Disclaimer: I am NOT Stephenie Meyer and I don't own any of the Twilight series' characters or stories. I borrowed the dialogue and storyline from Breaking Dawn, but the rest is my own take on the story, as seen through Edward's eyes.

Chapter 20

Déjà vu

Sometime in the night, Bella began to shiver and I reluctantly distanced myself as Esme draped another quilt around her. Her soft breaths were a stark contrast to the deep snoring from Jacob who slept against the wall. Esme had fretted about the discomfort lying on the floor would cause him and had placed a pillow beneath his head. It was a wonder that he hadn't awoken.

Bella woke not long after I had moved, still shivering delicately, despite the layers of blankets, yet her cheeks were flushed. I pressed the back of my hand to her forehead and her skin felt like fire.

"Carlisle," I called.

He appeared a moment later, a concerned look on his face. "What is it? Is something wrong?"

"I think she may be running a fever."

"A fever?" Carlisle pressed his hand to her forehead and cheek. She does feel feverish. Best to take her temperature. He disappeared and reappeared a second later, holding a thermometer in his hands.

Bella opened her mouth obediently as Carlisle held the thermometer to her lips. "Just place it under your tongue," he instructed. A moment later, he removed it to study the results.

"99.4," he murmured to himself before looking at Bella. "It's a low–grade fever. Nothing to be terribly concerned about at this point, but we should keep a watch on it in case it goes any higher."

"Am I sick?" Bella asked. "The baby?"

"It's normal, with the hormonal changes, for pregnant women to experience a low–grade fever from time to time. Of course, the nature of your pregnancy and the unusual genetic makeup of the fetus could be causing your body to have some difficulty regulating its own temperature. And, there's always the possibility that you are indeed sick, although you're not displaying any other symptoms." Too many variables, no way to be sure…

"I'm sure it's nothing," I assured her, reaching out to take her hand, although the appearance of a yet another new sign of her deterioration set me on edge.

"In the meantime, why don't we go ahead and remove that IV," Carlisle suggested.

Bella nodded and he expertly removed the tiny tube from her skin, quickly replacing it with a thick layer of gauze and tape not only to stop the bleeding, but to conceal the scent as well as he could. With a house full of thirsty vampires, the last thing we needed was another temptation.

When he was finished, she shivered, pulling the blankets more tightly around her.

"Would you like something to eat?" I asked.

"Some eggs would be wonderful." She smiled.

He's probably just asleep. Leah needs to stop worrying so much.

I turned my head toward the door just as a timid knock echoed through the thick wood. All eyes fell on me. "Seth," I explained.

Carlisle nodded and crossed the room. The door swung open and Seth stood smiling on the other side. "Hi, Dr. Cullen," he said. "I just came to see if Jacob was still here…" I'd recognize that snore anywhere…he's here alright.

"Welcome, Seth," Carlisle replied, moving aside. "Won't you please come in?"

Rosalie rolled her eyes. Oh great, now there's two of them to stink up the place.

"Thanks." Seth nodded, stepping inside the door. His gaze fell on Jacob's sleeping form and he rolled his eyes. "Should've known he'd fall asleep. He hasn't stopped for almost two days."

"Is everything all right?" Carlisle asked.

"Yeah, fine." He shrugged, waving his hand. "Leah's running the perimeter. She was just worried that we hadn't heard from Jake in a while and asked me to go check on him."

"How are you holding up?" I asked, seeing Seth's haggard appearance, although it didn't appear nearly as fatigued as Jacob's had been.

"Fine." He smiled. "Leah and I switched off at midnight so I could get some sleep. I would've taken over for her again if she hadn't made me come here first."

"We cannot express how grateful we are for what you all have done for us," Carlisle said.

"No thanks needed." Seth shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets. "We're just doing what's right."

I stood. "Seth, are you hungry?"

Oh man, I'm starved, but… "Well, um…" he stammered.

"I was just going to fix some breakfast for Bella," I offered. "I'd be more than happy to prepare some for you as well."

"Well, I don't know…"

"Please, Seth," Esme appeared carrying an armful of clothes, similar to what she had offered Jacob. "You must be famished. And I'd hate for all this food to go to waste."

"I insist." I smiled, turning to head into the kitchen before he could protest further.

