into a couple of cars, Jacob and Rosalie staying behind to wait on the secret 'delivery' this afternoon.
"Jacob, Thank you for helping with this", I said to him as I found a moment alone to talk to him before we left.
"No problem, Chica. You came to the right place to get someone to set up for this particular thing. Rosalie and I will have fun with this, much more fun than shopping", Jake insisted with a smile that would light up the sky.
I hugged him tightly, his arms going immediately around my waist as mine encircled his neck. He lifted me and hugged.
"Woops, I said holding my belly. This thing is going to get in the way a lot, I'm afraid", I said referring to my expanding girth.
~oooOooo~
Jacob POV
"Back it up . . . a little more, more . . . good. Stop there", I yelled to the truck driver.
"Perfect, Jacob. Just where I wanted it", Rosalie said.
"It'll work right there, that's for sure. Once these guys set it up, we can put the interior together. The bikes are coming in this afternoon, right?", I asked as I watched the ground anchors being pounded in.
"Shit!", Rosalie swore, "I hear the truck coming now."
"You hear the truck coming?", I asked, astounded. I listened closely to the noises around me and found that I could also hear the noises of a heavy truck coming up the driveway.
"Rosalie, you and Bella really bought everyone a Harley for Christmas?", I asked.
"Yep", she responded, "Each one fits the person who will ride it. Needless to say, Emmett got the Fat Boy!"
We both almost fell over laughing. It was the perfect name for a bike for him, he was such a hulk.
"You really think Edward isn't going to have a cow about her riding while she is pregnant?", I asked.
"Well, Alice is pretty good at predicting things, and she says Edward will be fine with it as long as she lets him ride with her", Rosalie added with a smile, "Yes, on the back of her bike, or vice versa. Apparently he will in fact have a cow at the idea of her on a separate bike while she is pregnant."
"I guess I can understand that. He seems pretty possessive of her", I said.
"That's an understatement, but she is just as possessive of him. Watch them, you'll see how she insists he be right there with her almost all the time. It's not just him. If they could, I think they would have clothing that was joined so that they were continually touching!", Rose told me.
"Yea, I'm sure Alice will get right on that", I said, my disgust showing in spite of all my efforts to conceal it.
"Why do you torture yourself, I mean staying around her now that they are married and all?", Rosalie asked me.
I thought about it for a minute, did I want to get really personal and tell her the truth, or just sluff her off some dumb answer to change the subject. I decided to go for it.
"We're friends. Besides, he might screw up one day and I want to be there to pick up the pieces", I said.
She turned to me, a fire in her eyes.
"Jacob, they're having a baby. The child deserves two parents, not to be torn with a divorced set of parents and people pulling him back and forth. We will all do everything we can to support them, keep them together. If you are just hanging around waiting for a breaku . . ."
"No, no, no. It's not like that. I don't mean it like that. I would never do anything but try and be her friend when she needs me, Rosalie. Please, I have more scruples than to try and come between a married couple, don't take me for a fool", I said with something of a snarl.
"Alright then. I do really appreciate your help with these bikes. We will be building a proper garage after the holidays, this shed is only temporary. I have plans I'd like you to see and go over. Maybe you might give me some pointers on the set up for bike maintenance, I'm used to cars."
I had seen her garage, of course, and it was amazing. First notch equipment and everything in its place. The floor was probably cleaner than the tabletop at the house I grew up in she kept it so spotless. She was good, too. I had to hand it to her, she was good with a wrench.
The bikes were offloaded in separate crates and left with us that way, it would be our job to uncrate and pull off all the plastic. We had our work cut out for us with seven of them!
Victoria POV
"Just look at them", I exclaimed as we sat side by side on the city bench. Main Street, Highlands, North Carolina. It was a tiny, insignificant town with only a couple of thousand full time residents, but not during tourist season. Summers and Christmas the place expanded to having thousands of vacationers, people with resort and second homes that they only came to once or twice a year. It was crowded now, Christmas decorations lining every store window as well as the streets themselves.
"Why are we playing around lime this, Victoria? Let's end her and be done. There are other things I want to concentrate on with you, baby", Riley said as he violently nipped at my ear.
"No, I told you. I haven't decided yet. I told you how it works", I said to him to stop his ranting.
I liked the idea of having a home, cars, clothing . . . all the things I had missed for decades. My possessions. I was now determined to figure out a way to have all of it, all of the things the Cullen's enjoyed. They owed me that, they owed me being comfortable and well taken care of after what they did to James.
I had seen them leaving their house from the perch in my tree, a few miles away and I had decided to follow them and see what they were up to. One of them would have caught my scent or Riley's here in town anyway and from our actions feeding the other night, they would know that there were other vampires in town. They might even . . . no, who was I kidding. They would recognize my scent. I had nothing to loose from showing that much of my hand, and I wanted to observe them.
They parked and went into a maternity shop. What the hell was Edward Cullen doing going into a maternity shop? It wasn't as if he could have a fucking baby. Baby. Wait . . . the girl, she looked . . . she looked pregnant! Can't be, I told myself. Fucking a vampire leads to death, not pregnancy . . . surely they were not that close, she hadn't been changed yet. I snuck to the rear of the shop. Though the rear fire door was closed, I could hear their voices inside and find out if this could be happening . . . surely not.
"My wife needs some jeans and shirts, we are expecting in a few months and normal clothes are not fitting any longer", I heard him say.
He must have done something to piss her off, put a hand on her belly or something because the next thing I hears was, "Stop it. Edward, you're impossible!"
It was true then. How fortunate for me. He would be even more distraught at the loss of them both!