For the next few hours, we did little other than sit on the couch while I "listened" to the baby and relayed what I was sensing to both Bella and "Auntie Rose", as Bella was now calling her, both of whom couldn't get enough of the information I was able to convey. They alternated between demanding to know what the baby was thinking and chattering to him and each other as though they were having an actual three-way conversation. They asked Bella's abdomen questions, both of them rubbing and patting gently as they inquired how he was feeling, what he wanted, what he thought, and looking to me for the reply.

I couldn't help chuckling a little as I tried to answer with the impressions I was getting. Really, the baby simply got more content and more happy with the attention he seemed to be able to perceive and absorb from outside Bella's body.

It even thawed my attitude towards Rosalie a little when I felt a surge of contentment and affection from the baby when she spoke, and I could tell that the baby liked her voice, too. I had never, in 70-odd years, seen Rosalie beam the way she did when I told her, not even when she had first met and started to fall in love with Emmett. The only way she could have been happier would have been if the baby was actually hers.

I sat beside Bella on the couch, one arm around her shoulders and the other hand resting lightly on her swollen abdomen. One of her hands was on top of mine, the other held her plastic cup. Rosalie was sitting cross-legged on the floor at our feet. By the time Bella finished her third cup, I started to feel the sensations and emotions from the little being in her womb ebb and fade. I couldn't keep back a smile.

"What?" Bella demanded, looking up at me expectantly. "What are you hearing? What's happening now?"

"I think he's falling asleep," I told her. "He's not hungry anymore and he's content."

She beamed, her face radiant with her unadulterated joy. "Me too," she murmured, setting her cup on the end table so she could rub her belly with her free hand. She glanced back up at me. "How about you? Although you must be hungry...thirsty." She cast her eyes to Rosalie's face then back to mine. "Both of you. You need to hunt."

"We're fine, Bella," Rosalie replied without a second thought. "We'll hunt tomorrow maybe, after the delivery."

Bella's smile widened at the thought. Tomorrow.

Suddenly, I felt a ripple in our three-way bubble of contentment. Someone was approaching the house, someone boiling with rage so intense that the accompanying thoughts were only a jumble: unbelievably selfish...doesn't care about anyone but herself and those bloodsuckers...can't see what she's doing to him, too self-absorbed...not even worthy...

I gasped. Definitely one of the wolves, but not Jacob or Seth...Leah Clearwater?

Yes, Leah Clearwater. She had seen Jacob take off in my car and was furious about the fact that he had seemed so upset and still had not returned.

Bella had heard me and was studying my face. "Edward? What...?" she started to ask, and Rosalie wrinkled her nose. She didn't know which wolf it was, but she had caught the scent.

I carefully uncurled my body from around Bella's and stood up. "It's Leah Clearwater."

"Leah?" Bella repeated. "What does she want? Is there something wrong with Jake? Is something going on with the wolves?"

I actually couldn't tell what Leah wanted, not through the confused jumble of her anger. "I'll go see," I murmured, leaning down to kiss Bella's forehead before going to the front door.

When I opened it, Leah was standing in the yard, in wolf form. What happened to Jacob? she demanded silently, her lips curling back from her teeth slightly. What did you bloodsuckers do to him now?

I sighed. It was a little difficult to explain. "He got upset, Leah. We were sitting around and I started to be able to hear the baby..."

Baby? she snorted. You mean that monster you've managed to breed?

I bristled. It was one thing for me to feel that way, or even Jacob. But Leah was practically a stranger...

Besides, I couldn't think of this baby as a monster any more. That had been precisely the problem for Jacob.

I decided to ignore that comment.

"I started to hear the baby," I continued. "Bella was thrilled. We all were. Except Jacob. He..."

Of course. Twisted the knife, didn't you? All of you. Worst of all, her. Again. Again and again and again...With a growl, she darted for the trees but was back in an instant, now in her human form, clad in a dirty t-shirt and torn sweatpants, her face contorted with fury. I barely had time to register the change, before she strode over, pushed past me and stomped through the door into the living room. She was vibrating with anger when she stopped in front of Bella, who was still seated on the sofa.

