I'd experienced the best nights of my existence since I had met Bella, and each night of the week that followed was definitely among them.

Not to mention the days.

It seemed like we seldom left the blue room, unless it was to go to the kitchen to find something to feed the human, or to move from laying in each other's arms on the bed to laying in each other's arms on the sofa in the living room, where we half-paid attention to whatever Bella stuck into the DVD player.

Now that I had found the answer to keep from harming her fragile body, we let ourselves go with making up for all of the lost time since our relationship had first begun. There was seldom more than an inch or two of space between us, if any at all, and we spent long hours enjoying everything I had not allowed before. At some points, I almost felt like a typical 17-year-old human male…never wanting to stop, always wanting more.

It was of course still necessary to exercise the utmost caution on my part, but as it had when I had first learned to resist the pull of the scent of her blood, it got easier to do each time we made love. Bella was unfortunately inclined to recklessness when she got lost in the moment, but was generally cooperative when I had to bring her back within the boundaries of what was safe.

Her newfound tendency to want to nip at my neck with her front teeth, for example. She obviously couldn't cause me any real damage (in fact, I wondered about her chipping her teeth), but each time she did it, it almost sent me over the edge of reason. The first time she had done so, I had the briefest moment where I almost lapsed entirely and gave in to the impulse to throw her against the headboard and let go with wild abandon. Instead, I had frozen in place, forced myself to pull away, and later had to carefully explain that she really must not do that again. Unfortunately, I had seen the shadow of a smile around her mouth as she considered the effect she had had on me.

Despite that apparent sense of triumph, though, I think she tried to remember my warning. She wasn't always successful, but thankfully, at least one of us could generally keep his wits about him.

You might think that the all-consuming restraint I had to exercise would take away from the experience, perhaps cause it to be more trouble than it was worth.

That could not have been farther from the truth.

There was nothing—nothing at all—that I had ever experienced or could even dream of experiencing that could match those times. The overwhelming sensations, the pleasure, the new closeness that I felt to my angelic bride in those moments…all of it was more than I had ever imagined, or ever have dared hope for. Nothing could match the feel of her in my arms, pressed against my body. What I had thought was impossible had become our reality.

But in addition to that, which was so much more than I deserved, I found that I almost felt…normal. Here, away from all other eyes except Bella's, subject to overhearing no one's thoughts but my own, I almost felt the way she seemed to see me: the same as anyone else. When that was combined with the love she showered on me, I felt closer to my lost humanity than I had in all the years since I had been changed. It was yet another gift from fate that I had never expected to receive.

I smiled down at Bella now, sleeping soundly after this evening's activities. Her hair had been messed and her cheeks were still flushed slightly. She looked—and smelled—so devastatingly sexy.

I hated to slip out and be even a moment without her, but it had been over two weeks, and I had to hunt. I had put it off as long as I could, partly because I didn't want to leave her, but also because hunting was the one sure way I would be reminded once again of my true nature. I hated to have to acknowledge my other appetite, the one that had been finally overshadowed by the physical appetite I had suppressed for so long. I also hated to have to acknowledge that until Bella became what I was, we would never really be the same.

My plan was to swim to the mainland, go into the nearest wooded area and be back as soon as possible. I didn't intend to be fussy about the choice of menu items. I had even considered simply seeing what was available in the ocean nearby, but I knew that any spilled blood in the water would draw sharks, and it would be a waste of precious time to deal with fighting them off.

I walked over to the dresser to write a note in case Bella woke up while I was gone:

I'm hoping you won't wake and notice my absence, but, if you should, I'll be back very soon. I've just gone to the mainland to hunt. Go back to sleep and I'll be here when you wake again. I love you.

I fold the sheet of paper in half, wrote "Mrs. Cullen" on the outside (it was as pleasurable to write as it was to say), and placed it on the pillow beside her. With a soft kiss to her forehead, I slipped out the French door to the beach.

I was impatient with my hunting, overeager to get back. My focus was off, too, and I made a few clumsy errors, managing to scare off a few animals before I caught up with them. I cursed myself under my breath, and wondered if I had gotten too deeply entrenched in playing human.

