Disclaimer: All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.
Chapter 65 New Years Weekend
What the hell. Who turned the entire world upside down and stuck me in it? Vampires married to humans, having babies together, werewolves eating vampire leftovers and being best friends . . . what the hell was going on around here?
Emily . . . I walked up to her and nuzzled her face in my fur, drying her tears and trying to comfort her. Her I did care about. Her I would do anything for . . . anything.
Sam POV
I backed up a bit and called to Jake to pay attention to the feelings I had and what went on when I phased back to human. I had tried several times today to explain it to him, but showing him seemed to work the best. As I phased back for the third time today, he seemed to grasp a thread of something in it . . . I sure hoped so. I was out of here just as soon as I could get Emily and I on a plane back home, unless I found out that her crying was the result of something I needed to tend to. It didn't seem like it though, knowing Emily it seemed like she was crying from being happy. I had never understood it, but I was used to it by now and it no longer alarmed me like it once did.
I slid my shorts on, anxious to make sure she was alright and to let her know that we were leaving.
"You okay, babe?" I asked, putting my hands on her shoulders and staring into her eyes as she hugged her arms around me.
"I'm good. Just a movie we were watching," she said as she used one hand to wipe her face dry.
"Hi, Jake," she said as she noticed him walking from the woods toward us, "Guess you didn't quite calm down enough yet, huh. Don't worry, it took Sam a couple of weeks but with his help I'm sure you'll get it sooner, Paul and the others did it in a week or so," she told him as she scratched his head.
"Well, he'll get it on his own. We're going home," I told her as Jake shook his head up and down.
"Why would we go when clearly he's still in wolf form and you came to help him learn how to control it?" she asked.
"I'm not staying here. Vampires for friends? Jake can damn well learn on his own if that's the life he wants. Edward and Carlisle killed a few deer out in the woods today, the fucking parasites drained the blood from the animals and Jake here walked up to them and finished off some of their kill . . . ate after them, Emily!" I told her, almost yelling. She looked at me, then smiled at Jake, who had the stupidest grin on his face. Even in wolf form it was obvious he was laughing.
"Well that just makes good sense. Good thinking, Jake. No point in wasting food is there?" Emily said, laughing with Jake.
"Fuck that!" I said, incredulous, my agitation showing clearly in my erratic movements, "They're vampires, Emily!" She stood looking at me like I was two and she was explaining potty training to me . . .
". . . and you're a werewolf, Sam! This natural enemies thing is ridiculous. You have a responsibility to help Jake. I'm going inside. You can come with me and sleep indoors . . . or stay here. Suit yourself," she said as she turned and headed back into the fucking house. Damn it. I was going to have to go in, I couldn't let her stay there alone and unprotected.
"Wait, I'm coming with you," I said as Jake walked toward the house with me.
EPOV
I turned my attention back to Bella. I still didn't understand all the tears, but Carlisle seemed to and I supposed it would be explained to me at some point. Regardless, it seemed as though everyone was alright and there was no need to harm anyone for upsetting my family.
Carlisle and Esme headed home and Emily was outside with Sam and Jake and Sue had joined them. Rosalie and Alice were about to go and grab themselves some dinner, leaving Jasper and Emmett to fight over who got to play which video game. I couldn't argue with them, they were doing me a favor hanging around to help protect Bella and they couldn't always just stay outside and watch.
I helped Bella clear away the snacks that she and Emily had been eating while the movie was on and we tidied up the kitchen in the process. I was just finishing at the sink when Bella came over and put her arms around me. I turned to face her and leaned against the counter, her body leaning against mine as I hugged her to me.
"Sorry I scared you with the tears," she said quietly.
"It's okay. I didn't mean to overreact, I just want you safe and happy, love," I told her as I kissed the top of her head, hugging her to me.
Emily opened the patio door and she and Sue came into the kitchen followed by a very tense Sam with Jacob sticking his head in as well. Neither Bella nor myself made any move to stand, but continued to rest against the counter, Bella hugged closely to me.
"Yes, Jake. Rosalie put the biggest one she could buy on the patio. Yes. You can come in if you want, you know. No, I just got back and we were straightening up from the girls dinner. I haven't made the flight arrangements yet, but I will shortly," I answered Jake's mental questions. I turned to Bella, "Jake says good night, Chica."
