AN: Your eyes are not deceiving you, this is an update, though a short one. There will be more coming as time permits after my daughter graduates from high school and moves mid-June *softly cries* After the kids are out of school, my schedules should lighten up quite a bit *crosses fingers*

Back to the story, let's see there is a brief recap of the first fic She Speaks Fear and Truth in chapter three of this story, take a look at that, hopefully that will help with remembering what's going on.

In the last few chapters, Bella had to deal with a malevolent spirit that turned out to be a demon attacking Jacob's family (Jacob was Bella's friend who died and later became an angel of death. He warned Bella that Edward and some of their friends would die in six months, but no details.) Bella, along with a couple of angels, helped close a rip in the veil between hell and Earth at Jacob's sister Rebecca's house. Her husband had disappeared (Tyler) having believed to be possessed or influenced by a demon. After the family is saved (minus Tyler) Bella and Edward help clean up and get a visit from friends of Bella's past Dean and Sam Winchester (yes, from Supernatural), who told her something was going down in her area and that's why there were there. They followed a lead to Rebecca's house because they killed a demon, and the host body was Tyler's.

The boys leave, but not really, they stayed close knowing something was going to happen and that Bella may be in the center of it. After the case, Bella and Edward head home, when Edward suddenly wakes up to Bella screaming downstairs. He finds Bella huddled in a corner, bleeding (she's pregnant) and a dozen demons (in human hosts) just watching her. Her powers are completely gone. They can't do anything to her or Edward because they carry spells on them at all times.

Someone other than the possessed humans had to have broken the spells and wards protecting their home. Whoever it was also made sure angels watching Bella couldn't come inside the house. Charlie arrived along with Dean and Sam in time for Edward to take Bella to the hospital.

While Edward and Bella come to find that there was evidence the placenta detached but all seemed fine now. Bella's powers focused on healing her and the baby, leaving her powerless, for now.

Emmett and team get a call from Rebecca, Maggie, her little girl and the one the demon had attached to before, has gone missing. Despite the dire warning from Jacob months earlier, Emmett and rest of the crew take the chance and head out to Rebecca's house to find Maggie.

And now, here we are.

Denver Paranormal Society

Chapter Twenty-One—Promises

*Emmett*

I looked over at Rosalie as she promised to remain in the van, no matter what. She had kids waiting for her back home; there was no way I'd allow her to come to harm. I hoped if she remained outside the house, she would be fine.

"I heard you loud and clear, Emmett." Rosalie tried to look annoyed by being put on watch duty, but she seemed relieved. She knew firsthand what it was like to be haunted—this shit was real. Her late, former mother-in-law had wanted her dead, but her vengeful spirit was tame compared to what awaited us inside the Lawrence home.

The whole family was reeling after finding out that Tyler Lawrence, Rebecca's husband, had been possessed for likely months, and had been killed by some supernatural hunters from Bella's past.

We had learned a lot since meeting Bella, but I knew we'd barely scratched the surface of what was out there. Spirits, good and bad, seemed to pale in comparison to demons and rips in the veil leading to hell.

"Just keep in touch always. If you catch anything unusual on one of the screens, mark the time and camera, and call us. Especially if it seems like we can't see it. The last thing we need is to be surprised by this thing."

Rosalie jumped down from the back of the van, taking my hand and kissed my palm. God, she killed me when she did things like that. I was going to love her woman forever. When she was ready, I'd tell her that.

She wasn't there quite yet.

Then again, her eyes had a lot more to say than her lips; she felt something. "Be careful, Emmett, and find that little girl."

I nodded, pressing my lips to hers for a moment, but kept it PG for all my friends. We tested with Rosalie to make sure all the radios were working and double checking batteries on our handheld equipment before we were ready.

We headed toward the house, and Rebecca and her son were across the street with a couple who seemed to know all about the supernatural, something I'd have to discuss with them later. Right then, my only concern was getting inside, finding Maggie, and getting back out.

If our plan worked, we'd trap the demon inside and leave it to the experts.

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Edward

I felt fingers run through my hair, recognizing my wife's short nails, shivering at her ministrations. She knew exactly what effect it had on me when she did it. I hummed, reaching for her, wanting her closer. She never seemed close enough, as if she was about to disappear. The pillow under my head felt unfamiliar, but it was the strange antiseptic smell that forced my eyes to snap open.

"Hi." Bella smiled at me, her eyes still a little red from crying earlier.

Everything came back to me in a rush, we had almost lost our baby.

We almost lost our baby girl.

"Shh, we're all right, Edward." Bella's touch only fueled my desperation to have her closer.

I grabbed her face with both hands, pressing my lips to her forehead, trying to keep myself from crushing her to me. She continued to whisper words, most of which I couldn't catch, but I had an inkling they were meant to reassure me.

"You should be resting, sweetheart." I kissed her cheek, wiping away lingering tears from under her eyes. "Did you get some sleep?" I looked at the clock on the wall, it had been a few hours since he had climbed into bed.

"Your phone beeped a few minutes ago."

"I'm sorry if it woke you." I turned away enough to grab my phone, just as Charlie decided to call. "Hello." I mouthed to Bella that it was her father; he had left shortly after she'd fallen asleep earlier.

"Did you get Emmett's text?" The low whisper of Charlie's voice made my hair along the back of my neck rise in awareness—something was wrong. "He's not answering my call."

