Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

So I am sorry I have been really rubbish at updating this past couple of weeks. Sadly it is only going to get worse, as the only time I have off from exams is next Wednesday! Hopefully you won't have to wait that long but I'm not sure. I will try and get something out.

Anyway, huge thank you once more to everyone who put this story in their favourites and on alert and a MASSIVE thank you to all who reviewed the last chapter. Each one means a lot to mean and I love opening my inbox to find a new review. Think we can make it to 1,600 with this chapter?

Hope you enjoy it!


Forever Bound

Chapter Thirty One – Mama Do

It had been three weeks since the worst event of Bella's life.

She had almost lost her daughter, and for the two days her precious Alicia was missing, Bella had lost her faith in life. She honestly believed that she would never see Alicia again, that the two weeks she had spent with her daughter was all that God would give her.

She was ashamed to say that she had pushed Edward away; when she had needed him most and he had needed her more than ever she had pushed him away.

The moment Edward had held Alicia in front of her after those three days of hell was the best moment of Bella's life. She had pulled Alicia into her arms and never wanted to let her go again. If she was not holding the comforting weight of her child in her arms then Bella did not feel complete. She and Edward had each spent the last three weeks watching over Alicia, making sure that she was always in their line of sight and never taken out of the room. It had taken them at least a week to allow other members of their family to even pick her up.

As for Tanya, well Bella never wanted to think about that witch again. When Bella had finally composed herself once more, she and Edward had returned downstairs to hear the tale of Alicia's rescue, Bella holding the sleeping baby in her arms the entire time while Edward held her small hand in his own. Apparently Tanya believed it was only right for the Cullen family to lose someone they loved after they had caused her to lose James. Before his arrest, James had informed Tanya that Bella was pregnant with Edward's child. James had implied that once the child had been born he himself would take the child away from them in return for Edward beating him and the fact that Bella was Charles' daughter.

Tanya had tried to persuade him to let it go, believing at that time that Edward would do whatever she requested and there would be no need for revenge, but the moment the police had arrived at her door Edward had "betrayed" her and deserved all he got. She had moved to the country house the moment the police had taken James away, plotting her act of vengeance. It had taken all these months but Bella had to admit she had executed it perfectly.

She had been watching their movements for the entire week, and on the day of the kidnapping she had spent the day in the gardens, moving closer and closer to the house. She had slipped into the house before the doors had been locked and hidden in the shadows. Tanya had waited for them to finally fall asleep before she had silently crept into the room and removed a sleeping Alicia from her crib before taking her to the house in the woods.

It made Bella feel sick to think a woman could do that to another woman's child. Did she have no maternal bones in her body? But the overwhelming feeling Bella felt was guilt. Guilt at not hearing Tanya enter their room, guilt at not waking up, guilt at not realising her child had been taken. She vowed to herself once more that she would never sleep again, preventing anything like this happening again.

For the first night Edward had allowed her to carry out her promise, joining her in her vigil of watching Alicia sleep; not moving from her side once. But on the second night, he himself had fallen asleep, though Bella could not blame him. Although she had not slept while Alicia was missing, she was not using her body, meaning her energy had not been running low. Edward on the other hand had been riding around the town and helping the police, she could not blame him for falling asleep. However on the third night Edward snapped at her.

Bella had been walking around the house with Alicia when she had tripped, almost dropping Alicia due to her lack of sleep. Luckily, Edward had caught them both and comforted the distressed child as he scolded Bella.

"Bella, this is absurd! You must sleep. You are clearly no use to Alicia in you deprived state." Edward whispered harshly, trying not to worry Alicia even more.

"I am fine Edward. I am perfectly capable of caring for Alicia." Bella argued, trying to take Alicia out of his arms.

Edward took a step backwards, Alicia out of her reach. "No Bella, you are not. You have not slept in five days, you almost dropped her and your hands are shaking," Edward commented, looking slightly pitying. Bella looked down at her hands; she had not realised they were shaking and quickly held them behind her back.

