"You know, the tradition is to name the second daughter after the paternal grandmother." Esme smiled and twirled the dark red liquid in her glass.

Alice laughed, but tried to cover it with the sound of a cough and continued arranging an assortment of cheeses on a cutting board. Bella's heart rate jumped at the suggestion of naming her child after Esme.

"Oh, um, I didn't know that." Bella focused on rubbing condensation from her water glass.

"But what if it's a boy?" Alice asked and let her bright eyes bounce between the other two women.

"Well, the first boy is named after the paternal grandfather."

"Then shouldn't Emmett have named his oldest after Carlisle?" Bella asked to divert the attention away from herself.

"He should've, but Emmett's never been one for tradition."

A snort of laughter drew their attention to the kitchen entryway. There stood Rosalie in all her perfect glory, not a hair out of place as she teetered on her heels and her arms full of a designer diaper bag and a sleeping baby.

"To be fair, we did name the oldest Vincent."

Esme's eyes dropped to the marble countertop and ran her perfectly manicured fingers across the shining finish. It was a brief second, but Bella had spent years perfecting her ability to read others even before she became a cop. Within the blink of an eye Esme's wide smile was back in place and she stood up to assist Rosalie. She easily removed the sleeping baby and bounced him in her arms while she brushed his dark curls back from his sweaty forehead.

"Rosalie, that baby is massive." Alice laughed and pushed the makeshift charcuterie board to the middle of the island.

"I carried him inside of me. I know how big he is." Rosalie dropped the diaper bag onto the kitchen floor and slouched into a barstool.

"Maybe if Emmett wasn't built like a refrigerator." She groaned.

Bella could see the lines of exhaustion around her eyes and the dark circles she had packed makeup on to try and conceal. She watched as Rosalie leaned back against the chair and stretched her slender legs out, circling her feet.

"Is Seb still waking up in the middle of the night?" Bella asked before she could stop herself.

Rosalie glanced over at her and the guard was immediately back up.

"Yeah, a few times a night actually. He's regressing, I guess."

"My mother used to put us out on the balcony when we wouldn't sleep." Esme laughed.

"She just sat you outside?" Alice asked, her eyes filled with disbelief.

"In a stroller." Esme nodded.

"That's how you got babies to sleep I guess. Or just put them out there so you couldn't hear them. She would bundle us up if it was winter and get us just to the precipice of sleep before pushing the pram out onto the balcony and there we stayed." Esme shrugged.

"And is that what you did with the boys?"

"Oh no, never. I rocked them all night if need be. I just wanted to stay with them and Carlisle was always gone. I didn't trust the other women around us at that point so it was just me. I'll go put him down in one of the beds, he seems pretty much out of it." Esme disappeared from the kitchen as she hummed a faint song.

The remaining women sat in an uncomfortable silence, suddenly unaware of how to keep the conversation going without the matriarch of their family.

"Emmett doesn't get up?" Bella blurted out and immediately regretted it. Rosalie looked at her with confusion and then glanced towards Alice.

"Uh … no. He doesn't help with them at night." There was a tone of sadness and resentment hanging from each word she spoke.

"W-why?" Bella knew she was nearing unsafe territory and every nerve in her body was screaming at her to stop. To turn around and walk from the kitchen. Even the baby had started to kick hard at the lining of her abdomen in that moment, as if even they knew she was being an idiot. She sat up straighter to try and convince the kid to stop.

Rosalie seemed to be warring with herself over how to respond. There were several times she started to speak, but quickly stopped before finally settling on a statement.

"It's a long story." She sighed and picked up an olive to pop it in her mouth.

"Are you joining us at Eden, Bella?" Alice expertly changed the subject.

Bella made a face.

"I'm pregnant. Very pregnant."

Alice and Rosalie both laughed.

"No one will be asking you to get up on one of the stages to dance. Rosalie has been there while pregnant a few times. We just sit in the family area and enjoy drinks, food, and the music while business is handled."

"I don't know." Bella had a bad feeling and she didn't want to leave Addy here with Esme and Carlisle again.

"Come on, Bella. You and Rosie need to get away from all these kids and enjoy some alone time. Then you can go to the spa with us tomorrow."

"Sure, but I didn't bring anything to wear."

