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

Chapter 66 Hungers

BPOV

"Don't think I didn't notice," I said as we walked toward the car.

"Notice what, sweetheart?" I answered.

"Notice that you, Edward Cullen, got out of bed this morning and went downstairs before I woke up," I said sharply. "I had no chance at you this morning and I miss you. Especially certain parts of you," I said as I let my hand ghost over the front of my husbands jeans. He stiffened immediately.

"Bella," he said as he grabbed my hand, stopping me from causing an even larger tent in his jeans, "You do realize that my family can hear you, right?"

"I know. I don't care, sweetheart. Hormones," I said by way of explanation as we neared the car.

Alice and Rose lost it. I have to admit, the expression on the face of my up tight, turn of the century proper husband was priceless.. He was absolutely shocked . . . mortified that I would touch him in public with his family aware of it as it happened. If he could have blushed, he would have been an unhealthy shade of red.

"You might as well get used to it, son. Pregnant hormonal females have been known to do worse!" Carlisle said as he, too, took in Edwards obvious embarrassment even though it was a Sunday afternoon and we were alone in the parking lot, other than his family.

Edward held both my hands as we got into the Mercedes. Whether he was being sweet and protective or just protecting against another display of affection in public, I had no idea, but he was adorable none the less.

"Would anyone mind if we stopped and got pizza to take home? I'm kind of hungry and maybe Sam will eat something that we bring home as take out," I suggested.

"No, that's a great idea, Bella. Sam might eat something that you bought and brought home," Esme agreed.

There was a small pizza restaurant called Dunforgott's just off Main Street on the way home. I loved the place both because of the name and the fact that they rented movies and had a theater set up in their dining area, or rather they had tables set up in their theater. You could request a certain movie and watch it as though you were out at the cinema while you ate fresh hot pizza or calzones or bread sticks. It was awesome, and more so the more pregnant I became. Edward enjoyed it there as well because in the dimly lit theater he didn't have to keep up the pretense of eating and could just sit back and enjoy the movie while I enjoyed my food. Assuming that Sam ate like Jacob ate, I ordered an entire pizza for him and one for Jake, on the off chance that he had phased back to human form. Sue and Emily could easily share one so I ordered four, knowing that as hungry as I was, I would eat a whole one between now and bedtime.

Edward and I walked back to the car where Carlisle and Esme were waiting. Alice and Rose had walked into the restaurant with us, but now with Edward carrying four steaming hot boxes of delicious smelling pizza, they decided that rather than sit in the car with the smell of pizza they would just go grab some dinner and meet us at home. Funny how normal that sounded till you realized they actually meant that they would drain a small herd of deer in the woods on their five mile run home. Not that they didn't need to feed, but I knew the probable reason was that they didn't relish the thought of having to smell pizza in an enclosed car for the fifteen minutes it would take us to drive to the house.

Vampires and their sense of smell. I guess I could relate. The smell of blood used to make me ill . . . faint even. But not now. The steak that I had raw each day was delicious but . . . it was the blood I wanted . . . craved. I just couldn't bring myself to tell Edward how I felt. I had promised no secrets though and I knew that Carlisle probably needed to know because it undoubtedly said something about the baby I carried. Maybe I could ask somehow.

"Carlisle," I asked after we were seated in the car and headed toward the house, "you have changed four humans to vampires, right?" I asked.

Instantly the three vampires in the car stopped breathing and became almost statue still, apparently shocked at my nonchalant manner in asking.

"Um, yes, Bella. Four", he answered hesitantly . . . and Carlisle never said 'um'.

"When they first woke up, did they go and hunt themselves, or how did they get their first meal?" I asked as Edward cocked his head and stared at me.

"Well, Bella. They were all slightly different . . . different circumstances and we lived in different places at the time. I didn't quite know what to expect with Edward, and we were out in farm country and hunted deer and I believe there were cows in there somewhere . . . Esme as well. By the time I changed Rosalie, I had a better idea of what to expect. She had been so traumatized in death that I had drained a deer and brought the blood to her in a flask. Emmett, well, you know Emmett. He grabbed a bobcat right off the bat. Why do you ask?" Carlisle wanted to know.

