The Birth of Cameron Seth Outtake

~~~~OOO~~~~OOO~~~~

"Arnold."

"No, Edward."

"Donald."

"Um...no."

"Ronald?" This one was with a laugh.

That one got an eye roll...only.

"How about Larry?" he tried to ask with a straight face, he really did.

Isabella shook her head as she walked into the bathroom so she could pick up her brush and then returned, stopping in the doorway to look at him. He'd been home from the hospital for a few weeks now; they'd made it through both Christmas and New Years and they had an appointment to see Isabella's doctor in the morning. Looking at him you'd never be able to tell he'd been in any sort of accident less than a month ago. His hair had mostly grown back, the bruising had all but faded, and even the scrapes and scabs were gone. He sat cross-legged on their bed, baby books spread all around him with his glasses perched sexily on the end of his nose.

She shuddered when she thought about how close she came to losing him, but then took a deep breath and let that go. Tomorrow they were going to hear their baby's heartbeat...together...and that was all that mattered.

"George?" he asked looking up from the book of baby names, a silly, sexy grin on his face.

"Nope," she answered, and made a popping sound with the "p".

He looked down again and then back up at her a few seconds later. "I got it...Edgar," he teased and when the corners of her lips moved in a smile, he started laughing...hard.

Still holding the brush in her hand, she walked toward the bed, her smile growing the closer she got. "Sure, Edward. If you want our daughter to be named Edgar, I say we go for it, but you get to be the one that has to explain why she has such a hideous name," she told him and then giggled when he reached for her and pulled her down on the bed with him.

"Isabella, you really need to stop doubting me, seriously. It's a boy and the sooner you accept that, the faster we can pick out a name and start decorating his room," he told her with the cocky but sweet at the same time smirk he sported pretty much nonstop these days. He stared down at her and like always, was held completely captive by the depth he found. Her brown eyes sparkled in the golden glow of the bedside lamp and from the fire in the fireplace in the corner of their room.

Pregnancy most definitely agreed with his wife and though he never would have thought it was possible, she got more beautiful every day. Her hair shone as if she was standing in the sun, even when she was inside. Her skin glowed and there was always a smile on her gorgeous face. Her pregnancy, as he'd been assured before, had indeed been an easy one so far. With the exception of a few mornings where she'd spent more time in the bathroom than out, she hadn't had any problems. There were a few instances when her hormones had gotten the best of her and she was irritated about having to use the bathroom more and the fact that her body required more rest, but Edward just looked at all of that as a reason to pamper his wife. As if he really needed one in the first place, but he took his new mission seriously and attacked it with gusto.

Breakfast in bed, massages at night before they went to sleep, keeping the house stocked with her favorite foods, flowers delivered to her at the office in almost embarrassing regularity...anything and everything he could think of to show her, and everyone else, how completely over the moon he was about her being pregnant and the fact that he was soon going to be a father.

"You're so fucking beautiful," he whispered once he shook his head and focused back on her beneath him.

Lowering his head, he settled his lips against hers and ran them back and forth enjoying how soft and plump they were. He didn't kiss her, but he could practically taste the spicy cinnamon from her toothpaste. He let his hands ghost up and down her side, feeling the cool, smooth satin of her nightgown beneath his fingertips.

"I can't wait for tomorrow," he told her as he placed a gentle kiss on the corner of her mouth. He flicked his tongue out at her lips and then licked his way across the bottom one. "To hear our baby, living inside of you," he said in a voice full of awe and wonderment.

After his accident and once he'd woken up and began his recovery, she'd made an appointment with her doctor to get checked out right away. He insisted. As upset as he was to miss even a minute of her pregnancy, her health and the health of the baby were more important. Renée promised him she would go with her and make sure everything was okay and when she returned back to the hospital assuring him all was well, he breathed a bit easier.

Tomorrow would be the first time they would hear the heartbeat because Isabella wouldn't do it without him. The doctor's assurance that everything was proceeding as it should be was good enough for her because like Edward, Isabella didn't want to experience anything without him by her side.

"Me, either. I'm so excited," she said in an adorable almost squeal.

"Hearing him tomorrow makes it really real, you know?" he asked with an almost shy shrug of his shoulders. He shimmied down her body and pushed up her nightgown until her stomach was exposed. He placed a loving, reverent kiss right above her navel and without looking up at her said softly, "I can't wait until you're here, little man. You are so loved already, but you haven't seen anything yet."

She giggled at him and then ran her fingers gently through his hair. Every night he would spend endless minutes talking to their baby; it didn't matter if it was nonsense or serious, but he did it every night without fail. He was going to be the most amazing father, she had complete faith in that fact, and even though he was convinced they were having a boy, she knew he would be thrilled no matter what sex it turned out to be.

However, she was quite positive that the baby would NOT be named Edgar.

He turned toward her when he heard her sweet laugh fill the air and his eyes once again turned dark as he carefully crawled back up her body and let his body press against hers. When he began rocking against her there was no mistaking how much he wanted her. The next words out of his mouth made that crystal clear.

"Isabella," he hissed as he pushed against her just right, letting the tip of him press against her most sensitive spot.

She moved beneath him and let out a frustrated huff when she couldn't wrap her legs around him due to being restricted by her silky nightgown. It looked gorgeous on her, even she knew that, but it was obvious it was meant to come off before the lovemaking could get underway.

He chuckled at her annoyance and the fact that she wanted him as badly as he wanted her. Slowly he slid his hands down her body and she sighed in pleasure as the warmth of his skin practically melted the offending nightgown straight off her body.

"Edward," she breathed, his name sounding like a warning and a plea.

"Shhh, Beautiful. You know I'll make you feel good," he told her as his mouth captured hers for a bruising kiss.

He poured everything into that kiss - every ounce of love he had for her and for their unborn child, every fear he had that he would somehow turn into Liam, no matter how preposterous the mere thought of that was, every word of thanks he felt for her for giving him the most precious gift a woman could give a man. Every cell in his body was alive, aching for her in a way that all at once seemed new but was familiar as the way her hand fit in his.

By the time he lifted his mouth from hers so they could breathe, her gown was pushed up over her hips and her legs were wrapped tightly around his waist. When his mouth moved from her lips to the side of her neck, the gown was on the floor beside the bed in a soft, silky pile. Another kiss and swipe of his tongue across her collarbones later, and his pajama pants kept it company.

"I love you," he told her when he picked his head up and stared deeply into her eyes.

She looked up at him and pushed his hair back from his forehead. There was nothing she loved more than looking up and seeing her husband...her Edward looming over her with his broad shoulders and muscular back. Her hands traced a path from his hair down over those sexy shoulders and then gripped his biceps, biting back a low moan when her fingers found nothing but solid muscle. She curled her fingers around them as much as her small hands would let her and used her legs to urge him forward. She wanted to feel him, all of him, on top of her. She wanted his weight to press her into the bed so that there was not one part of their bodies that wasn't touching.

She just wanted him...every moment of every day.

Her breath hitched and her heart raced as the feelings she was having coursed through her body and she clung to him almost desperately. It was like she couldn't get close enough, like she couldn't feel enough, like she couldn't tell him enough times that she loved him with everything she had inside of her and because she was too afraid if she opened her mouth to speak she'd start crying and never stop, she just squeezed her eyes closed and wrapped her arms as tightly as she could around his neck.

As sensitive as he always was to the way she responded to him, Edward of course immediately noticed the rather abrupt change in the atmosphere around them. He shifted their bodies so he was beneath her and then scooted up the bed so he could rest his back against the headboard.

"Talk to me, Beautiful," he whispered as softly as he could once she picked her head up to look at him.

He had bent his legs and she rested against them and let her very wet center nestle his very hard erection between them. His fingers slid through her hair and then he ran his thumb across her cheek as he cradled her head in his hand. With his other hand, he entwined their fingers and then rested their hands on his chest, right above the tattoo that reminded him every day of how far they'd come...together.

"I love you, Edward," she said so quietly it was barely louder than a breath.

"I love you, too," he answered back immediately. It didn't matter if he'd just said that not a minute ago or a second ago, he would never...ever...not tell her he loved her when he had a chance to do so.

He'd learned that lesson well and it was one he would never forget again.

"Isabella, just tell me," he told her in a very patient voice. "Are you nervous about tomorrow? You know the baby is fine," he assured her.

And...really...he did know because he'd already seen what his son would like like years and years from now.

She shook her head, her soft hair falling in waves over her shoulder. "It's not that. I know the baby is fine. If anything, I can hardly wait to hear the heartbeat with you," she told him as she raised her eyes to his. "It will be the first thing we get to do as... parents."

Edward sucked in a sharp breath as her words washed over him and when he gazed at her his eyes were wide with wonder and awe and so much happiness. God, he really can't wait to be a father, she thought with a heart so full of love she thought she would float away.

"Parents," he whispered and there was no mistaking the way his brilliant green eyes shimmered due his tears.

He sat straight up and wrapped his arms tightly around her and with the slightest shift of his hips was buried deep inside of her. They each moaned when her warmth surrounded him and she couldn't help but rock up and down. His hands were spread wide across her back, one in the center, one lower across the top of her ass. Kissing her deeply, he thrust inside of her.

"Ah, fuck, Beautiful, you always feel so damn good," he hissed as he nipped back and forth across her collarbones, stopping every few moments to lick and suck on her neck.

She twisted his hair between her fingers and tugged, loving so much the way he growled in the back of his throat when she did so.

"Make me come, Edward, please," she panted and then arched her back with a moan when his finger found her most sensitive spot.

He watched her ride him, her long hair brushing across the tops of his thighs and felt his own release building rapidly. She looked fucking magnificent as she stretched her neck and her fuller breasts bounced up and down as she increased her pace, trying to hurry the orgasm that she craved.

"That's it, baby, let go. Come for me," he commanded and took a nipple into his mouth and swirled his tongue around it.

He felt her tense then felt her flutter around him as she came. God, he loved to watch and feel her as she gave herself over to her pleasure.

His finger didn't stop teasing her bundle of nerves and when he bent his knees, he drove even deeper inside of her. The coil in his stomach was wound so tight and his legs were on fire and he knew his release was imminent.

Using his thumb instead of his finger he pressed down on her clit and bit down on her bottom lip when she exploded around him. He followed right behind, coming in a powerful burst and as he held her tightly once they were both spent, he carefully slid her off his lap and onto the bed. Once they'd cleaned up, he curled his body around hers and fell asleep with a smile on his face knowing that tomorrow would be the first step on their journey as parents.

