Disclaimer: This chapter includes direct quotes from Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (Chapters 11 & 14). No copyright infringement intended, and I make no profit off of this.

Please take note that I am using book canon, not movie canon. Things happened a little differently in the movies.

This wouldn't be half as good without the analytical help of palmofafreezinghand or as grammatically sound without the red pen of Alice's White Rabbit. Thank you both so much.

Visions Interrupted: Chapter 6 - Vampire Aspirin

Edward left the attic to rejoin Bella once Jacob had given up and gone home, unable to convince her to do what everyone knew was best for her. Everyone knew except Bella, that is. Frankly, I was kind of rattled by Edward's emotional breakdown. Edward had always been an anxiety-ridden mess on the inside; I knew because Jasper told me. But the face he showed the family was quite stoic most of the time. Of course, after he met Bella, a lot of that anxiety rose to the surface, but it was never so bad that he broke down and wept. The only other time I saw anything close to that reaction was after we'd left Forks following the paper cut incident. Edward was only with the family in Ithaca briefly before setting out on his own. But in my visions, I saw him trying to die a number of different ways in Italy after he learned of Bella's apparent death. Even then though, I'd never seen anything close to crying. It did feel really good to know that he trusted me enough to be so raw in front of me. Edward and I had always been a team though, the freakiest of the family, and we had each other's back no matter what.

A bit of a commotion a few floors below disrupted my reflections, and I heard Edward mutter, "We've got company."

My ears perked up, and I listened intently as Emmett asked, "Who?"

"It's Jacob again. Seth is with him."

"Come on," Jasper said, and then I heard the front door open and footsteps on the porch.

I quickly moved to watch from the attic window. Two large wolves, the sandy one a little bit smaller than the russet one, emerged from the tree line. Edward was waiting for them on the porch, Emmett and Jasper flanking his sides, whether for protection or intimidation, I wasn't sure.

"Jacob? Seth? What's going on?" Edward asked. There was a long silence, peppered with woofs and pacing as they telepathically filled Edward in on whatever news they had.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Edward hissed furiously and leapt off the porch. "They want to kill Bella?" he demanded. Emmett and Jasper advanced on the two wolves, teeth bared. My heart leapt into my throat. My brothers, my mate, my best friend, everyone I loved was in danger, and I had no way to predict the outcome of this confrontation with the two wolves. I felt paralyzed by the terror of the unknown. I couldn't fathom what could have made Jacob decide to turn against Bella to the point of murder, and I certainly didn't relish the thought of us having to kill Bella's best friend. That wasn't going to do her condition any favors.

Edward stopped his brothers before they could get too far though. "Em, Jazz—not them, the others. The pack is coming." I breathed a sigh of relief that the danger wasn't so immediate, but I was still on edge knowing the other wolves had plans for murder.

Emmett and Jasper stood down at Edward's words; Emmett turned to Edward while Jasper kept his eyes locked on the wolves, probably reading their emotions, possibly influencing them to be calm.

"What's their problem?" Emmett demanded.

"The same one as mine," Edward hissed. "But they have their own plan to handle it. Get the others. Call Carlisle! He and Esme have to get back here now."

That was it. I couldn't keep hiding up here. I couldn't see, but I wouldn't let fear keep me away when my family needed my support to protect Bella from this deadly threat. I sped down the stairs, past Bella, who was thankfully sleeping, and Rosalie, who was anxiously pacing and wringing her hands. When I stepped outside, Emmett was on the phone with Carlisle, and Jasper was watching the place where Seth had vanished into the woods. I went to stand with him as I communicated to Edward.

I know I've been hiding from her, but you know it's not because I don't love her. I'm here for you to keep Bella safe.