"You can't help yourself, can you?" she demanded, her voice quaking. "It's not enough that you crush him once. You have to keep doing it. And doing it. What did you do to him this time?"

"Leah? What...?" Bella started to say, blinking in confusion.

"Jacob, you selfish...Remember Jacob, the guy who loves you with every fibre of his being for some stupid reason? We saw him tear out of here I don't know how long ago in some fancy car, driving like a bat out of hell, and we haven't seen him or heard him since. What did you do? Where did he go?"

"I...I...I don't know, Leah...I..." Bella could only stutter. Her eyes were wide, her joyful expression of only a moment ago utterly vanished.

It was all I could do not to leap across the room in one bound, grab Leah by the hair and throw her through the still-open front door. Rosalie had jumped to her feet and was strongly considering the exact same thing.

"He's the best, most selfless, most considerate and kind person I know and you've completely wrecked him!" Leah shouted. "I don't know what the hell he sees in you, I really don't! Why don't you just let him go already? What's wrong with you? Why do you have to keep his hopes up by letting him come over here so you can torture him?"

Mustering every ounce of restraint in my body, I stepped to Leah's side and grabbed her arm firmly. I was tempted to tear it from the socket, but knew that neither Bella nor Carlisle would want that, despite the fact that Bella's lower lip was now quivering, tears flooding her eyes. She was too astonished at Leah's tirade to do more than wince at the sharp kicks she was now feeling from inside her. The baby had heard the shouting and absorbed the new tension in the room. He or she was upset, afraid.

"Leah..." I growled through clenched teeth, fighting against my own rage. "You need to get out of here. Now."

"Get your filthy hands off me, bloodsucker!" she snapped, wrenching out of my grasp. Her entire body was starting to shudder, and I could tell that she was on the verge of phasing back into wolf form because of the ferocity of her anger.

I wasn't about to let that happen with Bella sitting less than two feet away, frail and human, tears now spilling down her cheeks.

Rosalie was of the same mind and grabbed Leah's other arm, much more forcefully than I had. "I don't know what your problem is, bitch, but you'll get out of my house. Right now," she snarled. With a swift and nearly instantaneous motion, she twisted the arm she held behind Leah's back and shoved her to the door. Rosalie pushed her through the doorway with enough force that Leah started to topple off the porch, phasing into wolf form at the same moment. Her clothes shredded and fell from her huge, furry body.

This isn't over, Leah thought, casting her eyes back in my direction with a loud snarl. In a few quick leaps she bounded into the trees. Rosalie slammed the door shut, causing it to shake in its frame.

Bella was now doubled over on the couch, wracked with heaving sobs, face in her hands. It was difficult to tell whether her body was moving more with the force of her cries or from the force of the baby now moving around inside her.

Afraid...worried...upset...!

With the possible exception of James and Victoria, I had never wanted to kill anyone as much as I wanted to kill Leah Clearwater in that moment.

"Bella, love..." I sat down next to her and pulled her into my arms, concentrating to keep the anger out of my voice and maintain a soothing tone. "Oh, love, please don't cry..."

"She's right!" she sobbed, shoulders heaving. "I'm a horrible person! I know it! I knew I shouldn't let him come here but I did anyway!"

"He's a big boy, Bella," Rosalie was now seated on Bella's other side and patted her back gently. "No one was forcing him. He wanted to be here. He's wanted to do everything he's been doing, for whatever reason. He could have left at any time. There's no way it's your fault."

"Rose is right, Bella. I can tell you firsthand from his thoughts that he fully knows the situation. He chose to be here because he's concerned about you. He was entirely prepared to accept any pain that being around you would cause," I added. "He didn't feel forced by you or anyone."

Damn him to hell for causing her this additional pain, I thought, knowing even as I did so that I was being unreasonable. He wouldn't be any happier about Leah's outburst than I was, but for some reason I didn't care to explore at the moment it felt good somehow to blame him for this.

