a/n: might edit a lil later.
Edward thinks of it as a normal day.
He wakes up, adjusts the nest, checks the bassinet. When he's satisfied that everything is as it should be, he saunters into the bathroom for a shower. Nothing about it is necessarily abnormal. He gets dressed before grabbing a onesie and a fresh diaper off of the dresser. Then, he finally rouses the tiny baby in the bassinet. Once both of them are ready for the day, bedheads now less egregious, he grabs for the car seat.
It's not until he's downstairs that he realizes that something is different. He glances around the kitchen to see that it's empty. Where Leah would usually be cooking and Seth would be hovering, there is no one. Not only that, but the living room is also deserted. Where Quil and Embry would usually be shacked up on the couch watching TV, there is nothing. He stops and listens, wondering if maybe he'd just missed them. Maybe he was so used to his routine and their routines that he simply hadn't heard them upstairs.
Nothing.
There was no one home. He'd never experienced such a phenomenon. It takes everything in him not to panic, to simply continue on with the day he was supposed to be having. He forces himself to buckle the car seat down into his SUV and climb into the driver's seat. He starts the car, pulls out of the driveway, and heads for the diner.
Jacob was back at work, which meant he was back to eating every meal at the place, and he liked it when Edward joined him for said meals. Though, apparently, he wasn't the only one keeping the man company today. Edward can't help but stop and stare at the two other cop cars parked outside of the diner and, right behind them, Jacob's old pickup truck. Not only that, but the severe lack of any other cars besides Darlene's old Chevy.
He slowly makes his way up to the door, car seat on his arm, and listens as the bell above the door notifies the, seemingly empty, restaurant that he'd arrived. He almost thinks that maybe he'd missed a memo, maybe Jacob hadn't wanted to meet him today, maybe it was some family meeting that he wasn't supposed to be in on.
That's until the lights flicker on and the sound of about fifteen people yelling almost gives him a fucking heart attack.
"SURPRISE!" They simultaneously shriek at him.
He watches giant smiles bloom on their faces as they laugh at his apparent shock.
Surprise? He doesn't understand. His birthday wasn't for another couple months. Though, maybe this wasn't for him.
Edward glances down at the car seat dangling on his arm. The little baby inside had only been with them for a month. So, maybe this was all for the new addition to the family. Maybe Darlene wanted to do something nice and no one said no to Darlene.
Bella hadn't made it to her due date. She'd gone into labor a couple of weeks early because her body simply couldn't handle the pregnancy any longer. So, they must've scrambled to put this together because there hadn't been a baby shower. There are white and blue balloons floating on the ceiling and tied down to the juke box, cash register, and every other booth. There's a cake sitting on the counter that clearly had "Baby Guppy" scrawled across it. Edward can smell food being prepared. It was clearly something small to celebrate the baby.
He'd been born while Edward was still healing.
When Edward's eyes finally open, they find Bear who, upon noticing, immediately attempts to lunge for him. Jacob scoops her up, placing her next to him and watches as the uncertainty leaves his face as she maneuvers herself to be in Edward's armpit. He then looks over at Jacob, who guides his eyes over to Guppy. Guppy, after no longer being scrutinized by Bear, peels his topaz eyes open and lets out a yawn, little arms stretching out after two days of being restrained by the machines surrounding the incubator.
Edward reaches for him, letting out a quiet groan as he suddenly remembers that he was bleeding in the backyard two days ago. Jacob stands, scooping the baby up from the bassinet so that he can join Edward.
"Emmett's already named him." Jacob informs Edward as the man takes in his son.
Edward lets out an exasperated sigh before letting out another groan.
"What is it this time?" he asks as he adjusts the baby in his arms.
"Guppy or Gup for short." Jacob informs him and watches as his nose wrinkles despite the fact that they've never even called Bear by the name they'd scrawled on her birth certificate.
Nyta Cullen-Black was only "Nyta" on paper.
