Posted 2023-11-26; beta'd by Eeyorefan12

Alone in her room, Bella didn't have to strain to hear the Cullens. None of them tried to lower their voices, especially Jasper, his baritone booming through the floorboards.

"Any and all of our men are suspects."

"Or any of the men she was with before she arrived here." It was harder to tell if it was Alice or Rose who said that.

"You are especially vulnerable on this," Jasper said to someone, "given how much time you've spent together."

Edward. Bella's breath caught. Would people think that? Did Jasper?

"Don't give words to things you don't want people to believe," Esme said, her tone sharp. "And the question has been asked and answered already."

"It's foolish to pretend they won't think it," Jasper said. "The truth—that my brother is too sanctimonious to even consider doing what most will readily suspect him of—is immaterial. Mr. Demas has already made public speculation about Miss Swan's role after Edward blatantly paraded her around the market. Gloveless, no less."

Though their conversation was focused on her, Bella felt disconnected. Perhaps she was in shock? She rested on her left side, fingers toying with the locket that now hung from her lace choker as she listened to Jasper's speculation. How any of the Cullens could think those things was beyond her. Edward was her friend—her brother now, she reminded herself—and had never done or said anything to suggest otherwise. Clearly, whatever had been done to her had happened before she'd been taken in by the Cullens.

She'd been instructed to remain in bed as much as possible, and to eat and sleep as little as she could manage. Doing so would starve the seeding process, though as Sherooz Adnios had explained, it wasn't possible to know when it had started—or how long it would be before it became cancerous. She thought that was the right word.

"Weaver's threads, the waste!" Jasper's words were punctuated by a loud thump.

"A waste?" Esme asked. "What waste?" Even at a distance, Bella stiffened at the woman's dangerously clipped tones.

There was a splutter from Jasper. "We've welcomed the worst scandal possible into our home and stuck our name on it! And the gold—"

A flurry of voices rose, Esme's arching over them all. "Enough! She's your sister. We've weathered our share of so-called scandals. We'll stand by our own."

Bella didn't catch the next line of speech from Esme's eldest son, but there was a set of snarls, an exploding crash, women's shrieks, and finally Esme calling for peace.

"None of you even know what breeding madness is, even though you all have it." Esme sounded out of breath. "Suspicion is a disease we can't afford to spread. She said she doesn't know and has no memory of being seeded."

Jasper's voice came through as a mutter.

There was another snarl. Bella was fairly sure it came from Edward.

"Is it not enough that we'll face this treatment from outside our family?" Esme asked, her anger evident. "Those of you who have no solutions to suggest at this time may excuse yourselves. Our only concern at this moment is how we can best protect the young woman upstairs who is now your sister and who has probably heard most of your ungracious words."

There were shufflings, murmurings, the sound of glass or pottery shards crunching underfoot, then footsteps fading away, leaving only two voices in quiet conversation. Bella gave up trying to figure out what they were talking about

What she was wrapping her head around was how unplanned pregnancies—or seeding, or whatever she was experiencing—were received in Sabellia. She thought of her place with the Cullens, and then about the archive, realizing with a pang that she might not even be able to work there. She really would be a burden.

"The burdeniest of them all." She cupped her hand over her mouth, stifling her half-laugh, half-sob.

She'd been so benumbed leaving the Sherooz, she'd barely registered the information he'd given her. Pieces of it were coming back, forming a scattered mosaic. Hybrid breeding varied, depending on the species, but with humans, seeding triggered a set of transformative processes which ended either in a successful pregnancy . . . or death. Those bright little tiles of information were clear.

She didn't want to die, and the Sherooz had made it clear she had only one option: to find a Sabellian man willing to impregnate her.

The Sherooz's concern had been so palpable, she'd half-expected him to offer to do it himself.

Maybe there was a sperm bank?

She stifled another half-cry, half-laugh, thinking of the rudimentary technology in the Cullen home. Of the icebox.

Yeah, that would make for a pretty short shelf life for a sperm, wouldn't it?

Unhelpfully, she indulged this line of thinking, wondering just how such collections were facilitated. She pictured quaint, pornographic cards with bared women's necks. Did they even have pornography? Perhaps they used peep shows. A live . . . facilitator?

