Thanks to SusanQ, Nicffwhisperer, Kikki7, Vampshavelaws, Julie, KittyVuitton, Stephanie, Jaime, Nolebucgrl, and Sydney Alice for all of their help pre-reading/betaing/supporting me. Special thanks to Barburella for her last minute help! I'm always tinkering until right before posting and any mistakes are mine.

Giving of Thanks

Cookie dough ice cream. Cookie dough ice cream. Cookie dough ice cream.

It was a mantra in my head all day long. I was beginning to think my baby was using jedi forces on my mind, bombarding me with his or her pleas for certain food until I went insane.

I begged Alec and Felix to make a stop at a local market on the way home from classes, so I could load up on the goodies Hannah never bought.

She kept making healthy food. "Iron and protein and vitamins," she would tell me.

Healthy schmealthy.

My baby wanted only one vitamin. Vitamin D. And not the kind from the sun. The D stood for dessert.

Ice cream. Cookies. Cake. Even some Ding Dongs and Twinkies.

He or she was already their father's child. Normally I could take sweets or leave them, except those couple days a month where I would give my right arm for chocolate. Edward was really the sweet tooth between us.

But now I couldn't get enough.

As soon as Felix stopped the car, I was jumping out to run inside.

"Hold up," Alec yelled behind me.

"I'm hungry." I kept going, grabbing a cart and heading for the cookie aisle, ignoring Alec's stern expression when he caught up.

"You just had brownies with your lunch a few hours ago."

That made me pause momentarily, sending him a scathing glare. "Don't you start. You have no idea what's going on in here." I pointed to my protruding belly, and he swallowed back his retort.

In fact, he looked a little nervous.

Good.

He should have been nervous.

I returned to my mission, scanning the mouthwatering varieties in front of me and tossing in boxes and bags and cartons. I had to stock up for the holiday, although Hannah and I were already preparing to make more pies than an army could eat.

It was two days before Thanksgiving, and everyone was coming to our place for the holiday. I had convinced Edward I wanted to host and invite our closest friends and his family. He grumbled about having that many fuckers in our house, but relented when I pleaded.

I finished in the cookie aisle and made my way to frozen foods. I glanced at Alec while he watched me load up on Ben and Jerry's.

"You're bringing Jane on Thursday, right?"

"I guess," he said and gritted his teeth. "That was an uncomfortable conversation with my boss, by the way."

"What? What did Edward say? He really talked to you about it?"

I would wring Edward's neck if he was mean to Alec about Jane after telling me it was fine.

Oooh...Chocolate Therapy.

I was definitely going to try that flavor.

"Guys don't talk about relationships." He even did the finger quotes. "He just told me it was all good."

I stopped tossing ice cream in the cart and put my hands on my hips. "Well, what are you going on about then? How is that uncomfortable?"

He shuffled his feet. "It just was."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. It's not a crime to have feelings for somebody and admit it. They won't come and take away your man card."

"The more pregnant you get, the more opinionated you get. And I didn't think that was possible."

"If I didn't know you better, I might think you're trying to pick a fight so I'll uninvite you to Thanksgiving." I poked him in the chest. "It's not going to work. You're coming and having fun."

He fell silent, taking charge of the cart and leading us toward the checkout.

"What's wrong?" I asked him.

"Nothing. It's just that Thanksgiving is like Christmas. It's for your family. I'm not sure why you want me to be there."

I put my hand on his arm to stop him. "Alec, you are family to me. You're the big brother I never had."

He seemed surprised by my words, but didn't say anything else, continuing our walk to the front. I didn't expect he would say anything, knowing he wasn't too good at the touchy-feely stuff.

It was true though...he really was like a big brother to me.

A pestering, sarcastic, overprotective older brother.

He remained quiet while I checked out and on the drive home, not even saying anything when I opened the bag of Oreos and munched on them in the car. When we pulled up in front of home, he stopped me as I reached for a couple bags.

"No carrying for you."

And that was just his way. I shook my head at him with a smile, letting him carry in all my sweets.

"So you'll be here on Thursday, right?" I asked before he took off.

His lips curved up in a grin. "Yeah, I'll be here."

