Disclaimer: All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

Chapter 77 Delivered

I noticed that she was over beside the injured girl on the stairs. It didn't matter. I laughed even harder . . . the fat little thing seemed to be trying to get the injured girl up the stairs with her. Stupid fucking little human. They really did have no more sense than the cattle that they themselves bred for their own food.

BPOV

I pressed the button on the phone that Edward asked me to as I ran to the stairs to check on Bree. I was already worried about her, she had been lying on the sofa for an entire day and had not gotten to her feet when Victoria came into the room. Victoria had kicked the sofa that she was resting on, causing it to skid across the room and tumble over, landing her up on the stairs.

"Bree, Bree," I screamed as I tried to get her to hear me. Her legs were on the stairs above her head and she seemed dazed as I tried in vain to get her attention. A loud metallic screeching sound ripped through the air and I watched in horror as I saw Riley's arm torn from his body and flung into the fireplace.

"Oh my God, Edward. She ripped his arm off!" I all but yelled into the phone.

I had to get Bree up . . . I had to get us out of here and this might be our only chance, running while they were too busy fighting each other to notice. I grabbed Bree under the shoulder and half dragged her up a couple of the stairs. I couldn't do it and hold onto the phone. I had to let go . . . I had to let go of Edward.

"Edward. I love you. I love you!" I shouted, barely hearing him tell me that he loved me as the phone fell from my shoulder, both my hands pulling at the half conscious girl. I managed to get her up the stairs and on her feet, her arm around my shoulder and mine around her waist. As we stumbled towards the front door, I saw the car keys on the kitchen table and realized we had no chance of escape on foot and took advantage of having seen the keys just lying there.

There was a sleek, black sedan parked closest to the kitchen door in the garage, the keys dangling from the dash. Though I had the keys to the Volvo in my hand, I put Bree in the back seat of the black car and hit the button to raise the garage door, cranking the car, slamming my door and stepping on the gas with the car in reverse seemingly all in one motion. I backed into a snow drift in my haste to turn around so that I could drive forward, the area having been plowed recently. I sped down what must have been the longest driveway in creation at speeds I had never thought of using before, determined to make it to the highway and far enough from Victoria that she would not be able to follow. I had the keys to the other car, so i knew she could not use it to come after me, but that really didn't matter with vampires. She was much faster on foot than she would have been in a car.

Bree needed medical attention and though I wasn't inclined to admit it, I realized that dragging her up the stairs had caused the small contractions that I had been having for a day or so to escalate into something else altogether. They were now serious contractions, and my belly felt rock hard as I rubbed circles on it attempting to sooth myself as well as Masen.

"We got away from the bad lady, Masen. Don't be scared. Mommy is driving us far away from her and we're going to go find Daddy. I know you're scared, baby . . . I'm scared to, but we can do this. You and I can do this. Don't bite Mommy, Masen, trust me. We will find Daddy, just do not bite Mommy. The squeezes you feel just means that Mommy's body is getting ready to push you out the way it's supposed to. If your Daddy wasn't a vampire, it would be the natural way for you to come out of Mommy, Masen. Just trust me. Everything will be just fine, baby. Don't be scared. Just relax and think of it as Mommy hugging you. I love you baby boy. That's right, just relax and feel Mommy hugging you."

I kept trying to talk to him aloud, to comfort him and admittedly to reassure myself. Edward had insisted that Masen could not only hear me, but that he understood . . . and I hoped to God he was right. There was a sign on the main highway directing me to Highlands. Good. I would try going that way, seeing as I had no idea where I was. I started to see signs for the hospital, and since Carlisle worked at the only one anywhere near Highlands, my hopes were growing. I came to a fairly straight stretch of road and ventured a glance at Bree in the back seat. Blood was running from her nose and mouth,and she seemed to be struggling to draw in air, but she was still breathing.

I pulled into the emergency room and straight up to the emergency door, opening the back door and getting Bree to a sitting position. She was awake and saw that I was in pain, guessing that I was in labor.

"Bella, you need to get inside. You need a doctor," Bree gasped, fighting to draw in enough breath to speak. "Send someone for me, Bella, I can't breath and I know I can't walk," she managed to say between gasps.

I ran inside. The hospital was crazy busy, obviously some huge wreck had just happened as there were injured people sitting in the waiting room and lying on gurneys in the hallways. I got the attention of an orderly. I suppose a very pregnant woman, shoeless and coat less in this weather would get attention regardless. The orderly grabbed a stretcher and headed outside with me. Together we got Bree onto the gurney and he started to push her inside, insisting that I looked like I needed to come in as well. I turned quickly, despite their pleas, and got back into the car. I needed Edward and I needed to be in my own home. This wasn't a delivery that could be made at the hospital and I wasn't willing to chance that Carlisle was there. He was probably out with the rest of my family looking for me. Surely someone would be at home, holding down the fort if it was only Sue or Emily.

