Chapter 26 – Life

"Maybe we didn't properly think this through," Edward said as he looked out the kitchen window at the blanket of glowing white outside.

"It has to let up soon, right?" I asked, getting increasingly more anxious.

"I don't know, it is Alaska. It may not let up until spring," he said with a nervous chuckle. "I'll try to dig out the SUV in the morning."

"It will just be covered again by the time we need to go anywhere," I pointed out.

"On the bright side, my parents won't be over for a while to bug you," he said, jokingly serious.

"They do not bug me," I told him, wondering why he would say such a thing.

"Maybe it's me they bug," he laughed.

Edward may not have enjoyed his parent's frequent presence in our home over the past six months, but I certainly did. I absolutely loved having parental figures around after so long without my own mom and dad. Esme had been such a huge help to me ever since I entered my last trimester of pregnancy, and even more so when I was in my last few weeks.

…

"This baby is big like her daddy," Esme had told me while rubbing my huge stomach the last time she was able to visit. "I could hardly move when I was in my ninth month with Edward, and when I was pregnant with Bree I was even bigger."

"I can't imagine getting any bigger than this," I replied with wide eyes.

Esme had definitely been a comfort to me that only a mother could bring, and I was grateful to have her in my life.

...

Esme had been coming over almost daily to make us dinner and help with the laundry, which was awkward at first, but she was so warm and loving that I soon let myself just enjoy it. She also kept me company while Edward was at work, and I actually truly missed her since the winter storms kept us locked in the house for the past several days.

Esme and Carlisle lived only five miles away on a ten acre property, but even five miles in a blizzard was just too far. However, they were able to keep in contact with us through satellite phone texts…

"Your mom said she would use their ATV to get here if we need her," I told Edward with a laugh after reading her latest message.

Edward groaned. "My dad said yesterday they were both going stir-crazy. I think they're driving each other insane."

"I'm actually kind of liking the isolation right now," I said while wrapping my arms around Edward's body.

"I love being isolated with you too," he agreed before kissing me tenderly. Our relationship had begun during our isolation up at the cabin, so being snowed in certainly wasn't tough on us. I would happily be stuck inside with him for weeks, or months, or even years if necessary. Of course, me being about to pop complicated matters a tad bit.

"So… what are we going to do if I go into labor, and we still can't get out of here?" I asked as we kept our arms around each other for an extended hug, just watching the snow coming down in heavy sheets of white.

"I do know a doctor that could help," he said unconcerned.

"As a neurosurgeon, do you deliver babies often?" I asked facetiously.

"No, but I have sewn a leg on a patient with a severed artery. That's not my usual forte, but I kept my cool. It was bleeding out and she almost died, but I handled it like a champ."

My mouth fell agape. Never before did he say anything about a severed artery.

He chuckled at my expression. "I handled it, babe. You're here, aren't you? If I can handle that, I can certainly handle a baby being born."

I grimaced. "Let's just hope it doesn't come to that."

"I hate to break it to you, but it may very well come down to that. I have a feeling we're going to be stuck in here for a while, and you are due."

I whined.

"In fact," he continued. "I think you should let me check your cervix to see if you're dilated."

I had to laugh at that one – I only wish it was the humorous kind of laugh instead of the terrified one I let out. "You want to check my cervix?"

"You are freaking out over nothing. Love, I'm a doctor, I can handle this."

"You're a pediatric neurosurgeon," I said slowing. "Not an obstetrician. A firefighter is more qualified to deliver a baby than you."

"That. Hurts. I told you, I backup the ER when they're busy. And, as a doctor of any kind of medicine, obstetrics was part of my training in medical school. I am a pediatric neurosurgeon because I went to additional schooling to become a specialist in that field. Additional. If you think of it that way, I'm even more qualified."

"That makes zero sense," I said to him, but at least I was genuinely smiling at his adorkableness.

"Come on. Let me examine you and I'll prove to you just how qualified I am."

I scowled at him, but when I glanced at the white nothingness outside, I realized I may not have another choice of doctor.

So there I was, lying on our bed, naked from the waist down, with my legs bent, and about to let my husband give me a vaginal exam…

Fuck. My. Life.

"You're not even wearing gloves!" I yelled at him when I saw his far too eager bare fingers reaching for my vagina.

"Yeah, but I washed the hell out of my hands. Trust me, I'm a surgeon. I know how to properly wash."

"You have gloves in your medical bag," I argued. "You want to be my OB, you should do it right."

"Babe, I find your lack of faith disturbing."