"I am fine," Bella insisted, with less conviction this time.

"Bella, I want you to go to sleep. Even if it is simply for a few hours, go to bed right now and rest," Edward ordered her gently.

Bella shook her head, "No, no I cannot. What if she needs me? What if she is hungry? What if someone tries to take her again? I promised her."

"I will be with her the entire time, I swear not to put her down or let her out of my sight. If she is hungry I promise to wake you, but Bella you need to sleep."

"Bu—" Bella began to protest once more, trying to think of a reason to make Edward let her stay awake.

"But nothing Bella. You are going to go to bed and you are going to sleep so that you are in good health to care for Alicia. The moment you wake up I will hand her to you, safe and sound." Edward had smiled at her, trying to reassure her that everything would be okay.

Bella had grudgingly surrendered and allowed Edward to guide her to their chamber. He promised not to leave the room with Alicia and would sit there until she woke up. Slipping into bed, Bella had wished that she would be able to keep her eyes open, to prove to Edward that she was perfectly capable to stay awake but also because she did not want to miss a moment with her daughter. Although she trusted Edward completely, she wanted to be with Alicia all hours of the day just to be certain that nothing would happen. Unfortunately, her eyes had other ideas and they had shut the moment her head touched the pillow, not opening for another five hours.

The moment she had woken up, feeling alive and refreshed once more, Bella's eyes had searched the room for Edward and Alicia. The sight she found warmed her heart.

Edward was holding Alicia to his chest, her head resting on his shoulder and he was softly humming the lullaby he had penned for her. It appeared to be doing the trick, and Alicia was struggling to keep her eyes open, an adorable yawn escaping from her small lips. Bella could not help but smile, she adored watching Edward interact with their daughter.

When he finally noticed his wife was awake, Edward had carefully made his way over to her side, making sure he would not wake Alicia in the process. He held her out to Bella, just as he promised he would. Looking at her husband in that moment, Bella had never felt happier. He had kept his promise and not left the room while she was asleep, he was giving Alicia to her the moment she woke up and he had kept her safe and sound. Smiling at Edward, Bella had gently shook her head. Edward looked confused, "I can see she is safe and sound in her Daddy's arms. I do not need to hold her to confirm the fact." Edward smiled his crooked grin and kissed her on the cheek; clearly pleased with the fact that he would not have to relinquish his hold on Alicia.

Bella had to admit that Edward convincing her to go to bed at night was the best idea for her, and although she woke up earlier than usual and found it harder than it was prior to the kidnapping to put Alicia to bed, she was always energised in the morning and was slowly letting go of her fear that something would happen to Alicia.

However the anger and sickness Bella felt at Tanya's actions still rested in her body. A week after Alicia had been returned home, Bella entered the courtroom for the second time in her short life, although this time it was a much smaller case, in the law's eyes at least. Tanya had remained oddly quiet throughout the hearing, looking down at the floor the entire time and never making eye contact. Her lawyer had decided to plea temporary insanity, believing this would convince the defence to go easier on her.

Unfortunately it worked. Due to Tanya's strange behaviour in the courtroom and her parents' large sum of money, Tanya was sentenced to spend ten years in a highly guarded psychiatric hospital. It enraged Bella to know that Tanya was not going to go to prison simply because she knew how to act when it counted and her parents were able to bribe people with their money. However, much to Bella's satisfaction, as Tanya was being led away past the front bench, Bella had taken the opportunity to jump up and tell Tanya exactly what she thought about her actions, and slapped her hard across the face, causing Tanya to reel back in shock. Although the members of the court had then pulled Tanya away at a faster rate, Bella had never felt more pleased; the feeling spurred on by Edward's clapping in the background.

As they left the court hand in hand, Bella was not as satisfied as she believed she would be when Tanya was sentenced, but Edward had reminded her that the fact Tanya was far away from them and could not touch Alicia ever again curved her disappointment.

