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

Chapter 58 Fishing

BPOV

"Edward, why are you up?"

I asked without opening my eyes, knowing that if he were anywhere in the house, or even in the yard for that matter, he would hear me and respond. I felt the bed give as he lay down beside me, facing me now. He had been lying with his chest pressed against my back for the entire night . . . again. I never slept better than when he was touching me and his absence woke me within minutes every time. I had explained this to him on several occasions, but he continued to try leaving me alone to rest thinking that he would be helping me. Ridiculous overprotective vampire.

"I was trying to make myself let you rest, sweetheart," he said as he softly kissed just the edge of my lips, moving a strand of hair out of my face and tucking it behind my ear, his hand moving to softly stroke down my bare back and gently hug me to him.

Edward smelled positively delicious, he always did. Just now he smelled of soap and salt air and lust. He had apparently showered, as a damp towel was tucked around the waist of his gorgeous body, defined ridges of muscle covered in smooth perfect skin. I ran my hands through the still damp hair on his head, threading my fingers through the especially soft hair that I loved at the nape of his neck as he placed open mouthed kisses down my jaw and to the crook of my neck, pausing to nuzzle his face there for a moment. God I loved this man.

I wanted him now as much or more than I ever had, though I had him three times when we went to bed last night and had felt him with me all night long. I just could not get enough of him. He gave me so much, brought so much to the relationship . . . I never felt that I could ever do enough for him.

I was so excited when I found out that I was pregnant. Edward had told me that he could never father a child and I could see in his eyes the hurt that caused him. He wanted a family . . . children, biological children of his own and becoming a vampire had supposedly taken that from him. By some miracle, he had gotten me pregnant. Thank God he had agreed to try . . . to let me carry this baby for as long as it did not directly threaten my life. I wanted the baby, it was a part of him. He wanted it, though he barely dared to hope that it could become a reality, that I could carry Masen long enough for him to be able to survive on his own without me. Edward had been unhappy and unfulfilled for so long that I loved pleasing him in any way possible.

Edward was amazing in more ways than one, though his ability to control himself was the most apparent. He desired my blood over any other, yet he insisted that it no longer called to him as it once had, or rather he had become desensitized to it, having subjected himself to being close to me for long enough now that the once hot branding iron type of burn that it ignited in his throat was just mildly uncomfortable now. Other desires from his body had come into play . . . the desire of a man for a woman and an intimate relationship involving sex. He worried now that his physical strength would not be controlled and he would hurt me in a very different way than the threat of drinking my blood.

Being a vampire, he knew that blood would heightened the feelings he had during sex. What had not been known was that it would cause him to climax. He had known that it would enhance the experience, but even Edward had no idea that it would happen for as long as he was sucking and licking it from me. He never bit me, of course, simply taking advantage of the blood my body freely offered during my period. I suppose the normal for a vampire would have been draining a human, drinking all the blood and killing the woman that he had been having sex with. It wouldn't take that long to drain a human, it took Emmett just a few minutes to drain a full grown grizzly bear. Edward had told me that the seduction was just a prelude to the feast, that no human survived sex with a vampire anyway. I laughed to myself thinking of just how many times we had sex in the last few months and just how wrong that statement had been . . . when it involved Edward.

I pulled myself out of my musings, still enjoying the feel of Edward's mouth on me, his hands caressing my chest and rear. I turned slightly more onto my back, bringing my nipple close to his mouth as he continued to kiss my skin. He rested his head against my chest, still tracing nonsensical patterns on my back and hip with his fingers. His body was warm from his shower and felt amazing against mine, smooth and hard.

As I turned back more onto my side, my breasts pressed against each side of his face. He looked up with so much love in his eyes, he almost made me cry. I stroked his cheek as he held me, gently urging him to take me into his mouth. We had discovered, quite by accident, that the fluid my breasts were producing had the same effect on Edward when he was aroused as blood had. His eyes met mine, as though to make sure this was what I wanted as he massaged me with his hand, sucking the entire nipple into his mouth.

