BELLA'S POV

My eyes, still heavy from sleep, widened quickly. My fear was paralyzing, and I couldn't move.

I could scream, though. I was about to do just that when, Rosalie was sitting next to me.

"Shh, shh, shh. No, no, no. Don't scream," she said, covering my mouth.

"Get away from her, leech!" demanded Seth. He stood up and growled at her. Rosalie hissed at him in return but ignored him. She turned to me.

"I don't want to hurt you, Bella," she said.

I hugged my stomach. There was no way I could trust Rosalie.

"Get away from her," Seth growled.

"Stop yapping, dog, or I'll bite you, and there won't be any way to heal from that!"

He growled angrily and I could see his facial features beginning to change. He was going to phase, and I had to do something quickly.

I shook my head and held my hand up, stopping Seth.
He sat back down slowly, but on the edge of the bed. I knew he was staying prepared just in case he was needed.

"What do you want, Rosalie?" I asked after she removed her hand from my mouth. She smiled, which was unnerving because I'd never seen her do it…not around me, at least.

"Well, look, Bella, I've had some time to think, and hey, what's done is done, right? To be perfectly honest and clear, I do not forgive you for…sleeping with my husband. I never will." She clenched her teeth in an attempt to control her temper. "But.. you're carrying something I can't, Emmett's child. I want your permission to allow me to love it as though I were its…aunt…godmother. That's all I want."

I remained silent and tensed as she raised her hand towards my stomach and gently set it down. The bed Seth was on creaked as he stood up; he was ready to attack.

Rosalie didn't seem to notice him, but continued to smile at my stomach, caressing it.

The coldness of her hand was actually soothing to my fever. So soothing that it was relaxing me, and my fear of Rosalie dwindled away.

Call me crazy, but I believed her. If she had actually wanted to hurt me, she would have done it already. Not even Seth could stop her; she was far too fast and experienced for him.

If I hadn't known Jasper was gone, I would have sworn he was in the room manipulating our feelings.

"This little guy is going to be so spoiled," Rosalie said.

"And how do you know it's a guy!" said Seth defensively.

It was like I was in a trance, or still sleeping, dreaming. Rosalie was in the same room, being pretty friendly. Seth, sworn enemy was in the house. What the hell was going on?

Was I dreaming? Was Rosalie really here offering up a truce? Could I trust her?

We were all interrupted when the door opened, and Emmett came in carrying a new plate of food.

He saw Rosalie and dropped the food to the groaned hungrily at the wasted food, which looked like the chicken and rice dish he'd been hoping for.

Before I could even open my mouth, Rosalie was pinned to the floor.

"Emmett, get off me," Rosalie said casually.

"Bella, are you okay?" he asked me over his shoulder.

"I'm fine. It's okay, she isn't going to hurt me," I said.

"Yeah, right," he said dubiously.

"Look at me, Emmett. I'm on the floor. When have you ever been able to keep me down this long without a fight?" she asked pointedly. Emmett thought about it and looked at me. I nodded, and he let her up. She dusted off her clothes and looked at Emmett.

"So, yeah, I'll admit, I'm not happy that you two slept together. Matter of fact, it pisses me off everytime I think about it." She took a deep breath and continued. "I've always wanted a baby, but thats impossible. I figure if I can't have the baby, I can be a part of his life. What you guys did isn't his fault," Rosalie said.

"How do you know its a he?" Seth called from the back.

Emmett was silent. I knew he was thinking about whether or not he could believe her.

"What do you think?" Emmett asked me.

I shrugged my shoulders slowly. "I believe her."

Seth was sniffing the air, the house smelled of the chicken dish Emmett had dropped. He began panting the way I'd seen plenty of dogs do. He was still hungry.

Rosalie smiled. "Look, Em, we can work this out. You're my husband, so you belong with me, but that does not mean you can't be the father of this child. We can all help Bella," she said.

"If only Edward was this understanding." I thought. It was a complete relief to see how accepting of the situation Rosalie was.

But my thoughts drifted back to Edward.

I had to find a way to apologize to him, to let him know how sorry I was that I'd hurt him. I pictured the little box I had tucked into the nightstand.

EMMETT'S POV

It would be so much easier to just believe Rosalie. I wanted to, but something in me was resisting.

I knew her far too well, and this was not something she would accept as easily and quickly as she had.

Still, could I be wrong? Was her acceptance a result of our finally having a child in the family?

"Rosalie, you may be my wife, but if you ever lay a finger on Bella and my baby…our relationship will no longer matter. Nothing will stop me from laying my hands on you anymore. Do you understand me?" I looked at her pointedly to make sure she understood as well as to see her reaction. "Screw this being-a- gentleman bullshit."