-o-

Today was Alicia's christening. After having her returned home, Bella did not want to waste any more time and she, Alice, Rose and Esme had planned the event in just two weeks. It was to be held at the same church Bella and Edward's wedding took place and all their friends and family would be invited, sans Renee of course although Bella no longer counted her as family.

Edward was performing the proud father role perfectly. He carried Alicia around the house as Bella rushed to get everything organised, informing her all about the events that would take place today and the fact that all the attention would be on her but she should not feel pressured. Alicia started up at her father with rapt attention, well as much attention as a five week old baby could give.

Edward was dressed in his classic black suit and white shirt, looking fantastic as usual. Bella had chosen to wear a black and white, strapless dress that fell to the floor with a black ribbon around the top and black patterns descending down the dress. Her hair was down loose as she had no time to do anything with it, one of the joys of being a new parent.

"Now, there will be a lot of boys today Alicia. But I want you to remember you are too good for all of them and you are Papa's little girl, no one else's. Are we clear?" Edward cooed at Alicia, while Bella stifled a laugh.

"Not to mention they will all be at least ten years older than her Edward." Bella attempted to joke with Edward but his eyes bulged out of his head.

"No, no one of the male species will go anywhere near Alicia apart from father, Emmett, Jasper and myself." Edward decided instantly.

"Edward, I doubt anyone will be wanting to take our five week old daughter away to marry her. And you have to let other men near her." Bella counted as she made her way towards the door, Edward trailing behind her, holding Alicia protectively close to his chest.

"Of course I will not have to let other men hold her. What are you talking about?" Edward cried in despair.

"Oh I do not know. The fact that it is her Christening may mean that the priest will have to hold her, and do not forget godfather Jacob," Bella turned her head and smiled slyly at her husband. Edward growled in response. He was still not happy with the fact that Jake had been picked as godfather.

"The priest I can accept but I will have to think about Jacob." Edward muttered quietly as he escorted Bella into the carriage. Bella could do nothing but laugh at her husband's response and the fact that he was trying to ward men off his daughter when she was barely a month old.

They finally arrived at the church and were met at the carriage by and excited Alice, Esme and Rose; their other halves standing patiently behind them.

"Where is my niece?" Alice cried, ignoring the fact that she had yet to say hello to either Bella or Edward.

Esme was quick to follow her lead, "Edward pass Alicia to me. I wish to introduce her to my friends." Well it was more of a greeting than Alice had given at any rate.

Emmett then made a move forwards, blocking the stairs of the carriage making it impossible for the Cullen family to descend. "Women, control yourselves. Do you not realise that Bella and Edward have not had a chance to exit the carriage, yet here you are ordering them to hand over Alicia to you without a proper greeting?" Emmett scolded them and the woman had the decency to look ashamed. Bella was shocked; she had never seen her brother behave so maturely.

Emmett turned to face them, a smile lighting up his face, "And as I was the first to realise such a fact, I believe I should have the right to hold Alicia first!" And the Emmett she knew and loved was back.

"Emmett, move so that we can actually greet you properly," Bella ordered her brother smiling. He offered her his hand to help her down; clearly hoping it would win him points in the "I want to hold Alicia first" battle. Once her feet were firmly planted on the ground, Bella turned to her expectant brother, sister-in-law, mother-in-law and cousin-in-law. "Unfortunately for you, I do not believe that Edward is willing to surrender today, for he is paranoid that any man or boy that sets eyes on her will steal her away."

"With good reason," Jasper piped up, "Have you seen my goddaughter properly? She is already a beauty and she is only five weeks old. Edward will be beating them off with a stick!" Edward had smiled at Bella in triumph at Jasper's opening sentence but turned pale at the thought of numerous boys chasing after his precious little Alicia. He clutched her tighter to his chest as he exited the carriage.

