Chapter Twenty Nine

Esme

Merely an hour into our sojourn in the root cellar and I was already becoming concerned about Bella. She had taken Maggie's near abduction and Edward's absence much better than I had expected but the concern was beginning to show. No new mom should be put through such an ordeal and now we were shut down here with who knew what going on overhead. I didn't think for one minute Jane had chosen such an unsuitable place deliberately but it was chilly and damp from disuse. No place for a baby either, for that matter.

Luckily Bug was a sweet and quiet baby who was content with his sister's attention. Maggie was a natural with him which gave me more time to devote to Bella.

Hearing Jasper's voice had perked her up but she was restless now and complaining that she felt sick. She began asking for him, she had forgotten he was out looking for Edward.

I stood looking at my daughter-in-law feeling helpless when she began to shake and wave her arms around. I tried to quiet her so she didn't hurt herself or alarm the children and wished that I could call Carlisle for advice but I daren't distract him with danger so close.

Seeing the first aid kit on the wall I asked Maggie to see if there was a thermometer.

"Is Mommy sick?"

"I'd just like to take her temperature. Make sure she's OK, sweetheart."

Maggie eyed me skeptically as she handed me the thermometer and waited as I took Bella's temperature. When I saw how high it was I began to wish it was Carlisle here with her and not me.

I closed my eyes and thought hard. What would he do in this situation?

I grabbed a bottle of water and a cloth and bathed Bella's face hoping to cool her down without giving her a chill. It was something I had done to my own little boy when he had been sick. The memory brought a lump to my throat and I swallowed it down painfully.

I would have to call Carlisle, I was out of my depth here.

Maggie, who had been watching me gravely for a few minutes in silence suddenly tugged my sleeve, "Nana."

Distracted, I tried to push her away gently.

"In a minute, Maggie. I'm a little busy right now. Why don't you sit with your brother and sing to him?"

"Nana, Mommy's really sick, isn't she?"

I hated lying to the little girl but I didn't want her panicking, "She'll be OK. She's just very tired. I'm going to call Grandpa. He'll know what to do."

Maggie studied her Mom for a minute and then shook her head, "No she won't. Mommy might die. Bug can help."

I continued wiping Bella's face and then Maggie's words sank in and I turned to her, "What did you say?"

She looked at me and repeated her words very patiently, "Bug can help Mommy. He's like me, he's a hi bread."

I couldn't help smiling, "You mean a hybrid."

She scowled, "That's what I said. Bug has a gift like Papa and Daddy. He can help Mommy."

"How?"

Maggie screwed her face up at this apparently difficult question for her young mind then shrugged, "I can't explain, but he can. You have to let him try."

Well, my sponging wasn't doing any good, and Bella was getting steadily worse. She was now mumbling incoherently and her skin was hot enough to cook on. Many women had died after childbirth of fever in such circumstances, please God don't let her be one.

"What do we have to do, Maggie?"

She picked up her baby brother very carefully and carried him over to the bed.

"I'm not tall enough. You have to lay Bug on Mommy's chest."

I wasn't sure that was such a good idea. Bella could injure the fragile new infant the way she was moving around.

"Oh, Maggie I'm not sure..."

"Please, Nana."

I sighed heavily, what did I have to lose?

"OK"

I attempted to take the infant from her but realized that I couldn't hold Bella still and place the baby on her chest at the same time.

Before I could work out how to accomplish this I heard the door open and found Jane at my side holding Bella's arms with one hand and her legs with the other.

"Go ahead."

I nodded and laid him on Bella's chest where he nestled down, his cheek against her skin, and closed his eyes.

All three of us stood and watched, and at first, nothing happened.

Realizing I should say something to the strange young girl who stood beside me I turned to her, "Thank you for your help, Jane. What's happening? Shouldn't you be with Jasper?"

She turned to me and smiled. It made her look strange, almost as if her facial muscles found such an expression alien.

Shrugging she explained, "I'm here to keep Bella safe. It's what we promised and the Major has things under control. I was needed here."

"Well, thank you. Have they found Edward?"

