Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. The chapter contains direct quotes and passages from Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer. (Chapters 17 & 18)

Endless thanks to palmofafreezinghand and Alice's White Rabbit for their immeasurable help.

Geography Note: The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest encompasses almost 4 million acres along the east slopes of the Cascade Range in Washington.

Visions Interrupted: Chapter 8 - It's Happening, Carlisle

The five of us raced through the trees, making our way to the National Forest, which was well past Seattle, certainly out of the wolves' range. The wildlife there was diverse with so many creatures to choose from: elk and mountain goats, grizzlies and black bears, cougars and bobcats. This would make for good hunting, and then we'd be on our way to Everett, a smaller city north of Seattle where Carlisle was scheduled to pick up some donations from the local blood bank.

He didn't want to get all the blood he needed for Bella from one place—that could lead to suspicion— so he was spreading out his withdrawals to blood banks in the general vicinity so he wasn't dealing with the same staff over and over. It would still be on record how much blood he'd taken and from where if someone decided to investigate, but hopefully, no one would find a reason to. If they did decide to look into it, we would just have to move and live under a different surname again for a while, like when one of us, usually Jasper, slipped and killed someone. Luckily, since we were far from Bella and the blood bag pick-up wasn't impacted by any of her decisions, I could see that Carlisle would arouse no suspicion when obtaining it today.

I think we were all relieved to enter the reserve and finally have the opportunity to feed. We flew up the side of one of the Cascade Mountains. The burn in my throat was a terrible raking pain. It felt like the sides of my esophagus were fused together—I was so parched. We were all desperately thirsty, but Esme's thirst was arguably the worst of all of us because she was in the presence of human blood as consistently as Carlisle but without his vast experience; the rest of us mostly hid in the attic when Bella was drinking. Esme's eyes were black and feral, venom trickling from the corner of her mouth. She veered off as soon as she scented the mountain goat herd, and Carlisle followed after her. Emmett announced he was looking for a bear cave, and Jasper wanted in; he was ravenous and a big bear would feed him well. I continued on by myself, telling them I'd find them later. I was looking forward to cougar and was determined to find one.

Cougars weren't too populous in the state of Washington, so we tended to avoid feeding on them; they weren't usually easy to find anyway. That is, we all avoided them except for Edward; he never seemed too concerned that his penchant for the lions would make them scarcer, preferring to simply enjoy his meal guiltlessly. Well, today, I was taking a page out of Edward's book. I deserved a cougar after all the stress and pain I'd been dealing with over the last few weeks, so conservation be damned.

Totally unencumbered, alone in the vast forest on the side of the mountain, I made a firm decision to find a cougar and searched my own future to see where I should go. The cat I would be looking for was asleep on a rocky outcropping with a large crevasse cut into the mountainside. A sleeping cougar wasn't going to be any fun, but I wasn't really there to have fun today; I just needed to feed. There weren't a lot of trees around so the den must be near the summit, and from the position of the moon, I knew which side of the mountain to search on.

Knowing exactly what to look for, I scaled the mountain, only needing about ten minutes to find the correct outcropping. The crevasse wasn't big, but neither was I, and I slid in next to her, running my fingers through her soft fur before latching onto her throat, giving the majestic creature a peaceful death.

The blood of the cat slid down my throat, finally quenching the fire within. I felt it spread throughout my body as I drank greedily, the warm liquid infusing first my torso, and then radiating out along my limbs until my entire body tingled with the elixir of life. The lust coursed through me from the rush of blood, and in my intoxication, I nudged the cougar's body out of the crevasse and watched it roll down the mountain for a few moments before stretching out in her spot, enjoying her blood flowing through my body and leeching up the warmth her body heat had left on the stone beneath me.

The cat had been drained too quickly, and the flushed, sated feeling was already fading. It had been weeks since I'd fed, and I would need a lot more than one cat to satisfy me. I allowed my visions to take over and looked for the moment when we would all meet back up. The sun was just breaking over the horizon as we converged on a clearing from different directions. I had more than enough time to drink my fill. I gorged myself on a few goats before crossing paths with Jasper and Emmett. They must have changed their minds about their route, so we ended up going to the clearing together instead of separately like I'd seen.

We walked into the clearing just as Carlisle and Esme entered from the opposite side, the sky a pinkish hue as the first ray of the sun broke the horizon. I smiled to myself. It was such a relief to be able to use my gift again. Everyone's eyes were golden instead of black, and the tension of the last few weeks was replaced with relief and satisfaction. We exchanged greetings and were sharing our tallies for the evening when Carlisle's phone buzzed with an incoming message.

