Disclaimer: Not mine. Simple as that.

Chapter 2

Esme

We were running as fast as we could. After Carlisle got a call from a frantic Alice, Rosalie and Edward saying that Bella was giving birth right now, we ran just that much faster.

"What if the wolves are waiting at the edge of our territory again?" I called up to Carlisle.

"Don't worry, as soon as they find out that Bella had the baby they will be guarding their land with every possible wolf!" Emmett answered.

I still felt uneasy about the entire situation but Emmett's words gave me a slight reassurance about the whole thing.

When we got to the border between neutral territory and our land I noticed that there were no wolves at all. But I could hear screams, howls of pain, crashes and cracks closer to our house.

"Carlisle," I whimpered at the sounds. They could only mean one thing and I did not want that to be happening right now.

"I know, I hear it too," he said, taking my hand in his larger one. Running his thumb over the back of my hand reassuringly, we set off again.

We arrived at the back garden in record time.

It was complete chaos! Alice was being tackled by a large, dark grey wolf. Edward was wrestling with Sam, Jasper was up a tree and the other wolves were surrounding the fight with eagerness to jump in.

Just then the wolf that had been on top of tiny little Alice was rolling across the dirt from the force of a hit. Leah had just jumped in, knocking the wolf off of Alice.

Suddenly there was a gasp. A gasp that came from behind all of us. A human gasp. I could hear their heartbeat; smell their sweet blood. Even among all of the chaos I was able to hear the little, strangled gasp coming from behind me.

I whipped myself around in time to see Bella's school friend, Angela Weber standing in the field, just before I was tackled to the ground by a brown and grey wolf.

"Esme!" Carlisle's voice was voice was dripping with terror.

Struggling against the strong and firm hold of the wolf and keeping my gaze on Angela's terrifying form was hard. I remembered Jasper's instruction from the newborn fight training; 'Never lose focus!'

I felt the sharp slick teeth sinking into my forearm, snapping me back out of my thoughts and into reality. Reality was terrifying.

"Carlisle!" I shrieked in agony.

The weight was lifted off with a rip that took my arm with it. Another shriek escaped my lips.

"Don't worry. I'll fix it, give me a second," Carlisle reassured. I wasn't sure if it was for my sake of for the sake of his sanity but I just left it to him, whimpering in pain, trying not to let it show.

Years with Charles were enough to drill that into me. Never let them know that you are hurting that much.

When I felt my arm being placed back onto my shoulder, there was a burn, a sting and then I could move my arm again, with a slight pain in my shoulder when I did.

"STOP!" Jacob's rough, husky voice yelled over the bangs and crashes of the fight. "It's over! If you kill her, you kill me!"

The wolves stopped. Just like that they stopped, completely dead silent. Alice got up off the ground and Jasper got down out of the tree. Everybody turned to look at Jacob. Edward got looked from everyone.

Sam came up a few steps from his huge paws and smacked Jacob with enough force to send him sprawling back into my garden. Before he could land on his back his clothes ripped off of his body and he landed on all fours, in his wolf form. He was snarling, slick teeth were bared in warning, and the russet fur on his thick shoulders was raised in anger. He looked dangerous.

Carlisle carried me into the house; Angela's slightly shaking form was following us timidly.

"I hurt my arm Carlisle, not my legs," I told my overprotective husband.

"I know. But you should feel drained in a few minutes, it would be best if I carried you into the house. You can rest in the living room with the baby," Carlisle soothed me.

The baby. That brought on a whole bundle of questions into my mind. What did it look like? Was it a boy, or a girl? What was their name? I was vaguely aware of Angela having a puzzled look on her sweet features.

"What just happened?" Rosalie appeared in the doorway, a sleeping baby cradled in her arms; swaddled in a white blanket. Well that didn't help answering any of my questions!

"The wolves," Carlisle stated nonchalantly like it was an everyday thing.

"Why are you carrying Esme?"

"They ripped her arm off. She will be tired in a minute."

"Why are you here?" Rosalie turned her attention to the paling Angela.

"I came to say hello to Bella, I heard that she was back from her honeymoon," Angela said quietly. Her voice was shaking and I wondered if she was going to faint or throw up. It could be either one with what she looked like right now.

"I don't think that right now is the best time to see her. She is not in the best…. Condition for visitors," Carlisle explained lightly to the fragile looking girl in front of us.

"Oh, is she sick?"

"In a way," I said from my spot in Carlisle's arms. I was starting to feel tired, something that I have never felt in quite some time. Not since I jumped off that cliff and was on the verge of death.

"She's seen too much, just tell her everything and give her the choice," Alice said, coming into the room from outside, dragging Jasper with her.

Alice's clothes were ripped and torn. Grass stains and mud spattered all up the back of her purple blouse. Her short, inky halo of black hair was messed up, quite like if she had just gotten out of bed, even though that was far from the case.

"Alice!" Rosalie screeched, waking up the sleeping infant in the process.

"Give me the baby," I told Rose.

She willingly handed me the screaming, wailing infant and ran outside, to find Emmett no doubt.

"I guess that we should tell you," Carlisle, while placing me and the baby onto the couch.

Did I smell… fabric cleaner?