Bella and the Baby

By MistyriousCharades

Disclaimer: This is a fan inspired work based on a fictional piece created by Stephenie Meyer. I do not own or claim any and all entities belonging to Stephenie Meyer and all other parties involved. No money is being made and no copyright infringement intended.

A/N: Okay, I know I left a nasty cliff hanger at the end of Chapter Five. I was hoping to hook you guys back into the story. I think it worked - my e-mail inbox was flooded with responses from this sight alerting me of how many of you added me to your story alerts!! Thanks guys, I'm overwhelmed!! ) Anyway, you're probably eager to all find out what's going on with Angela so with on with the story!!

Chapter Six.

It wasn't true. I hadn't heard correctly. But I had to find out what was going on. I was filled with such an immense strength - to protect my Edward and his secret at all costs. Ben stood away from Angela's doorway and allowed me to enter the room. I didn't look at him as I slowly made my way inside.

I gasped.

If I thought the Cullen casablanca was screaming baby at me it was nothing compared to the newly renovated room of Angela's. Her crib was antique and exquisite; it was all done up with one of those glorious satin mosquito nets for babies. The wallpaper was warm, inviting and soothing. There were soft toys upon soft toys and a little bookshelf with photo albums and spongy baby-safe books. There was also an oddly familiar rocking chair where sat mystery mother Angela. The rocking chair so reminded me of my own. Angela sat in the seat cradling Benji almost even more desperately then I was so used to seeing Jessica do. It was weird to see her so attached to him given the fact that I had recently theorised that she may have to reset him because we thought he had killed her.

"Angela?" I asked bravely, "What's going on?"

Angela's hair was in front of her face and I couldn't see it properly. It was long and unnaturally wild; she looked like the little girl Samara from the Japanese horror movie The Ring, except not as wet.

"Leave us Ben," she whispered and the door behind him closed. On its own. "Hello Bella."

I felt so awkward standing there holding Sunny like a casual doll. She was all the human help I had at the moment and she wasn't even real. Even if she still had her chip there was nothing she could do, real or not she was a baby.

I didn't respond to Angela's greeting. She sighed, "I can only imagine what you're thinking right now but I promise there is an easy explanation for all this."

She looked up at me with piercing blue eyes. It struck me as odd - I had never remembered her eyes being blue - or neon blue for that matter.

"Nice contacts," I blurted out rather sarcastically. A smile etched loosely on her face. You would think that being with Edward for so long I had become used to abnormal eye colours that had nothing to do with contacts. Angela shifted gently in her rocking chair.

"You wanted me to join the party didn't you Bella? Well, you're soon going to find out that I've always been a part of it. For as long as vampires and werewolf shape-shifters have existed, there have also been other immortals."

My heart sunk as I realised an unwanted truth - I would never be able to be friends with anyone who was one hundred percent human. I had always liked Angela because I thought she was the only real girl I could talk to and now as it turned out she was... well I wasn't quite sure what she was yet. Definitely no Spiderman but I could undeniably sense something supernatural about her now. The question remained however - what was Angela?

"I don't mean to scare you Bella. I have always liked you. I've always admired you for going out with a vampire and I guess that's why I've always been so nice to you."

"You've always known then?" I asked, "About Edward I mean?"

She nodded, "And the pack and their treaty with the Cullens. But us immortals, we keep our secrets of our existences of ourselves, each other and other species, like an invisible unwritten universally agreed upon code."

"So then what are you?" I asked curiously. She opened her mouth to answer me but it was then that I heard it - a child's cry.

Benji's.

Although, something was unusual.

I was so used to hearing Sunny's and Robinson's cries all the time (which both sounded exactly the same, mind you), that hearing Benji's being so distinctly unique, I knew instantly something was different but couldn't pinpoint it.

"Bella I can't do this," she confessed, rocking Benji desperately, "but I know you can."

She suddenly looked very scared and she closed her eyes, "Edward is coming so I don't have much time to explain myself."

"Take a deep breath," I suggested, comforted to know that Edward would be here and given his speed I knew it wouldn't be long.

"A family friend met Ben and became jealous that I could have such a relationship with a human. I'm sure you and Edward have been through similar troubles. Anyways because of her jealously" -

"Hello Angela. Long time no see."

She didn't turn around but she knew who it was. I did too because I could see who was standing at her window. Even if I couldn't there was no unrecognising his glorious musical voice.

Edward.

"Damn your vampiric speed," she muttered, "Do you mind? I'm trying to have a quick word with Bella..."

"Talk by all means but I'm not going anywhere. I must admit though, your powers are fascinating. I'm sure Carlisle himself wasn't even aware of your secret."

"Oh he knew. But my family posed no threat to him or your family. We're not mortal enemies. There's no need for treaties between my kind and yours. I knew about you but as I was telling Bella, we keep to our codes. We don't want anyone finding us as much as you don't want anyone discovering you."

"Fair enough," Edward agreed, "Continue with your story; let's find out what happened to the jealous girl."