He slid it out of his pocket, checking the text he'd just gotten. "Of all the bad luck!" he exclaimed, passing his phone to Esme so she could read the text too. "The blood bank in Everett only has six liters for me. I need at least twelve. Preferably more, but I can make do with twelve."

"Oh, no," Esme worried. "How will you get the extra liters?"

"I'm going to have to use my contact in Vancouver," Carlisle explained. "I'll have to place the order today, as soon as possible."

"How long's that gonna take?" Emmett asked, starting to get nervous. Emmett loved Bella like a sister almost as much as I did. I knew how much it was hurting him to see her suffer.

"It'll only take one extra day," Carlisle reassured him. "I'll pick it up when they open and run home the same day."

"What if the baby comes before then?" Esme wondered, anxiety clouding her golden eyes.

"Don't worry," he said with confidence. "By my calculations, Bella still has at least four days of gestation left."

"Why don't we just break into the blood bank tonight after they close and take the rest of what we need?" Jasper asked, never too worried about breaking human laws.

"It's better to go through legal channels. It wouldn't do for blood to just disappear, Jasper. People would get suspicious," Carlisle explained. "This can work …" He trailed off into thought, and impatiently, I jumped ahead in time a minute or two, seeing that he was going to divide us up. It was so nice not to be surprised by what was going to happen for once, and part of me wished he wasn't going to send me back to the house so I could enjoy my gift a little bit longer.

"Alice and Jasper, you two will return with the blood we get in Everett. Emmett, you and Esme will come with me to Canada. It's possible I may be able to get more than I'm anticipating, and we'll need an extra set of hands to run it all back safely. What do you see, Alice? Can we expect more?"

Quickly, a series of images flashed through my mind, all of them ending with the three of them holding boxes of blood. "Yes, they'll have lots of expiring bags to unload in Vancouver."

"Good thing we're all well-fed." Carlisle raised his eyebrows as he looked at Emmett. Jasper whistled and elbowed Carlisle playfully. "Oooo, damn, he got you, Emmett."

Emmett took mock offense, exclaiming, "Hey!" as Esme smacked the back of Carlisle's head. We all dissolved into laughter, something we just didn't do much lately, before making our way back to Everett for Carlisle's appointed pick-up time.

Xxxxx

Sometime later, Jasper and I waited in the nearby woods while Carlisle obtained the blood from the Everett blood bank, Esme and Emmett having gone to secure a car to drive to Vancouver. After all, it wouldn't do for them to just carry the boxes down the street and disappear into the forest. They would transfer the blood bags into duffle bags, return the car halfway back, and then run the rest of the way home to Forks.

As we waited for Carlisle, I could literally feel the nervous energy rolling off Jasper in waves. I actively fought against the onslaught and flitted over to his side, laced my arms through his and encircled his waist, trying to exude a sense of calm.

"Tell me, Jazz," I whispered soothingly.

"It's nothing," my stubborn mate deflected.

"Don't lie," I said, playfully swatting his ass and earning a smile. "I can feel your nerves. You're projecting."

He looked down at me and met my gaze. His eyes should be a pale yellow with how much he'd drunk, but they were dark. The mere thought of carrying human blood was making him thirsty again. "Maybe you should hunt again," I suggested.

He shook his head. "No, darlin'. I can still feel it sloshing around. I don't think I could drink another drop even if I wanted to."

"Then why are you so worried?" I gave him a supportive squeeze.

"Because it's human blood. It's harder to resist. You know that." He dropped his chin, and I could feel his insecurity build. "I don't know why Carlisle chose me to transport the blood back to Bella. I'm not sure I'll be able to resist drinking it if it's on my person, especially for so long."

I held him at arm's length so I could really look at him and quirked an eyebrow. "First of all, I'm pretty sure Carlisle chose me to run it back, you and I are just a package deal." Jasper's mouth dropped open in mild offense. "And second, you just drank two bears, and these blood bags have preservatives. You only wanted it so much before because we hadn't hunted in weeks. You'll be fine."

"First, rude. Second, I still don't trust myself, Al."

Seeking to reassure him of what I already knew even without looking, I unfocused and visited Jasper's future. Being in his future was like being in my own, so easy to shift into. For most others, I had to focus and concentrate my thoughts on that person to see their future, but with Jasper, it was always a smooth transition. We were well and truly bonded, our futures totally entwined.

