Bella's Point of View


"Let's just go back, if she tries anything I'll rip her to shreds," I said with a sour look.

We had been hidden out here in a fancy Montana hotel for the past few hours. The sun was just setting in the sky. It was beautiful here and peaceful. We ended up in a grand metropolis called Billings. It reminded me a little bit of Phoenix, but it wasn't as big of a city. Billings is located along the Yellowstone River, making it a hub of fishing and hunting. There were large, wooded areas and cliffs, it reminded me of Forks as well.

Emmett snickered as he brought me over a tray of food. "As sexy as that sounds, I'm afraid that wouldn't be even remotely possible sweetheart." He placed the tray on the bed with an eager smile. On the plate was lobster, with a serving of pasta and a few big puffy buns, glazed with butter. The smells coming from this plate had my mouth watering.

I went for the buns first. It was still warm and perfectly soft. The first bite sent a shiver down my spine. It was delicious. But my eyes landed on the beverage on the tray. A big Styrofoam cup, with contents I couldn't see, but already knew exactly what it was. Like Edward and Ana had suggested, I've added a good amount of blood to my diet. It's been helping tremendously. I never got light-headed anymore. My blood work was looking much better. Things were improving little by little. I just wish that it tasted a little better.

"Only two or three more cups of that for the day and you should be alright, until we make it back to Forks." Emmett said reassuringly. He sat down across from me, watching me eat. His nose wrinkled slightly. "But honestly, it smells much better than that food."

I laughed weakly. "I don't agree with you there." There was a hard kick from my stomach, knocking the wind out of me. I felt a pinch of pain and doubled over, rubbing over the area of the kick. Nothing broke this time. But this kicking and fast movements have been much more constant.

Emmett tensed, reaching out to lightly stroke my stomach. "Calm down in there junior. Your mother is fragile." He spoke sweetly.

My heart melted. "Junior? Is that your guess? That we are having a boy?"

"Yeah, it's just a feeling. I know shortie is betting on it being a girl. But I'm thinking our little ass-kicker is a boy. Either way. I love it."

I looked at Emmett teary-eyed as I placed my hands over his. "Did you hear that baby, mommy and daddy love you so much."

Emmett watched me closely, scanning over my stomach. "It won't be much longer, will it?" There was an edge of anxiety to his voice.

I shook my head. "No, that's why we really should head back home soon. We are going to need Carlisle nearby. He said that probably by the end of this week, I would be delivering."

"I don't want you anywhere near Rose. She was only stopping by to check in with everyone. And get the rest of her stuff. She is making a permanent move to Denali"

"Permanently? She won't be coming back?"

"Nope, so as soon as Carlisle gives us the call, we are going to head back. He said he would let me know when Rose leaves." He said, shrugging his shoulders.

"So, you didn't want to see her at all? To catch up or just chat?"

"Honestly, I couldn't care less to ever see her again. It's not worth it. All it would be is an argument. I don't need the negativity. I'd rather just keep my distance."

I nodded slowly, now digging into my lobster tail. It had a slight fishy taste, warm butter squirted into my mouth. I nearly groaned at the taste. I've never been the biggest fan of fish. But during this pregnancy my taste preferences had changed slightly. I found myself craving a lot of seafood. It was something I couldn't have more than once or twice a week. So, this would only be the second time I've had something like this. It was a real treat. I'd be sure to savor every bite.

"Sometimes it's better to have a parting conversation. Just to have final thoughts and feelings said. It helps to move on from a past relationship. Like tying up loose ends."

Emmett didn't appear too thrilled. A frown came to his face. "There is nothing left to say. We already had parting words, the day before she left for Alaska. There isn't anything I have to add. She knows that it's over."

"But you two have been apart for a while now, you've both cooled down. Things aren't being said out of heightened emotions. Things have settled down. Are you sure there is nothing else you wanted to say to her?"

"I'm sure," He replied quietly. "That's a chapter in my life that I'd like to keep closed. I just want to focus on the future. My future with you and the baby. That's what's important. Rose might have come along before you two… but she isn't the main character of the story anymore."

