03 | Baby Fever
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SKIN & BONES
iii. BABY FEVER
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a/n. not to be dramatic but they're so cute
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"HOW LONG DO YOU think forever is?"
"Rory, just because I've been immortal longer than you doesn't mean I actually know how long forever is."
Rory shot her boyfriend a glance, her feet in his lap as she flicked through the channels on the television. "Someone's gotten sassier over the past couple of months," she teased. "I think you're just bitter because I refuse to tell you what I saw yesterday."
"But babe—"
"I can't tell you!" she insisted. "What if it creates a tear in the universe or something? I've seen Marvel movies, you know. It could happen... hypothetically." She paused upon seeing her boyfriend's puzzled face. "I forget you've never seen a single Marvel movie. Or any movie for that matter." She paused. "What the hell do you do all day?"
"Spend time with my incredible girlfriend," Jasper answered with a shrug.
"Ohh, right," Rory stated, giving up on finding something interesting to watch, "she sounds pretty cool if you asked me."
"That's because she's dating someone pretty cool."
Rory narrowed her eyes at her boyfriend, a smile creeping onto her face. "I am influencing you in all the wrong ways," she commented. "By the way, no one's cooler than me, baby."
"Whatever you say," Jasper dismissed. To that, Rory responded by throwing a couch pillow toward his face. "You know you love me."
"Unfortunately," she joked, pulling her cellphone out of her pocket as it proceeded to ring. Without glancing at the caller I.D, Rory pressed the green answer button and spoke, "Hello?"
Silence.
"Bella? Bella, what's up? You haven't been this freaked out since you walked in on Renée and Phil—wait, you're what?"
○ ○ ○
Bella and Edward Cullen were on the next flight back to Forks, Washington from their honeymoon spot in Brazil. The entire Cullen household was eerily silent, each individual wondering what was in store for the vampires of Forks now. After all, how often was it that a vampire got a human pregnant?
Two weeks had passed since they returned and since then, Bella looked more like skin and bones, more dead, than the vampires around her at all times. That seemed to tell them all they needed to know about the baby growing inside of Bella.
The more the fetus grew, the more it was hurting Bella—both, mentally and physically. Rory had tried to use her ability to slow time within Bella to force the baby to grow at a slower rate, but every attempt sent Rory shooting forward or backward in time like the incident with the flower.
The best the vampires could do was allow Rory to manipulate Bella's body into feeling less pain than she was actually experiencing, but no one knew how long the Manipulator could keep it up. She was good at hiding her pain, but everyone had their limits, right?
Rory couldn't stop thinking about what she knew that the others didn't—about the future she had seen. In every future Rory saw, there was always that girl. Ren.
Rory wondered that if Ren was her supposed niece, was she Bella's child? If so, why hadn't Rory seen or heard anything about Bella in the future? Was Bella not going to survive giving birth?
Yes, Rory wanted to tell the others about Irene. In fact, she and Jasper talked about it all the time, debating. But what good what it do? The more people that knew about Irene, the more likely she was to being exposed to the Volturi and losing her life. It was too dangerous. All Rory could do was live knowing that, at the very least, Bella's baby would be okay.
The day Jacob Black visited Bella Cullen was one Rory hadn't been particularly excited for. She knew he would stop by at some point, but when he did, he'd finally learn the truth. Bella had called Charlie saying she was sick from a bug she caught on her honeymoon, which was what Jacob believed. It was only a matter of time before he realized it was a lie.
Bella squeezed Rory's hand as her sister sat on the arm of the couch. The older Swan sister never left Bella's side anymore.
Rosalie Hale stood before Bella protectively as the rest of the coven remained tense. She eyed Jacob as he emerged from the staircase with Carlisle following behind him. "Close enough," warned Rosalie.
Jacob glared at the blonde. "What's your problem?" Rather than responding, Rosalie glared at the werewolf.
Meanwhile, Rory was having a hard time paying attention to what was going on. Her energy was diminishing the more she tried to alleviate her sister's pain. She sat with a grimace as Bella gently assured the blonde, "Rose, it's okay."
