Randomly inserted Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

"Pregnant?"

Carlisle gasped the word incredulously and Esme echoed his surprise, running into the office from the living room. Alice had called moments ago after having a vision that had been somewhat vague, but it had frightened her enough to ask Carlisle to call and interrupt Edward and Bella on their honeymoon. She had complained that Bella had gone fuzzy in her visions over the last week or so. Carlisle had teased her that it was karma for all the eavesdropping she was doing, but he had been a little concerned. So he had called. Now we were all just awestruck. Bella was pregnant? How was that possible?

I darted into Carlisle's office, touching Esme's arm so I could watch my father. He was sitting in his chair, his posture stiff and shock obvious on his face as he spoke with Edward. Evidently he had come out of his catatonic state when Bella announced that something had moved inside her. Carlisle put the phone on the desk after Edward told him they would be on the next flight out of Rio. I watched as awe, excitement and worry all warred on his face. He called Alice back.

"You think the baby is making it hard to see Bella?" he asked her after a few minutes of serious discussion. I heard Alice sigh over the phone. Carlisle grimaced.

"That makes things much more complex. You can still see Edward?"

"He's going to overreact. It doesn't help that the cleaning woman tells him that the baby is the equivalent of death for Bella." Alice's voice was strained and caused me to gasp. Esme had pulled me into her arms, and I buried my face in her shoulder. My mind was spinning along at vampire speed, trying to make some sense of this news. Bella was most likely pregnant with Edward's baby. A half vampire child. My brothers had been jokingly calling Edward an incubus for the last two weeks but this was taking the joke a little too far.

I knew, deep down, that Edward's first thought would be to abort the baby. He wouldn't be willing to sacrifice Bella's life for any reason. I just hoped his second thought was to discuss the matter in depth with Bella. He was getting better at communicating with his new wife, but he was still Edward and I wouldn't put it past him to make an executive decision about this without consulting her first.

"They must have legends about this. Interesting. There are myths and stories about the incubus, of course. I know its impossible for a female vampire to conceive, but perhaps..." Carlisle trailed off as his mind began to race through theories and possibilities. Alice sighed again over the phone and asked to speak to me. Carlisle looked startled, but he tossed me the phone.

"Bella is going to call you in fifteen minutes. I don't know what she asks, but you might want a little privacy for that conversation." My sister's soft voice was whispered so low I don't think anyone else heard it. I tossed the phone back to Dad and shrugged out of Esme's arms.

"I'll...be back in a bit. I need some time to think," I said quietly before I ran up the stairs for my phone. I leapt off my balcony and headed into the deep woods, ignoring my mother's worried inquiry as I ran off. I found myself in my favorite tree, tucked in the hollow created by two large branches. Only Adam knew the exact location of my hideaway and he was spending the day in Seattle with his father and sister at a Mariner's game.

The first measure of Leia's Grace, a piece that Edward had composed for me some years ago, broke the relative silence of the woods and I answered my phone cautiously.

"Leia, I need your help. I can't let Edward destroy our baby. It's not a monster." Bella's whisper was pained. I clenched the fingers of my free hand into the bark of my tree, gouging out chunks of bark in my anxiety.

"Bella, if there's a chance you could die..."

"It doesn't matter. I know between Carlisle and Edward they will find a way to save me, even if it means they have to change me when the baby is born. God Leia, I want this and so will Edward, once he realizes what a miracle this is. A miracle, Leia!" Bella was still whispering, but the wonder in her voice was powerful.

"What exactly do you want me to do?" I knew my voice trembled as I asked. I was torn between terror and cautious joy.

"Well, I need to you be my bodyguard until I can get Edward to listen to me," she whispered.

"Bella..."

"Please, Leia, I just need him to stop long enough to hear my side of this. He'll never go through you to get to the baby and Adam will never let him." Bella's voice was determined. "I know I'm asking you to go against Edward, Leia, but he won't hold it against you in the long run. Please, please, for me. For our baby. Edward's baby!"

"Bella!" I tried to talk to her again but she disconnected the call, no doubt worried that Edward would be back soon. I fell back against the tree behind me and whimpered. Once again, I found myself torn between what my best friend, and now sister, wanted and my brother thought she needed.

"Please, Edward, talk this out with her," I whispered to the woods, hoping my brother would listen to his wife. Maybe I wouldn't be forced to be Bella's bodyguard against the one person, beside Carlisle and Adam, that I loved and respected most in the world.

