Author's Note: I own neither Twilight nor New Moon, thank you very much.

I was astounded by the level of positive reviews from the last chapter, most of which assured me that you do indeed want a second, or even a third story. As I'm writing this, the review total is 107. That's amazing! Thank you all so very much!

This chapter begins part three, the final part of my story. If thou does not like the way the story line is progressing, thou aught to stop reading. Otherwise, enjoy and review!

Freesia Juliet

Part Three: Trust

Chapter Seventeen: Complications

(Bella's Point of View)

I awoke from a lazy slumber to the most horrifying pain I had ever felt. It was not the torturous ache I had felt after the attacks by James and Victoria, nor the fiery inferno of the vampiric change; rather it was like my whole body was trying to turn itself inside out.

My limbs lashed out because I could not restrain their agonizing spasms. My head whipped back, and I think I smashed the tinted window, but I didn't feel that. I'm losing my mind! I thought desperately as my back arched in another spasm. Vampires don't feel pain like this.

I think I may have lost my mind for a while, because the next thing I knew a cold, sweet liquid was pouring down my throat. Ravenously I gulped down the life-restoring blood, my instincts completely taking over. Then I was calm, because the spasms had stopped abruptly.

My shaking hand reached up to brush away the smear of red from my chin. Carlisle looked down upon me with fatherly concern, his gold eyes rather dark. Feeling foolish, I joked weakly, "I didn't even know I was thirsty."

He helped me upright, and new strength slammed through my veins. The shaking in my arms stopped. Hell, I felt as though I could take on the world! Any trace or sign of the murderous pain was gone. "Good thing Colette is a quick thinker," complemented Carlisle to the stone-faced woman. She, and the others, gingerly approached us. I realized that they had been standing back away from Carlisle and I, a good two hundred feet away from where the two SUVs had pulled off the road. Even Edward.

Surprised, I brought my hand to my mouth as I asked in one quick stream, "Whatthehellwasthat?"

"Human blood," sighed Carlisle as he wrapped the empty bottle back up in its brown paper.

"Oh my God," I choked, feeling nauseous at the thought.

"It was necessary," said Colette stiffly, her eyes still black from the scent of the blood that had no doubt overpowered all of them. I noted that Emmett and Henri each had a restraining arm on Jasper, who had stopped struggling and looked vaguely embarrassed.

"Why?" I growled, feeling rather hostile.

"You and Edward both won't want to hear this…" began Colette as we hurried back into the SUVs. I caught a glimpse of my eyes in the mirror and shivered when I saw their deep red color.

"Talk," ordered Edward once Alice, Henri, Colette, and I joined him in the vehicle. Henri took his turn driving, and Alice squished up against me.

Colette seemed to be struggling for words. "You… you two probably shouldn't have done what you did," she said cryptically. Edward seemed to understand right away.

"Oh… oh no," he moaned, closing his eyes and leaning his head back against the headrest. I patted his arm sympathetically. Surely it couldn't be that bad. After all, the worst was already over and done with. Alice and I exchanged blank looks.

Suddenly it clicked, and I shoved myself into Edward's arms, the unspeakable floating on my lips. "You see, Bella, for the first few weeks, a new vampire still has all of their human blood. This of course does not stop them from being ravenously hungry, but it does give them an extra strength that older vampires do not. In queens like you and I, however, it has a second meaning. Bella you were—" She paused, looking pained. "You were pregnant."

The bottom fell out of the world.

No, no, no, no, no, no, this can't be happening. I struggled for words, "Were? Or am?" I finally said.

"Too soon to tell," sighed Colette, and Edward held me closer. "The whole pregnancy thing doesn't work the same in vampires as it does in humans."

"Because it isn't supposed to happen," pointed out Alice.

"Yes," agreed Colette.

"So what happened?" This was from Edward.

"There was enough human blood for her to… get pregnant, but not enough to sustain the pregnancy. Bella's body actually attacked itself, looking for enough blood to keep the baby alive."

"But you gave me… I drank…" Still uneasy about my encounter with human blood, I couldn't say it. "Did you give it to me in time?"

"Sorry, Bella, but only time will tell." Colette leaned forward and placed her face in her hands for a long minute. "In the meantime, you are never to let yourself get even close to hungry. Do you hear me?" I nodded, and leaned my head out the space of open air that had once been a window, enjoying momentarily the breeze. Little pleasures. These were things my mind could take.

Edward asked Jane's sister something, but I didn't catch it. She responded, "No, Edward, fortunately or unfortunately. With the help of the Rensards, I overcame my bloodlust long enough to resist feeding for that pivotal first year. Sometimes, though, I wonder what it would have been like to have one…"

My involuntary reaction was to place one hand over my stomach, picturing the life inside me. Colette's thoughts mirrored my own. I wondered what it would like to have a baby. Edward's baby. A boy, with green eyes and a crooked smile, playing in the sandbox.

I wondered if my baby had lived, or if those spasms of pain had been my miscarriage.

I wondered if the Volturi would take my baby away from me if I did have it.

I wondered how it would grow. Would it be like a human baby, all smiles and coos? Or would it be serious, somber, red-eyed with a devious edge to it?

Was it a life?

Would it have a heart beat?

Would it age?

Would it die?

Would I love it?

Could I take care of it?

Would Edward love it?

Would we stay together as a family?

What if?

Only time will tell, I reminded myself, as if I was another person, patiently lecturing myself from outside my body.

Edward kissed my cheek, his topaz eyes as far away as my own. I snuggled closer to his hard body, my head on his shoulder.

I blinked very slowly, watching the starless night zoom by as we crossed the boarder into Switzerland. "Another two hours," said Henri absently.

"Alice?" I asked, my mind reverting back to the problem at hand. "Have you seen anything?"

"We need to hurry," urged Alice, snapping out of her visionary daze. "I saw the Volturi arriving at a big stone castle just minutes after we do."

Somewhere four hours back, a beautiful but sad female vampire named Helene relaxed in the arms of her mate, Vincent. Her face formed a small, knowing smile as the repercussions of tonight's actions unfolded before her.