Jacob continued to glare at Rosalie as he stepped past her. He sat on the coffee table, taking in Bella's ghastly appearance. He clicked his tongue before stating, "You look terrible."
Rory rather loudly scoffed. "Really? That's your big, opening line, Prince Charming?"
A weak laugh forced its way out of Bella. "Yeah, it's nice to see you, too," she admitted.
Jacob smiled at his childhood crush before he grew serious once more. "So, are you gonna tell me what's wrong with you?" he asked.
Bella glanced back at her big sister, hesitant. "You wanna help me up?" she requested. She held her arms out for Rory.
Rory eyed Bella. "You sure?"
"Yeah, Rory."
"...Like, really sure? 'Cause I can totally throw him out."
"Rory."
"I'm pretty strong, you know. I'm not one to spit on puppies, but it's just Jake, so..."
When Bella shot her sister a look, Rory sighed. She stood on her feet and gently took Bella in her arms, helping her up from the couch she lounged on. As she did so, Bella's enlarged stomach was exposed, revealing the bruises scattering her body. Jacob's eyes widened as he shot upward, shocked.
Jacob's eyes fell on Edward. He stormed over to the newlywed, only to be stopped by Emmett holding him back as he snapped, "You did this!"
Jasper sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Yeah, no shit," he muttered.
Carlisle was quick to defend his son. "We didn't know it was even possible."
Jacob was still confused, enraged. "What is it?" Meanwhile, Bella sat down with an uncomfortable look on her hollowed face. Rory rubbed her sister's back, whispering supportively to her.
"I'm not sure," disclosed Carlisle. "Ultrasounds and needles won't penetrate the embryonic sac."
"I can't see it either," Alice chimed in. "And I can't see Bella's future anymore." Bella held her breath at the thought, reaching for her sister again.
Rory frowned. "What if you can't see the baby's future anymore because of Bella's weird thing with powers?" she tried to theorize. "Like, how Edward can't read Bella's thoughts? Maybe the baby has a power that blocks Alice's visions or something?"
Rory was particularly adamant about making sure everyone knew that things would be okay without exposing Irene. She was a loyal to her friend, and that wasn't going to change. Still, it was bothering Rory knowing that Irene's mother died after giving birth to her. She didn't want to tell everyone that though.
"Maybe, but it's hard to say," Carlisle stated. He turned back to Jacob, who looked incredibly distressed. "We've been researching legends, but there isn't much to go on."
"Why haven't you done anything!?" demanded Jacob. "Take it out of her!"
"This is none of your business, dog," snapped Rosalie.
"Rose!" Esme called in a warning tone. "All this fighting isn't good for Bella."
"The fetus isn't good for Bella," Alice countered.
"Say the word, Alice," Rosalie demanded. "Baby. It's just a baby!"
"Possibly," Alice argued.
Jacob turned to his childhood friend with pleading eyes. "Rory," he started, "why aren't you saying anything? You can't let her go through with this!"
"Since when did we decide that I'm Bella's mother who makes all of her decisions?" demanded Rory. "It's her body, it's her choice! It's not like she doesn't want to give up her life to be one of us anyway!"
Aggravation overtook the werewolf. Jacob turned back to Carlisle, who he'd deemed was the only reasonable Cullen. "Carlisle, you've got to do something," he begged.
"No," Bella firmly cut in. "It's not his decision. It's not any of yours."
Edward, speaking for the first time in awhile, said, "Jacob, I need to talk to you." Then, he exited the living room without waiting for another second.
Jasper went to Rory's side, rubbing her back sympathetically while sending small waves of calamity Bella's way. "You're gonna be okay, B, I promise," Rory told her sister. "I'll be by your side even if it kills me."
Bella sent her sister another smile. "Last time you said that, you actually died, you know," she quietly said as the others eavesdropped on Edward and Jacob's conversation outside. Luckily, Rory was keen on multitasking.
"Guess that means you're not getting rid of me ever," Rory encouraged.
Though, Rory couldn't help but wonder...
Would Bella even be alive long enough to meet her baby, or would giving birth be her baby sister's everlasting doom?
Revised: January 7th, 2020
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