I hesitated.

"Bella," Edward said softly as he rubbed my knuckles with his thumb, "What aren't you telling me, love?"

"I . . . well . . . you see I . . . , " I stammered, really not wanting to say this out loud.

"Are you worried about the birth, Bella . . . that you might have to be changed?" Esme asked, trying to comfort me.

"No, no, Esme. If anything, I'm anxious to become a vampire. Then all this protect the human stuff will be over and I can be an equal part of the family. Edward won't have to be so . . . careful with me. No, that isn't worrying me in the least," I assured her, as well as Edward. Though Edward had promised to change me whenever I wanted, he continued to worry that I would regret it one day and this seemed to be feeding his fears. I had better just come out and say it.

"Well, I was actually just wondering if there was a way that I could . . . "

I hesitated again and this time Edward was loosing it. His protectiveness was at an all time high and I now had him worried sick. I started speaking really fast.

"Okay, well, I know that Carlisle wants to know of any changes and I know it matters because it relates to the baby and it's probably hard to try and tell what Masen is going to be like anyway, having a human mother and a vampire dad but . . . "

"BELLA! Please, you're driving me crazy with worry! What's wrong, love? . . . just tell me, please," Edward begged. I dropped my head and looked at my hands in my lap, his thumb still gently rubbing over my knuckles, trying to comfort me.

"I was wondering if there was a way I could get what I'm craving without having to eat so much steak?" I whispered, knowing he would hear. He cocked his head to one side, not yet understanding . . .

"Edward, if I could just drink . . . not have to chew, I . . . ."

I needed to just ask him.

"Edward, could you just go hunt and bring me back something to drink. I'm tired of trying to get my fill from raw steak," I finally said.

Carlisle stared at the road and Esme kept her eyes forward as well, leaving Edward to hug me to him and answer my question.

"Absolutely, love. I'll go hunt for you as soon as we get home. I'm sorry about this craving, I know it can't be a pleasant thought for you. You don't need to ever be embarrassed about anything with me though. Anything," he insisted.

"Dear," Esme turned and said, "Even when I was human I had the strangest cravings, pickles with cheese and orange juice, chocolate sauce on my steak . . . you really shouldn't worry, or even be surprised by this. It is Edward's son, after all."

"Well," Carlisle said, "We can be sure that the baby is at least some part vampire."

~oooOooo~

Emmett POV

So far it was a good year. Edward was back. Totally back and that was a hell of a difference from this time last year. Everyone had been so damned gloomy, even for New Years Eve! Carlisle and Esme had been so sad that they had gone off by themselves and not even partied and watched the ball drop on yet another year of our amazing lives. Jasper had been so fucked up . . . consumed with guilt over taking a snap at Bella that he was a pain in the ass to be with as well.

Yea, I knew that we had a couple of rogue vampires to kill, but I considered that a bonus. The dogs that were around, Sam that is, well . . . him I could do without. His wife was cool though and Sue seemed to be okay. Jake I could handle in small doses. He was kind of still hung up on Bella and that complicated things but as long as Edward and Bella were being his friend, he was cool to hang around with.

Then there was Bella. She had brought Edward and the rest of us to life, completing our family like no one else could. She had set Edward straight, forgiven Jasper and accepted the rest of us with no question. Not having her around had sucked. Leaving Forks had been the worst mistake our family had ever made, all at Edward's request. He was trying to do the right thing, I have to give him that. He wanted her to have a human life . . . which for the life of me I can not understand.

What the hell is so great about growing old? I thought aging was a negative, all the women seem to think so. Women spend how much time and money trying to keep from aging, from looking older? Not being able to grow old was all Rose used to think about like it was some prized possession that had been taken from her. What a load of bullshit.

Oh no, I can't get wrinkles and grey hair and sag everywhere!