~~~~OOO~~~~OOO~~~~

End of March About 5 months pregnant
"Are you nervous?" she asked him as her knees bounced up and down while she sat in the horribly uncomfortable chair in her doctor's office.

"Um, Beautiful," he told her as he leaned in close to her ear and nuzzled her with his nose. "I'm not the one trying to use my feet to jackhammer all the way through to China."

Immediately she stopped bouncing and sheepishly looked up at him from beneath her eyelashes. "Sorry," she told him and he couldn't help but grin at the adorable blush that flooded her cheeks.

Even at the age of thirty, even five months pregnant, she could still look as innocent as she did on their wedding night.

Carefully, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her back against him, smiling into her hair when she let out a big breath and practically melted against his side. "You'll still love the baby even if it's a girl, won't you?" she asked him out of the blue a few moments later.

"Isabella," he groaned and let her name last for several more syllables than was necessary.

She tried to burrow her way into his shoulder but he was having none of that. Adjusting their bodies he turned just enough so he could grip her chin between his thumb and his index finger and then he lifted her head to look at him.

"Love, you know better than that," he told her and he didn't try to hide his hurt at her question.

He knew he'd joked, probably way more than he should have if he was being honest, about the fact that the baby was a boy, but no one...at least he had thought so...could ever doubt how happy the prospect of being a father made him. Jasper and Alice had their ultrasound appointment a few weeks prior and Edward had watched his best friend beam with pride as he told everyone at the office that he was going to be a daddy to a little girl. He smiled as he remembered how much in shock Jasper had been and Edward knew, in the way that men always did with one another, that Jasper had hoped for a boy first, but the fact that both Alice and baby were healthy was all that mattered. And even though he'd seen what his son would look like, there was no guarantee that that was what was going to happen. Stranger things could...and did... happen so he was just taking each day as they came. Like Jasper, all he wanted was for his wife and his unborn child to be safe and healthy.

"Oh, Edward, sweetheart," Isabella hiccuped as she threw her arms around his neck. "Of course I know better than that!" Tears immediately formed in her eyes at the hurt look on his face and she couldn't help but kiss him over and over again, not paying the least bit of attention to the few others in the waiting room with them. "I'm so sorry I asked that. I don't know what's wrong with me," she said quietly as he wiped beneath her eyes. "I'm just so nervous."

He leaned forward and kissed her forehead in silent acknowledgment of her apology and he had to admit he felt much better knowing that wasn't really how she felt.

When he watched her take a very uneven breath he reached for her hand and squeezed it, waiting for her to look at him. "Everything is just fine, Beautiful. Stop worrying so much, okay?" he asked.

"I love you," she told him and then smiled when her name was called.

"I love you, too, baby...and you, too, Edgar," he said as he bent over and kissed her stomach. He turned and smirked when she heard him snort and as if on cue, the baby nudged Edward's nose with its little foot at the sound of that awful name.

"I told you she didn't like to be called Edgar, Edward," Isabella laughed as they followed the nurse down the hall to the ultrasound room.

Edward wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to a stop right outside the door. "Like I would really name our son Edgar, Isabella, really," he chuckled and then kissed her soundly on the lips. "Let's do this and no matter what they tell us, I'll be happy. I'm going to be the best damn father, I promise," he told her and then had to breathe in and out of his nose a few times to keep control of his quickly escalating emotions.

"Mr. and Mrs. Cullen, are you ready?" the technician asked as she poked her head out of the door and looked at them in concern.

"Are you ready, Mrs. Cullen?" he asked with a grin a mile wide and laced their fingers together...always together.

She nodded at him and her smile matched his. "Ready," she answered and followed the tech into the room.

Once Isabella was situated on the exam table, Michelle, the ultrasound technician, turned off the lights and then sat down on the stool in front of the machine. After warning her the gel would be cold, a fact of which was proven when she jumped as the gel hit her exposed stomach, she began pushing buttons and typing information onto the computer.

"I'm just going to take some measurements and check the baby's progress before we try to take a picture and see if you have a boy or a girl," Michelle told them and then began adjusting dials and moving the wand over Isabella's stomach.

Edward was in awe, as was evidenced by the fact his mouth hung open so wide it was a wonder his jaw wasn't on the floor. Of course Michelle moved the wand too fast for him to be able to make out much of anything, but he caught glimpses of a foot, and a cute little nose...and he most definitely could see the heartbeat flutter on the screen.

"Oh my God," he whispered and didn't even try to hold back the tears he felt sting the corners of his eyes. "It's the most incredible thing I've ever seen." His voice shook as did his hands and his heart felt like it was about to beat its way out of his chest. How his heart was able to expand any more he didn't know, but he felt it as sure as he was sitting there. He'd loved his baby from the very second Isabella had told him she was pregnant. He fell in love with it a bit more the first time he heard that fluttering heartbeat, so loud and so fast and strong and told himself he'd never heard anything more beautiful in his life. But now...now it felt like his heart wasn't even inside his body anymore it had grown so much from all the love and happiness he felt. Love for his child...love for his amazing wife...love for the family they were building together. "Oh, Isabella, I love you so much," he said on a stuttering breath.

Isabella couldn't take her eyes off the screen and with each pass of the wand and each notation made she had to keep biting her tongue to keep from begging the technician to take just one more picture, to let her see her baby just one more time. She knew she was excited about being a mother but to see their baby living, moving inside of her was the most amazing thing she'd ever witnessed. That was to say nothing of how Edward was looking at her, like she was a most prized possession, a priceless work of art meant to adored and worshiped. It was a lot to take in.

