A/N: This outtake takes place during chapter 31, after Bella has "come back" from being away, shortly after Angela's visit, and before Edward & Bella get all lusty on the couch in front of Jasper & Emmett.

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Outtake 2: The Rocking Chair
Bella's POV

I smiled at my newly painted nails, blowing softly at the almost-dry polish. Alice would be proud that I'd been able to do it myself—and especially that I'd wanted to do it at all.

I'd been "home" for a few days. Charlie was at work, Sue was at the reservation, and I was at Charlie's house with Carlisle and Emmett. We'd convinced Jasper and Edward to go hunting. They'd been worried about leaving me, but Carlisle and Emmett had promised that between the two of them, they could handle anything unexpected.

When Lizzie's heart rate sped up slightly and the little sleep noises she usually made got louder, I knew she was waking up.

I stood and hurried through the living room to the stairs, throwing a wave at Carlisle and Emmett as I passed. Emmett had challenged Carlisle to a game on the Xbox, and while Carlisle didn't play very often, I could tell he was having a good time, even though Emmett was clearly winning.

I got to the door of the bedroom and turned the knob, intending to sneak in and just wait until she was awake. But when I closed the door behind me, she let out a sigh and babbled nonsense, and I realized she'd woken up completely between the first noise I'd heard downstairs and the time I made it to the bedroom.

"Hi, sweetheart," I cooed, grabbing a blanket before reaching in to pick her up. It still amazed me that she didn't shy away from the cold temperature of my skin, but the blanket was necessary to give her padding and insulation, not only from the temperature, but from the hardness of my skin compared to hers. The last thing I wanted was for her to jerk her arm out and hurt her hand as it hit me.

Lizzie's big green eyes blinked at me, and she continued to babble, making squeaking, happy baby noises as I used my free hand to grab a diaper and the wipes, taking everything to the bed.

As I changed her wet diaper, I tickled her belly, drawing a squealing laugh, and then talked back and forth with her, as if she could understand everything I was saying.

"Tell me a story, Lizzie-bear."

I grinned as she squealed and babbled in response.

"Uh-huh, and then what?"

Another squeal and baby laugh.

"No!" I gasped, my eyes wide. "And then what happened? Tell me all about it!"

She laughed again as I leaned down and blew on her tummy gently before snapping her onesie over her clean diaper.

Picking her and the blanket up, I dropped the old diaper in the Diaper Genie. Rather than head straight downstairs, I decided I wanted another few minutes with her by myself. I hadn't had much of that since the day I'd been attacked by Laurent, and while I enjoyed everyone's company, I needed a moment with my daughter to just...be.

Spying the rocker in the corner of the room, I made my way to it and sat, holding Lizzie and letting her play with my fingers. I could tell she was hungry, because she immediately grabbed on and brought my hand to her mouth. I'd figured out that the cold of my skin must have felt good, because she liked to gum my knuckle if I let her.

"Is that good, sweet girl?"

Her answering squeak around the knuckle of my index finger made me laugh.

For a few minutes, I sat quietly, just rocking and watching her. I told her about having to leave Forks and her Grandpa Charlie and Grandma Sue in a few days. It still weighed heavy on my heart that we were having to leave, but there were no better options. Luckily, I knew they'd be able to come visit, but it was still hard.

I also used that time to think. I worried so much about the future—about Lizzie's future in particular. Yes, she would have so many advantages, growing up with a family that could literally afford to take her anywhere suitable for vampires, and with all the knowledge the entire family had, she would learn more than she would've otherwise. But there were huge risks involved, as well. Children were always falling down and skinning their knees or bumping their chin...and those things meant blood. Was I putting her in horrible danger because of that? I had faith in every single one of the Cullens, and I had to trust that if Carlisle and Eleazar had been wrong and I lost it the first time she tripped and bloodied her knee, the family would be there to stop me from hurting her—in fact, I had to trust that we would all simply look out for everyone, since I was certainly not the only one that could hurt her in a horrific loss of control.