I saw one vision where he drank all the blood, and one where he smuggled one bag in his coat pocket for later, and one where he resisted and we made it all the way home with all six liters accounted for. The vision where he dealt with his struggle was the strongest, just as I had suspected. Sometimes his strength of will amazed me. Coming back to the present, Jasper was watching me expectantly.

"You will successfully resist, Jazz. Don't be so hard on yourself."

He smiled slightly, and I knew he felt more confident. Reaching up on my tiptoes, I kissed him gently on the lips. He tightened his arms around me and lifted me into a hug, which I happily returned. Now my hips encircled his, and my ass was rubbing against his rising cock. Warmth flowed from my core through my body, and I shifted, grinding against his abs. He groaned, and I silenced him with a kiss, taking his lip between my teeth. I knew the almost bite would arouse him. It did, and he deepened the kiss. We were really starting to get hot when a nearby throat cleared loudly. We broke apart and looked in the direction of the sound to find a very uncomfortable Carlisle with a backpack slung over his shoulder. Damn, it had been so long since we'd been able to be intimate, we didn't even hear Carlisle's approach. We would have to be more careful and wait until we were safely at home to finish this because that was dangerous. If we had been nearer the house, would we have even sensed the wolves approaching before they ripped us apart?

Jasper looked anywhere but at Carlisle. "Uh, sorry. It's been awhile."

"Yeah. I know," he sympathized. "I'm there too."

Some of my siblings were grossed out to think Carlisle had a sex life, but he wasn't my creator, so I loved when his twenty-three-year-old, playful side showed itself. It was a rare treat. Jasper smiled as well, and the embarrassment dissipated. That's where the three-hundred-year-old side came through. Carlisle knew exactly what to say to make you trust him, and I did. Even though I knew that persuasion was a skill of his, I still believed him, which was a testament to his skill in itself.

"Here's what we could get here in Everett," Carlisle said as he handed the backpack to me. I winked at Jasper and slung it onto my back, sliding my arms through the loops. It was featherlight, almost like I was carrying nothing. Carlisle read my confused expression correctly and said, "It's not nearly enough, but it will be sufficient until we return tomorrow."

"Okay, boss," I said, giving him a playful salute. "See you."

We parted ways in the same moment—Carlisle heading back to Esme and Emmett, and Jasper and I headed home. We couldn't slow down or take our time; Bella needed the blood now, not later. She had actually been looking a little healthier since she started drinking the blood. I found myself hoping, against my better judgment, that it would give Bella enough strength to get through the birth and come out of it a vampire. It was that or death. I didn't need my visions to tell me that. No one needed to be told—we could all see it plainly with our own eyes. We all could see this was a death sentence, even Bella knew it. But she didn't care as long as the murderous creature inside her lived.

"What's wrong, Al?" Jasper asked as we raced through the woods.

I sighed. I didn't really want to talk about it, but he wasn't going to let it go since he felt what I felt. He wouldn't let it drop because he wanted to know why he was feeling a particular way. That was understandable—he wanted a reason he was feeling sad or angry or frightened before he assigned his own reason to it and got lost in the torrent of someone else's emotions. That was a big reason he and Edward weren't close. Edward's emotional turmoil wasn't a place you wanted to be, and Jasper had a front row seat to all the angst over all the years.

Even though I understood why Jasper needed to know, it was still inconvenient when I didn't want to talk about it. "I'm just ... dreading going back. I'm scared to see what state Bella will be in. I don't want to feel the pain in my head anymore. I want to use my gift again. I can't love you like I want to. All of those things."

"And?"

"And?"

"There's more."

I sighed. "Yeah, how about I don't want to watch my best friend die? I don't want to see her body ripped apart as the creature tears its way out of her. I have to live forever, Jasper. I can't carry that with me for eternity."

Jasper didn't say anything for a long time. It was a relief to have voiced my fears though, so I ended up feeling grateful he asked. Whether it was my own gratitude or Jasper's, I couldn't be sure, but I welcomed it all the same.

Finally, he whispered, "You don't have to see it. Stay in the attic with me. And when the thing finally emerges, I'll handle it."