"What are you now, Darth Vader? You totally stole that line from Star Wars!"

"That is a false statement. I started the line by saying 'Babe', I doubt Vader ever called anyone babe."

"Edward," I whined in frustration.

"I know, this is serious." He then showed me just how serious he was, by sticking his face by my vagina, and saying, "Little one, I'm coming in. Don't be scared, I am your father."

"Ugh!" I groaned.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. We really shouldn't have done the Star Wars marathon yesterday. Now I'm stuck on it. But it's done now. I got it out of my system."

"You sure about that?" I said doubtfully.

"Yes, I'll be good. Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be," I whined again.

"What are you even freaking out about? I've been in this area four times in the last twenty four hours alone."

"Yeah, but you weren't pretending to be my doctor at the time… What are you doing?" I nearly spat when I felt his fingers doing something very un-doctor-y.

"Oh, uh, sorry. Force of habit," he replied sheepishly. Of course, his admittance of guilt didn't stop his action. If anything, his fingers just seemed to get more determined as they massaged and caressed my most sensitive area.

"Why are you still doing it?" I asked huskily, getting far more aroused than I wanted to be at the moment.

"I don't have any lube. I need the natural stuff so I can examine you properly."

"How could you not have any lube in your doctor's bag?" I growled through my building arousal.

"Well I do, but my bag is on the other side of the house. Fuck!"

"What?" I shouted in concern.

"Now I have a hard on. Great. I was trying to be professional."

"Oh my god. You are never allowed to help with pregnant related patients in the ER again."

"Do you honestly think I would do all of this for anyone who isn't you? Don't be gross. You are my weakness. I want to fuck you all day, every day. I intended to do this by the book, but my dick is confused. This isn't our usual workplace; this is where I let him out to play. You need to go a little easier on him. He's never seen your vagina before without being allowed inside."

"Oh my god!"

"Blame him, not me."

"How about I punish him by not letting him inside there, or any of my other orifices either," I threatened him.

Edward looked down at his erection. "Now you're getting us both in trouble."

His adorably pitiful expression broke me, and I found myself getting up and climbing on top of his lap. My lips were on his before he even had a chance to protest. He kissed me hungrily back, but then he put on the brakes.

"I really want to see if you're dilated at all. It could give us an idea of how close you are."

I huffed, and then grudgingly reclined back so he could do his thing, but that was when he took out his phone.

"You better not be taking a picture of my vagina!"

He chuckled. "No, Doctor Eleazar texted me awhile back with instructions on how to check your cervix. I just wanted to read them over one more time before I did this."

"What happened to you learning how in med school?" I teased him.

"I did learn it, but it was only one short course, and it was a long time ago. I thought a little refresher would be helpful."

With checking his doctor to doctor text conversation, Edward managed to focus and get serious for the first time since we went into the bedroom that evening.

"Okay, I got this," he said confidently.

Lucky for the both of us, his previous playfulness definitely helped with lubrication, and his fingers were able to slide inside of me easily.

"Ah, babe, I don't think you're dilated," he told me as he prodded around inside of me. "If you are, it's only like a one."

I sighed. "Well, that's good, right?" I said as he withdrew his fingers. "Maybe I'll outlast this storm…" I said, but let my words trail off. Instead of cleaning up his hand, he went back to my clitoris.

"Is this what we're doing now?" I asked as another wave of arousal hit me full force. "I have to say, I have never had an exam of any kind like this one."

"You better not have," he said with his voice thick with desire. His mouth quickly replaced his fingers, and my back immediately arched from the sudden jolt sensation shot straight through my core.

When he knew I was close, his mouth traveled up my swollen body, leaving a trail of goosebumps everywhere his lips touched. He pushed up my shirt to reach my sensitive nipples, and I nearly lost all self-control. I didn't notice him undoing his pants, but the moment he pushed himself into me, that was it. I came fast and hard, and I could do nothing but ride that intensity like a helpless passenger on some amazing rollercoaster of sensational bliss as he sought his own climax. It was so fucking amazing that I forgot why we had even gone into the room in the first place. It was the kind of orgasm that made me momentarily forget my own damn name.

"Okay, you're forgiven," I said while struggling to catch my breath as my wits finally came back to me. "But I do have to say, you're lucky you are so freaking good at distracting me from how bad of an OB you are. I might actually be scared to be stranded here with you right now if it wasn't for what you just did to me."