"Edward," she rasped on a shaky breath and immediately felt his lips on her forehead.

"You've...I mean...I don't how to..." he stammered and then blew out a breath with a dreamy look on his face because he couldn't even think of what to say to her.

How do you thank the love of your life for giving you the greatest gift you've ever been given...after said love of your life of course.

He had to admit, he'd been a tiny bit worried, in the way that a thought niggles at the back of your mind, whether he'd be able to love anyone as much as he loved Isabella. Seeing just a glimpse of his baby he knew he never had to worry about that ever again.

Michelle cleared her throat, a bit moved by the obvious love the couple in front of her had for each other. "Are you ready to see if baby Cullen is ready to get its picture taken?" she asked with a grin.

"You bet we are," Edward chuckled and lifted Isabella's hand to his lips for a quick kiss. "I'm dying to show everyone little Edgar's picture."

Michelle's eyes about bugged out of her head when she registered what name he said and hoped she covered up the gasp with a little fake cough as she turned and faced the machine while she tried to gain her composure.

When she heard Mrs. Cullen laugh and then playfully slap her husband she realized Mr. Cullen had been teasing...thank goodness.

"It's a longstanding joke that's really not very funny," Isabella said as she tried to make the poor tech feel better. "You'll have to excuse my husband, Michelle, he seems to think Edgar is the perfect name for our daughter."

"Son."

"Whatever, Edward. We'll see in just a minute won't we?" she tried to scold him but one look at his excited face and she just smiled at him.

"I love you, so fu...very much," he whispered in a rough voice and kissed her quickly on the lips.

They were so caught up in staring at each other it took a moment for them to realize that Michelle had said, "And, there it is."

"You can tell?" Isabella asked as her heart beat wildly in her chest.

Michelle nodded and looked from one to the other. "Are you ready to find out whether or not your son or daughter will ever speak to either one of you again for the name Edgar?" she asked with a smile.

Edward looked down at her and when Isabella nodded he swallowed past the golf ball in his throat and squeaked out a "yes."

"Congratulations...it's a boy!"

"Holy shit," Edward breathed out and felt his knees go weak and then he laughed... really, really laughed.

Isabella watched him for a moment and was half worried and half amused by his reaction but when he flashed her her smile, everything but him faded away. "Are you okay, now?" she asked him and tried to sit up groaning when she did so. "I'm fine," she told him as she patted his hand when she noticed the anxious look on his face. "I just have to pee...again."

He let out a breath and helped her sit up. "I'm so fucking happy," he whispered as he brushed his lips across hers once she was upright.

"Me, too," she beamed and then grimaced.

"Mrs. Cullen, I'll show you where the restroom is and then go make some copies of these pictures for you to give to your family and friends, okay?" Michelle asked once Isabella was on her feet.

"I'll meet you in the waiting room, Beautiful," he told her sweetly and then flopped back in his chair when the door closed behind her.

"You okay?" Seth asked with a chuckle when he appeared in front of his charge.

Edward just nodded at him with a big, silly grin on his face. He couldn't even think he had so many different things floating around in his head. He was just...perfectly happy.

"I'm fucking spectacular," Edward said and stood up and paced around the room.

He wanted to go buy a baseball glove. He wanted to go buy a train set. He wanted Legos and Matchbox cars. He wanted to go buy a guitar and a basketball hoop.

He was going to have a son.

He had never been happier in his life.

Seth watched Edward and felt his heart soar and if he was able to, he'd let his wings out and fly around the room and really show Edward how happy he was. Instead he settled for a loud rumbling laugh that shook the floor.

"I never would have guessed," Seth remarked with a smirk. "My namesake already looks good huh?" he teased, though he was completely serious.

The technician was able to capture a perfect picture of Cameron Seth and Edward couldn't wait to show everyone.

"Hell yes he does! Isn't he amazing? I mean he's the most incredible baby you've ever seen, right?" Edward asked earnestly and then had to laugh at how crazy he sounded.

He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths and when he opened them, found Seth standing right in front of him. "It's a lot to process, isn't it?" he asked quietly and waited for Edward to nod his head before continuing. "You are going to be an amazing father, Edward Anthony, make no mistake about that. I'm sure you'll have your moments, as every parent does, where I'll have to kick your ass for acting like an idiot, but the way you love that little boy already just goes to show you how ready you are to be a dad."

The angel's words settled over him and Edward had the urge to reach out and hug the annoying being, just proving how much everything was affecting him.

Hug Seth...as if?

But, he did lift his hand and pat him on the shoulder because Seth's faith in him meant almost as much as Isabella's...not that he would ever admit it though. "Thank you," he said sincerely. "That means a hell of a lot to me. I can't wait for him to be here, you know? To see him with my own eyes, to hold him and take care of him. I'm so ready for this."

"I know you are. Now," the angel smirked and let his eyes twinkle, "go buy my boy something for being such a good boy today. Preferably something loud that will drive you crazy when he plays with it...which of course will be all the time."

Edward snorted and when he looked up, Seth was gone.

"Damn pain in the ass, annoying, know-it-all angel," Edward muttered, mostly because he knew he'd be buying a toy just like that within the hour.

He smiled though as he thought...the joys of being a parent.

He couldn't fucking wait.

~~~~OOO~~~~OOO~~~~

August 4, 2011 Cameron Seth's Birthday

"Beautiful, do you need anything? Do you want to try walking again?" Edward asked as he bent over and wiped her forehead off with a washcloth.

She blew out a frustrated breath through gritted teeth and shook her head.

God, she was so tired.

When her water broke more than eight hours ago, she never would have imagined she'd still be in labor, still waiting...still pregnant. She wanted to hold her son already, damn it, except that apparently her son liked to drive her every bit as crazy as his father did and was taking his sweet time making his entrance into the world.

Figures...like father, like son.

If she didn't love them both so much, she might want to kill them.

"Do you want me to get your mom?" he asked, trying to think of anything he could do to make her feel better.

Seeing her miserable was killing him. She wasn't one of those screamers or anything nor did she curse him up one side and down the other...but he knew he wasn't out of the woods. The hard part of bringing their son into the world hadn't even started yet. He could only hope that once Cameron decided he wanted out, it was over quickly.

He wasn't sure how long he could last.

Actually he did...as long as it took, he knew that. He would be as strong as she was, and when she felt like she couldn't go on anymore, he'd give her his strength. It was he least he could do for the gift she was about to give him.

Isabella gritted her teeth and squeezed his hand as she breathed through another painful contraction and after taking a sip of water answered Edward's previous question. "No, sweetheart," she said as she tried to catch her breath. "I just want you, no one else. I'll see them all once he's here."

He sat down beside her and rubbed the small of her back and kissed the side of her head. "Sounds good to me, love."

And really it did. All the family had been in and out since she'd been admitted and he was happy about that, but now, he was more than happy for it to be just the two...and hopefully three of them for now.

The contractions were coming much faster and the last time Dr. Shannon had been in, she'd assured them that their son would be here within the next hour or two.

He couldn't believe they were finally here, after all the months and months of waiting...Cameron was finally going to be here.

He wasn't sure there were enough words in the English language to describe how happy he was.

Another contraction came and this time a slew of nurses pushing all sorts of equipment entered the room, followed by Dr. Shannon.

"Ah, Isabella. Another contraction already, good. I'd say we're well on our way to getting that little guy out of you and out here so we can wish him happy birthday," Dr. Shannon said as she looked at a printout.

She nodded and squeezed Edward's hand.

He felt his heart beat faster...he was almost here!

Somehow it was an hour later and when the next contraction came the energy level in the room increased tenfold. Edward could barely feel his fingers because Isabella hung on to them so tightly, but she was hanging in there like the incredible woman he knew she was.

"Okay, Isabella, on the next contraction, I want you to push as hard as you can, all right? It's time," Dr. Shannon told her and Edward swallowed convulsively.

Holy shit...he was about to be here!

"Edward, why don't you help her sit up just a bit and then what do you say we have a baby?" she asked and after helping her into a more upright position it was time to push.

Isabella felt the contraction building and when her stomach twisted, she pushed and breathed and panted and prayed.

"Good job, Beautiful." Edward kissed her and she rested her head against his shoulder and barely had time to breathe before another contraction came, this time even harder than before and she repeated the same process again...and again...and again.

"I see the top of his head now, so on the next one, push as hard as you can," she heard the doctor say and felt Edward squeeze her as he pressed his lips against her sweaty forehead.

"I love you. You are doing such an incredible job," he whispered and though she was exhausted beyond belief she smiled at him.

He'd been so amazing today...actually since the moment she told him she was pregnant he'd been nothing but wonderful and she knew how lucky she was. She didn't ever forget and soon, she hoped and prayed, she'd be able to give him the child they both wanted so badly.

She pressed her forehead against him and managed to get out an "I love you, too," before another contraction seized her body.

"That's it, baby," Edward praised her and felt his heart leap when he saw a shock of fuzzy hair when he glanced down. "Oh my God," he said and felt his whole body shake.

He was almost here!

"One more big push, love, then we can wish him a happy birthday," he told her with a watery smile.

As he held her and breathed with her, he watched in wondrous amazement as his son slipped from his mother and into the waiting hands of the doctor. When Cameron's cry filled the room, he knew his life would never be the same again.

When he cut the cord and then kissed his exhausted but gorgeous wife he knew he was the luckiest man alive.

A few short minutes later, as he and Isabella held Cameron between them and counted ten toes and ten fingers, there wasn't anything else he could imagine ever wanting as much as what he held right then.

His wife.

His son.

His family.

His Greatest Gifts.