And then, of course, we had to worry about the Volturi. As of now, they didn't know about me, let alone Lizzie. And we certainly weren't going to tell them. The only other ones that knew of my daughter were either dead or family. Carlisle had assured me that Eleazar's family would keep the knowledge of us raising a human child to themselves, and I had to trust him, even if I didn't know the Denali coven well enough to trust in them yet. I'd voiced my fear of the Italian rulers to Edward just the day before, and he'd promised that Alice was keeping a close eye on our futures. We'd know before they made a move to come to here to the States, and we'd deal with it if and when it happened. Until then, I couldn't continue to worry about it, or I'd be unable to enjoy being with my daughter.

Lizzie cried out unhappily, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Hmm, I bet you're getting hungry, aren't you, sweet girl?" I asked in a soothing tone. "Should we go downstairs and get you a bottle?"

"No need," Carlisle said from the doorway. "Alice sent me a text and said I should bring this up; she had a vision that you'd need it."

I'd been so wrapped up in my thoughts that I hadn't heard him coming upstairs.

He handed me a warmed bottle and his cell phone. "She also said to have you call her."

"Thanks," I told him, smiling.

Carlisle brushed the top of Lizzie's head gently. "We'll be downstairs if you need us."

I nodded and smiled as he left the room. After coaxing the nipple of the bottle between Lizzie's lips, I held it with my chin for a moment while I dialed Alice's number.

"I was right about the bottle?" Alice asked by way of greeting.

Laughing, I answered, "Yeah, you were right. I was sitting here with her for a few minutes after she woke up and was just about to head downstairs to make her one."

"That was the vision I had before coming back to Forks—you holding her in the rocker, I mean. The shirt's different, but other than that, it's the same."

I sighed, looking down at my daughter, and then chuckled. "Yeah, that's one thing I learned pretty quickly after having her: Don't wear something you mind getting pooped, peed, or spit up on."

Alice laughed. "I'll keep that in mind."

"You know, I've never been more thankful for anything than I am about that vision. I know seeing the future is a gift, but I also know it's a curse. But you gave me back my life, in a manner of speaking. If I'd had to leave her..." My voice trailed off as my throat closed almost painfully tight.

"But you didn't," she reassured me. "And yes, you're right about it being both a gift and a curse, but times like seeing Jasper and Carlisle's family for the first time and being able to tell you that you didn't have to leave her make all that bad stuff worth it."

We continued talking while Lizzie ate. Alice told me about the new house, about getting their things moved, and some of the ideas she had for Lizzie's new nursery.

When the bottle was empty, I said, "I need to go. I need to burp her, and then I think I'm gonna see if Carlisle will watch her while I go hunting with Emmett. Thanks again, Alice...for everything."

"You never have to thank me, Bella," she said, uncharacteristically reserved. "You're family—you and Lizzie."

Family...

Swallowing around the emotion welling up inside me, I murmured, "Still..."

"Go shopping with me the first chance you're able, and we'll call it even, okay?" she teased. "Now go. Take care of your girl. And give my Jazzy a kiss for me. Tell him I miss him."

I laughed. "I will. Talk to you later, Ali."

When she'd said goodbye, I hung up the phone and raised Lizzie to my shoulder, patting her gently until she released the gas that had built up while eating.

"Good girl," I praised her, giggling when Emmett cheered from downstairs. "All right, sweetie, let's go see if Grandpa Carlisle will watch you, okay? Momma needs to eat, too."

As I walked carefully down the stairs, I thought over what Alice had said. Family. It truly felt like Lizzie and I had become a part of the Cullen family. It was an amazing feeling, and while I still wasn't thrilled that Laurent had bitten me, I finally felt like maybe my life would be better because of it. I would always be able to provide for my daughter, Edward was back and we were stronger than we'd ever been, and I had everyone I loved around me.

Yeah, life was good.