He chuckled. "Distraction was definitely my goal… Okay, that was a lie. I didn't intend to do any of that. I'm so damn weak. Shit! I really just wanted to examine you in a professional manner."

"Listen, you better stop doing this for awhile," I warned him.

"Doing what exactly?" he asked confused.

"This. Getting us all hot and bothered. Fucking right now is not good."

"It wasn't good?" he asked, feigning offense. "Now we have to do it again so I can give you a proper fucking."

"That's not what I meant. Sex right now in general isn't a good idea."

He laughed. "Why not? Your water hasn't broken, so it's perfectly safe."

"Because my doctor told me that semen has been known to ripen the cervix, and orgasms can bring on labor."

"I'm only hearing reasons to have even more sex."

"No! I don't want to have this baby during a blizzard. I need to hold it in there for another week at least."

"Hate to break it to you, but this storm could last that long," he said with far too much enthusiasm.

Sure enough, less than twelve hours later, my water broke, and the storm raged on...

"No, no, no! My doctor told me this rarely happens. Usually women experience a few hours of labor before their water breaks."

"Babe, when have we ever done anything normal?" Edward asked me excitedly. "We are having this baby just like it was conceived. In perfect isolation."

"You are far too happy about this," I grumbled.

"You're right, I'm stoked," he admitted. "This is exactly the way it should be. Just you, and me, and… the snow."

"And the dogs," I added.

"They are sleeping by the fire, so they don't count," he replied quickly.

"I'm going to text your mom," I said while grabbing my phone, but then I was hit with a mountain of pain in my lower back.

"How about you don't call my mom," he said, taking the phone from me. "She will just freak out, and try to find a way to come over here. We can call her when the baby is out."

His words made the entire situation feel real. We were really having a baby, stuck at home, with a blizzard going on outside. I suppose he was right, it was fitting given our isolated beginning.

"Are you sure we have everything we need?" I asked concerned.

"You know I'm not going to let anything happen to you," he said soothingly. And I did know that. Edward had always taken care of me from the first day we met, and I knew that situation wasn't going to be any different. Besides, regardless of my anxiety, I knew we were more than prepared. We had stocked up on food, water, and three months worth of every single necessity a baby could possibly need. The nursery was ready. We were ready. I just needed to keep reminding myself that.

When the pain intensified, I experienced every emotion possible. From complete faith and love for Edward, to me cursing his name for getting me into that situation. It was pure craziness, and during my brief calm moments, I wondered how the hell Edward even put up with me.

As the pain reached an all time high, and my spirits were at an all time low, something made me turn my head and my eyes locked on our wedding pictures hanging on the wall. Regardless of the pain, my mind went right back to that day…

…

"So, now that you're about to get your happily ever after wedding, it's just about time for you to help me plan mine," Alice said to me as she helped button up the back of my dress. "Oh honey, this is barely fitting. This wedding couldn't have come soon enough."

"It just fit perfectly last week," I said surprised as I tried to suck in my slightly bloated but mostly flat stomach. It was like I had a few extra pounds of swelling, but still nothing too noticeable.

"Well, you're only going to get bigger from here," Alice replied.

I groaned slightly, but then I recalled what she was saying a minute before. "So, what did you just say about me helping you plan your wedding?"

She smiled sheepishly, and then held up her left hand to show me a big shiny new rock on her ring finger.

"Alice!" I said in a mix of disbelief and slight concern. "You just met him like two and a half weeks ago."

"I know, but when you know, you know."

"Your parents are going to kill you," I said with a laugh.

"Relax. We're going to have a long engagement, but he wanted to stake his claim on me before anyone else gets the chance," she explained, having a hard time keeping the smile off her face.

I smiled back at her, and just shook my head. Leave it to Alice to fall in love after one date, and get engaged after two weeks. At that rate, she will probably become Mrs. Dimples within the next month. But despite the rushed romance, I was sincerely happy that she was so happy, and selfishly I was ecstatic that my best friend was planning her future in the same town I was.

When it was time for the ceremony to begin, I was surprisingly calm. There were no jitters or cold feet. I was just eager to marry the love of my life, and officially start our happily ever after together.

With my father gone, I considered walking down the aisle alone, but after I saw the heels Alice picked out for me, I knew I would need a little support, so I nervously asked Carlisle. I hadn't known him long, but he was one of the sweetest men I had ever met, and when he immediately broke down in tears, I knew I made the right decision. Esme had pulled me aside afterwards and told me how much it meant to him. He would never get the chance to walk his daughter down the aisle, so in a way, we were both leaning on each other to fill the void that our loved ones left when they passed on. We were both happy to do it.