~~~~OOO~~~~OOO~~~~

Emma and Jack Outtake

 

~~~~OOO~~~~OOO~~~~

Emma and Jack Outtake ~Fandom4Tsunami Submission

"Edward, man, are you sure you're up for this?" Emmett asked as he threw the bags Rose had packed for Jack and Emma into the back of the Escalade.

Edward rolled his eyes for the hundredth time and shook his head. "Why does everyone keep asking me that question? Of course I'm up for this. Isabella and I love spending time with Jack and Emma, and you and Rose deserve to get away for the weekend. What are you so worried about anyway?" Edward asked as he shut the back door once everything had been put inside.

He would never say it out loud, but he sort of shivered at how much stuff the kids needed just for a weekend trip. He couldn't even begin to imagine how much more it would have been had Jack and Emma been babies instead of five and three. Of course the next thought he had was that he couldn't wait until it was his and Isabella's baby they were packing the car for.

Emmett climbed out of the backseat where he'd been buckling in the car seats and smirked at his brother. "Brother, it's a whole different ball game when you're with them twenty-four seven versus just a few hours. Don't get me wrong, I can't wait to have some quality alone time with Rosie," he said with a waggle of his eyebrows and Edward groaned.

"Em, damn it, I don't need to know what you plan on doing with my sister-in-law," Edward told him while he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Emmett couldn't help but laugh at him and then slapped him on the back. "Ed, chill, man. It's not like I'm going to give you a play by play of what I plan to do to my wife this weekend, unless you need some pointers?" he teased.

"Shut the fuck up," Edward growled, though it was with a smile.

"In all seriousness, thanks so much for offering to keep the kids. I think it will be good practice for you," Emmett nudged him, "and Rose and I really do need some time away."

"I hope you guys have a great time," Edward told him sincerely right before the front door opened and Rose, Isabella, and the kids walked out.

"Uncle Ebbard!" Emma squealed when she looked up and saw him.

Edward broke out into a huge smile and instantly thought of how sad he would be when Emma finally learned how to say her 'w's'. Really, really sad actually.

"There's my pretty girl," he laughed when she threw herself at him and he scooped her up in his arms as per usual.

"I gets to spend the nights wif you," she told him in that breathy, hyper voice that only little kids used.

He kissed her on the forehead and then gave her an Eskimo kiss, which of course resulted in the sweetest giggle, before he said, "I know! I'm so excited. I've been looking forward to this all week."

And he had, too.

When he had walked into Emmett's office and overheard him and Rose having a somewhat tense discussion, one which was totally unlike them, Edward realized how much strain his brother had been under. Ever since Emmett and Isabella had started on their project, Emmett had been working longer hours and pretty much nonstop. He only intensified that after the dinner where Edward had told his family everything. It was almost as if he was trying to prove something to Edward or make up for some unknown slight, and to be honest, Edward was getting a bit worried about him. He knew Em was still struggling with everything that he had told them all and coupled with the longer hours he was working at CP...well, it was no wonder he needed a few days away to recharge his batteries and get some much needed perspective.

It didn't go unnoticed that for once, it was someone other than Edward that was spending too much time at the office. It also didn't take much prodding on his part to convince Emmett that he should take Rose away for the weekend and let him and Isabella keep the kids. He had a moment's hesitation wondering if he should have asked Isabella first, but when Emmett's eyes lit up and he let out a long, cleansing breath, he knew he'd done the right thing.

Besides, like Emmett had said, it would be great practice for them.

"Do we have everything?" Edward asked Rose after she'd kissed Jack goodbye.

"I sure as heck hope so, if not, you're in big trouble," she laughed at him and then stepped forward. "Thanks so much for doing this. It really means a lot," she told him quietly.

Shifting Emma in his arms so he was able to let go of her with one of his, he wrapped his free arm around Rose and kissed her cheek quickly before straightening up again. "Anytime, sis, besides, we're going to have so much fun this weekend, Jack and Emma may never want to go home again. Isn't that right, pretty girl?"

"You can'ts keep me, Uncle Ebbard," she scolded him with all the seriousness a three-year-old could possess.

"I can't?" Edward said with an exaggerated pouty face. "Well, then I guess we better get to having fun seeing as we don't have long. Kiss your mommy and let's get going."

He leaned her over so Rose could kiss her and smiled when he got one from her, too. "You and Em enjoy yourselves and we'll see you both at Carlisle and Esme's."

Rose gave him an extra hug, partly in thanks for what he and Isabella were doing, but also to let him know how nice it was to see him say Carlisle and Esme's names, Carlisle's especially, without the usual frown on his face. He'd come such a long way and she was so happy to see it.

After another round of hugs and kisses, the kids got buckled into their car seats and they were on their way.

"Hey, Uncle Edward, what are we gonna do today?" Jack asked once they'd left his neighborhood.

It was a gorgeous Fall day, and even though it was just barely past nine o'clock in the morning, the sun was bright and the weather promised to be perfect.

"Well, Aunt Isabella and I," he said as he looked in the rearview mirror and squeezed her hand at the same time, "thought we'd head to the corn maze and do that, and then let you guys help pick out some pumpkins. Then we'll eat lunch and after that we'll go play putt-putt, pick up some pizza, and then go home and watch movies until you both pass out."

Emma clapped her hands at the thought of picking out pumpkins and Jack gave Edward a trademark Cullen smirk when he said, "Do you think you can beat me at putt-putt, Uncle Edward? It's not a video game, so you might have a shot."

"Kid, you just wait," Edward tried to say with a straight face but failed miserably. "Besides, your Aunt Bella is going to kick both our butts."

He chuckled when he heard her giggle and noted she didn't dispute what he'd said.

Isabella looked at him out of the corner of her eye and let out a very contented sigh. Ever since he'd told her he offered to keep the kids for the weekend, she had been beyond excited. She had to admit she'd been a tad nervous when he'd first told her, but as the weekend got closer and closer and he got more and more excited, so did she. He was so...happy...and there really wasn't a plainer way to say it.

A few months ago she never would have dreamed she and Edward would be at this place in their marriage, though it was what she'd always wanted. She couldn't imagine being any happier than she was right at the moment, unless she pictured their baby along with Jack and Emma. Every night when she went to bed the last thought she had before falling asleep was to say a quick prayer hoping that she and Edward were blessed with a baby before too long. She would never be so presumptuous as to demand, but sooner rather than later would be most welcome.

She knew he wanted it just as much as she did, and at times perhaps even more so; a fact of which made her as giddy as a schoolgirl. She couldn't count the number of times she'd let her mind wander as she tried to picture what their baby would look like, which mannerisms of theirs it would adopt, whose temperament it would most likely have. She tried to picture Charlie and Renée with their grandchild, knowing full well that the moment it was born, the child was liable to be spoiled beyond belief. Not with things, though she was sure there would be plenty of gifts, but with so much love it wouldn't even be funny.

"You okay, Beautiful?" Edward asked her when she'd been quiet for a few minutes.

He'd been listening to Jack and Emma chatter excitedly back and forth while they debated about what they wanted to do first when they got to their first stop. Emma of course wanted to pick out pumpkins, while Jack was itching to head into the corn maze. Edward hadn't told either of them that while they were there they'd also go on a hayride and for Jack, there was even the chance to shoot an air gun that shot corn cobs out of it. He had to admit, he was kind of looking forward to that, too.