"I haven't checked in a few hours. Hold on." I looked at my phone and I had one from Emmett. I read it and cursed a few times, alerting Bella.

She grabbed my phone, she gasped. "They went to help Rebecca, but is the message new or old?"

I put Charlie on speakerphone and asked, "What's the time stamp on your text message?"

"I have 4:15 am, you?"

"Same time, and it's not a group message," Bella whispered, cursing afterward. "It could be a scheduled text." She tried Emmett again, and one by one, went through my directory for the rest of our crew, including Alice.

Bella's brow tightened, tears gathering in her eyes again. "Show me the photos you took of my painting. The one I created of the Potomac burning."

She meant the one that predicted my death, her father's, and most of my crew. I took my cell phone from her and went through my photo files, and found the three I had taken to show the others.

Bella studied the photos and zoomed on one, her eyes widening in shock, showing me the phone.

"What is it?"

"In the painting, Dad, you're wearing the watch we gave you for Christmas, and it says 5:38 am." We looked at the time again. "Which is in an hour."

"The timing is close, but they wouldn't forget to avoid the Potomac, Bella."

Unless there was something wrong. Whoever broke the spells around our home, allowing demons to come inside, was still out there. "What if it's one of our own?"

Bella seemed to know what I was thinking, not bothering to deny it. "I'll keep calling." She looked for her phone, which was back at home. "I hope I memorized Dean's number. They have to be close by still." We'd heard from them after the attack. The demons pretty much disappeared as soon as Bella and I left the house, leaving a dozen very confused people in our house. "They'd know what to do now."

I noticed something else in the pictures. "Bella." I pointed out a car among the piles of burning vehicles. Dean's Impala was there in flames, pinned between two trucks, two shadowy figures trapped inside.

She covered her mouth with her hand, sobbing. "We have to warn them. They're all going to die, Edward."

It took a few minutes for me to calm her down, while I texted my parents to get down to the hospital. Charlie promised his daughter that he would stay home, but I knew as a man who did whatever he could to protect others, Charlie would go down to the Potomac and try to help. Even at the cost of his own life.

My parents arrived within minutes, taking over for me so I could check on Charlie and the others. Maybe we could prevent it from happening, the accident that would claim so many lives. Maybe it always meant to end like this.

"Are you sure about this, son?" My father asked as I stepped out in the hall. Somehow, he knew I'd try to do something to help my friends. "If something happens to you…I don't know if we'd be enough to keep that poor girl grounded."

My eyes clenched tightly, feeling the truth to his words. "She'll have the baby, but I trust that you'll take care of them, if—"

"I promise I will, but Edward, you must come back." My father tried hard to keep the fear from his voice, but it kept catching in his throat. "I feel like we just got you back. We don't want to lose you again."

"I haven't been anywhere, Dad." I knew what he meant; I had checked out of life for so long after Hayley had gone missing, that it was almost as if I had died, too.

I hugged him, knowing time was of the essence. "I'll be back, try to keep her here. She's going to fight you. If it's safe, sedate her. I don't want her down there. Not when all her powers are gone."

"Because of the baby?"

"We think whatever it is that gives her powers, concentrated on protecting the baby, and to do that, she lost her powers." I looked at the time—I had to go. "I'm leaving, and remember, don't let her leave this hospital."

"I promise, she won't leave this hospital."

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Bella

I looked over at the clock on the wall, watching time tick away slowly, every second leading to what could be the worst day of my life. I knew Edward was gone, though his parents tried to say he had only gone to shower and get a couple hours of sleep. His cell phone had mysteriously disappeared so I couldn't reach my father or the crew.

I felt the hum of something powerful start in my stomach. My powers had finished repairing the damage from the placenta almost detaching—my daughter was safe, meaning they could return soon. The possibility that they would not scared me. Could I protect the ones I loved without them?

Carlisle had left to grab some coffee, while his wife read from a book quietly in a chair beside my bed.

I looked at the time again— only five seconds had passed. The need to do something urged me to get up, to find the others, and put a stop to the vengeful spirit of the Potomac. How could I do it while I was stuck in the hospital?

The baby was safe; I knew it deep down. Yet, I knew I couldn't leave the hospital, at least while I was under supervision.

There had to be a way. In fact, I knew there was one. I had predicted that I would be there, on that stretch of haunted highway, but I didn't understand how then. If only my gifts worked, I could test something that happened to me a few times, though I always thought I'd been dreaming.

I noticed the chill in the room, and for once, it had nothing to do with a spirit. Hospital rooms were just freaking freezing. The thermostat was across the room on the wall under the television. I concentrated, and for several moments, I thought there was nothing until a spark seemed to ignite in my stomach. It moved down my legs, shooting up my chest and along my arms.

The hum of the air conditioning vent shutting down sounded overhead.

My gifts were back.

"So glad the air kicked off, thought I was going to freeze." Esme smiled up at me, but frowned when she saw my face. "What's wrong, dear?"

"I have a bad feeling."

Esme put her book down, taking my hand in hers. "They'll be fine, Bella." Esme wanted so much to believe her own words, but the crack in her voice betrayed her.

"I have an idea."

Esme seemed worried, but she schooled her expression. "I'm not promising you anything, since Edward doesn't want you leaving the hospital. I'm listening, though."

Technically, I wouldn't need to leave the hospital. "Have you ever heard of astral projection?"