So many apologies for my lack of update and to make up for, here is a nice long chapter!!

Chapter 21

Edward's POV

I let out a heavy breath that I did not even realize I was holding in as I watched Chief Swan, my new father-in-law, my Angels' own flesh and blood drive away. I never had so much of a heavy heart as I did in that moment. I made a vow to Bella to protect her, to love her through sickness and in health until death do us apart and I knew without a shadow of a doubt that if something were to happen to her I would soon follow behind her and find ways to get me out of this miserable existence. The way I saw it, my life would not be worth living if Bella was not here.

But now the wheels have been turned drastically, not only did I just promise to take care of Charlie's only daughter, I vowed to protect his only grand-daughter. My head snapped up to the high window on the second floor where I could see Esme pacing the room bouncing the baby in her arms trying to sooth her. She has been crying uncontrollably for the last several minutes. Esme has already tried giving her a bottle of milk as well as fresh blood from a bear that Emmett went and caught before Charlie showed up. As far as any of the women in the house and Carlisle could tell there was nothing wrong with her. But one thought kept lingering in Esme's mind.

Esme stopped in front of the window and looked down at me, her beautiful golden eyes glaring brightly in from the small peek of light that was trying hard to break through the clouds. She needs her mother, Edward. She needs you, too.

I shook my head slowly. I could not, nor did I like the idea of Renesmee being up in Bella's room. If she were to wake up in that one moment that Bella's daughter was in there and smelled her blood, I knew for a fact that we may not be able to control what would happen next.

She will be fine, Edward. Alice's thought. I think Bella knowing her daughter is nearby might wake her. I think it could be worth a try. We will all be there and if by some miracle Bella does wake up, then Esme and I will get the child as far away as possible and quickly.

I clenched and unclenched my fists, I did not like the idea but I could see the reasoning behind it. I turned and walked back into the house where I was met with the loud screams of Renesmee. I walked over to Esme who met me at the bottom of the stairs, she handed her over to me. I let my face settle into the small curls on her perfectly shaped head, inhaling deeply the scent that reminded me so much of Bella. I knew immediately that I might regret this decision.

"We can't do this," I said matter of fact. "Have any of you actually smelled her, she is like inhaling the most precious bouquet of roses."

"I know how well she smells," Jasper stood quietly in one of the corners of the foyer, keeping his distance. "Which I think might be what will wake Bella up; the smell of her blood can easily wake the dead, or at least our kind of dead."

I grimaced slightly at his word choice. "Don't any of you think it would be better to try and figure out what is going on in Seattle first? As long as Bella is still asleep, she will be easier to protect."

You are beginning to make excuses, Edward, Alice shouts out in my head.

"Well, do you blame me? I feel like I am literally walking Bella's baby girl into the mouth of a lion," I rebuked her.

"And that Lioness up stairs will love her lamb, much like how the lion already fell in love with his lamb a few months back," my pixie sister said with her arms across her chest and then she pointed to her head. "I know that she won't wake up, or at least not with Renesmee in the room. But something will be coming to provoke her to wake."

I cocked my head trying hard to break through the recital of the Oxford English Dictionary, I growled in frustration. "Alice, stop, if something is coming to provoke Bella or anyone in this family, we need to know."

Alice shook her head. "Not now you don't," she walked over to me and picked Renesmee out of my arms. "If you are not comfortable to have Bella see her daughter, then you can stay here."

I watched in a dumbfounded silence as Alice ran up the three flights of stairs with Rosalie, Carlisle and Esme following hot on her heels. The door opens silently as I closed my eyes praying that nothing terrible will happen.

After a few seconds and all were still calm I turn my attention to Jasper. "What is your wife hiding, Jasper? What is going to be happening to provoke Bella to wake up? Is it this Newborn army? Something bigger?"

Jasper locked eyes with me. "I am not the one that can read minds, Edward, but I do know that whatever is going to happen, she is worried, or scared, or both. We are all involved and it more than likely does not just affect Bella anymore. It will involve all of us."

Emmett stepped in between Jasper and I, putting his hands up in the air. "Okay they two of you are beginning to freak me out, should we be preparing for a fight?"

I looked over to Jasper and back to Emmett. "Something that Alice said before boarding the plane from Tahoe, she mentioned something huge on the horizon. I am beginning to wonder if this huge event is closer than it really is and Alice is trying her damndest to protect us from knowing the truth."