"I'm great, sweetheart. I'm so excited about today and the fact that the weather is absolutely perfect," she said sweetly when she turned and looked at him.

He sure was dressed for Fall in a plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up, a pair of faded blue jeans that when she first saw them on him and the way they'd hugged his perfect ass, made her mouth water. To complete the casually sexy look that only he had was a pair of well-worn Doc Marten's and a pair of sunglasses.

In a word, he was hot.

Very, very...very hot.

And hers.

He nodded as he tapped his fingers against the steering wheel. "It's going to be a great day, and we're going to have so much fun," he told her and flashed her her smile.

They arrived at the corn maze and because it was so early in the morning, there were relatively few people there.

Emma squealed in the backseat and bounced in her chair, clapping her hands over and over again. "Hurry, Uncle Ebbard! I wanna sees everyfing!"

"You heard her, Edward. You'd better hurry before she bounces right out of the car," Isabella laughed at him when he'd turned the car off.

Once Emma was unbuckled, she was out of the car like a shot and Jack was right behind her. After a vigorous debate, it was decided that the pumpkin patch would be first so that once they'd picked out the pumpkins, they could load them in the car and then spend the rest of their time doing everything else.

"Uncle Edward, what about this one?" Jack asked a short time later as he stood in front of what had to be the ugliest, most deformed-looking pumpkin Edward had ever seen in his life.

"Buddy...um...that is just..." Edward tried to be diplomatic, but was having the hardest damn time coming up with anything nice to say about the monstrosity.

"I say we get it and bring it home to show Dad," Jack said with a smirk and he reminded Edward so much of Emmett it was scary.

Edward threw his head back and laughed before he nodded his head in agreement. "He's going to flip when he sees this," he told Jack a few minutes later as they walked to the car to put up their pumpkins.

Of course, Miss Emma managed to pick out the most perfect pumpkin ever: perfectly proportioned, round, with no flaws at all. Her little arms were also full of gourds of every shape, size, and color as well as a few miniature pumpkins, too. Apparently his lovely wife had as hard a time telling her 'no' as he did.

Once everything was put away in the back of the car, they headed for the maze. It actually had two entrances and they decided to split up to see who could get to the end first. Edward and Emma were on one team and Isabella was with Jack and after many wrong turns Edward and Emma found their way out of the end only to be met with a very smug-looking Jack and Isabella.

"You didn't get lost, did you?" Isabella asked with a grin and Edward tried to glare at her but couldn't hide the fact that the corner of his lips lifted in a smile.

"Pshhh, we let you two win. Didn't we, Emma?" Edward asked and laughed when she nodded her head in enthusiastic agreement.

Isabella and Jack shared a look and then she said, "Why don't Emma and I check out the petting zoo and you and Jack go do your guy stuff and we'll meet you two when it's time for the hayride."

"This is so cool," Jack said a bit later as he aimed the air gun at the target in the middle of the field. "Hey, Uncle Edward," he said after he'd shot his last ear of corn out of the gun.

Worried about the soft, hesitant tone of voice Jack was using Edward pushed his sunglasses up on top of his head and looked down at him.

"Thanks for letting us spend the weekend with you," Jack said quietly. "It's...well...really cool to hang out with you."

Edward laid his arm across his shoulder and pulled him close. Bending down he kissed him quickly on top of the head, not wanting to embarrass him by being overly affectionate out in public. "I love hanging out with you and Emma, Jack. I'm just sorry it took me a while to get my act together."

"Um," Jack said in an even quieter voice. "Are you going to be Emma's godfather again now? I mean we both love Jasper, but well...we love you more...and I know...I mean...she's too little to understand...but she loves you so much...." he stumbled over his words.

"Jack, oh," Edward practically groaned then had to take a deep breath to keep his voice from shaking. "Yes, of course I will. I want to. I love both of you, so much."

Jack wrapped his arms around his waist and gave him a quick hug before stepping backward.

Edward chuckled at the very typical little boy reaction and then looked up and noticed that Isabella and Emma were waiting for them by the tractor that would pull the trailer for the hayride. He and Jack made their way to them and then climbed into the back and found their seats on the soft hay.

Once the tractor started and Emma jumped when it started moving, everyone settled against the bales of hay. Edward laughed quietly as he listened to Emma prattle on and on in surprising detail for a three-year-old about every animal she saw in the small pen. There weren't many, but you would never be able to tell that from the way she talked.

"What are you thinking about, love?" he bent down and whispered in Isabella's ear when he saw a dreamy, sweet smile on her face.

She snuggled closer to him, forgetting for a moment that they weren't alone and said, "How nice this is, and how I can't wait until we get to do this as Mom and Dad and not Aunt Bella and Uncle Edward."

"Ah, my sweet girl, it'll come. We just have to be patient," he told her, hoping beyond hope he wasn't making promises he couldn't keep.

Somehow, someway, he knew that no matter what his fate was, no matter how long it was until his time was up, he was sure that this one wish they both hoped for would be granted. The rest, well, he'd learned from the annoying angel person, was out of his hands.

"Edward," she began then quickly closed her mouth and tried to burrow even further into his shoulder.

"Ah, ah, ah," he prodded her as he reached with his other hand and grabbed her chin with his finger and thumb, tipping her face up to his. "You know there is no way in hell you're getting away with that move, Beautiful. What is it?" he asked softly.

She gripped his bicep, reveling for just a moment the way the muscle coiled and flexed beneath her fingers. "I don't want you to think I'm not happy, Edward, because I am...insanely so. The way things are with us now is all I've ever wanted and if that is all I'll ever have, I won't mind, I promise. As much as I want to have your child and have us be a family, I want and need you even more. I hope you understand that," she told him with all the sincerity she possessed.

"Oh, Isabella," he muttered with so much emotion he felt like he could fall apart. He picked up his hands and then ran his fingers over her cheeks before he brushed his lips against hers in the sweetest, most tender kiss ever. It wasn't a long kiss because he was aware of little eyes and ears, but it conveyed everything he wanted it to. "I love you, baby, so damn much," he whispered and pecked her lips once more before settling her against him again. "All I need is you, too. As long as I have that, I have everything."

~~~~OOO~~~~OOO~~~~

"Uncle Edward," Jack grinned almost maniacally, "you know the point of this whole thing is to get the ball in the hole, right?"

"Kid, you are really pushing your luck right about now," Edward grumbled and then turned around to glare at his very smug wife and his equally amused niece and nephew.
The rest of the day had gone just as well as the beginning. After the hayride, they stopped by the concession stand for a glass of lemonade and a caramel apple...and then a trip to the bathroom where Isabella had to change poor Emma's clothes. Apparently little girl and warm, gooey caramel does not a good match make.

The drive to the pizza place was full of laughter and some very off-key singing on Edward's part. He gave it a valiant try of course, but singing was definitely not his forte. In between the corn maze and the restaurant, they made a detour to the toy store because Jack made the mistake of telling Edward he could beat him in the game of Battleship and Edward was never one to back down from a challenge, even from a five-year-old. Of course Emma didn't leave empty-handed either, having sweet-talked her very willing uncle into buying her the biggest stuffed cow he had ever seen. When he asked her why a cow, she simply and very sweetly said, "Because it reminds me of spending time with you," so he bought her a stuffed pig, pony, and lamb to go along with it.