I drove through town and headed down the mountain towards home, hoping that Victoria wasn't following. The streets were clear of both ice and traffic as I sped by, the town apparently closed due to the power outage and the street lights were not working. I drove down the winding mountain road towards Walhalla and turned off on the road leading to our houses. Carlisle's driveway looked completely free of snow while mine and Edward's was a bit rough and I felt the car slide more than once before I turned it off, leaving the keys in the ignition.

I parked in front of the house, all the lights were on and I remembered . . . of course Edward would have equipped the house with an emergency generator. His frail human wife would require heat if the power went out. I laughed at the thought, in spite of the intense contraction I was having.

"Hold on, Masen. We're home. We just have to go inside and find Daddy. Relax, don't bite. Everything's okay little one."

I knew right away that none of my vampire family was home, they would have heard me approach and been at the car door almost before it had stopped moving. I honked the horn hoping Sam or Emily or Charlie was inside, but nothing. No sign of anyone. It didn't matter. They would check back in soon, they always did.

Snow was piled high on the walkway. Untended and forgotten, it was knee deep as I tried to get to the front door. I was never so glad that it wasn't a long walkway, but it took forever to manage it, my hands sinking into the snow almost as often as my feet. When Victoria had kidnapped me, I wasn't wearing shoes and the snow was caked on my socks, freezing my feet. The lack of a coat would also have been a huge problem if I had to be in the weather for long. The pink sweater that Alice had me try on was warm, but it could never stand up to the temperatures outside right now. Thank God I had chosen to grab the keys and take the car. Even if we had made it away from Victoria on foot, I snorted, like that would have happened, Bree and I would surely have gotten frost bite if not frozen to death in the cold.

The front door was unlocked and I sighed heavily, as I closed it against the freezing cold outside. I was home. I leaned against the door and took off my snow encrusted socks, leaving them on the floor as I crossed the living room. I realized that even just that short walk in the snow had my feet totally numb. I picked up the receiver on the land line phone that sat on the table next to the wall just to make sure there was no dial tone. It was dead. The storm had apparently knocked out all the power as there were no lights anywhere since I left the hospital, and the phone lines would have gone with them. I headed up the stairs, wanting nothing more than to be snug in my bed and wait for Edward. I needed him and at least in my bed I would be able to smell him and maybe, just maybe everything would be alright.

I discarded the pink sweater I had been wearing all week along with the grey sweatpants, leaving them on the floor as I stepped into the warm shower. Tears streamed down my face as I stood, letting the last few days wash away. I washed my hair and I used Edward's body wash, the scent comforting me as it filled the steamy shower. I dried myself off as best I could, there was no way I could reach some places with my belly as large as it was. It felt like it had gotten huge in just the last few days. I towel dried what was left of my hair and noticed that my left shoulder was still really stiff and sore, but at least I could use it. I stared in the mirror at my hair. It still reached my shoulders, but the majority of the length that once hung down my back in soft waves was gone. It didn't matter. Edward wouldn't care. I was home.

Our bed which either myself or Edward meticulously made each and every morning was kind of a rumpled mess. It looked as though Edward had crawled into the middle of the bed and gotten beneath the covers at some point, only partially folding them back to escape his self made cocoon when he had gotten up. I crawled into the same spot that he had obviously occupied and folded the covers over me, my hands holding my belly as yet another contraction hit.

I spoke out loud . . . soft, quiet words of love and comfort, soothing myself as well as Masen till I dozed off to sleep, waiting for my husband to return home.

~oooOooo~

EPOV

I took the necklace in my hand. It was Bella's. My Bella . . . God, she was gone. I met Alice and Esme's eyes for only a moment, realizing that I had to get home. I could barely see through the venom that poured from my eyes and down my face, but I had to get home . . . I had to get home to Bella . . .

I turned away from the fire that had ended my world and headed towards my house. I needed to be home. I could smell her there and wrap myself in our bed and feel as close as I ever would to her again. I slipped the necklace over my head, letting it hang just over my heart where she would always remain.

I was nothing if not logical, and logic told me that there was no way my wife had lived through that fire. The locator on the phone had her in that house and I had spoken with her only minutes earlier. She was there, with Victoria. I had heard the crackling of the fire over the phone when I spoke to her. I easily picked up Victoria's scent coming from the front door where she had walked out to the fight with the werewolves, but there was no scent of Bella ever leaving the house.