Xxxxx

When we arrived at the house not long after, Bella was asleep on the couch, and Jacob was nowhere to be found, leaving me to walk straight into the brain needles once again. Gritting my teeth against the pain, I noticed Edward sitting on the couch with Bella's feet in his lap. Rosalie wasn't even in the living room, apparently not standing sentinel over Bella anymore, but she came in from the kitchen with a smile when she realized we were back. Why was she so relaxed? What had changed? When I looked over at Edward, I had my answer. Gone was the fear and despair that had lined his face for weeks, replaced with ... contentment? Wonder?

"We, uh, brought back some more blood for Bella," I struggled to say as I tried to reacclimate to the static and make sense of Edward's change in attitude. I shrugged off the backpack and handed it to Rosalie.

"Where's everyone else?" she asked.

"Emmett, Esme, and Carlisle went to Canada to get more," Jasper answered as I grappled with my migraine and my confusion.

"Great, I'll just put these in the fridge," Rosalie said.

She took the backpack into the kitchen, and I looked back at Edward, who was sharing a smile with Jasper. Why the hell was everyone so peaceful all of a sudden?

Edward seemed to be ignoring me, or maybe he really didn't notice my thoughts. He seemed pretty dazzled at the moment. Feeling my confusion about Edward's apparent happiness, Jasper asked him. "So, what's this good mood about, brother?"

"I can hear it." His voice was full of wonder. "The fe—baby. The baby. I heard his thoughts."

My hand flew up to my mouth. As Edward filled us in on what he'd seen in the creature's mind, I realized he'd been convinced that the creature was pure and innocent, that it loved Bella, and Edward could never hate anything that loved Bella. I couldn't help but wonder—could it be that the fetus had known exactly what to do to convince Edward not to want to kill it? We didn't know what the hell was in there; only that it was apparently self-aware, which was kind of horrifying in itself. Edward shot me a dirty look for my train of thought, and I knew then that he was unequivocally Team Baby now, and I was the only one left on Team Demon. No one was going to fight the birth now, not when they were so sure it was "good" and "pure". Obviously, a demon would use that to trick us into letting it live and letting Bella die, but no one was seeing it that way. If it could already manipulate a cynical and pessimistic vampire like Edward, there was no telling what it was capable of. And that was a terrifying thought.

Edward was ignoring my negative thought spiral, his hand on Bella's belly as he smiled at whatever the fetus was thinking. Or baby, as everyone else seemed to believe now. I looked to Jasper, and he was grinning at Edward. I knew then that Jasper was feeling all of Edward's happy feelings and paying mine no heed. I couldn't understand why no one was upset about Bella dying anymore. Why was I alone?

"The baby understands what it's doing, Alice," Edward explained, his tone pointed. "It knows it's hurting Bella, but it's trying not to."

"Trying doesn't mean succeeding." I looked at Bella's belly and directed my next words to the apparently quite sentient creature inside it. "You're still hurting her, even if you don't want to."

Edward sighed. "I know. But I think we can deliver him as soon as Carlisle gets back. I think the baby is developed enough to live on the outside. It would be a controlled cesarean section, and Carlisle and I will be right there to turn Bella if we have to."

Now he thought Bella had a chance of surviving? "I don't know, Edward ..."

"Please, Alice, I need your support on this. I know now that the baby is good. We can save them both if we just control the birth."

Slowly, I nodded as I tried my best to see it his way and pushed the fear of the unknown to the back of my mind. Jasper came over and took my hand, squeezing it gently, trying to pump some confidence into me. Bella would survive, I told myself. If Edward and Rosalie and Carlisle all attended her in a controlled situation, she would be able to hang on long enough to be turned. Then she would be a vampire, just like the rest of us. Indestructible and eternally a Cullen.

And the baby? Well, we would see if it was really a baby soon enough. Edward shook his head at that last thought, but I wasn't backing off that idea. Only a few hours ago, he'd felt the same exact way as me, and I didn't have the benefit of my gift to feel so certain like Edward did. He was just going to have to deal with the doubts in my mind.

"Thanks," he said sincerely, acknowledging my efforts to understand his new feelings.

"Turning her is going to be a problem for the wolves," Jasper reminded him. "The treaty?"

"Yes, I had considered that, and I'm going to ask Jacob to allow an exception for this situation."

"He can't do that," Rosalie scoffed.

"Yes, he can. He's the true alpha—Ephraim's heir."

"And he doesn't want her to die either," Jasper added. "He'll do it, I think."

Just then, we heard tires turn off the road into our driveway.

"That's Jacob now," Edward told us. "Here goes nothing."