He gave a small nod of acknowledgment but spoke to the wolf in front of him. "This isn't the first time I've owed you my gratitude, Jacob," Edward whispered to him. "I would never have asked for this from you." There was a pause. Never asked what? Did I miss something? "I suppose you're right about that," Edward went on to say. Oh great, Edward is answering thoughts. The wolf sighed, and Edward murmured, "Right." There was a much longer pause, during which Emmett, Jasper, and I exchanged annoyed glances. "I know. I never really believed she would. But ... worse."

I'd had just about enough of the one-sided conversation. There was serious business to discuss. We all had to be prepared to defend Bella! I'd never know what was going on if Jacob stayed in wolf form. I tried to sound as polite as possible when I asked, "Jacob, would you mind switching forms? I want to know what's going on."

He shook his large furry head, and Edward answered for him. "He needs to stay linked to Seth."

"Well then, would you be so kind as to tell me what's happening?" I snapped at him, fed up with being in the dark. Jasper and Emmett both nodded their agreement, and though Edward bristled at my demanding tone, he capitulated and filled us in.

"The pack thinks Bella's become a problem. They foresee potential danger from the ... from what she's carrying. They feel it's their duty to remove that danger. Jacob and Seth disbanded from the pack to warn us. The rest are planning to attack tonight."

A hiss escaped me unbidden. The wolves wanted the fetus gone too, but they were willing to sacrifice Bella to do it, rip the thing from her body with their teeth, not caring that she would certainly die, as long as the fetus did too. Emmett and Jasper immediately scanned the trees, listening for the incoming threat.

"Well, Carlisle and Esme are on their way," Emmett said. "Twenty minutes tops."

"We should take up a defensive position," Jasper said, his military brain in full operation.

Edward nodded. "Let's get inside."

With that, Jacob followed after Seth, presumably to run a perimeter, ready to confront any of their former pack brothers should they try to attack. We backed into the house, eyes darting everywhere.

Once we were in and the door was closed, Edward explained, "If we hear a howl, that's the signal that the pack is coming, and an attack is imminent."

Bella's breath hitched with fright, and he glared at Rosalie. "You told her?"

Rosalie nodded. "She was figuring it out anyway. She has to know."

Bella shuddered at that but shot back in her weakened voice, "Yeah, I should probably know that my former friends are trying to kill me."

Emmett chuckled, and Edward turned his angry gaze toward him, but Bella smiled, pleased Emmett thought she was funny. It was sweet, but really, this wasn't the time for jokes.

Jasper flashed over to the far wall, sliding open a small panel in the wall to the right of the floor-to-ceiling windows and pushing the button that lowered the metal wall. Not only would it slow the wolves down, but it would not allow them an opportunity to look inside at us. The inside of the steel wall was in a trendy industrial style. Esme designed it that way so we could lower it if we ever had human guests over on a sunny day, and it wouldn't seem weird to have no windows; it went well with the modern and contemporary look of the house, giving the living room a funky warehouse-style backdrop.

Edward had attempted to sit next to Bella but was shooed away by Rosalie and settled for a spot on the floor by her feet.

"Paul's mine," Emmett said, punching his fist into his other hand.

"You've got 'im," Jasper agreed. "I want Sam."

"Sam'll probably go for Carlisle."

"Exactly. I can pull a sneak attack," he said with a sly grin.

I got an icky feeling about Jasper again, seeming excited to kill, especially taking the victim by surprise. Obviously, I didn't agree with Sam's plan to kill Bella along with the fetus, but there was no doubt that the fetus needed to be destroyed. He wasn't wrong; the thing was a threat, and we should have eliminated it when we still had the chance. We were in too deep now, and it wasn't the wolves' fault that they had a duty to protect their tribe. They never would have even transformed if we hadn't come to Forks in the first place! Then that feeling was squashed and replaced with reassurance. I started thinking, of course; a sneak attack makes sense. It was the only way to take out their leader. We didn't want Bella dead, only the fetus, and if that was Sam's plan, there would be no mercy from us. The excitement Jasper and Emmett were feeling started seeping into me.