Wait to be sure. I had to wait until her body was found. I wanted her with me. I would not make the same mistakes as in Romeo and Juliet. I smiled remembering the countless times I had watched the movie with her, always remarking about how stupid he was to kill himself before he was sure. I would not do that to her, I would never even take the chance of doing that to her. I would be sure . . . I would hold her in my arms again and know that she was gone before I joined her. It would be hours before they would be able to recover the bodies of Bella and the other girl and then they would call me as her next of kin. I would have to make the identification. It would be a simple enough act to steal her and bring her home, once I was sure.

In the mean time I needed to smell her, to think of her and my son and relive each and every moment I had spent with her in the last two years. Perfect recall. It would be both heaven and hell.

I slowed to a walk as I neared my house. I could see the lights coming from it now, no other lights in any other homes or businesses had been on with the power off and the lines down. I could smell Bella from here. I convinced myself it was because I was just so acutely attuned to her, especially right now, that I was picking up week old scents . . . and relishing them.

A strange car was parked in front of the house, one I had never seen before and I wondered who the hell was there. Though I listened, I could not hear anyone's thoughts. Odd. I was close enough to pick up a faint heartbeat, but no thoughts. I quickened my pace. I wanted no intrusion into my privacy right now.

My mind was playing tricks on me, a cruel joke perhaps. I knew that heartbeat, those heartbeats . . . but it couldn't be. The car smelled of Riley . . . and Bella. I followed the tracks from the car, the path showing a small person stumbling as they made their way into my house. I opened the front door and my eyes were drawn to the puddle of water in the floor surrounding a pair of socks. Bella's socks? No . . .

I looked in the direction of our room . . . the direction from which the soft breathing was coming from, and the heartbeats . . .

I raced to the door of my room, afraid to enter, afraid that my mind had concocted all of this in my grief . . . it couldn't be real . . . she was gone, I had lost her and my son in the fire.

I opened the door and was immediately assaulted by her scent. I stared at our bed and the girl that was in it. I was barely able to move. Each step was forced, each movement planned. I didn't want the vision to fade with my movement, to disappear like a smoke ring when the air was stirred. Slowly, methodically I made it to the edge of the bed. My wife appeared to be lying there, a somewhat pained expression passing across her face as she slept. I listened, mesmerized by the sound of her heartbeat and that of my sons. I lifted the covers to slide into bed next to her, stopping to notice her freshly showered strawberry smell compared to the somewhat smoky, dirty smell coming from my clothing. I stood back and removed the pants and shirt, the sleeve and part of the side of the shirt gone anyway, having been burned off of me leaving me in only my boxers as I slid into bed beside my wife.

I had only just snaked my injured arm under her pillow and wrapped my other arm around her, burying my nose in her hair when her naked body completely stiffened. In the blink of an eye her face buried into my neck and her arms wrapped around my torso and held me to her like iron manacles. She said nothing . . . she barely even took a breath until I felt her inhale deeply against my neck.

"It's alright sweetheart . . . I'm here . . . I love you . . . it's alright, baby . . . I've got you," I continued to tell her as I held her to me and stroked her hair softly, breathing her in.

Masen was frantic. His thoughts gave way the fear he was trying to calm as he felt his world squeezing in around him. I placed one hand on her belly and it took only a moment to know that she was in labor, her belly rock hard with a contraction. She was calm, still even. She had wanted nothing more than to sleep until I arrived, and Masen had provided that for her. Now that he knew I was there, he was scared. He relayed all the words of comfort that Bella had told him,

"We got away from the bad lady, Masen. Don't be scared. Mommy is driving us far away from her and we're going to go find Daddy. I know you're scared, baby . . . I'm scared to, but we can do this. You and I can do this. Don't bite Mommy Masen, trust me. We will find Daddy, just do not bite Mommy. The squeezes you feel just means that Mommy's body is getting ready to push you out the way it's supposed to. If your Daddy wasn't a vampire, it would be the natural way for you to come out of Mommy, Masen. Just trust me. Everything will be just fine, baby. Don't be scared. Just relax and think of it as Mommy hugging you. I love you baby boy. That's right, just relax and feel Mommy hugging you."

God . . . my wife was incredible.

"Masen, your Mommy is right. Daddy is here now and Mommy and I will get you out. Mommy can't wait to meet you. Try to relax and do not bite, Masen," I reassured him and his mind seemed to calm somewhat.