Bella was about to tell her husband to relax when her train of thought was interrupted, "Bella!" someone yelled her name and Bella turned her head, searching for the source. She was met with the sight of Jake running full speed towards her. Before she had chance to realise what was happening, she had been picked up from the floor and was being spun around, kept safe in the protection of Jacob's arms.

Finally, just when she was sure she would be ill; Jake placed Bella's on the floor once more. "Bells it is so good to see you once again! It has been too long!" Bella could only nod as she tried to regain her balance. Jake's gaze quickly fell on Alicia, who was gazing at his curiously from her father's arms. "And this must be my precious goddaughter Alicia," Jake cooed and before Edward had the chance to protest, Jacob had removed her from his arms; winning the contest much to Emmett's, Alice's, Rose's and Esme's disappointment.

Just then, a Native American lady made her way over to the group, clutching a small infant who was trying to look at everything. "There you are Black. You cannot run away from me like that. Wh—" It was then she cast her eyes on Bella.

"Bella!" she screamed, causing the child in her arms to look curiously up at his mother.

"Leah!" Bella cried back, pulling her old friend into a hug as well as avoiding crushing the child she held. "It has been too long. I am dreadfully sorry we were not allowed to travel up to you when this little monster was born. My midwife or—"

"Bella, I understand, there is no need to explain. We are all together now and that is what is important." Leah calmed her friend before shifting the child in her arms, "Now, I want you to meet Seth Charles Black, Seth this is your godmother."

Seth looked up at Bella and smiled at her. Bella could not help but smile back and took his small hand in her own just as Jacob made his way over to the trio, still holding Alicia in his arms. "Alicia meet Seth, Seth meet your future wife Alicia." Bella heard Edward growl. She turned to look at him and his jaw was clenched, his face tinted red with rage.

She made her way over to him and placed a soothing hand on his arm. "Edward, Jake is simply joking. Seth is only five months old, there is no—" At that moment, Seth's hand reached out and touched Alicia's. It was perfectly innocent and unintentional, for Seth had simply been waving his arms about but Edward saw red and hissed.

"See what he is doing Bella. He has already corrupted his son and is making him try and win the affections of my Alicia. I will not have it Bella." And before she had the chance to stop him, Edward had grabbed Alicia out of Jacob's hands and matched towards the church; a laughing Emmett and Jasper following after him.

Bella hurried over and apologised to Jacob for Edward's rude behaviour, explaining the insecurities he felt. Jacob had simply laughed and swung his arm over her shoulder, guiding her into the church. "Who can blame him really? I mean, look at Seth. He is the spitting image of me; what girl could refuse him?"

-o-

The service was beautiful and Alicia was an angel. She did not cry when the priest poured the holy water over her head, she simply let in happen. She did not wail when she was transferred from person it person; in fact the only person who looked like they would wail at the removal of Alicia from their arms was her Papa himself. Edward was very reluctant to let her be taken from his arms, even by the priest.

They were currently standing by the church doors, thanking everyone for coming as they left and allowing everyone the chance to meet Alicia before they returned to the Cullen household for a short celebration. As they were half way through their line of guests, something ran into Bella's legs, clutching them tightly. She looked down to see Thomas' sparkling blue eyes gazing up at her.

"Bella, your tummy is gone." Thomas greeted her, looking quite confused.

Bella laughed and crouched down to the little boy's height, "It has, and do you know why?" Thomas shook his head frantically. "It has gone because the baby that was in there has come out." Thomas simply looked at her in awe. Subtly, Bella pulled at Edward's trouser leg, silently asking him to bend down. Complying with his wife's request, Edward bent down to their level, carefully staying steady so as not to worry Alicia.

"Hello Thomas, how are you?" Edward asked, smiling at the young boy.

"I am well thank you," the boy answered a little coolly, causing Bella to snicker. Bella moved Edward's arms so that Thomas had a clear view of Alicia.

"Thomas, this is my baby, the one who was in my tummy. This is Alicia." Bella introduced the small boy to her daughter. Thomas' gaze followed hers and finally landed to the infant. His eyes went wide.

