A/N: Hi, I've been having a bit of writers' block with this story for the past month so I haven't been able to write anything for it. I really love it and will get back to it as soon as possible. I guess I'm finding it harder to write because I want the special wedding chapters to be perfect in my mind. Meanwhile I know how hard it is to wait for a story to upload so here is a little outtake I wrote as a donation for the 'Stories for animals' an animal welfare project last year. It is all about Bella's wedding present from Edward. Thank you very much for all the lovely reviews I've been receiving and I hope I can upload a new chapter soon.
Title: "The wedding present" – An outtake from my story "Preparing for the wedding" written for "Stories for animals"
Edward's POV
"Yelp, yelp, yelp"
The continuous barking was driving me crazy. There were only a very few days to our wedding, and I'd managed to sneak into Bella's room again. Renee was due to arrive next week, and I wouldn't be able to spend anymore nights with Bella after that till the wedding, since Renee will be sharing her room.
I tried very hard to tune out the sound of the barking, and sang Bella's lullaby softly in her ear. She was restless today, tossing and turning. I wondered whether she could hear the barking as well. We'd left the window open since it was a warm day. Maybe I should close it. Bella had soundproofed her room so that supernatural creatures like me couldn't hear her sleep talking. I smiled as I remembered how hard it had been for me to win her love back after our return from Volterra. She had basically shut me out. I have only very recently been allowed back into her room. I will never take Bella's love for granted again.
"Edward…" Sleepy brown eyes squinted at me.
"Yes, love?" I lovingly tucked a stray hair behind her ear.
"What's that noise?" Oh, she could hear it as well. Human ears must be more sensitive than I thought.
"It's from the vet's downtown. A dog is giving birth." I knew the details from the thoughts of the vet.
"Oh, wow! Can we go and see?" Bella suddenly sat up beaming at me.
"Yes we can. Are you sure you are not sleepy? It's still 2:00am." I was never going to refuse anything Bella asked of me. I was done making decisions for her. The last time I tried, it nearly killed us both. Bella would know whether her human body could stand a few sleepless hours. Who was I to question her? I only gave her the facts about time and sleep so that she could make her decision.
"Not if I can see an actual live birth!" Her smile grew wider. I loved her smile.
"You'd better hurry. She's already delivered the first pup."
She quickly got up and rushed to the bathroom, asking me to select something for her to wear. I loved doing this. I quickly got her a hoodie and a pair of jeans. My favourite part was selecting her underwear. I went for blue lace. Don't blame me; I loved seeing her in them, and I wasn't going to miss this opportunity.
"Lace, Edward? Okay fine. Now dress me."
"Really?" I was very surprised. She had never asked me to dress her before. I'd of course helped her dress on occasion. Well, mostly when we were about to get caught and were in a rush to put our clothes back on.
"Yes really. And hurry."
I really didn't want to hurry; I wanted to take my time savouring every inch of her delectable body. But I knew that now was not the time for it. I'll have to try to persuade Bella to let me dress her when I can really take my time to enjoy it. I quickly pulled off her night dress. Yes, she had started wearing sexy nightdresses to bed. Blame Alice, or rather thank her because, most of them were semi-transparent. What? I had to have something to keep me entertained during the long nights while she slept. And I was her fiancé. Modern day fiancés were allowed to stare at their naked fiancées. Well, that's what I kept telling myself. Bella had assured me that it was alright. Yes, I did ask permission when I realised how transparent the nightdresses were. She looked stunning as always and I loathed covering her up again. I greedily ran my eyes over her naked body.
"Edward!" Bella's voice reminded me that I was in the middle of dressing her.
"Sorry," I sheepishly responded and quickly put the lace on her. Wow! That looked even more enticing. Hidden mysteries always turned me on. Mmm… Edward junior was very excited.
"Get a grip Edward! I'll let you dress me again sometime later. Now just put the clothes on me quickly and take me to the vets."
"Really?" I grinned widely raising my eyebrows in surprise.
"Yes, really, now get on with it," she smiled at me.
