Chapter 12

Edward's POV:

I made the decision more out of haste than anything else when I nodded my head for Alice to take Bella upstairs. I needed her out of the room to sort through what just happened; along with filling my family in quickly.

"Edward, what was that?" Jasper asked walking closer to me as soon as his mate was out of sight. "What did Alice just see that sent her over the edge?"

I gulped not really wanting to relive the images personally. With my jaw clinched and venom ready to boil out I finally spoke. "Bella is being hunted; she is the prey to some sick bastard's game."

Emmett's hands slapped together like two boulders hitting hard against the earth. "We knew that Bella and the baby are being tracked, but what changed?"

"He wants the baby now. He thinks it's time or that it has been long enough," I looked over to Jasper gratefully as he was trying to get me to calm down using his gift.

I heard Esme gasp and bring her hands to her mouth. Carlisle reached over and pulled her closer. They have already welcomed Bella into the family as one of us, and the way that I saw it in their minds was the fear of losing not only a daughter, but their grandchild as well.

"When, son?" Carlisle asked eyeing each of us in his family.

I shook my head. "Not for sure, matter of days. There are three of them."

I looked over at Jasper, who had the most experience in how to handle troublesome vampires; I knew that I did not have to ask the question, he could feel my worry and desperation.

Man, I don't know, we can for sure take on three without a problem, but your mind will not be in it, you will just be focused on protecting Bella.

I nodded my head in agreement. "We get Bella as far away as possi…"

I put my hand over my head as the screams from Alice came through my head. I crashed down on my knees feeling the fire ripe through my body. The vision was so real; it felt like it was happening to me all over again. But I knew that it was not real and that it was not my transformation. It was the transformation of some else. I tried hard to block the vision as I stood up and ran up the stairs. Jasper followed quickly behind and took Alice out of the room. I put a cold hand on Bella's hand to let her know that it was alright.

When she opened her eyes, they were wide and I saw not only surprise, but fear and worry.

"You tell me what is going on and now!!" Bella said I could hear the panic.

"You have nothing to worry about," I said trying to keep my voice calm.

"The hell I do."

I took in a very deep and heavy breath, "Bella, we need to leave."

"Um, in case you have not noticed, I am going to be having a baby pretty soon. I am in no shape to travel."

I knew that she was right; being as far along as she was it was going to make escaping hard, especially if I was trying to watch over my shoulder as well. My mind began to work in over drive trying to think of the best way to get her to come with me.

Edward, I see you at a lake at sunset wearing black, the sign above the lodge says something about Tahoe. And I started to pack; we need to be out of her in five minutes. It doesn't look good if we stay any longer.

"Just for a couple of days, let's elope," I suggested taking what Alice just told me.

I saw Bella's eyes pop out of her head as she took in the final word. I knew that it was risky and very quick, but I would figure that part out later, right now I just needed to get her away from this house, from this town. With a scent as sweet as Bella's it would not take long for the tracker to track her right to my doorstep.

"Edw…."I could literally see the wheels turning in her head as she tried to get her thoughts together. "Edward is that not a little fast and why right now, why not wait until next week or something. Maybe after the baby comes."

I had to shake my head. "We can't."

"And why not?"

"Alice's vision has changed."

"Changed how?" Again I just shook my head, I didn't want her to have to worry but at the same time I knew that I really could not keep this from her. It just wouldn't be right.

"Changed how Edward?" I winced at how her voice raised a few octaves.

Before I could answer, Esme was opening the door; her thoughts were jumbled mostly with worry. I knew that she was just as protective as well toward Bella. "Alice says its time."

I nodded my head and stood up holding my hands out to Bella, pleading with my eyes to please trust me. Her eyes darted back and forth between the door in which Esme just closed and my outstretched hands. She placed her hands on her stomach and jutted out her chin.

"No."

I blinked a couple of times to make sure I heard her right. "I'm sorry."

She stood up clumsily being as top heavy as she was and tried to match my height by standing up on her toes. "I said no. I am not going anywhere until you give me a valid reason as to why I should leave."

"Bella, please, I promise you, I will tell you everything once we are on the road or the plane. Please, just trust me."

Bella stood there looking at me. "One reason that is all I am asking."

I knew that I could give her a hundred, but the big question was which one would not throw her over the edge. More than likely all of them would make her go hysterical. So I settled on the most favorable, at least to me.

