A/N: Welcome back, guys! Hope everyone had a lovely holiday weekend. Still under a tissue alert, but we're about to come out the other side.

Thanks and Edward licks to my awesome preaders, Keye, Sandy, and Aleea, for their invaluable feedback and friendship.

I treasure my betas, wmr1601 and Katmom, more than I can say. These ladies are beyond compare. Mwah!

Chapter 20

~ Darkness Giving to Light ~

Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies. ~ Mother Teresa

Isabella's face instantly fills with elation. "My baby's coming home?"

"Yes. She should be here late tonight or tomorrow morning."

Isabella slaps a hand over her mouth, and her eyes fill with tears. "I can't believe it. I haven't allowed myself the luxury of hoping for so long. How did this happen?"

I pull her into my arms and rub her back. "Alice called during the night. The Donovans heard the news report about your death and decided to take off with Hannah. They don't believe Hunter is the innocent man he claims to be and sensed he's been using Hannah as a pawn in some kind of sick game. Alice and Jasper approached them and made a deal."

"What kind of deal?"

"They tied up the Donovans, making it look like a kidnapping. This way James won't go after them. Soon, the bodies of two 'kidnappers' will be found in Puget Sound. Belongings of Hannah's will be found as well, but no body. We can't risk someone figuring out it wasn't her in the car, and a second fire would look really suspicious. Papers will be left behind at a local hotel outlining a plot to kidnap Senator Hunter's daughter."

Isabella's body starts to shake uncontrollably, and she sobs into my shirt. It's as if all that she's been holding inside let loose at once. I wrap my arms around her and let her cry it out. We have so much to mourn and yet so much to be grateful for. It must be disconcerting for her to know she's going to be reunited with her child and still be unsure if she'll be able to be there for Hannah. Either way, Isabella has to die. One way will give her the chance to be a part of Hannah's life and the other will leave Hannah an orphan. Thank God Sue is willing to help raise her. While I laud Isabella's determination that she won't want to drink from her own flesh and blood, I'm very concerned over what her reaction will be when she catches the scent of Hannah's blood for the first time—and that's if Carlisle comes up with a cure in time.

There is no escape from the intense emotions. We decide it's best to bury our son before Hannah arrives. There's no reason for her to be exposed to our personal tragedy; it might only serve to scare her and leave her feeling vulnerable, knowing her mother may not live.

Isabella's eyes are dead looking as we head down to the river. The day is unseasonably warm, and the sun has made a rare appearance, reflecting off the pristine white snow that covers the ground and sparkling off the rolls and splashes of the bubbling river as it rushes by. She dons sunglasses since the brightness is harsh for her sensitive eyes. I do my best to stay out of the direct sun; Isabella doesn't need anything else to digest right now.

Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, Sue, and Seth meet us down by the riverside. Isabella embraces her mother and brother, mumbling her thanks in a tear-filled voice. The three of them huddle together as a family unit, and Isabella holds a hand out, inviting me into that circle, which I gladly join.

"Of course we came," Sue whispers. "He's my grandchild."

"And my nephew." Seth leans his head against Isabella's. "I'm so sorry for your loss—both of you."

"Yes. This must be hard on you, too, Edward." Sue reaches around Isabella to touch my arm.

"It is. Thank you both for everything. For accepting Isabella and Hannah into your lives, for accepting me as her mate, for the blood that's helping to save her life, and for your support. I know it must be difficult with me being a vampire."

"Edward, we're family. Not all of the tribe is enthused over it, mind you, but I have no problem with you. My concern is that my daughter is loved, cherished, and taken care of, and you go above and beyond for her. What matters most to me is how you treat her, not what species you are."

A remarkable woman, just like her daughter.

Carlisle steps forward with a small wrapped bundle in his arms. Isabella's eyes grow wide behind the tinted lenses of her sunglasses, but she accepts the tiny package and cradles it to her chest while the tears stream down her beautiful face. I put my arms around her with our son nested between us.

"I wish I could cry with you." I kiss her forehead.

The ground is hard from the long, cold winter, but the earth yields easily to the super human strength of vampires. Carlisle digs a small grave beneath a tree beside the river, within sight of Isabella's flowers of hope which continue to bloom and grow proudly.

Isabella hands him to me, and I kiss the wrapped bundle before lowering him gently into the freshly dug hole. When I turn back, Isabella is sobbing silently in Sue's arms. Carlisle, Esme, and Rosalie hover behind them, close enough to offer comfort without imposing. Rosalie looks nearly as devastated as we are, and I hear in her thoughts that she'd been praying for some kind of miracle to occur where Isabella and our child could both survive.

"Isabella," I call to her softly, placing my hand on her back.