I refrained from clapping and jumping around, knowing he'd only be embarrassed.

As soon as he left, I was stashing all my goodies when Edward appeared, loaded down with his own purchases. My mouth fell open when he made trip after trip, bringing in what looked like huge and oddly shaped pillows and scattering them around the den.

"What in the world is all this?" I asked, weaving my way through them all.

He picked one up, staring at it like it was an alien and scratching his head. "They're pregnancy pillows for you. I didn't know which one to get, so I just got them all and figured you could try them out and see which ones you like best."

He was absolutely the sweetest man alive.

Every day lately, he'd been bringing home things for me, the baby, or the both of us. Cribs, clothes, toys. He even bought a breast pump.

It was hard to muster any excitement about that particular item. It looked like a torture device to me.

"I've been reading and these are supposed to keep you from rolling onto your back. They'll make you more comfortable and keep the oxygen flowing to the baby." He shook his head and frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know how I'm going to fit on these with you."

I couldn't help giggling at his distress, watching him worry about not being close enough while we slept. He turned to look at me.

"Why are you laughing?"

"No reason." I walked over and hugged him. "I just love you."

He squeezed me in return, leaning down to kiss me. It felt good, but I had to take care of priorities.

I pulled away, tugging on his arm. "Come on. Have some ice cream with me."

He laughed and joined me in the kitchen, taking a stool while I grabbed two pints from the freezer.

"Guess what?" he asked after I handed him a spoon.

"What?"

His eyes were dancing as he bounced around.

What in the world was he so giddy about?

"You're never going to believe it."

"What? Tell me."

He started laughing again, and I scooped ice cream into my mouth, waiting for him to get the words out.

He twirled his spoon through his fingers. "There are two pieces of good news actually. One, Jake held up his end. He made the tape and signed the documents, just like I said he would." He wagged his eyebrows and grinned. "And two..." He broke off, laughing again. "I finalized things with Jenks."

My eyes widened, waiting for him to expound on that point. I had known already Jake had taken Edward's bait. Edward had called in a favor from one of his buddies, the CEO of Viacom—otherwise known as the boss of Jake's boss—and his friend had been all too willing to help him out.

Apparently Jake had not been as impressive as advertised when he was hired. In fact, he was already on the verge of being fired before Edward's request. A certain number of his accounts had been flagged, and he was being internally investigated for fraud.

So, Edward's friend was happy to play along and let Jake believe his cooperation with us would net him a promotion, money, the works. In actuality, as soon as Jake delivered on his end, his time with Viacom would soon come to an end.

I was glad the drama with Jake seemed to be resolving. I hoped he moved back to California and I never had to see his creepy ass again.

Jenks was a different story. Edward had gotten most every detail out of him on the threat of attempting to get him disbarred for breaking attorney-client privilege. Even though both of them knew it would be difficult for Edward to prove it happened—since Kate would never admit he'd told her anything—Jenks still didn't want to risk his license.

"You mean you got something more from Jenks? I thought you knew everything already?"

"Yeah, he spilled his guts. But during every conversation, I kept getting the feeling he was holding something back. That he wasn't telling me everything." He reached over and gave me a scoop of his Cherry Garcia. "I was right."

My stomach fell as I swallowed. "He told Kate more than we already thought?"

He shook his head. "No, no. But he was holding back a trump card. Today I pulled out the big guns and told him I would make sure he would never get another client in this city again. Told him he would be ruined, even if he still retained his license. He squirmed and sweated before offering up the nail in Kate's coffin."

"What did he give you?"

He pulled out a flash drive from his pocket, dangling it between his fingers with a huge grin on his face. "It seems Jenks is not only slimy, but he's also quite the creepy pervert. He said he set it up because he didn't trust Kate, but he probably just recorded their meetings so he could get off on them later."

Recorded their meetings?

"But we already knew they met and he talked. I don't understand why you're so happy."

"Because, my dear, Eleazar and his slutty daughter would likely give most anything to keep the tabloids from seeing her going to town on Jenks' tiny dick."

I clapped my hand over my mouth when I realized what he was saying.

"Oh, my God! He taped her and him...together?"