"Who do I get?" I asked, bouncing on my toes.

"The new ones," Edward put in. "You get Colin; Esme can get Brady."

Protectiveness burst out around Jasper. "Like hell they will. Those new wolves are a liability. They have no training; they're brand new. They're extremely unpredictable and, therefore, dangerous. No, Alice and Esme should team up and fight a mature but less experienced wolf." Jasper turned to me and told me, "I think the most recent one to turn was Quil Ateara's descendant."

"Got it." The burst of excitement started to wane, and I began to feel a little nervous to fight against the wolves because I'd seen the damage they did when we fought alongside them in the newborn battle. Two against one was better odds though, and I would fight until they ripped me apart to keep my best friend from such a gruesome death.

It was then that Esme burst in, Carlisle right behind her. "Seth found us," she said. "We ran as fast as we could."

"Has there been any sign of them?" Carlisle asked Edward.

He shook his head. "No, nothing. And Jacob and Seth are out there. He said they'd howl if the pack was coming."

Carlisle nodded. "Okay. Bella, here's the nutrient drip we went for. I'm going to hook it up to you now, and hopefully, you'll start feeling better." She just nodded, and Rosalie moved toward the hospital equipment, which was still bunched together in a corner of the room. We hadn't set up the room yet. She rolled the hospital bed over, carefully lifting Bella onto it. Carlisle got a pole to hang the bag on. She grimaced as he attached the catheter to the port already installed on the back of her hand. Then he moved away, and Edward took his place, standing at Bella's bedside, Rosalie watching him on the other side. I could only imagine what she might be thinking to him.

Carlisle then brought some kind of monitor over and asked Rosalie, "If you don't mind, I'd like to be able to see her heart rate and know if something's going wrong." Rosalie nodded after careful thought and stepped slightly aside. Carlisle pushed his way into the gap and attached some sticky pads to Bella's chest, switched the machine on, and then stepped away. Rosalie was back in place in an instant.

During all of that, Bella had fallen asleep. Rosalie looked at her in surprise, then her face hardened, and she whipped around to face Carlisle. "Why did she fall asleep so fast?"

Esme looked like she was about to jump to rescue her husband from her accusatory daughter, but Carlisle didn't hesitate. "I gave her a mild sedative in the drip."

Rosalie looked like steam should be shooting out of her ears, and her fists were clenched at her sides. "We didn't agree to that," she said through clenched teeth.

"She needs rest," he explained in a placating tone. "Sleep will help her body absorb the nutrients she so desperately needs if she's to survive. You know this. You've been to medical school."

Rosalie nodded stiffly and relaxed her posture slightly. I wondered why Jasper wasn't helping, but then realized he was still strategizing with Emmett, not paying attention to the scene at the bedside.

And then there was howling. Everyone's head whipped around in silent panic. Bella didn't stir. Edward's head snapped to the window, and after a moment, he started talking in that monotone he used when translating another person's thoughts. "It was a false alarm. Seth was upset about something else, and he forgot we were listening for a signal. He's very young."

Rosalie rolled her eyes in disgust and annoyance.

"Nice to have toddlers guarding the fort," Emmett grumbled.

"They've done us a great service tonight, Emmett," Carlisle said. "At great personal sacrifice."

"Yeah, I know. I'm just jealous. Wish I was out there."

"Seth doesn't think Sam will attack now," Edward said mechanically. "Not with us forewarned and them lacking two members of the pack."

"What does Jacob think?" Carlisle asked.

"He's not as optimistic." No one spoke. We all just turned to look at the subject of this fight, the one who always seemed to be the center of trouble, my obscenely pregnant friend. Even in her sleep, her gaunt face was drawn with pain, and she whimpered occasionally. Edward looked like he wouldn't be able to hold it together. He reached out toward her face, maybe to smooth the hair away from her forehead, which was beading with sweat.

"Don't touch her! You'll wake her up," Rosalie whispered heatedly.