Oh, she knew very well what she was doing to me. I had turned into a perpetually horny teenage vampire. I had no control when it came to Bella. We had not made love yet, since we were waiting for the wedding. But we had been exploring and it had been the best few weeks of my existence. I never thought intimacy could be this pleasurable or I wouldn't have ever held out on Bella.
I finally managed to dress her, and jumped out of the window with her on my back running towards the veterinary surgery.
We rang the bell and were told to enter. I hesitantly moved in behind Bella. I had never had the urge to drink from a dog or a pet of any kind, but I was careful because I could smell the blood.
The woman tending to the terrier who was delivering the puppies turned to greet Bella.
"Hi Bells, it's so good to see you. This must be Edward. I'm sorry my hands are dirty." She apologised for not offering her hand to me. I was glad for it because I didn't want to explain my cold hands to her.
"Hi Sandy. Yes, this is Edward. We heard a noise in here and thought to come and see whether we could help you."
"I could sure use another pair of hands or two," Sandy grinned offering Bella some gloves and aprons.
"Please clean up through there." Once we cleaned up and put on the gloves and aprons we came back to Sandy.
"I think she is finding it difficult to breathe. Can you hold this oxygen mask for her?" I quickly held the mask, terrified that the dog will get scared when she smells me. To my surprise she just licked my hand. I had never felt the affection of an animal, and was very surprised at how much I liked it. Animals were my prey so I rarely shared any bonding experience with them.
"There you go. I think we are almost done. Now I have to try to stop the bleeding."
I looked in amazement at the tiny little puppy now wriggling in Bella's hand. How had such a tiny creature managed to survive inside this small dog? How will it adapt to being out in the open environment? I saw tears in Bella's chocolate brown orbs as she met my glance and I at once understood that she was as amazed as I was at the miracle of birth.
Suddenly, I heard frantic thoughts about how difficult it was to breathe and the unbearable pain. I looked directly at the teary eyes of the dog, who was now struggling to breathe.
"Oh, my God! We are losing her. She's bleeding too heavily." Sandy sounded desperate as well. Shit!
Pleading chocolate brown eyes, this time belonging to the small brown dog looked at me as if I was her only hope. My medical training kicked in.
"Can't we operate on her to stop the bleeding?"I asked Sandy.
"I don't have the equipment here and I'm not very sure how to perform this surgery on an animal so small." It was then that I noticed that the little dog was actually a mixed breed terrier and was smaller than the ones described in books.
"Who is the owner?"
"She doesn't have an owner. She's just a stray who hangs around here. I took pity in her situation and decided to help her with the delivery." The small dog was now panting moaning softly. She once again licked my hand.
"That was very kind of you Sandy. Would you mind if we take her to my father? He's a surgeon and we have some surgical equipment at home we might be able to use to do the surgery." I knew Carlisle had a veterinary degree in addition to his medical degrees and I was hoping he could do the surgery. I had my medical degrees to fall back on if he needed my help.
"Sure. I just hope you can save her. She really deserves a chance to start a new life with her two puppies. I'll have to find someone to take her in." Sandy said thoughtfully.
"Edward, can we adopt her and the puppies?"I don't know why I was taken by surprise at Bella's request. I stared at her, trying to think of a way to remind her that animals were our prey.
"Bella…I…"shit, now two pairs of pleading puppy dog chocolate brown eyes were staring at me; one human and the other an actual dog. How can I say no?
"Please, Edward…" there was that magical word. I was lost.
"Er…"
"You said you wanted to get me a wedding present…well this is what I want. You told me I could have anything I want. I promise to take care of them. I know…it's a bit tricky with your family…but…I can still look after them. Please let me adopt Brownie and her puppies."
"You named her?" She looked like Brownie I guess. She was the exact colour of the treat that Bella loved so much.
"Okay love, you can have Brownie and her family. I was only worried about the newborn years…"I looked at her meaningfully.
"Oh…" I couldn't bear to see her face crumple when she remembered what she was going to be like after the change.
"But I'll take care of them for you during that time. I think Alice and Esme will love to help. Alice had always wanted a pet," I chuckled when I remembered the arguments we had had with her when she'd wanted to adopt a pet Jaguar.
"Thank you, Edward, I love you so much…" Bella launched herself at me kissing me breathless. I laughed out loud.
