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.

I AM SO SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG TO GET THIS OUT. Real life, including exams, colds and snow, got in the way. I also had a little bit of writer's block and it had taken me a week to just write half a page! Anyway, thanks to all who reviewed, put this story on alert and in their favourites. It means a lot.

I hope you like this chapter. It is a slight filler but I wanted to get something to you all. PS. Sorry for any mistakes, it VERY late.

Enjoy!


Forever Bound

Chapter Thirty Three – You Raise Me Up

The months had flown by and before Edward knew it, he and Bella were getting ready for Alicia's first birthday party. Only a few members of the family and close friends were arriving to spend the day at their celebration, but due to Alice it was the most extravagant party that had ever been held for a one year old.

Edward could not believe a year had passed since his little angel had been born. It felt like yesterday that he held her in his arms for the first time after that endless night, but it had been three hundred and sixty four yesterdays since that momentous event.

The past year and a half had been the best of Edward's life. In that time he had found and fallen deeply in love with his soul mate, made a child with the love of his life, watched as she birthed the child and had since had had the privilege to watch that baby grow into the Alicia he loved today.

It was truly a magical experience to be a husband and a father. Edward always knew that one day he would have a wife and although he expected to love her, he could never guess what the love he felt for Bella would feel like; nothing in the world could replace that feeling. Edward had also always wanted a child and in his head he had always pictured himself with a son; an heir. Edward would spend his free time teaching his son how to ride a horse, how to hold a sword, how to be a great leader but the moment he had held Alicia in his arms those thoughts had altered.

He did not know why he had had such a great urge for a son; yes a boy would carry on the family name, but little Alicia was more than he could have ever dreamed of. Alicia and Bella were the reason he rose from bed each morning, if anything where to happen to them or they were not in his life, Edward knew he would no longer want to live; those two girls were his existence.

The past year with Alicia had been the most memorable. Edward loved to watch every new action Alicia would conquer. Whether it be clenching and uncurling her fingers after her first week on earth, her first laugh or the first time she had been able to pull herself off from the floor. That moment had been the proudest of Edward's life, after realising he had made such a beautiful creature of course.

Alicia had been ten and a half months old when she taken that massive step. She had been happily playing with Bella on the floor of the living room as Edward watched on, smiling at the antics of the Cullen women. Bella had been rolling a ball to the small angel, causing her to clap whenever the ball touched her little legs which in turn cause Bella and Edward to break out into identical smiles.

The milestone had occurred when Bella had accidently rolled the ball a little too far and out of Alicia's reach, causing her head to turn with the movement of the ball. Just as Bella was about to stand up and retrieve the ball, Alicia reached her hands up and secured them on the edge of the table while Bella and Edward could only stare at their daughter. Slowly, as if making sure she had a strong enough grip, Alicia had pulled herself up and supported her weight on the table. Bella had gasped and covered her mouth with her hands but Edward could not take his eyes off Alicia, for she was gradually sliding her hands along the table, her body following after her at a slower pace.

Edward watched in awe; his daughter was a genius! She only managed two steps before she fell on her behind but it was enough. Bella and Edward both ran at her, Edward reaching her first and swinging her up into his arms.

"My brilliant angel!" Edward cried, spinning Alicia in a circle around the room, "Look what you did! You are such a smart little girl are you not?" Alicia simply giggled, placing her hand against her father's cheek.

Bella reached them, halting Edward in his dance and wrapped her arms around his waist, looking at Alicia over his shoulder. "You are such a clever little girl. Mummy is so proud of you," Alicia reached her arms out towards Bella and Edward reluctantly handed her over, "You are growing up so fast." Edward noticed the tears that her flooding Bella's eyes.

It was true, Alicia could now stand on her own, it would not be long before she could walk alone, run alone and then stand up for herself alone. She would not longer need Edward to protect her and he felt sick at the thought. Although he hated the idea of her growing up, Edward had never been prouder of her than he had in that moment.

That night, Bella had curled up to Edward's side, a movement she made every night and so Edward thought nothing of it. However, when Edward felt his chest get a little wet he instantly pulled her away from his body, extremely concerned.

"Bella what is it?" Edward asked quietly as he wiped away the tears from her face.

"It is nothing," Bella responded, shaking her head but she was not very convincing; tears continued to fall from her eyes.

Edward raised her chin so that she looked him in the eye, "Bella, please tell me what is upsetting you so much."

"Alicia stood up by herself," Bella mumbled quietly.

Edward was confused, "But that is a happy event, a milestone in her life."

"I know, I know," Bella repeated, as if trying to convince herself.

"Then what is upsetting you so?" Edward whispered into his wife's ear.

"It is just," Bella hesitated, considering her words carefully, "Alicia is growing up."

"Yes?" Edward asked slowly.

"Well, I know she is less than a year old but she is growing up. She will not need me much longer." Edward had to smile slightly; she had the same fears that he did.

