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

Chapter 102 Paris

"Sweetie, I was just thinking what an amazing life you are going to have."

BPOV

We spent the next week in Paris. I had no idea how long Edward had planned for us to stay, but he seemed to have no timetable. He had chosen Paris first for three reasons. First, he and his family had all fed before we left. It seemed that hunting near Paris was not a convenient thing and he didn't want to have to leave me for entire evenings to get far enough out into the countryside to find game to hunt. Being well fed before we got there, he might only need to leave once in a weeks time. Secondly, Renee was with us and she apparently had always wanted to see Paris. Since we didn't know how long her being with us would last, he wanted to bring her here first. Thirdly, and apparently the most pressing reason . . . Alice. From what I could gather, if she had not gotten to shop and take me to every store on the Champ Elysees (apparently THE place to shop), he would never have heard the end of it.

We slept in . . . yes, we. Edward had resumed actually sleeping with me part of the time rather than being on alert or continuing to make love after I had fallen asleep, though he did that as well. He seemed most content when we were connected physically and to tell the truth . . . so did I. I never worried that his being asleep would make us not hear our son if he needed us. We both woke to anything Masen, regardless. There were so many vampires listening out for him, ones that never slept, that we had no reason to worry.

Edward would make me breakfast in bed or mom had coffee and breakfast waiting in the kitchen. She learned quickly that only she and I would be eating. It didn't sit well, but she didn't ask. She stopped asking about the noises coming from our room as well. Alice said she would just roll her eyes and shake her head when she accidentally heard us . . . which was most evenings as she played with Masen.

We spent our mornings walking the streets to see the sights, visiting the Louver three times so far since it was within walking distance of our flat, not to men all the other great museums we visited.

That is . . . when Alice could be torn away from dragging us shopping. Paris, for Alice, was all about fashion and I just wasn't sure her flat was going to be large enough to hold all the bags after all the purchases were delivered. Edward always said that none of them ever came close to even spending the interest off their investments, but Alice seemed to try.

Lunch would be out somewhere, a small cafe on the sidewalk or a particular restaurant that Alice recommended. My siblings even joined us once for dinner, pushing their food around on their plates as they were accustomed to doing and laughing and watching as Masen learned to reach for food and feed it to himself as he sat in one of their laps. He really was amazing, and so well behaved.

I wasn't sure if he was just such a good baby or if the fact that Edward could read his mind and meet his needs just always kept him happy. Regardless, his intelligence was astounding . . . and he remembered everything, having apparently gotten perfect recall from his father. He was the most wonderful little guy, gentle and loving with me though I knew he was already far stronger than I was. His eyes sparkled with wonder at each new thing he saw or learned . Edward was an amazing father, always patient and never seeming to tire of explaining things and laughing with our son.

When we visited the Eiffel Tower, Edward even threatened to have us take the elevator to the top and see if he could scale the tower faster than the elevator could get there.

He won.

It reminded me of the bets with his brothers while we were at the theme parks in Florida before Christmas, bringing back the flags off the tops of the castles. Mom thought the boys were just being routy and took the other elevator . . . she really was kind of easy to fool with things like that. Alice and Rosalie just smiled.

Rose actually smiled a lot these days, mostly when she was around Masen. Her face lit up when she stayed up with him at night. When mom wanted to keep him her face lit up in an entirely different way, Emmett being the cause. He had insisted on dancing the night away with her at all the hot spots in town. Edward and I accompanied them to one while Alice, Jasper and my mom watched Masen one evening. My sister could really paint the town and after the third club in one evening, I was done - begging Edward to take me home and put me to bed.

Edward had no problem complying with my request to go to bed.

We had maintained our routine, never going to bed or getting up without making love at least once, and someone had obliged and watched Masen each evening or early night - playing with him and giving him his bottle while his father had his. Edward didn't seem to mind changing diapers nearly as much when Masen's diet consisted strictly of breast milk, and he regularly changed him without me even noticing that the baby needed it. Edward's enhanced since of smell really came in handy . . . just not for him when it was a particularly bad smell, which I think was why he had stopped worrying about blood for Masen. Masen seemed perfectly content with wi was peilk and seemed to enjoy what I was giving him.