He went out to the garage, and Rosalie flashed over from where she'd been standing by the piano to take his place on the couch by Bella's feet.

"You hardly have to protect her anymore, Rosalie," I pointed out. "Everyone's on your side now."

Rosalie just shrugged. "I don't mind." Apparently, she was too used to her role to change it now.

With Jacob so nearby, the needles had lessened to a more tolerable level, but it would be better once he was in the same room as me. I looked forward to that numb feeling, but for now, I listened in on the conversation in the garage.

"Leah was here?" I asked when Edward started ranting at Jacob about it.

"Yeah, she really let Bella have it," Rosalie confirmed. "It wasn't pretty, but wow, that girl has some balls." A look of admiration crossed her face as she reflected on whatever Leah had said until Bella began to stir.

"Alice," she greeted me as she struggled to sit up, her voice rough from disuse. "Jasper. Hi. Did Edward tell you the good news?" I nodded and forced a smile onto my face. "We're going to have this baby as soon as Carlisle gets back. I can't wait to meet him." She rubbed her gargantuan belly adoringly.

I swallowed hard against the fear, my gift automatically trying to search for my new sister's future only for my brain to be stabbed repeatedly with knitting needles for trying. "I'm so happy for you guys," I managed to say; although to her ears, I sounded smooth.

She smiled at me, encouraged by my newfound support, even as both Jasper and Rosalie knew I was still struggling with it. "Rose?" she asked. "Can you get me some more ... you know …" She glanced furtively at Jasper, her expression apologetic.

"I think that's my cue to get out of here," Jasper said in a gentlemanly voice, and he excused himself to our bedroom. He may have just fed, but being in the same room as an open cup of delicious human blood was a struggle for even the most controlled vampires here.

Out in the garage, Edward was posing his idea to Jacob. "I want your permission to deviate from what we agreed to in our treaty with Ephraim. I want you to grant us an exception. I want your permission to save her life ..."

Rosalie returned with the cup, and Bella took it with a grateful smile. She slurped some up, and then suddenly Edward was in the room. "Bella, love, I thought you were sleeping." He hurried to sit on the couch by her feet. "I'm sorry. I wouldn't have left."

"Don't worry. I just got so thirsty it woke me up. It's a good thing Carlisle is bringing more. This kid is going to need it when he gets out of me."

"True. That's a good point."

"I wonder if he'll want anything else," she mused.

"I suppose we'll find out," he answered, his expression full of adoration. He's done a complete 180, his entire affect changed. The creature had used his mind reading to its advantage, and I feared its power. It had convinced Bella to love it as it shared her body and had convinced Edward to love it as it shared his mind. What would it do when it could interact with all of us? I remembered the stories that dhampirs were vampire hunters, but I shut down that line of thinking. Edward didn't need to hear my speculations to dampen his new happiness. He deserved to feel it while he still could because I feared it wouldn't last long.

Jacob walked through the door, and my brain was numb again. "Finally," I said with a sigh.

Bella and Jacob bantered a bit, dancing around the Leah elephant in the room. Then, Jacob began to look like he was having a bit of an internal crisis, and when Edward fervently whispered, "Thank you," I knew he had agreed to the exception in the treaty. The two friends talked a little more until Bella had to use the bathroom.

Rosalie chuckled. "Again?"

"I think I've drunk two gallons in the last hour," Bella explained as Rose came over to lift her off the couch.

"Can I walk?" Bella asked. "My legs are so stiff."

"Are you sure?" Edward asked.

"Rose'll catch me if I trip over my feet. Which could happen pretty easily since I can't see them."

Rosalie set Bella carefully on her feet, keeping her hands right at Bella's shoulders. Bella stretched her arms out in front of her, wincing a little. "That feels good," she said. "Ugh, but I'm huge. One more day. All righty, then. Whoops—oh, no!"

The cup Bella had left on the sofa tumbled to one side, spilling over the couch cushions. Bella went to reach for it, and there was a muffled screeching and ripping sound, then Bella fell toward the floor in a faint. Luckily, Rose was right there, and she caught her, Edward rushing up next to them.

"Bella?" he asked, and then his eyes unfocused, and panic shot across his features. A half-second later, Bella screamed in agony. The horrifying sound cut off with a gurgle, and her eyes rolled back into her head. Her body twitched, arched in Rosalie's arms, and then Bella vomited a fountain of blood.