They laughed again and Bella, once again, found herself feeling out of the family.

"I have something you can borrow." Alice stated and Bella glanced over Alice's tiny, size 2 body.

"Uh…"

"I have something you can wear, Bella." Rosalie laughed.

O...O

The music was muffled from where they sat. Bella was seated in one of the deep, black velvet chairs that faced the dance floor. A thick glass separated the family from the masses and there was a reinforced door to the right with an automatic lock.

"So do you all sit up here all night?" Bella asked the other two women.

"Until we want to dance, then we travel downstairs and dance around and drink." Alice's dress was a sparkling bright green even in the dark VIP room and it was so short Bella almost felt uncomfortable.

Bella looked back down below at the writhing bodies gyrating against one another, illuminated by the quick moving beams of light that came from tracks of lights installed all over the ceiling.

"I would be pregnant the first time here." Bella joked. It wasn't the first time she'd been at the club, but definitely the first time she'd been inside. A memory of the first night she caught an in person glance of the Cullens on that rainy night at a crime scene flashed in her mind. She glanced over and saw the men on the other side of the door. They were huddled together and a fourth man had joined them to pass large amounts of cash to each of them. Bella jerked her chin towards the guys.

"Who is that?"

"That's Eric. He's one of the soldiers that handles … uh." Rosalie stopped speaking and Bella knew why. She still didn't trust her to not turn them in, even after giving Edward two children and moving here with him.

"I'm not a cop anymore, Rosalie. Now the cuffs are used for other things."

Alice let out a loud laugh. Bella smiled to try and lighten the mood and after a few seconds Rosalie relaxed.

"I know, I'm sorry."

"Eric is the head of our drug trade in the South side of the city." Alice answered for her.

"He picks up payment for the drugs from the dealers." She motions with a pointed red nail towards the men.

"That's what the money is. They'll give him a cut after he hands it all over. One time a guy tried to take his cut first and Emmett shot the guy right there. That was my first night at the club." She grabbed the shot glass and tossed back the clear liquid, clearing her throat after she swallowed.

"Hopefully nothing like that happens tonight." Bella shook her head.

"You never know." Alice giggled.

"Let's go dance." Rosalie stood up and clapped her hands.

"I'm tired of sitting up here watching them do boring shit." She tilted her head towards the door.

Alice threw back two more shots and quickly stood up.

"I'm down, come on Bella." She grabbed Bella's hand and pulled her to her feet.

They walked down the stairs to the main floor and Bella's heels stuck to the floor. Liquor and God only knew what else covered the floors as bodies shoved against her. She made her way to the bar and asked for a club soda as Alice and Rosalie disappeared into the pit of sweaty torsos. The bartender quickly placed a glass in front of her and waved his hand before disappearing to the other end.

She took a small drink and a deep breath as the music vibrated against her skin. Bella turned to look around the crowd to try and find the girls. She turned her head to the left when the heat of someone's body came too close to her. Her throat tightened and her breath caught in her chest.

"Seth." She whispered.

His dark eyes stared back at her.

"Wh-what are you doing here?"

As quickly as he appeared he was gone again, completely hidden by the crowd. Bella scanned the bodies and pushed through to try and follow him.

Where the fuck did he go?

Someone's hands circled her hips and tried to pull her backwards. At first she thought it was Edward, but the hands felt wrong. She tried to push them off of her, but the fingers dug deeper into her skin. Bella glanced over her shoulder to find some drunken middle aged man leering at her. His hair was a mess and his eyes were glazed over with a flushed, unshaven face. Bella shoved her elbow hard into his chest and he stumbled back.

"Bitch." He groaned and rubbed the sore spot. His hand came up and wrapped tightly around her bicep to jerk her backwards.

A giant hand grabbed the man's neck and yanked him back so hard the drunk stumbled to the disgusting floor. Bella watched the guard grab the man and hoist him back up onto his feet before forcefully walking him to the exit. Bella followed through the part they had made in the dancing patrons and escaped the throng of people. She slipped out the side door and sucked a breath of fresh air in. Bella noticed the Cullen men down near the edge of the building, halfway concealed in darkness.