I was going to have to get it together before Bella and I returned home. If this kept up, I wouldn't be able to let her out of my sight long enough for her to attend her classes. If I couldn't be away from her for a few hours, I was definitely going to start seeming creepy. Or creepier than usual.

With business finally taken care of within another hour or two, I headed for the water to swim back to the island. I was racing even faster than I had on the way out, partially because I was enjoying the exercise, but partially because the sun was starting to rise and I worried that Bella would wake up without me. I didn't want her to miss me, even for a moment.

When I stepped back into the bedroom, I could see immediately that Bella was not in bed.

Drat. She had already awoken without me.

I checked the bathroom but found it empty, and walked to the living room. She was there, curled up on the sofa with the TV on but the screen blank. Whatever she had been watching had finished some time ago. Her hair was plastered against her head in damp strings, and sweat beaded on her forehead. Dammit, she was sweltering. What a stupid thing for me to have forgotten in my hurry to leave and get back.

I sat down next to her on the sofa and pulled her into my arms, wiping a hand over her forehead to try and cool her down. "I'm sorry. So much for thoroughness. I didn't think about how hot you would be with me gone. I'll have an air conditioner installed before I leave again."

Her eyes blinked a few times as she woke, then suddenly widened. She went pale and sat up straight, struggling to get out of my embrace. "Bella?"

She ran for the bathroom then, and I was right behind her, my heart in my throat. What on earth…?

She dove at the toilet, yanked open the lid and threw up violently. I barely got her hair out of the way. "Bella? What's wrong?" I had never seen her more pale.

"Damn rancid chicken," she muttered, struggling to catch her breath.

"Are you all right?" The sight of her like this shook me to the core. I felt helpless, useless.

"Fine," she gasped. "It's just food poisoning. You don't need to see this. Go away."

I looked at her pale face, still beaded with sweat, still looking quite nauseous. As if I would just walk away with her in this state. "Not likely, Bella."

"Go away," she pushed me weakly as she fought her way to her feet and to the sink, running the water to rinse out her mouth and splash her face. I held her steady, one hand still in her hair to keep it out of the water.

When she had finished, I swept her into my arms and carried her to the bed. I sat her down and then sat next to her, an arm around her shoulders for support. "Food poisoning?"

"Yeah," she managed to reply. "I made some chicken last night. It tasted off, so I threw it out. But I ate a few bites first."

I put a hand across her forehead to see if she felt warmer than usual. "How do you feel now?"

She hesitated a moment as if performing an internal self-inventory. "Pretty normal. A little hungry, actually."

I chuckled a little. Of course she was hungry. Not only was she always ravenous in the mornings these days, she'd just thrown up the entirety of her stomach contents. "I'll make you something to eat in a little while, Bella. For now, I think you should just lie down for a few minutes." My panic was gradually subsiding. Thankfully, she was generally a pretty healthy person and did not get sick often. Despite the medical training, it was easy to forget that humans were prone to this kind of thing when you weren't around them that much. But I supposed I would have to get used to it, for a few years at least.

Once she'd lain comfortably in my arms for an hour or so without jumping up for the bathroom and could keep down a glass of water, I agreed to let her get up so I could fry her some eggs. When she had finished, we moved to the living room and laid on the couch, half-watching the news. She seemed to be tired but feeling all right as I stroked her forehead and hair.

But when she moved, turning in my lap, she suddenly clamped a hand over her mouth, leapt up and sprinted for the kitchen.

Once again, I was right behind her, and held her hair back as she threw up all of the eggs she'd just eaten into the sink.

"Maybe we should go back to Rio, see a doctor," I said with a frown as she rinsed her mouth out for the second time. I didn't like this one bit. I couldn't imagine anything worse than Bella feeling less than perfect, and being unable to do anything about it. Powerlessness was my least favourite feeling.

She shook her head and turned for the bathroom. "I'll be fine right after I brush my teeth."