"What name did Leah give him?" Edward asks, already knowing how the scenario had played out despite having been unconscious for two days.
"Kosumi."
At least, that's all Edward thinks it is until he sees Jacob. He sees Jacob standing in front of their booth with Bear on his hip and a nervous look in his eye. Their daughter, who looked as if she wasn't being paid enough for any of this, was holding a little, black suede box in her tiny fingers. Jacob slips the little box out her hands before Leah scoops her up and takes over to a separate booth.
Darlene timidly reaches for the car seat, a warm smile blooming on her face when Edward allows her to take it. Bailey then guides him over to the table.
Everyone is here: Leah, Seth, Embry, Quil, Jessica, Mike, Eric, Angela, Bailey, Darlene, Jasper, and Emmett. And they're all collectively pretending not to eavesdrop.
Bailey and Darlene have music softly playing from the jukebox and they're rushing around the other table to rouse discussion, clearly trying to give the two some kind of privacy.
Edward tries to make himself comfortable, but he can't help but jitter as he waits for Jacob to say something. He hadn't really thought about this moment. He'd worried about the future, worried about having to eventually go back to what they'd been before. He'd been so worried about the case ending that he hadn't really taken the time to contemplate what would happen if Jacob chose him. Hadn't really thought about a proposal or aâa wedding.
"I was just gonna do something simple, but you know Darlene..." Jacob starts, eyes finding the table for a long moment before finally glancing up at Edward.
"Yeah?" Edward breathlessly mumbles.
"Yeah, but then Seth blabbed to her about Quil and I going ring shopping...and then, somehow Mike found out and told Eric..." he huffs, "then the baby came."
"Apparently not as good as yours," Eric concedes, "heard Q finally popped the question."
For a moment, they just sit there, Edward watching Jacob and Jacob's eyes scanning the diner. Then, he stands, holding out a hand for Edward, who takes it. He's not sure what he's expecting, but as soon as Jacob pops open a door that leads to a small backroom for employees, everything starts to make a lot more sense. Jacob's a family man, but some things required privacy...even if it was contrived.
Jacob lets out a little sigh before popping the box open and presenting the ring to Edward. It was a simple, silver band that was clearly influenced by the ring still dangling around Edward's neck. Jacob had yet to ask for it back and Edward couldn't bring himself to part with it. Something about it felt so final. Like, if he took it off, that was it, they were done.
Jacob has this look in his eye. It's no longer anxiety, more of an expression that's reserved for when they're alone, the same intense look that Jacob had given him over and over again. Though, this time feels different.
"Everything's been so hectic lately y'know, with Lahote being in custody..." Jacob glances down at the ring, "I've really been throwing myself into work, running around pretending that nothing's changed."
He's not the only one. Edward's been distracting himself at every waking moment with the new baby, afraid that if he stopped for a second, someone would realize that it was all over. Someone would point out the fact that they were still pretending. The case was done, there was nothing to be afraid of, Edward could finally go home. But he doesn't want to. There wasn't anything there waiting for him, there was never anything there waiting for him.
"And I realized that it's because I don't want anything to change." Jacob reaches over, taking Edward's left hand in his. "I don't want you to go."
Edward wants to reassure him that he's not going anywhere, wants to say something so that Jacob understands that he felt the same way, but his words fail him. So, Edward just quietly nods.
Then, Jacob leans forward as if they're sharing a secret.
And, honestly, Edward can already feel the tears welling up in his eyes. It's been a month, a full month, since they caught Lahote. He'd spent the time recovering from his injuries, curled up in Jacob's bed and trying his best to savor what time he had left in it. A month of Edward holding his breath, waiting for the day when Jacob passed the diner and instead headed for the glass house Edward now dreaded stepping back into. No amount of yellow paint could fix that.
"I love you," Jacob whispers, hand coming down to rest on Edward's cheek, "Marry me?"