The aroma of cinnamon was wafting from the kitchen. Esme had been baking for well over an hour now, hoping to prepare something she could offer to our warm–blooded protectors. I was relatively skilled in the kitchen, but Esme was by far the superior baker.

I made quick work, whipping up half a dozen eggs in a bowl and shredding a block of sharp cheddar. The eggs bubbled and popped as they came in contact with the searing heat of the frying pan. I listened to the quiet conversation in the living room as I worked.

Seth had noticed the striking difference between the sickly images of Bella that Jacob had shown him before and her current state, although he made no mention of it. After changing clothes, he sat beside her, his curiosity getting the better of him as he asked her questions about the pregnancy. He became concerned by her continued shivering and scooted closer, hoping that the close proximity of his body heat would help to warm her.

I flipped an omelet onto a plate and immediately began another. Esme, with a fresh cup of blood already in her hand, picked up the plate on her way toward the living room. She returned a few moments later, taking the spatula from my hand.

"The cinnamon rolls are done," she said. "I can take it from here."

"Thank you, Esme."

She plated the second omelet onto a large dish next to one of her cinnamon rolls and handed it to me. "For Seth."

I nodded and took the plate, turning back toward the living room as she began cracking more eggs for another omelet. She seemed determined to overwhelm the wolves with hospitality as though it were her life's mission.

"Wow, thanks!" Seth exclaimed as I placed the plate on his lap.

"My pleasure." I smiled. "Trust me, it's the least we could do."

He stared at the plate for a moment, his stomach grumbling. "I'm gonna take this to Leah," he said. "That is, if you don't mind making another…"

"Already started," Esme called from the kitchen. She appeared a moment later and took the plate from Seth, wrapping it securely to protect it from the elements. "Your breakfast will be hot and ready when you return."

He smiled and nodded before bounding for the door. I returned to the kitchen to assist Esme as she took another dozen eggs from the refrigerator. She must have thought she was feeding a small army with the amount of food she had begun to prepare. At this rate, we would have to replenish our stock sooner than planned and, with Sam's pack on alert, it was doubtful any of us could venture far from the house.

A few moments later, Seth returned and reclaimed his seat next to Bella. I placed a fresh plate on his lap and he nodded his thanks. I stepped around Alice who had shifted nearer to Bella upon Seth's arrival, her mind surprisingly clear given the presence of the wolves. I took my seat on the other side of Bella. She was still shivering, clutching the blankets tightly up under her chin. "Seth," I murmured, leaning forward to see around Bella. He looked up with a questioning expression on his face, his mouth too full of food to respond. "Would you mind?" I asked, nodding to Bella.

His eyes widened in understanding and he nodded, scooting closer and draping an arm around Bella's shoulders. Bella opened her mouth to protest, but decided against it when her shivering began to diminish.

The room fell into pleasant conversation. Seth brought a lightness to the room that we hadn't felt since this all began. Bella was smiling and laughing and I found myself laughing along with her.

The increasing volume of our banter must have become too loud because I could see Jacob beginning to stir from his slumber. He rolled over, rubbing his face with his palms as he wiped the sleep from his eyes.

What time is it? Close to sunset?

It was apparent that he had no idea how long he had been asleep.

"About time," Rosalie sneered. "The chainsaw impersonation was getting a little tired."

"Rosalie!" Esme chastised under her breath.

He sat up slowly. He seemed groggy and disoriented as he looked around the room, taking in the changes that had occurred since he fell asleep.

"Hey, Jake's coming around," Seth exclaimed.

Jacob's eyes followed the sound of Seth's voice and he appeared perplexed by his presence in the room. What the hell?

"He came to find you," I explained. "And Esme convinced him to stay for breakfast."

Uh–oh...he's mad."Yeah, Jake – I was just checking to see if you were okay 'cause you didn't ever phase back," Seth hastily explained. "Leah got worried. I told her you probably just crashed human, but you know how she is. Anyway, they had all this food and, dang man, you can cook."

"Thank you," I murmured.

That still doesn't explain why he has his arm around Bella.

"Bella got cold," I said.

Right. Jacob shook his head as though he were trying to scatter the unwanted thoughts. None of my business anyway. She doesn't belong to me.

Now uncomfortable with Jacob's observation, knowing how he felt about Bella, Seth quickly removed his arm from her shoulders and continued eating.