Two days later

"Are you so jealous of my relationship with Bella that you are willing to let her die?" Edward asked harshly. I flinched, but kept my thoughts focused on the sleeping woman on the living room couch beside me. Bella had suffered a restless night, no doubt due to the fact that she was afraid to sleep with her husband. My arms could never replace his for comfort. At least she seemed to be a resting quietly now.

When we had met Edward and Bella at the airport yesterday, Bella had pulled away from Edward to run into my arms. My heart had sunk, knowing then that Edward hadn't listened to Bella's pleas for understanding. Edward had come at us then, but Adam had stepped in front of us. My brother had hissed at him and once he realized our determination to protect the baby from him and if necessary, from Carlisle, he growled at both of us.

Adam had remained silent for the most part, though I had no doubt he was giving Edward hell mentally every time he said something that hurt me. And Edward was trying his best to get to me, to make me give up and let him do what he thought was best. He was furious at both Bella and myself for setting up this 'conspiracy' against him. I didn't often respond to his venomous words, knowing the reason behind them. He was terrified of losing Bella and in his eyes, I was advocating something that could tear her apart, literally. And he was right.

The sonogram that Carlisle had tried yesterday had been inconclusive. The uterine wall was made of something the machine couldn't penetrate, something Carlisle equated to vampire skin. The bump on Bella's stomach was indeed hard, like a lump of granite under her skin. Edward and Carlisle had done research through the night, but hadn't found anything but myths and speculation to go on. The only things we knew for sure were that the baby was growing at a crazy rate and that it was definitely half vampire. Baby Bella was only a few inches long by Carlisle's estimation but he or she kicked like a mule. Bella actually winced this morning during a particularly active session for the baby.

"Edward, I love Bella and I love you. I don't want her to die, but I do respect her right to be a part of making decisions about her life. She has valid points that you refuse to listen to. You're going all 'Edward Knows Best' again and if I have to stand between you and your bride until you get your head out of your ass and realize that as scary as all this is, its also a freaking miracle, then so be it," I said, matching his harsh tone. Adam squeezed my hand to show his support from his position on the floor at my feet.

"Miracle? It's half monster, Leia," Edward said, the harshness of his tone giving way to self-loathing.

"You are not a monster, Edward. And this child is as much a part of Bella as it is a part of you. She or he has a heartbeat for pete's sake!" I shouted the last without meaning too. Bella groaned and rolled over, so I turned all my attention to her. Adam, however, still had his eyes on Edward and he saw the look of shock on his face. I couldn't help a smile at that expression. Edward had always been a glass half empty personality, so I knew he hadn't considered the possibility of this child being as much human as it was vampire. I had heard Carlisle and Edward's conversations through the night and both of them seemed ready to believe the worst.

I was a little disappointed that my father was siding with Edward on this. As much as the possibility of a child conceived by a human and a vampire intrigued him, he didn't want to risk Bella's life. He agreed with Edward that there were too many unknown factors in this scenario. Esme and I, however, were with Bella. Yes, it might be dangerous, but the chance to bring a life into the world was worth some risks. We were cautiously optimistic. Adam had been stunned by the news and he had yet to tell me how he really felt about it, though he had become Bella's champion with me readily. I couldn't see the concern in his eyes when he looked at Bella, but I knew it was there. He was also petrified that he might phase at the wrong time and give this secret away to the pack. He was extremely concerned about what their reaction might be. It was the only thing that Edward agreed with us on. The pack couldn't find out.

"You can hear his heartbeat?" Bella asked groggily. I laid my hand on her arm and smiled.

"Yes. Its faint and muffled by the granite wall that is your stomach right now. But it's there," I said gently, laying my hand on the hard ball under her shirt. I noticed that Carlisle had come down from his office and was hovering behind us. Adam's gaze flickered between the still shocked Edward and my father, whose eyes were bright with excitement. Dad was obviously happy about this news. I felt bad for keeping it from them all day. Maybe I could have saved us all a few hours of pain.

"What does it sound like?" Bella asked, her face bright with joy under Adam's gaze. I leaned down and laid my ear against her tummy. I hummed softly as I monitored the quiet, crazy fast rhythm that was the baby's tiny heart.