"I love you and I don't want anything to happen to you," I took a step closer and put my hand on her bulging belly, I could hear the heartbeat and feel the movements, "or our baby."

"Gushy, mushy," Emmett cooed out and I had to really fight myself to suppress a growl.

Bella placed her hand on top of mine and smiled a smile that I have not seen. "That's it. That is your big reason to just drop everything and elope?"

"Tell her the truth or I will," Alice growled in head.

"Bella," I said lifting her chin so she could look at me. "Something is wrong; you and the baby are in danger. I need to get you away from here so I can protect you."

I could tell that she was confused. "I don't understand, what's wrong with the baby? We just left the doctor, she said everything is okay."

I nodded. "Yes, everything is fine right now, but Bella…"

Edward, everything is set, the cars are packed and reservations are made, Alice is already outside and she said that if you can't get her to understand in two minutes then we will need to drag her kicking and screaming. I have a sedative, if you think that will help.

"No, not yet," I said in a low tone that I knew Carlisle will be able to hear from the other side of the door and then turned my attention back to Bella. "Bella there is a group of vampires that have been following you and they want your baby."

There, I spit it out, now how much of that she understood was beyond me, but by the way she backed up and fell into the bed, I knew that she grasped the main points.

She kept shaking her head, "Vampires? No, not my baby."

I went to her, "Let's go."

"No, this was my choice to keep my baby, I made the right choice. Not my baby."

"Bella, breath," I said just as Carlisle walked in the room I knew that he had a needle with a sedative.

I put my arms around Bella, her body shaking so hard. "They're like you right?"

I closed my eyes as I tried to keep her still for Carlisle to quickly stick her in the arm. Within minutes she became weak as I listened to her heartbeat slow. I brushed back her hair and kissed the tears from her cheek. The whole time that I carried her downstairs and sat with her in the back of the car she kept mumbling the same words.

"Not my ba…by."

"Sleep now Bella," I kissed her again and rested my hand on top of her stomach rubbing small circles and humming her lullaby.

Alice and Jasper were in my Volvo following Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, and Emmett in the Mercedes.

"How did this happen, Alice?" I asked trying to keep my voice low and even so I would not disturb the sleeping angel next to me.

She looked up into the rearview mirror. "You know that my visions are into set in stone. And you also need to remember there is a third party here that can make up its own mind that I cannot fully see yet."

I sighed. "Bella will not be able to handle it if she loses the baby," I said quietly.

"She won't," Alice said with so much confidence.

"But that is not what your vision was," I could taste the anger as it began to rise.

I saw Alice drop her eyes and I knew that I had her beat. I also knew that in the end one of them will not make it out alive. I also knew now, that I would end up needing to choose one life over the other. Just which life would I chose. Which one will be the right or the wrong. But more importantly – which life will I be able to go on living with, if I could not have both?

Bella's POV:

I could feel the motion of something; I just could not tell if it was a car or a plane. I rubbed my eyes as I sat up slowly and looked around and saw the close quarters of a private plane. I looked around slowly and saw that the entire Cullen family was toward the front talking quietly and quickly. I tried not to make much sound or movement as I tried to piece together the last thing I remember.

Alice had a vision, she was screaming, Edward saying something about vampires and….

"My baby!!" I screamed loudly as I looked around and seeing a pink blanket. "Where's my baby? Give me my baby back!"

I knew that I was more than likely beginning to flap like a fish out of water. Edward was at my side in seconds trying to hold me still without crushing any bones. Taking hold of my face I could see that he was talking, but the words were not making a sense. I saw his mouth move, but nothing was coming out of it. I kept trying to shake my head to clear it while at the same time watching his lips, trying to understand.

"My baby, where is my baby," I said this time trying to hit him to get him a way, but painfully found that to be a mistake.

"Bella, listen to me, shhh," Edward said pulling me closer to him. "Just take deep breaths and calm down. Your baby is fine. See…"

I looked down toward my stomach and lifted my shirt, sighing with relief as I saw the huge watermelon shape. "Is the baby okay?"

Edward nodded. "The baby is perfectly fine."

I collapsed against his stone chest. "The last thing I remember is you saying something about eloping and that there is a vampire that wants my baby. Not all vampires are good, are they?"

I could feel all the eyes of the Cullen's as Edward pulled me away from his chest. By the look in Edward's eyes, I could tell that he was about to share something that would be very difficult to hear. Not only was he shaking his head, but his hands were shaking just slightly.

