Baby Fever [Jacob & Edward]

29

Bella's curiosity does not wane. In fact, with every meeting, her eyes gravitate more and more to Jacob. Edward can see the way her eyes linger on him as if she's trying to figure him out. The confusion is understandable. Edward had never really explained anything about his sexuality beyond his attachment to Bella herself, so seeing him with a man might be a shock. 

Though, Edward thinks it goes deeper than that. The way she's sizing him up, really taking in his features while Carlisle rattles off statistics next to her, tells Edward that somethings caught her attention. About ten minutes into their sixth call, her eyes become comically wide and Edward can feel his stomach sink despite not knowing why.

Carlisle, as he does every meeting, stands up from his seat to go and get the ultrasound machine so that Edward can see the baby in real time. Usually, Edward would spend the time in between talking to Jacob or doing something for Bear. Though, Jacob's downstairs with his team and Bear's fallen asleep on Edward's pillow, so there aren't any distractions or excuses not to talk to her. 

"You've moved on." she somberly surmises.

The observation is one an infant could've made, but it still makes him uncomfortable hearing her acknowledge it aloud. He gets it. He'd spent years almost obsessively watching over, caring, and loving her. It was quite strange to see he was the one who'd moved on first, but his priorities had significantly shifted after the split. He didn't want a tumultuous relationship where he felt like a constant threat to his partner. He was tired of feeling like a monster. 

"Yeah," he mumbles, eyes casted down to Bear's blanket. 

"To a werewolf," she points out, eyes squinting,"someone who puts you in constant danger." 

She's clearly trying to make a point as her eyebrows shoot up to her hairline at his lack of objection. He understands the parallels, but there's a difference between being weaker and being weak. There's a difference between being wounded and dead. As much as she wanted to poke holes in their relationship and shine light on what she believes to be hypocrisy, he and Bella were nothing alike. 

"I'll survive." He says, eyes scanning over Bella.

She'll be dead in a couple of months. 

"Mm, yes, with your partner and his baby," There's clearly a question there as she tries to get more answers out of him. 

She wants to get him riled up, get him yelling. She wants to get him passionate, defensive even, so that he can start to question himself. She knows how much he'd been crushed by the death of their baby. It drove a wedge between them that eventually led to him residing in an empty house made for a family. The insinuation that Bear wasn't his would eat him up, make him angry...several months ago. This version of him had been through too much with this baby to even be swayed. Instead, he just hums, a small smile gracing his face as he as he watches Bear wiggle closer to his pillow, little nose twitching as she scents it in her sleep. 

There was something about the moment that takes him out of the conversation, it wakes him up as if he's been asleep for the past six months as he glances around him. He's not sure if he could go back to the glorified skyscraper he'd been so proud of just months ago. Something about the world felt different. The desolation that he'd once craved felt daunting. He was afraid to go back to it. He was used to Leah preparing dinner while Seth pretended he wasn't helping. He was used to Embry and Quil quietly cracking jokes on the couch as they cuddled under some of the blankets that one of them had hauled downstairs. He'd miss Jacob. The way Jacob smiled as if he's never been happier as he hops up on one of the stools, taking in the quiet buzz of his family as they enjoyed one another's company. His smile only grows larger when Edward and Bear emerge from upstairs. It was different from Jasper and Emmett popping in every now and then to go on a hunting trip. It felt like he was a part of something significant.