"She was in you?" he asked in shock. Bella nodded. "How did she fit?"

"She was a lot smaller then." Bella explained.

"How did she get in there?" Thomas asked innocently. Bella blushed instantly and Edward let a small cough escape his mouth. How did she answer this one?

She was saved by a teary Esme, who approached her and informed her what a beautiful service it had been. Bella rose to her feet to embrace her mother-in-law and made light conversation, thankful for the rescue. When Bella noticed that Edward had not stood up himself, Bella glance down and smiled at the sight that met her; Thomas had stretched out his hand and placed it on Edward's arm, preventing him from rising as Thomas continued to stare at Alicia, a small smile on his face. Edward on the other hand did not look too please at the attention Thomas was pouring on Alicia and looked like he was begging to stand and take Alicia out of his view.

Bella gently pulled Edward up, much to his relief and Thomas' disappointment. "Thomas, I think you should go and find your mother because then you can come to our house and spend more time with Alicia. How does that sound?" Bella asked the small boy. Without bothering to give a response, Thomas ran off in search of his parents, clearly in a hurry to get to their home. Bella laughed while Edward glared after the boy, obviously not liking the fact that he was so keen to spend time with Alicia.

When all the guests had been greeted, Edward and Bella made their way into their carriage, Edward finally giving Alicia up and allowing Bella to carry her. The movement of the horse and carriage appeared to soothe Alicia, and before the five minute journey was complete, she was fast asleep in her mother's arms.

The Cullens were greeted at the door by all of their family and friends, each one eager to see Alicia once more. Bella smiled at each of them as they formed a path while she walked through the living room, before she placed Alicia carefully in the crib that had been set up and turned to her guests. However, the women were more interested in the sleeping baby and all made their way towards the crib, cooing at the sleeping angel. Bella could not help but laugh when Thomas pushed his way to the front through the hordes of women and placed both his hands on the crib before standing on tip toes to peer in. This received a number of "aww"s, though Edward looked anything but pleased.

The party continued and eventually everyone pulled themselves away from the sleeping child, everyone apart from Thomas, who appeared to be content at simply staring at the sleeping child. Edward kept shooting him glances.

"I think we should get him away from the crib Bella," Edward whispered urgently in her ear.

"Whatever for?" Bella asked, pretending to be confused.

"I do not like the way that boy is looking at her." Edward explained, clearly convinced that Thomas was up to no good.

"Edward, he is three years old. He is simply interested in her. It is not every day you see a new born baby." Bella explained calmly.

"He is spending too much time over there! Even the women, who are naturally born to love children, have left her alone but he is still there! I told you boys would try and corrupt my Alicia!" Edward was barely keeping his cool, beginning to tug on his hair in distress. Bella dearly wanted to laugh but restrained herself, removing Edward's hands from his hair.

"Edward, he is three years old and is simply curious. There is no need to worry so. Nothing will happen; Alicia is still your little girl." Bella soothed her husband.

At that moment, Thomas left the crib and came running over to the couple; pulling on Bella's dress. "Bella guess what, guess what!" he yelled, clearly excited.

"What? What?" Bella began to play along.

"Lici waked up and I say "hello!" and guess what she did! Guess!" Thomas was bouncing on the balls of his feet at this point.

"I do not know. What did she do Thomas?" Bella laughed at the little boy's antics.

"She smiled at me!" he cried, a large grin lighting his face.

Bella was in shock. Her baby, her Alicia had smiled. Her first smile and she had missed it? Bella was abruptly broken out of her thoughts at the sound of glass breaking. She looked up and saw a furious looking Edward, a champagne flute broken in his hands.

---

Like it? Yes there is no drama but I thought they have had enough of it for now...

Please let me know what you think?

Also, I am thinking about writing a one shot for Christmas, what do you think, Human or Vampire? Poll on profile.

So I hope you liked this chapter.

Until next time :)