"Thank you," she said, "She placed a curse on me. I'm not strong enough to break it because I rarely practice magic but I've found a counter curse."

Though she still had a lot of explaining to do I immediately felt sorry for her, "What did she do?"

Angela's response was almost immediate, "Bella can you do me a favour? Can you please hold Benji for me? I'll take Stephenie from you."

"She prefers Sunny," I joked but handed her forward to present to Angela.

"You may want to take Benji from me first," she suggested though I couldn't see what difference it would make. "Sunny's chip is with Mr. Banner anyways so you may as well just put her on the table for now."

I was curious but I held my questions. Her intense desire remained for me to hold Benji and I still didn't know what she was or what curse had been placed upon her.

I took Benji from her gently. He was warm and soft in my arms and heavier than Sunny. He was even more lifelike which puzzled me because I thought all our dolls were created uniform and programmed that way too. I looked up at Angela, she was casually holding Sunny now so I couldn't tell their distinct similarities instantly but I looked back at Benji and he had his eyes open and within moments had started crying. Thick tears rolled down his face and I fumbled, "Quick Angela, give me your key!"

She didn't seem worried that he was crying in the slightest. "What are you doing?" I asked, "The longer you wait, the more 'neglect' points you'll raise and that's going to affect your mark with Mr. Banner for sure."

Angela sighed. "There is no key Bella," she whispered.

"Great!" I thought aloud, "How do I make it stop then?"

"Wow Bella, I thought you were smarter than that! Can't you tell? Benji's not a doll anymore. He's real."

I looked back at his too-human face but I refused to want to believe it. "What?" I asked incredulously, "Oh Angela take him back! You don't know me very well do you? You see! I'll probably drop him or something!"

Angela clung even more tightly to Sunny, "Give yourself some credit Bella. Is she always this insecure Edward?"

I hadn't forgotten that Edward was standing there but it suddenly occurred to me that he had remained pretty quiet since the revelation.

"The curse?" he asked inquisitively, "The jealous girl turned your science project into a real life breathing human boy?"

Angela nodded, "And there's only one way to counter it. I'm not nearly powerful to try anything else."

"What about your parents?" Edward asked.

She shook her head, "They wouldn't know. I'm the first witch in my family after four generations. It must have something to do with you being here. Since you arrived, your presence here altered the Quiluetes again and now I'm the first witch born into my family since my great-great-great grandmother."

"So then how do you counter it?" Edward wondered, "And why would you want to? He's a beautiful living breathing boy."

"Edward, look at me. I'm not old enough to be a mother and I hardly want to right now. My parents would kill me if I kept him; they don't understand my powers entirely and would force me to stay home till I could break the spell. This counter is the best solution I could come up with. Besides, what would everyone at school say? How would I explain it? And what would I say happened to the doll? If I kept him, when he grew up, where would I tell him that he came from? That he was created out of jealousy? I'm just not ready to make such a life altering move. Ben can hardly talk to me as it is and he knew I was a witch. I'm just not mentally strong enough to keep him."

"So then what do you suggest?" Edward asked, "and why have you involved Bella in all of this? What does she have to do with it? She'll tell you herself, she's not ready to be a mother yet. Am I right my love?"

I looked down at the tiny boy in my hands. Was Angela really suggesting that I become Benji's mother? She really didn't know me, did she?

"We could give him to Rosalie?" I suggested; I remembered her story and what it had meant to her at the time. I doubted very much that her feelings had changed.

"Negative," Edward countered, "The boy is human. One day he will die and Rosalie would not be able to live with that. She would want to change him which is hardly fair for Benji. What counter spell do you suggest Angela? And you still haven't told me why this concerns Bella."

"Because the counter involves taking his life force and placing it into another inanimate."

I didn't have time to react or to ask what her confusing answer had meant. The whole room began to glow in a blue light that struck so similar to the colour of Angela's eyes. I felt the life and soul of the baby in my hands leave him and fly into the ceiling above me. It was like something out of the Disney Pocahontas movie when she sings the theme song and the wind is rushing around her, with all the colours of the wind. Angela was absorbing all of Benji's energy. I couldn't see what she was doing with it because I was blinded by bright lights but I suddenly felt Edward near to me.

"Be still my love," he whispered into my ear, "I don't see yet how this magic effects us but I don't think it's anything of any immediate worry."

The glowing stopped. The spirits had gone and Angela fainted onto the floor, her energy gone. Ben rushed into the room and was at her side in moments. Benji was a doll again.

Edward placed his hand on my shoulders and looked me in the eyes and then up and down. He began running his fingers through my hair as though determined to find something wrong with me.

"I don't understand!" he said furiously, "What did her counter spell do? Why did she need you to do it? Do you feel okay?"

"I'm fine," I promised him and I was telling the truth. I wasn't sure why Angela had been waiting for me but then I was quite confident that she hadn't done anything to me.

And then on the floor next to Angela, I heard a baby girl cry.

NB: casablanca is Spanish for white house.