"Bella, come on, you have to calm down. You have to," Rosalie insisted. "You're upsetting the baby. It's not good for either of you." She glanced up at me for confirmation.

"Rose is right about that, too, love. He's afraid. He's worried about you. He's moving around a lot right now, isn't he? That's why." I pulled her even closer to my chest, peppering her hair with kisses. Rosalie alternated between patting her back gently and rubbing careful circles against her sweatshirt.

Bella took a deep breath and tried to still herself, but burst into fresh tears a second later when she had to exhale. Her sob turned into a gasp when she felt another sharp kick, but she didn't cease crying.

"Shh...it's okay little baby," Rosalie crooned in a soft voice I didn't know she even had. With her free hand, she patted the side of Bella's abdomen. "It's okay. Mommy's fine, she's just sad. Calm down and don't hurt her, okay?"

Mommy...Hurt?

I froze.

Those weren't impressions or sensations. Those weren't feelings.

Those were words.

Rosalie noticed immediately when my body went rigid. "Edward?" she frowned, suddenly afraid that something had gone wrong with the baby.

Bella heard her tone and lifted her tear-streaked face from her hands to look at me. "What? What's going on? Did you hear something?" she asked, her voice still shaky.

"I..." I shook my head. It couldn't have been. That had to have been Rosalie.

"Edward!" Bella sobbed anew. "Now something else is wrong?"

Reacting to the anguished cry, I felt the baby kick again under my hand. I rubbed the spot gingerly. "No, baby. I know you're scared. But everything's fine. Everything's fine. Don't kick."

Fine?

That definitely wasn't Rosalie. Rosalie was concentrating on my face, trying to figure out what I was hearing.

"Don't kick, baby," I said again, experimenting now. "You hurt Mommy when you kick. Please try not to kick."

Hurt Mommy?

"Yes. Just don't do that. Try to stay still. Everything's fine."

"Edward." Rosalie was sitting up straight, one hand still on Bella's back but no longer moving. "Are you having an actual conversation with the baby? With words?"

Bella gasped. "He can understand us? What we're saying?"

I shook my head back and forth, not to say no but simply because I was having a hard time believing it myself. "Maybe. A little. He's stopped moving now, hasn't he, love?"

Bella nodded. Her eyes were still wet with tears but she was now too stunned to actually cry.

"Perhaps his mental faculties are even more developed than we thought," I murmured. "He doesn't want to hurt you."

"Of course he doesn't!" Rosalie laughed. "I can't believe it! Bella, this is the smartest kid in the world!"

"Naturally. Look who his daddy is," Bella managed a small smile. "I just hope he didn't understand everything Leah..." her voice broke as she choked on the words and remembered her guilt over Jacob.

"You stop thinking and worrying about those dogs, Bella. Right this instant," Rosalie demanded.

If only it were that easy, I thought, a tad bitterly. "It's better if you try and stay calm, love," I said instead. I kissed the top of her head tenderly. "I know you're upset. But try."

She did her best to stifle her tears while Rosalie and I tried to distract her by chatting about the baby. I wasn't getting any further words from him now, but he had calmed considerably, especially once Bella was able to force herself under control. Eventually, she fell into an emotionally exhausted and uneasy slumber. While she slept, both Rosalie and I fought to suppress our anger at Leah Clearwater so that we wouldn't upset Bella again. In that moment, my sister and I were for the first time on exactly the same side, working toward exactly the same end. We felt exactly the same.

It was odd, for all that had happened between us over the last few weeks, to feel that kind of solidarity with my sister again. Neither of us acknowledged it, but I knew she felt it, too. And she was as relieved as I was when Bella finally fell asleep and the baby was once again restful inside her.

We watched Bella sleep for a few minutes without speaking, simply following the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. Occasionally she would twitch and her brow would furrow with some disturbing thought, but she didn't awaken.