I expected her to get pissed off at my defense of Bella, but to my surprise she only smiled.

"Crystal clear, like the very diamonds on this ring."

She flashed the last wedding ring I'd given her in the air. I knew she was rubbing our marriage in Bella's face as well as reminding me of our vows.

I heard an exaggerated sigh in the other corner of the room. I looked over and remember that Seth was in the room. He was looking at the splatter of food on the floor.

"Oh, man, I'm sorry..."

"Do you have anymore?" he asked sheepishly. I wanted to go downstairs to get him a new plate, but I was scared to leave Rosalie alone with them.

If she bit Seth, the venom would sink into his system quickly. And chances were slim to none that he'd be able to outrun her. There was really no protection for Bella unless I stayed.

"Esme!" I yelled. She opened the door two seconds later and gasped when she saw Rosalie.

"CARLISLE!" she yelled.

"It's okay," Bella and I said in unison. Carlisle was already next to her. He was about to pin Rosalie down when I stopped him.

"It's okay. Seems like she's come around." I said.

I wasn't too sure about it, but I would definitely keep my eyes on her. Esme smiled broadly and looked like she would cry. She spread her arms out to Rosalie for a hug.

"Oh, Rose, I'm so glad you're trying to get past it." She smoothed down Rosalie's hair. Carlisle looked at the mess on the floor.

"I dropped it when I saw Rose in here." I explained.

Carlisle looked at Seth and smiled. "I'll get you some more right now," he said.

"Oh, you don't-" Seth began, but before he could even finish his sentence, Carlisle was back with another plate.

"Whoa." breathed Seth, amazed at our speed. He took the plate and began to eat. But our speed equaled the speed it took to satiate his hunger.

We all watched as he licked his plate clean. I rolled my eyes and laughed.

"Oh, come on, I'll take you to the kitchen." I didn't want him to hurt himself, and Carlisle and Esme were in the room now.

"I can do it," he said, walking to the door slowly. He winced almost halfway.

"Seth, stop trying to be such a hero." I picked him up quickly. "By the time you make it to the kitchen, it'll be winter."

"Hey, I just feel a little sore. I'm still healing, but I could've made it to the kitchen myself," he said bashfully.

I went down to the kitchen, and everyone followed, Carlisle carrying Bella down carefully. They stayed in the living room while I took Seth to Esme in the kitchen.

As I entered the doorway to the room Bella was in, I found her standing with her hands on the small of her back.

I was struck by how weak and tired she looked. Her eyes were swollen and baggy, her cheekbones pointed out as her sunken cheeks clung tightly to her skin. She looked sick.

Her stomach stretched out before her, unbelievably big. The extra weight was taking a toll on her back; her thin frame was unaccustomed to it.

"You've grown two and a half more inches," Carlisle said, wrapping up the measuring tape. Rosalie looked at Bella's stomach and made a face.

"Ew, can you imagine? If I had been able to get pregnant, I'd be that fat."

I looked at Rosalie pointedly. She shook her head self-consciously and smiled up at Bella.

"Not that you're... Oh, just picture the baby! We can dress him up, buy him toys, take photographs of him, hang them all over the walls...I just can't wait," Rosalie said, looking around the living room.

I shook my head. Something didn't fit in.

Why was she so happy about this baby? Just days ago she'd wanted to rip Bella apart.

It was awkward and uncomfortable.

"HOW DO YOU KNOW IT'S A BOY!" Seth yelled from the kitchen. I rolled my eyes, wrapped my arm around Bella, and kissed the top of her forehead.

"I love you." I said to her quietly.

Rosalie's attention immediately turned back to us, but I didn't regret what I'd said.

Yeah, that's right, I said it. I love Bella, and I didn't care if Carlisle and Rosalie heard me say it.

Rosalie clapped sarcastically and gave a loud, "Awwww!"

She rushed over to me, grabbed my hand, and pulled me to her, away from Bella.

"Of course you do! We all love her! Everyone loves her, don't we? She's our sister now, after all!"

Like I said. Awkward.

Carlisle cleared his throat. "Emmett, son, I need to speak with you."

I looked at Bella and held my hand out to her. She took it and squeezed it weakly.

"I'll be fine," she said. I nodded and followed Carlisle into the hallway.

"Son, you know that ours is a peaceful family and has been for many years." He looked at me, trying to make sure I understood. "I must be honest and say that we are not ready for a fight with the Quileutes. Not to mention about half of us are gone. Esme, you, and myself are really the only ones capable of fighting right now. Rosalie doesn't...seem well enough to fight."