"Oh my god." She dragged her palms down her face. "So not helpful." Turning slightly onto her stomach, she thought of what was happening inside her, and then thought even more unhelpfully about the beginnings of her mother's ovarian cancer.

"Bella?" Esme's voice was soft.

Bella jerked awake. Blinking, she stared at the floral blue wallpaper, now awash in the apricot light of early evening. For a moment, she thought she'd woken from a nightmare.

"How're you feeling?" Esme's words dispelled the hopeful fantasy.

"I'm fine. Sorry, I fell asleep."

"It's alright." Esme came and sat down beside her, gently squeezing her forearm. "Are you still feeling nauseous?"

"No," Bella said, sitting up. "I really feel well enough." As much as she could, considering recent news.

"That's good." Esme smiled gently. "It was meant to be a surprise, but I think we've had enough of those today. Tabitha made you a cake to celebrate your becoming a member of our family."

Surprising tears welled up in Bella's eyes. It was a kind gesture and one that Bella deeply appreciated. "That's—that's very sweet of her."

"Yes, quite literally." Esme chuckled.

Bella laughed too, her smile fading as she recalled what she'd heard before falling asleep. "Is everyone okay? It sounded like there were some . . . harsh reactions downstairs. Maybe some broken pottery?" She thought of the fine blue vases she'd so often admired in the parlor.

"Yes, the men, or boys really for all their recent behavior, are fine and I apologize for anything you overheard that was unkind. It was a shock to everyone, yes, but there's more to it." She sighed. "When breeding women become fertile, our scent changes and it can trigger aggression in our men. Normally all concerned parties would be in the mating house, so it wouldn't be an issue. These last weeks I'd thought Edward and Jasper, even Emmett, were acting on old resentments or merely adjusting to each other again, but your state will have put all of them on edge. And that's not to suggest it's your fault, Bella. It's not. We expect our men to manage themselves, breeding women or no in the house."

Bella nodded, looking down at Esme's hand on her arm, deciding not to ask about the breeding house—at least not yet. She was grateful for the maternal touch. "It seems like Jasper and Edward already had some bad blood between them."

Esme cocked her head.

"Sorry," Bella said. "Bad blood means a lengthy and acrimonious history."

"Ah, yes. You do have an unusual way of phrasing your thoughts." Esme looked thoughtful before saying, "My sons care deeply for each other, but they . . . see some things very differently. And for good reason. It's been challenging, especially with Edward's work and—well, yes, there's certainly a lengthy history." She stood. "Why don't you get ready for dinner and some cake?"

"I will, but . . . " Bella frowned, trying to decide which of her questions to ask. Esme had sent her to rest when they got home before breaking the news to the rest of the family. Bella didn't know what would happen now—or how the family would react when they saw her.

Already at the door, Esme turned, smiling gently. "Yes?"

"What will happen with me? What . . . do I need to do?" She felt an embarrassing blush. She didn't even have the benefit of previous experience in seducing someone. Then there was the fact that someone had already . . . made use of her. According to the Sherooz, there was no other explanation besides . . .

Rape. That's the word you're looking for.

At least she didn't remember it. That was a small consolation in a much larger collection of problems. She would deal with the sense of violation later.

"I think it would be best if we talked about this as a family," Esme said.

Bella didn't. "Is that . . . safe?"

"This is a matter for our family, and we'll civilly discuss it as one. After dinner."

Tabitha's cake was a delicious sponge-cake-like concoction drizzled with pale orange berry sauce, served after a simple and tasty meal. Bella ate sparingly, as the Sherooz had suggested, speaking where she thought was appropriate, dutifully engaging in the polite charade that was playing out in front of her. Apparently, nothing interfered with dinner—unplanned pregnancies, family fights, and probable sexual violations included.

Bella walked numbly to the sitting room, perching nervously on the edge of the settee, suddenly realizing that none of the men had their jackets on. She'd only ever seen them removed for work or riding, and now she peered at Jasper, then Emmett, and then Edward, all in their vests and shirt sleeves, collars open, necks exposed.

Rose sat down beside her, handing her a cup of tea.

"Thank you," Bella mumbled.