Carlisle was like a handsome older version of my soon to be husband, and when he came into the room to escort me outside, I had a vivid flash of what my future with Edward would look like - Him, handsome with salt and pepper hair. Me, all short and wrinkly. Us, holding hands as we rocked on our porch, lazily watching the sky above us. The image was so clear in my mind, and I was so excited to experience every single moment of it.

The music changed, and Alice skipped out first as my maid of honor, and then I wove my arm through Carlisle's, and we walked carefully towards the most beautiful man I had ever seen. Edward's smile was so wide, and so full of love, that it was hard not to let go of Carlisle and just sprint forward to reach him. I couldn't wait for the wedding to be finished so I could finally be irrevocably tied to Edward in every way.

The aisle seemed far too long, but when I finally reached Edward, he gave his father a hug, before taking my hands and telling me how much he loved me.

The rest of the wedding was a blur, but I knew I would never forget the moment I officially became Edward's wife. It truly was the best moment of my life up until that point.

The reception was beautiful, and fun, and everyone seemed to have a great time. We only had fifty guests, but everyone that truly mattered was there, and I couldn't imagine anything better.

The first time I met Edward, he was a stiff, up tight, frigid person, and I was naïvely on my way to marry the wrong man. If someone would have told me back then that this was my future, there was no way in hell that I would have believed them. We had come so far from those people. It took a mountain of experiences and personal growth to get where we were in that moment. But every pain, every torturous step, every life threatening situation, was so beyond worth it.

...

It had been the best day of my life… until the day my daughter came into the world.

"Bella, you need to give it one more big push," Edward encouraged me.

"I can't!" I cried, feeling exhausted and defeated.

"Babe, you can!" he said, encouragingly stern. "You are the strongest person I know. You can do anything."

"I don't feel strong. I feel so incredibly weak," I argued.

"Bella, remember when we were in the wreckage, and I needed to sew up your leg? How did you get through it?"

"I don't know… I tried to get my mind off of it."

He nodded. "This time I want you to do the exact opposite."

"Huh?" I asked perplexed. "You want me to focus on the pain?"

"I want you to focus on the baby," he clarified. "Remember why you're doing this. If you can just find the strength deep inside, the pain will be over, and you'll be holding our baby. You can do this, Bella. I know you can."

As I considered his words, I looked deep into his eyes, and somehow, someway, I found that strength within him, and used it to push out our baby.

Ember Brienne Cullen, was conceived on an isolated mountain top, and born at home during a blizzard. We had an entirely different name picked out for her, but when she came out, screaming with an intensity of wildfire, and a slight hint of red to her hair, we knew she was our little spark burning through the snow storm. Ember just seemed to fit her, and Brienne was Edward's sister's name, which I was so overjoyed to honor.

"Hey mom, what are you guys doing right now?" Edward asked Esme over the phone. He had her on speaker so I could hear every word she said.

"Oh, you know, going crazy being stuck in this house with your father for the second week in a row," Esme replied casually.

"Put your phone on speaker so we could talk to dad too," he instructed.

"Honey, what's going on?" she asked concerned.

"Just do it," he said, slightly frustrated.

There was a beat of silence, and then she came back on the speaker. "Okay, we can both hear you."

"Hi son, hi Bella," Carlisle said cheerfully to us.

"Hey dad. So we wanted you guys to say hi to Ember," Edward told them.

"Did you get another dog?" Esme asked clueless.

"No, our dog has a person name, so we thought it was only fitting that our little person has an animal name," Edward joked, so I smacked him.

"Ember is not an animal name," I hissed.

"Wait, what are you saying?" Esme asked on the verge of understanding.

As if on cue, Ember made a little noise, followed by a soft cry….which made Esme scream and then start audibly bawling.

"She's here? Is she okay? How's Bella?" Esme finally asked after she was able to get ahold of herself.

"Mama and baby are both perfect. I would make an excellent OB," Edward replied pompously.

"Oh, I want to come see her," Esme whined.

"You said her name is Ember?" Carlisle asked over the sound of his wife's blubbering. "I thought you were going to name her Charlotte, after Bella's father?"

"We were, but wait until you see her. Ember just fits," Edward replied.

"Does she have red in her hair?" Esme asked knowingly.

"Yeah. How'd you guess?" Edward questioned.

"You had so much red in your hair when you were little. I'm still surprised you're not a ginger now."

"He still has some hints of red in the sun," I told her.