She turns into my arms, resting her cheek on my chest. I know she's holding me as tight as her weakened body will allow, that it must hurt to hold my granite form so hard. I wish I had some softness to offer her as she shakes with more sobs, her cries reminding me of a heartbroken child that has been denied their most coveted desire.

"Would you like to throw the first handful of dirt?" I stroke her hair to soften the blow of my words.

"Let's do it together."

We both scoop some dirt from the pile, and I look to her for direction.

"This is for our little boy who could never be . . . Edward Anthony Masen the third. I'll never forget you," she whispers. She looks to me, tears leaking from beneath her sunglasses.

"For you, our son. You will never be forgotten." I nod to her, and we both toss our handfuls of dirt.

Everyone takes their turn sprinkling dirt into the grave. Thanking them all, I ask them to leave us alone for a while. After final hugs, tears, and consoling words, they take their leave.

I crouch down with my fingertips trailing in the overturned earth, and Isabella comes to stand beside me with her hand on my shoulder. Some of the snow beside the river is melting in the sun, glistening wetly as it morphs from its frozen state into something softer and more permeable. That's very much how I see myself since Isabella came into my life—I'm still frozen, but I've softened and transformed into another state of being because of our love for each other.

Standing up, I pull her into my embrace, burying my face in her hair. "You've changed everything for me. My existence was so empty and meaningless without you. I'm sorry about our son, and I'm sorry I didn't use more common sense."

"I'm not sorry. Even if I couldn't have him for l-long, I wouldn't change any of it. He was part me and part you—I . . . I can't regret him."

I smile against her hair. She has such a unique way of looking at the world, and I cherish her all the more because of it. "I don't regret him, either. My only regret is what you've had to endure. Is there anything I can do to ease your suffering? Name anything and it's yours."

"Edward, you're suffering, too. Please don't make this just about me."

"But you're what matters most to me. I want to right every wrong that's ever been done to you . . . I want to give you the world."

Isabella tips her head up and smiles at me, caressing my cheek in her palm. "You've already given me so much. If I died today, it would be with a clear mind. I know Hannah would be taken care of."

"Don't talk like that. Carlisle is going to find a cure."

"If he doesn't, I want you to know it's all been worth it to me. That you restored my belief in true love."

She removes her sunglasses, and her eyes look at me with tenderness even though they're puffy and red. There's a sense of peace in them she's never had before. While she stands by, I fill in the grave and pat down the earth. My intention is to have a small marker made to commemorate our son's short existence. When I'm finished, I hold my hand out to her, but she shakes her head and falls to her knees, bowing her head.

"Heavenly Father, please take little Edward's soul into your loving care. Thank you for blessing me with him even though it didn't seem long enough. I know you have a plan for everything, and I accept whatever grace you offer. Thank you for all my blessings. Amen."

My jaw drops, and I stare at her agape as she stands and brushes the dirt from her knees. I don't even wipe the ridiculous look from my face when she turns my way. Her eyes tell me she understands why I look the way I do, and she smiles a little but says nothing.

"Isabella, I haven't heard you pray since . . . well, since I was observing you at the cabin and you prayed before bed and meals."

"I pray every day, Edward. When I was alone, I did it aloud, but knowing anything I utter can be heard now, I say them to myself."

"You still . . . believe? After what you've gone through, you still have faith?" I cock my head to the side. I haven't believed in God since I became this, and when I was human, I hadn't had the chance to draw my own conclusions yet. My parents were devout Catholics, and I was in church with them every Sunday, but I never developed a true belief in an omnipotent being. And then I was turned, my thoughts toward God—if there was one—growing bitter. Surely if there was someone up there looking out for us, He wouldn't allow me to become an undead creature.

"Yes, Edward, I still believe. God doesn't stop being there just because times get difficult. One can't believe in Him only when good things happen."

"But God let me become this. He allowed James to hurt you and take away our child! He gave you a death sentence and an anomaly that keeps me from changing you!"

"But He gave me you and through you, a chance. I have an extended family now, and I know Hannah will be taken care of. I trust all will work out as it was meant to."

"How can it be 'meant' for someone kind and innocent to suffer, while a scum like James is allowed to freely harm others?"

"Let me ask you a question. If everything was perfect and there was no fear, no challenges, no wrongs—if we could all have whatever we wanted simply by wishing it, what kind of world would it be? Oh, at first most people would say a perfect world, but with nothing to strive for, no goal to reach for, we become nothingness. Apathetic and unappreciative."

Something foreign flares inside me. She spoke a kernel of truth I've been dancing around for decades. I was apathetic and unappreciative. I had unlimited money, unlimited time. I couldn't die or feel pain. But I wasn't living until I found purpose, something to strive for, to pursue. Isabella was the catalyst propelling me forward until I felt desire, love, protectiveness . . . selflessness. I've never truly loved another being so much that I would gladly walk through fire for them, would rather die in their place than lose them.

