Disclaimer: It all belongs to SM. I only own the story line and whatever future characters decide to pop up.

A/N: I want to give a special thanks to MADMAMABEAR: for being my Beta, thank you so much for working with me on my story. It really means a lot to me. Luv Ya!

Please read and review, fave and follow. Love to hear from all of you, YOU GUYS SO ROCK!

WARNING!:

Mild Lemon/Limes in this chapter maybe too graphic for anyone under the age of 18. If you are under age stop here, if not, continue.

What Could Have Been

CHAPTER 16

Morning came and I awoke to find Jacob missing from our bed. I got up and put on my robe then went across to Emily's room and knocked on the door.

"Do you know where Jacob is?" I asked.

Emily didn't know and we woke Rachel and we all three began the hunt for my wolf boy. We searched outside and downstairs but no Jake. His car and motorcycle were here; so where was he? Rachel said not to worry, that we would find him. She went back upstairs to check on our new bundles. She came back downstairs in a hurry.

"Bella?! Em?! Come here! You have to see this!"

Back upstairs we all collected at the nursery doorway. There was the sweetest sight; Jacob was sleeping in the rocker, holding the twins. They were so still and they all looked so comfortable and precious. Em gently lifted Joey as Rachel picked up Christi. They didn't even twitch as they were placed back into their crib. Jake's arms only held to them for a moment before he smiled and opened his eyes as I placed a soft kiss on his lips.

"Hey there sleepy head. How long have you been in here?"

"Umm...I guess since two a.m. I woke up when I heard them fussing a little. I came in to see if they were hungry but it seems all they wanted was for me to hold them. So I picked them up and started rocking. We must have fallen asleep in the chair."

"You three looked so cute sitting there together. If you're tired still you can go back to bed for awhile."

"Nah, I'm good, babe. I got enough sleep."

"Okay then, let's go down and have breakfast."

"Sounds good, honey."

Jake 'let' me pull him up out of the chair and we went downstairs to the kitchen for our first feed of the day. Em and Rachel had gone ahead and had breakfast waiting. They even had bottles of breast milk warming to take up for me. Rachel went over to Jake and kissed him on the cheek.

"What was that for?"

"For being the cutest little brother a girl could have!"

"Okay, so I'm cute. Is that all it takes to gain me a kiss from my sweet sister?"

"No, silly! It's because you are a good daddy and I am proud of you!"

"Thanks Rach," Jake said with a sunny grin.

"He is a cute daddy, isn't he?"

"Yes, he is! Dad would be proud of you Jake; because you took care of them all by yourself without asking for any help. You knew what to do and when to do it. You're awesome Jake!"

"Wow Rach, I think I better go upstairs and take a shower. Maybe the hot water will help shrink my bighead."

I leaned into him and gave Jake a smoldering kiss. "Mmmm...you smell just like a new baby."

"Yeah, I know. They have a unique scent, don't they? They smell like cherry blossoms and cedar trees to me."

"Oh my God! That's the scent I've been smelling from them too!"

We finished eating and Jake got up and kissed me before kissing Rachel on the cheek and hugging Em as he went up the stairs to shower and dress. While he was showering, I came in to brush my teeth.

"Yum, I smell cherry blossoms. I think my honey is in the house."

As he dropped his head to rinse out the shampoo, I opened the shower door and he felt a hand on each side of his butt and then a squeeze.

"Bella? What are you doing? You know we can't have sex for about two months, we have to clear it with the doctor first?"

"But we're not having sex, Jacob. I'm just touching you."

"Yeah, I hear ya, 'just touching', sure, sure. Bells, it's what and how you're touching that's got me worried, as well as turned on more than we'd like."

I moved my hands around to the front of my wolfy man and gently started to stroke his 'special purpose'. I could tell he was having a hard time keeping his hands off of my intimate places so I reminded him that Em and Rachel were probably across the hall in the nursery feeding our children. He groaned softly and I just smiled and continued rubbing and massaging him until he couldn't stop himself from cumming.

His body shook with the force of his release. I held him and softly continued to stroke him through the aftermath, bringing down as slowly as possible. I could tell he was trying to keep quiet so his sister and Emily wouldn't hear. It was next to impossible. He finally moaned and I couldn't stop myself. I pulled his head down and kissed him with a hunger that I knew he had never felt in my kiss before.

He kissed me back with all of the passion he had for me. I could tell he was trying to restrain himself from taking me to our bed. I pulled away and touched his cheek with my hand as I smiled at him with assurances that I was happy and satisfied that he had been taken care of. I stepped out of the shower to dry off and get dressed.

JPOV

I went into the bedroom to get dressed and Bella just kept gazing at my naked body up and down. It was one of the hottest and sexiest looks she'd ever thrown my way. This might be a long two months and a lot of cold showers for me. I couldn't expect her to take care of me like that each and every time I got turned on. Ugh! Help! Bella is so hot when she's being naughty.

Later that morning, my girl heard our babies crying and went into the nursery to feed them. I walked in to see if I could help her when she flashed a breast at me and then Joey was feeding. I felt a spike of jealousy and then my wolf sat up and whined at being left out of the activities.