I waited anxiously for as long as I could tolerate, but she was gone too long—or at least what seemed too long to me. It could have been less than thirty seconds, but I didn't care. I went to the bathroom and knocked on the door. "Are you well? Did you get sick again?"

"Yes and no," I heard her say, but her voice was unnaturally choked. The distress was abundantly obvious. I could feel the panic rising in my throat again.

"Bella? Can I please come in?" I demanded, about to take the door off the hinges anyway if she said no.

"O…kay?"

When I stepped into the room, she was sitting on the floor with her bag of toiletries spread out next to her. She looked…stunned, staring straight ahead.

If my heart had still been beating, it most certainly would have stopped at the sight of her face.

I quickly knelt down beside her and put a hand to her forehead again. "What's wrong?"

It seemed to take her a moment to find her voice. When she spoke, she was whispering. "How many days has it been since the wedding?"

"Seventeen," I answered automatically. I could probably have given her the number of hours if she had wanted to know, but instead I frowned. "Bella, what is it?" What could the date of the wedding possibly have to do with anything?

She held up a finger to motion that I should wait and muttered under her breath, still staring at the wall. Something was running through her mind. She was trying to figure something out. Damn the fact that I couldn't read her mind, of all minds! I nearly growled with the frustration.

I waited for a moment, but couldn't stand it much longer. "Bella! I'm losing my mind over here."

She looked like she was trying to answer me but couldn't. Instead, she reached into her bag and dug around for moment, then held up a small blue box.

I looked at what she had in her hand. Tampons? My eyes went to her face, searching for some kind of explanation. "What? Are you trying to pass this illness off as PMS?"

"No," she gasped, finally turning to look at me. "No, Edward. I'm trying to tell you that my period is five days late."

She was never late. Never, in all the time I'd known her. I froze, trying to figure out what that could possibly mean, why that would make her sick.

"I don't think I have food poisoning," she added. "The dreams. Sleeping so much. The crying. All that food. Oh. Oh. Oh."

My mind went completely blank. No thoughts of any kind formed for a long, long moment. Looking back on it now, I can only conclude that my vampire brain had realized the import of her words instantaneously, then shut down just as quickly. I had gone into shock. Complete and utter shock. What she was saying—it was impossible. Impossible.

I was vaguely aware that Bella had leaped to her feet and was murmuring the same word: impossible. She was moving around a little, doing something, but I didn't know what. I couldn't focus on her. My mind, blank as an unused chalkboard a moment ago, was now racing, desperately trying to process the information I'd just been given.

Late. Five days late. For a human couple, the implications would be obvious. Obviously, Bella was human…but just as obviously, I was not. And even if I were, I remembered everything about human reproduction from medical school: there was no way her body would already be reacting to a pregnancy only a couple of weeks old. There was no way she should already be so hungry, so tired…There was no way she should be waking up with morning sickness, for God's sake.

It was impossible.

Wasn't it?

Long ago, I had of course read everything about my family's kind that I could get my hands on: historical accounts, novels, poems, legends ancient and modern, from every place around the world. I had scoured even the newest material, from Bram Stoker to Stephen King to Anne Rice. I'd also watched the movies, dozens of them, no matter how campy or low-budget. Much of the information was just plain wrong, but I had absorbed it all anyway to at least know what humans thought of us, and what they expected when they had the misfortune to encounter us. My mind rolodexed through the litany of facts and 'facts'.

The legend of the incubus. I knew it, but had never taken it seriously.

For one thing, until I had met Bella, the idea of a male vampire mating with a human female had seemed ridiculously absurd. Even when I became aware of the predilection Tanya and her sisters had for human men, I had learned that most of the men certainly didn't survive the encounter—or if they did, they didn't survive it…intact. There had never been any reason to believe that a human female would fare much better.

For another thing, I had never met anyone of our kind who had ever encountered or even heard of such an occurrence outside of the legends themselves. No one I knew of had ever seen or heard of an actual human female being impregnated by a vampire male. The idea of anything human remaining within us—within me—to make such a thing biologically possible seemed even more ridiculously absurd. I didn't even have tears, for heaven's sake. How on earth could I have…which would function sufficiently well to…?

