First Blood | Ed. Cullen & B. Swan

Chapter 26

Simon was beyond done. Throughout the past two weeks, he had successfully managed to never be caught completely alone with his husband. It finally happened, and now was the worst time for it.

"When you finally decide to get your stubborn head out of your ass, come find me. Not before then. Until then, learn to be a better god damn husband. You took your vows, but you're forgetting to uphold them. If you aren't on your best behavior around Izzy...I swear to God, Edward, you better not make me do something I don't want to do."

Since returning to Forks, Simon's hunger has been eating away at his optimistic mentality as he worried over Bella. The others still hunted, but Simon couldn't find it in himself to break his compulsion now.

If the freedom of choosing his meals was ever given back to him, he wasn't sure how he could be stable again. It had been so long since he last needed to worry about his control.

But right now, his voracious appetite was swaying his moods. Whenever he wasn't around Isabella or Rosalie, he was easily irritable.

In one of the few moments that Simon was alone in his anger, Edward just so happened to stumble upon him. He had said he just wanted to talk, and that it would only be for a short minute before he would leave again.

Against his better judgment, Simon had agreed to hear him out. That was, until Edward tried to convince him to side with him in the silent fight between him and their wife.

"It's killing her, Simon!" Edward snapped as he grabbed hold of Simon's wrist, pulling him closer as his anger broke loose.

"No! No, you don't get to even touch me until you realize how in the wrong you are! You think I don't know that?...Do you think that I don't understand that our child is ripping her apart from the inside out?" Simon's voice quieted to a whisper as he pulled his hand out of his husband's grasp, his shoulders sagging as he finally gave in to the thoughts that had been drifting through his head since the moment he heard Bella's decision.

"Because I do. I know that. But I also know that the woman struggling in the other room is my wife. My life partner and one of the two halves of my heart. The mother of my child. And I know that I will love her with every part of myself that my damned soul has left to spare. It's killing me; watching her die. Watching her life get sucked out of her..." Simon trailed off, his eyes uncharacteristically glossy as he glared down at the floor. He took a deep breath before he looked back at his husband.

"But she's doing it for our child. So, even though it's killing me, I put on my brightest smile, and I stay by her side. Because that's what she needs me to do. She needs someone to stand by her, even if I don't agree with her suicide mission. I know she won't come out of this with a beating heart. But I understand how much she wants to protect that child to the point of turning, because they aren't even born yet, and I still know that I would do anything for them." Simon's gaze drifted back up to meet Edward's golden eyes, his eyes narrowing to slits as he hardened his voice.

"Because, regardless of who sired them, I'm going to be a father to them. I'm going to help raise them as my own. Because especially if they can't have their human mother, I'm not going to abandon them now. They'll need me, and I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I gave up on them now. They'll need me, and if she doesn't make it like we hope, I'll need that kid just as much as they'd need me. I suppose I'm the foolish one for thinking you'd be there beside me."

Edward's brows scrunched up in his confusion, staring after his brunet husband as he stormed out of the room. Edward watched him go, biting his lip as sorrow filled his mind. Apparently, Simon did feel the same as he did. They were both against Bella losing her mortality.

The difference, Edward realized, was that Simon knew he couldn't do anything other than watch the situation unfold. Edward had yet to give up on a possible way out, but after repeated failure and constant arguing with his family, he was beginning to grow close.

***

Simon sat locked alone in the make-shift hospital room Carlisle had set up a few days prior for Bella's upcoming delivery. He sat on the edge of the bed, looking down at the syringe he held loosely in his hands. He tried to come up with other ideas, and yet only one thing came to mind. Nausea struck him at the mere thought, but he knew what he needed to do.

He pulled off his shirt, carefully brushing his fingers over the scars the newborn had left on his upper body a few months prior. He placed the syringe needle in the center of the scars, taking a deep breath before forcing the needle beneath his skin.

He bit down on his lip to prevent himself from crying out in pain, exhaling shakily with venom-pooled eyes as his unoccupied hand dented the frame the bed rested on. He forced himself to breathe, trying to control himself as he slowly filled the first syringe with the clear liquid that circulated through every vampire's body.

By the time he filled his third syringe, he felt ready to pass out. He stumbled as he stood up, catching himself against the wall before he could fall. The room swayed around him, his vision blurry as he tried to ignore the burning sensation that radiated from his chest.

With the help of the walls, he climbed the stairs and made his way to their bedroom, where Bella had been left to rest. He sluggishly pulled off his shirt again, draping it over a nearby chair before he crawled into bed with his wife. She rolled over as she woke, yawning softly before she took Simon into her arms. She tucked his head beneath her chin, wrapping a hand through his hair as he snaked his arms around her tiny body.

Simon shakily exhaled before he came apart in her embrace, his shoulders wracking with sobs as his tears refused to fall from his tired eyes. Bella held him tighter in her embrace, humming a gentle melody as she let her husband purge himself of his feelings against her chest.

***

Paul watched from afar as Emmett and Simon wrestled with one another outside in the large backyard the Cullen's house possessed. The whole family had felt pretty strung up after days locked inside the walls of their home, where Paul and Leah had been staying since they found out about Bella's pregnancy. Paul hadn't been as close to Bella as he had been to Simon. He hadn't really got the chance to know her himself, but he still knew a lot about her and her other husband as Simon loved to talk about his partners as often as he could.

The whole family now watched the two strongest members of their family fight methodically with one another to rid themselves of their pent up feelings through their own rhythm. Their quick movements blinded Paul as the sun reflected off their marble skin with every twist and turn. Paul found himself leaning forward in his seat, eagerly waiting for one of them to get the upper hand.

Paul gasped as feet slid across the green grass before Emmett ended up on his back. Jasper decided to intervene, jumping over the railing of the balcony to join the fight below. He tackled Simon away from Emmett, giving the black bear a chance to reorient himself.

Fighting with Jasper required more offense than Simon was used to. Jasper's blows were meticulously thought out, his reaction time just a bit faster than Simon's, giving the blond the upper hand. So Simon got close, moving into Jasper's space to minimize the hits Jasper directed his way. Jasper needed the distance to build force into his punches, whereas Simon had no such problem.

Simon saw Emmett through his peripherals, barely spinning quick enough to deflect the blow aimed toward his chest into Jasper instead. Jasper stumbled back before he quickly righted himself, both the blond and ravenette attacking Simon at once. Simon buckled under them both, surrendering as they slammed his back against the newly disturbed dirt.

He accepted Jasper's help up, laughing with his brothers as he brushed the dirt off of his shoulders. They made their way up to their family, breaking off to head to their respective lovers.

Simon caught Bella in a chaste kiss, warmth filling him as she relaxed against him. He moved to sit behind her as she went back to talking with Leah and Rosalie, who had surprisingly started to get along rather well. His hands rested against Bella's round stomach, rubbing gently as she leaned back against his chest. He sat with her there until the sun descended passed the horizon, the chilled night becoming too much for Bella to handle as she dragged Simon off to sleep.