'Join the club, buddy,' I told him. We would both have to cool our jets as best we could.

I went over and picked up Christi and changed her diaper. It would be awhile before my son was done eating. I took our daughter downstairs to the kitchen to get a couple of water bottles to take upstairs for Bella. Christi cooed at me and then I heard her say, 'I love you Daddy!' inside my head. I stopped in my tracks and gazed down at my little girl. Her big eyes stared at me and her little mouth opened and curled in a sweet baby smile. I was stunned for a moment. My newborn daughter had just spoken to me with a thought from her mind!

As I reentered the nursery; I put the water bottles down on one of the dressers and looked at my baby girl. I held her up nestled to my cheek and whispered, 'I love you too my angel'. Bella had just finished feeding Joey, changed his diaper and burped him, then laid him down in the crib. I gave her Christi and I picked up our little boy and sat down in the other rocker. I held his little hand in mine and he smiled at me. I leaned down and kissed the top of his head and then I heard 'I love you Daddy!'. That tiny voice had also sounded inside my head.

I whispered, "I love you too my son!"

This was unusual and I would have to ask the Elders about this one. It freaked me out having my kids in my head while I was human, not wolf. Oh.. shit! Does this mean that both of my kids will phase someday? Man! I really need to talk to my dad about this.

We put the kids down for a nap and after a few minutes of passionate 'making out', I left Bella with Rachel and Emily. I headed over to my dad's to discuss this unexpected occurence.

"Dad? You home? I need to talk to you!"

"Jake? What's wrong son? Are the kids okay?!"

"Yeah they're fine. Sorry for raising the alarm. But something has happened. I need to know if it's normal for our kind and a normal human to have kids that can speak to us in our human and not wolf form?"

"What? What do you mean Jake?"

"I mean, how can I 'hear' my children talk to me in my head? Now? When they're just days old?"

"You better fill me in from the beginning son."

"I was holding Christi and she told me that she loved me and then a few minutes later when I picked up Joseph he said it too! I heard it inside my head just like when I'm with my brothers in the Pack! I was human, Dad! I was just standing in the nursery, holding my children! I'm worried that this may mean that both of them will phase when they get older. I haven't told Bella that they can do this. Hell, I didn't know they could do this! I never dreamed something like this could happen! What will we do Dad?"

"Calm down, son. It will be alright. I will talk to the other Elders and we'll look into our histories. If I find anything, I will let you know."

"Ok, Dad, thank you."

"You're welcome, son."

I went for a walk to clear my head and ran into Embry. We talked awhile and he called Quil to come and hang with us. We went to First Beach and sat for awhile watching the waves roll in and out from the shore and just reminiscing about days gone by. I was so worried about my kids. I didn't want either of them to have to go through what I went though. I was really scared for my daughter. I didn't want her to end up like Leah. I wanted her to have a normal life.

When my cell phone buzzed in my pocket I told the guys I needed to take the call. My dad said I needed to come back home to speak to the Elders right away. I bid a hasty 'see ya later' to my friends and ran as fast as I could on foot to my dad's. I walked in and moved over to a chair across from my father and sat down. Sue and Old Quil were already seated at the table and Sam was there too. Even though it wasn't a Pack matter, Sam was on the council.

"Jacob, I've talked to the Elders and we've looked into the Tribe's legends and histories for an answer to your question. We found an entry that states that the Chief and rightful Alpha can hear and speak to his children telepathically."

"But I'm not the Chief of the tribe!"

"You are the future Chief of our people and rightful Alpha of the Pack and you are the great-grandson of an Alpha as well, which makes you the Alpha Male of this Pack. According to what we found this would only happen when it's time for you to take you place as our Chief and Alpha of the Pack."

"I don't know, Dad. Am I ready for that? And what about my children? Will they phase?"

"It's possible that Joseph will and Christiana might; but she and Joseph will always be able to speak to you, no matter what form they may take and no matter in which form you are at the time. They will only hear the thoughts you want them to hear, but you will always hear theirs. It's a legacy of the bloodline son. And as for you being 'ready' to step up? Yes, I believe you are, though you might not be aware of your current abilities. You ARE ready, son. You're ready here and up here," he pointed to his heart and his head. This was starting to send my brain into overload but I still was able to ask about my mate.

"Does this mind thing work the same way with Bella?"

"I don't think so because she's human and you are immortal, in a sense, but you are a Spirit Warrior, Jacob. Very soon you must take your rightful place as our Chief and Alpha."

"I don't know if I can do that, Dad."

"You already have, son."

"What? How?"

"It's your destiny to lead your people. When you chose your mate, you set the wheels in motion. You made your first move to become our leader and the leader of your Pack."

"But I declined that position! Sam is the Alpha of the Pack. I felt I wasn't ready. I still do."

"When you decide you're ready to lead the Pack, Sam will step down; but you are our Chief whether you actually lead the Pack or not. There's a leadership ceremony now that would take place after you've chosen a wife. And you have done that, Jacob. You imprinted on Bella."