Then the worst part of the legend of the incubus hit me with the force of a wrecking ball.

Even in those stories where a male vampire had mated with a human female and she had not only survived the encounter, but been successfully impregnated…she most certainly did not survive the pregnancy. Neither did the fetus. The human body was never strong enough in those legends to carry the unnatural pregnancy to term, or to a point where the fetus could survive. The pregnancy itself killed both mother and child.

Even in the legends and the old wives' tales, there had been enough inherent logic to recognize that such an unnatural union could never result in anything less than a monstrous outcome for all involved.

So even if it were somehow possible for Bella to be pregnant, the result would be disastrous.

Which meant that despite the fact that at the end of the day, I might not ultimately be the monster who would be directly responsible for Bella's death as I had always feared, right from the moment we met, I had instead created another monster—and that monster would surely be the one to kill her.

The realization made my head swim. If I had needed air, I would have been gasping for breath. If I could have been sick, I would certainly have been the one next lunging for the sink.

I could scream, but couldn't seem to find my voice. Or any ability to move in any way.

I was vaguely aware that Bella was still in the room, still moving around and muttering, but it was as if I were at the bottom of a well under a hundred feet of water, only able to see blurry shapes and muffled sounds at the surface. I wanted to know what she was doing…I wanted to be able to say something to her…

But I couldn't. I could do nothing at all.

I had no idea how much time passed, but suddenly realized that Bella was climbing over me, patting my clothes, digging into my pockets for something.

Ring…ring…ring…

Something was making some kind of ringing noise. She seemed to be looking for the source of the noise. Or at least that was the logical inference.

Ring…

"Hi, Alice." Bella's voice. She had found my cell phone. It was the phone that had been ringing. Struggling, I started to push the fog of shock and distress from my mind so that I could follow the conversation.

"Bella? Bella, are you okay?" Alice. It was Alice. Of course. And she sounded as frantically worried as…as she should sound, in the circumstances.

"Yeah. Um. Is Carlisle there?" Bella's voice was rough, like she was having trouble speaking.

"He is. What's the problem?" Alice demanded.

"I'm not…one hundred percent…sure…."

"Is Edward all right?" I heard Alice's voice, fainter, away from the telephone receiver, calling for Carlisle. "Why didn't he pick up the phone?" she asked when she returned to her interrogation of Bella.

"I'm not sure," Bella replied, and I could feel her eyes on me.

"Bella, what's going on? I just saw—"

"What did you see?"

An excellent question. Alice hesitated. Instead of answering, she just said, "Here's Carlisle."

"Bella, it's Carlisle." Now my father's voice, calm. "What's going on?"

Another excellent question. "I—" Now it was Bella's turn to hesitate. "I'm a little worried about Edward….Can vampires go into shock?"

"Has he been harmed?" Carlisle immediately sounded worried.

"No, no…Just…taken by surprise."

"I don't understand, Bella."

I heard her suck in a deep breath. "I think…well, I think that…maybe…I might be…pregnant."

It was the first time the word had been spoken out loud: pregnant. My stomach plunged crazily, but I was still unable to move.

There was silence from Carlisle's end of the line for a long moment. Finally, he switched into doctor mode. "When was the first day of your last menstrual cycle?"

"Sixteen days before the wedding," she replied quickly. Clearly, she had already done the math.

"How do you feel?"

"Weird." Her voice broke on the word. "This is going to sound crazy—look, I know it's way too early for any of this. Maybe I am crazy. But I'm having bizarre dreams and eating all the time and crying and throwing up and…and..I swear something moved inside me just now."

Moved? The monster had moved? I looked up at her sharply as my frozen limbs instantly thawed. I held out my hand for the phone.

Bella looked at me with a concerned frown. Leave it to her to be worried about me. "Um, I think Edward wants to talk to you."

"Put him on," I heard Carlisle say tersely, and she handed me the phone.

"Is it possible?" I asked, managing no more than a whisper.

