Pink or Blue
As January bled into February, Bella's morning sickness and the nausea that plagued her started to ease up considerably. By the end of the first week of February, she hadn't been sick at all since the calendar month had changed. She also had a little baby bump from her not-so-little one, and Jasper had a tendency to be glued to her side with his hand on her stomach, absolutely loving that there was now an outward sign of her pregnancy, even if it was small.
Bella had already had an ultrasound where they heard the baby's heartbeat and it had been a thrilling, and highly emotional, moment for her and Jasper. When the couple had come home and described it for their family, Jasper's eyes had filled with venom tears and he laughingly reminded Seth that crying was perfectly normal for men. Jasper often laid with his head on Bella's stomach so he could hear the heartbeat for himself.
Jasper and Bella had needed to do some mental reshuffling after their first appointment with Bella's doctor. They'd been counting weeks and doing research based on the date the baby was conceived, rather than the date of Bella's last period. Jasper had been slightly annoyed that he hadn't realized that during all their pregnancy reading and was glad Marcus hadn't included that in the quiz. He'd have been super pissed to get such a basic pregnancy fact wrong.
Bella had just smiled at her sulky mate and given him an extra long hug.
They had another appointment at the Women's Clinic set for the following week and the doctor was going to try to determine the sex of the baby. She'd cautioned them that there was a small chance it might not be detectable for another couple weeks, but Bella would be in her seventeenth week and the doctor had determined sex for some pregnancies as early as twelve weeks.
Bella and Jasper still believed they'd be having a girl, as did most of their family, though Emmett and Seth were convinced it would be a boy. But whether the baby was a Lillian or an Emerson, it would be fortunate enough to be loved by a huge family.
The Whitlock clan as a whole had settled into their new normal with surprising ease. The wolves no longer felt any trepidation around their vampire siblings and spent a lot of time at the main house, and all were thrilled by the changing rooms that made their lives easier. The vamps and wolves also spent a fair amount of time in the pasture, all of them training for whatever fight was coming their way in the future, usually with Bella perched on the fence cheering them all on.
Leah and Rosalie had become surprisingly close, finding a kinship in each other because of the way they'd been betrayed by the men they thought they'd be spending the rest of their lives with.
It was early February when the whole family was gathered around a fire in the living room of the main cabin when Paul and Leah described imprinting in more detail.
"Wait, you're saying the wolf becomes whatever the imprint wants or needs?" Rosalie asked with a frown. "It could be a partner but it doesn't have to be? They could just be a friend or a protector or whatever?"
When Leah and Paul nodded, Rosalie scowled and turned to look out the window.
"What's the matter?" Leah asked, a little confused by what was making the blond vamp angry.
It was Jasper who answered. "Sam told you he had no choice. That once he saw Emily, he had to be with her," he said. "Emily was your cousin, you thought of her as your best friend. If she'd told Sam all she needed or wanted from him was a friend or protector, his wolf wouldn't have tried to pressure her into a romantic relationship she didn't want. It would've been satisfied with whatever his imprint wanted. Imprints don't necessarily equal lovers and soulmates. At least I think that's right from the way you're describing it. Otherwise Quil imprinting on a toddler is wrong on just about every fuckin' level," he added.
Paul nodded his agreement. "Quil said he sees Claire as a little sister to spend time with and protect. He plays dolls with her and babysits her. He always said if that was how their relationship stayed forever he'd be fine with it. That he'd be the best big brother and protector he could be. The thought of ever being in a romantic relationship with the girl he played with as a two-year old when he was already a teenager made him a little uncomfortable. He wasn't sure he could ever see her as a partner or girlfriend or wife after that."
Leah frowned as she thought about that. She'd known how Quil felt about Claire but had never equated that with Sam and Emily because of their age. She'd sort of assumed Sam badgered Emily to be with him because his wolf chose her to be his soulmate no matter what.
"So Emily betrayed me just as much as Sam did?" she said, not really meaning it as a question, more like talking to herself out loud.
"I don't know what's in the fucking water up there but there is something seriously wrong with all those people you considered family," Rosalie said through gritted teeth.
"Now that Charlotte, Rose, and Leah have taught me how to fight human-style, I can kick her ass," Bella offered. "I have no shot at fighting the wolves, but Emily is just as human as I am."
Jasper smiled as he put his hand on her baby bump. "Only if it's in a controlled environment, sweetheart. If any of the wolves were around they'd come after you in a heartbeat for hurting an imprint."
"That's fine, I don't mind waiting until Jake's pack is dead," Bella shrugged.
Leah smiled at the human she now considered a sister. "Thanks, Bella."
"Since you can't fight Edward or any of the wolves, it's only fair you get a crack at Emily or one of the elders," Charlotte smiled.
"I wouldn't mind laying my hands on Sue fucking Clearwater," Bella said with a cute little human growl that made everyone smile.
