A Floating Life
Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to SM.
The Ultimate Betrayal
Bella became distracted when she heard a soft coo coming from behind her. She glanced over her shoulder in the direction of the sofa to find that Charlotte had woken up. She was looking at Seth with interest, poking him in the side, cooing in delight when another drop of drool ran out of his mouth as he snored lightly.
Squeezing Jacob's hand, Bella left him standing by the back windows, while she went to pick up Charlotte. The little girl's face lit up when she saw her mother approaching. Bella smiled at her, entranced at how perfect, how healthy she looked. Charlotte's skin glowed like backlit alabaster, the color in her cheeks was rose petal against it. She looked radiant.
The difference between the child she had given birth to and the one she was looking at now would have been obvious to even an untrained eye. The difference between Charlotte from an hour ago and Charlotte now was subtler. Normal human eyes would never detect it. But it was there.
Charlotte's body was already slightly longer. Just a little bit slimmer. Her face wasn't quite as round, it was more oval by one minute degree. Her ringlets hung a sixteenth of an inch lower down her shoulders.
Bella leaned down and picked her up, cradling her in her arms. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw Jacob watching them thoughtfully, his arms crossed over his chest. She wondered what he was thinking in that moment. Normally she could tell, but right now, she had no idea what was going through his mind.
Returning her attention to Charlotte, Bella gazed down at her beloved daughter tenderly. Secretly she was concerned about Charlotte's fast growth spurt. She had matured from a single cell to a normal sized baby in the course of a few weeks. She looked well on her way to being the size of a one-year-old already.
Carlisle appeared in the room, taking Bella completely by surprise. Edward followed him at a slower pace, his expression dour as he avoided looking in Jacob's direction.
"May I?" Carlisle asked Bella. He had a tape measure in his hands.
Bella sighed, nodding her consent. Charlotte stretched out helpfully in her arms while Carlisle ran the tape measure down the length of her body and then used it to circle her head. He took no notes, having perfect recall.
"Remarkable." He murmured in awe. "She continues to amaze me."
Bella's arms tightened around Charlotte protectively. "What do we do?" She whispered anxiously. "She's growing so fast."
Edward reached out and put a gentle hand on Bella's shoulder, but she shook it off, not willing to be comforted by him. He emitted a resigned sigh as his arm dropped back to his side.
"Will it slow down?" Jacob asked from his position by the back windows. He made no move to join the little group, preferring to keep his distance. He didn't trust himself around Edward. Even now he was struggling to keep his animosity toward the leech contained. The sooner they left this mausoleum of a house behind, the better.
"We'll need several more days of measurements to track the trend, Jacob. I can't make any promises, but I think its slowing. Yesterday she grew two inches, today its much less, barely a centimeter difference, if my measurements are perfect."
"That's not good enough, Carlisle. You must know something or have a theory." Bella demanded.
"I'm doing my best, Bella." Carlisle reassured her. "Please try to allay your fears. Charlotte is in extremely good health, and is the most contented infant I have ever come across."
Bella sighed. "I guess that's all I can ask." She mumbled.
Charlotte squirmed a little. She reached her hand up and touched Bella's face. Though she was prepared, it still made Bella gasp to see the memory like a vision in her head. So bright and colorful but also completely transparent.
Charlotte was remembering Edward charging Jacob across the room, remembering Seth leaping between them. She'd seen and heard it all with perfect clarity: Edward's feral expression as he lunged for Jacob's throat, Jacob bracing himself against the attack, with his hands raised in front of him. His hands did not tremble.
Edward's eyes remained fixed on his daughter as he tried to read the little girl's mind while she shared her memories with his wife. But just like Bella's, her mind was like a steel trap, he came up with nothing. Frustrated, he shoved his hands deep in the pockets of his jeans, angered when he caught sight of Jacob's smug grin.
"I suppose you find this all amusing, don't you, mongrel?" He accused.
"Edward, please." Carlisle remonstrated with him. "We spoke about this."
Edward grimaced, mumbling an apology to Carlisle, whilst turning his back on Jacob.
Jacob ignored Edward's taunt, finally moving toward Bella and Charlotte, he used the tip of his forefinger to tickle the little girl under the chin. Charlotte smiled her brilliant smile, and her memory changed, her focus all on Jacob this time. Bella sensed a new emotion in the memory – a bond, rooted in love, respect and admiration – Charlotte loved Jacob, loved him like a father.
Bella got the distinct impression that Charlotte was glad that Seth had put himself in front of Edward's spring. She didn't want Jacob hurt.
"Jacob, she – "Bella murmured, but didn't complete the thought when she saw Edward's pained expression. Instead, she changed the subject. "What do you think?"
"About?" Jacob raised his eyebrows again expectantly as he tickled Charlotte under the chin again, setting her off into another fit of giggles.
"About Charlotte's growth spurt? Should I be worried?"
