Chapter 5: Bad Habits and Crazy Cravings
*6 WEEKS LATER (3 months pregnant)*
I still hadn't gotten used to waking up. Over the last six weeks I'd been sleeping more and more which in turn meant I'd been waking up more and more. And yet, still, every time it felt like a completely alien experience. What was the point in going to sleep and waking up feeling like you just wanted to go back to sleep again?
On this particular day, I woke up from my afternoon nap snuggled up to Jasper on the couch. He always stayed with me whilst I slept; he said he liked watching me because it was "cute" and I liked any excuse to be wrapped up in his strong arms! I yawned and looked up at Jasper. He smiled down at me. "Good sleep?"
I nodded and snuggled further into his warmth. "I'm still tired though."
Bella handed me a cup of tea - which I'd found myself becoming addicted to over the past few weeks - and I smiled lazily as I snuggled even deeper into Jasper and took a sip of the tea. I could feel sleep taking over me already in the comfort of Jasper's arms. My hand started to droop as I lost consciousness and the tea came dangerously close to spilling. Jasper corrected the cup with lightning reflexes. "Darlin', if you fall asleep and spill that on me-"
"I won't." I promised. "I'm awake."
"You're eyes are closed." Jasper pointed out.
"No they're..." I opened my eyes, "Oh."
Jasper looked at me with a knowing look. I'd been falling asleep a lot recently. If Jasper and I were cuddled up together, nine times out of ten I'd wake up a few hours later in the same position. Jasper never complained, never moved or left me; he just lay with me and played with my hair or stroked my cheek. I knew because sometimes I woke up without him realising and he carried on doing it. Sometimes I'd pretend to still be asleep for several minutes after waking up, just so I could stay there in his arms in peace.
I hardly seemed to have time for anything anymore; what with having to sleep, eat, and hunt - it left hardly any time for shopping! We were moving house soon, which meant that there would be lose of furniture to buy, rooms to decorate, and packing to do! I'd stayed off of school for the last six weeks, since we found out about the pregnancy, but Carlisle wants us all to start school again in the new place - though I'm not sure why as I won't exactly blend in with a giant pregnancy bump, will I? He said Renesmee's allowed to go to public school after we move, acting as our adopted younger sister. She's thrilled with the idea, but I can't say I'm equally happy about going back to school; it's just one more thing that'll take up my time! It's all part of blending in, according to Carlisle. He said I can drop out when I'm further along. A high school drop out, eighteen and pregnant - who would have thought it of Dr Carlisle Cullen's daughter?
Tomorrow, I'd be 13 weeks pregnant and officially in my second trimester. It was a scary thought that I was already one third of the way towards having my baby! I'd wanted to have a 'End-of-the-first-trimester' party, but everyone had told me to dream on. To be fair to them, I had been suggesting parties at every opportunity.
"Do you want something to eat, Darlin'?" Jasper asked. I hadn't been hungry before, but now that he'd mentioned eating I found that I was starving.
"Mmm." I said.
"Cookies and cream pop tarts?" Bella, Jasper, and I said in unison. I stared at them, wondering how on earth they'd known what I was going to say.
"That's what you always ask for after you wake up." Bella told me. When I thought about it, she was right. I always seemed to crave them right after sleeping. Bella grabbed the box from the cupboard and took out two pop tarts. "We need to buy some more of these; you've been eating them non-stop!"
I smiled innocently at her and she rolled her eyes. She put the pop tarts in the toaster and I watched as they began to cook. I'd finished my tea by this point, and she took the cup from me, replacing it with the plate of pop tarts. I swear, the way I was treated in this house, being pregnant was like being royalty! I made short work of polishing off the pop tarts and Bella took my plate away again.
"Alice, are you ready?" Carlisle asked, coming into the living room.
"Yep." I said, unwrapping myself from Jasper's arms. He rose with me and followed me as I headed up to Carlisle's study. All the equipment was already there for my ultrasound scan. I lay down on Carlisle's examination table and lifted my shirt up so he could spread the gel on my stomach. In the last six weeks I'd had loads of scans that I didn't really need, but it was just so cute to watch our baby start to take shape on the screen in front of us!
The picture came onto the screen next to me and I looked across at our baby. Carlisle smiled at the screen. He pointed to part of the baby, "You see where that's it's head?" I nodded, and Carlisle pointed again, "It's sucking it's thumb."
I stared at the screen; it could do that? I looked at the shape on screen; my baby, sucking it's little thumb. If I could cry, I would be. Jasper looked the same as he squeezed my hand absentmindedly. I looked at him, but his eyes were solely on the screen. On his child, our child.
We sat for a long time before we could tear our eyes away from the sight. Carlisle printed off the picture for us and I planned to add it to my growing collection. Before I put it away in the shoebox with the others, I bounced downstairs to show Bella.
"It's sucking it's thumb, see!" I said, pointing it out to her.
"That's so cute!" Bella said. Edward appeared and leaned over her shoulder to see the picture.
"That's a bad habit." He commented. I glared at him.
"Who asked you?" I asked. He raised an eyebrow and disappeared. I turned to Jasper, "It's sweet, right?"
"Of course he'll think it's sweet - it's his baby!" Edward called from upstairs. I glared in the general direction of his voice. What did he know?
"It's very sweet." Jasper said, kissing the top of my head as he looked down at the picture. Rose and Emmett came in, hand in hand naturally, and I grinned at them.