"Yeah, yes." He manages to huff out, finally able to breathe a sigh of relief as Jacob plucked the ring from the box and slid it onto Edward's finger.
He's apparently not the only one as the diner rings out with a newer, much louder wave of chatter as everyone pretends to just so happen to overhear the proposal through an entire door. Jacob rolls his eyes, ignoring the uproar of applause as he tugs Edward into a kiss.
Once they've settled back into their seats, Darlene is over with a basket of fries and Jacob gets his usual. Then, they're being bombarded with baby gifts. Emmett gets him a DVD copy of Fishtails while Jasper gets him a "The Rainbow Fish" book. Jessica and Angela got him onesies in about forty different shades of green and blue. Eric and Mike have little fish-themed bath toys. Darlene and Bailey provide a little blue bath tub and towels. Leah, Seth, Embry, and Quil all have homemade items. They have little quilts, plush toys, clothes. The same kinds of gifts that they'd given him for Bear, almost as if to signify that he was no different. He was part of the family.
Edward looks warm, cheeks ruddy and eyes shining as Emmett explains his shoddy thought process behind naming Edward's children such ridiculous names to the rest of the family. Darlene and Bailey are having the time of their life as they guffaw at the explanation. Embry's jumping in with how "if you think about it, it's genius" while Quil, Seth, Mike, and Eric back them both up in their idiocy. Jessica and Leah are talking to Bear, who has a lot to say for someone who is still figuring out letters let alone words.
It's nice.
Honestly, Edward thinks the setup is lovely and appreciates the effort put in by everyone, but what he appreciates even more is the forethought. The forgone conclusion that they'd want at least a real moment for themselves. As soon as Jacob's done poking at the food on his plate with that dopey grin plastered across his face, he stands up from the booth, holding out a hand for Edward to take yet again. He guides Edward out of the restaurant as they both ignore the wolf whistles coming from Embry and Seth.
It suddenly dawned on him that the emptiness was on purpose as they made their way home. They hadn't had an empty house to themselves, true time alone, since they'd been in a relationship. The family was always around to protect them, take care of them.
For the first time, they were free.
Lahote was in cuffs.
Jacob wasn't allowed to see him or talk to him, but Jessica was all too happy to bring around a couple of photos that were taken while he was in the hospital. He looked absolutely mangled. His leg was smashed, one of his ribs was broken, he was missing a tooth, and one of his eyes was swollen shut.
From what Jacob had gathered from Leah, most of it was Edward's doing. They'd been thrashing around on the porch for .5 seconds and it'd seemed to be enough time for Edward to really lay into him.
Seth was the first to catch sight of them, going over to peer out of the window when he'd heard Lucy begin her barking, but from his vantage point he couldn't see anything. He'd assumed she was barking at Edward. That's until he sees Edward scrambling to get inside. Seth had stepped over to tug the door open, help Edward in, but Edward had turned around by that point. He'd turned around to try to get a hold of Lucy. He'd turned back and, before Seth knew it, they were in a full-on brawl and Lahote wasn't winning.
Edward grabbed for Lucy and that's when Leah came flying past Seth. Seth had used the distraction, dragging Edward and Lucy into the kitchen. Edward's arm was bent at an odd angle and he had scratches everywhere, but Lahote was lying in the grass, too weak to even maintain his wolf form. Yorkie found the man slumped unconscious in the backyard.
Truly free.
Edward hadn't really had time to think about this part either. Maybe he'd thought that they'd take some time to themselves. Take it slow. Take their time.
Edward barely manages to make it into the house before he's being stripped and he barely has the chance to make it upstairs before Jacob's bracketing him. He finds himself pinned against Jacob's desk, barely able to catch his breath before cum is dripping down his thighs. It's all teeth gnashing and lip biting that slowly turns into languid kisses and soft touches. Jacob's moved them from the desk to the bed and he's working three fingers into Edward while quietly whispering sweet words into his ear. He doesn't get to communicate that he's about to cum. He clamps down hard as his third orgasm rocks him, his toes curling and his eyes rolling back into his head.