"I could kill that...that...bitch," Rosalie eventually hissed, barely audible. "I don't care if she's supposedly helping us. I could rip her limb from limb."

I merely nodded. I was just managing to feel a little calmer myself, and didn't want to let the fury overtake me again. If I thought about it too much, I'd probably take off into the forest and hunt Leah down, truce or no truce. I hadn't seen Bella cry like that since...

I shuddered, not wanting to think about that night. That night after Jacob...one of the worst of my entire existence. Again, I was tempted to blame him for causing her so much misery.

My train of thought was interrupted by Alice. Edward, it's us, me and Jazz, she called silently. They were in the forest, nearby. She didn't want us surprised by their approach, thinking the wolves were on their way. After my conversation with Carlisle earlier, we hadn't been expecting them back before tomorrow.

Carlisle sent us ahead with blood for Bella, Alice continued, as if answering my unspoken question. Emmett and Esme stayed with him to help him find more, and some other supplies.

"Alice and Jasper are back," I told Rosalie quietly, careful not to wake Bella. "They've got more O negative."

"Well, that's good," Rosalie exhaled. "We were getting quite low. She's drinking a lot these days."

In another few minutes Alice and Jasper entered through the back door, each laden with two portable coolers containing, I assumed, the blood.

"I wish Carlisle would have called me back before he went looking for more," I said when the couple stepped into the living room, lifting a finger to my lips to indicate they should keep their voices down so Bella wouldn't wake. "I don't think it's going to be necessary."

"Yes, he told us you think the baby should be delivered as soon as possible," Alice set down her coolers and floated over to the couch, bending to have a look at Bella and see how she was. "But he's having second thoughts."

"Why?" Rosalie asked. Having witnessed what she had over the last few hours with respect to the baby's level of development, she was now fully convinced that we could proceed.

"Just being cautious, I think," Jasper said. "He's nervous about having so little real information."

"I think this baby is much further along than we expected," I told them. I didn't miss it when Alice turned her head toward me sharply, smiling at my use of the word "baby" instead of "fetus"...or something worse. Quickly, I brought them both up to speed as to what had been happening during their absence.

While I may have skipped that part of the story to avoid angering anyone else in our family, when I finished describing what was going on with the baby, Rosalie jumped in to tell them about Leah's "visit". I tuned out, knowing my own barely-settled ire would be back in full force if I started to think about that incident too much again.

Jacob. As Rosalie spoke, I suddenly became aware of his thoughts, in my car, a mile or so away from the house. He was on his way back.

It was just starting to get dark. He'd been gone a long time.

I had a few matters to discuss with him.

"Rose, can you stay with Bella, please?" I asked, carefully getting to my feet. "Jacob's back. I need to speak to him."

"Or you could stay and I'll 'speak' to him," she growled. "I think I may have a few choice words for him about his selection of friends. And I won't hold back the way you will."

"Exactly. That's why I need to talk to him. Despite what Leah did today, we still don't need a war right now."

She huffed but said nothing further, turning her attention to gently stroking Bella's hair as she slept and continuing her discussion with Alice and Jasper.

I went out to the garage and waited for Jacob to pull in.

"A few things, Jacob," I said as soon as he parked the car and cut the engine.

He sat there for a moment, then slowly got out and threw the keys to me.

"Thanks for the loan," he grumbled. "What do you want now?"

"Firstly..." I forced my voice to stay even, resisting the urge to tear into him for what Leah had done. It wasn't going to help my request of him if we were at each other's throats. "I know how averse you are to using your authority with your pack, but..."

He blinked, astonished that I would raise that subject with him. "What?"

"If you can't or won't control Leah, then I—"

"Leah?" he interrupted, genuinely confused. "What happened?"

I recognized that if he hadn't yet phased back to wolf form, he wouldn't know. "She came up to see why you'd left so abruptly. I tried to explain. I suppose it might not have come out right."

"What did she do?"

"She phased to her human form and—"

"Really?" he interrupted again, shocked this time.

"She wanted to...speak to Bella."

