a/n: hi, my dumb ass is back.
Edward is struggling. Jacob can see it from the way he holds on to Bear as if she's the only thing keeping him sane. He gets on a call with Bella every week and every week she seems weaker and smaller. Her face is gaunt and her body is frail, the only rounded thing about her being her distended stomach. It's nerve-wracking. She looks like she could just stop breathing at any second.
Jacob tries not to be too invasive, tries to allow Edward to have some space while he processes the changes, but he can't help but be curious. After all, this would be his child as well.
Edward's getting his daily update while Jacob tries his best to entertain Bear with a new toy she only seems mildly interested in. Matter-of-fact, she doesn't seem interested in much anything that he has to offer as she tries to escape and use her beginner crawling skills to scoot over to where Edward's listening to Carlisle. She's determined, quietly beginning to whine when Jacob scoops her back up and seats her back on his lap.
Eventually, the quiet whines turn into loud cries as she peers over at Edward as if he's her saving grace. At first, Edward's so caught up in whatever Carlisle's spewing, he doesn't even seem to register the difference. Though, something on screen seems to snap him out of it as he glances over at Bear who is waiting to be acknowledged.
Jacob's expecting Edward to peer up at him, a sign to head downstairs and entertain her some other way while he finishes up. Though, instead, he wordlessly reaches for her and settles her on his lap before turning back to the screen and waiting for Carlisle to continue whatever he's been rambling about for the last ten minutes.
There's a gasp.
It's quiet, but not quiet enough for Jacob not to hear it. Edward should be able to as well, but he looks as if nothing has happened. He simply continues staring at the screen, patiently waiting for Carlisle to pick up where he left off.
Instead, he hears Carlisle ask a question:
"How's she doing?"
Edward glances down at Bear, who looks as if she's taken her rightful place on the throne as she ignores everyone else in favor of playing with Edward's fingers.
"She's good. Learning how to crawl." Edward informs him.
Jacob's sure they're going to just settle back into normal conversation this time, when Bear starts quietly whining once again, thumb going up to her mouth. Edward glances over at him before mouthing the word "bottle", head tilting towards the door. Jacob stands from the bed, eyes never leaving Edward's as he gestures to the fact that the screen is facing the door. Edward just turns back to Carlisle.
So, Jacob stands up from the bed, ignoring the eyes he can feel on his back as he slips out of the room.
Edward's not stupid. He's not under some illusion that he can keep what's happening a secret from Bella. She's too entangled in his life now for him to be able pretend like he's the same person he was six months ago. He's not even living in his own house, the house he'd built for the two of them. He hasn't been in it for months.
He was instead living at Jacob's and he was sure she could tell the difference. There were no similarities. He could see her eyes bouncing around the screen as she tried to figure out where he might be. He doesn't acknowledge it, simply focusing on what Carlisle could currently tell him.
He has no intention of hiding it either.
He isn't ashamed of how far he's accidentally come in the span of months. He just didn't want to give Bella a chance to ruin it. He could see the anger in Jacob's eyes when he'd stormed upstairs with the ultrasound clutched in his hand a couple of weeks ago. He didn't want Jacob feeling as if Edward's trying to keep secrets or as if this new baby meant that he had any interest in Bella. He just wants to keep her out of his family's business.
So, he keeps Jacob and Bear off screen for the first couple of weeks. He prepares for the thirty-minute meetings. He makes sure there's a bottle somewhere within the vicinity and makes sure the camera stays on him. The first couple of times, Bear's down for a nap.
The third time she's awake, she's awake and she wants nothing that Jacob has to offer. He can hear her quiet, little whines, wants to reach for her, but he can practically see Bella's ears perk up at the sound. He can see the curiosity in her eyes as she listens intently. Edward plans to ignore it until Jacob's able to calm her down, but the insistent whines turn into cries.
He turns to see Jacob bouncing her, but her eyes on him as she makes grabby hands. He couldn't bring himself to ignore her as tears sprung to her eyes and she started to lean forward as if she was attempting to crawl over to him. Edward cracks, leaning over and ignoring Jacob's inquiring glances as he settles Bear onto his lap.
His eyes go back to the screen, intentionally making contact with Carlisle's. He can see his father's eyes light up as if it's his first time seeing her. He's not sure if it's because he's seen her a total of two times and his intrigue has yet to wane or if he's doing it for Bella's sake.
Bella's watching her. He can feel it. He can feel her eyes watching Bear gnaw at one of his fingers before they make their way up to Edward. Though, he says nothing as he waits for Carlisle to remember why they're here.
Bear doesn't allow them to continue as she quietly begins to whine again and Edward knows that this is it. This is the end of him keeping Bella and Jacob separated. He turns to Jacob and watches as Jacob's eyes bore into his as if he's trying to send him a message. He's letting her in even if it's just seeing them.
Edward knows.
Though, how could he have possibly hidden something like this for months? The band-aid was going to have to be ripped off eventually. Jacob stands up from the bed to make his exit and Edward can see him on the small screen off to the side. He could be anyone. He could be a friend or Edward's version of a family member. There was no label attached to him that informed Bella of who he was.