"Night, Jake," she said without letting go of me as we leaned against the sink.
"Emily, Sam, do you have everything you need?" Bella asked our guests.
"I do, Bella, and thanks again for the clothes and the hospitality. The bedroom you have us in is just gorgeous. I'm sure Sam will agree if he ever makes it there," she said laughing as she turned to stare at her tensed, tight lipped husband.
Sam's mind was running a hundred miles an hour, though he was trying to control his thoughts. He didn't really believe that I could read minds, but he had no other explanation for some of the things that had happened today.
I took my time, starring at him, then answered some of his concerns -
"Jake has a thick mattress on the patio that Rosalie got for him, Sam. He prefers it, to sleeping in the woods or sleeping in the house. Yes, of course I hug and kiss and make love to my wife . . . it is indeed my baby she's carrying and yes I will arrange the very first flight out for you both, as soon as I get to my computer."
Emily looked at me like I was nuts, and Sue kind of laughed to herself, ducking her head to hide her amusement.
"He can read minds, Emily," Sue explained, "You get used to it after awhile. He answers questions before you verbalize them all the time. Except for Bella, he can't read her mind."
"What's this about plane tickets, are they leaving, Edward?" Bella asked.
"Jacob asked me to arrange the first flights out for them, love. Jacob wants Sam to leave," I told her, returning my gaze to Sam.
Emily's jaw was set and her face reflected what was going on in her mind - she was frustrated with Sam and determined to help Jake. "If you don't mind, Edward, I'd like to stay. Apparently Sam has been an ass and I'm not saying I can help like Sam can, but I have talked to the guys extensively about a lot of this and I could tell him what I know. It might help," Emily offered and Sue nodded in agreement.
"There is no way I am leaving and you staying here unprotected, Emily," Sam roared at her, astounded that she would suggest such as thing.
Jacob howled, insisting I translate.
Jacob says to tell you that she isn't unprotected. "Fine, fine, Jacob. Apparently he isn't happy with my translation. I saw no reason to be rude. His exact words were-"
"She won't be unprotected, asshole . . . what am I, chopped liver? Edward is here as well and the other bloodsuckers. Emily is safer here than at your house."
Sam started to shake and I read from his mind that he was remembering an incident where he phased too close to Emily and put those scars on her face. He needed to calm down. I would have to explain the thoughts they could not hear.
"Sam, Jacob didn't know that you hurt Emily," I gestured to the scars on her face. "His comment had nothing to do with that. He's right though, we are perfectly capable of protecting her and assuring her safety," I told him. He seemed to realize that Jacob did indeed have no way of knowing about the scars, the public story had been that she was mauled by a bear and Jacob, not having phased at that time, was not privy to anything to do with the wolf pack. He was, however, tremendously embarrassed knowing that I knew that he had hurt her himself.
"You, leech, are what she needs protecting from. I'm not leaving my wife here without me," Sam insisted.
"This is Jacob's call completely, Sam. Why don't you go outside and settle with him and he'll let me know what I need to do. If Jacob feels that you need to leave, you will need to leave, Sam. Simple as that. I trust his judgment on this and it's his word I'm taking that you will behave. My wife's safety is at stake here and you are the threat to her," I said and Sam huffed out the door with Sue and Emily following.
"Emily is really a neat person, Edward. She is so logical about all this," Bella explained, gesturing around her. I took it to mean all this between vampires and werewolves. She went to the refrigerator and took out one of the steaks that were kept there for her, taking it to the cutting board. I walked over and took the knife from her, cutting the meat into bite sizes for her.
"You're hungry again. Do you need anything else, love?" I asked her, kissing down her neck and hugging her to me.
"No, just this," she said as I handed her the bowl of cubes that I had cut. "Let's go up to bed, sweetheart," she suggested quietly.
"Of course, you must be sleepy, love, it's late," I said lifting her easily into my arms and closing the door to our room before she realized what had happened.
"Vampire, remember," I said in answer to the quizzical look on her face at how she had gotten upstairs in the blink of an eye. I turned on the light in the bathroom for her and told her I'd turn on the electric blanket so that she would be warm to sleep.
"Edward," she said coyly as she peeped from around the bathroom door, "I said I wanted to go to bed . . . not that I was sleepy . . ."