I heard a low bark and looked into Brownie's eyes. She had managed to raise her head to look at us. She was so happy even in the middle of her agonising pain, and the look of unconditional love she gave both of us was astonishing. I hadn't really read the minds of animals that much because their thoughts were scattered and not that powerful. I rarely heard them over the human chatter. But Brownie's gratitude was straight from her heart. I was surprised at the way she understood we were going to take care of her. She moaned once again dropping her head back in pain.
"Are you ready to go home with us, Brownie?" I couldn't resist stroking the little dog's head hoping to comfort her in her pain. She whined pitifully.
"We'll take the puppies with us too. Do you have special feeding bottles for them?" Bella asked. I watched as she purchased all the basic items needed for Brownie and her puppies as fast as she could. When we got out of the surgery Alice was waiting for us in my Volvo. Sandy waved to us as we quickly rushed home to take care of Brownie.
Carlisle had already set up the operating theatre which was housed in our basement. We quickly took X-rays and a scan to determine what was wrong.
"Where is the pain Brownie? Please tell me?" I stroked the struggling mother's head looking deeply into her eyes. I was surprised at how expressive and intelligent they were. I was gambling on the fact that Brownie would let us know where the problem was so that we didn't make too much of a mess on the surgery.
"Edward, I don't think she can understand you. I've got to put her under now. She's bleeding too much."
"I can read her mind Carlisle. She's very intelligent. Wait, she's thinking something."
"Is it here?" I touched several places in her abdomen. And she barked and moaned when I touched a particular spot thinking how painful it was. There was also trust in her eyes. She was hoping I'd cure her. I was speechless when she once again licked my fingers then gave Carlisle a meaningful look as if to say she was ready. Carlisle was clearly taken back by this display of intelligence.
"Edward, I think you are right. She really is an extraordinary animal. I hope we can save her."
"You can. Go on do the surgery. I'm going to help Bella with the puppies," the pixie shouted from the side of the cot that she was using to put the puppies in.
"Good luck, Brownie." Bella came near us and kissed the top of Brownie's head and got licked in the face. Carlisle injected the anaesthesia and we got to work on the spot Brownie had pointed out. The scans also helped. We managed to patch up the vessels that were torn and stop the bleeding. I suppose Brownie was really lucky as we were able to perform the delicate operation with a precision which a human doctor would have never been able to achieve.
While Brownie recovered from the anaesthesia, I went over to have a look at the puppies. They were both doing well.
"Have you named them, love?" I cuddled the snowy white one in my hands while watching Bella feed the dark chocolate brown one. I was instantly in love with the little creature when it opened its tiny mouth and started sucking on my little finger.
"Yes I have. You are holding Fluffy and this is Fudge."
"The names suit them." Why was Bella naming the dogs after human food? I wasn't going to ask her. I knew Bella loved Chocolate Brownies and Dark Chocolate Fudge. Although, I couldn't think of a food item named 'fluffy'.
"Would you like to feed Fluffy, Edward?"
"Sure." I nodded my head. I watched in amazement as Fluffy drank the milk with a lot of enthusiasm. Guess he was very hungry after the delivery. He must have had to work hard to come into this world. Fluffy cuddled closer to my chest. He didn't seem to be scared of me. I watched as Bella fed Fudge as Alice looked on.
The pixie was beaming thinking about all the clothes she could dress them in.
"No way, Alice!" I stared at her in dismay. When I adopted the pets I never thought she'd want to dress them too.
"What's she thinking, Edward?"
"She's thinking about how she's going to dress them." I ignored the pouting pixie.
"Alice! Let them decide. If the dogs think they want to wear clothes then they can." Bella's answer surprised Alice.
"You want me to do what the dogs want? How do we know what they want?" Bella had a huge grin on her face as she pointed to me.
"Oh, no! I'm not getting involved in doggie fashion." I had had enough of human fashions as it was. I had been dragged off to design school in Paris by Alice some time back. And she'd already made me help with the bridesmaid dresses and the clothing for the rest of the wedding party. I refuse to make dresses for the dogs as well.
