Posted 2019-12-18: As always, many thanks to chayasara for beta-ing. I fiddled with this chapter after she edited it, so all errors are my own.

~ Erin

"God," Leah said, wrinkling her nose when they pulled up in front of her house. "I cannot tell you how much you stink. Go have a shower. I'm going to go wash everything that can be cleaned—including the bag and the baby."

Bella had heard from Jacob what vampires smelled like to them, but she hadn't experienced the reaction in person.

"That bad?"

"You have no idea."

"I'll just give Sarah a bath first, then." She unbuckled her from the car seat. Leah was already loosening the seat base. "Um," Bella said, "I don't think that can be washed."

"No, but it can sit outside in the breeze and maybe not stink so much tomorrow."

Washed and dressed in borrowed clothes, Bella noted that Leah had hung up many of the items on the laundry line on the covered porch. Catching her glance, Leah said. "Most of these things are hand-wash, or dry-clean only. I cheated a little." She smiled.

Bella gave Alice an internal eye roll. Trust her to buy the most impractical of clothing for a new mother and baby.

"Thank you for being careful with them," she said, looking at the blanket and sweater hanging there. She expected one of the Cullens had knitted them for Sarah, and that meant something to her. She didn't stop to examine too carefully what that "something" was, but it held meaning.

"Here," Leah said, handing her a plastic bag full of other items. "These weren't washable, but I wiped them down as best as I could."

Bella opened it one-handed, Sarah in her other arm, swaddled loosely in a dry towel. Most of her baby things were still in the dryer. She frowned at the cell phone but not at the lanolin cream. "Can you hold Sarah for a bit?" she asked.

"Sure," Leah said, taking her, nuzzling her own nose up against her hair. "You smell better," she said softly, "like your dad."

"Does she?" Bella asked, alarm brewing in her gut.

"Not that way," Leah said, watching Bella out of the corner of her eye. She wasn't sure she wanted to know what Bella was doing under her shirt. "Not in a way you need to worry about."

Bella couldn't help but breathe out a sigh of relief.

"Yeah," Leah said, "can't imagine it would be fun to nurse a wolf-pup." Then she snorted, her version of a laugh.

Bella tried to make herself laugh but couldn't, not quite.

"She'll be fine," Leah said, seeing Bella's look. "We'd know if she was going to change. Trust me."

Bella nodded but her jaw wouldn't relax.

They sat on the couch together, Leah mumbling softly to Sarah.

After a bit, Leah handed her back without explanation and then walked away to her mom's room. "Here," she said, handing Bella a white and yellow box. "Mom meant to give this to you."

"Thank you," Bella said, eyeing the photo of the breast-pump on the front. "That was really kind of her."

"She said she wished she'd had one and wanted to make sure you did—so you use it."

Knowing that it would be sometime before Sarah nursed again, Bella thought it would be a perfect time to break it in. "You know, I think I just might, right now."

"Sure," Leah said, taking Sarah. "I've made up mom's bed for you. Lots of space for you and Sarah tonight."

"Thank you." Her throat felt tight with unexpected emotion. People cared. It never ceased to surprise her, feeling her reactions to it.

The breast pump wasn't hard to use, and it provided keen and immediate relief after Sarah's missed feeding. It was surprising to see how little came out, but she supposed it was enough, thinking of her baby's tiny body.

"Okay," Leah said, seeing her come out with the bottle. "You go have a nap. Leave that with me."

"Are you sure?" Bella asked, never having seen Leah as a maternal type.

"I wouldn't offer if I didn't feel up to it." She saw Bella's look. "I used to babysit my cousins, Bella. I'm good."

Bella nodded, reassuring herself, and then went to lie down. Sleep didn't come right away, but she gave herself permission to simply be with her thoughts. She'd resisted the advice, initially, to sleep when the baby slept but learned quickly that she needed to. When sleep did claim her, it was with two visages floating before her, neither of which she could touch.

When she emerged close to six in the evening, Sarah was still content, and the bottle was empty.

"I just changed her," Leah said, and went to hand her back.

Holding Sarah again was akin to physical relief. She wasn't often away from her baby, and it was always a surprise how strong the emotions were when she felt her physically against her.

