So in the end, this is what my future held. My imminent death and rebirth as a reaper. There were no words. I didn't know how I felt about the news. Of course I had many questions, but I couldn't bring myself to ask. Not yet. I was still getting used to the fact that I was pregnant. There was really only one thing I needed to know.

"How will this affect my life? I mean… Ana needs me. I can still be in her life… right?" I asked quietly. I kept my head lowered, so I didn't have to see the reactions of Esme or Edward.

"Of course, but it goes without saying, you must keep our world a secret from her. Humans were never meant to know about reapers. It's one of our most absolute laws," Esme answered simply.

"Don't worry, this life isn't so bad. And I promise you, I'll make the rest of your life full of nothing but happiness." Edward said, his hand came out to lightly stroke my cheek.

I forced myself to look up into his emerald eyes. My heart clenched and I was instantly swept away with emotions. Tears stung in my eyes as I moved back into his arms. I let my body slump, exhausted by the tension I had been holding inside.

"Edward," I trembled slightly. "I'm scared."

His lips lightly touched mine, before a timid smile came to his face. "I am too, but we will face this together. I will never leave your side."

What he said was very soothing to me. I hung tightly to his words and hoped more than anything that he really meant what he said. There was still so much we had to face.

"Don't worry my dear, with the birth of this child, you will become part of this family. That means you are under my protection as well," Esme said with a serious look on her face. "Until then, see to it that you take care of my precious grand-baby."

So that's what it took for Esme to accept me? Becoming pregnant with Edward's child. I'll take it. If there was anyone I wanted to win over, it was Edward's mother. As cold and as cruel as she can be at times, she was an important person in Edward's life. I had to make an effort to get along with her. I had the same hopes in regard to Alice. But I didn't foresee that relationship improving in the future.

"I appreciate that, it's comforting to have your support. I'll need a lot of advice."

This seemed to thrill Esme completely. "Yes, let's set up a day next week to go over some of the finer details of this pregnancy and of your transition into becoming a reaper. Just the two of us. I'll get back to you on when, once I look through my schedule."

This wasn't a request. I already knew there was no way out of this. It was pointless to try and find a way to get out of this. Maybe it would be a good opportunity for bonding. Although, Esme's reactions might change drastically, if Edward isn't present.

Edward clicked his tongue, a sour look coming to his face. "That won't be necessary. I won't be letting Bella alone with anyone. Not in her condition. I plan on staying close by from now on."

Esme sighed, lighting another cigarette. "We will talk more about this later. For now, we need to head to the patron hall to wait on the arrival of 'the grim'. They should be arriving any minute."

"Alright," Edward nodded. He stood, lightly taking my hand to lead me towards the door. Esme and the twins followed behind us quietly. Esme went straight into talking on her phone, not paying attention to much else. The twins whispered amongst each other, seeming delighted in the gifts that Edward had given them.

We all filed into the elevator comfortably and once the doors closed, Edward reached his hand out, hovering it over the button labeled '1'. Suddenly his hand began to transform right before my eyes. Skin, muscle, veins, everything melted from the bone, falling to ash and disappearing. Light emanated from the exposed bones, a soft yellow hue. The button began to flash, as if it had been pressed. Yet no contact was made. The elevator began to move, heading upwards.

That didn't make sense. We were already on the top floor of this building. How could we possibly be going up? Could I have been wrong? Was there an entire secret floor above Edward's office that I didn't know about? Did anyone else know about this?

Edward noticed my confusion and offered my hand a squeeze. "This elevator acts as a portal to the patron hall. It's the safest way for us to travel from our world, to the underworld."

"The underworld?" I muttered.

"It's the place souls go. The souls that we reap in our world, get taken here. 'The grim' is the one to sort them and truly take them to their final destination."

"So, 'the grim' decides where the souls go, once they get to the underworld?"

"No, 'the grim' isn't the judge, they just make sure souls get sent to their correct resting place." Esme spoke up, taking a puff from her cigarette.

"Okay, that makes sense…" I paused.