He nodded. "Yep."

I shivered. It was one thing to think about those two having sex, it was another thing to know there was video of it.

Ewww.

"So, the time has come. I already had enough before this to force Eleazar to leave us alone, but this is the cherry on top." He took my hand and rubbed his thumb over my skin. "I set up a meeting with him on Monday."

I nodded slowly, trying not to be nervous. It seemed like Edward had everything he needed to come out on top, but it still made me anxious.

After Esme's harsh words to Kate at the Halloween function, Eleazar had laid into Carlisle. He screamed, threatened, and asked what in the hell was going on. Carlisle had taken it—at Edward's request—not letting on to the fact anything had changed. Eleazar was livid, but backed off when Carlisle lied and said Esme was dealing with some medical issues and hadn't been feeling well that day.

I moved around the counter to stand between his legs and put my arms around his neck. "Your dad's going with you, right?"

"Yes." He kissed me and rubbed my belly. "This is all going to be over in a few days."

I couldn't wait.

~~~*~~~NOP~~~*~~~

We were up early the next morning for another OB visit. Edward was like a kid on Christmas morning, hurrying me up and pulling me out to the car.

At twenty weeks, we were finally finding out the sex.

Our baby had been shy during our last appointment, not cooperating enough for Dr. Nash to be able to discern the gender.

The shyness trait definitely didn't come from Edward's side. He had no modesty at all.

He leaned over, addressing my belly. "You're going to be good for Daddy, aren't you? I'll buy you a pony if you wave at us in your pictures today."

I shook my head. "You are not buying the baby a pony. Don't you remember Gone With the Wind?"

He frowned at me and shook his head.

"Well, Rhett bought their little girl a pony, and she fell off of it and died. No ponies allowed."

"She died? What the fuck?" He ran his hand through his hair and blew out a gust of air. "I must have blocked that shit out. Okay. No fucking way am I buying a pony."

I chuckled and grabbed his hand before he had his hair standing up in all directions. It took awhile to get him calmed down, but he was almost back to normal when we pulled in front of the office.

After getting through the routine tests, Dr. Nash came in to do the ultrasound.

"Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Cullen. So, today's the big day!"

She sounded almost as excited as Edward.

We both greeted her in return, Edward fidgeting in his chair until I gave him a look. I was a little afraid he would blurt out for the doctor to hurry her ass up.

I smiled when the sound of our baby's heartbeat echoed through the room and kept my eyes on Dr. Nash's face as she watched the screen.

She turned and smiled at us. "Okay, are you ready?"

"Yes!" Edward's face was practically smashed to the screen while he gripped my hand.

"You're having a boy!" She started pointing out various parts.

I glanced from the screen over to Edward's face. He was literally beaming.

"A boy," he said softly. He watched for another minute before leaning in to kiss me. "We're having a boy."

I brushed his cheek and smiled. His reactions were always the best part of these visits.

He turned back toward the screen, his lips curving into a smirk. "He takes after me."

"That's an arm," Dr. Nash corrected with a chuckle.

I covered my face with my hands, my cheeks burning flames while she pointed out everything to Edward again. He wasn't even phased, lapping up her every word.

Soon after, we were loaded up in the car again, stocked with pictures and information about deciding our birth plan. I couldn't believe how the time was flying by. It seemed like only yesterday we'd found out I was pregnant at all. Now we were going to have to decide about how we wanted the delivery to go.

Edward was quiet as Felix drove off, watching the city outside the window, and I squeezed his hand.

"Hey, are you okay?"

He faced me, bringing my hand up to his mouth for a kiss. "I'm just letting it all sink in. Sometimes it's hard for me to believe."

"What's hard to believe?"

"That you're here with me. That you married me and we're having a baby." He paused and placed our clasped hands over his heart. "Do you have any idea how happy you make me?"

I did know. He showed me every day, and I felt the same way about him. But it was different hearing the actual words come out of his mouth. It made me feel warm, kind of like after drinking a mug of hot chocolate.

Warm...all the way down to my toes.

I answered him with a kiss that lasted until we got home.