Mom seemed to be enjoying the sights and scenery, but most of all she seemed to be enjoying the time spent with her grandson. She held him regularly, giving him at least one bottle a day and more if I would let her. I rarely did though because I just saw no reason to spend the time pumping milk into a bottle when I could have my son with me and drinking directly from me. I seemed to have a supply of enough for Masen, as well as his father.

Edward. God I loved him so. He was just the sweetest man to ever walk the planet. He knew I loved books, and even though he tried to hide the price from me, I saw how many thousands of dollars he spent on the first editions he purchased for me, insisting on completing set after set for me!

And the food . . . the food was more amazing than I ever thought possible. I was so excited to have this opportunity to taste all the creamy sauces and decedent desserts. Edward had been right to insist I try everything before food no longer mattered to me. Even wine.

We had only been out one night alone, Edward and I. Alice had me buy this crazy expensive dress that sort of hung like a shift with spaghetti straps. Something about the silver fabric clung to me and moved when I did, apparently showing things that drove Edward wild. It wasn't that the dress was cut low, though it was really really short. I just moved with me and made even me think I looked good. The heels Alice picked out helped, though, and Edward never seemed to take his eyes off my legs.

Apparently others were noticing me as well, as Edward shifted into jealous mate mode and refused to step away from me for even a moment. I would have sworn I heard him growl when a young man happened to brush past me as we were dancing. There was no tree for him to strip me and take me against, as he had done in our meadow when he had become jealous of Jacob, but he claimed what was his the moment we got home, the dress narrowly escaping being ripped to shreds. He was after all, forever 17 and a vampire . . .

~oooOooo~

EPOV

Renee settled down into somewhat of a routine once we were in the flat in Paris. She cooked breakfast for herself and for Bella, unless I beat her to it and took my wife breakfast in bed. She insisted on holding Masen and giving him at least one bottle a day. I saw no use in the bottles, except for when we were in our room and someone was watching Masen for an extended time in the evenings. It was selfish of me . . . needy, I knew that, but I needed time with Bella as well . . . time alone.

Bottles also had their use if my son got hungry while we were out walking and there was no place Bella could take him to nurse him privately. She only endured my reaction once to know that pulling up her blouse and letting Masen latch on in public was never ever going to be okay with me. I simply could not handle it and would have been willing to toss her on my back and hold the baby till I climbed the nearest building and let them perch on the roof with me, away from all prying eyes if her breast was going to be exposed!

"Edward," she had exclaimed when I fastened her blouse and had Masen in my arms before she knew what was happening, "It's perfectly natural and acceptable for me to nurse my baby on a park bench! No one will see anything, sweetheart."

She tried to convince me, as did Renee, but it was just not happening.

"Bella, men walking by will know what you're doing," I tried to tell her.

"So? Let them. Who cares, Edward. I'm just feeding my baby the way God intended us to for heavens sake."

"I know, love, but you don't have to listen to the thoughts it inspires and the visions in the heads of the men that walk by . . . I do. I don't think you want me committing mass murder here by the river, do you?"

Understanding showed in her face and her attitude turned from mad to sympathetic in a heartbeat. She knew me, once I pointed out the obvious. I guess it was just sometimes easy for her to forget the differences between me and other men. She just never thought about the mind reading she was so accustomed to it. I couldn't read her mind so it was not something she maintained awareness of.

She clearly did not see herself as other men did. It took only one evening of dancing with her in a club to know that my self control was lacking. Had we stayed any longer, collateral damage would have ensued as I snapped the necks of twenty or so men that were entertaining unacceptable thoughts about MY wife. To be fair, it was not entirely their faults. She looked like sex on legs in the shimmery dress she wore that barely covered her assets at all. My hands never left her till I had her in our room, the lovely dress decorating the floor and my rock hard dick buried as far as it would go into my wife . . . repeatedly.

