Jacob stood in the doorway, appearing nonchalant as he leaned against the doorframe. His eyes flickered to me for a moment, before looking Edward dead in the eyes.

"Put some clothes on. We need to talk." He replied evenly.

Edward rolled his eyes. "Seriously? You've been sneaking around, playing double agent and think that I want to hear anything you have to say?"

I'm not sure what Edward meant by 'double agent'. Since we have made it back to Boswell he hasn't said one word about Jacob, or even the letter he had written me. He didn't want to get into any details of it. I wasn't sure if it was because he didn't want to ruin our holidays. Or if there was something else.

"I can explain everything, Katlyn can even sit in on the conversation to make sure I'm telling the truth."

Edward grumbled under his breath, heaving his shoulders, before turning towards the closet. He had just a few casual suits that he had left here. That and his sleepwear. "This better not be a waste of my time." His tone was clipped, short and blunt. It's clear to me that Edward still was angry with Jacob. He entered the walk-in closet and closed the door behind him for a bit of privacy.

Again, I found Jacob's eyes on me again. There was a glimmer of guilt that danced in his eyes, before roughly looking away when I met his gaze.

"I want to know what's going on, so count me in too." I said as I swept my feet over the side of the bed. I tossed the blankets off me and searched for my bedroom slippers.

"It's not your business Bella, I suggest you stay out of this. For your own good." Jacob replied, still not making direct eye contact.

His rigid attitude pissed me off, but it also hurt. How did he always know the words to get under my skin?

"Too bad, if it has to do with Edward, it is my business." I moved to dip my feet into a pair of furry slippers. They had been a gift from Ana. I absolutely loved them. My feet always seem cold lately. Especially in this new apartment, where marble floors seemed to dominate most of the living space.

Edward emerged from the closet now with lounge clothing. He glanced between the two of us, before moving to my side. Edward had brought my robe out with him and he lightly draped it over my shoulders. "Are you feeling up for this? You don't have to push yourself."

I smiled, wrapping my arms around myself, enjoying the softness of my robe. "I'll be perfectly fine. The nausea has pretty much stopped." Which had me relieved. I'd been in misery most of the day. But at night, it always seemed to taper off. But would return strongly by the time I would wake up in the morning.

He nodded with a hint smile, before wrapping a single arm around my waist. Jacob narrowed his eyes at Edward, his face twisting with annoyance. "Are you sure you want to involve her in this? This is incredibly dangerous."

"Bella said she wants to be involved. I think it's time." He replied impatiently. "Now, let's get this over with so I can get some peace for the night."

Jacob rolled his eyes, before turning, to have us follow him out into the living room. Katlyn was waiting for us with a nervous smile. Thankfully, Ana had already turned in for the night. I moved quietly over to the spare bedroom to take a peek in at her. All I could see was her sleeping form, hidden under the blankets. There were subtle motions of the blankets rising and falling with her breath. A light snore fell from her lips. The beeping of her medical machines went off constantly. It would have kept me up, but I'm sure she was used to all the noises.

The four of us took seats in the living room, Jacob and Katlyn on the black leather loveseat, while Edward pulled me to his lap from his favorite seat. A matching, leather recliner, that sat directly across from them.

The only light in the room came from the Christmas tree; that we still haven't taken down. And the fireplace, crackling and producing a nice warm glow. The scent of pine and cinnamon lingered. It was in general a relaxing environment. But you could cut the tension in the room with a knife.

"Well, say what you need to say." Edward motioned for Jacob to start.

"Gallen and Harlow reapers are conspiring to destroy Boswell's company." Jacob began with a frown.

"And how do you know that?"

"Aro told me. He came up with this plan, mostly in revenge towards Esme."

"Esme is well aware." Edward said, with unflinching certainty.

Jacob paused, as if to consider his words before speaking. "You're aware that Aro remains an enemy to Boswell?"

Edward nodded stiffly.

"Are you aware that Aro has convinced the Harlow reapers to assist with his plans?"

"I have no knowledge of that." Edward replied, looking towards Katlyn.

They exchanged a wordless glance. Katlyn bobbed her head once, a frown sliding onto her face.

"What are their plans?" I asked quietly.