Although he was half-tempted to second-guess buying any of them anything considering each of them seemed to delight so much in his inability to putt a little ball through the opening of a windmill.

"Awww, Uncle Ebbard, don't bes mad at us," Emma said and she looked like she was about to cry.

There was absolutely no question at all on whose head that little girl thought the sun rose and set on. She loved her daddy for sure, but her uncle, well, he was her hero and her most favorite person in the whole world.

He broke out the big guns and flashed her a huge smile and said, "I'm not mad, pretty girl, I promise. Why don't you come over here and help me get this da...darn ball through this silly windmill?"

She skipped over to him, well as much as a little girl with adorably chubby legs can skip, and very seriously said, "Steps back and watch me."

And without missing a beat she proceeded to hit the little blue ball right through the door and straight into the hole...on the first try no less.

"I'll be...thanks, Emma, you saved me," he told her as he grabbed her and then spun her around in a circle.

The rest of the game passed in much the same fashion much to Edward's supreme displeasure. Even letting Isabella help him a time or two didn't help much. Although, he did rather enjoy the feel of her body pressed tightly against his of course. He'd even be willing to suffer the embarrassment at being a total failure at the nuances of putt-putt golf if he got to feel that again.

Oh, who was he kidding? As much as he enjoyed the feel of his wife's body, he did not enjoy losing...at all. And he disliked not being good at something even more.

Too bad poor Edward wasn't any better at Battleship than he was at Wii bowling or putt-putt.

"D 5," Jack said with huge, and if he was older, Edward would have said shit-eating grin. As it was Jack had thrown himself backward, landing on a pillow while he laughed so hard tears were streaming down his face.

"Hit," Edward huffed and then couldn't help but laugh, too.

The rest of the game was a foregone conclusion of course and after the game was over, he sent Jack upstairs to get ready for bed.

He wandered into the kitchen and pulled a beer out and then carried it to the back door where he looked out over the garden. For half a minute he wondered where the angel had been all day, but he figured Seth was enjoying watching, from wherever he was, him get his ass handed to him all day long.

Yeah, there was no question the know-it-all being enjoyed his humiliation.

"Damn angel," Edward muttered, though it was done with a smile.

He finished his beer while he thought back over the day. Even with all the laughing, most done at his expense, he couldn't deny it had been about the most perfect day he'd ever spent. Like Emmett told him, being around the kids nonstop all day long had been very different than only having them for an hour or two, but he'd loved every minute of it.

After he'd thrown away the bottle in the recycling bin, he made sure the doors were locked and the alarm was set before making his way upstairs. He found his wife where he knew he would, laying on the bed in the guest bedroom between Jack and Emma reading them a story. He stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame, and just watched as she told of a world of dragons and princesses. Each of the kids was hanging on to her every word and though poor Emma could barely keep her eyes open, she kept begging Isabella to read just one more page.

He was struck with the most intense feeling of peace and contentment as he continued to watch, not to mention the urge to make love to his wife was like a smoldering fire just waiting to to burst into flames. She had no idea what it did to him to watch her with Jack and Emma. She was the epitome of gentleness and grace, though he was fully aware of the feisty Italian siren that came out to play from time to time. He loved and adored both equally because both were the essence of who she was.

Another few minutes passed and the sounds of soft snoring filled the air as both children fell into an exhausted slumber. He smiled at her when she looked up at him and pushed off the doorway without saying a word. Holding his hand out to her, he took the book and then helped her up before kissing Jack and Emma on the forehead. He led her from the room, still without speaking, until he closed the door behind them.

"I plan on making love to you all night long, Beautiful. A perfect ending to a perfect day, wouldn't you say?" he asked before claiming her lips and tumbling her down to their bed where he proceeded to do just as he'd said.

~~~~OOO~~~~OOO~~~~

The Greatest Gift - Epilogue

~~~~OOO~~~~OOO~~~~

Epilogue

"Seth, my friend," Gideon chuckled and then had to clear his throat to keep his composure. 

It wasn't often that angels were flustered, but Gideon was perilously close to losing it, and getting closer by the second.
Coughing once more, he tried again. "Seth, what in the world are you doing?"

For the past few days, or days in the human sense at any rate, Seth had been, for lack of a better word, on a tear. If he didn't have some inkling of what was bothering his young charge, Gideon might have been tempted to be worried, but seeing as he knew Seth better than anyone, he had a fairly good idea of the problem.

"None of these prospects are good enough," Seth told him without even turning in his direction.

"Seth," Gideon admonished though he couldn't help but laugh just a bit, too.

Yep, it was just as he thought.

He wasn't one of the head angels for nothing.

"What?" Seth questioned with a perfectly straight face. "You've seen them! Whoever gets this assignment has to be perfect...nothing else will do!"

"Aren't you being a tad bit...premature" Gideon asked carefully.

Seth having a meltdown was not something he wanted to see...no, sir.

When Seth turned and finally looked at him, his ice blue eyes were as troubled as Gideon had ever seen them and considering who his current charge was, that was saying something. A whole lot of something.

Gideon floated to where Seth was furiously going through the list of new angels as he tried to pick out the perfect one. "Seth, come now," he said in a soft but steady tone of voice. The pages of The Book ruffled due to the deep sigh that followed. "You've already seen that the twins' birth is completely successful. Isabella has had an easy a time with this pregnancy as she had with your namesake's. If anything, you should be sharpening your skills...Edward is going to need them before all is said and done. Poor man has worked himself into quite the tizzy over the prospect of having daughters." 

This time Seth's ice blue eyes twinkled gleefully. "Isn't that the truth? Twins?" he chuckled loudly. "Serves him right for all the trouble he's caused me."
Gideon could only roll his eyes at that statement. As far as he was concerned, it was a complete toss up as to who drove the other crazier at any given point in time.

Seth had been quite busy as of late; especially since little Cameron Seth made his appearance to the world a little more than three years ago. He had other assignments of course, mostly because Edward just didn't need him as much as he used to, but Gideon and the others were all well aware of the fact that Edward had never been just an assignment to Seth and no one expected him to treat him as such. That went double when Isabella was added to the mix not to mention once little Cameron came along.

But, Seth was an angel and he had a job to do, so Edward, Isabella, and Cameron couldn't be his only responsibility. When Isabella became pregnant with the twins, Gideon had wasted no time in telling Seth that part of his duties would be to pick out the angel that would watch over the little girls...Ava and Chloe if what he'd seen of the future held true. Angels could do many things, but even they couldn't be in two places at one time, so it was up to Seth to appoint the little girls' guardian angel.

It went without saying that these weren't just any ordinary little girls either. That was not to say that they were more important than anyone else, because they weren't, but because they were Edward and Isabella's they meant a lot to everyone. Gideon didn't expect any less.

He had a feeling Seth was getting close to making a decision though, and it wouldn't come a moment too soon. Isabella's pregnancy had gone exceptionally well thus far, but there was no telling when biology would trump fate and allow the twins to make their entrance to the world early.

As children of Edward Cullen, there really was no telling which way things would go.

Seth's ice blue eyes quickly scanned the many, many pages of potential guardians for the newest members of the Cullen family and when they alighted on one specifically, a huge smile broke out over his young friend's face and Gideon knew the die had been cast. In his not so humble opinion, there wasn't a better choice Seth could have made.

"She'll be perfect, Seth," Gideon praised and didn't try to hide his distinct pleasure at the potential choice to watch over Ava and Chloe.

A look of intense relief and supreme satisfaction washed over Seth and his white wings unfurled to their impressive maximum. He floated in the air and he let out a laugh that rumbled as far as the ear could go.

"I'm going to go tell her now. There isn't any time to waste," he said excitedly and before Gideon could even give him any advice on what to tell the newest member of Team Cullen, he was gone.