"Well…I've never seen it myself, Edward. I've never even heard of an actual case of a human being impregnated by a vampire, not even when I was with the Volturi. And you know how many centuries they've been around. But I've also read the same legends and stories I know you have read, and my experience has always been that even the most impossible-sounding legends have a basis in truth."

He cleared his throat and continued on. "But in addition to that, now that I turn my mind to it, I can think of no reason that it wouldn't be physiologically possible. It may be hard to believe when you consider how much our bodies change and how much is lost during the transition from human to vampire. We may no longer produce new sperm, but I suppose the original supply, if you will, remains intact.

"Given that Bella is in her prime reproductive years, I really should have thought of the possibility when you told me of your…er…plans for your honeymoon. I suppose it just never occurred to me, since it's not something I've ever encountered. I was too focused on the other issues…" He let his voice trail off for a moment.

"I'm going to have to look into this some more, Edward. I simply have no idea what to expect with a child who will be half-human and half-vampire."

I was staring a hole into the bathroom wall as I absorbed everything he had said. He was trying to think of it scientifically, medically, but was clearly at a loss to do so. The most gifted physician I'd encountered in a hundred years, and he had no idea what to do or say.

I forced myself to ask the question that was foremost in my mind. "And Bella?" Instinctively, I reached out to pull her against me.

There was a pause. "I wish I knew what to tell you, son. I just don't know enough." He didn't say it, but I knew he was thinking about those legends—where the outcome was always an excruciating death for the woman involved. "She's young, healthy and strong, and from what she said she's experiencing very normal signs of early pregnancy. She's at least three or four months or so ahead of schedule on those things and I don't know what that means, but I'll start reading everything I can get my hands on. And you need to bring her home right away so I can examine her. If necessary…" he hesitated. "Well, if necessary…I'm sure I can terminate the pregnancy. I'll look into that as well. It should still be early enough. In the meantime, just try and keep her comfortable."

I recognized Carlisle's keep-the-patient-calm bedside manner voice. It was the voice he used when he suspected the worst but wasn't yet ready to deliver the news. I had a million more questions, but knew that he had none of the answers. My best hope was to get Bella home, and hope that his research would pay off while we were en route. "Yes. Yes, I will," I told him numbly, and hung up.

My next call was obvious, and I started dialing immediately.

"What did Carlisle say?" Bella asked anxiously.

"He thinks you're pregnant." I knew my tone was flat, and I was surprised I could get the words out at all.

"Who are you calling now?"

"The airport. We're going home."

* * *

Making the arrangements for our sudden departure in a country where 'hurry' was not part of the local consciousness the way it was in America was ridiculously aggravating. I had to argue with far too many airline bureaucrats, each the supervisor of the last, each trying to tell me that what I was looking for—a flight to Seattle, not to the moon, for heaven's sake—was "impossible". Don't try and tell me what's impossible, I felt like screaming at them. In my world, nothing seemed to be impossible any more, unless it were my continued peace of mind. That, surely, was the one thing that appeared to be truly impossible.

As I debated one fool after another over the arrangements, I hurried through the bedroom, tossing our things into our suitcases as quickly as I could. I could sense that my frantic movements were upsetting Bella, but it was too important that we be fast and get back to Carlisle as soon as possible. He needed to be able to examine her before this went on for any longer, so that we could figure out what could be done.

Besides, throwing things into suitcases was the only thing distracting me from tearing something apart in my rage and frustration.

Pregnant! Of all the things that could possibly remain quasi-human in me, that had to be the one. The one that would kill my reason for existence. The irony was infuriating. It were as if the fates were mocking me at every turn, matching every positive thing that happened with a negative one. Or six. It didn't seem as though we could go a week without Bella's life being in danger, and in danger because I was a vampire and she was human.

I didn't think my sense of self-loathing had ever been as intense as it was then.

"Fine…" I said in Portuguese, through clenched teeth. "Los Angeles is fine. Give me that one." We'd have to make further arrangements to get from L.A. to Seattle, but at least we'd be back in the U.S. where it should be at least slightly easier to do. I couldn't stand arguing with these people for one more minute anyway.