"Edward, you know what they are thinking. If they feel uncomfortable in clothes you can tell us. And if they like something you can tell as well."
"Oh, I forgot. Wow! This is going to be epic! Wonder whether Pierre…" I stopped listening at that point; desperately trying to preserve whatever mental equilibrium I had left. Alice was clapping her hands and giggling like a school girl going on and on about possible designs and designers.
"Booh" A soft bark made us turn toward Brownie in relief. She was coming out of her anaesthesia. I immediately went to her and stroked her head.
"Are you alright, Brownie?" I asked staring at the dazed looking dog.
Her tiny tongue crept out once more licking me lightly on my cold hand. Her thoughts showed confusion, but she was relieved to see me. I was still very surprised at how Brownie didn't seem to be scared of us. There was no fear in her look. Just like the puppies didn't display any of the reactions normal dogs or other animals display towards us as their natural predators. Brownie lifted her head slowly and tried to frantically find her puppies. She was worried about them wondering how they were doing. She wasn't in much pain herself because of the painkillers Carlisle had given her.
"Bella, can you bring the puppies to Brownie. She's worried about them."
"Sure. Is she able to feed? Has the anaesthesia worn off now?"
"I'm not sure. I think it's best if we wait till tomorrow to let her feed them."
Brownie let out an exultant yelp when she saw the puppies and licked them furiously once we placed them next to her in her cot.
The tiny creatures managed to snuggle against her. They smelled the milk she must be producing but didn't go to feed. I suppose the antiseptic on Brownie made the milk smell funny.
"They drank a lot of milk. I think they are not hungry anymore." A pleased smile graced Bella's beautiful face as she watched the love Brownie showed her off-spring. I tried to read the tiny puppies minds to see whether they were hungry. The only thoughts I got were sleepy and warm. Guess that's all they are worried about right now.
"They are just sleepy and they love their mother's warmth." I was amazed at how simple their needs were compared to a human's or a vampire's. We must have also had such simple needs when we were first born. It was then that I saw the tears in Bella's eyes. I instantly understood what she was thinking about. Oh, God no!
"Bella love…are you all right?" I pulled her to me kissing her on the top of her head.
"Yes. Edward. Just so happy and sad at the same time," she sniffed.
"Why are you sad love?" I didn't want her to know of my suspicions, scared that I might mistakenly bring something up that she had not thought about.
"I really want to be a mother someday, Edward," she sighed.
"I know love. We'll do fertility treatment when you are ready," a slow smile spread across her rosy lips. I couldn't resist planting a soft kiss on her lips.
"Are you sure, Edward?"
"I'm sure, love. I'm okay with it. We can use a sperm donor." There was nothing I wouldn't do for her. I too wanted to be a father desperately. If we had the opportunity to do that before her change then I didn't see why we couldn't. The family was now very good at resisting human blood and I knew both Esme and Rose loved children. I decided to talk to Bella more about this once we had some free time together. I could tell that now was not the time because Bella's eyes looked very sleepy. I settled down on the large sofa downstairs with Bella, Brownie and the puppies. The little dog had looked frantic the moment I had left it to go to Bella. So I decided it's better to have everyone near me for now.
"Wohoo! We are back! Did you bring snacks, Eddie?" Shit Emmett was back.
"What's this? Eddie boy, why are you hugging food?" My touch seemed comfort her so I was now sitting on the sofa with Brownie on my lap. The two puppies were snuggled against her fast asleep. Bella was resting her head on my shoulder. Both Brownie and Bella woke up startled at the sound of Emmett's loud voice.
"Look what you did, Em. You woke Bella and Brownie. Now shut up or speak quietly before you wake the little puppies too," I admonished him.
"Sorry bro. I thought you were spending the night at Bella's. I just smelled food and decided to come and investigate." It took him a moment to realise that I'd called the dog by a name. He suddenly looked up at me.
"You named the food?"Brownie growled at Em, and he was taken aback.
"They are not food. We've just adopted Brownie and her off-spring. Meet Fluffy and Fudge." I pointed to the tiny bundles of fur.