It hit me at the same time it seemed to find him. I felt the slight tickle from fluid escaping through the small ducts in my nipple and I felt my husband's every muscle tense as he moaned against me. He held me tightly, one of his legs covering mine and pinning them to the bed as he drank. His arms, became manacles holding me as though his life depended on it. One arm was around me, the other massaging the breast he drank from, but he had not seemed to feel the need to restrain my arms this time like he had every other time and his body did not cover mine as he had before, like he was immobilizing his prey. His concern for our unborn child showed itself even at his most primal moments. I writhed under him for some time, my arms free to continue to stroke his hair and hold him to me. After a few minutes, the feeling through my breast was as though he would suck my toes up into it at any moment, starting to border on being painful. I needed to get his attention and I wasn't sure how amiable he was going to be about letting go of me, his purring was border line growling at this point. I carefully reached a finger between his lips and my nipple to break the suction and he immediately stiffened his hold on me, raising his head to stare into my eyes and growl. The black eyes staring at me belonged to the hard lined face of a predator. An apex predator that had just been disturbed from his kill and his stare was threatening . . . menacing . . .

I covered my breast with my hand on his and he looked down at it for a moment as though wondering what the hell I thought I was doing, snarling at me the entire time. It should have rendered me petrified it was so fierce and surely anyone else would have been utterly terrified of him, but I slowly leaned my head close to his and whispered into his ear, "Other one, sweetheart. No more on this side." He continued to snarl and bare his teeth at me as he tilted his head to look into my eyes, then did as requested and gently licked and kissed and started massaging the other breast before he latched onto it as he had the first one. He continued to suck fluid from me and orgasm repeatedly . . . well continually, until that breast as well started to almost hurt. He seemed to sense that it was at that point this time, releasing me from his mouth and searching with his lips to find my lips. The kiss was long and soft, filled with all the love I knew he felt for me before he opened his eyes to look at me. I gazed into the soft amber eyes of my husband.

"I love you, Bella. More than anything else in the world. You know that don't you?" he said fervently.

"Yes, baby . . . I know that because I love you exactly the same way," I said as I hugged him to me.

He loosened the towel around his waist, pulling it away from him and tossing it off the bed as he rolled onto his back, pulling me to him. His lips pressed against mine roughly as his tongue demanded entrance. We kissed for a long moment before he sat up and grasped my leg, pulling me to straddle him as he lay back down.

"If I could just give you even a small part of the pleasure you give me, sweetheart," he said as his fingers held my hips, "If I could know that I pleased you half as much as you did me, then I would know that you were content."

"Edward, you make me completely happy, more than I ever imagined," I told him as I came almost instantly, his body rising to let his lips cover mine before my scream was heard throughout the house . . . again. He held me as I calmed, supporting my body and gently moved his hands over my distended belly, softly speaking to the baby it contained.

His molten gold eyes connected with mine as he asked, "Would you like to shower with me this morning?"

"Edward, I thought you just got out of the shower?" I looked down his body, "You were still wearing your towel from the shower you took earlier."

"Trust me, sweetheart, I really need another shower, unless you want my scent to drive my brothers absolutely wild," he declared, realization dawning on me.

~oooOooo~

"Everyone has already left, we're just waiting on you two," Alice told us the second we emerged from our doorway, barely giving us time to get down the stairs to the living room.

"Good morning to you, too, Alice," I told her, eying her questioningly.

"Yes, I sent them on after Sue cooked breakfast for herself and Charlie. I told them the family was waiting for them at the other house and that Bella wasn't feeling that well and would be a little late getting ready this morning," she stared at me with her shining eyes and her spiky black hair.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, we were . . ."

Jasper cut him off. "We know what you were doing, Edward. Carlisle told Emmett about your reaction to Bella's . . . fluids. You are officially now Emmett's hero and Alice may murder you if she has to endure many more days at a time of sex because the lust rolling off of you two."

I know that my skin was an unhealthy shade of red because it actually felt hot to me without my even touching it and Edward looked at the floor sheepishly, not meeting his brother's gaze.

"Okay, so there are no secrets in this family and you guys are just jealous," I said to both of them as we headed towards the car.

"Damn right I'm jealous, darlin'. Any man would be, vampire or human," Jasper assured me as Edward snickered.