"Bella, she will always need you; you are her mother." Bella looked disbelieving at him. "She will. She will need you to guide her walking, she will need you to help her get dressed, she will need you to kiss her cuts better, and she will need you," Edward took a deep breath, hating what he was about to say, "she will need you to help her get ready on her wedding day."

Bella smiled slightly at her husband's obvious unhappiness with that certain topic but the smile did not last for long. "I know that, I do. But, I miss holding a baby in my arms." Edward could only nod; He missed it too. He missed the comfort he could draw from Alicia's small body, he missed having to carry Ali everywhere because she could not do anything herself, and he even missed the sleepless nights.

"I want another baby Edward." Bella whispered into his ear, effectively stopping all thoughts.

"W-what?" Edward stuttered, his throat suddenly dry. He had no idea why his body was having this reaction, it was not as though he was averse to having any more children; he would love however many children God chose to bestow on him and Bella.

The only plausible explanation Edward could think of for his reaction was the fact that he had never had a conversation like this before. When they were trying to conceive Alicia, it was out of the duty Edward felt towards his family, not because he wanted a child at that moment in his life.

"I want another baby," Bella repeated, although she sounded slightly less sure of herself.

Edward closed his eyes. Behind his lids he saw Bella round with their child once more, a large smile playing on her face as she rubbed the swell of her belly.

Flash.

Bella was holding a newborn infant in her arms, tears of happiness streaking down her face as Alicia tried to peer at her younger sibling.

Edward smiled as he opened his eyes. Of course he wanted another child, however many Bella would be willing to give him. Another life would be perfect; it would be another being for Edward to fall irrevocably for and a chance for Alicia to have a playmate.

"Edward?" Bella questioned, looking at her husband with worry in her eyes.

Edward could not help himself; he moved his head down so that it was parallel with her own and pressed his lips onto hers. "Are you sure?" He questioned as he pulled his lips away.

Bella looked up at him with a small smile. "More than anything, but only if you are willing?"

"Oh I am more than willing Mrs Cullen," Edward growled playfully, "I cannot wait to bring another life into this world, although are you sure you can go through labour once more."

Bella nodded instantly, "If that is what it takes to bring another child into the world then I would go through it a hundred times over."

Edward could not help but smile at the love his wife held for any possible children they may have, for she was willing to put herself through immeasurable amounts of pain to bring them into the world. He rolled on top of her, "Well there is not a moment to lose then, is there?" Bella could only giggle as they began to attempt to create a new life.

-o-

It had been a month and a half since they had decided to have another child yet they were not having any luck. Due to the fact he was a doctor, Edward knew about the anatomy and knew it was highly unlikely to conceive straight away but he could not help but hope.

Three weeks after they had begun to try once more, Bella had received her monthly course. Edward had found Bella in the bathroom at two hours past midnight, her knees pulled against her chest as she quietly sobbed.

It had taken almost an hour to comfort her and inform her that it was natural to not conceive at first, that she was not a failure as a wife of woman due to the fact she was not carrying a child instantly.

It had been a month since that night and Edward knew that Bella was due to start her course any day now, although they were both praying it would not appear. He could not help but stare at his darling wife as she pottered around the room, making sure everything was perfect for their daughter's special day.

Only members of family and a few friends would be spending the day with them but Bella appeared to be extremely nervous about their reaction to the party. Edward knew it would be nothing short of perfect and although he had told Bella this a number of times, she continued to find things to correct, for the angle of the painting on the wall of the height of the balloons.

Making his way over to Bella, Edward halted her in her movements as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Edward, please let me go. I have to make sure everything is ready for the party. There is only an hour until the guests arrive." Bella complained but Edward held her tightly.

"Bella, look around you. There is nothing out of place, there is not a speck of dust to be found and the only thing that will make it less than perfect is the hole you are wearing into the floor." Edward attempted a joke and received a smack in the chest, albeit it was a light smack due to the lack of effort Bella put behind it.

Sinking into his embrace, Bella sighed. "I suppose you are right, as usual." Edward nodded a grin on his face.

"Of course I am right love, now I think we should go and wake the birthday girl, do you agree." Bella nodded and hand in hand they walked into their daughter's nursery.

Alicia was standing against the wood of her crib, patiently waiting for her parents to fetch her. As soon as they entered the room, Alicia began to bounce up and down and babble excitedly; it was almost as if she realised today was a special day.

Bella released Edward's hand and ran towards their baby girl. "Happy birthday sweetheart! Do you realise what today is?" Alicia just placed her small hand on Bella's cheek and continued to babble undistinguishable noises. "That is right, it is your birthday!"

Alicia had yet to say her first word but Edward had a feeling it would be coming very soon. Over the past few weeks, Ali had definitely been attempting to talk but had not be successful yet. Edward could not wait to discover what his daughter's first word would be but he secretly wished it would be Papa, although Mama would be just as impressive. He knew for a fact that Emmett and Jasper had taken bets on the subject, each convinced that if they said their name around Ali often enough it would become her first word.