Gideon chuckled and shook his head saying a quick prayer that his exuberant and quite impetuous young friend remembered what he needed to tell her.

A few minutes later, or minutes in the human sense, Seth found himself approaching a group of the others and when he stopped he was practically shaking he was so excited.

As angels there was nothing greater than getting your assignment. It was what they were meant for: to love, guide, and protect their charges. Even though, as he well knew, there were times their humans made them want to pull their hair out and scream and yes, even cry, ultimately, their joy came from watching as they became the people they were destined to become.

Seth knew that better than anyone. Edward had been, and still was, the most difficult assignment he'd ever had or would have, but every heartache, every time he felt like he'd failed, every anguished talk he'd had with Gideon had been worth it to watch Edward now live and love and be happy. There would never be another like Edward, and for that he couldn't help but say a prayer of thanks.

Like he'd said time and again, he was an angel...he wasn't a saint after all.

Miriam looked up and noticed Seth and felt a tingle of excitement race through her body. Everyone knew Seth was one of the favored angels as well as what he was in the process of doing. Like all of the others, she'd watched Edward and Isabella's love story and felt pain when they hurt and felt joy when they were happy. She'd watched as little Cameron Seth came into the world and she knew that the twins were on the way, which meant that they were in need of someone. Someone like her if she had her wish.

"Miriam, can I have a word with you please?" she heard Seth ask and she felt her smile spread across her face.

Seth chuckled at her because he knew she knew what he was about to offer her and the look on her face told him everything he needed to know. She would indeed be perfect to watch over Ava and Chloe...Lord help her. Those two girls were going to keep her busy for many, many...many years. It was a good thing angels didn't age or anything like that because the twins...they were going to give her a run for her money.

Gleefully, he admitted silently, he couldn't wait to watch someone else be driven as crazy by a Cullen as he had been...and continued to be daily.

"Yes?" she practically squealed when she was in front of him.

"Do I even need to ask?" Seth grinned at the fact she was already nodding her head.

"No! I want it! I'll do it!!" she told him with a loud clap of her hands.

He wanted to tease her about her enthusiasm, but he couldn't really do it seeing as how he acted the same way, most especially when it concerned Edward...or more accurately Isabella and Cameron Seth.

"You do realize what this means, yes?" he tried to ask with a straight face. "I hope you know that being on Team Cullen is no easy task. With those two, especially Ava Grace, who I will swear is Edward's punishment for being such a pain in my ass, they are quite likely to make you question your sanity on more than one occasion...trust me."

Miriam wouldn't be deterred and she knew that even though Seth liked to talk a big game, there wasn't anyone, perhaps not even the lovely Isabella, that loved Edward as much as he did.

"I do know and I want it. I promise I do," she told him with as much feeling as her otherworldly body possessed.

"Okay, then, welcome to Team Cullen," Seth said with a smirk.

He went over a few things with her, not that all angels didn't know how to perform their duties to begin with. It was a good thing he picked her when he did, because as he expected, Isabella wound up being rushed to the hospital a good two weeks ahead of schedule.

As the angels watched with bated breath, little Ava Grace made her entrance into the world loudly, demanding attention right from the get-go while her sister, Chloe Abigail, merely looked around and tried to figure out what all the fuss was about.

Edward handled the delivery even better than Seth expected and when he, Isabella, and Cameron held the two little bundles between them on the bed, Seth and Miriam looked at each other and smiled knowingly.

