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

Author's note: Please forgive the lack of updates the last 10 days! I really like updating twice a week with a possible bonus chapter on Saturdays, but real life got in the way when 23 people, children and relatives , decided to stay with me the week between Christmas and new Years! It was awesome, but there was no room for me on the computer! I had planned to have Christmas eve and Christmas day with the Cullen's correspond with the real day on the calendar, and New Years as well, but it just didn't happen. Here goes anyway and Happy New Year to all! Please review this chapter so that I know I haven't lost you!~

Chapter 42 Town

EPOV

My girl looked beautiful in maternity clothing. Absolutely beautiful. Our child had grown to a point that he was making his presence known for all to see. I loved it . . . and it scared the hell out of me.

I could hear Masen's heart beat from some distance away from her now, loud and clear. My focus in life right now was both those heartbeats, intermingled with each other. I thought about my communication with our son the other night, his mind was quite easy for me to read . . . nondescript thoughts, feelings really. I could hardly wait to be able to communicate more fully with him and Carlisle was ecstatic that perhaps we could get him to understand not to kick so hard that ribs broke and Bella had to suffer any more than necessary. I knew that Carlisle also hoped to be able to communicate with the baby to let us know when he was ready to be born, to let us get him out rather than ripping his was out himself, with his own teeth. He loved Bella, that was a clear feeling coming from him and I was hopeful that he would be willing to try and not do anything that might hurt her. Masen responded to my voice, caring for it as well as though he knew me, knew who I was to him.

Bella. I sat and stared at my wife.

She tried on several pairs of jeans as well as some dress slacks, some with dressy tops and some with stretchy cotton pullovers. I preferred the clothing that was fairly tight around her, showing off her increasing girth and letting me see clearly the outline of our baby, but she seemed to prefer the tops that hid her growing abdomen. Camouflaged it.

"Edward, I can't wear things like this. My belly is already huge and it's just starting to grow", she said as she tried on a shirt I picked out for her, stretch cotton, clingy . . . and pink. Bella never wore pink, but it looked beautiful on her and reminded me of how delicate she was, how careful I needed to be with her. I think I will be buying her lots of pink in the coming weeks.

"You look beautiful, love. You always do", I told her as she walked over to where I was sitting and I grabbed her hips and placed a kiss on her belly. "I love you and this belly of yours. Remember, I'm the one that's responsible for the increased girth", I told her, "I put that in there, you know."

God I wish I hadn't said that. I wish I hadn't thought it. It terrified me that I was responsible for this potential harm to Bella. I smiled regardless and looked up at her soft chocolate eyes as she stared me down.

"I'll remember that when I am so big I can't even get out of a chair by myself and I probably won't be thanking you at the time", she said as she kissed my forehead and pushed herself away from me.

"Sweetheart, I'll love you no matter how large you get, even if I have to carry you everywhere and put on your shoes and socks for you because you can't see your feet."

"Edward!", she gasped, "I better not get so big I have to wear a moo moo and be carried around like a sack of potatoes!"

The sales attendant walked toward us with more selections for Bella to try on. "Would you like to look at some nightgowns?", she asked us.

Bella looked at me with her head cocked to one side and I looked at the ground and smiled before entwining my fingers, my elbows resting on the armrests of the chair I sat in and looked up at the woman. "My wife doesn't wear nightgowns", I told her.

"Oh, well we have some really soft pajamas on display over here, shall I get you a pair to try on?", she continued seemingly unfazed. Apparently she just didn't understand what I was telling her. I continued, anxious to see the blush that I knew would creep into my wife's face when I made myself clear.

"We have no need of pajamas, either", I told her. She looked at me with an absolutely blank stare and from her thoughts, I knew that she really didn't comprehend what I was telling her. To be fair, she was an older lady, in her 50's perhaps and probably very unaccustomed to the idea of sleeping naked.

"We don't wear clothing of any kind to bed, so my wife has no need for gowns, pajamas or anything of that nature. Thank you, though", I said as I put on my best crooked grin and delighted in watching my wife turn several shades of red in only a few seconds.

We left the store, several bags in hand and lots of protests from my wife about how she really didn't need all those sweaters, six pairs of jeans and a dozen shirts. I smiled and laughed. She would just have to get used to me buying her things and I was sure Alice had five times this many things already ordered, if not delivered already.