"Leah's running patrol?" Jacob asked.

"Yeah," he mumbled through a mouthful of food. "She's on it. No worries. She'll howl if there's anything. We traded off around midnight. I ran twelve hours."

Jacob's eyes widened. "Midnight? Wait a minute – what time is it now?"

Seth shrugged, peeking around Jacob to see the window. "Bout dawn."

Well, damn. I slept through the rest of the day and the whole night. "Crap. Sorry about that, Seth. Really." Jacob cringed, shaking his head and rubbing the back of his neck. "You shoulda kicked me awake."

"Naw, man, you needed some serious sleep. You haven't taken a break since when? Night before your last patrol for Sam? Like forty hours? Fifty? You're not a machine, Jake. 'Sides, you didn't miss anything at all." Except this food...man!

Jacob shook his head and turned to Bella, doing a visual inventory much the same way that I did each time I saw her. "How's the rib?" he asked.

"Taped up nice and tight." She smiled. "I don't even feel it."

I bit my tongue, holding back the argument that threatened to spill forth. She was so cavalier about all this, so seemingly unconcerned, that it drove me absolutely mad. And judging by Jacob's thoughts, I wasn't the only one bothered by her offhanded remark.

He shook it off, instead choosing to change the subject rather than argue. "What's for breakfast?" he asked. "O negative or AB positive?"

Bella rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue. "Omelets," she replied.

"Go get some breakfast, Jake," Seth encouraged. "There's a bunch in the kitchen. You've got to be empty."

Jacob's stomach grumbled at the mention of food. "What's Leah having for breakfast?" he asked.

Seth held up his hands. "Hey, I took food to her before I ate anything. She said she'd rather eat roadkill, but I bet she caves. These cinnamon rolls…"

Jacob's mouth set in a tight line. "I'll go hunt with her, then." It seemed that even though he appeared to be softening toward us, he was still reluctant to accept our hospitality. Not that I could blame him – his hatred of our kind was deeply rooted on an almost genetic level. It was in his very nature to withdraw from us.

He turned to go, but Carlisle held out a hand to stop him. "A moment, Jacob?" Perhaps he can grant some insight into our predicament.

Jacob turned. "Yeah?"

"Speaking of hunting," Carlisle murmured. "That's going to be an issue for my family. I understand that our previous truce is inoperative at the moment, so I wanted your advice. Will Sam be hunting for us outside of the perimeter you've created? We don't want to take a chance with hurting any of your family – or losing any of ours. If you were in our shoes, how would you proceed?"

What do I know? Well, I do know Sam. Jacob pondered for a moment before responding. "It's a risk," he said. "Sam's calmed down some, but I'm pretty sure that in his head, the treaty is void. As long as he thinks the tribe, or any other human, is in real danger, he's not going to ask questions first, if you know what I mean. But, with all that, his priority is going to be La Push. There really aren't enough of them to keep a decent watch on the people while putting out hunting parties big enough to do much damage. I'd bet he's keeping it close to home."

Carlisle nodded. It's a risk, but I don't know how much longer we can wait. We need to feed and Bella will need more blood.

Jacob continued. "So I guess I'd say, go out together, just in case. And probably you should go in the day, 'cause we'd be expecting night. Traditional vampire stuff. You're fast – go over the mountains and hunt far enough away that there's no chance he'd send anyone that far from home."

Carlisle looked at him, skepticism tingeing his thoughts. "And leave Bella behind, unprotected?"

"What are we, chopped liver?' Jacob retorted.

Carlisle laughed, but it was short-lived. "Jacob, you can't fight against your brothers."

"I'm not saying it wouldn't be hard, but if they were really coming to kill her – I would be able to stop them."

"No." Carlisle shook his head. "I didn't mean that you would be…incapable. But that it would be very wrong. I can't have that on my conscience."

"It wouldn't be on yours, Doc. It would be on mine. And I can take it."

"No, Jacob," Carlisle argued, resisting the urge to lay his hand on Jacob's shoulder. "We will make sure that our actions don't make that a necessity. We'll go three at a time. That's probably the best we can do."

Jacob looked uneasy. That's a bad idea..they would be too vulnerable. "I don't know, Doc. Dividing down the middle isn't the best strategy."

"We've got some extra abilities that will even it up," Carlisle reasoned. "If Edward is one of the three, he'll be able to give us a few miles' radius of safety."