Emily POV
I walked outside with Jake and Sam, Sam phasing back to wolf almost immediately so that he could talk to Jake. After a few minutes of what looked like snarling and pawing at each other, Sam's human form walked towards us.
"Fine. I'll behave around them," he said, gesturing toward the house. "Only because you're here and I won't leave you alone with them."
"Whatever it takes to have you act civil, however you want to justify it in your mind, I don't care. Bella is my friend and I imagine there are quite a few complications to having a baby with Edward and being pregnant with his child. I like Bella . . . she's my friend, Sam, and I won't have you upsetting her in her own home," I said firmly, "I mean it."
"She's right, Sam. I've asked you to behave as well and consider the request as coming from the council, not just me personally," Sue added.
"Why the hell everyone is so worried about her and that spawn she's carrying . . . I have no idea. The thing is an abomination and it should be stopped before it's born and hurts someone," Sam said callously.
"You are sleeping in the tub, on the chair . . . anywhere but with me. Why you think Jake or Edward or me for that matter will put up with you calling the child she's carrying a spawn or an abomination I just don't know. I suppose when we have children you won't mind if people refer to me being pregnant with puppies!" I said, my hands on my hips.
"I would kill anyone that said that, Emily, and you know it," Sam said coldly.
"Oh really? Yet you expect Edward to act differently about his child?" I told him as I closed the patio door and headed upstairs to bed.
We had just gotten to the top of the stairs when the sounds coming from Bella and Edward's room became audible. They were obviously making love . . . and Bella was obviously enjoying herself immensely. I thought Sam was going to loose it, the look on his face was priceless.
"Well, I guess the question of whether or not he can kiss her and make love with her is off the table, isn't it?" I smirked as Sam growled. Sue just smiled a kind of knowing grin.
We walked to the end of the hall and said goodnight to Sue, before I reached across the hall and opened the bedroom door to show Sam into our room. Even he had to admit that it was a beautiful room, though the first thing he did was to lock the door that led to the hallway and check to see that the windows were locked as well.
Jacob was apparently in the woods outside the window as I heard Sam mutter something to himself about how stupid the boy was and how the hell was that boy ever going to become the tribal chief, along with other not so nice thoughts.
"Baby . . . please. I want you to leave here tomorrow, I just don't feel comfortable with you around all these bloodsuckers. They could break at any time, you know. Just because they say they feed off of animals doesn't mean that one of them couldn't slip and you need to not be dessert," Sam said as he snuggled into me under the covers.
"How old is the treaty?" I asked, knowing full well the answer.
"We have no good way of checking, Emily. They could vacation in Europe and have Frenchmen for lunch for all we know," Sam said defensively.
"Sam. Seventy years and no break in the treaty. Seventy years, Sam. Let it go. I feel perfectly comfortable with them. Bella trusts them so I can, too," I insisted, "End of discussion. You want me to leave here, teach Jake what he needs to know and the minute he has it, I'll leave. Okay?"
"I apparently have no choice, so okay Em . . . okay," he said finally as I drifted off to sleep.
EPOV
Rosalie. Damn it. I really wanted Bella to sleep at least a little. She had insisted on making love long into the night last night, never seeming to be able to get enough, each time wanting just a little more, a little harder, a little longer . . . her climaxes lasting longer each time. It wasn't that I was complaining, oh God no, it was just that I worried about her health . . . and Masen's. I wanted her to get her rest and I knew if she were woken up, she would want to play again. I quietly got out of bed and walked down the hallway.
"Rosalie," I called to her as I peeked into the room she was turning into a nursery.
"Good morning, brother. Sorry about the noise, I guess I sat that dresser down just a little harder than I intended. Esme and I finished the painting and I wanted to surprise Bella by having it finished before she woke up this morning. Since we aren't having to move like snails to humor the humans, I carried in all the furniture myself. What do you think?" she asked, her hands on her hips.
I stepped into the room and it was just beautiful. The color theme of greens and blues mixed with the dark wood furniture was just perfect. I knew that Esme and Rosalie had finished the nursery at their house as well, though they were waiting to finish this one so that they could show Bella both of them at the same time.
"She's going to love it, Rosalie. Thank you for doing this for her . . . for us," I told her quietly.