"Wanna see a picture?" I asked.
"Is it another one of your uterus because I think we've seen enough of those." Emmett said, pulling a face.
"Shut up Emmett, of course we want to see it!" Rosalie said, elbowing Emmett in the ribs. She came over and looked at the picture. "Oh look! It's sucking it's thumb! That's so cute, oh Alice!"
"I know!" I said with a grin.
"How can it suck it's thumb, it's a blob!" Emmett said. Rosalie, Bella, Jasper, and I all turned to glare at Emmett.
"It's a baby!" Bella said, "With little toes and fingers - and thumbs!"
Emmett squinted at the picture, "If you say so."
"You are so hopeless Emmett!" Rose said, giving Emmett a gentle shove. He staggered backwards as if he'd been shot. Rosalie rolled her eyes and took his hand before disappearing upstairs.
I pinned the photo on the fridge so I could show Esme when she got home, and then went in search of pop tarts. There were none left. I turned to Bella, "Where are the-"
"I told you, we need to buy more!" Bella told me. A look of horror settled on my face. No pop tarts?
"Come on, Jazz." I said, taking his hand and pulling him towards the door.
"Where are we going?" He asked.
"Shopping!" I said. I think the 'duh' was implied.
I saw Jasper throw a 'save me' look at Bella, but she just laughed and shook her head. Then we were outside and heading towards my canary yellow Porsche. I started the engine as Jasper shut the passenger side door. I glanced into the back seat that was hardly ever used.
"Thank god it's a four seater; I don't think I could give this car up to get a new one for the baby." I said. Jasper laughed.
"We've been through a lot with this car." He agreed and I grinned at him. I sped away from the house and he frowned, "Although we may have to think about road safety if we've got our baby in the car."
"Please; vampires have perfect driving!" I said, "Besides, even if we did crash, it's not like the baby would be hurt, is it?"
Jasper gave me a look. "That's not the point, is it?"
I shrugged. I didn't see what the point was then. I pulled up outside the grocery store and climbed gracefully out. Jasper walked by my side as we entered the store. I headed straight for the isle where I knew the pop tarts would be, picking up a basket on the way. I chucked four boxes of Cookies and creme pop tarts into the basket. I was about to turn away when a new flavor caught my eye; Hot fudge sunday pop tarts. I threw three boxes into the basket with the others. Jasper raised an eyebrow at me but I just shrugged and started towards the checkouts.
Halfway there, I caught a delicious scent. I turned sharply in the direction of the scent and followed my nose to the frozen foods section. Frozen corn dogs. As soon as I saw them I knew I had to have them; my whole body was madly craving them. Pregnancy did weird things to you, I could tell you that for sure! I picked up a couple of boxes and added them to my basket.
While I was here I might as well get some other stuff in; by the time I made it to the checkouts my basket was brimming full. I'd added alphabet soup, mini cheddars, a box of eggs, and gravy granules - to name a few of the things I started craving as I walked around the store. Yep, pregnancy really did do weird things to you.
Jasper handed over the money before I had a chance to pay for myself - as he always did whenever I went shopping - and took all my bags for me. He put my food in the backseat and we drove away from the store. I stopped halfway down the road. "I didn't get any skittles."
Jasper rolled his eyes as I performed an illegal U-turn and drove back to the store in search of skittles. It had started to get dark when we finally made it back to the house. Esme and Renesmee had returned from their trip to the park before us and they were both cooing over the picture on the fridge. Jasper set my shopping bags on the counter and I scooped Renesmee up into my arms. "I got you some skittles, Nessie."
"Sour ones?" She asked. I nodded and put her down so I could search through the bag for them. I chucked them to her and she caught them expertly. "Love you Aunty Alice!"
"Not till after dinner." Bella told her, and Renesmee pouted. We'd been working on our pouts together, and we could get almost any food out of Bella by now. Not today though; Bella wasn't budging. She just kept saying, "After dinner."
"Why?" Renesmee moaned.
"Because I said so, that's why!" Bella said.
"That is such a mom thing to say!" I said, "I am never going to say that to my child."
Bella just gave me that same knowing look she gave me every time I said something like that. The kind of look that said "We'll see."
It was an annoying look, to say the least. I was going to open my own packet of skittles there and then, just to show Bella, but it wouldn't be fair on Renesmee so I held back. I could wait until after dinner! "Bella, can we have dinner now?"
"What did you buy?" She asked.
"I was supposed to buy dinner?" I asked, my eyes widening slightly. Bella rolled her eyes.
"It would have been helpful." She said.
"Umm..." I rummaged through the bag full of miss-matched items that I'd been craving. None of it would make a good meal, unless pop tarts and gravy started tasting good together. I doubted it. "Hey, didn't we get a takeout menu the other day?"
"Yeah! Takeout! Takeout!" Renesmee cried. Bella frowned at me.
"More junk food?" She scolded. I didn't answer her; I just grabbed the menu and the phone and started deciding what to order.
After eating, Renesmee was sent to bed. Jasper and I followed soon after, because I was tired as usual. Sleep washed over me quickly, and the last thing I remembered was Jasper telling me he loved me before my eyes closed and sleep took over.
So, loads of people asked me to skip forward a bit so I did...hope you liked it! :) Thanks to everyone who's reviewed or added this to their favourites/follows! :):):)
Massive thanks to ChiiaLupinHale who has offered to translate this fic into Spanish!
Next update soon! :):)