Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of the characters.

A/N: Thanks to katmom and Angelinia, who beta this story.

Chapter Twenty-Four

After the Books

"Wow," Bella said, putting the book on the table. They were now on even footing... Edward no longer knew more than she did about their future.

"I know," Edward said.

"So much happened in those books," Bella said and Edward nodded his head. "It's a lot to process."

"Well, then you'll be happy to take the ten minute trip to our house," a voice said from behind them and Bella turned to see that Alice was now standing in the living room. "You don't know how long I've been waiting for you to get finished."

"Alice, I don't think..." Edward started to say.

"I'm not going to listen to anything you have to say," Alice huffed. "You've been hoarding Bella all to yourself for the last four days. It's time to share her."

"Alice," Edward grumbled, he always hated when she talked about Bella like this.

"I don't know if I really want to talk about all of this in front of everyone," Bella mumbled.

"And I understand that, but this is something that will affect our entire family," Alice pouted. "Don't you think you should at least let us be there?"

"Don't listen to her, she's just been really upset that you decided to put off reading the books for so long because she couldn't see what was going to happen," Edward interrupted his sister, who was now making a face at him.

"Well, it is frustrating not knowing what you're going to decide," Alice said, turning back to Bella and now pouting again. "But I suppose if you don't want to talk with us..."

Bella knew what Alice was doing, but it didn't stop the manipulating factor of the little vampire one bit. "Fine, we'll come over to your house, but I have to make dinner for Charlie first..."

"I've already taken care of that, I called Charlie and asked if you could stay over tonight," Alice beamed and Bella looked at her incredulously and Edward rolled his eyes. "I've already packed for you too..." she added holding up a bag that had all the things that Bella would think about bringing with her.

"Alice," Bella groaned.

"Come on... we can go in my car," Alice said talking Bella's hand and about ten minutes later Bella was at the Cullens' house, being greeted warmly by everyone. Bella was happy when Alice didn't immediately start questioning her about her plans for the future, but was allowed to eat the food that Esme made for her. She had to admit, that even though it had only been four days since she'd been there, she had missed seeing them. Everything felt a little different though, somehow after reading the book; she felt even more a part of the family than she had before. She watched as everyone seemed to be going about their normal daily life, actually normal (for them) and she smiled how natural it felt to be here. After she finished eating, Alice called a family meeting and Bella started to feel anxious again. She didn't really know what was going to happen here.

"So, as everyone knows, Bella has finally read the books," Alice said once everyone took their seats. "So now we're going to have to discuss what is going to happen now."

"Well, obviously there are plenty of things in this book that both could never happen and that we would like to prevent from happening," Edward said, holding on to Bella's hand, hoping that she would relax soon and participate in this conversation. He really was dying to know what she was thinking.

"Yeah, we took care of most of the things that are threatening to Bella already," Emmett said, looking almost regretful of this fact.

"There will be no newborn army or any other attack from Victoria," Jasper agreed. "And if Edward never leaves..."

"Which I assure you will never happen," Edward said, looking Bella in the eyes.

"I know, Edward," Bella smiled at him.

"Or goes to Italy," Jasper went on like he was never interrupted, the mention of Italy had made everyone in the room look tense, but again Jasper ignored it (though obviously he could feel what his words did to everyone). "Then the Volturi will have no reason to come here."

"We'll have to make sure that doesn't happen," Esme said.

"As long as we live the way that we do, there shouldn't be any reason for them to come here," Carlisle assured her.

"So the major issues we have to still deal with is about you, little sister," Emmett smiled.

"Most noticeably the wolves," Rosalie said, she voice filled with disdain.

"Especially Jacob," Edward said, looking at Bella. "Do you know what you're going to do about him yet?"

"No," Bella said. "I think I'm going to have to talk to him... I don't even know if he is a wolf yet..."

"He is," Alice informed her with a grimace. "He has been getting foggier and foggier for me to see the last few weeks, but he completely disappeared soon after you had decided to read the books. I wondered what the connection to that was."

"I might have reacted a little rashly to a thought Jacob had," Edward said. "He nearly transformed right in front of us... but he was just able to keep himself together."

"I probably should have called him before now..." Bella sighed, thinking about how her friend might be hurting now.

"He's probably still dealing with the transformation now," Carlisle said reasonably, "he needs his brother wolves more than anything else at the moment."

"So when you said you reacted rashly... what does that mean, Eddie?" Emmett asked, with a chuckle. "What did the pup say or do that made you react rashly?"

"He thought Bella was beautiful," Edward mumbled.

"So you think he likes little Bella," Emmett said trying to disguise his amusement in this.

"We so don't need to go through any of that drama again," Rosalie groaned. "It probably would be best if you just let him go as a friend."