"Nice to meet you Brownie, are your kids asleep?"To my surprise when Emmett reached out and poked Brownie's nose she simply sniffed and licked him. I had thought she'd bite him. Guess she wasn't scared of Emmett either. I chuckled shaking my head in amazement.
Emmett had also expected her to bite him and was now staring at his finger in astonishment.
"Holy shit! Brownie licked my hand man. Wow! Hey, can I hold her?" When he moved to take her, however, Brownie snuggled closer to me again and barked at Em. I read in her thoughts that she didn't want to be held by him. She was scared he would crush her. Guess she had some sense after all.
"Em, give her time to adjust to your size. She's scared that you'd crush her."
"How do you know what she's thinking? Wait…God! Can you read her mind as well? Tell me what she's thinking?" Emmett was fascinated beyond belief that I could read Brownie's mind. I thought he knew I could read the mind's of animals. I had assumed that everyone knew that. I'd only spoken about it with Carlisle and Alice. Guess the others didn't know as I had not mentioned it to them.
"Read whose mind?" Esme came bounding down the stairs followed by Rosalie. They had gone hunting with Emmett and Jasper, so they were not here when we had brought Brownie in for surgery. I saw Jasper stepping cautiously into the room; he was scared he'd want to drink from them. He'd heard about the dogs from Alice who had texted him the details. He hadn't told the others intending to surprise them. He heaved a sigh of relief when he didn't feel thirsty around the dogs.
"Brownie's mind," I smiled while Bella giggled beside me when we saw Esme's jaw drop open when she took in the sight of us on the sofa.
"Oh, my God, Edward! What have we here?" She rushed over gently patting Brownie on the head. She didn't think twice about it the same as Brownie didn't think twice about licking her face when she lowered it to kiss the dog on the top of her head.
"Oh! She's got puppies! Are they newborn?"
"Yes, mom."
"Oh, how sweet. Who do they belong to?"
"They are Bella's. I agreed to adopt them as a wedding present." Esme stared at Bella with wide eyes and I heard Rosalie snort. I'd forgotten that she was there.
"Well, hopefully they remain her pets after her newborn year," Rosalie gave Bella a cynical look and Bella glared at her.
"Oh, sweetie, they are so cute! Where did you find them?"
"They were at the vet's. Brownie was having a difficult delivery. Carlisle and Edward saved her after operating on her." Bella proudly informed her. I saw a beaming Carlisle rush down the stairs. Esme gave him the special smile he loved. I saw Jasper standing at a distance even though, he was dying to touch Brownie. He felt no thirst only curiosity. He had had a pet dog and had missed him a lot over the years. I looked at Alice deciding to ask Jasper over to greet Brownie. The pixie gave me a happy smile. Her visions did not indicate any harm coming to Brownie from Jasper.
"Jasper, why don't you come and say hello to our newest family members?" He still hesitated. "Are you sure, Edward?" He asked me though his thoughts. I saw the look of anticipation in Brownie's eyes. She was actually looking forward to smell Jasper.
"Brownie is looking forward to meeting you."
When he approached she even raised her head to lick his hand even before he could place it on her head as he had intended. Guess Brownie really liked Jasper.
"She…she likes me. She's not afraid," he was shaking his head in disbelief. Brownie looked adoringly at him.
"I think she adores you, Jasper. Doesn't she, Edward?"The pixie squealed and I nodded in agreement.
"Wow, amazing." And just like that we all got a warm fuzzy feeling in our chests. Through Jasper's gift we all experienced the love that my family was sharing in abundance with Brownie. I looked into Bella's eyes and saw how much she loved her gift. It was the perfect wedding gift for my beautiful fiancée. I couldn't resist kissing her passionately.
A/N: So what do you think of Bella's Wedding Present from Edward? What do you think Edward would have given Bella as a wedding present?
I hope you enjoyed this short outtake from my story 'Preparing for the wedding'. I'll continue with it as soon as I can. Please do review and let me know what you think of this outtake. It would really give me a little boost lol! Honestly, reviews do mean a lot to me and sometimes a comment made in a review ends up helping me write whole chapters! See you soon with a new update. Meanwhile please do check out my story 'A taste of innocence' which I'm currently writing. It's an original fic.