He wakes up to the smell of bubble bath. The smell is wafting from the bathroom along with the quiet sound of water running. Jacob pokes his head out, clearly checking to see if Edward is awake, before a warm smile stretches across his face.
"Finally, Sleeping Beauty, I was getting worried." he mumbles, before heading over to help Edward up.
Edward sinks into the bath, a sigh finding its way past his lips as the hot water envelops him.
Once again, it's nice.
Though, now Edward misses his kids. He'd just gotten used to spending a decent amount of time, willingly, away from Bear and now he was back to square one with Guppy. He thought maybe the overprotectiveness would calm down a bit with Lahote gone, but it hadn't.
"They're downstairs." Jacob whispers into his ear.
The reassurance takes the tension out of Edward's shoulders as he finally relaxes.
Edward bathes on autopilot so it takes him a moment to realize that he's being watched. It's not until he steps out to dry off that he realizes that Jacob is staring at him. It wasn't new. Jacob had been staring at him for some time now. He'd just ignored it before as he caught the man catching glimpses of him. He thought maybe it was sexual, but it seemed to be a bit more than that.
"What?" he finally huffs out, whipping around to catch Jacob staring at his ass.
"You're beautiful." Jacob mumbles, finally standing up himself and stepping out of the bathtub.
Okay. It's not a strange thing to hear from your partner, but Edward has a feeling it means something more.
Jacob takes a step forward, hands landing on Edward's waist before his thumbs begin to brush against Edward's stomach. It sounds earnest, which is strange because Edward's at his worst. Something about his bond with Jacob had caused time, for him, to move. It wasn't a considerable amount, not enough that he'd blink and be elderly, just enough for there to be noticeable changes to his body. He was no longer the exact same 17-year-old that died a hundred years ago. He looked the same age, but his hair grew, his stomach swelled, his ass has admittedly gotten bigger, his face had a tendency to flush bright red. There was nothing inherently beautiful about him but, with every change, Jacob seems to grow even more fond. He enjoyed the changes, admired them as if their existence meant something significant to him.
Edward brushes Jacob off, drying his body before slipping into a pair of shorts and one of Jacob's t-shirts.
"You're ridiculous."
Jacob only hums, a small, content smile on his lips.
The pack is downstairs. Leah is in the kitchen making some form of dinner. Seth's on vegetable duty. Embry and Quil are in the living room bickering over what was the best way to make a pallet for a dogpile. One would put a blanket down and the other would shimmy it one way while explaining their philosophy on why the placement is incorrect. The other would put a pillow down and it would magically go missing.
Bear's standing between the two with her own pillow, which she's decided should be in the middle, watching them bicker.
"Alright, you two, let him handle it." Jacob chuckles as they both whip around to see Edward appraising their work.
They stumble out of the way, dropping their pillows, and allowing Edward the space to adjust it to his liking. Bear watches him work, pleased the pillow that she's settled on top of isn't moved. Once she's secured her place, she crawls over to the car seat settled next to the couch to check on Guppy. He's quietly sleeping, barely able to stay up longer than an hour when he was freshly changed and fed. She apparently decides that he's wholly unprepared for his first dogpile, eyes scanning the space for what he's missing, only to find what she's looking for on the couch. She pulls herself into a standing position and grabs the little fish plushie Leah had made him off of one of the cushions. She drops down, scoots over, and places it in the car seat next to him.
Once she's satisfied, she comes crawling over to settle herself on Edward's lap.
Edward can hear the soft roll of thunder outside, smell the rain wafting in the through cracked windows, feel the gentle heat coming from the kitchen as something bakes in the oven. Hear laughter bubbling from Embry and Quil as they mock Jacob for something or other.
And finally, he could say, he was home.