My arm tightened around her as Victoria's scent hit me. She had been here, in this shopping area . . . and recently. Bella noticed my tension as I hurried to the benches where the rest of the family had gathered in the plaza.

"Carlisle, Victoria's scent is here", I said as Bella tensed and looked up at me. They had just caught the scent as well and were on their way to find us so that we were all together.

"Both scents are here, Edward. They have both been in town and they are the same scents that were out near the lake where the camper disappeared a few days ago", Emmett added.

"Clearly, we need to have a plan. We need to end her", Jasper said matter of factly, "Especially with all these extra humans around. It's just too dangerous to let her live."

"Well, there are only two of them and she hasn't made any decisions yet except that she is going to wait, though she is watching us", Alice said, "I have no idea what it is she is waiting for but she is determined to wait."

"If everyone is through, let's find Bella's parents and see if they are ready to go back to the house. We need not do anything about it today except keep alert", Carlisle insisted, tightening his arm around Esme.

"I don't know about the rest of you, but I still have some wrapping to do and I am no where near as fast as you guys!", Bella added. She was handling this far better than I thought she would. Jasper's mind confirmed what I already suspected, she was barely nervous about Victoria's scent being here. She was comfortable being with all of us, she knew we would protect her.

We found Renee, Phil and Charlie in the coffee shop on the corner having a sandwich. They seemed embarrassed that they had not waited for us, but Esme reassured them that it was perfectly fine and that she had a snack herself, what with all the shopping and excitement. We ordered coffee and took seats at the available table next to theirs to wait for them.

"So, what's this I hear about you going to Dartmouth?", Charlie asked with a huge smile on his face. He had obviously been discussing Bella with Renee and I realized that we had not yet told him about being accepted there.

"Turns out that Edward sent in my application in the spring of my Junior year in High School, Dad, without telling me", Bella said as she gave me a sideways glance and smiled.

"She was applying to lots of schools and didn't think she could get into Dartmouth and I bet her that she could", I explained looking sort of sheepish, "I sent in the application that she had filled out. The acceptance came to my house last winter along with my acceptance, just after I got back into town and I had my attorney apply for a year deferment in the hopes that I could find Bella and that she might still want to go."

"You are so good to me, sweetheart", Bella said as she leaned over and kissed my lips softly.

Charlie blushed at my open and very public display of affection for my husband. "Well that's just something that is", Charlie said, sort of stammering. "Do you plan to go?", he asked Bella.

"It all depends on the baby, Dad. I'm thrilled that I got in, but I may just want to be a stay at home Mom for awhile. Edward bought us a house near the campus, just in case we wanted to go and Rosalie and Emmett agreed to move there with us to help take care of the baby, but I just want to wait till I meet Masen, then decide", Bella told them.

"You okay with that, Edward? You okay with delaying your college education?", Charlie asked, surprised that I would agree.

"Anything she wants is fine with me, Charlie. As long as I have Bella with me, I'm happy doing whatever she wants", I told him. His mind was reeling. He kept going from elated and proud that she had been accepted to mad that she was now pregnant and the baby would delay her schooling. He was astounded that I was so willing to do whatever she wanted. I held my temper, my face giving me away I was sure. I could literally kill him for any negative thoughts about our baby.

"Well", Renee said, "It's not as though you need the education to get a better job, it would only be for your pleasure anyway. I doubt either of you would ever actually get a job in the field you study, would you?"

"Not unless we just wanted to, Renee. I have thought about going to medical school to follow in Carlisle's footsteps, but there is no hurry if I decide to do that. I like the idea of us both staying home with Masen, till he goes to school anyway", I told them.

"You never know, Masen might have brothers and sisters for you to think about as well", Renee chuckled.

Fear gripped me and I know that Bella felt me tense, even though she was only holding hands with me. The idea of risking her life again was not something I was willing to even consider.

"Mom!", Bella interrupted, "Please! Let me have this baby before you go planning for us to have a house full!"

I smiled at my wife. She knew. She always knew what I was feeling lately, even when we had not discussed it.

"Well, if everyone is finished, let's get home and start enjoying the tree and lights and celebration before we have dinner. There is Christmas caroling in town and a church service that Bella and I I intend on going to, if anyone is interested in going with us", I told my family.