~~~*~~~NOP~~~*~~~

I was lying in bed, unable to sleep the next morning, thinking over the day before. Edward was curled around me, his chest pressing against my back with every rise and fall of his breath while he slept.

I smothered the giggles bubbling up at him finding a way to fit himself on one of these pregnancy pillows with me.

He was right about taking the time to appreciate this whirlwind we'd been through together. To really step back and take note of how lucky I was he was in my life.

He'd given me everything I ever wanted, and today of all days was the perfect day to be thankful for it.

For him.

My alarm beeped, and I reached to shut it off before it woke him up. His arm tightened around me when I tried to get up, but I eventually managed to get out of his grasp.

I took a quick shower and headed downstairs to help Hannah with the cooking, not surprised to find her already in the kitchen with Max by her side. The countertops were full of pans and bowls.

"Wow, you've been at it for awhile."

She looked up and smiled. "I love Thanksgiving. This will be the first one in a long time that we've had so many people around."

I put some water in the kettle for tea and set it on the stove to heat. "So Edward usually spent his holidays alone?"

"Either that or he would take a business trip this time of year." She gave me a sad smile.

My heart ached and my gut twisted thinking about him being so lonely. Maybe he'd been even lonelier than me during the holidays.

At least I'd had Alice.

Hannah and I worked together, dressing the turkey, making side dishes and desserts, chattering away as the morning flew by. Edward appeared a few hours later, freshly showered and dapper in his sweater and jeans.

He made a beeline for me, kissing my neck while I had my hands buried elbow deep in a mixing bowl.

"Good morning."

I wiggled and giggled from his teasing touches. "Good morning to you too."

"Do you know how hot you look with an apron on?"

I laughed and tried to push him away with my hip. "You're distracting me."

"Excellent. Mission accomplished. Now let's go back upstairs."

"No. You need to take Max on a walk."

He groaned and sent a glare at our dog, who was currently running in circles from hearing the word 'walk'.

"If you're a good boy, I'll give you a treat later."

He hummed against my skin. "Oh, really?"

I turned my head to give him a smile over my shoulder. "I was talking to Max."

"That was mean." He grumbled and whined on his way toward the door, Hannah and I laughing in his wake.

As much as he pretended disdain for our dog, I knew he had a soft spot for him. I would catch him throwing toys for Max to chase or rubbing his belly when he thought nobody was watching.

In fact, when they came back inside, Edward was talking about moving out of the city again.

Bigger house. More space.

"I think I may have found a nice place. Do you want to go take a look in a couple days?" He sat on a stool, watching Hannah and I finish up our cooking.

"Sure. Where is it?"

"Greenwich."

"Is that close to your parents?"

He nodded and dipped his finger in the frosting. "Pretty close."

I smacked his hand away, shooing him off to answer the door when the bell rang.

Within an hour, everyone had arrived. It was nice to see Felix and Alec in a relaxed setting, along with our friends and Edward's parents.

Esme walked in to give both Hannah and me a big hug.

"How are your allergies?" I was worried she wouldn't be able to tolerate being around Max.

She waved me off. "No big deal. I took some medicine before I left home."

Edward helped out, making sure everyone had drinks and introducing those who didn't already know each other. I smiled every time he pulled out the baby ultrasound pictures and revealed we were having a boy.

Before we ate, I took Esme, Jane, Alice, and Rose upstairs to check out the nursery Edward and I had been remodeling in the bedroom next to ours.

"I thought you and Edward were thinking about moving?" Jane asked.

I nodded. "We are. But even if we do, we're keeping this place. Edward wants to have a house in the city. Also, we wouldn't be moving until after the baby's born anyway."

After they'd had their fill of oohing and ahhing over the baby things, we all made it back downstairs, the twelve of us squeezing in around the dining room table.

It was so different from all the holidays of my past. It was loud, happy, the room so full of conversation and food and activity, I wanted to remember it forever.

Or at least repeat it as much as possible.

Even Edward was all smiles. I tried to keep up with everyone talking to me, but it was hard to not keep peeking over at him, wondering what was going on in his head. I knew he enjoyed his space, but it also seemed like he was truly enjoying himself being surrounded by everyone close to us.