"To Bella?"

I was having a hard time controlling my anger as I thought of it, the damage Leah had managed to do in less than a minute of shouting at my wife. "I won't let Bella be upset like that again. I don't care how justified Leah thinks she is! I didn't hurt her—of course I wouldn't—but I'll throw her out of the house if it happens again. I'll launch her right across the river—"

"Hold on. What did she say?" he was still completely confused and astonished.

The blank look on his face reminded me that he hadn't asked Leah to appear and do what she had. I took in a deep breath to calm myself. "Leah was unnecessarily harsh. I'm not going to pretend that I understand why Bella is unable to let go of you, but I do know that she does not behave this way to hurt you. She suffers a great deal over the pain she's inflicting on you, and on me, by asking you to stay. What Leah said was uncalled for. Bella's been crying—"

"Wait—Leah was yelling at Bella about me?"

I nodded once, sharply. "You were quite vehemently championed."

"I didn't ask her to do that," he said flatly.

"I know."

Of course you do. He rolled his eyes at me, not helping my efforts to stay calm. You know everything, don't you?

I was about to ask him if he wanted me to launch him across the river when he sighed heavily. "I can't promise to control Leah. I won't do that. But I'll talk to her, okay? And I don't think there'll be a repeat. Leah's not one to hold back, so she probably got it off her chest today."

"I would say so," I snapped.

"Anyway, I'll talk to Bella about it, too. She doesn't need to feel bad. This one's on me." I could tell that he was genuinely concerned to hear that she'd been upset and felt slightly calmer.

"I already told her that."

"Of course you did. Is she okay?"

"She's sleeping now. Rose is with her."

So the psycho is 'Rose' now? he thought bitterly, but I chose to ignore that.

"She's...better in some ways," I said, continuing to answer his earlier question. "Aside from Leah's tirade and the resulting guilt."

Just because you can hear the monster now and everything's all perfect and lovey-dovey again?

My fingers clenched into fists involuntarily. Even if that were the case, he had absolutely no right to question it. He seemed to find it all too easy to forget that Bella was my wife, not his. "It's a bit more than that," I muttered. "Now that I can make out the child's thoughts, it's apparent that he or she has remarkably developed mental facilities. He can understand us, to an extent."

His jaw dropped. "Are you serious?"

"Yes. He seems to have a vague sense of what hurts her now. He's trying to avoid that, as much as possible. He...loves her. Already."

Jacob gaped at me in disbelief. So that's what it is...that thing has convinced you it loves her. That's why you can't hate it any more. Same reason you can't hate me. Only I'm not the one killing her.

I hadn't really thought of it that way, but I supposed it was true.

I decided not to debate the point with him right now. I would need to think about that some more on my own, another time. "The progress, I believe, is more than we'd judged," I told him instead. It was time to get to my request. The other thing I had known I would have to talk to him about eventually, if things got to that point—as it now seemed they would. "When Carlisle returns—"

"They're not back?" he interrupted, his thoughts going to Sam and Jared, whom he had seen on his drive back to the house, watching the road.

"Alice and Jasper are. Carlisle sent all the blood he was able to acquire, but it wasn't as much as he was hoping for—Bella will use up this supply in another day the way her appetite has grown. Carlisle stayed to try another source. I don't think that's necessary now, but he wants to be covered for any eventuality."

"Why isn't it necessary? If she needs more?" he demanded.

I hesitated. This was the most important part of our discussion. I tried to choose my words carefully. "I'm trying to persuade Carlisle to deliver the baby as soon as he is back."

"What?" he nearly choked on the word, on the idea that everything could unfold much more quickly than he had been expecting.

"The child seems to be attempting to avoid rough movements, but it's difficult. He's become too big. It's madness to wait, when he's clearly developed beyond what Carlisle had guessed. Bella's too fragile to delay."

I could see him struggle to keep breathing. He hadn't been expecting this. He had thought he had another four days. He knew that when the baby was delivered, it would mean the end of Bella's human life.