One afternoon as we walked tough some gardens admiring several replicas of famous statues, my wife decided to explain the similarities between me and the statues. One statue in particular, The Thinker. It was a naked man, his muscles toned and well defined, sitting with his chin resting on his palm and his elbow on his knee, meant to depict Dante in front of the Gates of Hell. She started naming off the similarities between me and the statue as her mom drifted on to the next exhibit. When we had first met I was brooding and contemplative most of the time, never really smiling, thoughtful as the statue depicted. Apparently snuggling with me was somewhat like snuggling up to a statue . . . cold and hard. I must have snickered when she told me that because she was quick to point out that I felt like silk covered granite and that it was her favorite, so I guess that was alright. I knew that as soon as she was changed I would feel warm to her and my skin pliable . . . I would feel like what her human idea of a man was supposed to feel like because we would be the same.

We were reading the inscription and information about the statue titled The Winged Victory of Samothrace in one of the interior hallways in the Louvre. Apparently his Winged Goddess of Victory stood on the bow of a marble sculpted ship that overlooked the sanctuary on the island of Samothrace (NorthWest of the Aegean Sea). It was thought that the statue was to commemorate a naval victory in the early second century BC. It was an amazingly beautiful piece and we were both anxious to read more information about it. Neither of us noticed our son for the few minutes it took to read the plaque.

Masen, however, apparently did notice the lack of attention from his parents and took the opportunity to climb the rough hewn base of the statue and stand, patting it's base and reaching to touch the statue.

I saw movement out of the corner of my eye, but paid no attention, perceiving no threat. When we finished reading I heard a gasp from my wife and followed her gaze to see Masen, wide eyed and smiling, several feet up on the base of the statue reaching for the carved figure.

"Masen! My wife exclaimed, her hand covering her mouth as she gasped.

I had our son in my arms before she took a full breath and before he had been noticed, my movements too fast to have been detected by humans, even if one had been watching.

We both looked at the stroller he had been sitting in and noticed the straps ripped in half, Masen's fingers being too small to grasp the fasteners and open it normally so he had simply ripped the strap in half.

Damn.

"Masen," I spoke calmly to him as he sat in my arms, Bella's arms around him,"the straps were there so you would remember to stay in the stroller. Mommy and I do not want you getting out unless we get you out, understand son?"

He wanted to know if I was mad, I had explained the concept to him time and time again whenever Jasper and Emmett would play video games and get agitated with each other. He read my mind and knew that my concern was only for his safety and our need for him to blend in with humans while we were in public. I explained things as simply as possible and kept approaching things in different ways until he got the basic idea. He was, after all, just a month old.

His concern was that his mom had gasped and her heart rate had increased and it scared him. He thought she was upset with him and making her happy was important to him.

"He's afraid you're angry with him, love. He only wanted to touch the statue to see what it felt like," I explained, Masen's little cherub face staring at his mom.

Bella stroked his cheek with the back of her hand and ran her fingers through his hair while she softly kissed his forehead.

"I'm not angry with you sweetheart. Next time you have a seat belt on, you need to stay put unless we get you out or you ask someone, okay baby? We don't want to loose you and you need to act like a human baby while were around people."

Yes, that's right, anyone with a heartbeat, son, I answered his silent question.

"I guess this is why Alice pr Alice was so looked skeptical when we bought the stroller yesterday," Bella said.

"Probably, love. I should have thought to explain to him the purpose of the straps. I never really thought about the fact that he was strong enough to rip them apart," I chuckled, marveling at all the things my son was already able to do and ducked my head so that Bella would not see me grinning from ear to ear.

I sat Masen back in his stroller, reminding him not to get up unless his mom or I got him out, and we strolled off to find Renee who, thankfully, was so mesmerized by the art and the surroundings that she had paid no attention that we were lagging behind.

We walked through the Apollo Gallery in awe of the intricate and ornate gold designs adorning the curved ceiling. Though I had sees it before, it was no less impressive than the first time I saw it over 60 years earlier.