"So, what's up with the leech patrol?" Leah asked. "The pretty one still carrying a torch for you or something?" She thumped open cupboards and rattled through their contents, pulling out a pan.

It was at this moment that Seth walked into the house, going wide-eyed at Leah's questions. He rolled his eyes at her back and shook his head, trying to get Bella to ignore her.

Too late. Leah's question had punched Bella in the gut.

"They feel obliged to clean up the mess they left," she finally said. "That's it." A duty. Nothing more.

Seth elbowed his sister, as if hoping to silence her. It had the effect of quieting her to a mutter, "Seems like mighty special care for an obligation."

"So," Bella said, trying to move the conversation to a new topic, "how was your day, Seth?"

"Good, thanks," he said. "We had a nice hike. You?" he asked before blanching.

Bella grinned a little. Social awkwardness clearly ran in the family. She knew that Leah had texted her brother about what had happened already. His temporary lapse in memory made his question easier to answer. "Fine, you know. Just a few vampires trying to kill me and mine."

"We'll take a sniff around when we drop you off tomorrow," Leah said darkly.

Bella's stomach dropped. They weren't supposed to—not as wolves. She knew that.

"Just as two-leggers," Leah said, catching Bella's expression. "We'll get enough of the scent to be able to know it later if they come back."

Bella nodded. It was rare to hear about this. Jacob had been mute on most pack-related matters.

Dinner was a quiet affair, and despite having napped not too long beforehand, Bella found herself nodding off on the couch as they watched a movie together.

"I'm going to head to bed," she said through a yawn.

"I'll take Sarah," Seth said eagerly. "I can bring her up when she needs you."

"Maybe not tonight," Leah said to Seth, "just in case we're needed somewhere else. I'm thinking Quill and Paul are ready to go home."

The soft and warm feeling Bella had experienced in their easy company disappeared. Of course they might be needed. "Thanks, Seth," she said softly. "Next time, hey?"

"Sure," he said, kissing the top of Sarah's fuzzy head.

The night passed without event. As she walked downstairs to the kitchen, Bella wondered if she would find wolves on the front porch. But no, there were only Leah and Seth at the table, lanky bodies hunkered over plates of scrambled eggs and toast.

"I saved you some," Seth said through a mouthful of food and stood to get her a plate. Then he held his hands out eagerly for Sarah.

"Thanks," Bella smiled, watching him grin at Sarah. She was awake, which was a rare thing for a newborn. Her eyes strained and squeezed in focus, culminating with a large, loud, and wet sound.

Bella laughed at Seth's reaction. "I'll change her," she offered, putting her plate down.

"Oh no, you eat. I'll get it." He shook his head, and then he turned to Sarah, complimenting her on her bodily efforts. Bella listened to the sound of his gentle talk fade as he walked upstairs.

After Bella was done eating, Leah asked, "So, you want to call and ask if it's all clear at your place, or should I?" The latter part of the question was coloured by a slight curl in her lips.

"No," Bella said huskily, "I'll call and ask."

"There's no rush," Leah said. "I mean, I get we're not the Hilton," she said.

"You're awesome is what you are," Bella said to her. "Thank you."

Leah nodded. "I know it must have been kinda awkward . . . Anyway, you're always welcome here."

Bella was grateful for the offer but knew it would be crowded when Sue returned. Staying with them would also raise odd questions from Charlie. She would need to accept the Cullen's protection if she wanted to live her life. She dared to hope that she wouldn't have need of that protection much longer.

"I appreciate the offer, really. Thank you. I just think Charlie might wonder what was up."

"Sure," Leah said.

They spent the day together, playing games, watching TV, and going for a short walk through the cover of the forest, Sarah wrapped in a sling.

"You're still recovering, hey?" Leah said, watching Bella's face pale a few minutes away from the house.

"Yeah," she said, sitting down on a tree stump. "Childbirth and all that." She joked, but she was pale, alarmingly pale to Leah.

"Give me the baby," Leah said. "You don't look so good."

"I can't say I feel so good either," Bella admitted, handing over Sarah.

Seth wrapped his arm around her for the rest of the walk back, and Bella lay down on the couch.

