Bella's POV
"Are you sure about this?" I hissed to the group, although my main focus was on Alice, Carlisle, and Eleazar.
Edward was holding my hand as the small group of us stood just inside the forest at the back of Charlie's property. He gave it a reassuring squeeze and looked to his sister, who nodded.
"The visions haven't changed, Bella," Alice promised, smiling excitedly as she stood near Carlisle and Eleazar.
Edward, Jasper, and Emmett were on either side of and behind me, ready to grab me if things didn't go as planned. They would go with me up to the window, while the other three stayed behind in the trees, ready to assist if needed—but they were really there to watch my reactions.
After Carlisle and Eleazar had finally come up with the idea of my being a shield and the familial blood playing a part in how I'd reacted the last time, the family had wasted no time. Edward had called Jake and told him what Carlisle and Eleazar had told us and let them know of our plans. Then, as soon as it was completely dark, the seven of us had gone hunting. We'd come straight here after I'd gorged myself on two large deer.
"Ready, love?" Edward asked quietly, squeezing my hand once more. "You can do this, Bella. We all know you can."
I took a deep breath and slowly let it out before nodding. "I'm ready," I said, my voice shaky. I knew this was a big step. If the last time was just an aberration, peeking in on my daughter and Charlie could spell disaster. If it wasn't, it could be the first step in knowing whether or not I could stay with my family. "Let's do this."
"All right!" Emmett said enthusiastically. "Up we go!" Like a monkey, he scaled the tree, moving into the leaves a few branches up from the window. "Come on up, lil' sis!" he called. Six voices shushed him, and for a moment, he looked solemn, zipping his lips before he grinned again, waving at me to come up.
I looked at Edward and smiled nervously before taking my first step out of the trees and into the dark yard.
With one hand from both Edward and Jasper on me—my lower back and shoulder respectively—we walked to the tree at the side of the house.
"I'll go first," Jasper said quietly, patting my shoulder once. "You'll do fine, Bella. Relax. I can feel your tension, and this won't tell us everything if you don't loosen up some."
"You'll keep me from..." I broke off, not even wanting to vocalize the horrific thought.
"They will be safe," he promised. "We won't let anything happen—to them or you."
I nodded and then watched as Jasper scaled the tree in front of us. Once he was hidden from the street in the branches, Edward began to climb, and I was right behind him. I was so scared—of losing control and hurting them, sure, but I was just as scared that this wouldn't work and I'd be told I had to leave my daughter for good.
"The baby—Lizzie," Emmett corrected himself, "isn't in the bedroom. I think they're downstairs."
We'd all known that, but it was good to get confirmation.
"How's your throat?" Edward asked, looking at me as we sat perched in the darkness.
I shrugged. "I can feel the burning, but not really any worse than before," I answered, looking up at Jasper when Edward did.
Jasper didn't say anything, but Edward nodded.
"Hey! Let us in on the secret," Emmett grumbled.
"Sorry," Edward said, turning to me. "Jasper just told me he doesn't feel any extra thirst coming from you or anything unusual—or usual, I guess, for a newborn."
I nodded, and then we were quiet as we heard something from inside.
Footsteps.
A minute later, Charlie walked into my room, carrying Lizzie, who was wrapped in one of her light pink baby blankets. She was quiet, but I could tell from her heartbeat that she was awake.
"Okay, Lizzie-bear," Charlie murmured softly. "You're clean and fed. Time to sleep."
My still heart flopped in my chest as he sat down in the rocker and reached over to the CD player I kept on the small table beside the chair. Unless he'd changed it, I knew what was in there.
"Edward," I started, ignoring the others and speaking only to him, "I—"
Whatever else I'd been going to say didn't matter, because when the first note played out softly from the speakers, his hold on my hand tightened and he turned to look at me with wide eyes.
"That was in the player," Edward murmured, glancing at the window and back to me. "You play it for her often?"
I smiled. "Every night. I started when I was about five months pregnant, when I was trying to get to sleep and she was active and wouldn't let me. It...calmed her down. It still does."
We were quiet as we all turned back to the window and watched Charlie rock Lizzie. From the angle we were at, we couldn't see anything but the top of her head above Charlie's shoulder as he held her up on his chest. But for now, it was enough.
After a few minutes, Edward stiffened. "Alice?" he growled softly.
She must have replied in her head, because he relaxed slightly, but still tightened his hold on my hand.
"What?" I asked, looking at him. "What's wrong?"
"I hear Sue," he replied, glancing up at Jasper. "She's about two blocks from the house. Apparently, she had to run out and get a new package of diapers."
"And Alice?" I looked behind us to the trees where the others were hidden.
"She assures me nothing's changed," Edward said.
I dug my fingers into the tree, feeling the gouges I was making in the bark.
I heard Sue before I could smell her—her heart beating rhythmically in her chest, the song she was humming under her breath, her seat belt as she unlatched it once she was parked in the driveway. Just before she opened the door, I held my breath, suddenly even more unsure.
"Breathe, love," Edward coaxed. "We're right here with you."
I nodded and carefully took my first breath when I heard the door creak open on Sue's old Dodge.
Her scent immediately filled the night air and invaded my lungs. I felt the flames lick my throat and the venom pool in my mouth. My body was urging me to move around to the front of the house, to take her and drink the blood pulsing through her veins that would soothe the fire in my throat, but with a swallow, I steeled my resolve and stayed put in my spot on the large branch. When the front door of the house shut behind her, I opened my eyes, not realizing until that moment that I'd closed them.
"How ya doin', Bells?" Emmett asked quietly.
"I'm...okay," I said. "It was harder than with Charlie and Lizzie, but I'm okay."
"Good job, Bella," Jasper said, patting my knee. "I knew you could do it."
Several minutes later, Sue walked quietly into the room, carrying the diapers.
"Is she out?" she asked Charlie quietly.
My dad nodded and handed Lizzie carefully up to Sue, who tucked the baby into her neck and moved to the crib.
When she was turning back, she looked up and out the window, directly into the tree where we were hiding. We froze, waiting to see what she would do, but she just nodded once and continued moving back to Charlie's side. Together, they walked out the door, closing it quietly behind them.
"What the hell?" Emmett asked. "Did she see us?"
Edward shook his head. "She figured we were out here. Jacob and Seth filled her in on what happened to Bella. She's worried, but she trusts them—even if she doesn't completely trust us."
Suddenly, it was all too much. I was feeling shaky and overwhelmed, and I needed to leave. Now.
"Edward," Jasper said, the warning clear in his tone. "She's losing it. Time to go."
"Come on, love," Edward said in a low, soothing voice. "Let's go back to the house, okay?"
I nodded, taking his hand, and then leapt to the ground with him, landing lightly on the balls of my feet.
Emmett and Jasper were right behind us, and as we ran off through the darkness, I could hear Alice, Carlisle, and Eleazar shortly behind them. We were all quiet as we raced through the trees, but my mind was going about a million miles a minute, wondering what this last visit, and Sue's knowledge of what had happened to me, meant for me and my future with Lizzie.
As if he could suddenly read my mind, Edward squeezed my hand and said for my ears only, "Try not to worry, love. Remember, whatever happens, we'll get through it together."