"We're strong, Carlisle! We can fight them. They're mutts. "

"We are strong, but we've never fought against them. We don't exactly know what they're capable of, and they outnumber us now that Jasper, Alice, and Edward are gone. Our peaceful nature has made us inexperienced, or at least a little rusty." Carlisle put his hand on my shoulder. "We need help."

As strong as I knew I was, I also knew that a pack of wild werewolves might prove to be a challenge, and I couldn't guarantee taking them on myself. I knew Carlisle was right.

"So what do you want to do?" I asked.

"I've already contacted some old friends, called in a few favors. Two covens are on their way. I cannot be sure they will actually come here, so it would be wise to look at other options. I need to look for the covens that have no form of contact."

I realized what he was trying to say. "You're leaving."

"Two days. That's all we can spare."

"I can take care of them," I said, looking over to the living room.

"There's no doubt about that, son." We began walking back to the living room, and I shook my head and sighed.

"I really got us into a big mess, didn't I?"

Carlisle simply smirked. "Take care, Emmett."

BELLA'S POV

"Is there anything I can get for you?" Rosalie asked. I looked down as my stomach growled.

"Maybe a bite of whatever Seth is eating?" I asked hopefully. She nodded once and left to the kitchen.

As she left Emmett came in lost in thought.

"What's the matter?" I asked him.

"Don't worry about it," he smiled. I grabbed his hand.

"I can tell something's wrong. What's the matter?" I repeated. He smiled softly and sat down next to me.

"Well, you already know the mutts aren't too happy about all this. They want a fight. Alice has seen it."

I gasped. How could Jacob act like this? He was my best friend. He had to understand that I wanted this baby more than anything.

"You mean like a one-on-one fight with you?" I asked. I pictured what that would look like, Jacob and Emmett fighting. Who would win?

Then I shuddered at the thought of it. There were two outcomes, neither of which were at all appealing.

"She saw some kind of battle, a war, she said. The thing is...Bells, we haven't fought like this in a long time. With the others gone, our chances may be slim, to say the least."

My eyes were burning. The Cullens were in danger because of me, and I wanted to cry.

"They - they want the baby...Emmett, is my baby going to...?"

"Our baby is going to be safe. And so are you, no matter what happens. I would sooner die than let anything happen to either of you." he said firmly.

"But what about your family? Esme? Rosalie? Carlisle?" I asked

He shook his head. "I don't know. Carlisle went to ask for help, but honestly we're not even sure if he'll make it back in time, or how many will return with him. Carlisle said to expect two covens, but who knows if they'll show, or how many members of the covens will journey here."

"Emmett, things should never have gotten this bad. I knew it would be hard, but this wasn't supposed to happen." I sobbed into his chest.

"None of us expected things to turn out this way, but they did and there's nothing we can do now. We love each other, Bella, and we have to trust that. You and the baby are my life now, and I wouldn't change that for anything."

His words were so comforting, and I felt exactly the same way. I nodded and looked down to my stomach.

"Are you okay?" He placed his hand on my cheek. I'd had a fever the past few days, and his icy hand gave me chills. He caressed the bags under my eyes with his thumb and brushed stray hairs away from my face. His touch was as comforting as his words.

"I feel so tired and weak, like my life is getting sucked out of me." I admitted.

"Does it hurt?" he asked, looking at my stomach.

"A little. I can feel when my stomach expands, and the skin feels so tender and sore because my body isn't used to how fast it's growing."

The door opened suddenly and Rosalie entered.

"Here you are." sang Rosalie loudly. She walked between Emmett and myself, separating us. Seth followed, a wide smile on his face.

"I see you're feeling better," I said to Seth as I took the plate Rosalie handed me.

"You bet! I guess I just needed some grub." he said.

"Some? You practically cleaned out the refrigerator,mutt." Rosalie said as she walked past him.

Seth rolled his eyes. "And you married that woman?"

"I HEARD THAT!" said Rosalie from the kitchen. Emmett tried to hide his laughter.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Seth said, dismissing her. He walked over to me and kneeled.

"Wow, Bella, look at what you got yourself into." he said, looking at my stomach. I moved the plate away, and all three of us stared.

My stomach growled again. I closed my eyes and tried to anticipate the pain of its expansion again. It washed over me like a wave, the pain gathered at my stomach. I held my breath and sighed, waiting for the pain to subside.

"Again?" Emmett asked me. I nodded. I took a forkful of food into my mouth and greedily devoured it.

I felt like I hadn't eaten in ages.

