petrichor [rosalie hale]

xliii. distractions

"You stopped thinking of him as a foetus."

"What?" Kiara asked, turning around to look at Edward. He flicked his eyes to the window where she had been gazing at Rosalie and Bella, her expression neutral as she watched her imprint take care of the girl like they'd always been best friends.

"The past few days... you started to think of him as a baby and not as a foetus," Edward replied, his tone factual as he stood beside Kiara, his line of sight refocusing on his adoptive sister and his wife laughing together. "I can hear him now."

Kiara's heart skipped a beat as she looked at Edward, realizing the gravity of his words. The baby had grown stronger, and its thoughts were now audible to the vampire standing beside her. A glimpse of what it might become once it leaves Bella's womb. She took a deep breath, trying to steady her racing mind. Did that change anything? Would it change everything?

It was a strange and eerie feeling, knowing that there was a tiny being growing inside Bella who could already communicate in some way. She swallowed and turned to face Edward fully, her eyes searching his for any sign of concern or worry.

"What is... he saying?" The word felt foreign on her lips as she referred to the baby. Edward was right - she'd slowly started to consider it less of a demon and more of a vampiric baby instead.

Edward closed his eyes briefly, recalling the memory of getting to experience a sound that only he could hear. When he opened them again, there was a small smile on his lips. His eyes were full of nothing but love, and Kiara felt her stomach turn a little.

"He's happy," Edward said. "He can feel how much Bella loves him, and it's making him happy."

Kiara felt a lump form in her throat, an unease rising in her stomach. Despite everything that had happened - the danger, the uncertainty, the risk to Bella and the baby's lives - there was nothing but pure love radiating from Bella. She had always been fiercely protective of those she loved, and that included the tiny creature growing inside of her.

"Is... is he...?" Kiara asked, her voice trembling slightly as she trailed off. How did you ask a father if their unborn child was already planning from the womb on how to kill her friends and family?

"He's more than okay," Edward replied, his smile growing a bit wider as he recalled the feeling he felt hours ago. "He's like Bella. He's good... he's pure."

Kiara would wait and see the final verdict on that, she thought.

"He's...getting bigger. And not physically, but mentally too."Kiara's eyes widened in alarm, knowing exactly what that meant. "He wants to come out."
"Yeah," Edward said, his smile dropping as Kiara's line of thought caught up with the gravity of Edward being able to hear his son. Kiara wasn't sure how they came to the conclusion that it was a boy, since they couldn't see anything from Carlisle's scans, but she figured Edward must have had some opinion after hearing the baby's thoughts. "And soon. Bella's body can't sustain him much longer, and he's getting stronger by the day."

Kiara felt a sense of urgency as she realized that time was running out. She'd been putting off the thought that Bella would give birth this quickly, but it had been right in front of her the entire time. The past week since she had separated from Sam's pack had felt like the longest yet shortest of her entire life.

Her eyes focused on Rosalie laughing as she placed her hand against Bella's stomach, presumably feeling the baby kick under the skin. Kiara wasn't sure what was right anymore.

"I know Jacob is going to kill him," Edward replied, his mouth now in a thin line as he turned to Kiara. "And I plan on having my entire attention on Bella. But Kiara, I am begging you as a father... please don't let him take my son from Bella."