I cocked my head and swallowed hard. "You're scaring me."

Edward smiled just slightly. "You should be scared. Bella, I need you to listen."

I nodded my head and pulled the pink blanket tighter against me, already getting chills down my spine, knowing that I was not going to like what I heard.

"The night of your rape, do you remember anyone following you home?"

I looked at Edward quickly before closing my eyes, trying to remember a night that I so wanted to forget about. After a couple of minutes I shook my head no.

"Bella, there was a vampire following you that night and just about every night thereafter. The red eyes that you told me about the other night," I nodded my head at remembering seeing red eyes. "Those eyes were vampire eyes."

I looked at his eyes and those of his family. "No, they were red, not gold like yours."

Edward agreed. "Our eyes are gold because of how we choose to satisfy our thirst. A vampire with red eyes, he chooses to drink from humans."

I sat quietly for a moment. "Then why has he not killed me?"

Edward looked down but I could still see his eyes directed toward where my hand was resting.

"No!!"

Alice came over to me and sat down. "Bella, at first I saw him trying to take the baby away after you have it, like a couple weeks later, but he has changed his mind, he wants the baby any day now. So either he is going to take the child by force, or your baby is going to be coming earlier than expected."

"But I am only thirty-two weeks or so, it's too early."

"That's why Edward decided that it was best to try and get you away and keep you safe," Carlisle said. "The longer we can keep the baby in you the better for the both of you."

"Getting married, eloping, that is the best way?" I asked Edward. "I wanted Charlie to walk me down the aisle."

I slapped my hand over my mouth. "Oh, my God, Charlie, what am I going to tell him, he's going to be worried that I did not come home?"

Alice smiled just slightly. "Well, actually, I already saw you agreeing with Edward and Charlie will be arriving to Lake Tahoe just a few moments after we do."

I chewed down on my lip. "I agreed to this."

Alice shrugged her shoulders. "Well, not in so many words."

"So what happens next?" I asked as we all sat silence. "A far as I understand, the plan is to get married, keep the baby inside of me for as long as possible, and try to keep a vampire from taking it, is that right?"

Everyone nodded in unison, but in the pit of my stomach something wasn't right. Alice's vision did not match up totally with the plan. I still had questions but I took the one that would change a decision, change my future.

"Can you kill him?"

"The killing part will be the easy part," Emmett said with a big grin on his face and I could not help but smile at how much he would enjoy himself.

"How? A stake through the heart or splashed with holy water?"

The entire plane seemed to shake at that moment with the laughter that came from the seven vampires that were in presence.

"Just a little bit more graphic then a scene from the Lost Boys," Jasper said. "Bella, those are myths and Hollywood hype."

I looked at him with curiosity. "Then how do you kill a vampire?"

Rosalie smirked. "You tear them apart limb by limb and throw them into a fire."

I knew my eyes were wide as I took in this new piece of information. "Oh, okay, then how does one become a vampire?"

This time I was given blank stares and I knew that no one wanted to tell me the truth. I also could see that Alice and Edward were communicating privately and I had the feeling that they were debating on telling me something.

"You're hiding something from me," I stated after a couple of minutes. "Edward, what are you hiding?"

Before Edward could open his mouth though the fasten seatbelt light came on and the Captain told us that we are just about to land. Edward reached around and put the seatbelt around me and pulled me close.

"Everything is going to be okay, Bella, I promise you," he whispered in my ear.

But deep down inside I couldn't help the nagging feeling that something very wrong was about to happen and that either myself or my baby will not make it out to the other side.

A/N: you all are awesome with the reviews please keep them coming. Now a couple of things….NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) officially begins tomorrow (Novemeber 1st) night at Midnight. I am devoting the month of November to writing my novel for the contest. My updates here will be slim, but with all the updates that I have done over the past week or so, I think I satisfied some of your thirst for this story. I will be making updates, just not sure how often. To follow my writing through NaNo, please check out my webpage, I will be putting up blogs there. 50k or bust in 30 days, here I come!!

NaNoWriMo 2008 Novel: Shadows of Darkness: A Girls Struggle with HIV ~~ Seventeen year old Lrya Ashton thought she had it all: great friends, happy family and her health, but all of that changes one foggy night when her life spirals downward. Now she is facing darkness unlike before while trying to see who her real friends are. Will they run and give her a cold shoulder when they find out her dark secret, or will they welcome her with open arms. All Lrya has right now though is living in the Shadows of Darkness.