Jacob looked at me, then roughly away. "Aro plans to turn all the Boswell reapers into devourers. It started with the replenishing stations." He hesitated for a few seconds before turning a hard stare on Edward. "But the next plan of phase of their plan is worse."

"I'm assuming you have details on what that plan is?" Edward muttered. His body was tense now. His eyes animated with concern. I could feel his growing anxiety. Flickering like a flame in the dark. There was a shift in the atmosphere. Panic bubbled in my stomach. The hair on the back of my neck started to rise. I didn't know what suddenly had me on edge.

"They are getting into contact with The Grim." Jacob's words fell to a whisper.

Katlyn and Edward shuddered in their seats. I could feel the fear from Edward. Our connected emotions crashed into me aggressively. I shakily tried to catch my breath. I hadn't realized that I had started to pant.

"Who, or what, is 'The Grim'." I asked, looking at Edward.

"The first reaper, the original and creator of our kind." He mumbled. "I didn't realize Aro was that desperate for revenge."

"The Grim can wipe our entire company off the face of the earth. Take our souls. End our very existence. If it's believed we aren't following the laws of our world." Jacob explained tensely.

"B-but the Boswell reapers aren't breaking any laws. We should be safe." I muttered.

"Actually, I'm pretty certain Aro has been investigating Boswell for a while. It's partially the reason that I was employed to work there. Gather information that can be used against the company. I'm not sure if Aro has enough dirt to give 'The Grim', but I have a gut feeling it won't be much longer."

"I did find it suspicious that Esme had pushed to hire you to be my guard. We normally never hire Gallen reapers. Ever. You're the first. I couldn't figure out what made you special." Edward said leaning back a little in his seat, his arms wrapped around me for a moment, his hands rested in my lap. "But I'm guessing, Aro had convinced Esme to hire you."

Jacob nodded. "Yeah, Aro trusted me. He didn't know that Esme had sent me to Gallen years ago, to spy on the previous boss."

Well, that did clear a few things up. Edward had referred to Jacob as a double agent. This must have been why. Years ago, Esme sent Jacob to infiltrate an enemy business. Gain their trust. Blend in. Become someone that is well-liked, trusted. So, in turn, he can relay the information back to Esme. So, Aro believes that Jacob is on Gallen's side. But in reality, Jacob was loyal to Boswell.

All of this was a bit of a headache. I rested my head back, letting my eyes close. My hands covered my face as I winced against the stabbing pain that started in my head.

Edward softly pulled me closer to his chest. I felt his lips against my neck for a moment. "Are you alright?"

"Just a headache, no need to worry." I smiled faintly at him.

But Edward didn't look convinced. Concern high-lighted his face. "Katlyn, can you grab the medication I picked up today?"

"No," I said quickly. There was no way I was going to take medications, until I knew if I was pregnant. I knew this might look suspicious, but I couldn't take the chance. "It's not that bad. I really don't want to take medications right now."

Katlyn, Jacob and Edward exchanged looks with one another. I could see the 'wheels turning' in their heads, as they attempted to figure out why I had spoken out so abruptly.

Thankfully, Jacob got the conversation back on topic.

"That's not all. I have more information that I need to pass along to you, before I take this all to Esme. I need to run this by you first. I'm afraid of how to word this." Jacob said.

"Well, stop wasting time, speak up." Edward grumbled at him. He momentarily took his eyes off me to look at Jacob. He clearly was getting agitated again.

Jacob glared at him. "You're a real arrogant prick."

Edward narrowed his eyes, before clicking his tongue. "Jacob, I'm not in the mood. Speak. Then get out of here."

"Emmett has decided to join the Gallen reapers. He started working with them. He is aware of the plans. And he wants to help."

I felt my jaw drop. This had taken me by complete surprise. I saw anguish race across Edward's face, then sadness, then absolute rage. His body trembled in anger. Carefully, he moved me to sit on the sectional couch, before standing up with his hands balled into fists.