"Rose and Emmett went to collect him. The Major and Felix have Stefan and his friends in hand."

Jane turned her attention back to Bella, "I hope this works because if not I'll have to change her."

I glanced at Maggie who was watching Jane as if she were something wonderful.

The little girl frowned,

"It'll work. You just have to give it time. He's only a baby you know."

Jane and I exchanged a glance at her tone of voice and I almost started to laugh despite the situation.

Being chided by a little child was novel, to say the least.

After about five minutes Bug began to wriggle, moving his head and making strange little sounds.

Concerned I looked at Maggie, "Should he be doing that, Maggie?"

Maggie nodded, "He's healing her and it's not easy for him."

I had a vision of Bella waking up to find her precious baby lying dead on her chest and stretched out to lift Bug off.

Maggie shouted at me to stop and Jane grasped my arm tightly, "Wait."

It was like a miracle, Bella's face slowly lost its flush and she stopped moving. She looked as if she was sleeping peacefully again.

"OK, you can move Bug now."

At Maggie's words, I picked the infant up and stared at him. His little body was hot to my touch and he looked flushed just like Bella, but within seconds, any sign of sickness was gone and he opened his eyes and began to cry loudly.

"He's hungry, Nana"

I sighed, Maggie was acting as if looking after a baby was alien to me. Then it occurred to me that she was probably right.

"Yes, Maggie I worked that out for myself, thank you. Why don't you grab a bottle from the bag."

"I think it will be safe enough to go back up into the house."

Maggie looked a little doubtfully at Jane who merely nodded encouragingly, "I promised to keep you safe so I wouldn't lead you into any danger."

"What about Mommy?"

"I'll carry Bella back up to the bedroom. OK?"

Maggie seemed satisfied with that because she followed as I carried Bug upstairs and into the kitchen.

"I feel sorry for Jane," she said out of the blue. "She's very sad."

Personally, I would have called her hard and unfeeling but Maggie obviously saw something that I didn't.

Maggie sighed, "Isn't Bug clever? I wish I had a gift like that."

"We all have our gifts, Maggie. Except you of course. You're a very clever girl because you have both Edward's and Jasper's gifts plus a little magic of your own."

She thought about that, "I wish my gift was beauty like Aunt Rose."

I smiled, "Believe me Rose would tell you that there are a lot of gifts more useful than that. Bugs for instance. Would you like to feed him?"

Maggie shook her head, "No, you do it, Nana. I like to see you smile and you're really happy when you have Bug. I know the others call you Mom but they aren't really your children. Don't you have any children of your own?"

The question came out of the blue and I wasn't sure how to answer her, but then opted for a partial truth.

"Vampires can't have babies."

Maggie stood watching me, her fingers curling and uncurling her dark locks, "That's sad."

"Yes, it is."

"But what about before you were a vampire?"

I sighed, "I had a little boy but he was very sick and he died."

She thought about this while I rocked Bug on my lap and fed him his formula.

"Is that why you love Bug and me so much?"

I smiled at the innocence of the question, "I love you both because you are family, and yes because I love children. Babies remind me of my own little boy."

"And you loved him very much. You must have been very upset when he died. Aunt Maggie had a little girl called Mary. She died when she was a baby. We put flowers on her grave up the hill every week. Do you put flowers on your little boy's grave?"

I shook my head feeling all the old emotions flooding back. "No, Maggie, but it's a lovely thing to do."

I waited for the next painful question but Maggie changed her focus once more.

"So, when Mommy becomes a vampire she won't have any more babies?"

"No, but she has you and Bug. She's very lucky."

Maggie nodded, then, with the innocence of childhood, changed the subject altogether.

"Can I have some cookies, please? I'm hungry and Bug has finished his bottle."

"Of course. Help yourself."

Maggie kissed the now-sleeping infant carefully and then went to root through the cookie jar until she found the chocolate chip cookies. She took three out, looked at me warily, and put one back.

"I guess taking three would be greedy?"

"Well. If you want to grow up to be beautiful you should watch how many cookies you eat. Otherwise, you'll end up like a big blob of jelly."