Let me just cry about having to stay young forever!

Never understood the desire she had to grow old. Rose considered the fact that we were frozen in time, always perfect and young, to be a negative. Made no fucking sense to me at all.

I loved this life. Sure the thirst was a bitch, but after the first decade or so you learned to manage it well enough. I could play endless video games with reflexes that 15 year old game junkies only dream of . . . and I never got a cramp or got tired . . . no need for bathroom breaks, or even breathing unless I just wanted to.

Not needing to breath or go to the rest room or sleep made sex absolutely fucking awesome. Rose and I could go at it for days at a time, never stopping. Vampire stamina was the fucking way . . . one erection flowed into the next with almost no recovery time needed in between. How the hell do you beat that? And no worries about getting the girl pregnant . . . bonus! And suckage . . . oh my God . . . Did I mention that vampire women could suck the chrome off a bumper hitch? Done. I had heard the joke about suck starting a Harley, but I bet anything my Rose could do it!

And Harleys. Harley Davidson motorcycles. We all had fucking money to spend, thanks to Alice and Edward and Bella's influence had gotten Rose not only to allow me to have a motorcycle, but she helped to buy it as a Christmas gift. No, life was good just like we were, we had the world at our feet, traveling the world and watching the changes that decades bring. It was absolutely fucking awesome.

It seemed to me that if Edward really loved the girl, he would have wanted to give her immortality. Dude, it was a gift that anyone in their right mind would want. If you loved someone completely, wouldn't you want them with you always? If you had the power to keep them from ever being sick, ever growing old and dying . . . wouldn't you? Thank God for Bella. She set him straight on that messed up thinking of his that we had no souls. Bullshit we had no souls . . . and he knew that now.

"Have you had your fill?" Jasper asked, bring me out of my musings.

"What?" I raised my head to respond.

"Emmett, that's the fifth deer. Don't you slosh when you walk yet?" Jasper laughed.

"Yea, I guess I'm full. I just never seem to get enough unless it's grizzly. We need to make a spring trip to the Rockies when they just start to wake up . . . I love angry grizzly!" I exclaimed as I wiped my mouth. Jasper had just finished burying his kills and I had one left to bury when Jake walked into the clearing. It was kind of weird because Emily and Sue were with him, along with Sam in wolf form.

Jake walked over and nodded to the buck that was still laying just down the hill.

"Dude, help yourself. We just buried the others, that's the only one left but you are welcome to him," I told him and he strode off towards it to help himself.

"Afternoon ma'am," Jasper said, nodding to Sue and Emily. Sam made a point of standing somewhat between Jasper and Emily and his mouth was curled up in a snarl. We must have been closer to the house than I thought for the girls to have walked this far into the woods.

"Dude, you don't want to go there," I spat at Sam, wanting him to back off.

"Just ignore Sam," Emily said, "I do. Are you two ready to head back to the house?"

"Yep, all done here. We can just leave that one for Jake. We made a lap around town already looking for Victoria, but nothing turned up. I guess we really should go run the perimeter again, just to check," I told her.

"Sue was telling me about her. She is the one that is after Bella, right?" Emily asked.

"That's her, ma'am," Jasper answered, "We have been after her since just before Christmas and she keeps alluding us, making all sorts of trails in town among the shops and stores but no trace of her scent leaving or entering town. She must seal herself up in a car with the windows closed to come and go for the scent not to be there at all like this."

"Yea, but we'll take her out. She won't be breathing air and walking shoe leather much longer. It's just kind of tense with her after Bella and the baby due and all . . . and now Jake deciding to get his wolf on," I said.

"Well, I don't think Jake decided to do anything, Emmett," Sue said defensively.

"Right, right. You know what I mean," I explained.

Sue's phone rang, Edward was calling to check in. "Seems Bella has gotten pizza for everyone and they're on their way to the house, Emily. Are you hungry?" Sue asked her.