I heaved a sigh, and Esme shook her head.

"Rosalie," Carlisle chastised.

"Don't start with me, Carlisle. We let you have your way with the drip, but that's all we're allowing."

Then Bella choked a little in her sleep, and both Edward and Rosalie moved in to hover over her. Her body jerked as we all watched the creature move inside her distended belly, distorting the skin grotesquely. She whimpered in her sleep, and Rosalie smoothed her hand across Bella's forehead like Edward was going to do.

I thought she was being really excessive about her protection assignment. Edward didn't want to hurt her. The last thing he wanted was for any harm to come to Bella. That was all I wanted too. Why didn't anyone understand?

Edward's body stiffened, and fury blazed on his face. Rosalie met his gaze with a cold stare; she wasn't backing down. Whatever she was thinking was pushing Edward to the edge, and he took a step toward her, only to be suddenly cut off by Emmett's broad chest. Emmett held his hands up to stop him. "Not tonight, Edward. We've got other things to worry about."

Edward turned away from us and sat down at his piano, though he didn't play. He was so angry and upset; he probably should have taken a few minutes to collect himself, but he couldn't bear to be away from Bella when she had such little time left. Carlisle went about checking the monitors, and Esme adjusted Bella's blankets. My head was starting to ache again now that Jacob had moved off. The needles were starting to jab at my brain, and I wasn't going to be able to stay in this room any longer. Taking one more look at the wasting body of my friend on the bed, I went up to Carlisle's study to continue my fruitless research, anything to escape the misery that was our living room. I plopped into the leather chair that was much too large for me—it swallowed me. On a whim, I looked up something I'd thought of earlier to use as a keyword search—half human/half vampire children. That search came back with a surprising amount of results centering on the word dhampir. I opened the first link and began to read. The more I read, the more horrified I became, and I opened several other links for comparison. They all said the same thing. The "baby" was going to put too much strain on her body, then kill her when it's born. That was why most dhampirs didn't have a mother. Also, all the links I opened overwhelmingly agreed—traditionally, dhampirs were vampire hunters.

I gasped loudly at the realization that this creature would not only kill Bella but could possibly have the power to destroy all of us. Both Jasper and Emmett were suddenly on either side of the oversized chair.

"What did you find, darlin?" Jasper asked with concern. They peered over my shoulders, reading the information, and I felt my anxiety spike from Jasper's own influx of emotion.

Jasper began to read a passage out loud. "According to the legend, dhampirs are similar to vampires. They have both the powers of a human and vampire. They can sense a supernatural creature within a specified distance, have acute sense of sight and hearing, have regenerative abilities, walk in sunlight, eat like a human, control animals, and can be used to destroy vampires.

"Fuck, like Van Helsing?" Emmett blurted.

"Yeah, right, except freakishly strong and fast-growing. No way is this thing humanoid," I put in, scoffing.

"The question is will it come after us when it's born? How mobile will the creature be? I'll need to be ready to kill it right away. All our lives may be on the line if it is a dhampir."

"If we can believe this has actually happened before. This could be completely made up by the humans," Emmett argued, still embarrassed by his first response and trying to make up for it.

Our dhampir discussion was cut short as Rosalie dashed upstairs and into Carlisle's study. She only gave us the briefest of glances before she rushed over to the cooler and swung open the door. Inside were bags of human blood that Carlisle had stored there for any emergency operation Bella might need. Now that the airtight seal of the cooler door had been released, the scent of human blood filled the air, and we all felt our thirst flare painfully. Swallowing hard, Rosalie quickly explained, "We think the fetus wants this"—she held her hand up to us—"now stay put and don't breathe," before dashing back downstairs with two bags of blood.