"As long as you are sure," I sighed, taking a few more bites from the lobster. Each bite was better than the last. I let my thoughts turn to Phil. I was worried about him. He was a good man. He didn't deserve to get swept into this supernatural world. And what would this mean for Ana? Phil could never care for her. Carlisle said it would be lucky if he could take care of himself. He was in bad shape. His brain sustained a lot of damage. He would probably get transferred to a nursing home to overlook his care, once he stabilizes completely. His basic abilities would be really limited.

I don't know the details of what those nomad vampires did to him, and I really didn't want to know. By Edward's brief description, it was something out of a horror movie. Blood everywhere. The man was battered and bruised, barely holding onto life when they found him. My blood ran cold. Rosealie didn't worry me as much as those vampires. Emmett might not trust her being around me, but part of me thinks Rosealie wouldn't ever want to harm a baby. But the possibility of her trying to kidnap the baby was another story. Once I gave birth, maybe she would attempt to kill me and snatch my baby.

The thought angered me. I wouldn't let something like that happen. That's why I agreed to be here. We didn't want Rosealie to know about the pregnancy. It would just be safer this way. I just hoped that she left Forks soon. I needed to be close to Carlisle, so he can keep an eye on the baby's progress. This is the longest I've been without his watchful medical assessments.

"Have you talked with Edward?" I asked as I turned to the pasta. I twirled the noodles around my fork, before taking a big bite. Marinara sauce, parmesan cheese, a simple spaghetti dish. Delicious.

"Yeah, he called an hour ago or so."

"How's Ana? I'm sure he is with her right now."

Emmett smirked. "His obsession is pretty obvious, isn't it? Of course, he has been right by her side through this whole thing. She is pretty devastated." A sad look came to his face now. "And apparently Rene hasn't offered her much help in this situation. Rene has been glued to Charlie."

I sighed heavily. "Rene gets wrapped up in her own emotions at times. It's just how she is. Everything else in the world gets put on the back burners, while she deals with her own feelings."

"I have no right to judge how she deals with trauma, but Edward made it sound that Rene might not be fit to be looking after Ana."

This didn't surprise me either. Growing up, Rene really never raised me. It was more so the other way around. I took care of her. Did the cooking, cleaning, managing the finances, making sure she had clean clothes and food in the fridge. The only thing that she offered was the money. She worked. And at times, when things were almost stable at home, she would find her next adventure. We traveled around a lot. Rene never wanted to stay in one place for long. It was hard to make any kind of routine. It was something Ana didn't need right now. She needed someone to look after her. She was just sixteen. A year younger than me.

"What is she going to do?"

Emmett paused, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, Carlisle did offer for her to stay with us… There was talk of adopting her…"

I felt a jolt of surprise, a smile came to my face. "Really? And everyone else is alright with that?"

"It's still being decided, Jasper isn't thrilled about the idea. It is a huge risk. For a human to be living among vampires. It breaks the only rule that our kind has. If the Volturi finds out, it could mean certain death." Emmett said with a hard look.

"The Volturi?" I repeated with a raised brow. "Who might that be?"

"They are kind of like… rulers over all vampires. They make the rules. And we all follow them. There really is just one rule. Humans can't know about us. Ever."

I swallowed, chewing at my bottom lip. "So, how would they react if they knew about this pregnancy?"

"Not well. They would probably kill all of us…"

Great. Another thing to worry about. Now I would have to look behind my shoulder from now on. Nomads, Rosalie and the Volturi. There were several threats to us. How could we ever hope to stay completely safe? Making a mistake would mean death. And now Ana has been thrown into the mix. The Cullens were taking a real risk. I hoped that nothing happened to them. They have been nothing but supportive and kind. They were just as much part of my family now. I'd hate for anything to happen.

"I just hope everything works out. I don't want anything terrible to happen… There is enough to worry about right now." I sighed deeply.

Emmett reached over, lightly cupping my cheek. The serious look on his face made me swallow hard. "I promise you, I'll never let anyone hurt you, or this baby. I'll give my life to make sure nothing happens."

My heart began to race. "Emmett, don't say that. Do you really think I'd want to continue living without you?"