Absolutely not! Nothing on this earth could move me away from Bella's side, especially at such a distance. What if something happened in my absence? What if the creature damaged her irreparably? Who would be here to help her? Jasper? Emmett? I clenched my fists as the scenarios swam through my thoughts. They would have to come up with another plan.

Both Carlisle and Jacob turned to look at me, but saw the obstinate look on my face and both decided quickly that a different course of action would be needed.

"I'm sure there are other ways, too," Carlisle added. "Alice, I would imagine you could see which routes would be a mistake?"

Alice nodded. "The ones that disappear. Easy."

"Okay, then. That's settled. I'll just be on my way." Jacob gestured with his thumb toward the door. "Seth, I'll expect you back on at dusk, so get a nap in there somewhere, all right?"

Seth nodded. "Sure, Jake. I'll phase back soon as I'm done. Unless…" his gaze shifted to Bella. "Do you need me?"

"She's got blankets," Jacob snapped.

Bella's cheeks flushed. "I'm fine, Seth, thanks."

Esme appeared at Carlisle's side, a large covered dish in her hands. "Jacob, I know it's…unappetizing to you, the idea of eating here, where it smells so unpleasant. But I would feel much better if you would take some food with you when you go. I know you can't go home, and that's because of us. Please – ease some of my remorse. Take something to eat."

Jacob stared at her for a moment as she tentatively held the food out to him. It seemed that even Jacob wasn't immune to Esme's charms. She was a mother to so many of us who had lost our natural parents so long ago.

"Uh, sure, sure," he mumbled. "I guess. Maybe Leah's still hungry or something."

He took the dish, not wanting to disappoint Esme, although he had no intention of eating it. He imagined emptying the dish in the woods or burying it at the base of a tree. His eyes flitted to mine. Don't you say anything to her! Let her think I ate it. You owe me.

Esme beamed. "Thank you, Jacob."

"Um, thank you."

"Will you come back later, Jake?" Bella asked.

He looked down at his feet. "Uh, I don't know."

"Please?" she pleaded. "I might get cold."

"Maybe," he relented.

"Jacob?" Esme asked. "I left a basket of clothes on the porch. They're for Leah. They're freshly washed – I tried to touch them as little as possible. Do you mind taking them to her?" I could hear the skepticism in her thoughts, but it was overwhelmed by a hesitant sense of hope.

"On it."

Jacob disappeared through the door, the stirring of bewildering new feelings following behind him. As fiercely as he had fought it, he was slowly beginning to see what Bella had seen in us all along. For someone who hated us so much in the past to now entertain the idea that we may become friends was quite astounding.

A little of the light seemed to leave Bella's eyes when Jacob disappeared from sight. She shivered delicately and leaned against Seth's shoulder for warmth. Esme returned to the kitchen, hopeful that she had done her part to make Jacob and Leah feel welcome. It was a wonder that siblings could be so different from one another. Seth had embraced us as friends. His enthusiasm was equaled in intensity only by his sister's distrust.

I wonder why… "Edward?" Seth asked.

I looked up.

"If your family needs to go a long way to hunt, why not just keep going? Sam's only concerned with protecting the tribe and the town. If you leave, I don't think he would follow you. Couldn't you go to Alaska – to Tanya's?"

I shook my head. Of course I had considered the option, but at this stage, it was far too risky. "I don't think we could," I murmured, "although the thought had crossed my mind."

"Why not?"

"With the nature of Bella's condition and her new diet, Carlisle needs to be somewhere that he can access the necessary medical supplies, including blood. It would be difficult to relocate and maintain the level of access that he already has here. And, at this stage in the pregnancy, I'm afraid that moving Bella would be far too risky."

Seth nodded. "I get it." I just wish Sam would let them be. They're not hurting anyone.

"Would you like anything else?" Esme asked, appearing beside Seth.

"No ma'am. Thank you." He rubbed his stomach appreciatively as Esme took the empty plate from his hands. "That was great."

Bella's eyes squeezed shut and she grimaced, whimpering softly.

"Bella? What's wrong?" I asked, moving in front of her, reaching helplessly.

She gasped again, a tear rolling down her cheek.

"Bella?"

What's going on? Is it the baby? Man, she looks like she's in a lot of pain.