Another chapter in the life of Edward and Isabella Cullen had begun.

~~~~OOO~~~~OOO~~~~

5 years later

"Dad," Cameron called for Edward as he ran toward the field with his glove in his hand. "Hurry up! We're already late," he hollered as he looked back over his shoulder and rolled his eyes at his dad.

Edward closed the back of the SUV and pulled the equipment bag up on his shoulder. He may have let out a grunt as his body protested just a bit, but he'd never admit it.

He squinted his eyes and noticed that as his son said, they were indeed late, but it wasn't anything new. Between Ava and Chloe it was a wonder they ever made it out of the house at all.

"Hey, Ed, have trouble finding your way out of the house?" Emmett taunted as he got closer.

"You know, Emmett, you've been a father a hell of a lot longer than I have so cut me a break why don't you?" Edward grunted as he dropped the bag of bats onto the ground with a thump. "Besides," he smirked at his brother, "Isabella and I are done and you...aren't." Like the smartass he was, he pulled his sunglasses off his baseball cap and put them on and then slapped his brother good-naturedly on the back. It seemed to snap Emmett out of the stupor he was suddenly in at the mention of their impending fourth kid.

It was a good thing Rose and Emmett were the epitome of the perfect parents because the thought of another baby, at his age and after having made it past the terrible twos and the terrifying threes only to now be firmly ensconced in the frenzied fives, made him positively quake in his tennis shoes. Not that Edward didn't wake up every morning thinking he was the luckiest man on the face of the planet, because he most certainly did, but he couldn't imagine having any fuller of a life than he had right now.

"Daddy!" came the sweet high-pitched squeal from his mini-me, Ava Grace.

Long brownish-red hair that had highlights of gold streaked throughout, eyes as green as the baseball field Cameron was currently standing in and the trademark Cullen smirk were the dead giveaway as to which parent she took after. Her sister, Chloe Abigail, looked exactly like her mother, though her hair was styled in an adorable pixie cut and her eyes weren't quite as brown as Isabella's were. She had the same gentle demeanor, the same loving, tender heart and in turn the same fiery temper as well. The two girls couldn't be any more different and Edward couldn't love them any more if he tried.

His kids were his pride and joy and there wasn't a minute that went by that he didn't realize how lucky he was; especially when at the end of the day, there was his wife waiting for him in their bed.

Speaking of...

"Hey, Beautiful," he smiled at her when she walked up.

He wasted no time wrapping his arms around her and diving in for a quick but always necessary kiss. Letting his tongue swirl with hers for just a moment he pulled her even closer to him. Ever mindful of their audience he kept it short, but like it did every time, it only made him want to keep on kissing her.

He kissed her quickly one more time on the lips and then stepped backward and gave her her smile. Even after giving birth to three kids, she'd only gotten more beautiful.

"Next time I'm taking Cam and you can take the TwinTerrors," she told him with a huff but then couldn't help but grin at him when his eyes got so big his eyebrows disappeared beneath his hat.

"Doodlebug, you didn't give your mommy any trouble did you?" he asked Ava with an exaggerated look of surprise on his face as he swung her up in his arms, thinking he really was getting too old to be doing such a thing or his daughter was getting too big.

Neither thought was particularly welcome.

Ava shook her head, her pigtails whipping around her face, and looked from her daddy to her mommy and said in a most serious tone of voice, "Noooo, Daddy. Promise."

Edward, who knew better than anyone what that tone, coupled with that word meant, tried to scowl at his daughter, but as per usual, wound up just smiling at her while ignoring the scoff of his wife and his other daughter rolled her big brown eyes and looked like the spitting image of her mother.

Asking Ava that question was like asking someone if the sun was going to rise in the morning. The answer was always yes.

The twins didn't misbehave per se, but Lord were they ever a rambunctious duo; Ava way more than her less rowdy sister. Put Ava, her cousin, Gavin, and Jasper's six-year-old son, Logan, together, and Edward, Emmett, and Jasper were ducking for cover for sure. Gavin might be a little older than the other three, but the younger ones had no trouble whatsoever keeping up with him...and finding enough mischief to get into. Throw in Alec's son, Ethan, who was the same age as Logan into the mix, and it was a disaster just waiting to happen.

Thankfully for the grownups, parents and grandparents alike, the rest of the kids were not as apt to find trouble around every corner. Max and Sophie's four-year-old daughter, Evie, and Alec and Alessandra's daughter, Riley, who was also four, along with Chloe were like three peas in a pod and spent as much time together as they could. Blessedly, most of that time was spent quietly playing or talking amongst themselves, though as kids were apt to do...they had their moments of naughtiness as well.

The older kids, Jack, who was now fourteen, Emma who was eleven, Cameron, and Jasper and Alice's daughter, Amelia, who was the same age as Cam, hung out without the younger ones underfoot and whenever Jack decided he wasn't too cool to be seen with the others. That left poor Noah, Max and Sophie's two-year-old as the odd man out, but with Rose expecting, he'd have his own playmate before too long.

The Cullens and their extended family certainly kept Seth and the others plenty busy, no doubt about it. As Seth had told Edward on more than one occasion, they were all a part of the same package, however, when Seth told him that the package wasn't quite as large as it was now!

Today, everywhere you looked, there was a Cullen or a pseudo-Cullen because Gavin and Cameron had a baseball game. It was the last game of the season and afterward there was going to be a team picnic. Edward and Emmett were the coaches and neither Papa Charlie nor Grandpa Carlisle ever missed a game. Grandmas Esme and Renée were always on hand to keep an eye on the younger children, though between all the other adults who never missed a chance to get together, there were plenty of people to keep the ratio of adult to kid to a manageable level. The same held true whenever Jasper and Edward coached the soccer team Ava, Logan, and Ethan played on or when Chloe, Evie, and Riley had a ballet recital. No one missed one of Jack's baseball games either, or even Amelia's tennis matches, though no one was particularly fond of tennis truth be told. The hardest was when Emma had a golf match because keeping that many people quiet was difficult, especially Emmett, but they did the best they could, much to Emma's mortification most of the time.

Emma still thought her Uncle Edward was the most awesome thing ever and one of Edward's favorite things to do was to take his pretty girl out for the day so they could play golf and talk. It was a relationship they both treasured and nurtured and one that had only deepened as Emma got older. Emmett did the same with Cameron and Gavin and Isabella and Jack could be found more often than not huddled in a corner and discussing the latest bestseller or some autobiography that Jack stumbled upon. If Rose wasn't busy with her own family, it was assured that you could find her with Ava and Chloe at Renée's art studio.

Their lives were so full of family and love and happiness that it was hard to imagine what things might have been like without the appearance of a very annoying but very happy angel.

"Dad, come on, it's time to warm-up," Cameron yelled out and waved at his mother and sisters before putting his game face on.

"I've been paged. Wish us luck," Edward smirked at Isabella and then bent down to kiss Ava on the forehead. "Keep score, Doodlebug, okay? Papa Charlie always messes up and you know Cam likes to look at all the stats when he's done playing."

"Kay, Daddy," she answered him sweetly and giggled when she thought about her Papa Charlie, because he really did mess up every time.

Edward stood up and was going to get one more kiss from his other daughter but found Chloe pulling Alec by the hand toward the concession stand. He could only shake his head at that because if it was possible, and he wasn't sure how she'd managed it, little Chloe had her "Uncle" Alec even more wrapped around her finger than her mother did and Alec ate it up every chance he could.

With one last kiss and wave, Edward made his way to the dugout, grabbed his glove, then went to go help his son warm-up before the game.

"Papa, you're doing it wrong," Ava scolded Charlie a short time later when they were sitting in the bleachers watching the game.

Charlie snorted and erased the box Ava was pointing at and made sure to put the correct symbol there. "Ava Grace, you know it's not nice to make fun of your elders," he told her when she giggled at him and shook her head.

Ava bestowed him with a brilliant smile and kiss to boot, mostly because her Papa was the only one that ever called her Ava Grace, even though it was because, as he told her time and time again, it was only through the grace of God she didn't wind up in the emergency room on a daily basis.

"You are not old, Papa," she told him sternly and then patted him on the head.

"Good to know, squirt. Besides, who could afford to be old with all you hooligans running around all the time?" he asked with a smirk.

She huffed at him and gave him a look that was very much like her mother's when she got annoyed with him or Edward and crossed her arms across her chest. "I am not a hooligan," she told him in as haughty a voice as she could muster especially because she wasn't quite sure what it meant but the way her Papa laughed at her, she had a feeling she knew.

"Of course not," he chuckled at her and then handed her some money to go get a hot dog.

Charlie watched her scamper off, dragging Chloe, Logan, and Evie along the way. It amazed him every single day how blessed and rich his life was and he never, ever, for a moment took it for granted. He'd spent years hoping and wishing to be in the position he was now, surrounded by family and grandchildren and though only three of them were his flesh and blood, he loved all of them as much as if they were his own. He hadn't missed a baseball game of Jack's in over eight years, had been to every one of Emma's programs at school, and he'd endured every one of Amelia's tennis matches with a smile on his face.

He spent less time working and more time living and loving and enjoying his family and judging from the enthusiastic reception he got every day when he got home from his gorgeous wife, not to mention the fact that she seemed every bit as happy as he did with the way their life was, he couldn't imagine there was a man alive that was as lucky as he was.

Well, except for his amazing son-in-law he supposed.

The crack of the bat caught his attention and he whooped and hollered when Cameron hit the ball to the outfield. When he sat down again, his daughter was beside him.

"Hi, Dad," she told him when he grinned at her.

"Bambola," he said as he leaned over and kissed her cheek. "That was some hit, huh?" he asked proudly.

She nodded at him and no one could ever doubt how much his daughter loved her children...or her husband. Charlie had watched over the years as the love between his son-in-law and daughter grew, blossomed, and strengthened.

The entire family, Swans, Cullens, and the rest that were loved as much as if they had the same blood, only got stronger the more time that passed. Charlie had watched, with awe and pride as Edward, Carlisle, and Esme put all the ghosts of their past behind them and was put on display for all the world to see when they had been named Cameron's godparents along with Emmett and Rose. The boy didn't need two sets of godparents, but the symbolism of having them all be wasn't lost on anyone.

He looked to his left and saw Renée, Nonna, Carlisle and Esme smiling and laughing at something little Noah did while Sophie held him and he felt his heart fill even more.

Charlie knew he was a very, very lucky and blessed man.

A loud shriek of excitement came from the direction of the playground and when Charlie turned to look, Alec, Max, Marcus, and Jasper were playing tag with all the kids and he heard his daughter groan beside him.

"What's the matter, Bella?" he asked her as he threw an arm around her.

She sighed, somewhat dramatically he thought, and said, "I don't know why I even bother getting Ava dressed in anything but shorts and a t-shirt. You'd think I would know better by now."

"Well, look at it this way, Bambola," Charlie said as he kissed the top of her head. "At least you have Chloe to even it out a bit. Not only that," he said in a conspiratorial whisper, "imagine what it would have been like if the girls had been...boys."

Isabella shuddered and then giggled at her dad. "You don't fool me for a minute, Papa, those girls have you so totally wrapped around their little fingers it's a wonder Mama ever lets you out of the house without taking your debit card first."

Charlie merely shrugged because there was no way he could argue with that very true statement.

Isabella stood up and kissed her dad before making her way to the playground to check on the kids and help set up for the picnic. She watched as Edward congratulated Cameron on his hit and then gestured with his hands how far the ball went. It was so incredible to watch Edward and Cameron bond over the game that had caused him so much grief and heartache when he was a young boy and it made her love her husband even more if it was possible.

A feat she thought was surely unlikely.

"Bella, stop staring at your man and come play with me," Alec called to her and waggled his eyebrows suggestively at her.

Yes, some things never changed.

She rolled her eyes at him and giggled at his obnoxious but still totally harmless flirting and made her way over to him, anticipating being swept up in a huge hug, which she was.

Once she was back on the ground again, she slapped him playfully on the arm. "Alec, one of these days you'll remember that I'm a forty-year-old woman and not a teenager...not that you even knew me when I was a teenager," she teased him.

"Bella, you wound me," he cried and placed his hand over his heart...a move that caused everyone in the immediate vicinity to laugh at his antics. "You, my dear, don't look a day over...thirty-nine," he tried to say with a straight face only to burst out laughing when she scowled at him, or tried to anyway.

After all the years they'd been friends, she still couldn't give him a dirty look if her life depended on it.

"You are such a butt-head," she told him and then laughed when he sputtered at her with wide eyes.