Jacob shrugged nonchalantly, as if she was making a big deal out of nothing. "She's got shifter blood in her, Bella, honey. Of course, she's going to grow a little faster than the average kid. I mean look at me?" He gifted her with one of his sunny grins.
Bella immediately relaxed. "That makes sense." She agreed. "What do you think, Carlisle?"
"It's certainly something to consider." Carlisle conceded.
Charlotte patted Bella's face impatiently, demanding her attention. Another memory: Rosalie holding a squirming Charlotte on her lap as she pulled a brush through each of her curls. She had felt an overriding fear, her senses overwhelmed by Rosalie's icy touch, the strong, sickeningly sweet fragrance coming off her skin burning her nose.
Bella frowned as she attempted to soothe her daughter with a gentle kiss on her forehead, a tender caress on her cheek. This must have happened while she was still recuperating from her injuries, and before Leah took over Charlotte's care.
"What is she showing you now?" Edward asked, his tone sounding petulant.
Bella barely spared him a glance. "She's giving me a rundown of everything I missed." She said vaguely.
"Am I included in the slideshow?" Edward inquired; his curiosity piqued. He took a few steps toward Bella and Charlotte.
Jacob instantly stepped into his path, stopping him getting too close.
"Will you stop interfering, dog? I was merely asking a question."
"You can ask your questions from over there." Jacob answered curtly. "It distresses the kid when you get too close, but you're too selfish to care about that, right?"
"You – "Edward stepped forward defiantly, his hands curling into fists at his sides.
And then his arms were suddenly pinned behind his back by Jasper. Edward turned and glared at Jasper in exasperation. "I wasn't going to do anything."
Alice stood behind her mate, looking subdued and sad. "I'm sorry, Edward. We must be cautious. Jas could feel your heightened emotions. We don't want a repeat of what happened earlier."
"She's right, Edward." Carlisle added his voice to hers. "Think of Charlotte."
"I think of nothing else." Edward snapped, his forehead pressing into lines. Jasper's arms pulled his tighter together. It wasn't particularly uncomfortable, let alone painful, as it would have been to a human. It was just extremely annoying and unnecessary. He knew he could break Jasper's hold if he really wanted to, but he didn't fight it. He looked over at Bella pleadingly.
Sighing, Bella relented and nodded at Jasper to release him. The binding hands disappeared.
"Thank you, love." Edward said softly. "You can trust me. I promise."
"Bullshit." Jacob mumbled under his breath.
Edward's lips twitched in annoyance, but he didn't rise to the bait. Instead, he kept his distance and smiled crookedly at Charlotte in an effort to charm her. "You look so much like my mother." He said to her.
"You think so?" Bella asked dubiously. "Personally, I thought I could see Charlie in her. Especially in her expressions sometimes."
Charlotte turned and touched Bella's cheek again as she dumped her next memory on her without warning. The metallic smell coming off a strange metal cup – hard enough not to be bitten through easily – made Bella want to gag. It was the smell of blood – human blood.
"Come on, little one. Drink it up for daddy."
A flash burn of anger seared Bella's throat as she rounded on Edward, her eyes shooting sparks. "You fed her human blood? What is wrong with you?"
Edward gulped, taking a few steps back under the weight of the accusatory stares flung in his direction.
"It was just the once. It was just a precaution. I thought – "
"I explicitly told you it wasn't necessary." Carlilse thundered, cutting him off. "I explained to you in detail how her vampire genes were dormant. Why would you contemplate such a despicable thing? Do you know the harm you could have caused if she had actually ingested a few drops of the blood?"
The whole room froze. It was a very rare occurrence for the coven leader to lose his temper. And for him to lose it with Edward was even rarer.
Jasper seemed to recoil from the turbulent emotions swirling about the room. He winced slightly, before projecting an aura of calm to diffuse the rising tension. Alice pressed into his side, offering her silent support.
Jacob took a protective stance in front of Bella and Charlotte, his expression forbidding as he glared at Edward. "You sick, twisted piece of – "
"Jacob." Bella interrupted him, giving him a warning look. Charlotte was distressed enough, intuitively picking up on everyone's wayward emotions, she hid her face in Bella's shoulder and began to cry.
Jacob bit back his angry retort and stared coldly at Edward. "Enough is enough. We are clearing out of here right now, today. I won't have either Bella or the kid put at risk while he's in the house."
Carlisle's face was grim. "That won't be necessary, Jacob. I promise you will be perfectly safe here. Edward and I are going on a little trip." His tone brooked no argument as he glared at his favorite son. "We will be leaving at once. I just need to say goodbye to Esme."
He strode out of the room at speed without once looking back.
"Bella, please…." Edward begged in a pained whisper.
Bella couldn't bear to look at him. She deliberately turned her back as she spoke. "Just go." She said harshly. "You disgust me."
Edward was the burning man again. His face contorted in anguish, his mouth working as he tried to conjure up a suitable defense, but no words came out. Alice and Jasper moved to either side of him, following sadly in Carlisle's wake as they escorted him out of the room.
A/N-thanks for reading!