I pushed the stroller for awhile, silly as it seemed to me to not just carry him, it seemed to please Bella since she couldn't carry him endlessly without tiring. She seemed to keep stealing glances of me with Masen, whether I was bent down to quietly answer one of his questions or to gesture to him to look at something in particular. His questions were silly, like any three year olds would be, but I loved answering them just the same. I kept the stroller close, always making sure one of us stood beside it when we stopped to admire something. I didn't want a repeat of him climbing a statue so I stayed close and tuned in to all his movements.

"This piece reminds me if you, love," I whispered in her ear as I moved to stand behind her and hug her to me as she admired another exhibit.

"Edward, that"s a likeness of the goddess, Aphrodite! You can"t be serious."

"Venus de Milo (Aphrodite) statue. Yes. And I'm perfectly serious," I told her quietly as I kissed my favorite spot under her ear, my lips never leaving her skin as my arms wrapped around her from behind, "and I've been around for over a century observing to come to that conclusion." She turned in my arms and I bent to kiss her, probably more passionately than was polite in public, but she was my personal Goddess, after all.

Renee's subtle cough did nothing to slow my attentions to my wife, but the tug on my pants leg from my son did as his mind told me that a crowd was gathering. When I broke off the kiss, applause started and rounds of bravo. It seemed that a tour group had caught up with us, admiring Aphrodite's likeness and enthusiastically being led to clap and cheer at our obvious display of love in public. It was Paris, and the guide was busily telling the tourist that love springs eternal in Paris.

Bella was not able to stop the blush that I was sure extended down her chest from occurring. I leaned close and whispered in her ear,

"Je t'aime plus que tout . . . vous êtes tout pour moi,"

which only made her blush more though I was fairly certain she didn't understand what I had said.

We spent time at other museums of course, and Renee seemed to particularly admire the impressionistic paintings of Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet and Renoir at the Musee D'Orsay.

We spent the better part of a day at la cathedrale notre dame, Bella's eyes wide as she took in the grandeur of it all.

Bella loved the Eiffel Tower so much that we came back at night to enjoy the view high atop the tower from the restaurant named after Jules Verne, the I knew she was anxious to try the food in that particular restaurant, it was a challenge convincing Bella to return to the tower after my brothers and my escapades the day before.

We hadn't caused a problem, really, and certainly no humans (other than Bella) were ever aware of anything going on. My brothers, Emmett in particular, were always making bets and daring each other to do things and holding competitions. Bella had seen a mild form of it when we had the swimming race to Rio from Isle Esme and our pranks retrieving the flags from the tops of the Hogwarts Castle in Islands of Adventure and Cinderella's Castle in Disney's Magic Kingdom in Florida. I don't think any of that prepared her for the idea of me climbing the Eiffel Tower though.

I had done it before several times in the last century, myself and my brothers preferring to spend our time in Paris with races and bets rather than face shopping with Alice. For days. Alice could quite literally shop for an entire week without stopping. Carlisle had even joined us a few times when we had raced up the tower and back. It wasn't difficult, especially when you took away all the consequences of falling. Bella had trouble seeing it that way. I rode the elevator up with her the first time, of course, enjoying her wide eyed wonder at seeing the view for the first time. Renee, Masen, Alice, Rosalie and I all took the elevator up together and Emmett and Jasper made excuses, saying they would meet us at the top. Renee assumed they took another lift, but in reality Jasper creamed Emmett, quickly scaling the inside of the corner girders with no problem and beating the rest of us to the platform, according to him, by a full minute. I had to remind my wife about being unbreakable, even if I did fall before she would let me out of her sight to race down with my brothers. I beat them, of course . . . I always did.

Alice had replaced the stroller, of course, after the incident at the Louvre, but there were more than enough of us to carry Masen, and we never tired of it. A stroller would have been of little use on the railway to Montmarte anyway, and once there the numerous staircases would have limited its usefulness.