We backed away from the stairs when we all heard the door open to my bedroom and a few moments later Alice was standing next to Jasper with the child in her arms, a gloating expression on her face. "See, Edward, nothing bad happened. If anything, Bella seems to be smiling slightly."

I rolled my eyes. "I think I am going to go hunt, since I was interrupted early with the news, then Charlie and now this stunt to try and wake Bella up," I backed away from my family at a slow pace until I reached the front door.

Twilight was approaching, another day gone and another night about to begin. I caught whiff of a deer within seconds and chased after her, realizing it was not much of a fight trying to catch it. I wanted more, something that would make the hunt more fun. My head snapped up when I heard a branch snap off in the distance behind me. I stood, running my hand over my mouth to wipe off the small bit of blood and then aimed myself in the direction of the sound. Instinct took over as I collided with a large beast that smelled of wet dog. I crouched in defense as the mutt in front of me growled but at the same time his mind was begging me to not fight.

"Who are you?" I asked realizing it was not Jacob.

Seth, Jacob sent me to find you, he said that the vampire smell that we picked up is heading in this direction and that he thinks it could be as early as tomorrow.

"Why didn't Jacob come himself?"

He did, he is actually patrolling the woods around your house. When you didn't answer his howls, he asked me to come search for you.

I nodded and then walked over to the small pup that I noticed was now limping. "Come on; let's see if Carlisle can get you patched up."

Is she awake yet?

I knew exactly who Seth was talking about and shook my head. "No."

Does this transforming thing usually take this long?

"No, usually three days, give or take," I said quietly.

For the remainder of our run back to my house we were quiet, I think that neither one of us really knew what to say. For some strange reason the wolves and my family have formed a bond, become Allies, for whatever reason and if I had to guess only Alice would know, we needed each other. I also could not help but wonder if the reason for the strange tie was due to Bella and her newborn.

Alice was the first to greet us at the door, her hands thrown up in the air in relief. "Finally, when I couldn't see you I thought something might have happened. But now I know why." Her nose was curled up in disgust.

Off in the distant I could hear Jacob howling. Seth looked up to me and nodded my head to let him go find his leader. He was not gone long enough for me to begin to fill the rest of the family in before Jacob came running out of the woods in a pair of ragged jean shorts and no shirt.

"Good your back," he said breathlessly. "You're in big trouble. And I think that you are going to need our help to fix it."

My family all stood out on the front porch, minus Bella, Esme and Renesmee.

Rose looked over to Seth who was still in his wolf form and Jacob. "Please do not tell me that some puppy is going to be able to help us? And when did the dogs become our friends?"

Jacob took a step closer. "Blondie, from the way I see it and from what I heard - we are probably the only friends that you've got."

"Tell us what is going on," Carlisle spoke up and then saw that Seth was limping and went over to look at his leg. "The bone is broke and is already healing, can you shift? It will be easier to re-set it."

Seth looked over to Jacob who nodded. A couple of minutes later Seth walked out of the woods with his left leg angled oddly. Carlisle took him inside and re-fractured his leg and setting it so that it would heal properly while the rest of the family either looked bored or had their noses stuck in the air like they smelled something bad.

"Okay, now back to the problem at hand," Carlisle said sitting down on the front step.

"I was able to pick up on some of the conversation, it appears that this vampire, a female, who is the leader I guess has plans on stealing Bella's baby. But she has also sent some of her friends to warn others."

"The Volturi?" Jasper asked.

Jacob shrugged. "I don't know, she never said any names. All she did say was that she was going to be having her baby one way or another and she did not care who she needed to kill to get to it."

"How many were with her?" Jasper asked this time beginning to pace.

"I would say at least a couple of dozen. What do we do?"

All of us looked over to Carlisle. "We don't do anything until we know exactly what is going on. But I have the feeling that we may need to prepare for a possible war. Because I can guarantee that she will have one hell of a fight on her hands if she thinks she is going to waltz in and take Bella or Renesmee."

Jacob smiled and he reminded me of Emmett in an odd way, ready to fight. "I will let the pack know to do extra patrols and I will report if there is any change."

He and Seth ran off into the woods. I looked up toward the window that was now mine and Bella's room, wishing that she would wake up so I would not have to worry about being here to protect her and Renesmee and plus worrying about my family. They were going to need me.

Thank you for reading and for all teh alerts and reviews, I promise I will not go so long between updates. I have been working hard to finish editing my first novel which is currentlly coming close to 100k words and about 300+ pages.


If you are looking for some great stories to read check out 'Have a little Faith' by CSI-Girl1 which I am beta'ing!