"Yes, I did."

"Did she choose you as her mate?"

"Yes, she did."

"Charlie told me that you asked him for permission to marry Bella."

"Yes, I did Dad."

"Did she accept?"

"Yes, she did."

"Very well. Our people have accepted your choice for a wife and we will honor you both."

My head was reeling from all of these revelations. Because I had imprinted and chosen Bella and she had accepted me as her mate, I was now on the fast track to become Alpha of the Pack and Chief of my Tribe, even though my father was still quite capable of being our Chief. He was completely ready and willing to step aside for me to assume his position. For some inexplicable reason, the only thought in my head was that this would ruin our surprise that Bella was so excited about.

"Dad, we were going to tell everyone about our engagement at the party Charlie and Renee wanted to have after we came home from the hospital."

Sue stood up and answered my worries.

"Nobody at this council meeting will ruin the announcement of the engagement of Jacob Ephraim Black to Isabella Marie Swan, I can promise you. Not even to the other Pack members; understood Sam?"

"I understand and I will abide by the decision of the Council."

"Now, Jacob relax. Go home and be with your family. Kiss my daughter and grandchildren for me tonight."

"I will Dad, and I must thank you and the Elders and you too, Sam, for helping me understand all of this."

I shook each member's hand and that of my Alpha and hugged my father, then went on my way home. I walked slowly and thought about becoming Chief of the Tribe and Alpha of the Pack. I have to do it right. First, I marry my mate and then comes the ceremony to make me Chief. How do I explain all of this to Bells? Will she still want me once she knows that all of this will be happening? Maybe I should wait a bit before I tell her so she can heal all the way. I don't want her popping a stitch right now.

When I finally got home it was pretty late; the lights were out and it was quiet. My mate, our babies and our wonderful helpers were all sound asleep. I went inside and headed up to bed. I stopped in and looked at my children sleeping peacefully, dreaming. I walked into the room I shared with my girl and got ready for bed, crawling under the covers, pulling my girl's soft body snugly to my chest. I closed my eyes and went to sleep.

BPOV

Jacob had come home very late and snuggled up around me without waking me. I lounged in his warmth when morning came and, though I longed to stay where I was when I woke up, feeding our twins was top priority. Gently slipping out of Jacob's arms, I took care of them and changed them, got them dressed and moved downstairs to the living room. We had a play pen down there and I laid both of them down. They began to roll around investigating the new space and seemed perfectly entertained for the moment. I found Emily and Rachel in the kitchen.

"Good morning, Bella," Emily said.

"Morning," I replied.

"How are you feeling Bella?" Rachel asked.

"Not bad, to tell you the truth. I have a week left before I go back to the doctor for my six-week check up. I wasn't anticipating things would be this smooth or this easy. I think that's got a lot to do with the two of you being here helping out. Thank you both so much!"

They each pooh-poohed my sentiments and said they were happy to be here to help Jacob and me and the new Pack pups. I truly loved both of my new sisters. They were treasures.

I couldn't admit to them that I was so happy about the days going by quickly! One more week and then I would get the green light from the doctor to have sex again! Yay me! Calm down, Bella! Really?

Em, Rachel and I just hung out all morning. We played with the twins and sang to them; read them stories and watched them try to roll over in the playpen. I noticed Christianna acted a bit like me; she seemed interested in the stories more than the songs we sang to her and she played with her fingers and toes, fascinated by the physical touch of her own little hands. But I think Joseph is more like Jake; really getting into the songs and paying attention while someone's talking to him. He was going to be a very sound oriented baby. He kicked his little feet quickly at the high points of a story, when the storyteller's voice was raised somewhat and when we sang to him, he smiled so big! It looked just like his daddy's, minus the shiny white teeth. I am certain I can tell who each one will resemble. I loved the fact that our children take after and look like us. It was amazing!

It was cool spending time with the girls. I could tell we would become really close. Sam came over to see Emily, he missed her so much. He came over and hung out with us.

"Where's Jacob?" he asked.

"He's still sleeping. Yesterday and last night were long and tiring for him."

"Yeah, I heard that."

Sam stayed with us into the late afternoon. Joey was hungry and I picked him up and draped a blanket over me and he began to suckle contentedly.

"May I hold Christi Bella?"

"Sure, you can Sam."

He picked her up and she smiled at him. There was a noise like a thud from upstairs and we all looked up as Jake called out, "I'm coming, lil honey!" We looked at each other and then back at the stairway. Jake was wearing sweat pants and nothing else as he hurried down the stairs.

I asked, "Are you okay, Jake?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, but Christi isn't!"

"What?"

"Wait for it."

Christi started to cry and Sam freaked out. Jake quickly moved toward his Alpha and gently lifted his daughter into his warm embrace, cuddling her to his shoulder and cooing to her softly.

"What's the matter with her?"

"It's alright, Sam. I need to change her. She's wet and she doesn't like wet diapers!"

A/N: I know! Bad Alixandria! Another semi-cliffy! You're just gonna have to review to see how Jake explains what's going on! (Evil grin).