"Are you serious? That traitor." Edward growled furiously. "I'll kill him myself." His eyes flashed, black as night. Chills ran down my spine at the sight of him. My mouth went dry as I tried to swallow back my anxiety. Tears started in my eyes. I didn't want him to move away from me. I knew he didn't mean that. He had a close bond with Emmett. No matter what he did, they were brothers. Emmett was making a mistake. This was probably Emmett wanting to hurt Esme. This had nothing to do with turning against the company. At least, that's what I was believing until otherwise.

My hand reached out towards him, but he stopped me. "P-please don't Bella. I don't want to accidentally hurt you."

Tears ran hot down my cheeks. "You wouldn't hurt me…"

Almost immediately I noticed a small shift in his expression. His eyes softened a little, but the glare remained on his face. "I'd never hurt you on purpose, but just to be safe, please give me some time to calm down." He turned away from me, staring pointedly at Jacob. "When do you plan on telling Esme?"

"In about an hour. I scheduled a meeting with her at the office. I was hoping you would accompany me. You are 'the apple of her eye'. She might not get hysterical if you come along." Jacob shrugged his shoulders.

Edward sighed heavily, rubbing his face. Exhaustion was falling off him in waves. Just glancing in his direction made me tired as well. I wiped the tears from my face and clutched my robes a little tighter around myself. I was hoping that he wouldn't leave again tonight. I just really wanted to remain by his side. It was particularly hard being away from him lately.

"I'll come along, but we need to make this quick. Bella isn't well and needs me here."

Jacob eyed me curiously, a frown coming to his face. "She isn't well? What? She is sick?"

"Just a few bouts of nausea, nothing to be worried about." I said, attempting to sound as nonchalant as possible.

Jacob snorted, folding his arms across his chest. "I'm sure next you're gonna say you got knocked up." His comment was light-hearted, almost in a teasing-like manner.

I felt everyone's eyes on me now. Sweat started at the back of my neck as my heart plummeted to the pit of my stomach. Edward froze, his eyes widened as he slowly let himself fall down to the couch. His head in his hands now.

Silence. Not a single person spoke. Faintly, the sounds of the fireplace sizzling was the only thing I could hear. Katlyn held her breath, looking down at her feet.

Jacob was the first to say something. "Don't tell me… you're… actually pregnant." His voice sounded wary.

Edward glanced over at me, still keeping his head down. His emerald eyes smoldered for a moment as we made eye contact. I couldn't read his expression. But I could feel his emotions. It was a complete mess. Tangled. Frantic, erratic, complete disarray. I couldn't keep up with all the different conflicting emotions that he was going through.

"I… don't know… I mean, I don't think I am. But I've been sick for a while…" I was at a loss for words.

"You haven't taken a pregnancy test yet?" Jacob asked tensely. He ran his hands through his hair, appearing uncomfortable.

"No, but I do have one… when I decide to take it."

Jacob shifted up to his feet, taking just one step in my direction. Instantly, Edward flashed over to stand in the way. He glared murderously at him. His breathing was fast, his chest was heaving. His stance was threatening.

"Not another step." The words cut through Jacob like a knife. The sound of Edward's voice gave me the urge to flinch. I've heard him lose his temper before, but this was different. This wasn't just anger. This was something feral. Protective. Lethal.

Jacob sensed this as well and took several steps back. He lifted his hands up, suggesting he meant no harm. Fear was in his eyes, but only for a moment. A mask of indifference soon covered his expression. Although I could guarantee it wasn't genuine.

"Take it easy. You know I wouldn't do anything to hurt her."

Edward didn't back down.

I reached out, lightly touching his arm. My touch sent a shudder to ripple down his body. His shoulders slumped as his eyes flickered back to me. Slowly he got out of his protective stance. However, he remained hovering in front of me. Shielding me from everyone.

"Bella, I know it isn't my business, but if you are carrying a child of a reaper. We need to report this to 'The Grim' immediately. There is a strong likelihood the child will have reaper abilities. This can't be hidden. And we don't want any further issues with Gallen and Harlow reapers causing trouble." Jacob said carefully. I could tell that he was attempting to remain tactful.

Again, a bit of panic registered. I wasn't ready to take the test. This was all happening too soon. I didn't even want Edward to know about this yet. This was going to change everything.

Thanks for reading. Leave a review with your thoughts! 'The Grim' is like the god of the reapers. Creator, Punisher, all Powerful.