"Let's go. I'm never one to turn down pizza," Emily said. "Emmett, could you and Jasper walk us back to the house before you make your run to town?" Emily asked, "Sam could probably use the time to stay here with Jake . . . unless, that is," she said turning to Sam, "Unless you are going to eat with us."

Sam shook his head no and Emily gestured to me to lead the way home. Well, Sam lost it. He started snarling and having a fit, running off into the woods and showing back up a minute or two later in human form.

"Emily, you sure as hell are not walking off into the woods with two bloodsuckers and no one to protect you! Have you lost your mind?" Sam spat.

"Sam, I'll be happy to walk back to the house with you if you are eating with me, otherwise I'm going with Emmett and Jasper," Emily said with stoic determination, "I mean it Sam."

"Fine. I'll eat the damned food the leech lover bought. Fine by me, but you are never to be alone them," he said nodding towards me and Jasper, "You understand me!"

"Alright then," I said winking at Emily as she nodded at me. Women. She fucking knew that he would never allow Jasper and I to walk them through the woods to the house. I have to hand it to her, she got her way. Sam was having dinner with them!

"Jake, want to check for Victoria with us?" I asked him, seeing that he was licking his paws and had finished his meal. We three headed off together towards town and the girls and Sam headed back to the house.

~oooOooo~

EPOV

I leaped to the balcony of our room, not wanting to advertise my presence in the house yet. I had excused myself an hour ago to go do something in the garage while Bella, Emily, Sue and Sam ate pizza in the kitchen while Esme tidied up and Carlisle checked out the evening paper by the fireplace. Rose and Alice were folding baby clothes and putting the finishing touches on the nursery.

I left the flask on the counter in the bathroom while I stepped off the balcony and headed to the garage so that I could enter the house through the door that led from the garage to the kitchen. I didn't know whether Bella was going to prefer to drink warm or cold, but I knew that fresh was always best.

"Sweetheart, can I borrow you for a minute when you finish eating?" I asked her as I came into the room.

"Sure," she said, wiping her mouth on a napkin, "What's up?"

"I just need your opinion on something upstairs," I told her, nodding to Sam who was standing stiffly at the counter beside Emily as he bit into a slice of pizza.

Sam's thoughts were murderous . . . again. He seemed to be loosing some of the edge to his thoughts though, if you could call that coming around and it did not go unnoticed by me that he had in fact come in the house to eat food at my home. An attempt at conversation on my part might not be rejected completely, so I gave it a shot.

"Sam, how is Jacob doing?" I asked as politely as I possibly could. He stiffened, pausing a minute before he decided on answering me, "He is doing well. It just takes time, but he'll be fine bloodsu . . . I mean Edward." His eyes cut to his wife when he made the slip, then choosing to use my name apparently at her request.

"Good. Thank you for being here, Sam," I said, not venturing to risk any more conversation since that had gone somewhat smoothly and I didn't think his patience or his tongue would be held for long.

"Okay," Bella said as she put her arm around me, having put her plate in the dishwasher. I lifted her bridal style off the floor and started toward the stairs.

"Why is it that you always need to carry me?" she asked giggling, "I can walk, you know. Pregnancy does not interfere with walking, Edward!"

"It does in my book, Mrs. Cullen," I told her as we got to the top of the stairs and I set her down. She immediately started towards the nursery, having assumed that Rose or Alice had a question for her. I took her hand and led her to our room, closing the door.

Her eyes opened wide, her expression one of surprise. "Yea! You're going to make it up to me for getting out of bed this morning without waking me," she said as her arms closed around my neck and she went up on her tip toes to reach my lips with hers.

"Sweetheart, I would love nothing more than kissing you but I thought you were . . . thirsty," I said, realization dawning on her. I led her to the bathroom and handed her the leather skinned flask that I had filled for her.

"This is what you wanted, right?" I asked. She looked at the container hungrily. Though she was timid, apparently embarrassed by her desire, she reached for it and took the cap off, inhaling deeply and appearing to savor the aroma.

I put my arms around her, seeming to make her slightly uncomfortable as I hugged her to me.