The most noted landmark of Montmartre, one of the most indelibly Parisian, was the Basilica of the Sacré Coeur (Sacred Heart). Bella was almost entranced by its beauty and stood still as a statue for the longest time, just staring at the architecture and detail of the ornate carvings on the exterior and the roof lines. After touring the interior, we walked down the terraced stairway to find

the area where many artists, famous and not yet famous would sit and paint, portraits and sketches included if you asked them. I immediately knew that I wanted a sketch of Bella while we were here and Alice must have seen as she led us to a small booth away from most of the traffic, the artist appearing to be waiting on us.

"Bella," my sister begged, come on! This artist may be famous someday and your likeness would be immortalized! Of course, we knew that Alice had seen, which made Bella even more nervous. She sat for several hours and the gentleman took several photos of her. I sat in the grass and played with my son while we waited, Renee and the others choosing to wander through all the sights around us.

"Yes, that does look like mommy. It's a painting, son. The man is an artist and he is painting a picture of mommy."

"Yes, your mommy is beautiful, Masen."

"No, mommy is beautiful without all the time it takes your aunt Alice to do things to her in the bathroom," I laughed.

"I know, son, this is taking long. Let's go find a toy to play with, a ball or something, okay?"

I let Bella know that Masen and I were going to go find a toy. She looked at us like she was so sad not to be walking off with us. She really did hate attention and her sitting there posing for the artist was drawing attention from people as they passed by. We returned shortly and sat in the grass again, rolling a ball back and forth and laughing together. Bella had a hard time not staring at us and laughing, but the artist only smiled at her movements, his mind screaming that he could paint a vision of her no matter how she moved. He was quite taken with her, though he was an older gentleman, in his 40's perhaps. I adjusted myself as I sat watching her. I couldn't help it and I tried not to listen to the thoughts of the men that noticed her as they passed by. I tried to just let it be background noise, but Masen startled me by laughing when he heard me growl.

The artist finally finished with the initial painting and had the photos and his own mental image of her to finish by. From what I read of his mind and the image of my wife that he had engraved there, the finished painting would be nothing less than spectacular. It was a good thing he was through, as Masen was getting hungry and I only had one more bottle for him before Bella would have to feed him and that damn sure wasn't going to be here with everyone around!

We gave him our address in Highlands in case we did not come back to pick up the canvas and I paid him well for it, knowing that Alice would have it in hand before we left. I only wished that my wife's hair had more time to grow longer since she had cut it in her effort to escape Victoria, and I slipped the artist a photo from my wallet of her with her mahogany locks flowing over her shoulders and nodded.

Bella seemed to be really enjoying herself at the different restaurants. We went to a new one for lunch and dinner every day and sometimes stopped in for her to try a different dessert at one of the many small bakeries that lined the streets. Tea time meant coffee and macaroons in one of the countless cafe's on the sidewalk. By the end of the week my wife had gained a few pounds and I was thrilled. She, however, seemed determined to walk enough during the day to offset the extra calories.

"Be careful this evening," Alice warned as she continued to block me, repeatedly conjugating all the verbs she could think of in French.

"Alice, just tell me," I insisted as we waited for Bella to finish feeding the baby and slip on her dress.

"No, brother. Some lessons you need to learn all on your own. I can't always tell you the right move, you know,"

Damn.

On the other hand, how bad could it be? My son was safe, my wife loved me and there were no vampires that I knew of trying to take her from me. I was going to enjoy another evening out with my wife!

~oooOooo~

Authors Note: Thanks for all your patience! I spent the weekend in Florida trying to train an old mind for a new skill (I got a new job). I did get a walking tour of the Art Deco on South Beach, Miami though! Delicious abs and muscled males everywhere!

Anyway, a very special THANK YOU goes out to my friend Fanette! I met her here on fanfiction because we started talking when she reviewed the story the first time, months ago and way back in the chapters. She lives in the south of France and her help has been AMAZING and INVALUABLE! I am excited to try and go visit her sometime next year!

All this to say, Fanette convinced me that Paris needed an entire chapter and that France was fascinating - I've never been there, and she has spent hours sending me pictures, links, stories, and anything she could to spark my imagination! THANK YOU!

Hope you loved the chapter - next chapter Bella and Edward on the town, and in the spa . . .