That doesn't seem to matter. He can see some form of realization dawn in her eyes as the door behind Edward closes.
Jacob's not expecting their relationship to be showcased. After all, their situation and the circumstances they met in were strange enough, but the timeline was even stranger. They'd come together quickly and that brought all types of questions, questions that the average person wouldn't feel like answering. Especially with the on-going investigation. So, he doesn't expect to have the relationship disclosed to anyone besides Emmett and Jasper, who were too nosey to ever keep in the dark.
He's not expecting to ever actually meet Edward's ex. He assumed he'd be off to the side like some sort of poorly kept secret. After all, he wasn't your standard rebound. He wasn't someone for Edward to show off. He didn't have the big house with weird decor and flashy cars sitting out front. He has squeaky floorboards and an old pickup truck.
Though, there was something in the way Edward doesn't really seem to care that puts him at ease. The way Edward reaches for him instead of immediately reaching for the bottle, beckoning Jacob over to sit behind him. He eventually takes the bottle and pops it into Bear's mouth before making himself comfortable against Jacob's chest with a quiet sigh as if he's relieved. As if her knowing of their presence was some kind of weight off of his shoulders.
It shouldn't be as surprising as it is, his need for contact, but Jacob finds himself surprised every time. The man who'd spent years alone currently got antsy after about twenty minutes without Jacob being somewhere near him. His shoulders begin to slump and his body begins to relax and his comfort seems to put Bear at ease as her eyes begin to droop.
Carlisle seems slightly amused by Jacob's sudden presence. Bella does not. In fact, she looks a little green from what Jacob can see.
"I'll send an updated ultrasound and the results of the tests I ran." Carlisle continues as if they hadn't missed a beat.
Something about the meetings exhaust Edward. He's not sure if it's having to relive several years of his life or if it's knowing that the person he'd spent those years with was going to be dead soon. He's not sure if it's the preparation for the baby or the inability to see said baby. He's not sure what it is, but he's curled in a ball on his side of the bed trying to not focus on anything in particular.
Jacob must sense his mood because he tugs Edward on top of him and starts rubbing at his sides. It's slow and calming and Edward can already tell that it's not going to stay that way. Eventually, one hand makes a pivot so that it's now sliding from his shoulder blades to the dips in his lower back. The shift in mood is palpable. With every downward slide, Jacob travels lower. The distraction is enough for Edward to not feel the other hand making its way down into his boxers until it's successfully spreading his cheeks. Once that mission is complete, the other hand stops its movements to tilt Edward's chin so that Jacob can get access to his mouth.
Edward had clearly underestimated how well Jacob's distractions worked because he can feel a lubed finger pressing against his entrance, but can't remember the sound of a cap popping open. For a while, it's just long, languid kisses and the slow slide of two of Jacob's fingers and Edward thinks he can handle this. He can keep quiet and just enjoy this. It's nice and slow and he doesn't have to think too hard.
That is, until he finds himself on his back and Jacob between his legs as he all but folds Edward in half. That's when it suddenly dawns on him that maybe he can't do this. He's wound so tight that he's not sure how quiet he'll be able to stay. He tries to communicate this to Jacob as he peers up from in between Edward's thighs, but he doesn't really seem to mind. He simply places a hand over Edward's mouth, further bending him in half before dipping his head back down.
It almost feels like some kind of out-of-body experience as his vision blurs in and out. His entire body feels like it's about to erupt as he feels himself involuntarily shaking. Jacob switches from his tongue to his fingers, pumping them in and out of Edward while brushing his hair back out of his face as if Edward needs to look him directly in the eye for this. As soon as he's gotten Edward's attention, he crooks his fingers before dipping down to bite down so hard on the mark that Edward's vision goes white.
Eric's at the door. Jacob can hear his uncertain footsteps as he hesitantly raises his hand up to knock. Mike was smart enough not to come up this time, instead sending the man who didn't know how to say no to him. Jacob quickly wipes Edward down before tossing a blanket over him, hoping he'd be out for the duration of whatever conversation Jacob was about to find himself in.
He sidles over to the door, tugs it open, and finds himself face-to-questionable haircut with Eric.
"Trying something new?" He asks, tilting his chin towards Eric's hair and watching as the man flushes.
"Uh, I thought Mike might like it." He mutters, clearly ashamed of his life choices as he moves to tuck hair, that is no longer there, behind his ear.
"Did you need something?" He asks, not bothering with feigned restraint.
"Uh, yeah, there was an important update on Lahote. We believe he abducted Claire Young. She's Emily's niece. We're currently trying to track them down." He says it as if it's something to be expected, but Jacob knows it's not.
Claire is only five-years-old.
Not only that, but she's also related to Leah and Seth. It's clearly a set up for something. He's trying to get some kind of leverage, maybe use it to get to Bear.
His mood must visibly shift because Eric pales, eyes widening as if he's seen a ghost. He mumbles something before taking off down the stairs just as the bed quietly creaks behind Jacob.