None of us had hunted in weeks, and it was going to be especially hard now that the pack was potentially surrounding us. Jasper's thirst was already amplifying mine and Emmett's, doubling it for us, but quadrupling it for himself. As intense as my thirst was, I knew Jasper was affected so much more, so I grabbed onto his arm, not to hold him back, as he could easily break my grip, but more so to ground him. He laid his hand on mine and squeezed it, appreciating my solidarity. The three of us suffered together, our scorched throats begging to be quenched. We listened with needy envy as Bella slurped up the blood and gave a little moan of pleasure, enjoying the taste.

"We've gotta get out of here and hunt," I choked out.

"We can't," Jasper said, just as strained as I was. "Not if the wolves are surrounding us. Maybe we should have a bag. Just one each …" He trailed off as he made a move toward the cooler.

Just then, Esme zipped up the stairs and came into the study. She gave Jasper a disapproving frown. "Jasper, please, honey, we all want it." Switching gears, she went on. "I was hoping you all could help me. Edward heard in Jacob's mind before he left that he had no more clothes. Alice, could you find something for him to wear and leave it out for him? I'm going to work on making them some food. Emmett, will you help me? Jasper, you go help Alice choose some clothes. Get clothes for Seth and Leah too."

"Wait, Leah's on our side too now?" I asked incredulously. "She hates us."

Esme shrugged. "Well, she's joined Jacob's pack of two and sworn to protect us."

"Protect her little brother, more like," Jasper put in.

Grateful for a distraction job I would enjoy, I turned my mind over to fashion. It wasn't nearly as enjoyable choosing clothes without seeing what they'd look like when they wore it in the future, but I still had a knack for sizing and style, so it would have to be enough.

"I'm going through your closet, Emmett," I called after him as he headed down to the kitchen with Esme. "You're the biggest; I think only your clothes will fit."

"No problem, shorty."

I rummaged around in Emmett's closet, picking up something, and then rejecting it, tossing it behind me into Jasper's outstretched arms. The pile was getting rather large, and I was becoming frustrated by not having the help of my gift and missing what it did for me. Fed up, I decided to go with the next thing I picked up, no matter what it was. Tan pants and a white button-down shirt. The most boring thing possible. I thought my head might pop.

I picked out clothes for Leah and Seth as well. For Leah, I chose a few of Esme's slip-style dresses—easy on, easy off. And for Seth, he had a build most similar to Carlisle, so I picked out some casual lounge pants and T-shirt. Jasper basically acted as my manservant, not really commenting, probably still thinking about the blood in the other room.

The Clearwaters were probably not going to return to the house with Jake, so I put their clothes in plastic bags to protect them from the elements. I rushed downstairs, avoiding the living room and the painful shards of static that accompanied it, and placed Jacob's clothes on the porch stairs, stashing the two bags across the yard by the tree line. The stabbing sensation was especially intense at the moment. My heightened thirst was probably to blame for me being extra sensitive, and I dashed back up the stairs quicker than Bella's eyes probably even registered.

I was back in the attic, and the stabbing lessened to moderate poking. It still hurt, but I could kind of ignore it, as I had been for the past couple of weeks.

When Jacob eventually returned, I ventured to the top of the stairs, listening to see if he liked the clothes I picked. He and Edward were talking outside, and Edward was offering him and the other two the comforts of our home before Jacob became a wolf and went off into the woods. When Edward came back in alone, I turned to go back to the attic. I'd only wanted to be nearer to the blankness. If Jacob wasn't staying, the static wasn't going away, so I had to get back upstairs. Then there was a loud crunch, and Bella moaned with pain, and Jacob dashed back inside. I gravitated back to the top of the stairs to ease my headache and couldn't help but notice the clothes were too snug and short for him. Sadly, there wasn't anything more I could do to fit him properly, Emmett was our biggest family member.

I looked down at the scene below. Rosalie was carefully lifting Bella into her arms, and Bella's pain was clear on her face. Edward made a move to take her, but Rosalie bared her teeth at him and growled, "I've already got her."