"You're welcome, brother. Mostly it's for my nephew. I just can't wait to have him out here where I can hold him and play with him!" my sister exclaimed.
Emily poked her head in the door, the noise having woken her as well. "Oh my, Rosalie! This is just beautiful! You did this?" she said gesturing to the room.
"Well, Bella picked out the room design from several that Esme and I did for her, but we just painted it and brought in the furnishings and curtains last night. You think she'll like the finished result?" Rosalie asked.
"She will love it!" Emily answered, giving the reply that I'm sure Rosalie was hoping to hear, "Who wouldn't?"
I went downstairs to find my Mom cooking breakfast and I walked over to her to give her a hug.
"What's all this?" Mom asked.
"Just thank you for always being here for me, Esme. You've been more of a Mom to me than anyone ever could have and I just want you to know I love you," I told her. I thought she was going to cry. Had I really been this negligent of my family that they didn't know how I felt about them? I of all people had the ability to know that, but I wasn't sure it was something I would want to face. Esme's thoughts were kind, telling me that she understood how hard the last few years had been on me and how happy she was for me now that I had Bella and she and the rest of the family had me back with them, like I was some kind of prize possession.
Bella walked into the kitchen smiling and saying, "Well, I see I'm not the only one getting hugs from you, sweetheart!"
"Good morning dear, breakfast?" Esme offered, gesturing that she sit down at the counter.
I was hugging my wife before she realized it, startling her somewhat as I nuzzled my face into her neck. "Have you not had enough hugs from me, Mrs. Cullen?" I asked her playfully.
"I never have enough of you, Mr. Cullen," she replied, discreetly rubbing her body across the front of my pajama pants making it impossible for me to let her go for fear of my mother seeing my very apparent erection straining to break free of the pajama pants I had thrown on when I went to check the nursery earlier.
"You are in so much trouble for that," I said, pressing my hardened length tightly against her and whispering in her ear, knowing full well that Mom could hear me.
". . .and you are in trouble for getting out of bed before I woke up this morning, sweetheart. I told you I can't sleep without you touching me, when are you ever going to believe me? I came down here to find you and drag you back to bed," She said coyly.
"Well, how about eating breakfast beforehand," Esme smirked, "You'll need energy for all that dragging."
We both laughed and I kissed her good morning, excusing myself while Mom's back was turned preparing Bella's plate of food. I thought some soft music might be nice, so I went to play the piano while they ate. Sue and Emily came down shortly and had breakfast as well, all apparently enjoying Esme's cooking.
I continued to play for a couple of hours, the ladies coming in to sit on the sofa and drink coffee as they seemed to enjoy the music. Sam came in and, though Esme offered him breakfast, he refused and chose to stand silently behind the sofa where Emily sat, his hands on her shoulders.
Alice flitted in with Carlisle and Rosalie's thoughts upstairs told me that she had put the finishing touches on the room and was ready to show it to Bella. Carlisle was here for the big unveil, then he wanted us to go to the hospital with him for another ultrasound while it was Sunday and the machinery was not in use.
"Bella, we have something to show you," Rosalie said as she came into the room.
Bella squealed, knowing full well that it was the nursery Rose was referring to. "Yes, yes, yes. It's finished, isn't it?" she said jumping to her feet - well, struggling to her feet was a more apt description. My wife's belly was quite large at this point, especially on her petite frame.
"Calm down, love," I said going to stand by her after helping her to finish getting to her feet, "Yes, they have finished the nursery."
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Bella asked as she headed toward the stairs. Silly woman, as if she actually thought I would let her walk up the stairs and me not carry her.
Needless to say, she loved the room and Esme, Rose and Alice loved the fact that Bella was so excited about it. Sue and Emily couldn't say enough about how beautiful it was and Carlisle and I watched as the women went nuts over the items of clothing and blankets and everything else in the world that the baby could possible need that Aunt Alice had shopped for.
Sam hung out in the hallway, he had become more tense with each family member that had arrived and it was easy to tell that he was on pins and needles, even though Carlisle and I had purposefully tried to be nonthreatening, allowing our backs to be to him. I just made a point of always being between him and Bella as I was uncomfortable with his thoughts about our child.
