Posted 2019-12-31: Many thanks to chayasara for her fine beta work. Any mistakes are my own.

A few of you have commented on the 'slow burn' in this story. Yes, very much, but we will get there eventually, I promise.

Happy new years to you all,

~ Erin

Alice had been very, very good, so good, in fact, that it was painful to watch.

"Okay," Bella said late in the day, "I can't take it. All your pent-up, unspent shopping energy is getting to me. Go! Go back and buy all the things you wouldn't because I was there."

Alice looked at her, one eyebrow raised in disbelief.

"Huh," she finally said, "smells like Bella. Looks like Bella, clearly," and she narrowed her eyes, "not the Bella I know. Who are you?" she asked in a mock-accusing tone.

"Bella, the mom. Seriously, you're freaking me out. Go."

Alice kept her cool, eyes sweeping the park. "All right," she said. "There is one thing I would like to take home with me today. Do you think you can keep yourself out of trouble while I go and get it?"

Bella snorted. "Sorry, am I supposed to pretend that one of your family members is not lurking around here, keeping a second pair of eyes on me?"

"Yes," Alice said pertly. "Yes, you are. But seriously," and she tapped Bella's hand warningly, "you are a trouble-magnet, so turn it off for the next half-hour or so, okay?"

"We're going to hang out in the park, Alice, soaking up the microscopic vitamin D available here." She looked down a little worriedly at Sarah. The midwife had advised her to get Sarah outside—tricky in the cool weather and with the lack of sun.

"All right," Alice said. "See you in a bit," and skipped off in the direction of the shops.

Bella paced with the stroller, wending her way around the park, retracing her steps, hoping Sarah would settle. She'd brought a book and wouldn't mind just sitting for a few minutes, reading.

Sarah, however, was not soothed by the movement, and Bella realized that she was going to have to sit down to nurse. She sighed. There were benches, and it wasn't that cold, but nursing was still tricky, and she didn't like the idea of being in such a public place. In the restaurant, she'd taken the side of the booth that had offered some privacy. She picked a bench that was most screened from public view, facing the quiet end of the park, the back of it up against a large cedar. There would be little traffic there.

She saved the blanket for wrapping Sarah in, and tried to keep herself as covered as possible with her jacket.

Her hopes of being alone, though, were dashed when an older man ambled up to the bench and sat down. Bella didn't want to look and attract his attention, so she kept looking at Sarah.

He, however, had noticed her.

"Nice baby you got there," he said.

"Thanks," she said, trying to be as minimally polite as she could. She'd glanced in his direction when she said this and caught sight of a scruffy beard, and a scruffier coat. The wind shifted, and she caught a smell that was commensurate with his appearance.

"She's pretty, like her mama," he said.

Bella didn't acknowledge him. He needed no more encouragement.

Then he scooted closer and reached out to touch Sarah's foot, rubbing it between his fingers. "Sweet baby," he said softly. The words, so close to her, arrived with the odour of stale beer.

Strangers had touched Sarah before, and it hadn't troubled her. It didn't trouble her that he was touching Sarah. What bothered her was his other hand, sliding around behind her.

"Hands off," she said, her voice low.

"No need to go all mama-bear on me," he said, removing his hand from Sarah. His other hand stayed put.

Bella was contemplating the unthinkable—stopping Sarah from nursing, which she knew would most likely end up with her panicking and then becoming so upset she couldn't nurse again, when she heard another voice, a much more dangerous voice from the deep shade of the trees.

"She told you to remove your hands."

"What's it to you, buddy?" the man said with some bravado, but Bella could feel him stiffen. He sensed the threat whether he wanted to acknowledge it or not.

"She told you to remove your hands from her," Edward repeated himself. "I can assist you in removing them, if you like."

The man needed no further warning. He got up and waddled away as fast as his legs could take him.

Bella closed her eyes momentarily and then made herself stare at Sarah. Her daughter was oblivious to what had happened, intent on her sole task.

"Are you all right?" Edward asked.

She allowed herself a fleeting sideways glance. He had taken the place the man had vacated but was sitting as far away from her as the bench would allow.

"I'm fine," she said, as evenly as she could. "You can go."

He didn't say anything for a moment, but when he did, she could tell his words were carefully chosen. "I'm just making sure no one else sees the opportunity to provide an encore to that performance." When she frowned, still not looking at him, he added, "There are several others considering it." It was his turn to frown. "Alice might have chosen a nicer park to have you wait in." He didn't add that there were one or two others whose eyes had been drawn by the interaction, who'd also wanted to help.

"I chose it myself," Bella said sharply. "I don't need anyone making choices for me."

There was no question towards whom this reprimand was directed.

"You can go. I'll be fine. No vampires are waiting to kill me in broad daylight in the middle of a park. Your obligation is fulfilled." The words were coloured nastily, even to Bella's ears. Her cheeks warmed, and she pointedly avoided looking at Edward, staring at Sarah instead.

After taking several angry and shaky breaths, she caught a flicker of movement to her left as Edward leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. The sound of his voice told her he had turned his head to face her.

"Do you really imagine, Bella, that I would ask my entire family to return after leaving and resettling elsewhere simply because of an 'obligation'?"

Bella said nothing, blinking rapidly as she nervously ruffled her fingers through Sarah's fine hair.

Edward moved abruptly, standing and moving to squat in front of her, making their eye contact unavoidable. "Do you?"

She looked away. His gaze made her feel like her innards had liquefied.

Then he was gone, and Alice was hurrying towards her, shopping bag in hand.

"I saw," she said, pretending to be breathless for the sake of a pair of passing joggers. "I'm sorry."

"Why?" Bella said, attempting a shrug, trying to slough off the very uncomfortable feelings in her midsection. "Bad stuff happens all the time. You can't prevent all of it." She was adjusting her shirt, putting Sarah up on her shoulder, when Alice scooped the baby up.

She was just in time. Sarah spat up profusely onto the grass.

Bella laughed. She couldn't help it. It was just so ridiculous. She bent over, crying as she guffawed. When her breathing had regulated again, she said, "So glad you can see what's coming, Alice. Fashion disaster averted!"

"Oh," Alice said, wiping Sarah up, "she makes fun of me now, but you were going to do that down her shirt. I should have let you, huh?"

"Thank you, Alice," Bella said, more humbly, still giggling. "That would have been uncomfortable."

"Mm-hm," Alice said, handing her back a tidy baby.

After they'd walked the short distance to the car, Alice said, "I wasn't apologizing about the man, Bella. I'm sorry about Edward. He's being—"

"An idiot?" Bella suggested. It was Alice's most frequent characterization these days.

"Actually, I was going to say he's marginally less idiotic, but," and she became serious, "I know what our leaving did, Bella."

Bella gripped the stroller tighter, feeling the dormant emptiness inside assert itself. Alice could say it so lightly, but Bella had no choice in how both the remembrance and the feeling clawed her apart.

"I don't want to see you hurt again," Alice finished.

Bella didn't say anything. What could she say? She had to keep going, no matter how much it hurt. She looked at Sarah, this small and burgeoning flame growing in her darkness, and made her feet move forward, one after the other.

- 0 -

Outside Bella's home later that night, Alice and Edward stood in silent vigil, all senses alert for threats.

Alice asked Edward, silently, the question that had plagued her since their return. The images that accompanied it left no room for ambiguity.

He swallowed. It was a question he had struggled with himself.

"No," he said simply. "I can't."

It wasn't a surprise to Alice, but she was angry anyway.

"What exactly do you see happening, then?" she hissed.

He refused to answer.

She huffed in frustration. "Idiot," she muttered instead.

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