Rosalie came back into the living room with a glass of water. I thanked her between mouthfuls, and she placed it on the table in front of me, reaching over Seth in the process. She snapped her teeth at him and stood over by Emmett.

"Seriously, dude? Her? I see why Bella's knocked up." Seth said, smirking.

Rosalie threw herself at Seth, but she was held back by Emmett.

I practically choked on my food and took a drink of water to clear my throat. I couldn't believe he had just said that.

He held her waist hard to keep her from moving. She was clawing at Seth, who moved back.

He looked at her, then at me, then back at her and burst out laughing.

"Be nice." Emmett said to Seth.

"Mutt!" Rosalie spat. Emmett secured his grip on her.

"Leech!" Seth mocked.

"Seth, enough." Emmett commanded. Rosalie struggled against him.

Seth held his sides and continued to laugh, his laughter slowly dying away.

"Ow." Something kicked my sore stomach. I looked down in confusion.

"Whats wrong?" they asked, crowding around me.

I was speechless for a moment.

"I think - I think the baby kicked," I said, a wide grin across my face.

JACOB'S POV

"Jacob."

I shook my head. "Just let me be, Sam."

"You cannot let her get to you like this. You know what needs to be done."

"I SAID, LEAVE ME ALONE! JUST GIVE ME A DAMN SECOND! ONE- GOD-DAMN- SECOND!" I yelled, punching a nearby tree. It shook and sent a loud echo through the woods.

The witch doctor's mate screamed and hid behind him in fear. I'd forgotten they were still here.

"Tell them to leave," I said loudly.

"Alright. Look, thank you to you both, but it's time you go." Sam said to them.

I walked away deeper into the woods and phased. I could still hear Sam thanking the witch doctor and his mate for their time.

Minutes later, I knew that the rest of the pack had phased as well.

"Jacob, you can take all the time you need, but you know this will have to happen sooner or later. That thing must be destroyed."

Sam spoke his thoughts to me, and of course the entire pack was able to hear.

"Will Seth be okay?" Leah asked.

The rest of the pack was silent; Sam and I were the only ones who could answer.

"Your brother chose his path," Sam answered vaguely.

"But you and Jacob were the ones who made the decision to kick him out of the pack," she thought angrily.

I growled. "We'll know who's side he's on when the time comes, Leah!"

"Calm down, Jake, she's worried for her brother. You know what that's like; you worry for Bella. Just don't kill yourself over her," said Quil.

I howled. "I don't care about her!"

But even they knew that wasn't true. My memories with her washed over me at the sound of her name.

Showing her our old truck, telling her how I'd fixed it up, walking together on the beach, her asking about the Cullens (little did I know why she was so interested in them), seeing her at the junior prom, spending hours with her when the leech left, the kiss we first shared, Edward coming back and her leaving me…seeing her at the airport with the big leech, finding out she was pregnant...

And then a thought struck me…what if the baby wasn't Edward's?

"Of course it's not. That leech is too old-fashioned! Marry first, fun stuff later..."

The pack had seen what I had seen.

"Relax, Jake, you can't be sure of that. Everyone changes; maybe he finally gave in," said Paul.

I closed my eyes as I recapped on what had happened hours ago.

The pack was able to see my thoughts.

When she had reached the territory line, Bella had been carried away by the big leech, not Edward. Edward would have been there himself; he was like a flea on her. So where was he? Why had the big leech shown up instead?

I knew the answer. The big leech had shown up because he had something to protect: his baby with Bella Swan. The pack stood quiet as they realized I was right.

I could feel anger boiling up. No, not anger; something much more passionate and dangerous. Rage, fury - it would overcome me, I could feel it rising.

I had given Bella up to Edward.

Who the hell did that leech think he was? Did he think I would just stand aside for him? Let him take the one person I loved away from me - again?

Bella had loved Edward blindly and wholeheartedly, as much as I hated to admit it. She had been happy, and I had figured there was nothing I could do. This, on the other hand, was just ridiculous, plain and simple. I refused to give her up to another bloodsucker. I refused to be de bunked.

I took a deep breath and let the waves of rage and fury wash over me. I let out a sonorous howl and clawed at the tree next to me, making a deep gash in the bark. I looked around at the pack.

"Who's in the mood for some leech?" I asked.

"Don't be stupid, Jake! They know we're coming. We have to plan this out carefully." Sam said.

"We can do this! There are more of us!" said Paul excitedly.

"But they will contact more of their kind. Like Sam said, they know we're coming," reasoned Embry.

"It's settled. We will prepare our line of attack. Then the bloodsuckers will know the strength of this pack." said Sam.