"You're family now," Alice said, noticing Bella's distraction. "So no jackets. There are a few other formalities that will disappear too, but we didn't want to . . . shock you too much."

Bella sighed. "Unless that means—" she was about to say 'having an orgy on the parlor floor' but stopped herself. "In the order of shocking things, I'm not sure you've got anything to top today's news."

Alice slid her arm around Bella's back, pulling her into a genteel embrace. "It's going to be alright."

After she wiped at her now damp face with the handkerchief Alice handed her, Bella nodded, giving her a tight smile. The rest of the family had averted their gazes. "Thank you," Bella whispered.

Alice joined Jasper who sat in the opposite corner of the room, his face a study in resentment and . . . resignation. Rose was now with Emmett, looping her arm through his. Edward sat a chair over from his mother, the closest person in the room to Bella.

"Well, we'll get to the business at hand, then. First of all, we are glad to have you as our daughter and sister, Bella, as well as to extend to you the protection that being part of our family provides. Today's news does not alter that, no matter the outcome of your . . . condition."

The discomfort with Esme's last word was palpable. Bella watched the various Cullens squirm in their seats, all of them except Edward, who eyed her with acute determination. He had spoken little at dinner, although she'd been gratefully relieved when he'd taken his usual place beside her at the family table. What he was thinking about all of this was anyone's guess but she realized she was aching to ask him. What answers could he give her? She supposed it would be unfair to seek his counsel now, after Jasper's accusations. Jasper hadn't sounded as if he believed Bella's denials of culpability. Did Edward?

"You asked me what would happen to you," Esme said.

Bella nodded.

"That will be your decision. Given that I assume you wish to live, you will need to be mated and carry a child, but to do so without a preceding marriage"—Esme sighed, frowning—"for a variety of reasons, that would be—that will not happen."

Why?

Bella frowned. "But—" She thought of the boys down by the river 'at leisure', as Edward had put it. "I thought"—she looked at Edward as warmth rose in her cheeks—"you said that the boys, when we visited the Matriarch, were given . . . leisure, and that—"

"That's not mating," Esme said quietly.

Bella glanced at Esme and then at Edward, wondering what she'd misconstrued. Edward had been pretty darn clear about what the boys were up to, hadn't he?

Abruptly, visions of tangling alien tentacles and oddly pulsing body parts conjured themselves, Bella thinking about how these unusual appendages could be concealed by the very formal Sabellian clothing. Just as quickly, she tried to shove the images back into the Pandora's box from which they'd emerged.

"Just . . . how similar or different, and . . .compatible, I guess, are human and Sabellian anatomy? Do, um, things work the same when it comes to . . . having children?" She wasn't sure she wanted to know. She wasn't even sure if they were talking about the same thing.

"Well, my understanding," Esme began hesitantly, "is that they do . . . although—"

Edward cleared his throat. "May I?" he asked.

Esme paused, considering him, then nodded.

"The anatomy and activity are both similar," Edward said to Bella.

He spoke in the same calm, measured tone he used in their lessons, and Bella welcomed it, wondering if he was trying to offer an academic perspective to make it easier for her.

"But while humans may and will breed regardless of their intent," he continued, "Sabellians only breed intentionally. The male chooses to seed his mate, which makes her fertile, and then impregnate her when her body is receptive." Edward shook his head. "That you have been left seeded, and not impregnated—"

"Edward." Esme spoke with remonstrance.

Edward nodded ruefully at his mother before turning to Bella again. "Humans and Sabellians are highly compatible, genetically. Pregnancies take without exception and don't fail—at least, I've never heard of one failing—and human women experience healthy pregnancies. So it isn't a matter of compatibility. The difficulty is in finding someone willing, and not because of any flaw with you, but because of well-ingrained prejudices."

"No place, no home," Jasper muttered from the corner.

"Jasper." Rose's voice was a shocked whisper. Emmett reached over and laid a calming hand over hers.

Edward gave his brother a murderous glare.

"You've given her an infant's history," Jasper said defiantly. "She doesn't understand anything about our world. Did you even tell her about what we saw in the market today?"

"Because bludgeoning her with more shocks is the best way to address this?" Edward asked.