When I finally snapped the phone shut, I noticed that Bella had disappeared from the room. I could hear her rustling some kind of packaging in the kitchen, and headed that direction.

"Bella?"

She turned slowly from where she stood at the window. Quiet tears glistened on her cheeks.

My anger and frustration evaporated and were instantly replaced with remorse and concern. She was crying again! I'd made her cry, again. Not only was she feeling physically awful, she must have been terrified, and I hadn't even acknowledged it.

I crossed the kitchen in a flash and took her face in my hands. "Bella! Are you in pain?"

"No, no—" she started to say, but I couldn't let her finish. I had to say something to reassure her that I would not let this kill her. I would not let this even harm a hair on her head.

Clutching her to me, I did my best to say the things I hoped would make her feel safe. "Don't be afraid. We'll be home in sixteen hours. You'll be fine. Carlisle will be ready when we get there. We'll take care of this, and you'll be fine, you'll be fine."

Her voice was somewhat muffled against my chest. "Take care of this? What do you mean?"

She sounded genuinely confused. Perhaps she couldn't even imagine that a solution was possible. I pulled away so that I could see her face. "We're going to get that thing out before it can hurt any part of you. Don't be scared. I won't let it hurt you."

She said something else but I was distracted by the sound of footsteps approaching the front door. The cleaning crew again! Of all the things we didn't need right now. "Dammit! I forgot Gustavo was due today. I'll get rid of him and be right back." I gave her a small squeeze and hurried toward the door.

Dear God, I hope he hasn't killed her yet…I can't believe I'm doing this…but she has no one to protect her…

The thoughts threw me off guard. I hadn't paid enough attention to the footsteps to realize that it wasn't Gustavo on the other side of the door, it was Kaure. Even worse.

I flung open the door impatiently, in no mood for her suspicions and speculation. It hadn't escaped me that indirectly she'd been quite right to worry about the human woman alone on this island with the Libishomen, but I had enough to worry about.

"Kaure. I'm sorry, I forgot you were coming today," I said in quick Portuguese. "We've been called back to the United States for an emergency, so we're leaving right away. Can you come back tomorrow and do the cleaning then, and close up the house for Esme?"

He doesn't want me to see! I knew it! "Uh…yes, sir…" she replied, looking down, away from my eyes. So glad I thought to bring this casserole. Bravely, now…. "But I cooked this meal for you and your…bride." She held up a covered wooden dish. "Please allow me to bring it into the kitchen for you."

Oh, for… Her heart was actually pounding in her chest, thinking she'd be about to wander in on a murder scene. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I had to admire her willingness to do so for an absolute stranger. No doubt a cultural difference between her tribe and Americans unwilling to get involved in matters that didn't concern them directly. "Thank you, Kaure. I can take that in." I reached to take the dish from her, but she pulled it back.

"Please allow me, Mr. Edward. I wouldn't want you to be burdened with the task. And perhaps I can say hello to your lovely…wife."

I realized she was determined, and didn't have the energy or the time to argue with her. Fine, we'd get this over with. "It's really not necessary, Kaure," I muttered, annoyed, but stepped back to allow her inside. I turned for the kitchen, assuming she would follow me. "And really, we don't have much time to spare. Please be quick."

"Yes, Mr. Edward."

Bella was still standing in the same spot near the window, still with tears glistening on her cheeks. I went to her side and wiped them away with a finger, leaning in to whisper, "She's insisting on leaving the food she brought—she made us dinner. It's an excuse—she wants to make sure I haven't killed you yet."

Kaure stepped into the kitchen cautiously, her eyes steady on Bella's face. Thank the Lord, she's alive. But she's so pale! What has he done to her? Was she crying? "I will leave the dish here for you," she said quietly, placing her gift on the counter without moving her eyes from Bella. She glanced between the two of us for a moment, trying to decide what was happening and what she should do about it.

I'd had enough. There were more important things for me to deal with than this woman's suspicions, or her feelings. "All right, already, Kaure!" I snapped. "You've done it, you've brought the dish in. Thank you. Now go!"