I felt a bit of anxiety growing inside of me. It brought on some nausea as well. Those feelings intensified as I felt the elevator come to an abrupt stop. The doors opened to a scene right out of a horror movie. The room was frighteningly dark. The walls and floors appeared to be made of some kind of ancient stone. There was a cold chill in the air. It was quiet, much too quiet. There was something very unnatural about this area.

Edward walked forward, without a look of fear on his face, but I sensed his nervousness. Esme seemed more alert. She tossed her cigarette away and kept a tight grip on Olivia and Alyssa's hands. We moved together as a group.

Black candles illuminated a path for us to follow. The intensity of the fire burning on those candles was so hot, the flames were completely blue.

Obscure markings decorated the stone walls, appearing to be scratched in deeply. Maybe carved, with some kind of tool. The markings reminded me of the eternal mark I had. But only in how intricate it appeared. These markings had ill intent attached to them. Something negative. I didn't know how I knew this. It was just a gut feeling.

The air on the back of my neck rose. My body was screaming at me to run. I was in danger. My fight-or-flight response was activated in full force. I had to fight my instincts to continue walking forward.

"It's going to be okay Bella, please trust me. I won't let anything happen to you, or the baby. I'll die before I let that happen." Edward spoke quietly in my ear. His hold on my hand tightened. "I know this is intimating. But please trust me."

I did trust him. He wouldn't be leading me into danger.

"Okay," I felt my body quivering. "Let's just… get this over with."

We continued forward, for what felt like forever. At first glance, this room seemed small. But this path was never-ending. And as we walked, the room felt like it was getting darker and colder. At some point, I wondered if we were actually in a room.

I glanced up towards the ceiling. There was nothing. Just complete darkness. It almost felt like a void. Negative of all matter. I quickly turned my eyes downwards as a feeling of uneasiness swept over me.

"We are almost there," Edward reassured me. Just as he said that, something came into view. At what looked to be the end of the path was a floor-to-ceiling mirror. Looking nearly ten feet tall. It was massive. It seemed… strangely… alive.

"What's that?" I muttered, clutched myself to Edward's side a little tighter.

"It's the portal. 'The grim', will be coming through this portal, to reach our plane of existence." Edward said quietly.

"This mirror is a one-way portal. 'The grim' can come through, but we can't. There is a portal mirror in every reaping agency in the world. But our company was given the very first one made. Hand crafted by the very hands of 'the grim'. It's the highest honor imaginable." Esme relented with a proud smirk.

Finally, we reached the mirror. Standing in front of it felt odd. There was no reflection shown. Ancient marks were carved all along the wooden frame edges. The air felt thicker here. I struggled to catch my breath. My heart was pounding. Without Edward's presence, I'm afraid I would be on the ground. My legs were weak and shaking. I never thought my body would respond in this way, to anything. I've never felt such fear in my life. And I didn't know why.

Several minutes went by, without anything happening. The twins began whispering to each other. Esme was scanning through her phone. I battled with myself to steady my breathing, while Edward lightly stroked my back.

The mirror began to shudder, vibrating the floor under our feet. There was a ripple movement in the glass. Everyone went silent and before I could blink, Edward had pulled me down to the ground. Each of us was on our knees. Heads down. Kneeling in a sign of respect. I lifted my head up enough to catch a glimpse of a robbed figure slinking through the glass to stand just an arms-length away. It didn't appear to have any substance. Just cloth, wrapped around air. I couldn't even detect an outline of a body.

The figure was startling tall, almost as tall as the mirror itself. Seven feet. Maybe more, maybe less. I was too afraid to give it a second look.

"Rise, my children." The voice was thunderous and terrifyingly deep. The sound shook me to my core. The voice of death itself.

Slowly, everyone got back to their feet. Esme stepped forward, with the twins at her sides. "Master, thank you for coming."

"Come closer." He directed, with no emotion in his tone.

Hesitantly, Esme did as he asked and took a few dainty steps forward. The shroud covered figure reached out and placed his clocked hand at the top of Esme's head.