"I'm sure Rosalie and Jacob have hidden Rose and my surprise away by now. Let's go", Bella said. I had to admit, she and Rose had kept the big secret even from me. I had no idea what they had done. The only hint I had was that Bella had made seven extremely large red bows and had them hanging on one of the posts of our bed.

The surprise that Bella and I had picked out for Phil and Renee was tucked into our garage at home and Charlie's was being delivered to his house in Forks. We would be giving him a photo of his present. Bella said not to worry about Jacob, that she had a gift for him, though I did not know what it was. Large boxes had arrived from the Hard Rock Cafe several days ago and I suspected they were part of the secret. Presents around my house had always been kind of different. Some gifts were inexpensive plaques with funny sayings on them, like I had gotten for my Dad and other gifts, like we had gotten for Phil and Renee were quite costly. The price really was unimportant. When you had limitless funds, the thought was everything.

~oooOooo~

BPOV

Maternity clothes. Who would ever have thought. This time last year I was struggling just to get out of bed in the mornings and breath, putting one foot in front of the other. I did anything and everything I could think of to see Edward, anything dangerous that is. I was desperate . . . and so alone.

Edward's face this morning in the maternity store was a sight to behold. His expression overjoyed, his eyes filled with both love and wonder. He portrayed the man who quite literally, had everything he ever wanted. He looked so happy and I'm sure my expression matched his. I have never been so happy in all my life. I love that man beyond all reason. I always have, of course, but it continues to get even stronger with each new shared experience between us, each time he includes me in a decision, each time we make love.

I loved that he had been able to communicate with the baby, that he might be able to make Masen understand that he needed to let us take him out rather than doing it himself. It meant that us being able to actually bring him into the world alive was looking more and more possible. The fact that Edward could communicate with him also gave us hope that the child was intelligent, that he could learn, that what we had created was indeed a viable entity on his own.

He seemed surprised that finding Victoria's scent so close by didn't upset me badly. How could it, I knew what my vampire family was capable of. I knew they would protect me and each other.

I was surprised to see the anger in my Dad's eyes over Dartmouth. Though Edward was the one who made the whole thing possible by applying for me in the first place, my Dad was angry that I was now pregnant and thinking of not going. It showed through, no matter how hard he tried to hide it and Edward's anger at my Dad's response showed as well. Ihey both contained it, much to my surprise. Dad was really trying to accept my life and Edward was trying to be patient with Dad's thoughts, as long as he didn't verbalize them to me and upset me. I could see through them both, but I loved them for making the effort for me.

We headed home, finished with shopping and needing to attend to last minute details before dinner. I had prepared casseroles and such earlier in the week so that I had only to heat everything up for the evenings buffet. We were opening stockings at my house in the morning, then going to Esme and Carlisle's for dinner and gifts with them. Rose would bring the bikes out and park them in front of the house tomorrow so that we could walk outside and see them after dinner. Edward's would be parked outside my front door before morning, thanks to Rose. His was absolutely gorgeous, sparkling green with gold striping and it was the same model and style as my bike, just with a seat for two rather than the solo seat that my bike had. I had high performance parts added and screaming eagle chrome replacing the plain chrome that was factory standard. I hope he liked it. The two up seat was so that we could ride now, knowing that Edward would insist on us being on the same bike if I was determined to ride while pregnant and before I was changed. I also had a surprise for his stocking, something I thought would be meaningful to him since he seemed to love for me to claim him as 'mine'.

Everyone went their separate ways when we arrived back at the houses. Apparently we all had last minute wrapping or had discovered a treasure or two in town that now had to be wrapped just especially right for a family member.

Alice wore the biggest smile ever. I wondered what fun all of this was to her, really, already knowing what each and every one of us had bought and would get as presents. I would have to find a way to surprise her one day soon . . . surely it was possible!

I received a text from Rose as we were on the way home. All was ready and Jacob had gone down to my house to take a nap, apparently not feeling that well.

I walked into the living room and found Jake asleep on the sofa, his brow covered in sweat. I gently stroked his hair away from his forehead and placed my palm thee to see if he had a fever. He was burning up! Without waking him, I called Carlisle to come over and see about him.