I had startled her. She spun to leave, kicking up a draft with her skirt as she did so. The heavy smell of spices, onions and fish wafted from the dish on the counter, and Bella whirled around where she stood, heaving into the sink. I barely got my hands to her face in time to hold her hair out of the way, then tossed the dish into the refrigerator to suppress the smell.

As Bella rinsed her mouth and face, I gently caressed her cheeks and forehead, hoping the coolness of my skin would help make her feel at least a little bit better. All of this because of me. The self-loathing cascaded over me once again. My poor Bella, this sick because of me.

When she seemed to have finished, I turned her around carefully and pulled her into my arms. What I wouldn't have given to have been able to take this onto myself so that she wouldn't have to be the one suffering. Every single time, she always had to be the one to pay the price.

She rested her head against my shoulder and folded her hands over her stomach.

Incubus! The thought was so forceful it were as if it had been shouted. An audible gasp was followed by a steady stream of mental prayers.

Bella and I both looked up to see Kaure in the doorway of the kitchen, frozen in place with her hands outstretched towards us. Her eyes and her mouth were wide open, locked on the sight of Bella's hands on her stomach.

Bastard! You evil bastard! What have you done?! Again, it were as if the words had been shouted out loud. The horror and the hatred were nearly palpable. She was wishing she had a stake in her hands, and was fully prepared at that moment to use it.

I made some kind of audible sound myself and turned toward Kaure, drawing Bella behind me instinctively at the sense of a threat, even though the threat was directed at me and not her.

Suddenly Kaure was screaming at me, her words and thoughts spilling out in such a barrage of outrage and horror that it was almost difficult to discern what she said out loud versus what silently went through her mind. It was a torrent of accusations and threats, and she even stepped forward to shake a fist at me. She was no more than five feet tall and ninety pounds full clothed, and she was purposely threatening a vampire. It was astonishing.

I was momentarily stunned by not only her ferocity, but also her bravery. It was difficult to feel animosity in return, since her reaction had been provoked primarily by her concern for my Bella. Moreover, she was quite right. Although my intentions had never been evil, the result certainly was.

I took a step forward, hoping to calm her down. Bella clutched at my arm, likely afraid I was going to tear this woman's head off right in front of her.

"Please, Kaure, it's not like that. Bella is my wife. We really are married, legally married, in the United States." Casting my mind back, I searched for the words in the language of her tribe, the Ticuna, hoping that the familiarity of the words would help her to trust me. I had learned the language long ago and not used it for decades, but was pleased to find that if I concentrated, I could find what I needed to say.

I pressed ahead. "I love her, more than my own life, more than anything. And she loves me, too. You can see she's not afraid of me. She's not here against her will." I started to say something about how I hadn't harmed her, but couldn't. It hadn't been deliberate, but I had harmed her.

What? Kaure's mind reeled, astonished by the fact that I knew her native tongue. As she stared at me, it briefly occurred to her that that might mean I was even more dangerous, but she had more immediate concerns. Narrowing her eyes, she replied in Ticuna. "I see she's crying. I see she's sick, throwing up. And I see her clutch at her stomach, which is clearly swollen. She is with child, isn't she; your child?"

Kaure had five children, and many grandchildren. Her mother had been a midwife. She had personally witnessed countless pregnancies and births. It was clear from her mind that she knew the signs better than any American gynecologist.

I couldn't find my voice to answer her, so I simply nodded.

With another quiet gasp, she took a step backwards and crossed herself. Dear Lord. A demon child.

Again, she was right. All I could do in response was gesture lovingly toward Bella, and gently place my hand on her cheek. She was right, except that she had not acknowledged that I loved Bella, that I had not deliberately hurt her.

"Of course you've entranced her! I know how your kind work, how you gain the trust of helpless young women. That she cannot resist you doesn't mean you're not a demon!" She snarled, gesticulating wildly at me.

"It's not like that, Kaure," I said quietly. "Can't you see it? Can't you see how much I love her? We've been together for almost two years." My voice had become pleading, and I still had a hand resting on Bella's soft cheek. She was staring between Kaure and me, unable to understand the words but clearly understanding that the exchange was not a pleasant one.