"It's alright, sweetheart, I'm here," I spoke softly into my wife's ear as I felt her begin to shake. "You can do this Bella, we can do this. Everything is going to be fine, love. I've got you, I'm right here," I murmured softly as I stroked my hand from the top of her head to her hip and over again.

"I thought I'd never see you again. I was so scared, Edward!"

"I know, love. Me too. I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you, so very sorry I didn't protect you from her."

"Stop. Just stop, sweetheart. I have you now and that's all that matters."

"Victoria is dead, Jacob and Sam ended her and threw her in that house that burned," I told her softly.

"She burned Riley. I saw her rip him apart, Edward."

"Shhh, it's alright now. It's over and from what Masen is telling me, he wants out, sweetheart."

I pulled back from her, cupping her face in my hand so that I cold look into her eyes, "Are you ready to have our baby, sweetheart? I think he's beyond ready to meet us."

I tried to sound confident as I spoke to convince myself as well as my wife. I kissed her softly but with all the emotion and love that I held for her.

"I need to see just how dilated you are, sweetheart," I said as I gently allowed my hand to go beyond her hip and rest between her legs. She hitched her leg up over my hip, allowing me access and I could not help but stroke her soft folds a few times before I allowed my fingers to enter her. I continued to kiss her as I felt for her cervix and my wife moaned. We were about to have a baby and my wife fucking moaned against my lips, rocking her hips into my hand.

Her cervix were 100% effaced and almost fully dilated. I had no idea why she wasn't writhing in pain and screaming with the force of the contractions she was almost continually having at this point. I continued to kiss and stroke her, as she seemed to need that from me right now, and I certainly needed her.

Masen was indeed allowing her to remain calm, placing the thought in her head that she was not in pain and that she could do this calmly, assuring his Mother by forcing her to have thoughts of everything being alright.

"Bella," I said as I removed my fingers from her and kissed her one more time, "I need to get a few things, Bella. I'm just going to the kitchen to get some supplies and I'll be right back." Her eyes looked panicked as I tried to comfort her. "I have to get the supplies to deliver our son, sweetheart. He's not going to wait for Carlisle, he's coming now. I'll be right back."

She nodded, releasing her grip on me and rolling on to her back as I flew down the stairs. In the back of the cabinet that normally held the first aid supplies, I found a box containing a sealed sterile surgical kit complete with sponges, scalpels and sutures along with gloves, trays and everything else I needed, including an IV set up. There were pints of Bella's blood type in the refrigerator and several vials of morphine and other drugs that might be needed during a delivery. Carlisle had obviously been very thorough.

I had been away from her all of a split second when I found myself back at the top of the stairs, and I made the decision to run to the nursery and grab a few baby blankets as well. I was determined to deliver them both safely through this.

I turned the lights on in our bedroom, causing Bella to blink with the harsh light hit her eyes, but I would need it. I had to take every precaution that I could, though my sight in the dark was almost as good as in the light.

Her eyes, however saw many more things now that there was light, and though she had not noticed the venom soaked bandages covering my arm . . . she noticed them now.

"Edward, you're hurt!" she yelled, more distressed now than she had shown yet in front of me. She struggled to sit up and pulled me down to sit beside her, ghosting her hand over the bandaged arm and noticing the raw hand.

"It'll heal, love. Let's take care of you."

"Tell me what happened."

"Bella, we need to . . . , " she cut me off.

"Tell me!" she demanded, one hand softly weaving into the hair she loved at the nape of my neck while the other hand seemingly tried to will the arm to heal by moving over it and tracing up and down it again and again, never really touching it.

"I tried to get into the house, Bella. The house they held you in was burning and I thought you were inside. Jacob held me back or I would have been inside that house, thinking I was with you."

"Edward," the word came from her lips softly, almost like a sigh. The hand that was in my hair traced down the chain that hung around my neck and to the soot covered necklace of hers that I wore. Her eyes met mine and I didn't need to read her mind to know the question on her lips next.

"The fireman brought it to us and asked if anyone recognized it, love. I took it and put it on. I thought I had lost you, Bella," I said as my arms held her to me, tears streaming down my face as I inhaled her scent, reassuring myself that it was really her and she was alive and with me.

"It's alright," I told her as another contraction wracked her body. Even Masen wasn't able to keep this one in check and she tightened her grip around my neck, held her belly and screamed softly. I wiped the tears from her cheeks with my thumbs and kissed her softly, trying to reassure her.

There would be no time for a Cesarean birth. I felt her abdomen, realizing that Masen's head was turned down and he was entering the birth canal. We were having this baby the normal human way and I could only hope it was possible.