"Sorry, Rose, but you're not exactly the person that I would go to when I'm talking about my friendship with Jake. But you're right, I can't let any of that drama happen this time," Bella said and Rosalie nodded at that.

"So, what are you going to do?" Jasper asked.

"I think it's best that Jacob knows what happened between us in these books," Bella said. "I was thinking the best way to do that is if I gave him New Moon and Eclipse."

"Really... you're willing to let more people read your thoughts?" Edward asked, amused but a little sad too.

"It's the best way for him to understand," Bella sighed, making a face as if to say that she really didn't like the idea of anyone reading the books about her.

"And what about Breaking Dawn?" Esme questioned. "Don't you think it would be best if he knows that in the end everything works out... that the pain that he would have suffered was worth it?"

"Hopefully if he reads the other books then nothing will have a chance to develop between me and him other than the friendship we already have," Bella said.

"And you don't want the mutt knowing that he's going to imprint on your daughter," Rosalie said, her voice was bitter until she said 'your daughter' which came out as very sweet and contrasted very much with the tone of the rest of the sentence.

"I'm not sure what I want to do about that," Bella admitted bowing her head. "Sometime I'm feeling just as mad as I did the first time I read it, and I don't want anything to do with that whole mess. And other times... it seems like Renesmee really likes having him around and it seems wrong to deny that bond... I don't really understand it, but at the same time I know it's powerful..."

"Argh!" Rosalie groaned at that. "Keep the mutt away as long as possible I say!"

"Come on, he wasn't so bad," Emmett chuckled and Rosalie glared at him.

She, however, turned back to Bella with a smile that made her normally cold features warm up. "Still, this means that you are planning on having Renesmee!"

Bella smiled at that, though she could feel her checks warm a little as all the vampires looked at her hopefully. "Of course I'm going to have Renesmee."

"Or at least we're going to try to have her," Edward said, feeling overly proud at the moment.

"Strictly speaking of genetics, something might happen and a different outcome may come about," Carlisle felt the need to supply.

"I really hope that doesn't happen," Bella frowned, and everyone nodded their head in agreement, they would all regret not being able to really get to know the little girl they had read about in the last book... Naturally that didn't mean that they wouldn't love any child that was born to Edward and Bella, it would just be sad.

"Which means that you're going to have to try and keep you're... er... physically relationship," Carlisle said, and Bella blushed worse than ever as Emmett laughed, "as close to the book as possible."

"Which means no F..."

"Emmett!" Esme reprimanded him before he could even finish his sentence, but that didn't stop him from smirking at Edward.

"That's okay," Edward said casually, "I still have old fashioned values."

Emmett frowned at that response, but quickly turned to Bella, the grin back in place, and said, "Which means you're going to have to marry him as long as he thinks that way."

Bella rolled her eyes, "I can live with that."

"Aw... that's not fair, you two aren't nearly as fun as you were in the book," Emmett pouted. However, Esme was beaming at Bella's comment and there was a look in Alice's eyes that told Bella that she was already planning for this wedding, and trying to make it even better than the one in the book.

Hm...I've never had such a challenge before, I have to outdo myself! Alice thought excitedly at that and Edward rolled his eyes.

"There are a few things that have to happen before that day... for instance I still have to ask Bella to marry me, which I'm not allowed to do until after New Years," Edward said to Esme and Alice, but neither one of them paid too much attention to that, they knew it was going to happen.

"I think that's the main issues that we needed to talk about," Alice smiled.

"Um... we didn't really talk about anything... or at least I didn't decide anything," Bella mumbled, still thinking about the Jacob issue and what was going to happen with that.

"Really, I have all the answers I wanted," Alice said, and Edward rolled his eyes again.

"I think what has been said is all that we, as a family, need to discuss," Carlisle said peacefully.

It seemed that was the end of the family meeting and Alice had dragged Bella away. Before she knew what happened, Alice had made plans for them to go shopping tomorrow, her pleas that she had to see Jacob were over written by the sound reason that he didn't need to deal with this while he was still getting used to the transformation. Bella knew that Alice was right, but right now she really wished she could talk to Jacob, because as the way things stood right now, that was the only uneasy part of her life.

Bella wasn't sure if she was still going to be able to be friends with Jacob. She wasn't sure if Jacob was really starting to think of her in that way or if Edward had just picked up some stray and innocent thought. She knew she wasn't going to let what happened in the book happen in real life, so talking with Jacob was the only way to find that out. The worst part was she knew she wouldn't really have an answer to that until after Jacob read the books she was going to give him, because before then he wouldn't really know what the problem was, so she was going to have to wait even longer.