She made her way down the sidewalk, balancing on the heels Rosalie had made her wear. Normally it wasn't difficult for her to walk or even run in heels, but being pregnant throws off your center of gravity. Edward had his back to them, a cigarette hanging loosely in his fingers by his leg. Emmett noticed her first and nodded in her direction as he said Edward's name.

He glanced back over his shoulder and broke out into a wide smile when he noticed her.

"You okay?" Edward asked before he took a final drag from the cigarette and tossed it to the side.

"Yep." Bella nodded and stepped up next to him. She noticed Jasper tucking something into his suit pocket.

"What're you all doing?" She asked and looked from each man to the next.

"Nothing." They answered in unison and Bella laughed.

"Yeah, that's believable."

"Bella!" A male voice yelled out and Bella turned to see Seth stalking towards them. Edward, Emmett, Jasper, and Seth all drew a gun at the exact same time.

Three on one.

"Seth, what are you doing?" Bella asked, standing slightly behind Edward.

"Bella … what happened to you?" His voice was full of disdain.

"Seth, I need you to put the gun down." She spoke clearly and calmly. Bella's hands were up and Seth's gun was trained directly on the middle of her forehead. He looked as if he hadn't slept in weeks and the slight tremor in his arm let Bella know he wasn't committed to this.

Not yet anyway.

Bella tried to step out from behind Edward, but Jasper quickly moved and blocked her. Both their bodies now completely shielded her from view. She sighed and tried to get them to move.

"Seth, you need to think very clearly about what you're doing right now. You've pointed a gun at my wife. That's a death sentence for anyone." Edward's arm tensed and Bella quickly pulled at the back of his suit.

"Stop. Everyone stop." She shoved hard against Jaspers arm to move him and squeezed between the men. Bella planted herself firmly in front of Edward, the muzzle of Seth's gun just a few inches from her head.

"Bella." Edward grabbed at her arm, but Bella jerked it away.

"Seth, what the fuck are you doing?"

"Bella, you need to come with me. You're … you're under arrest."

The men behind her laughed.

"Seth, where's your handcuffs? Your badge?" It was then that she realized he didn't have anything except his gun on him.

"Where's your badge, Seth?"

"You have to come with me. One way or the other." He stepped forward and the gun was pressed tightly against her forehead.

"This is getting too close for my comfort." Edward growled behind her.

"You need to lower your weapon before you lose your life, Seth. Think about your wife and kids."

"That's who I'm thinking about!" He yelled and Bella jumped. Seth's eyes closed tightly as he rubbed at his forehead.

"Seth. Seth, look at me."

His eyes opened and refocused on her.

"I'm pregnant, Seth. Is this the decision you can live with? Are you going to kill me and my child, knowing I've already lost one?"

His gaze finally dropped to her stomach and his eyes widened. There was a stronger tremble in his arm, a sign he was instantly regretting every decision he had made. Bella moved quickly and grabbed his arm, twisted it painfully to the right to force the gun to fall to the sidewalk. Emmett immediately moved and slammed Seth against the brick wall.

"Emmett, careful." Bella bent down and picked Seth's gun up. It wasn't his service weapon. She disarmed and unloaded it.

"Careful? Bella, he had a gun to your head. He's already shot at you once." Edward's voice was full of disbelief and anger.

"Seth, what the fuck are you doing?"

He jerked against Emmett, but Emmett's hands were tightly wound in his shirt. Sweat was dripping from his hairline and his eyes were wide.

"What are you doing?" Bella repeated.

"They threatened my family, Bella. And you've turned." He struggled against the grip of Emmett again.

"You're not the woman I know."

"Who threatened your family, Seth?" Bella focused on the part she could handle and not on the part that hurt her deeply to hear.

"I don't know, it was a letter left on my desk. They want you or … or my family is going to suffer."

"Where were you supposed to take her?" Edward asked and crossed his arms across his broad chest.

"I'm supposed to take her to the docks downtown. Tuesday night at 2 a.m."

"Seth, where's your badge?" Bella asked again.

His eyes dropped to the sidewalk between them.

"The letter came almost two weeks ago. I guess I've been preoccupied trying to find you and my work suffered. I was suspended for mental health yesterday and can't return until I'm cleared. They took my gun and badge."

Bella started to empathize, but Edward's voice cut her off before she could even say anything.