Rosalie scooped her up and hurried her upstairs to the X-ray room where there was an operating table. Edward was hot on her heels, and Jacob followed too, but I felt paralyzed, unable to move in my shock and horror.

Upstairs, I heard the snapping of bone and tearing of sinews, and Edward screaming for the morphine.

"Alice, get Carlisle on the phone!" Rosalie screeched.

Calling out to me snapped me out of my stupor, and I raced to get my phone off the charger, dialing Carlisle in the next second. He answered after two rings. I could hear the wind whipping as he ran through the forest, casually greeting me. "Hi, Alice, how's everything going?"

"It's happening, Carlisle!" I said in a panic, as I rummaged in the desk drawer for a Bluetooth earpiece.

"Oh, no," he gasped, and the sound of the wind stopped. I heard Emmett ask what was going on in the background. "When?"

I put the phone on the desk as I accessed the menu to set up the Bluetooth connection, giving him details rapid-fire. "Just now. She was fine one minute, and then there was a loud snapping sound, and she went limp. Edward and Rosalie ran her upstairs."

"My God, put me on with them!"

"Working on it," I said as I finished up. Then I zipped up the stairs, remembering to hold my breath before opening the door.

I couldn't help but look, and the sight would be etched in my brain forever. Bella was naked, distorted, and screaming out in agony. Jacob stood to the side, staring in horror as Edward injected her with the morphine. Rosalie was closest to the door, so I rushed in and clipped the earpiece to her ear, whispering with my stored air, "Here he is," before leaving just as quickly, the sight of my best friend broken and grisly on the table too much to bear.

I ran into our room, needing Jasper to level me out, but I didn't see him anywhere. Following his scent to the closet, he was curled up in a tight ball, his face etched with pain. I couldn't begin to imagine the excessive level of emotion he was receiving from everyone in the house—despair, fear, pain—all compounding inside him and swallowing him whole. His blank, staring eyes burned. I rushed over and knelt by his head, brushing the hair away from his face and stroking his cheek comfortingly. Then, my mate's eyes widened, and his hands flew up to clutch his throat. "Rosalie," he croaked. "Get her!" There was a loud ruckus coming from the X-ray room, and I flashed down the hall. Rosalie was crouched to spring near the door, and I leapt on her back, distracting her concentration.

"Alice, get her out of here!" Edward shouted in a panic. "Take her to Jasper and keep her there!"

Keeping my eyes away from the table, not wanting to see what more damage the creature was doing to my friend, my hand grabbed Rosalie's nearest body part. I dragged her out of the room by her neck, throwing her into Jasper's and my room like a ragdoll. She never resisted me; she knew her control had slipped, and she wanted me to stop her. Shutting the door behind me, I moved a wardrobe in front of it, not that it would really slow any of us down if we wanted that blood.

Jasper had come out of the closet at that point, looking haggard and put upon but not overcome anymore. "Pretty sure it broke her spine," he explained. "I don't feel her pain anymore." He was out of stored breath, and neither of us answered, not wanting to breathe, so the room was silent as we listened to what was happening in the room down the hall.

Rosalie's face was a mess of anguish and guilt. She'd failed Bella at the most crucial moment, her bloodlust getting the better of her. I didn't need my visions to know this was going to spark a spiral of self-hatred over her vampirism, and I felt bad for future Emmett.

We listened as Edward's teeth scraped against the metallic womb, tearing the creature out of Bella's body. And then, a baby wailed, and a fluttering heartbeat joined the other two, one racing, the other weakening. Rosalie's head whipped up, her eyes widening, the shadows within them clearing. Edward said something like Ren-esmay? My brow creased as Rosalie sighed happily. I didn't know what to make of that. Bella whispered how beautiful the creature was. She'd done it. She'd survived the birth.

Relieved it was over, I wondered if I could see Bella's future clearly now that the thing was out of her body. I closed my eyes and focused my gift.

Edward staring blankly out a window. A mound of dirt in the woods with a makeshift cross made of sticks. A forest fire. Edward walking into the flames, holding his severed arm. His body disappearing, purple smoke billowing.

And then, there were no longer three heartbeats, only two.

Note: The next chapter will be Jasper POV, and that should prove interesting! There will, however, be a brief pause in posting as I am getting my second Covid vaccine, and then celebrating my birthday the following weekend at the casino. Hooray! Hopefully, I'll win a lot of money; I'm having a lucky number birthday, after all! Make my birthday even happier by letting me know what you thought!