"What is the plan with the elders, anyway?" Paul asked Jasper.
"Same as the Quileute wolves," Jasper shrugged. "Their time on this earth is comin' closer to an end. Unless you want them to stay alive. That might actually be a fate worse than death for them. They'd have to live with the knowledge that their actions, and the actions of the pack they had so much control over, are what set off the chain of events that led to the death of their so-called protectors. That it was the vamps who stepped in as your family when they turned their backs on all of you. It's your call, Whitlock wolves."
"Do we have any kind of time frame on when Edward will be making his move?" Esme asked Peter.
Peter shrugged. "I don't know anything yet, but Jasper called Demetri a few weeks ago and asked him to periodically check on Edward's whereabouts. He'll give us a ring if that soulless ginger is over in Washington or anywhere close to us."
"He always called himself a soulless monster, but it was on account of his vampiness, not his red hair," Bella laughed.
"What a dick," Charlotte laughed and rolled her eyes. "Like Esme could be a soulless monster just because she's a vamp."
"Thank you, Charlotte," Esme smiled. Edward's rants about losing their souls and the monsters they'd become had always irritated her.
"Edward's a soulless monster because of who he is, not what he is," Bella agreed. "Speaking of soulless monsters, have you made any headway on keeping Jake's pack from phasing?"
"Emotional pain seems to work to an extent," Jasper answered. "If I tone down that cocktail I used on Edward and Carlisle in Volterra, it makes it harder to shift to a wolf. Not impossible, but harder."
"I think physical pain is the key but Jasper won't test it," Paul smiled.
"What, you're offering to let him break bones and he's refusing?" Bella clarified. When Paul nodded, Bella turned to Charlotte. "Why don't you do it, my bloodthirsty sister?" she asked with a smile.
Charlotte laughed. "I may be bloodthirsty but I don't really want to hurt anyone in this family."
Jasper smiled and tugged Bella just a little bit closer. "We can test it when they get here. I don't think anyone in this room will mind breaking Jacob fuckin' Black's legs over and over again."
"I sure wouldn't," Seth agreed. "I've thought a lot about the day I went wolf the first time, and I've wondered if Jacob and Quil knew what would happen when I overheard them. Even if I hadn't made the decision to leave and got into a fight with my mom, it was inevitable that I'd have been kicked out of the tribe just like Leah and Paul. That was supposedly because they couldn't have two active packs in La Push and I wasn't part of Jake's pack."
"Why would they want you out of the tribe?" Jasper asked with a frown. "You didn't know anything about the wolves or vampires or even the truth about your sister and Paul leaving. Why would they want you gone?"
Seth shrugged. "I don't really know. I was never entirely convinced Leah and Paul left because they wanted to travel, that's pretty rare for our tribe, so I badgered my mom a bunch to try to find out the real reason. Maybe that annoyed them. Maybe my loyalty to my sister made me an enemy, even though I didn't know anything about the supernatural world. I don't know."
"You know, being a protector of your tribe should've been an honor," Charlotte said. "To have the ability to keep your people safe against any threat? Seems like the highest honor possible to me. Instead, Sam and Jacob and all the rest of those dicks just became arrogant and thought havin' that privilege made them more important than anyone else on that reservation. That it meant they could decide who was worthy to be a Quileute."
"And the elders are no better," Peter added. "Knowing the truth of the legends, havin' some control over those same so-called protectors, made them all arrogant assholes who see themselves as all-powerful."
Paul nodded his agreement. "The rest of the tribe hated the pack. They obviously didn't know they were wolves, but they saw the way Jacob and Sam tried to run things and control everybody. And keep in mind, Jacob had only just turned sixteen when he phased. So all the rest of the tribe saw was a cocky kid who thought he was more important than everyone else."
"And we're taught to respect our elders, but the normal humans of our tribe saw that they gave more weight to whatever Sam and Jake wanted," Leah added. "They didn't understand why and they started having doubts that the elders actually cared about what happened to anyone outside of Sam Uley's 'gang'."
"Well, in the not too distant future, the pack and the elders will face the consequences of their actions," Jasper said. "After that, the rest of the Quileute tribe can move on without a bunch of self-important assholes making them feel like they don't matter as much as a bunch of teenagers."
At that, the whole room nodded in satisfaction and they moved on to lighter topics.
It's a girl.
It's a girl.
It's a girl.
"Jasper?"
It's a girl.
It's a girl.
"Hon?"
It's a girl.
"Uh, Peter? I think I need hand."
It's a girl.
It's a girl.
"Did you break him?"
"Might've."
It's a girl.
It's a girl.
It's a girl.
"Ow!" Jasper growled as Peter punched him in the ribs. "What the fuck was that for?"
"You've been sittin' in the driveway about five minutes with your mate callin' your name," Peter laughed. "She asked for help. I helped."