Bella tensed, thinking of the crashes she'd heard earlier and the bloodied faces from days before.

"To your point, son," Esme said softly.

Jasper wiped his hand down his face and then waved it at Edward, indicating that he should continue.

Edward faced her again."If we were to publicly seek a mate for you, we would still have to disclose the circumstances of your arrival in Sabellia prior to any match. It would expose you to . . . unfavorable elements. Violence, possibly," Edward said. He rubbed his hands over his knees as he spoke—a somewhat nervous gesture for a man who rarely displayed them. "And we would never do that to anyone, especially our family."

Bella listened, nodding. "Is there someone . . . who could help me, then?" Was this the sort of thing where friendships could privately be prevailed upon? Perhaps a neighbor like the ones they'd met that day? "I don't know how marriages . . . or matings work here? Are they ever arranged? Chosen for people?"

"Marriages . . . suitable for families are encouraged," Esme said quietly, "though not formally arranged."

Suitable. Bella didn't think the choice of wording was accidental. She thought of the engagement announcement they'd heard that morning. "They're all announced publicly like we saw today?"

More uncomfortable looks blossomed around the room.

Esme gave a terse, "Yes."

"So there'd be no way to . . . facilitate one privately."

There were multiple headshakes. Jasper blew out a breath, causing Alice to turn and look at him. Under her scrutiny, he took another swallow of his drink.

What was becoming clear to Bella was that she wasn't just damaged goods, she was no good—as far as Sabellian society was concerned.

"Well, aren't I a catch," she muttered, shaking her head as she caught the Cullens' confused looks. "Is there anything I can do, then?" She wasn't a helpless person, and she was willing to work with them to solve her problem. She just needed to know her options.

"We . . . discussed several ideas this afternoon," Esme said.

"Didn't we," Jasper muttered, snorting.

"Quiet." Esme didn't even look at her older son, instead turning to her right. "Edward?"

"Yes, go on, little brother," Jasper said. "Explain your plan." He drained his glass of Sikaru, clunking the glass onto the table.

Edward ignored him. "As I'm sure you've deduced, it would be wisest and safest for you to have a husband and mate come from our household."

The roster of the household's single men flashed through Bella's mind, running from the oldest, the white-haired and wrinkled gardener, Mr. Katia, through the more virile younger males she'd watched working the fields and glyka groves. The last and youngest on her list was Mika, the dragon tender, a man so thoroughly alien in his appearance that on first glance, she'd mistaken him for a farm animal.

Not that age or appearance are really key right now, she reminded herself, swallowing hard and nearly missing Edward's next words.

"Bella Swan," Edward held out his hands, palms up. "If you are willing, I offer myself to you as husband, mate, and father to your child." He spoke softly but firmly, resolutely meeting her gaze.

Edward?

Bella stared, blinking, opening and then closing her mouth. In the list of speculative possibilities, his name had come up—of course it had. He was her teacher, her friend. She liked him, she trusted him, and he was kind.

He was also now her brother, and there had ended that awkward speculation. She had dismissed the idea almost the same moment she'd thought of it.

But now he was proposing marriage? Flummoxed at being so caught off guard, she barely knew how to respond.

Jasper laughed quietly. "Perhaps she'd like the other option better."

"Oh, Jasper," Alice murmured, staring down at her lap.

Edward stood up, his posture bristling, the murderous glare of earlier resurrected and now fully focused on his brother.

Realizing that her silence had likely embarrassed him, and fearing more violence between the brothers, Bella struggled for a response.

"That's—" Oh God, what did she say? Was there a protocol for this? Did he expect an answer right this minute? Desperately, she looked from Edward to Esme, who gave her a tentative smile. "Uh, that's very kind of you. Are you sure it's . . ." She had been about to ask the obvious question, but she couldn't get the words out. She swallowed, her throat dry. Edward had at least turned back to face her. "I need some time to think about everything you've told me . . . and offered me."

Edward remained standing, but his gaze softened as he watched Bella. He nodded. "Of course."

"Excuse me," she mumbled, standing and practically scurrying from the room, too overwhelmed to remain another second.

Disclaimer: S. Meyer owns Twilight. No copyright infringement intended.