We found the rest of the family at the fishing and hiking store in town, Carlisle encouraging Charlie to get whatever supplies he felt we could use for the day. The store owner had become something of a friend to Carlisle and he was thrilled to have all of them in again purchasing more in a day than he normally sold in a week or more. Once they had made all the decisions and purchases they wanted, we headed off to the lake.

Esme had brought several blankets, one for each couple actually, and we spread them on the grassy slopes near the water. Charlie, Sue, Emmett and Carlisle went immediately to get their poles ready and start fishing, as did Jasper, leaving the rest of the ladies siting alone on their blankets, except for me. Edward had spread our blanket between the ones shared by Charlie and Sue on one side and Esme and Carlisle on the other, knowing that the food basket only really needed to be there between Charlie's and my blanket. The rest of the Cullens had taken turns going hunting to feed last night, knowing they would be around humans all day again today.

I sat on the blanket and Edward moved to lie down with his head in my lap, his arm circled behind me and his fingers running up and down my lower back and butt. He was humming my lullaby, his cheek against my belly where Masen was.

Esme looked over at us and I had never seen her look so happy. "You two are so cute together," Alice said as she came over to sit with Esme, Rose following behind her, "I never thought I'd see my brother this happy. He has been an uptight pain in the ass for so long it seemed it would never change."

"Well, Alice," I replied to her as I ran my fingers through my husbands hair, causing him to purr loudly in spite of his attempts not to, "I appreciate that you think we're cute, but I'm sure Edward was never a pain in the ass."

"Oh, I was," Edward admitted, laughing under his breath as he said it.

"You," I said playfully swatting at his chest, "Here I am defending you and you're admitting to what they accuse you of! Stop it! He reached to tickle me and I jumped hard to one side, then screamed and grabbed my side in pain. He was immediately up, kneeling over me, running his hands gently up my sides to see what was wrong.

"It's alright, sweetheart," I assured him, holding my side as Carlisle approached. He had heard, of course and had apparently made some excuse to walk back to this side of the lake and check on me. He lifted up my t shirt to expose the already forming bruise. "Another rib," Carlisle announced.

"This has happened before?" Edward asked, floored. I hadn't seen Edward look this scared since James was attacking me on the floor in the Ballet studio.

"Masen has kicked me and left bruises, yes. You know that, baby," I said staring at Edward, caressing his cheek softly with my hand. "There is no proof that he broke a rib before now . . . or even now," I said, my eyes pleading for Carlisle to confirm that what I was saying was true. Edward and I had agreed that I would carry this baby as long as possible, as long as there was no danger to my life. I couldn't get this close to having the baby, having Masen living and breathing on his own with us and loose him because I was wasn't strong enough to fight for him, to give him a chance.

"Let's get you to x-ray to make sure, Bella. I wouldn't want a splintered rib to give us a problem with one of your lungs. It's probably just as you say, a bruise, but there is no harm in checking to be sure," Carlisle insisted. He knew I would have to give in to him this time with Edward right there, I would have to agree to the x-ray. Edward had me in his arms and headed toward the car telling Alice to continue on with the day, that Carlisle, Esme and I would meet them back at the house in time for dinner.

Edward held me on his lap all the way to the hospital, unwilling to put me down for a second. I continued to gently stroke his face, his chest, the soft hair on the nape of his neck and anything else I could think of that would serve to calm him down . . . to no avail. He carried me into x-ray, following Carlisle.

"Bella, this is one of my assistants , Benjamin. Ben, this is my daughter in law Bella, and my son Edward. You've met my wife, Esme before of course," Carlisle said.

"Yes, Doctor. Nice to see you Mrs. Cullen and nice to meet both of you, Mr. and Mrs. Cullen", he said awkwardly to us.

"No emergency, Ben. Bella here may just have had the baby kick a rib and crack it, I just want to be sure of what we are dealing with," Carlisle told him, calming the young doctor significantly. He obviously was out to make a good impression on the Chief of Staff. He helped Carlisle by getting the lead shields to use where I could and setting the films and machines correctly while Carlisle positioned me on the table, then dismissed the young man.

