A/N: This is just a short filler chapter to get the story progressing, but there's some family time where no one is being shot, so that's a bonus!

Bella sat staring out the window as they drove down the dark highway. She had a sinking feeling in her stomach that had been growing steadily since they left DC and she knew it wouldn't be leaving anytime soon. It had been two weeks since Edward threatened Carlisle's life and they hadn't heard from him since. She counted the lines in the road as they passed.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

"Bella?" Edward's voice cut through her thoughts. Five. Six.

"Hmm?" She didn't divert her gaze from the ground. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten.

"How are you doing?"

The question made her break her concentration. How was she doing? How did Edward think she was doing?

"Fine." She lied easily enough and settled back against the seat, the material of her jacket sliding silently against the leather. Addy was asleep in her seat, her heavy breathing drifting up between them in the front of the car. She had a fever of 102 and wouldn't stop crying unless they were in the car. Bella and Edward had been driving around for the past two hours just to keep her asleep. Bella wanted to take her to the doctor, but it wasn't safe.

"I don't think you're fine, baby." Edward's voice cut through her thoughts again. Bella took a deep breath, holding it until her lungs began to burn, and then slowly let it out through her nose.

"I'm not. I'm worried." Bella crossed her legs, pressing her hands between her thighs. Edward nodded once, his jaw tightening as he watched the road.

"What are you worried about besides the obvious?"

"I'm concerned that we haven't heard from your father…"

"You think he'll do something?"

Bella hesitated.

"I… I'm not sure."

"He isn't going to do anything to me or you, he's not stupid. He knows he can't touch me and if he were to lay a hand on you… well, I made my point the last time."

Bella nodded, wishing she had her husband's confidence. The car slowly pulled through the gate of their temporary housing hidden back behind several rows of trees. The small house came into view, the windows lit in a soft glow. Winston must've left the lights on for them. They pulled into the garage, waiting until the door was fully closed behind them to turn the car off and step out.

Edward lifted Addy from her seat, holding her against his chest as he followed Bella into the house. Addy started to stir, but he bounced and rocked her through the first floor as Bella walked around checking the doors and windows, ensuring everything was locked and secured. Then, she repeated the process, twisting locked door knobs and pulling on sealed windows. Bella turned when she heard someone on the stairs.

"Madam," Winston's old, lined face stared at her from the stairs, his head dipping in a nod.

"Hey, Butler." Bella crossed her arms and leaned back against the wall. Winston's black eyes moved around the room, probably trying to find Edward. He had to be close to 80 and Bella often wondered why he still worked for the Cullen family. Surely, he could be enjoying retirement somewhere and not having to worry about being shot at or blown up.

"How is our Principessa?" He asked and Bella found herself smiling. Winston and Bella had their issues, but he loved their daughter as much as she and Edward did.

"She's doing better. Her fever finally broke and it doesn't sound like Edward had any issue putting her down. Thankfully." Bella sighed.

"Good. I will make sure her favorite breakfast is ready when she wakes."

"Thanks, Butler." Bella smiled and made her way upstairs. She stopped outside Addy's room, glancing in to check on her. Her small body was buried under the light blue comforter, a rotating night light shined different shapes and animals across the walls of her temporary room. Bella listened to her daughter breathe for a few minutes before checking for the monitor and stepping out, closing the door behind her.

Walking into the room she shared with Edward Bella could hear the shower running from the en suite. It reminded her of the first night she slept with Edward. They had both showered, burned their clothes to hide their crimes, and then spent hours lost in each other's bodies. The next day she had killed Aro.

And here they were again, only the risks were so much higher this time around.

"Hey."

Bella turned at the sound of her husband's voice. Edward stood in front of the open door, his figure backlit by the bathroom lights. She could feel her heart quicken at the sight of his half-naked body, the towel slung low on his hips.

"Hi." Bella smiled. In the past two weeks they had reconnected in more ways than one.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Addy," Bella easily lied and moved around the bed, pulling the shirt from her body to get ready for bed.

"Is she okay?"