Kaure calmed down slightly as I spoke, breathing heavily through her nose. She was looking from my face to Bella's, judging, trying to make out the situation from our faces. Something there gave her enough pause to fuel an inner debate in her mind, as she considered whether I could possibly be telling her the truth.

She stepped forward and gestured in front of her with her hands to mimic the shape of a round, pregnant stomach. "She knows that she is pregnant?"

"Yes."

"Newly pregnant?"

"Yes."

"And she knows what you are?"

"Yes." I hesitated. While Kaure was clearly shocked by what she had found here today, she was not particularly surprised about the fact of the pregnancy itself – that it was even possible. In that regard, she certainly knew more than I had. Her thoughts were on her tribe's legend of the incubus. She had heard of this before. Perhaps she had knowledge that would be of use to us, to Carlisle. Carefully, almost not sure I wanted the answer, I asked, "Have you seen this before?"

Her response was instant in her mind. She hadn't seen it herself, but she had heard stories from others who had, including her mother, the midwife, who had in turn heard them from her grandmother, also a midwife.

The stories had not had happy endings.

She shook her head slowly without speaking, but in her mind were visions of women, either killed while pregnant with children so much stronger than their own bodies that their bodies literally broke apart, or killed in childbirth, after agonizing hours of…

I could feel my world crumbling as I tuned out of her thoughts, unable to bear them for another instant. I couldn't connect those images, bloody and violent, with my soft, sweet Bella. That couldn't possibly be her future. It couldn't.

"Do they ever survive?" I croaked out, only vaguely aware of the desolation in my voice.

Again, the response was instant in her mind: never. She stepped forward slowly and reached out to place her hand carefully over Bella's, on Bella's stomach. "Morte," she sighed in Portuguese.

She was genuinely sorry for Bella, and somehow, even sorry for me.

Her head and shoulders bent, she turned and quietly left the room.

I had become a statue, frozen to the spot by Kaure's words and, most of all, by those last images in her mind. That was the fate that had been dealt to Bella, all because she had had the misfortune to fall in love with me.

I was paralyzed with the grief.

I knew Bella was still standing beside me, but I was unsure how much time passed before she moved, starting out of the kitchen. Startled into action again by her movement, I gently grabbed her shoulder. "Where are you going?"

Her expression was even. "To brush my teeth again."

"Don't worry about what she said," I told her, suddenly desperate to reassure her, at least to keep her calm until I could get her to Carlisle. "It's nothing but legends, old lies for the sake of entertainment."

"I didn't understand anything," she replied flatly.

I could read nothing from her expression, and cursed again the fact that I couldn't get even the vaguest glimpse of a thought from her mind. "I packed your toothbrush. I'll get it for you," I finally said, lamely, and preceded her to the bedroom.

"Are we leaving soon?" she asked.

God, yes. "As soon as you're done."

I paced around the bedroom while she brushed her teeth, waiting for the toothbrush so I could put it back in her suitcase. My mind was racing, trying to focus now on what needed to happen next, and in what order. Bags in the boat. Bella in the boat. Boat to mainland. Taxi to airport. Rio to Los Angeles. Los Angeles to Seattle…

I went to item number one on the list when Bella gave me the toothbrush. "I'll get the bags into the boat," I muttered, a suitcase already in each hand.

"Edward—" she said, just as I reached the bedroom door.

"Yes?" I turned back to face her, but again could read nothing in particular from her expression.

She paused for a moment, as though unsure what to say. Finally she asked, "Could you…pack some of the food? You know, in case I get hungry again."

Her heart beat was as even as the look on her face. She was calm. Or at least appeared to be calm, for the moment. It was remarkable. She was remarkable, I thought, not for the first time.

"Of course." I forced a small smile. "Don't worry about anything. We'll get to Carlisle in just a few hours, really. This will all be over soon."

She nodded, and I turned to leave the room with the suitcases.

There was no way in hell I was going to let this kill her. No matter what we had to do, it would be done. And once it was done, we'd get on with her transformation so that she could finally, finally cease to be in danger from me and my kind.