Proper precautions were made and Edward took his arms from around me long enough to take the picture. When they put the film up on the lighted board, Edward winced perceivable as Carlisle only continued to look at the picture with no expression showing. He was in doctor mode now and his poker face was impeccable. Esme stood waiting with us, her hand on Edward's shoulder trying to comfort him.

"Bella," Carlisle finally spoke, "it seems Masen has been kicking a lot harder than we thought for the last few weeks. Perhaps I should have thought to take an x-ray earlier, not just the sonograms, but I didn't realize that I had a reason . . . till now."

Edward stood motionless, stone still looking at the film before him. Without looking at me, he turned to Carlisle. "Is the baby viable, Carlisle . . . if we take him today, does he have a chance at surviving?" Edward asked, his face blank but his eyes showing his pain. I didn't wait for Carlisle to answer.

"No!" I said moving to sit up and insist that they explain to me what was on that damned film that had Edward so upset. I had seen lots of x-rays of me in the past, always falling and hurting myself, but I still had no idea how to read the stupid things, "Tell me."

"Bella, it appears that the fetus has broken ribs on several occasions. There is evidence of four fairly recent breaks in varying stages of mending, today being the freshest," Carlisle said quietly. We were back to fetus now . . . distancing himself from the fact that it was his grandson, Masen we were talking about.

"Masen," I corrected him, "it isn't just a fetus, Carlisle, it's my son, Masen." I felt bad about the pained look that crossed his gentle features, but I had to make my point.

"So? How bad can it be if I didn't even know it?" I asked.

"Dear, she has a point. I don't think she has been hiding anything from you and certainly not from Edward," Esme added. Edward's face softened somewhat, realization dawning on him. Of course I had hidden nothing from him, I would never.

"Baby, didn't you even notice? Haven't you been in pain, sweetheart?" Edward asked softly. I needed to be blunt and direct about this. I knew where it could go if I wasn't careful and I was going to give Masen every possible chance at survival.

"Edward, if it hurt, don't you think you would have noticed when we were making love several times a day for the last few months? Think. I haven't lied to you or hidden anything and I wish you just knew that instinctively," I told Edward, somewhat hurt. Turning to Carlisle, I asked, "Will the ribs cause any problem now, since they haven't seemed to so far?"

"Well . . . no. No, they seem to be mending just fine and if they aren't bothering you, Bella . . ."

Edward cut him off. "You can not continue a pregnancy where the baby is breaking bones, Bella. It isn't reasonable."

"We're a week or two away from having him with us, Edward," I said stroking his cheek and holding him as he put his head on my shoulder and his arms around me as I sat on the exam table.

"I can't loose you, Bella. We agreed. Please, baby . . . I can't live without you," he said ever so quietly as I felt tears stream down his face.

"Oh My God! Carlisle . . . he's crying tears," Esme barely murmured as she saw the moisture I was wiping from Edward's cheeks. Carlisle put a hand on her shoulder and led her from the room, giving us some privacy.

"Sweetheart, this morning . . . when I held you so tightly while I was . . . overcome . . . did I . . . "

"Edward. You did not hurt me this morning. I promised you that I would always tell you and I always have. I stopped you this morning when you started to hurt me . . . remember? And this morning you were not holding me too tight, it was just the feeling of that breast being empty and I let you know right away when it became uncomfortable . . . and even in that state, you listened and stopped. You have never hurt me. We'll talk to Masen, ask him to be really careful about stretching, Edward. I won't make any sudden moves . . . and I won't try and tickle you again," I said teasing him to try and lighten the mood though we both knew he blamed himself for my getting hurt while he was tickling me. This mood was not going to lighten any time soon.

"Bella . . . as much as I love this baby . . . and I want to be a father, believe me, I do . . . but none of it is worth risking you. Nothing, Bella. Nothing and no one is worth it to me," he said, his teary wet face staring directly into my eyes as he held me. "I don't want you to think I'm a monster . . .and I don't want to hurt our son. I've already gotten to know him, Bella, and he's amazing . . . but . . . I will not loose you."