"Well we're definitely going to go down to the docks then."

"No, they won't show if they see you." Seth shook his head.

"They won't." Bella blurted out.

"You're going to show up with me and the Cullens will be in hiding."

"What? No." Edward's head snapped toward Bella.

"You're not going anywhere, Bella. You're fucking pregnant."

"Then you better be a great shot."

"Actually I'm better at it than he is." Jasper laughed.

"See. I'll be in great hands." Bella motioned towards Jasper.

O...O

A pounding on the front door woke them up. Bella looked at Edward with confusion before she glanced at the clock.

3:21.

Who the hell was pounding on the door at 3 a.m.? Edward grabbed his gun from the nightstand before he slowly walked towards the door to their bedroom and listened for Winston to open the front door.

"FBI. We have a search warrant. We're looking for the owner of the house."

Bella's blood ran cold and she stared at Edward with wide eyes.

Fuck, the FBI were at their house.

"Edward!" She whispered.

"It's fine. It's fine. Here, put this in the safe." He handed his gun over to Bella and she quickly moved to the safe behind the wall. Bella shoved all the weapons around their room into the safe before concealing it once again. She turned to ask Edward what to do now, but he was gone.

"Agents." Edward's voice carried upstairs. "How can I help you?"

"We have a warrant to search the premises. You'll need to have anyone in the house seated in the living room."

Bella ran across the hall to Addy's room and gently lifted her out of bed. She tried to balance her against the side of her swollen stomach and walked down the stairs. Agents had flooded her house and her heart dropped as she watched them move quickly throughout the bottom floor.

"Edward?"

"Baby, sit." He motioned her to the couch.

"Edward…" Bella looked around the room and then back up at her husband to try and ask him if she should be worried.

There was a ton of stuff around the house that could easily send them to prison, but Edward seemed completely at ease. She was reminded of the time he strolled into her precinct and remained positively unbothered throughout her interrogation. He walked over to the bar cart and poured a glass of whisky from a decanter.

How the fuck was he so calm?

Agents stomped their way up her stairs, their heavy boots leaving mud on the hardwood.

"Mommy, what's going on?" Addy asked as she rubbed her eyes. She looked absolutely terrified as she realized there were over a dozen strangers in her home.

"It's okay, sweetheart." Bella smiled.

"They're just looking for something. Like a game of hide and seek."

Addy wasn't convinced, but her small body did relax the slightest bit. Edward hadn't moved, his back against the wall as he stared at every face that passed by him. He raised the glass to his lips and took a deep drink. He reveled in the warmth that spread throughout his chest. Edward's phone blaring cut through the noise of the FBI tearing their house apart.

"Butler." Bella nodded towards Winston and motioned to Addy who was still visibly shaken.

"Could you make her some milk please?"

He nodded.

"Come on, stella." Winston took her tiny hand in his and led her from the living room.

"Hey!" An agent yelled and Bella's head snapped towards him.

"Everyone needs to stay in the living room."

"She's a fucking child." Bella's blood pressure was up and her heart was hammering away inside her chest out of anger.

"It doesn't matter. She doesn't get special treatment." His hard stare cut through her.

"She's allowed to get something to drink. Leave her alone." Edward's voice was firm and unwavering.

His phone was going off again.

"Let it go, Cooper."

Cooper.

Bella added another name to her list.

"Pronto." Edward answered his phone.

She watched him as he listened, his fingers tight around the edge of the screen.

"Tutto bene?"

"Hey, hang it up!"

It was that fucking Agent Cooper again. Edward spoke clearly and quickly in Italian again before hitting the red button on his screen.

"Found what you're looking for yet?" He asked and then took another drink.

The agent ignored him and moved towards the back of their house. Their furniture was everywhere and torn apart into pieces. They had brought people in to scan the walls and floors to find if they were hiding anything. Bella wondered briefly if they'd find the safe upstairs.

Edward settled onto the couch next to her, his long legs spread out as he draped an arm on the couch behind Bella.

"Edward, what's happening?" She asked quietly.

"I don't know yet, but it was a coordinated attack. They hit all our houses tonight at the exact same time."

Edward looked into Bella's eyes and for the first time she saw that he was truly worried they might find something.