"Be very still. It's been a long time since I've walked in the mortal world. I need to create a vessel for myself." He continued.

In a few short seconds, the hooded figure began to slowly shrink, down to about Edward's height. Arms slipped down through the robes. It was as if a human body was being created, out of thin air. He had created his own body. It was astounding to watch. I couldn't even believe such a thing was possible. But after being in this supernatural world, I don't know why I hadn't expected something like this.

Once he had completely formed himself, he lifted his hood, revealing a truly gorgeous young man. Hair like ivory, against the palest skin I've ever seen. Eyes of gentle lilac. So strange and eerie to witness.

"Much better," His voice still held a deep, soul-crushing richness. It brought shivers down my spine. As handsome as he was, he was just as scary. I wanted to look away. Hide myself behind Edward completely. But I held my ground.

"There better be a really good explanation as to why a mortal is here. Unless this is her reaping day." His gaze on me was heavy. I felt myself begin to tremble again.

"She has my eternal marking. Which is why I've brought her to you. For your assessment." Edward spoke up for the first time. He spoke with a high amount of respect. Probably the most I've ever seen him give someone else.

Assessment. I don't know if I liked the sound of that.

"Ah," He replied, now moving gracefully towards me. His violet eyes scanned over me. Head to toes. His expression was unreadable. His eyes seemed to trace over every line of the marking on the skin visible.

His hand came out, but hesitated, before coming into contact with me. His touch was soft. Just a light pressure on my shoulder. Edward watched tensely. A displeased look came to his face.

"Your eternal mark is truly incredible." The grim replied, glancing between me and Edward. I've only come into contact with three others stronger. Very impressive. And so rare that this connection is between a reaper and a human."

"So, can I assume this union has your approval?" Edward said, visibly swallowing.

"I wouldn't be so cruel as to terminate such a lovely pair. Especially since the offspring you bring forth will be very skilled. Maybe not the one currently growing. But once she becomes a reaper, any further children will be strong."

So, he already knew about my pregnancy. But how? Was he an all-seeing, all-knowing being? I had so many questions.

"Thank you master." Edward bowed his head. His shoulders slumped. He seemed much calmer now. A smile even crept across his face.

"Please, feel free to call me Mozi (pronounced: "Moe - Zye") while I'm in this form," The grim replied, before turning to Esme. "Let's conduct the rest of this meeting in a more comfortable venue."

Before anyone could react, Mozi snapped his fingers. Everything went dark. I lost vision completely. But, by the time my body could respond, my vision came back, but the surroundings changed. We no longer were in the patron hall. Instead, we were back in Edward's office.

How did we get here? I didn't even sense any form of movement. It was like we had been transported. I was slightly rattled by this. The others mirrored looks of disorientation.

Without hesitation, Mozi moved to take a seat at Edward's desk. He got himself comfortable and squared his shoulders. "Shall we begin?"

"Yes, where would you like to start?" Esme said, neatly taking a seat as well. Back in the chair in front of Edward's desk. Edward gently placed me in the other seat, while he and the twins stood.

"I'm sure these children wish to proceed with their day. So, I'll give them their mark. Just to start off." Mozi said, ushering the twins forward.

Alyssa stepped forward confidently, no sign of fear on her face. Olivia hunkered behind her, nervous and shifty. These two couldn't be more different.

I didn't know what was going to happen. I had no clue that reapers that are born into the world received markings. Edward never mentioned it. This would be something our child would have to go through as well. So, I was very interested in what was about to happen. I just hoped that it wouldn't be painful.

"Like we rehearsed girls," Esme whispered to them.

Alyssa cleared her throat, letting her hand go out, palm facing up. Olivia did the same, although there was a slight tremble to her arm. She was terrified.

"Identify your lineage." Mozi requested, reaching his hands out to hover on hand over each of theirs.

"Daughters of Alice Volturi and Jasper Hale." Alyssa replied.