"Are you sure you're okay with this, love? Do you need a glass or ice or . . . what can I do for you?" I asked quietly. She stared at me out of the corner of her eyes and put the leather to her lips, drinking the liquid ravenously . . . almost like the demeanor a newborn would be expected to have.

She emptied the contained quickly, pausing between gulps only when she had need of oxygen. I watched as she lowered the container and wiped her lips with her hand, cocking her head at me before she leaned up and kissed me. Really kissed me, dropping the flask and her hands grabbing the hair that she loved at the nape of my neck.

The taste of her mouth was exquisite, the combination of Bella and blood being too much for me to even attempt to resist. Not wanting to put her down on a hard surface, I forced myself to carry her, legs wrapped around my waist, and lay her down on the bed. I had no more willpower or control beyond that and our clothing was in shreds on the floor instantly.

"Edward, I need you."

It was all I could do to check and make sure she was ready for me before I lifted her leg and pulled it over my hip as we lay on our sides facing each other. I could not easily kiss her from this position because of the baby bump, but I could easily tease her nipples and I sucked them gently into my mouth as I grasped her thigh, sheathing myself in her in one move.

"Bella, you're so soft and warm," I said as I thrust in and out of her in an almost reckless fashion, trying to match the ferocity with which she seemed determined to take me in. My wife wanted me badly. She was devouring me with an intensity only matched by me when I consumed her fluids. It was as if she needed me, all of me. She came almost instantly, screaming my name and her body, causing me to come as well.

My attention turned back to her nipples as I panted and licked and held her close, pebbling her nipple with my thumb as I began to suck in earnest and began to receive fluid from my actions, nursing from her breast. The effect on me was the same as it had been before, I realized as I heard myself growling. I managed to resist the need to roll her to her back and pin her to the bed, snaking an arm under her to hold her securely to me, the other hand holding the breast that I was suckling.

It was more this time, more than ever before. Absolute unbearable ecstasy. There was no other way to describe it. The difference benefited Bella as the continual thrusts from my hips moved me in and out of her and seemed to drive her wild, the vibrations from my growls were strong enough to cause her to vibrate as well. Her body continued to spasm around me, pulling me farther and deeper into her than ever before. It was as though we were consuming each other, joining into one being. It was completely unreal in its intensity.

Whether a blessing or something to mourn the loss of, our coupling didn't last nearly as long as when I had nursed from her before . . . thirty minutes, forty? I changed breasts without prompting from her as she ran her nails up my back and into my hair, pulling me toward her. She kept screaming how much she loved me and how good I felt in her and begging me never to stop and to hold her tighter, thrust harder . . . I have no idea how I controlled myself and did not hurt her . . . but I didn't.

We never rejoined the others downstairs.

I never removed myself from her.

We slept, she and I, completely and utterly spent in each others arms.

~oooOooo~

Victoria POV

"Why the hell didn't you grab her?" I asked as he came to the car empty handed.

"Why, Victoria? Did you happen to notice that there were five of them with her. Five. They never left her side. How the hell am I supposed to just grab her and get away when there are that many of them?", Riley asked, indignantly.

"Once you are in the car with her, they won't be able to track us. Her scent won't be traceable and we can get her away from them to give us the time I need with her", I told him.

"They come here every Sunday, for whatever reason. There has to be a way to distract them, create a diversion to give us time to get her away from them." I considered.

"Well, the ambulances pulling up to the emergency room here are loud enough if one came through when when was walking outside - but they cut their sirens before they actually get here. Damn, I just remembered that. If we snatch her from inside, we have to move too slowly so that we don't make a scene. They would have plenty of time to come after her before we made it to the car. Shit Victoria, how the hell are we going to do this?" he asked with a stupid puzzled look on his face, "All these people around might make it harder for him to notice your thoughts, but it makes it damn hard not to be noticed if I'm walking with a body thrown over my shoulder!"

"Don't hurt yourself thinking so hard, lover boy. I have an idea . . ."