"I am not a ginger," Edward denied.

"Oh, Ember just sounds so perfect!" Esme squealed.

"It is, but we do still like Charlotte though," I told them. "Maybe for our next baby."

"Well, it must have gone smoothly if she is already thinking about baby number two," Carlisle said with a chuckle that was almost identical to Edward's.

"She already wants to be pregnant again," Edward teased me.

"No, I can wait… a few months," I joked back.

"What's her full name?" Esme then asked us.

"Ember Brienne Cullen," I told them, and of course we could hear them both crying after hearing her middle name.

"Oh, thank you so much for thinking of Bree," Esme said emotionally.

"Well, it fits, because Bella is the first person I really talked about Bree with, and we seemed to get much closer after that first time we talked about her, so it just makes sense," Edward explained.

"It's a beautiful and fitting name," Carlisle agreed.

"Oh, I can't wait to meet her!" Esme squealed again.

Baby Ember gave her grandparents a parting squeak, and then we said goodbye. I called Alice next, and she was almost as excited as the Cullens had been. We made a few more calls, and then we took the time to just rest and enjoy the peace with our new little life.

…

Raising Ember, who we lovingly nicknamed Em, in the awe-inspiring serenity of Alaska, was absolute perfection. She loved being outside as we went on long hikes in the mountains, and playing in the snow with her canine best friends.

Foxy became a different dog when Em was born as well. She was practically a second mommy. She had to always be by whoever was holding her, and when Em became mobile, there was Foxy, following her everywhere she went. Jake, of course, loved her too, but he loved her the way he loved all of us. Foxy basically just loved Em.

By the time she was two, Ember was already a traveling pro. From going back and forth to our Hawaiian bungalow, to visiting Africa and Asia on Edward's work missions - Em came with us for it all, and rarely ever complained. She loved to travel, and she thrived while getting to know all sorts of different people. With her own little toddler proof camera, she also loved taking pictures as much as I did. Edward treated patients in rural areas of the world, and Em and I found beauty to shoot everywhere we went.

We managed to get Foxy acclimated to travel as well, but we only took the dogs with us when we traveled within the US. There were too many laws with out of country traveling with pets, so they stayed with Edward's parents during those trips. Not that they minded, they adored his parents, and his parents treated them like grandchildren.

Originally I had wanted to have our kids close together, but with all our traveling, and being so busy, we decided to take the time to just enjoy Em for a while. And we certainly enjoyed every minute with her.

….

Four years after we first found our way to that isolated Alaskan cabin, we got news that the owner passed away. The family didn't want such a remote property, so of course Edward couldn't let it go. He bought it without hesitation, and we packed up a couple ATVs, and went back to the place we fell in love.

Em loved the cabin, of course, and after she fell asleep in her own little cot that we brought for her, Edward and I finally conceived our second child. It was only fitting that I got pregnant there once again, and I wouldn't want it any other way.

Our son, Charles Anthony Cullen, came into the world exactly forty weeks after our trip to the cabin, and he too was born at home during a blizzard. It was surprising just how much that coincidence wasn't surprising.

The following spring, Alice and Jasper welcomed their first child, which was awesome because we knew our kids would always be the best of friends.

Life was crazy, and beautiful, and a non-stop adventure. I couldn't even imagine living any other way, and it was all made possible because of a fateful plane crash. We started out with a mountain of differences between us, but the only mountain left was the mountain we climbed every day together. The mountain of this incredible life…

...

***A/N: And with that, I mark this story as complete! It's such a bittersweet feeling. I'm going to miss these characters like crazy, but I'm happy they got their HEA.

To anyone who read Twilight on the Blue Lagoon - yes, their baby's name, "Em", and the fact that they were able to return to the cabin to conceive their children, were sort of an homage to that fic. Without Blue Lagoon being so well received, I probably wouldn't have ever written this one. The stranded plot has been so fun for me to tackle twice now, and I want to thank everyone who supported both stories.

I also need to give a very special shout-out to two ladies, for all their help with this story. First and foremost, CoppertopJ, who saved my butt with pre-reading, editing, and making some killer collages. I know you don't like a lot of recognition, but I can't end this without thanking you here. This story would have sucked without you. Lol. And second, thank you to JA Mash for making some beautiful manips for me to post on Facebook. You are so good at what you do!

Last, but certainly not least, I want to thank each and every one of you who has taken the time to read and review this story. You made it so much fun to write, and I was always anxious to read all of your thoughts and opinions for each chapter. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

~KC