She took several short breaths as her face slowly began to relax. I cradled her cheek in my hand. She was burning up, even warmer than before. She opened her eyes and breathed a relieved sigh, smiling weakly in a feeble attempt to reassure me that she was okay.

Then, like the calm before the storm, the silence was replaced by a resounding crack that set my teeth on edge and she cried out, clutching her side in agony.

"Carlisle!" I screamed, feeling my grip on my sanity slipping once again. For a second time in less than a day, the creature inside her had broken something. I was sure of it. How much longer could this go on? How far would she allow this to go? Until the demon inside her destroyed her completely?

Carlisle ran to Bella, quietly urging her to relax. "What happened?" he whispered.

"I heard a crack," I offered.

"Another?" Carlisle asked, his tone surprised. Another break? So soon after the first? "Bella, I need to take a look."

Rosalie stood, but this time I was closer. I gingerly scooped Bella up in my arms and carried her up the stairs to Carlisle's study. Once again we were in this room, trying futilely to repair the damage that the fetus had caused. How many more times would this same scenario play out?

Alice and Seth hovered just inside the doorway while Carlisle repeated the process of examining Bella's injury and taking x-ray scans of her chest.

"It's a hairline fracture," Carlisle said. Same as the last. "I will need to tape it like before."

Bella nodded and I supported her in a sitting position while Carlisle worked. I could hear the alarm in Seth's thoughts as he witnessed the damage this pregnancy was causing to Bella's body. Like Jacob, he didn't understand the mindset someone would have to be in to willingly subject themselves to such brutality.

Bella sat up fully when Carlisle was finished and straightened her clothing.

"See there...good as new," Rosalie encouraged.

"Good as new!?" I repeated, my fists clenched. "Rosalie, do you even comprehend what this thing is doing to her?"

"Edward, even normal human babies have been known to crack ribs. It just means the baby is strong. Bella will be fine."

If I hadn't been concerned for Bella's safety, I would have launched myself at my sister in that moment. Bella's cavalier attitude about this whole ordeal was difficult enough to tolerate, but I had no patience for my sister's insanity. She wasn't the one who had everything to lose.

Before I could argue, Carlisle sensed the need to hold me back and grabbed my shoulder. "Bella, while we're here, why don't we check your progress today?"

Bella nodded, but looked nervously between Rosalie and myself. She lay back down on the examination table and pulled back her shirt while Carlisle ran a tape measurer across the height of her abdomen.

"Thirty centimeters," he murmured. That's the equivalent of thirty weeks...two more centimeters than yesterday. She'll deliver in a matter of days.

"You're growing so fast, aren't you baby," Bella crooned, rubbing circles on her belly.

I swallowed back the venom that pooled in the back of my throat, like the uncomfortable build up of acid when one feels the urge to vomit. How could she love a creature that was destroying her? The fact that she loved a demon such as myself never made much sense to me either.

"And how much longer until the damage is beyond repair?" I whispered.

Bella and Carlisle both looked at me. Rosalie hissed under her breath. Carlisle's expression was one of deep sorrow and concern. Bella's was a shadow of shock, surprised by my statement, but expecting my reaction all the same.

"What if it breaks something vital next time?" I asked. "What if it crushes your spine? What then?"

Bella's eyes softened as she reached for my hand. "Then you'll save me."

"What if I can't?"

"Esme's injuries were extensive. Wasn't her spine broken from her fall? It will be okay, Edward. We'll get through this."

"And what if your heart gives out? What then? The stress that this pregnancy is putting on your body is too much. If your heart…then I can't save you…I'll lose you…I can't…" My words were choked off by a sob deep in my chest. The looming deadline, now only days away, was only adding emphasis to the already desperate situation we found ourselves in.

I squeezed my eyes shut and my knees gave out as I fell to the floor beside the examination table. I pressed my palms to the floor, my nails creating deep grooves in the wooden floorboards. The world was spinning around me like a tilt-a-whirl and the one thing that anchored me in this existence was the same thing that was slipping away from me.

I felt small hands rubbing circles on my back. It's okay, Edward. We won't let you lose her. Alice's soothing thoughts did little to calm my nerves, but I also knew that the pain she felt was very similar to my own. Alice cared for Bella even before we met. She knew how important she would be to all our lives. But then she had her vision to guide her, to reassure me – and now there was nothing but the emptiness of the unknown stretching before us, nothing to reassure me, no certainties to hang onto.