Bella and I left with Carlisle, Esme and my sisters coming with us to see the view of the baby as well as to protect Bella, just in case. Sue and Emily went out back to work with Jacob and Emmett and Jasper took the opportunity to go hunting and make a couple of circles around the town to see if they could pick up Victoria's scent outside of town and discover where she was staying.
"Well, you know the drill," Carlisle said as I lifted Bella onto the exam table and she pulled up her shirt and lowered her pants to expose her belly. She had the standard line up the center and a few stretch marks, but all in all she was handling the pregnancy better than I had ever hoped for, although Carlisle was not happy that her blood pressure had risen somewhat and she was becoming slightly anemic, despite the amounts of steak she was consuming and the vitamins he was giving her to take.
The screen clicked on and the cold lubricant on Bella's stomach elicited the same yipe from her as always, but this time was different. This time Masen was awake and aware that we were focusing on him.
"He's so beautiful," Esme declared as his face came into focus. Masen smiled, exciting Bella to the point that her blood pressure spiked to an alarming point as I massaged her shoulders and whispered in her ear to calm her.
"Masen is interested in all the attention he is getting," I told Bella. "Masen, we are using a machine that lets us see you. We can see your features, your face and hands are showing right now. Can you put your thumb in your mouth for me? I want Mom to see that you do understand me," I asked, speaking in a normal voice with my hand on her belly.
Instantly, his thumb was in his mouth and he smiled.
"Coincidence," Carlisle said, not daring to believe the reality of what I had been telling him.
"Masen, grandaddy doesn't think you can understand me, Could you put the other thumb in your mouth for me?" I asked him calmly.
Everyone in the room stared in disbelief as the child removed the thumb from his mouth and switched to the other thumb.
"Oh My God!" Rosalie exclaimed as Alice just stood there and smiled. Her thoughts told me that she had seen how smart he was after he was born and this didn't surprise her in the least.
Bella was in tears. "Pretty baby, Mommy loves you, Masen," she said as she rubbed her belly affectionately.
"He says that he loves you too, mommy," I told her as her tears began in earnest.
"This is just remarkable, just remarkable," Carlisle exclaimed.
"Watch this," I said somewhat smugly, knowing I had been right about my ability to communicate with the baby, "Masen, please show daddy what you will do if you are scared or startled."
The child immediately drew his knees in and curled up into a tight ball, actually holding onto his knees. He smiled a huge smile, showing a full compliment of milk teeth.
"Bella, Masen would like you to know that he won't bite you. He says that daddy told him not to and he will make sure that even if he feels like he is being squeezed and needs to get out, he will wait for daddy to get him out. He doesn't want to hurt you," I told her.
"Thank you, son. I can't wait till I can hold you in my arms and talk to you. Carlisle, how much longer till he can be delivered?" Bella asked.
"Well, the best estimate I can give you is that we should deliver the baby within the next two weeks, and probably this week. We can't take the chance on Bella going into labor on her own and her measurements and the obvious signs her body is telling us, would indicate that she is about ready to deliver," Carlisle said.
Oh God.
So this was it, this was really going to happen . . . maybe even this week . . .
I was going to be a Dad.
Bella had been right, we could do this . . . she could do this. I don't know why I ever doubted her. She instinctively knew me and what I needed better than I knew myself and it seemed she was going to be the same way with Masen. Why the hell I thought she would be able to forget me, that she was better off without me I would never know, but I was happy to spend the rest of eternity making it up to her. My entire family had been there for me, but it was Alice that encouraged me to come back and Esme that pulled me out of the abyss when I thought that we would never find her. As for my brothers, I could never do without them . . . they teased me, supported me and pushed me all the time . . . even when it was annoying as hell.
This was only the first weekend of the New Year. Day two . . . and so much had changed. Just in this weekend, my siblings had chased Victoria through rown and into a car wreck, Charlie had left and left us with the knowledge of his relationship with Sue, Sam and Emily had arrived to help Jacob, Renee had called and Bella seemed to have come to terms with letting go of her Mom if this delivery meant that we had to change her to save her. Carlisle had seen for himself the intelligence that Masen possessed and we had seen Rosalie soften, designing the nursery and waiting for her nephew to arrive.
We still had problems - Jake needed to learn control, Sam needed to learn tolerance and we did in fact need to end Victoria and probably Riley. I felt assured, though, that with my family around me, Bella and I would get through it all.