Placing himself at his wife's side once more, Edward placed a kiss on his little angel's head. "Happy birthday little girl," Alicia turned her head to face her Papa and smiled her breathtaking smile for him. Edward could do nothing but smile back at her, it was infectious.

The sound of the doorbell resounded around the house at that moment and the whole Cullen family looked towards the door of the nursery, although Edward believed Alicia only turned herself due to the fact Bella had moved her head and Ali was currently very busy playing with a strand of her mama's hair.

"I will answer it, you get Alicia ready for her party," Bella nodded and Edward pecked her on the lips before he descended down the stairs.

The moment he pulled the door open, Edward was pushed aside by a very excited Alice, who was quickly followed by Jasper, his arms laden with presents. "Where is Alicia?" Alice demanded before Edward had a chance to even look at his other guests. He chose to ignore her.

Next into the house was his mother and father who were holding a present each and both looked as excited as Alice, although they were able to contain themselves. Following behind them was Emmett and Rosalie. Emmett carried Alicia's present in one hand while the other was placed protectively around Rose's waist; his hand carefully placed across her stomach. Last month, at Emmett's birthday party, the couple had announced that they were expecting, much to the joy of each member of the family. They had never seen either of them as happy as they currently were.

Finally, Angela and her new husband Ben followed behind them. Ben was holding a small gift in his hands while Angela cradled their three week old son. Bella had been thrilled when Angela and Ben had announced their engagement soon after Alicia's birth last year and they were married shortly before Bella's birthday. Nine months later and Joseph Benjamin Cheney had arrived.

Edward had just managed to shut the door before Alice pounced once more. "Where are Alicia and Bella Edward?" Alice demanded, one hand placed on her hip and her foot tapping the floor. "There is not a moment to waste; she has too many presents to open before she had to nap."

"Bella is getting her dressed if you do not mind," Edward explained impatiently. "I am sure they will be down soon."

Alice huffed and made her towards the settee, placing herself at Jasper's side. "I hope she is wearing the dress I laid out." Alice mumbled and Edward snickered. Of course Alice would be worried about the fashion statements a one year old would be making.

Bella came down with Alicia in her arms at that moment, but the moment Alicia laid eyes on her family she struggled to get free. Once they had reached the bottom of the stairs, Bella carefully placed Alicia on her feet and held her hands as Ali waddled over to her grandparents before she threw herself at Carlisle's knee caps.

Each person present at the party smiled as they watched Alicia interact with her grandfather, but once again Alice spoilt the moment by demanding Alicia opened her presents.

-o-

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Alicia, happy birthday to you!" The song ended and everyone stared at Alicia, waiting for her to blow out the candle on her cake.

Alicia was placed in Edward's lap as the Blacks, the Cullens, the Cheneys and Thomas stood around her, waiting for her to blow out her first candle. Ali had over plans and just stared at each of the guests, as if questioning what they were expecting her to do.

Much to Edward's unhappiness, Thomas came to Alicia's side to "assist" her. "Lici, you need to blow. Like this," Thomas then proceeded to show Alicia the mechanism of blowing which amazingly, she copied although it was not enough to extinguish the flame.

Giving up, Edward gently blew the candle out himself and everyone cheered, before Alice took the cake away to cut.

Five minutes later and everyone was munching on a piece of cake, complimenting Bella on her cooking, to which Bella simply blushed. She was never any good at receiving compliments.

A knock on the front door disrupted the peace that had fallen across the party, well it was peace if you did not include Alice's constant nattering to Rose, Bella, Angela and Leah all about clothes and other inconsequential matters.

Placing Alicia on Carlisle's lap once more, much to Thomas' joy as he was still too afraid to approach Edward after the glass breaking incident, Edward removed himself from the party and went to see who was disrupting their afternoon celebrations.

A young man was waiting for Edward at the door and held a letter in his outstretched hand. "From Mr Jenkins, Mr Cullen. He told me to inform you that it was urgent." Edward nodded and thanked the boy before closing the door.

He stood in the lobby and slowly opened the letter; what could be so important that Jenkins felt the need to interrupt his daughter's birthday party?

The blood drained from Edward's face as he read through the letter and the moment he had read the last word, the paper fell uselessly from his hands and fluttered to the floor as Edward stood there in shock.

The war had started and he was being summoned.

---

So it was all happy and then I had to go and ruin it right? Sorry about that!

Like it? Hate it? Please let me know what you think.

Can we get to 1,720 reviews? My aim is to get 2000 for the story and if we do then the person who gives me that review will get the first chapter of my next story before I publish it so get reviewing :)

I hope you all have a great Christmas and a happy New Year. Keep safe.

Until next time :)