"Like hummingbird wings, a little slower but just as insistent but somehow soft," I said and then kept time with my fingers on the arm of the couch. Human fingers wouldn't have been able to keep up for long, if at all. I deliberately cleared my mind of any thoughts but the life affirming sound and knew Edward heard it through me when he gasped softly. Bella looked up at him, concern clouding her joyous expression. She moved out from under me to go to him. She reached up and cupped his face in her hands. It was the first time she had voluntarily touched him since she had flown into my arms at the airport. Edward thought she was angry with him, but I knew she also felt guilty for causing him so much pain.

"Edward, are you alright?" She asked and then grimaced. She knew the answer to that question.

"No, Bella. I'm not alright," he replied softly, reaching out and pulling her to him. Through Adam's eyes, I watched his arms tremble as he embraced her, no doubt fighting the urge to crush her to him. "I'm terrified..."

"I'm so sorry, Edward," Bella interupted, resting her cheek against his chest. "I hate causing you pain, but I want this baby for us. Not just for me, but for us. Please, try to understand why I can't let you destroy our miracle without giving it a chance to live. Give him a chance to live."

"Bella, my Bella. I'm so worried it will destroy you. I can't live without you," he said, his face buried in her hair. Bella choked back a sob.

"You won't have to. I have complete faith that you and Carlisle can find a way to save us both, Edward. Me and the baby. Please, Edward, just give it a chance."

"I want to, Bella. God, I want to."

"Then we will talk about it and we will find a way, together," Bella said, looking up at him with hope in her eyes. Edward gazed at her a long moment and then he nodded. Bella's cry of joy made the corner of his mouth twitch into a half smile. It didn't last long, but it was there. For the first time in two days, I felt my body relax. I collapsed against Adam and he caught me, peppering my face with kisses as he gathered me into his strong arms. I barely even noticed when Edward swung Bella up into his arms and headed up the stairs. I trusted Edward to keep his word. He wouldn't lie to Bella, not about something so important.

"Thank God. I don't think I could stand another minute of that...tension," Adam breathed against my neck. I felt Carlisle's hand on my shoulder as he sank down onto the couch. He had his phone to his ear. Esme was in town picking up dinner. Charlie was coming over tonight. It would be Bella's chance to say goodbye for the last time. We were driving to Alaska in the morning. It was the only reason Alice and Jasper weren't here now. They were shopping for medical equipment in Juneau today and would pick Rose and Emmett up at the airport tonight.

According to Emmett, Rose was still in shock. It would be interesting to see how she took Bella's pregnancy once the shock wore off. She would either be estatic about the thought of a baby in the house, or her jealousy of Bella's ability to have a child would make her insane. Alice was still upset that she couldn't see Bella clearly and Jazz, well, he was just incredulous.

"Yes, Esme, they're going to talk things out now. This will be so much easier now that we are working together instead of at odds."

"Thank god, Carlisle. I couldn't stand to see them both suffering like that. This can be such a good thing, so good," my mother said on the other end of the line.

"This isn't going to keep Edward from suffering, Esme. He will be worried for her the entire time. We all will be. But at least now he is trying to see things from her perspective. He wants this baby, Esme. You should have seen his face when Leia told him she could hear the heartbeat," my father's voice became excited at the end. Esme's gasp made me smile.

"Truly, Carlisle? A heartbeat? Oh, this is good news. Perhaps the baby will be more human than you feared."

"I certainly hope so. I just wish there was a precedent for this! All we have to go on are vague legends. If I wasn't worried about how fast this was progressing, I would love to do a little investigating down in Brazil. It will have to wait until after the child is born. If it grows as fast out of the womb as in it..." he trailed off thoughtfully.

"Let's take this one day at a time for now. I'll be home in ten minutes. Charlie is due at seven."

"Alright, love. I'll see you soon."

My father then called Alice and let her know the state of affairs here. She sounded relieved and promised to have the extra room set up with equipment for the pregnancy by tomorrow. They talked about hospital beds and surgical tables and units of blood while Adam stroked my hair. I tuned out Bella and Edward's conversation as best I could, not wanting to intrude on this moment. I couldn't help but hear Edward's confession that it was hearing the heartbeat in my thoughts that forced him to admit that he wanted their child, too. I leaned my head back and pulled Adam's head down for a quick kiss before I pulled away from him.

"Let's set the table for dinner."