Jasper turned to look at Bella, who was watching him from the driver's seat of his truck with a smile. He'd been in a fog when they walked out of the doctor's office and Bella had gently taken the keys from his hand and settled him in the passenger seat before hopping behind the wheel. And apparently driving them home, though Jasper couldn't remember even a second of the drive.
"Is that normal?" he asked her worriedly.
"I don't know what's normal, Jas," Bella laughed. "I don't think it's bad, if that helps. Finding out which type of daddy you're gonna be seems like a pretty good reason to zone out and get lost in that vast vamp mind of yours. Feel like coming inside with me and letting the rest—"
"Yes!"
Jasper was outta that truck before she finished her sentence and had her door open in the blink of an eye.
"Come on, come on, come on," he said, trying to hurry her up, which just made Bella laugh and move a little slower. "Fuck it," Jasper laughed and scooped her up in his arms and ran inside, coming to a skidding halt in front of the rest of their family, who'd gathered in the living room.
Bella and Jasper had prepared for this moment regardless of which way the ultrasound went, so Bella currently had a pale pink t-shirt on under her zipped up coat to tell their family the news.
Jasper put her feet down on the floor with a beaming smile. "Ready?" he asked, his smile growing even wider at the excitement and anticipation in the rest of the Whitlocks.
Bella nodded and quickly unzipped her coat with a beaming smile of her own. The shirt was similar to the one she'd made Jasper when asking if he'd be the little one's daddy. Bella's smaller handprints created a heart around her baby bump, and Jasper's larger handprints created a heart that cradled Bella's. Above that, it said 'Meet the future Lillian Charlotte Whitlock'.
The cheering that went up in their living room just about deafened her and Bella quickly covered her ears, hardly able to control her laughter.
After everyone took turns hugging the soon-to-be mommy and daddy, Jasper sat on the couch and pulled Bella onto his lap, his hand cradling the spot where their little Lilly was growing.
Bella had gotten used to this behavior, so she just took it in stride and used the opportunity to hand out pictures from the ultrasound, then had Charlotte hand her Jasper's laptop.
She pulled a blanket off the arm of the couch and covered herself up while she opened the program to make a video call. It was connected after only one ring, and Bella and Jasper both laughed to see Chelsea sitting in Aro's study with all three kings and what looked like half the guard crowding in behind her, all of whom were wearing their boy or girl prediction shirts from quiz night.
"Well?" Chelsea asked with a huge smile.
"It's a girl," Bella and Jasper said at the same time and Bella pulled the blanket off.
"Yes!" Chelsea shouted, her fellow pink-clad guards and kings all shouting and cheering loudly. Even the ones in blue shirts were grinning and cheering. No one honestly cared too much if it was a boy or girl as long as they were healthy, though the winners were sure to do a little gloating.
"Do you have a new photograph for us?" Aro asked.
Bella held it up to the camera for them to see. "Jas will scan it and email it to you when we hang up," she smiled. "Assuming he has a functioning brain," she added with a laugh.
"Look, little miss smart ass, I defy you to find me a single vampire who doesn't zone out on bliss when he finds out he's gonna be a daddy," Jasper laughed as he tickled her stomach.
"Uh, you've known for quite some time that you are going to be a daddy, Jasper," Chelsea pointed out, a little confused by her human friend's mate. He'd seemed much more on top of things in Italy.
"It's the 'little girl' part that made him zone out," Bella laughed.
"I've been too busy picturing a tiny little Bella to focus on the wider world," Jasper shrugged.
"She's gonna have you wrapped around her tiny little finger after her very first breath," Peter laughed.
"Of course she is," Jasper said, looking at Peter with a very heavily implied 'duh'. "And I think you'll find yourself wrapped right up there with me."
Peter shrugged. He wouldn't deny it. He was thrilled there'd be a little princess in the family in the near future.
After a little bit more cheerful chatter with their Italian friends, Jasper asked Demetri about Edward Cullen.
"He's been headed in the general direction of Washington for about a week now, but he doesn't appear to be in any hurry. When I looked for him earlier today, he was still in the very northernmost part of California, right on the coast."
"I had a thought I was planning to run by you," Aro said after most of the guard left his study, only Demetri, Chelsea, Jane, and Jeremiah remaining. After getting nods from Jasper and Bella, he continued. "My brothers and I have been considering sending Jeremiah and another guard to the area where Jacob Black and the other wolves reside. With Jeremiah's ability to shield himself and anyone who accompanies him, it may be possible to get ears on the meeting between Edward and the shapeshifter without them being aware."
"Scent might be an issue if anyone got too close," Jasper said as he thought it through. "Although Edward is honestly pretty useless at most things vampires traditionally do by instinct. He's always relied too heavily on his gift. If the guards stayed far enough back with the wind working in their favor, they could take to the treetops. He'd be far less likely to notice them that way."