The sounds of rustling fabric and shifting bodies got my attention and I looked up as Rosalie was carrying Bella from the room. Seth stepped aside to let Rosalie pass and he looked at me lying on the floor – broken, desperate, and empty. I felt the pity in his thoughts, the wish that there was something he could do. But there wasn't anything we could do. Until the birth, we were at the mercy of the thing growing inside her.

Alice clasped my hand and pulled me up. She brushed the wrinkles from my shirt with her palms, pursing her lips while she worked. You really should change clothes, Edward. How many days straight have you been wearing this shirt?

"I have a little more to be concerned about right now than my wardrobe, Alice," I hissed.

Alice stepped back with a hurt expression on her face.

"I'm sorry," I murmured."I didn't mean…"

"I know," she whispered. "It doesn't matter."

She began walking and I followed her from the room. Everyone had resumed their posts in the living room. We seemed to be trapped in some sort of vicious cycle of waiting and reacting. Rosalie was sitting on the floor next to Bella's feet. Seth was sitting beside Bella again, his arm draped across the back of the sofa behind her. Carlisle sat with Esme in a nearby chair, speaking softly to Bella.

"I can't care for you properly if you keep your symptoms hidden," Carlisle said. "It does little good to downplay anything that you're feeling. If you are in pain or have difficulty breathing or anything at all, you need to say something. Although a symptom may appear to be of little consequence, it could be an indicator of something far worse."

Bella nodded solemnly, although I knew that she wouldn't listen to Carlisle. Ever the martyr, Bella would rather suffer in silence than cause uncertainty or worry in others. I crossed the room and sat beside her. She reached out, taking my hand, and smiled warmly. I lifted her hand up and kissed her knuckles before letting our joined hands fall into my lap.

Emmett descended the stairs and crossed the room, plopping down into an arm chair with a heavy sigh. Sorry, bro. Nothing solid yet, he thought.

"How is the research progressing, Emmett?" Carlisle asked.

"Slow," he groaned, running his hand across his face. "There are some stories, myths, but we haven't found anything concrete or promising."

"What are you doing?" Seth asked.

"We're researching what we can to see what we're up against." He paused, gesturing to Bella. "We don't know if this pregnancy is the first of its kind or not. If we knew that it had happened before, we might be able to predict the outcome."

"This baby is one of a kind," Rosalie added.

"We don't know that," Carlisle disagreed, shaking his head. "There are legends of similar instances. We just don't know how much truth there is to them. We have to weed out the fact from the fiction."

"All we're finding are old legends – narratives passed down that seem to be nothing more than scary stories," Emmett said. "Jasper's still looking. We're not giving up. I just needed a break."

"Thank you, Emmett." Bella smiled.

"Anything for my little sister." I don't want to lose her either.

Bella began pushing the blankets away from her. Her cheeks were flushed and tiny beads of sweat were forming on her brow.

"Are you too warm?" I asked.

She nodded and Seth immediately moved his arm. She shoved the blankets away and I leaned over, carefully wrapping an arm around her. She nestled into the crook of my arm and sighed, closing her eyes.

"Seth, you must be exhausted. Why don't you get some sleep," Carlisle suggested.

"Would you like to use one of the beds?" Esme asked. "You're welcome to."

Seth shook his head. "That's okay. I can just crash right here. Then at least I'm still close in case Bella gets cold again."

Esme stood and appeared a moment later with a blanket and pillow and handed them to Seth. He smiled his thanks and unfolded the blanket, draping it over himself. He buried his head in the pillow and, in a matter of minutes, he was sound asleep.

Bella yawned widely and closed her eyes, sinking further into my side. Soon after, she too was softly snoring.

We need to talk, Carlisle thought.

I glanced up, seeing the ideas spinning in his mind.

"We can't wait any longer, Edward. We need to make a plan."

A/N: Only one more week - can you believe it! I'm pretty much resigned to the fact that I'm not going to finish as much as I hoped, but that's ok. I'm hoping to get at least one more chapter out there before 11/18. Thank you all for your encouraging words - I truly cherish them all.

Thanks to my beta, Nellybear85, for chatting with me and reading even at the wee hours of the morning.