"She's perfect." Her hands pushed her jeans over her hips and let them fall to the floor. Bella glanced up when she felt the heat from Edward's body against her back. Her eyes fell to the pink and raw flesh on his chest, the healing incisions that splattered across his body like a roadmap of nightmares.

"Like her mother."

Bella let out a small laugh and shook her head.

"Yeah, yeah." She traced one of the scars on his abdomen, watching the skin tighten and pull beneath her touch. Bella could feel the sadness seep into her skin, trying again to pull her down into that pit of despair that had swallowed her when he had been shot.

"Hey," His fingers pulled her face up by her chin until her brown eyes looked up at him, shining with unshed tears. "Don't." Edward shook his head. "I'm fine." He smiled a crooked smile and leaned down, pressing a kiss against her forehead.

"This time." Bella said quietly, her voice cracking.

He silenced her with a deep kiss, his mouth covering hers.

O…O

"Mommmmy." A small voice whispered in Bella's ear and she could feel a smile pulling at her mouth. She cracked one eye open, squinting against the sunlight streaming in.

"Addyyy." Bella whispered back, rolling over to look up at her daughter. The curls around her head were sticking up in every direction, shining in the warm rays of the early morning sun. Addy giggled, climbing under the covers between her and Edward. Edward groaned when the cold feet of his daughter pressed against his back.

"There's a frozen toddler in my bed." His deep voice, thick with sleep, sounded so loud in the quiet room. Bella climbed from the bed, grabbed the robe from the chair next to the bed, and wrapped it around herself.

"Addy, are you hungry?"

The little girl nodded, her hair bouncing wildly as she wrapped her small body up in the sheet.

"Someone feels better." Edward laughed and sat up, the blankets pooling around his hips. Bella jumped for a moment hearing the old stairs creak as someone walked down them, but quickly remembered Winston would be up by now. She took a few deep breaths, working to keep the anxiety from building inside of her.

"C'mon, Addy. Let's go get some breakfast and let Daddy get dressed."

"Okay!" Addy bounded from the blankets, launching herself from the foot of the bed right into Bella's chest. Bella groaned as her small body slammed into hers, quickly wrapping her arms around her daughter to keep Addy from hitting the floor.

They made their way down the stairs, following the smell of waffles to the kitchen.

"Windon!" Addy squealed and wiggled her way out of her mother's arms until her feet were on the floor. She ran into the kitchen, climbing up onto the counter to watch Winston pour the batter into the waffle iron. Bella's phone vibrated loudly on the counter, drawing her attention away. The screen was lit, Esme's name proudly displayed on the top of the screen. She tapped her finger against the screen and picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Hi, love. I was calling to check on Addy. Is she feeling better?"

Bella paused, her first instinct being to ask how Esme even knew Addy was sick, but then she realized Edward probably told her.

"Yes, she's much better." Bella nodded, turning her back to the kitchen and looking through the windows that overlooked the heavily wooded front yard.

"Will you be coming today?"

"Yes."

"And he knows what this means?"

"Yes." Bella nodded again, keeping her tone in check.

"All right. We'll see you all in a few hours." Esme sounded elated, but Bella was less than thrilled. She ended the call and crossed her arms, watching birds fly through the trees.

Today was a wedding; a Cullen wedding.

That night, when Bella had found Jasper in his father's study, he was near death. When she left that room, she knew he'd die. He had lost way too much blood and he was fading fast. He did die.

For a few minutes, but they were able to revive him. The doctors worked on him for 24 straight hours as his life was hanging by a thread. He managed to recover, but needed a year and a half of physical therapy. It was grueling, from what she heard, and they had sent Jasper away to some resort in South America where he could relax and focus on healing his body. Bella hadn't seen Jasper since that night, when she left him to die on the floor.

Today, she'd watch him stand in front of a hundred people and swear his eternal devotion to his fiancée. A day years in the making. Esme was calling to see if she and Edward were going to show up today. There would be press in attendance trying to catch a glimpse of Alice in her dress and any of the high-hitting members of underground families decked out in their Sunday best. By Edward and Bella showing up today they were doing much more than attending a wedding.

They were outing themselves.

They were confirming all the rumors.

And she couldn't fucking wait.