All of them stayed through the afternoon, collapsing on couches and watching football with full stomachs. I curled up next to Edward and shut my eyes for awhile myself.

One thing that wasn't brought up all day was the looming meeting with Eleazar...at least not until Carlisle and Esme were saying their goodbyes. I walked with them to the door, Carlisle pulling me in for a hug.

"Thank you for today, Bella. It means a lot to be here like this."

"It meant a lot to us, too. I appreciate you coming."

"Everything will be okay on Monday. I promise," he whispered in my ear before pulling away.

I gave him a smile. It was hard to believe Carlisle's promises, but it was obvious he was trying to be the father now he should have always been.

I was exhausted by the time everyone left for the night, but luckily Alice, Rose, and Jane all pitched in to help clean up the kitchen while the guys straightened up the rest of the downstairs.

Edward towed me up the stairs after they were gone, giving me kisses while he stripped off our clothes.

"I've been wanting to have a private giving of thanks all day long."

I laughed, settling back with my head on a pillow and enjoying his kisses. "Did you have a good time, though?"

He lifted his head, his eyes soft and his hair messy. "Yeah, I did. More than I thought I would." He moved down kissing my belly a few times. "It was nice having everyone around." He pushed my legs apart and smirked at me. "But I'm glad they're gone now."

Before I could even call him a pervert, his fingers had me clutching the sheets. He knew exactly where and how to touch me.

I twisted and turned, a moaning mess even before his tongue joined the party. He was teasing, bringing me close and then slowing down and telling me I couldn't come yet.

"Edward, please."

He flicked his tongue over me and then blew air until I trembled. "You're so close, baby. Do you want to come?"

"Yesss."

Please.

He pushed his fingers inside me, curling them and using his mouth at the same time. It didn't take long before I came hard, gripping his head with my thighs as I tingled all over.

He was hovering over me with a grin when I finally opened my eyes again, and I pushed him to lay down on his back.

"My turn," I said.

His eyes were honed on me, his hands gripping my hips as I moved to straddle him. "You are so fucking sexy when you ride my cock."

My stomach flipped, but I was too preoccupied to blush from his dirty talk, wanting him inside me immediately. I stroked him a couple times before taking him in completely.

"Ahhh." I couldn't even form words.

That moment when he first filled me was so amazing. Every single time.

He scooted back, taking me with him, until he was reclining against the headboard. I held myself steady by grabbing his shoulders, slowly moving myself up and down, swiveling and grinding.

"That feels good." He leaned forward, taking one of my nipples in his mouth.

He was right. It felt really good.

I lost myself in the movement, in feeling his fingers gripping and his breath panting against my skin.

"Baby, fuck." His hands held me tighter, using his strength to move me faster.

I knew he was close. Just as he could decipher my every response, I was also well aware of his.

His hips thrust up as I came down, each impact of our bodies filling the room with the sounds of our slapping skin. When his thumb moved around to stroke me, I came apart again.

He pulled me forward, pressing my body tight to his and kissing me hard, pumping and pulsing inside me while following with his own release.

I was an exhausted, limp noodle as I slipped off him. He spooned me, kissing my sweaty temple.

"I love you so much."

I smiled into my pillow, reaching back to run my fingers through his hair. "I love you, too."

He quieted down, wrapping his arms around me and sighing in my hair. I thought he'd fallen asleep eventually, but was surprised to hear his soft words break through the silence.

"I don't know what I'd do without you."

I snuggled back into him and gripped the covers, seeking any warmth I could find. I didn't know why, but a cold shiver crept up my spine.

AN: Those intuitive feelings are usually right. At least according to Alec…

What do you think will happen with Eleazar and Kate? Do you have any favorite boy names you want to suggest for Baby Cullen?

Thank you all so much for reading, reviewing, and letting me know your thoughts. I appreciate you all very much!

Find me on facebook at Twilover Seven-six – I try to put up pictures and a teaser for coming chapters in the NOP group.

Find me on twitter at twilover76

Fic Recs:

Caught Looking by marvar…sigh, I love this Edward!

The Slowest Burn by TypoKween

Shelter by moirae