I just held him. He knew. We both knew that no decision was going to be made today. He would not force me and I would not let him loose me if he truly believed that there was no way I could have the baby and survive . . . even as a vampire.

We walked out to the office to find Carlisle and Esme, Carlisle trying to reassure Edward by reminding him that even human babies broke their mother's ribs sometimes. He reminded him that I was small and had a petite built and that there was a good chance that any baby I carried would have done the same thing. Reminding Edward of just how petite and small I was did anything but reassure him. Carlisle advised caution and to be watchful, but Edward was scared. He was truly just scared and he was not listening to anything other than the beating of the two hearts next to him.

Carlisle drove us to his house. We had planned to have dinner there so that Sue could see the mountain sunset from the back porch, above the treeline that got in the way at our home slightly down the hill. I insisted that we go there. I hadn't noticed the other ribs, why should I act any differently this time just because Edward knew that ribs were broken. I refused to behave differently with the new knowledge, except perhaps to be more careful not to make sudden movements that caused Masen to shift positions quickly. My husband had talked to the baby the entire way home, explaining to him what had happened and that he needed to be even more careful not to flail his arms and legs when he was startled. Edward had suggested to him that if he was startled again, he should curl up into a ball, hug himself for comfort . . . that it would help him as well as his Mom. He also tried to assess whether Masen could breath on his own and be separated from me yet . . .

I insisted on walking into the house and not being carried. I was determined to help with dinner. "Sweetheart, if you want to help me, play something on the piano for me. It soothes Masen as well," I insisted, reaching up to kiss him. He begrudgingly complied and I was grateful that Esme had purchased a replacement for the piano Edward had moved to out house. She had insisted that she needed one here in case he was over and willing to play for her. He had composed a special song for her years ago and she dearly loved hearing him play it for her. Music filled the room as we pulled the ingredients for dinner from the cabinets and refrigerator.

"He's only thinking of you," Esme said as she looked up from the counter and her eyes met mine.

"I know," I agreed softly.

"Bella, the effect you have on my son is nothing short of a miracle. I was so worried for so long that he would never find anyone. No one ever appealed to him before . . . it's obvious he was waiting to find you," Esme smiled as she revealed her thoughts to me. "I'm the lucky one, Esme. He is an amazing man and more thoughtful than anyone I have ever met," I told her as I watched his lean form sway and move at the piano.

Questions about our having left the lake early abounded at dinner, as did family concerns about me. We told Charlie about the broken rib . . . it wasn't that unheard of for a human baby to break ribs and I was built rather small. Charlie eyed Edward's towering 6'2" form and I knew that the thoughts Edward would be getting from him would not be pleasant. He would obviously blame the child's supposedly large size on Edward's being a large man. It gave Carlisle an opening to explain to my Dad that we would probably deliver the baby through the use of a Cesarean section, rather than my attempting a natural birth. It seemed to comfort Charlie that we were already thinking along those lines. He knew how stubborn I could be and was glad I was being reasonable about this. Edward eyed me like a hawk the entire evening. Not that he didn't normally, but this was different. He was consciously looking for any flinch, any passing emotion across my face that would tell him something was wrong, that something was causing me discomfort.

"Sweetheart, would you play more for me, I asked Edward as the sun began to set and the colors filled the sky over the valley. He played several beautiful pieces before morphing into my lullaby as the music both his and my raw nerves after the days events.

As we got ready to leave, I sat on the parsons bench by the front door to retie my tennis shoe and he was kneeling in front of me in an instant. "You're going to need to say goodbye to your feet till after Masen is born," he said, forcing a smile. I knew what he was trying to tell me. No more bending down . . . the baby needs all the space he can get and it disappears when you reach down for things. I knew without him saying it.

"Well," I laughed, "then it's a good thing I have you to take care of them for me till then."

That got a laugh all round as everyone either witnessed or heard our little display of affection. Charlie smiled at me, obviously glad that Edward was making sure that I was careful. We left out the front door, Edward insisting that we drive and that I not walk down the path to the house. I gave in, not wanting to argue. It had been a long day. I wondered if the days seemed long to Edward, well, to vampires that is. Their day never really ended . . .