He was awash with grief, at the thought of her last breath, the last time her cheeks would flush with rosiness. The last time her heart would beat.

With that, I could sympathize.

I waited silently for him to recover himself.

He stared at me for a long moment, assessing the change he thought he saw in my face, what was implied from my words. "You think she's going to make it," he whispered.

"Yes." I nodded, steeling myself for the next part of this conversation. "That was the other thing I wanted to talk to you about."

I gave him another moment to collect his thoughts and then pressed ahead. "Yes. Waiting, as we have been, for the child to be ready, that was insanely dangerous. At any moment it could have been too late. But if we're proactive about this, if we act quickly, I see no reason why it should not go well. Knowing the child's mind is unbelievably helpful. Thankfully, Bella and Rose agree with me. Now that I've convinced them it's safe for the child if we proceed, there's nothing to keep this from working."

"When will Carlisle be back?" he managed to query, still in a whisper while he struggled for breath.

"By noon tomorrow."

Noon tomorrow! Jacob swayed on his feet and clutched at the hood of the car to keep himself up. I reflexively reached out to steady him, but withdrew my hands immediately, knowing that the gesture would hardly be appreciated.

"I'm sorry," I said softly. It was time to sell just a little bit more than was true once again, so that I could get his agreement to yet another difficult request. "I am truly sorry for the pain this causes you, Jacob. Though you hate me, I must admit that I don't feel the same about you." Not all of the time, anyway. "I think of you as a...a brother in many ways. A comrade in arms, at the very least. I regret your suffering more than you realize. But Bella is going to survive," my voice firm was now. I needed to believe that, too. I did believe it. "And I know that's what really matters to you."

He was reeling, still trying to process all of the implications of what I was saying, but some part of him acknowledged that much: even if she were no longer human, he preferred that to her ceasing to exist altogether.

I pressed ahead. "So I hate to do this now, while you're already dealing with too much, but, clearly, there is little time. I have to ask you for something—to beg, if I must."

"I don't have anything left," he choked, and I felt his emptiness. Even though any kind of life was preferable to her death, he knew that once she was no longer human, even the faintest chance he had remaining would be gone forever. He was suffering anew with her loss. I knew too well how that felt not to have sympathy.

I lifted my hand to put it on his shoulder, but let it drop away again with a sigh. "I know how much you have given. But this is something you do have, and only you. I'm asking this of the true Alpha, Jacob. I'm asking this of Ephraim's heir."

He had no idea where I was going with this, and had no voice to ask.

"I want your permission to deviate from what we agreed to in our treaty with Ephraim," I said, deciding to get to the point. "I want you to grant us an exception. I want your permission to save her life. You know I'll do it anyway, but I don't want to break faith with you if there is any way to avoid it. We never intended to go back on our word, and we don't do it lightly now. I want your understanding, Jacob, because you know exactly why we do this. I want the alliance between our families to survive when this is over."

He tried to swallow over the lump in his throat. Sam. It's Sam you want.

"No. Sam's authority is assumed. It belongs to you. You'll never take it from him, but no one can rightfully agree to what I'm asking except for you."

It's not my decision.

"It is, Jacob, and you know it. Your word on this will condemn us or absolve us. Only you can give this to me."

I can't think. I don't know.

I glanced toward the house. "We don't have much time."

The mention of time made his heart race. He knew now there was much less time than he had hoped. I don't know. Let me think. Just give me a minute here, okay?

"Yes."

He turned toward the door and slowly walked toward the house. I followed, trying to be unobtrusive and leave him to his thoughts.

I heard Seth's mind before either Jacob or I heard the rustle in the brush at the edge of the lawn. Thank goodness, he's back. What's going on? He was in wolf form, and whimpered quietly as he loped over toward us.

"Hey, kid," Jacob muttered. Seth dipped his massive, furry head and Jacob patted his shoulder.

He looks terrible. Is he okay? What's going on? Seth asked again, but I didn't respond.