I stood aside as she carried Bella upstairs to the X-ray in the spare room Esme usually used for painting. Carlisle and Edward were right on her heels, leaving Jacob looking dumbstruck down below. He moved toward the door and leaned back against the wall, sliding to the ground in exhaustion. Who knew when the last time he slept was? I tended to forget that alive things need to sleep at certain intervals since I don't remember ever doing it myself.

I flitted down the stairs to his side. "Do you want a pillow?"

"No," he mumbled.

"That doesn't look comfortable," I commented, waving a hand to indicate his form.

"S'not."

These one-word answers weren't doing much for my opinion of his intellect. "Why don't you move, then?"

"Tired. Why aren't you upstairs with the rest of them?"

If one-word answers were good enough for him, they were good enough for me. "Headache."

He opened his eyes and looked at me, examining my face. "Vampires get headaches?"

"Not the normal ones."

He snorted but changed the subject. "So how come you're never with Bella anymore? Thought you two were like this." He twisted two of his fingers together.

"Like I said"—I took a seat a few feet away from him and tucked my knees under my chin—"headache."

"Bella's giving you a headache?"

"Yes." He looked confused, so I explained, "Not Bella, really. The ... fetus."

Understanding dawned on his face, and he looked pleased that I felt the same way he did about the situation. Truthfully, it made me feel better to have an ally on the right side of things, even if we could do nothing to change it. "I can't see it," I confided in him. "I can't see anything about it. Just like I can't see you." He didn't like the comparison, so I rushed to continue. "Bella gets in the way. She's all wrapped around it, so she's ... blurry. Like bad reception on a TV—like trying to focus your eyes on those fuzzy people jerking around on the screen. It's killing my head to watch her. And I can't see more than a few minutes ahead anyway. The ... fetus is too much a part of her future. When she first decided ... when she knew she wanted it, she blurred right out of my sight. Scared me to death." I paused for a moment, debating for a moment whether I should reveal my purpose here and deciding to do so. "I have to admit, it's a relief having you close by. Everything goes away. Like having my eyes closed. It numbs the headache."

"Happy to be of service, ma'am," he mumbled, his eyes drooping in exhaustion.

"I wonder what it has in common with you ... why you're the same that way."

That woke him up fast, and he clenched his hands into fists. "I have nothing in common with that life-sucker."

I shrugged. "Well, there's something there." Jacob relaxed, too tired to keep up his righteous anger. "You don't mind if I sit here by you, do you?"

"Guess not. Stinks anyway."

"Thanks," I said sincerely. "This is the best thing for it, I guess, since I can't take aspirin."

"Could you keep it down? Sleeping here," he mumbled, and then he was out like a light.

The snoring started soon after. I got a pillow and repositioned him so he was at least lying down, and I continued to sit by him, waiting for Bella to be brought back down. If she came down and the static got bad again, I'd have to leave, but I hoped being this close to Jacob would negate her influence on my head.

A short time later, they all came down the stairs, Rosalie once again holding Bella. Bella's breathing was shallow, and she gritted her teeth a few times until she was settled comfortably on the couch. I looked at her with baleful eyes, and she said, "Don't worry, Alice, it was just a cracked rib. No biggie."

"No biggie? It's breaking your bones now!" Edward said, struggling to keep from lashing out at her.

"This sort of thing happens in normal pregnancies too, Edward," Rosalie retorted. "Try to calm down."

"Edward, Rosalie, please," Bella pleaded, and they both reluctantly turned away from each other.

Several hours passed. Bella slept through the night the same as Jacob, and at least six hours passed. We all just sat quietly with our thoughts as only vampires could. The only sound was Jacob's repeated rhythmic snoring, which was slowly driving Rosalie insane. I'd take the snoring. I finally felt completely numb, and it was blissful.

Note: In the book, Esme is the one who chose and left clothes for Leah on the porch. I thought it made more sense for Alice to have that job and kept Esme involved as the one who came up with the idea.