"You're right. That was me until I found you. Until I found the reason for my existence." I cup her face between my hands and kiss her lips softly. "You haven't convinced me, but for the first time, I feel something other than complete disbelief."

"Maybe there's hope for you yet, Edward Masen."

"Maybe there is."

~*RK*~

The next morning dawns sunny again. Isabella opens her eyes and smiles at me, her excitement palpable. "She's almost here."

"Who?"

"Hannah. She'll be here soon."

"And how do you know that?" I ask, confounded. She's right; Alice called me during the night to let me know they'd be arriving this morning.

"I can feel her." She rubs a hand over her heart.

I watch from the bed while she dresses and then returns to me. We face each other and gaze into each other's eyes while we wait. I take her hand, bringing it to my lips to kiss her knuckles before nuzzling them against my cheek. Our bond has only grown deeper. I feared the pregnancy and then the loss of our son would drive a wedge between us, but it hasn't. My desire for her is like a white hot need inside me, and it seems she feels the same. Last night she said she couldn't wait until Carlisle gave us the go ahead to make love. When I expressed my surprise, she whispered some things in my ear that pushed me to the limits of my control. Remembering them now causes my cock to harden, and I pull her toward me, slipping my hand up her shirt to fondle a breast which is still swelled due to the pregnancy hormones circulating in her system.

"Oh . . . careful. My nipples are really sensitive. Carlisle said that should subside soon."

"I'm sorry." I touch her there light as a feather, and she moans.

"Yes, like that." Her breath quickens, and she presses closer, wrapping her leg over mine.

Her heart starts to echo in my chest, bringing a sense of euphoria with it. This is something I've missed over the past several days; it seems each time we connect this way, the mate bond becomes even stronger. Every time I think we couldn't get any closer, that I couldn't desire her any more, we attain a new depth. I close my eyes, concentrating on the beating within my chest, and I know I won't survive if she dies. I suspected as much before, but now I know it with every fiber of my being. She brought me to life.

"Isabella." I open my eyes and gaze into hers. "I love you so much. As many words as I know and as long as I've lived, there's no way for me to fully express to you what you mean to me. You're everything."

I lower my mouth to hers, and our lips meet over and over, the heat building slowly. She parts her lips for me, welcoming my tongue inside her warmth. My hand slides off her breast, around her ribs to her back, and I crush her to me, our chests pressed together. Her heart beats faster inside us both, sending tingles spiraling through my being. Breaking away from her lips, I suckle at the tender flesh of her neck, tasting her fragrant skin.

"Edward, I love you so much." Her voice is throaty with passion, and I know we need to slow this down before it gets out of hand.

I roll away from her, turning on my back and breathing hard. "I love you, too. We need to stop this before it goes too far."

"Oh, you're no fun," she teases.

How she can keep her sense of humor through all of this is a testament to her inner strength. No matter what life throws at her, she keeps going and loving and inspiring. Being the broody vampire that I am, I've never been the type to see the bright side of things. Being with Isabella has changed my outlook significantly, although I'd hardly call myself optimistic.

"No fun? I'll show you no fun!"

I tickle her until tears of laughter roll down her cheeks. In between heaving breaths, she declares me to be taking unfair advantage since vampires aren't ticklish. My response is that humans don't have to control mating urges, so I consider us even.

Before I can torture her any further, I hear the sound of a car turn into our driveway.

"Isabella, they're here."

Her eyes widen, all the amusement draining from her face. "Edward . . ." She grabs for my hands. "I'm nervous. What if she doesn't like me?"

"You're her mother."

"But she probably won't remember me. Oh, God . . ."

"Hey . . . get hold of yourself. The worst thing you can do is scare Hannah right now. She's been taken from everything she knows for the second time."

"You're right. It'll be okay." She rushes into the bathroom to blow her nose and splash some water on her face.

By the time the car pulls up in front of the cottage, Isabella is calmer. She holds my hand tightly. The car turns off, and I hear Alice talking to Hannah.

"We're here, sweetie! I have a surprise for you. You've been such a good girl."

"Oh, Nana loves suhpizes!" She has the voice of an angel.

Edward, is she ready?

"Yes. Come on in."

Isabella's heart slams against her ribs, but to her credit, she appears outwardly calm. The front door opens and there stands Alice holding the hand of an adorable little girl.

~*RK*~

A/N: I hated the way Edward was about their baby in the saga. He looked at it as a monster but failed to see any other side. I had to write this differently, even if they never ended up with a baby. I know a lot of readers don't like certain decisions I've made in this story, but I sincerely thank (most of) you for being polite in your disagreement.

Thanks to all who read, rec, and lurk! See you next Tuesday.

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