"I'm fine Doc, just fine. I don't know what all the fuss is about. You know Bella, she gets worried over nothing", Jacob was telling carlisle as Carlisle was listening to his chest with an unnecessary stethoscope.

"Your temperature is 104 Jacob, that is far from normal. Let me run some tests, we need to know what we are dealing with", Carlisle told him, "Remember, there is a pregnant woman here who needs not to get sick!"

"Sure sure", Jake said, giving in and allowing Carlisle to draw some blood.

"I am going to go run these samples to the lab and get them going on it. It may take a day or two, being that it is Christmas", Carlisle told us. "I can find nothing wrong, other than your heart rate is increased and you have quite a good fever. Nothing else, no symptoms of any kind. Is anything at all uncomfortable, Jacob?", he asked.

"Just tired and really achy, Doc. I'm sure it's nothing. I think I'll just go upstairs and nap till dinner, okay?", Jacob said as he stiffly got up and headed upstairs to his room.

I saw a look exchanged between Edward and Carlisle and I would have to remember to ask Edward what that was all about when we were alone.

Rose came down to get the bows for the bikes, as I was not allowed to walk up the hill alone with Victoria around and I knew better than to even suggest it. Edward took a very large roll of ribbon out to the garage to put a bow on top of Mom's present and I went to our closet where I had a few odds and ends stashed to put the final touches on my wrapping as the casseroles heated for dinner.

Charlie was on the phone to Sue out on the front porch and Mom and Phil had closed the door to their room, apparently doing last minute Secret Santa things. It really felt like Christmas around the house an everyone was excited. Edward was acting like a little kid in a candy shop and the grin had not left his face in days, well, only for a second this afternoon when he smelled Victoria and again when he had talked to Charlie about Dartmouth. That didn't phase me. I was thrilled with his childish antics, kissing me and hugging me at every turn and his eyes sparkling with mischief. I had rolled across the bed twice to get away from his reach as he playfully chased me. He had let me, of course, moving at a slow human speed. I had no hope of escape if he really wanted to grab for me and we both knew it. He was just so cute playing like I got away from him and faining a disappointed look!

I had my blue nightgown hanging on the back of the bathroom door, waiting for tonight. I had kind of a 'pre' Christmas present in mind for him and I wanted to wear the gown at least one more time while it kind of fit!

~oooOooo~

Victoria POV

"Sweetheart, I've decided what I want for Christmas", I said as he kissed me again as we lay on the forest floor.

"Anything . . . anything you want . . . "

"Riley, I want a house, a car and all the comforts that the Cullen's have. I want to try it", I told him.

"Why the hell would you want that, baby? Whatever we need, we take. Don't you like being able to go where we want and do as we will?", Riley asked, continuing to play with my curls.

"I do, I do like that", I told him as I rolled onto him, "That's why I want to try having a house and possessions for a change. We can always walk away if we don't like it, I just want to try it. I'm tired of breaking into new places each night and taking clothing that doesn't fit just right, I want a change . . . please baby", I said as I kissed him.

"Anything for you. Anything . . . even though I don't understand why you would want this. We have the perfect life, once we end her we can go and do as we please", he whispered quietly into my ear.

"Lets find a house a few miles out of town, a nice secluded house. One we never, ever run to so that there are no trails to it that have our scent. We'll get a car and look for one, somewhere within a couple of hours of here . . . somewhere we can be alone and not worry about the owners coming back till next spring. Can you help me with that, baby?", I asked as I started to stroke him. It never failed. Men. Stroke him and he would do anything I wanted, willingly.

"Car coming up and then we look for a house. If you want to make sure the Cullen's can't trace our scent to this new house of ours, we better use a car anywhere within say, 20 miles of the house. The little town of Cashiers is only a couple of mountains away to the East and there are large resort homes there that are only used in the summer. I haven't been over there yet, but I heard the real estate agent talking about it to some customers this morning while you were watching them in the clothing store. You haven't gone over that way, have you?", Riley asked.

"No, no I haven't, baby. Perfect. Let's go house shopping!", I said. He had no idea what I really had in mind. Unfortunately, he was insistent now that we finished what we started. Sex again with the boy, I would be glad when I no longer needed to keep him willing to help me.