By the late afternoon, Bella had steeled herself to phone Alice.

"Finally!" she exclaimed over the phone. "I hate not being able to see you. Are you okay?"

"Sure," Bella said.

"That does not sound truthful. . What's wrong?"

"Nothing really. I just think I overdid it a bit today with a walk. That's all."

Alice made a noncommittal grunt on the other end of the line. "Your home is safe, and we'll be there keeping watch, just in case."

"Who's we?" Bella asked, not sure she wanted to know.

"Emmett and I," came the nonchalant response.

"Okay," Bella said. "Just a warning, Leah and Seth are both going to drop me off, and they'd like to have a sniff around so they know the scents to look for."

"That should be fine," Alice said. "Just tell them to stay out of the woods."

"I will," Bella answered, shuddering, imagining the fight that would result if they didn't.

When they pulled up to her house, Bella frowned at the car seat in the back. "Guess you guys should leave it here. I'm thinking the Cullens will take it back."

"Sure," Seth said, hefting it like it weighed nothing. Bella had tried to pick it up just to test its weight and had stopped, feeling the strain.

They'd sniffed around, as promised, nodding to each other. "All right, we're off. Call us if you need anything, okay?"

"Sure," Bella said, "Charlie'll be back tomorrow. I should be good til then, but thank you so much, again." She hugged them both, and they each made their own goodbyes to Sarah, ruffling the unruly tuft of her black hair.

Alice's knock came a few minutes after they left.

"Ugh!" she said, pinching her nose.

Bella just laughed. "That's what Leah said. She made me take a shower and everything."

"Sounds like a plan," Alice said.

"No way, Alice. My house, my smells. Tough. Besides, maybe it'll make Victoria think twice of coming near here."

Alice grimaced but then nodded reluctantly. "You are making this very difficult for me," she said, frowning. Then she looked around the house. Things had slid, as they did with a baby, into a sort of semi-organized chaos. "Charlie hasn't picked up the slack much, hmm?" she said, running a finger along the dusty coffee table.

Bella sighed, feeling a twinge of guilt. She hadn't either.

"Well," Alice said, "you lie down. I'm going to clean. Maybe it'll cover up some of the smell."

Then, Bella didn't see her. Literally. She was moving too fast to even catch a glimpse. The vacuum, however, did slow her down a bit, and she watched Alice's dizzying movements as she dusted, washed, and polished frenetically. In under an hour, she had cleaned the entire house from top to bottom. From ceilings to walls, everything was freshly degrimed. It smelled powerfully of wood oil soap and lemon floor wash.

"I think," Bella said, wide-eyed at her work, "that was the best baby gift ever."

"It's nothing," Alice said, waving her hand dismissively. "Of course, you could thank me by taking a bath with your baby."

Bella grinned. "All right," she said.

"And I'll just go wash these clothes."

"They were all just washed yesterday." Bella sighed, smiling to herself.

"Uh-huh," Alice said. "Can't be too clean."

Bella shook her head all the way upstairs.

"Just leave your clothes outside the bathroom door. I'll bring you fresh ones in a bit!"

Bella enjoyed her bath with Sarah, something she hadn't done before. Her little body was slippery, but she kept a firm grip, warming her against her chest as she rinsed off the offending odours.

Clean and dressed in clothes that Alice deemed acceptable scent-wise, Bella pulled leftovers from the fridge and popped them into the microwave.

Seeing the bag on the kitchen chair, she remembered the few items she hadn't recognized. "Thank you for the lanolin. I've been meaning to buy some. But this," and she pulled out the phone, "is yours. I won't need it."

"Oh," Alice said, "no, that's for you. Edward wanted you to have one . . . just in case," she said.

Bella had flinched visibly at the name. She swallowed and nodded. For Sarah, she told herself. For Sarah.

She would do anything for Sarah. Even tolerate a gift from . . . him.

"I guess that might be . . . practical," she admitted.

"Don't worry," Alice said. "He's still an idiot." She shook her head.

Bella tried to make herself laugh but couldn't.

DISCLAIMER: S. Meyer owns Twilight. No copyright infringement intended.