"Wait, when Afton goes invisible, does his scent disappear also?" Bella asked.
"No, I'm afraid not," Aro shook his head. "But it was a good thought."
"How far out can the wolves smell?" Jane asked.
Jasper looked at the wolves in his own family, surprised that he'd never thought to ask that question.
"I don't actually know," Leah answered. "A mile maybe? Definitely not more than that. It'll be easy enough to test, though, as long as we go a distance from this property where all the scent trails are so heavy."
"If we stayed on the right side of the wind and took to the trees, we should be able to get close enough," Chelsea said.
After exchanging a glance with Bella and the rest of his family - all of whom nodded or shrugged - Jasper turned back to the screen. "We're happy to leave it in your hands. If you want to send someone to try and eavesdrop, we have no problem with that. And if you decide against it, that's perfectly fine also. It's not entirely without risk. The wolves are capable of being formidable opponents."
Paul jumped in there. "I don't want to give the impression that it's without risk, because that wouldn't be true, but Jake's pack is significantly less formidable than we are. They have no training in how to fight vampires and their only experience was with Laurent and Victoria. Laurent was a single vampire against five wolves, which gave us such a huge advantage that there was literally no fight, and Victoria was too good at evading us to ever allow us to get close. The night we killed her was the one and only time we fought against a vampire, and that was only me and Jake."
"It's true," Leah nodded. "The Quileute pack has the physical capabilities to take down a vamp, but none of the practical skill. When the Whitlocks started teaching me and Paul how to fight, we'd assumed it would be easy simply because we were quite literally made to fight vampires. It wasn't, and it took a bit of time to gain the skills to win against any of the vamps in the family."
"And we have yet to be able to win against Peter, Charlotte, or Jasper," Paul added. "I imagine any guards you send would be at least as skilled as them, so if it somehow did end in any kind of confrontation, I doubt any single wolf in the Quileute pack would be able to take them down. Probably not even three or four wolves."
After a few more minutes of discussion, Aro and the other two kings said they'd come to a decision by the following day and one of them would call to inform the Whitlocks what they'd decided. After a long round of goodbyes and congratulations, Jasper closed the laptop and set it aside.
"If they do send Jeremiah, I'm halfway inclined to meet them in Washington," Peter said, and Charlotte nodded her agreement.
Bella nodded her understanding. If she was a vamp she'd for sure want to be there to hear Edward try to convince Jacob to come after them. "If you do, maybe you could work out a way to drive my truck back."
"Why didn't you ask Leah or Paul when they went and got Seth?" Jasper asked.
"Slipped my mind," Bella shrugged. "So much had happened since I went back to clear out Charlie's house that my truck was the absolute last thing on my mind. And since then, we've got so many vehicles that having my own ride didn't seem all that important. None of you ever hesitate to let me borrow one if I want to run to town."
Jasper nodded, a little annoyed with himself that his mate's truck had never once entered his mind. That seemed like a pretty big failure on the mate front. That truck had been a gift from her dad and he knew Bella loved it.
"Oh no you don't," Bella laughed and poked his chest. "It's not your fault you didn't think of it. It's my truck and I didn't even think of it. So no beating yourself up."
Jasper smiled and nodded. "Alright. But maybe this is the perfect opportunity to go get it."
"I hate to disappoint, but it's really not," Rosalie said. "If Edward convinces the Quileute wolves to head this way immediately, you won't have time to drive it here and still beat them back to Montana. Vampires and wolves can run at least twice that truck's top speed."
"Good point," Bella nodded. "I'm honestly not all that bothered by not having it here. Like I said, you've all been great about lending me one of your cars if I ever need to go to town by myself. Now, let's table all talk of Edward Cullen, Jacob Black, and the Quileute wolves and elders until we hear back from the kings tomorrow. I'm hungry and I've got some pink cupcakes in the truck for—" Bella cut off with a laugh when Seth jumped up and raced out the front door. The kid had a massive sweet tooth.
Bella hopped off Jasper's lap and headed into the kitchen to grab some plates and napkins. She smiled to herself when she heard Seth cheering as he came in the front door. She and Jasper had actually gotten the cupcakes before their appointment, so there were pink and blue cupcakes in the box. And because of both Seth's sweet tooth and the amount of food the wolves could consume, they'd ordered way more than just the four of each color they needed for those in the Whitlock family who consumed solid food.
By the time Bella turned back to the living room, Seth already had blue and pink frosting around his mouth and seemed to be attempting to shove an entire blue cupcake in his mouth in one bite.
The rest of the Whitlocks just watched him with smiles on their faces. Seth was undoubtedly the baby of the family until Lilly made her debut, and they all loved spoiling him a little. Seeing that bright and sunny smile on his face was always contagious for the rest of the family. Even when it was covered in frosting.