"S'all cool," Jacob told him as if he had heard the questions in his young friend's mind. "I'll tell you about it later. Sorry to take off on you like that."

Seth's lips curled back from his teeth, but it clearly wasn't a snarl—it was a wolfy grin.

"Hey, tell your sister to back off now, okay? Enough."

Yeah, I heard about that. Seth glanced quickly in my direction. Sorry about that, man. There was no way I could stop her. She was already here before I realized what she was going to do. He nodded once in response to Jacob.

Jacob gave the wolf's muscular shoulder a shove. "Get back to work. I'll spell you in a bit."

Roger, chief! Seth thought cheerily, leaning heavily against Jacob's legs before galloping back into the forest. He didn't allow his mind to be clouded by troubled thoughts for long. He seemed to always just assume that everything would turn out for the best.

"He has one of the purest, sincerest, kindest minds I've ever heard," I couldn't help murmuring aloud once Seth had disappeared. "You're lucky to have his thoughts to share."

Jacob grunted, not inclined to express any appreciation for my compliment of his pack mate. "I know that."

We started back toward the house quietly. We must have heard the same thing at the same time, however, as I saw Jacob's head snap up just as mine did at the sound: someone sucking through a straw. Bella was awake.

Without waiting for Jacob, I leapt up the porch steps two at a time and hurried into the house. I was at Bella's side on the couch in less than a second. "Bella, love, I thought you were sleeping." I leaned over to kiss the top of her head. "I'm sorry, I wouldn't have left."

"Don't worry." She smiled at me, a genuinely content smile that conspired with the day's events to allow me to think like Seth for a moment, and believe that eventually everything would be okay. She would be back to her old self again soon.

Well, not exactly her old self.

"I just got so thirsty—" she continued, "—it woke me up. It's a good thing Carlisle is bringing more. This kid is going to need it when he gets out of me."

"True. That's a good point." I had been concentrating so exclusively on her needs that it hadn't even occurred to me that the extra blood wouldn't go to waste. Obviously, this particular newborn wouldn't be able to breastfeed and would have to get nutrition from somewhere.

"I wonder if he'll want anything else," she mused.

Pablum? A side of raw elk? Grilled cheese sandwiches? I couldn't even imagine what a half-human half-vampire child would like to eat other than blood. Maybe all of the above. "I suppose we'll find out," I murmured, surprised to find that I was rather amused by the thought, and the possibilities.

Alice sighed suddenly with relief. "Finally," she murmured, as Jacob strode in the door. His presence would again mean some respite from her headaches.

Bella's eyes turned toward him and, reflexively, I assumed, she broke into a wide smile.

Just as quickly, her face fell. She was likely remembering Leah's words from earlier. She pressed her lips together, as if fighting back tears.

Stupid Leah, Jacob thought as soon as he noticed it. I could punch her in her stupid mouth.

I couldn't agree more.

Once again, Jacob and I were on the same page when it came to protecting Bella from grief.

"Hey, Bells," he said lightly, trying to assure her with his tone that he was just fine. "How ya doing?"

"I'm fine," she murmured.

"Big day today, huh? Lots of new stuff." I was grateful that he tried to sound positive, and I settled on the floor next to the sofa, close to her head.

She frowned slightly. "You don't have to do that, Jacob."

"Don't know what you're talking about," he said, perching on the arm of the sofa near my spot on the floor.

"I'm so s—" she started to say, but he cut her off by pinching her lips together with his thumb and forefinger. I resisted the very strong urge to swat his hand away from her face. She needed his reassurance, and it would be selfish of me to deprive her of it, even if he was providing it in a way I didn't particularly like. I swallowed hard instead.

"Jake," she mumbled, trying to push his hand away from her mouth.

He shook his head at her. "You can talk when you're not being stupid."

"Fine, I won't say it," she replied, her voice still mumbled because he continued to hold her lips closed.

As he pulled his hand away, she quickly said, "Sorry!" and grinned.

He merely rolled his eyes and smiled back at her.