Still, she put that out of her mind as she climbed into Edward's bed, the bed that had always been there since she had first come to Edward's house. She now realized it looked like the one described in Eclipse. She smiled at this as she rested her head against Edward's chest.

"So how do you feel now?" Edward questioned softly.

"I'm happy," Bella said. "Especially now that we're on even footing. I suppose we're just going to have to wait and see what is going to come into our lives now... hoping the good things won't change, but we're able to prevent the painful things."

"To me, it seems that like everything is really starting now," Edward said. "The future the book promised for us is that much closer to being real now."

"Sorry, I made you wait so long," Bella frowned as she looked at him. "I didn't know..."

"Bella, you silly girl, you have nothing to apologize for," Edward smiled at her, "don't think that I regret living in the present with you one bit. I love getting to know you... I'm glad that we grew closer together without you feeling any pressure about the looming future. In fact, a part of me might have liked to have not known what was in these books until right now either. That way we could have been warned and surprised about everything that will happen together.

"Still, I know it was better this way," he added thoughtfully, "for I believe that I was able to meet you without having any regret. I knew that I wasn't taking you away from your life, but giving you the one that you were always meant to have."

"I'm glad you read these books too, if that was what it did for you," Bella smiled and Edward looked down at her with a breathtaking smile. Bella ducked her head down and rested it on his chest again.

"Is something wrong?" Edward asked, his voice full of concern before he could feel the heat that was coming off her cheek and he started to chuckle. "What is it, Bella?"

Bella was silent for awhile, but she could feel in the way that Edward played with her hair that he was dying to know what she was thinking about. She sighed, knowing how much it pained him not knowing what she was thinking, especially when she blushed like this. In barely a whisper she said, "It's just... when you look at me like that, it makes me want to skip ahead... it makes me want to have my happily ever after right now."

"Oh," Edward said, feeling smug and yet wary at once. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, you can't help it," Bella smiled against his chest.

"What do you mean by that exactly?" Edward questioned.

"Everything is right," Bella sighed. "The way it sounds like when I was a vampire... the way it seemed to be natural to me... the way our relationship evolved as soon as I was like you... I want all of that."

"Anything else?" Edward chuckled.

"Of course, I want to get to know our daughter," Bella said. "I was terrified of the prospect of having a child at my age, but that doesn't stop me wanting her to exist now..."

"There's nothing I can do about that," Edward said, "only time will let us have that..."

"I know," Bella sighed, "but that doesn't stop me from wanting it all now... or..." she added, sitting up, her cheeks were now bright red, "for wanting you right now."

"Bella," Edward said softly, "that's not..."

"Because you want to protect my virtue..." Bella guessed.

"That's part of the reason," Edward smiled, "and the other part, of course, is that right now I don't think I am physically able to handle that. No… listen to me..." he added, for Bella looked like she was about to protest, "every day it is easy for me to be around you. Every day the power your scent has on my worst side loosens a little. And as long as that is true, I know I'm not ready to be that way with you..."

"And what if the day of our honeymoon comes and you still feel this way?" Bella questioned.

"We'll have to deal with that when the time comes, but honestly I don't think you have to worry," Edward said. "The change from day to day, the hunger is fading quickly... I would think in about another few months I will feel more comfortable about this."

"Okay," Bella said. "So that means in a few months... um... we might be able to try... um... I mean you could just... er... use a condom..." her voice because softer and softer as she spoke until it was once again barely a whisper.

Edward let out a sigh at this, and said in a grave voice, "I asked Carlisle about this" Bella's face became a deeper shade of red at that... "And he said that he wasn't sure if that would do anything for me... he thinks that because I'm a vampire that it would... well, that it would be useless if I tried to use one."

"Oh," Bella sighed a little disappointed.

"I know," Edward agreed. "I was hoping for a different answer myself."

"He wasn't sure... or their might be something else that might work," Bella muttered, knowing it was useless.

"I don't want to risk never meeting Renesmee because I couldn't want another few months," Edward said frowning.

"You're right," Bella sighed once more and rested her head on his chest again. "But that just brings me back to my original point."

"That you can't wait until you transform," Edward supplied.

"Exactly," Bella agreed, "but I suppose being in the present with you won't be too horrible," she added as an afterthought and it made her smile. Yes, she wanted her life to really get started, but that didn't mean there weren't things that she could enjoy doing in the meantime.

"That's good to know," Edward chuckled and soon after that Bella went to sleep.

A/N: So I know this chapter is short, but seeing as I'm going to have another chapter on Friday, it should be okay. Anyway, I hoped you liked what happened in this chapter and the next one will deal with the Jacob issue. Oh, and I know I've been posting twice a week for a while now, but this is the last time, I'll be posting something on Friday and the next update will be the Friday after that.