"Ugh!", she put the second one back then changed her mind and retrieved it.

"I'll start tomorrow."

I couldn't help laughing, Maggie was certainly an unusual child.

Jane popped her head around the door, "I've put Bella to bed. She's sleeping soundly. I'll send Carlisle back to take a look at her as soon as I can and I know your Popa will be back soon, Maggie."

Jane

I returned to find the group had dispersed. Edward lay on the porch while Carlisle examined his wound but of the others and their captives, there was no sign.

I had been glad to see the Major. Not because we needed his particular skill set. Alec and I had everything under control, but I would have hated to have to explain to Bella that he was missing or dead. I had found myself warming to her and her little family. My own memories of my family were distant, my childhood had been very different from Maggie's and I envied the love she and her brother received from everyone.

Stefan hadn't known what had hit him, they had ambushed him on his way here. Poor Romanians, they never stood a chance with the Major in the picture.

Stefan and Vladimir must have been getting pretty desperate to try a stunt like this. Surely they had known without an army they could never defeat the Volturi or the Major and he wasn't one to be coerced

The one mystery remaining was the whereabouts of Edward Cullen's girlfriend, Angie. The Major had asked if we'd seen her but we had thought she was with him.

My brother appeared from the darkness and moved to my side.

"Where did you disappear to, sister? You missed the fun."

"Just keeping my promise to the Major. Keeping his family safe and intact. What happened after I left? Edward Cullen looks pretty bad."

"He is. Flames and vampire flesh don't mix. Remember Augusto?"

I nodded. He had been a Volturi guard, a good one, and then the Romanians had tried to ambush us just outside Genoa in the early days of our war. They used flaming arrows and one hit Augusto in the leg. Felix had torn it free and rolled Augusto on the ground to smother the flames but his leg was badly burned. He lingered for days in a kind of half-life bleeding venom and raving in his agony. Eventually, Aro took pity on him and finished the job that the Romanian arrow had started.

"Do you think Carlisle will have the stomach to finish his son off? It would be a kindness."

I shrugged, "Where are the others?"

"They took Stefan and his supporters into the woods. The major didn't want to defile his property with their ashes. Felix and the other Cullens went along with him. Their captives were like meek little puppies. They were moved along in a pack unseeing and unknowing. I lifted my influence just enough that they were able to follow their leader. I guess they are all dead by now."

Leaving Alec to his thoughts I moved onto the porch and looked down at the injured man. What was it that little Maggie saw in him? I'd always found him an annoying prig.

Carlisle looked stricken as he attempted the impossible. Edward was shaking and his burned arm was covered in a film of venom that could do no good.

"Is Maggie safe? Did Angie get her back? Can I see her?"

His words came from between clenched teeth and Carlisle looked up at me.

"I saw you disappear into the house. Is everything OK?"

I nodded, "They're all fine."

Edward let out a sigh of relief. "Thank God. Where's Angie? Tell me, is she safe too?"

"We don't know. She never came back after looking for you. The last time anyone saw her she was trailing you."

Edward attempted to get to his feet, "I have to find her."

I put a hand on his good arm and pushed him back down, "You're in no state to go looking for anyone. That wound will kill you."

Carlisle hissed in annoyance at my bluntness but I didn't see the point in lying to the guy.

Something occurred to me then, "You should talk to Maggie. She needs to see him."

"I don't think in his present condition that would be a good idea, Jane."

"I think it might be his only hope, Carlisle. Besides, better that than waiting to be told he's dead. It's your call. At least talk to Esme."

Leaving the decision to the good 'doctor' I rejoined Alex.

"Come on. Let's see if we can find the elusive girlfriend. Our work here is done."

I turned to glance at Carlisle who was watching me.

"I'd hurry if I were you. Oh, and tell Edward we'll find the girlfriend if she's still here."

As we ran off I saw Esme open the window and talk to Carlisle. Would the baby be able to help Edward? I kinda hoped so for Maggie's sake. I liked that kid, she had spunk!