We were all quiet for a moment as they looked at each other. I watched his face, seeing only the slightest change in the neutral expression he was struggling to maintain as his mind went back to my request. He loved her. And he hated the idea that she would be changing, changing into something other than the warm, soft human who looked back at him now.

But he also knew there was no other way. She had chosen this path despite his offer of something different. She had chosen it willingly.

The only alternative was her death, and that was no more acceptable to him than it was to me.

He wanted her alive. He wanted her friendship if nothing else was possible. He couldn't give that up, too.

Finally, he sighed.

Fine! he thought, not bothering to shift his gaze to me as he did so. He was giving up the last thing he thought he had to give, and he didn't want to face me while he did it. Go ahead. Save her. As Ephraim's heir, you have my permission, my word, that this will not violate the treaty. The others will just have to blame me. You were right—they can't deny that it's my right to agree to this.

I replied in a whisper so low that only those of us in the room with supernatural hearing could hear it: "Thank you." I saw Rosalie, Alice and Jasper all turn to stare at us, trying to figure out what was going on. The tone in my voice had startled them.

Bella had apparently had enough of the silence. "So..." she said, working to be casual. "How was your day?"

"Great." Jacob struggled for his voice, and struggled even more to keep his tone as casual as hers. "Went for a drive. Hung out in the park."

"Sounds nice."

"Sure, sure," he muttered.

Suddenly Bella looked a little embarrassed, and crinkled her nose. I didn't need to be able to read her mind to know what that meant. It had been a pretty regular occurrence lately.

I was already moving out of the way when she asked for Rosalie.

Rosalie chuckled, also knowing what was next. "Again?"

"I think I've drunk two gallons in the last hour," Bella explained needlessly.

Rosalie stepped over to the couch to slide an arm under Bella's shoulders, helping to lift her into a sitting position. She was about to take Bella into her arms to carry her to the bathroom, but Bella lifted a hand to stop her. "Can I walk? My legs are so stiff."

"Are you sure?" I asked, frowning at the idea. She was still so weak, and looked so out of balance with her massively swollen abdomen that I was afraid she would actually tip over.

"Rose'll catch me if I trip over my feet. Which could happen pretty easily, since I can't see them," she joked.

Carefully, Rosalie set Bella on her feet, but didn't move her hands from Bella's shoulders. Bella stretched her arms out in front of her. Her wince made me wince, but I suppressed the urge to pull her into my protective grasp. Her limbs were probably tingling from lack of use. Even my own felt that way sometimes, if I kept still for too long.

"That feels good," Bella sighed, glancing down at herself. "Ugh, but I'm huge." She made a face, but patted her stomach at the same time. "One more day."

She took half a step forward. "All righty, then. Whoops—oh, no!" Distress passed over her features as she saw the plastic cup she had been drinking from tip over where she had left it on the sofa, spilling the heavy red liquid across the white fabric.

She bent to reach for it, even though Jacob, Rosalie and I had already done the same thing and beaten her there.

Before any of us could actually right it, however, a horrid, wet ripping sound emanated from somewhere inside Bella's body. "Oh!" she gasped, then went limp.

Rosalie and I both reached out to catch her, but Rosalie was closer, and managed to grasp her by the arms before she could hit the floor.

Panic washed over me in a flood, a tidal wave of paralyzing fear. What was happening? What the hell was that sound?

"Bella?" my voice sounded strange in my ears, as though it were coming from someone else, somewhere else.

Before I could focus on why that was, the worst sound I had heard in my many decades of existence pierced the air. If my heart hadn't ceased beating so long ago, it surely would have stopped at that sound: Bella's shriek of pure, unmitigated agony.

Her scream when James had broken her leg in the ballet studio had been a light laugh compared to that shriek.

There was no time to react to it, however, because just as suddenly, it died in her throat with a gurgle, and her eyes rolled back into her head. Her whole body convulsed, arching as if possessed by a demon.

Then she vomited a violent red fountain of blood.