"It's not just you and me in this situation Bella. We have this baby. You will need to carry on raising him and protect him. Even if I was to be killed. Promise me."

Tears spilled down my cheeks. Why did he have to make it sound like it was such a certain possibility? I couldn't handle the pain that rose up into my chest, choking me. I couldn't even speak. I just let myself cry. I clutched at my chest as I imagined living this life without Emmett. I couldn't fathom it. How could I? For the sake of my child… could I really live on without my heart? Because if Emmett was to die… that's what it would be. My heart would die alongside him.

Emmett sighed, lightly taking me and pulling me into his lap. His huge arms went around me. Creating a protective cage. I melted into him, hiding my face in his shoulder. He leaned in, pressing a tender kiss to my lips. His hands rubbed my back soothingly.

"Please don't cry," He whispered, his voice strained. "I'm not saying anything is actually going to happen. Look at me. I'm a warrior. No one is going to get the jump on me."

"B-but if it did happen…"

He shook his head. "Let's not even think about that. Trust me, I don't plan on leaving you alone in this. If it does come to a fight, I'm confident that we will win, every time. Those nomad rejects. Rosalie. And the Volturi. We will win. I won't let anything ruin this."

His words were comforting. I wanted to believe them with all my heart. But I had so many doubts. There was so much happening. It was hard to imagine this was going to be easy. But like Emmett, I didn't have any plans on dying. I would fight next to him.

There was suddenly a loud buzzing coming from Emmett's pocket. He carefully slid the phone out and hit a button to put it on the speaker phone.

"Hello?" He said, clearing his throat.

"Good news, Rose just left to head back to Alaska. She left a note for you. But I'm sure that's not a concern for you. Carlisle wants you two to head back home as soon as possible, so he can examine Bella." Edward spoke from the other end of the phone.

I felt relieved at this news. My shoulders slumped as I felt a bit of anxiety leave my body.

"Thanks for the update brother, we will be back in a few hours." Emmett smiled widely. "How is your woman doing?"

There was an annoyed sigh at the other end of the phone. "Ana is managing the best she can. She is staying at our place for the rest of the week. Rene broke off the lease agreement to their rental house. She is moving back in with Charlie."

I shook my head slowly, feeling disappointed in my mother. She wasn't thinking rationally. She has yet to understand that those she is supposed to be caring for, need her strength and stability right now. She didn't think of others. She put herself first. That's how she always was. I understood that well. But this was something Ana was just finding out now.

Emmett looked at me with a sad glance. "Poor thing. Has it been decided where she will permanently be staying? Charlie's place isn't really big enough for everyone…"

"We are still working out the details. For now, she will be staying with us, until we figure out a place for her to go. I don't think she should be on her own right now. This has taken a really heavy toll on her." I noted the sound of concern in Edward's voice.

"No doubt, well we will be home soon. I'll call you once we get back into Washington."

With that, they both hung up. In mere seconds, there were some shuffling sounds coming from out in the hall. Emmett tensed, his eyes snapping in the direction of the living room. In seconds, he flew to the door of the bedroom.

He paused, looking at me, his shoulders heaving. "Stay here." It wasn't a request; it was a demand. My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach, but I nodded quickly. He left the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

Alice and Jasper had been out hunting for a while. I assumed they were just getting back now. But why was Emmett acting like that? What was going on? The sounds of things breaking sounded from the other room, along with furious growling.

"Jasper, calm down, now. Get in control of yourself." I heard Emmett shout aggressively.

Surprise hit me. It was Jasper? He was losing control? But why? I thought he was just hunting. I had an urge to hide myself. Maybe putting some distance between us would help. I quickly got up from the bed. But froze as I noticed a small amount of blood, where I had sat.

"Emmett," I gasped, but before I could say anything further, I felt a sudden gush between my legs. There was a slight popping feeling. It felt like I had just peed myself. But I knew that wasn't the case. "My water just broke."


A/N: Thanks for reading! What do you all think of this story so far? It's been a lot of fun to write. Review, Favorite, Alert. Anything is appreciated.