"Aro, please. Let. Me. Go."

Aro let go of me then, and nodded. "If you must, you must."

---- ---------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------

She was home alone when I knocked on the door. "Ellie?"

"LUKE!" She tried to wrap her arms around me. "Sorry. I've gotten a bit bigger in the past six months."

"You're beautiful," I assured her, kissing her lightly on the cheek.

She looked up at me, her eyes suddenly sad. Have I said something wrong? "Elle, darling?"

"That's what Tom told me yesterday evening."

I hissed at the name and crouched into an offensive position. That arse! Where is he?

"Luke," Elle stepped back and whispered. "You're scaring me."

"Oh," Darn Italians! Trying to retrain me! I stood up and straightened my slightly tattered clothes. "Sorry."

"You look awful!" She let me in. "The puffs under your eyes are worse, and you're wearing black. I've never seen you wear black. Where have you been, Luke?"

"I was back home." I explained, softly.

"And that is where?" She sat down on the couch.

Oh, god, I was hoping she wouldn't ask. "Italy." They could come after her for this. "I was with my grandfather."

She nodded. "Ed, I mean Archer, and I have been having a tough time without you, Blondie."

"Archer?" She's named the baby already? "That's an unusual name."

"That's what his adoptive parents named him." Her face dropped as she said it. "They're really big hippies." A solitary tear rolled down her cheek.

I wiped it away gently with my thumb. "Elle," I whispered in a voice she couldn't hear. "My sweet little Elle." I raised my voice so it was loud enough for her to hear. "Why?"

She went into sobs. "It was the only way to keep Tom away."

I hissed again, involuntarily. I'll kill that boy, if it's the last thing I do.

"Tom, he's" she took a deep breath. "Tom thinks we can work this out. Raise him ourselves."

"WHAT? AFTER WHAT HE DID YOU? THAT—UGH!" That's it! He's dead!

"That's not the worst part," she said, all emotion leaving her face. "He asked me to marry him last night."

I jumped away from her. Across the room in one leap. "WHAT? ELLE, THAT'S NOT LEGAL!"

"It will be, when my father signs off," she said, still rational. "I hadn't seen him in three months. He showed up last night when my father told him the doctor put me on 'house arrest'."

"Wait, 'when'? You said 'yes'?" I stepped closer, silent shock in my face. No, Elle. Please, no. Elle, you can't.

"NO!" she gasped. "Father says he only wants what's best for the baby and me. If I want to marry Tom, he said that he'd support us until Tom gets out of technical school and gets a decent job."

Phew. I wrapped my arms around her. "You can't marry him…" Because I think I love you!

She snorted. "They talked about it like I wasn't there. I can't marry someone I don't love."

The first word that came to mind was arranged marriage. I hissed again, and wrapped my arms tighter around her shoulders.

"Ow," she whispered, trying not to draw attention to her pain.

I dropped my arms. "Sorry." I tried to get off the subject. "So, how's the little guy?" I put my hand on her belly.

"A tad annoying." She placed her hand over mine. "He kicks."

Sure enough, I felt a slight tap on my palm. If my heart had been beating, it would have been going a thousand miles an hour. If I could have, I would have cried for joy. My face lit up. It was the most beautiful tap in the world.

"Oh," she giggled. "Right on cue." She talked to her belly. "Be careful, we don't want to hurt Luke, sweetie." She looked up again, her face glowing.

Oh, god, I'm about to say something stupid. "Elle, I …."

She suddenly tried to wiggle out of my embrace. "Luke, you have to go!"

"What?" I turned around, expecting to see an enemy. All I saw was a clock.

"It's almost eight! Tom wants my answer in ten minutes! He can't know about you!"

The look on her face said it all. I chuckled darkly. Now's my chance. I jumped up. "Don't worry."

"No, Luke, you can't fight him!"

I nodded. Right. That would give the Volturi the right to hurt her. She'd know. "You're right," I acknowledged.

"Please, just hide up stairs. If I have problems, I scream."

I briefly kissed her lips before I ran up stairs. She turned red and giggled. "Be careful," I whispered as a held her face.

-------- ---------------------------- ------------------------------------------- ----------------------- ----------------------------------

I laid down in an upstairs closet, my ear against the vent, trying to get the best volume.

"Oh, hello, Tom," she said, clearly hostile. "Come in."

I didn't hear a response at first. After a few footsteps, a male replied. "You home alone?"

"Yes." She lied. "Now, do you mind?" A door slammed. "I'm not in the mood to be kissed."

I hissed a little too loudly.

"What was that?" Drat. I internally kicked myself. Stupid, stupid immortal.

"What?" Elle replied, clearly alarmed. "I didn't hear anything. Is something wrong?"

"It's fine, darling," he said. "Have you thought about last night?"

"Yes, I have." Come on, Elle. "I still need to think."

"Are you sure? Because I promise to love you and Archer with all my heart."

I teeth felt like needles on my tongue. I swear I'm going to kill that boy if he even thinks about laying a hand on her.

She snorted. "And I believe you why?"

"I'm a changed man, Ellie. You're so young, and your father can't help you. I'm what you need right now. Stability." He paused. "And you're what I need."

"This isn't the eighteenth century, Thomas."

"That doesn't change a thing."

I hissed again. Back off. I'll kill you.

"I think we need to get the pipes checked," Ellie said with a faint chuckle. "We wouldn't someone to get hurt."

I took her hint and shut up.

"Liz," Huh, her name isn't Liz. Where's that come from? "Liz, you don't get it."

She took a deep breath. "Ow."

I jumped up then. No!

"Lizzie, what is it?" No answer. "Lizzie, can you hear me?"

There was a faint whoosh. "Tom," she whispered.

Oh my god. Oh my god.

"It's okay," he replied. "I've got you. You're going to be okay."

Tell him to go away, Elle. I'll be right down as soon as he goes away.

She screamed in pain again. She panted. "My water just broke."