"Emmett, I don't know what I can do here. I don't even think it's safe," Hermione said quietly. It didn't matter about her volume because she knew that they could all hear her inside but it was still how she acted. "I don't even have my wand with me! That was left at home with my bag." Her voice turned grumpy and it seemed like she was talking more to herself than him.
"Right. I'll get your wand, and grab a bag or two, whatever you want but stay and talk to her, please?" Emmett said, looking around awkwardly. He looked confused and out of place, as if he didn't know how to cope with the scenario they were in. Strange since she was sure he'd be able to handle a newborn vampire. He disappeared before her eyes, the blur which was the vampire, heading back to her home being the only indication of which direction he'd gone.
"Right," she commented, dragging out the vowel. She took a glance around the familiar house, noting the lights that were on in the house and she sighed. Her gut was telling her that something was off and with Bella becoming a vampire, she sure wished she had her wand for some sort of protection.
The door opened as she stepped onto the porch and she looked into the relieved yet worried face of Alice.
"What's going on?" she asked the vampire, tentatively stepping into the house and looking around with caution.
"You need to see for yourself."
"How do I take it?" Hermione questioned, a small smirk quirking at her lips. She was pretty confident that she wasn't going to take it well just because of their reactions.
"I can't tell," Alice gritted out, her whole face looking frustrated. Jasper appeared at her side, placing a calming hand on her shoulder and they both watched her face relax before nodding her thanks and leaving the house. Hermione turned her questioning gaze to Jasper.
"Bella wants to speak to you," he told her before following his mate out.
"What the fuck?" she breathed though she might as well have spoken at normal tones with everyone in the house having super hearing. She passed Carlisle and Esme, both of whom were standing in the kitchen doorway, holding each other close and staring with worried eyes at the settee. At the piece of furniture in question, Edward stood at the side of it, looking worse than everyone. She could almost believe that he was an ill human for how shit he looked. Rosalie was also stood there, though her defensive stance and glare was more than she expected from the usually stoic blonde.
"Hermione," Edward greeted, his tone indicating his relief.
"Edward," she answered back with a nod, stuffing her hands in her pockets. "What's going on? I'm not really interested in cloak and dagger shit right now. I've just come out from all that crap."
"Edward, move," a croaky voice requested and Hermione's eyes widened with shock. That was her cousin. Her talking cousin who should currently be in a comatose bordering dead state whilst they all waited for the venom to complete its work. Hermione didn't even realise that her feet had been moving until she was standing before the settee that was being used as a bed and looking down at her grey skinned family member. "Hey, Hermione."
"Holy fuck," Hermione gaped, stepping back with shock and being extremely grateful to Edward for being behind to support her. "Why are you alive?"
"Sorry to disappoint," Bella teased, coughing slightly at the end. Hermione opened her mouth to apologise but the newly married woman waved her off. "I know what you meant. In theory, I should still have a few more weeks as a warm blooded being but there were some circumstances that crept up that even Alice couldn't have seen."
"Huh?"
"Rosalie, help me up," Bella requested. The blonde vampire rushed to her side and urged her to stay sitting down but a glare from Bella caused her to sigh and help her up. Hermione was even more grateful to Edward for catching her as she fainted. "She took that better than I thought," Bella commented, looking at the limp witch. "I was expecting shouting and cursing."
"She hasn't woken up yet," Edward muttered, low enough for only the vampires to hear.
"Do you have any idea what you've just done?" Jacob asked as the two ran towards the Cullen's. "Sam won't let you go home."
"Sam can't stop me from seeing Hermione. Hermione's my home so why does it matter?" Paul sniffed, raising his head as Jacob laughed and took the piss out of his softness. "Shut up, Black."
"I didn't say anything, Paul," he defended immediately, his chuckles slowing. "It's just nice to see you acting like this. Soft, fluffy, cute."
"Piss off, Jacob, before I tear your leg off!"
"I'm your Alpha now," Jake teased. "I'd just order you to back the fuck up."
"And then he'd apologise profusely because Jake never wanted to be Alpha," another voice piped up and Jacob groaned. What the hell was Seth doing here in this Pack? This Pack were the ones that couldn't go home anymore, the outlaws, the mental ones who are siding with leeches. "You do know, Paul, that even though you aren't speaking, we can still hear what you're thinking?"
"I know," he replied, imagining his middle finger being waved in the kid's direction. "I meant for you to hear me. You've just abandoned your mum and Leah. They're going to kick your arse when this has blown over."
"Or maybe the arse kicking will come to him before," a different voice commented and all three male wolves groaned. "Thanks for the welcome."
"Leah? Come on," Seth whined. "What are you doing here?"
"Somebody has to protect you," she responded.
"Turn back guys," Jacob growled. "If you leave now and join Sam again, you can get back before they notice you even left." Pitiful howls erupted miles back and Jacob sighed. "Turn back and plead. They'll forgive you both; you, Leah, because you followed family and you, Seth, because you are young."
"You don't get it, do you, Jake?" Leah asked, chuckling in her head. "This new pack is the best thing for me. I can finally live my life as a wolf without having to deal with the reminder of Sam and Emily." Paul couldn't argue with that logic.
"Leeches, Leah," Jake added. "You'll be living with leeches for the foreseeable future."
"Fuck it, I'll cope."
"I've gone fucking loony," she breathed as she woke up, her mind processing everything that had occurred since arriving at the Cullen's home. "Absolutely mad."
"Nope," Edward told her, entering the room as soon as he'd heard her first speak. He helped her sit up and passed her a glass of water. "I really did get my wife pregnant."
"How is that possible?" He shot her a look and she glared at him; now was not the time for trying to be funny. "How is it possible for a vampire and a human to have a child? That… that thing is more vampire than she currently is and could kill her. It could everyone! Immortal children aren't created for a reason!"
"Hermione, we know. You know, I know, we know but she's adamant. You need to dissuade her. Please."
"You know Bella, she wouldn't listen to me even if I could see the future!"
"Try."
"Bella, please," Hermione pleaded. The witch was getting frustrated and the glares that she was receiving from Blondie - for she was so angry that Hermione couldn't find it in her to be nice - was not helping her mood at all. "Do you know what this thing could do?"
"This thing," she hissed, "is my baby. And no, I don't. Do you?"
"You know damn well that I have no clue what that thing will do when it's out of your body. And neither do you. You are putting everyone at risk by being stubborn and stupid enough to keep this going. End the pregnancy, become a vampire and bloody well adopt. It's not going to kill you to do that whereas this might!"
"Edward and Carlisle will change me in time."
"And what if they don't, huh? What if, because of that creature you insist on calling a baby, they can't give you the venom and you end up just a dead body on a table? Could you do that to Edward? To me?"
Bella was silent, staring at her in shock as she got lost in her thoughts. Hermione held a valid point, one that she had considered herself but never been voiced to her. Having someone else think of that made the danger, the risk, all the more real.
"I can't sit here and watch you do this to yourself," Hermione whispered dejectedly. "Please?"
"I'm not giving up on my baby," Bella whispered, wrapping her arms around her protruding belly in a protective manner. "I'm sorry, Hermione, but I can't."
This'll have to do. I've been complaining to one of my friends on this forum that I'm on about how I'm struggling to write. It has taken me this long just to crack this out and I'm so pissed off. Next one will be longer. Promise.