I felt my eyes widen immediately. Jasper Hale… Edward's best friend. The one that had an affair with Tanya? He was involved with Alice as well? That's why it was assumed that Alice knew where Jasper was. She was keeping tabs on him, because they have children together.

Both girls flinched as Mozi's hands began to glow.

"One at a time. State your intentions for your future. What are your goals?" Mozi continued, a focused look on his face. His lavender eyes illuminated, just as brightly as his hands. It was clear he was using some kind of power.

"Become strong, and dependable. I want to be a leader of my own reaping company some day." Alyssa said with fierce determination.

Olivia hesitated for just a moment. "Find love, happiness and peace. One day I want to become fearless. And finally tell my mother how she makes me feel."

Olivia's wishes for the future were a little heart breaking. I felt truly bad for her. She didn't want much for her future. Just her mother's approval. Or… at the very least, her affection.

"Alright, I've given you both your mark of ability. Have fun discovering your new powers. And remember. You only get one. So practice and enhance your skills as you go." Mozi said with the slightest smile on his face.

So that's how reapers got their unique abilities? Was this true from all of them? Or just ones born into this life.

The twins bowed their heads and Esme quietly dismissed them. Once they left the room, I felt the atmosphere shift dramatically. Mozi glared with open hostility. The dark tresses at the top of his head turned ablaze in blue flames. He appeared completely livid. At this moment, it felt like I was sitting in front of the devil himself. Had he presented himself differently just for the sake of the kids?

"It's been brought to my attention that this company hasn't been following proper protocol. And you, personally, have committed a crime." Mozi spoke in a deep, thunderous voice. His eyes flashed, pure violet, right in Esme's direction.

She visibly shrank back in her seat. "Those are some serious allegations. I assume you have some kind of proof of that?" I could tell she was attempting to sound confident. But it didn't reach her eyes. She was scared.

"I've received reports from two of your sister companies. Gallen and Harlow districts have requested an investigation."

"On what grounds?"

"Placing curses on other reapers, for personal interests, or malicious intent. In this generation, curses are not to be implemented for any reason. If punishment is to be given, that responsibility goes to me. And me alone. You have no authority." He slammed his fist down on the desk.

The sound made everyone in the room flinch.

"I admit that I've lost control over my emotions from time to time… and may have placed curses on a few reapers… However, Gallen has been sabotaging our replenishing stations, causing our reapers to turn into devourers. I suspect Harlow is involved as well."

Mozi narrowed his eyes. "I'll deal with those allegations as well. But right now, we are discussing your crimes," He leaned back in his seat, appearing to have recollected himself. The flames at the top of his head seemed to taper off slightly. "This isn't the first time, I believe we spoke in great length about what you had done between that human male and his son."

Was he referring to Carlisle and Emmett? The corruption curse. Carlisle took his own life, so Esme could use her abilities to save Emmett's life. It was a forbidden curse. Extremely taboo.

"I truly thought it was the right thing to do." Esme paused, her eyes moving down to the floor. "I was in love with him. I wanted to save his son. And I was already punished for it."

"Indeed, but it appears you haven't learned your lesson. Since you have continued to use illegal curses against others." Mozi continued. "I apparently didn't punish you harshly enough."

Edward didn't jump to Esme's defense. He watched quietly, with an unreadable expression. Was he worried? I couldn't tell by looking at him. But I could feel his conflicting emotions. Concern and solace. Opposing feelings, fighting against each other for dominance.

Esme lowered her head. "I beg of you for mercy."

Mozi sighed, his eyes flickering over to me. "Isabella, you have an unbiased opinion of Esme, do you believe her actions deserve punishment?"

Why did I have to be brought into this discussion?

I could feel all of their eyes on me. I was beginning to get nervous. It's true, I did have an unbiased opinion. And I wasn't the type of person to lie. But I didn't want to make this situation any worse than it already was.

"Well, regardless of my opinions, I don't have the full details on the situations in which Esme has cursed someone. I can't make a fair statement if I don't have the facts."

"That's quite a respectable response. But, I'd still like an answer. Regardless of the lack of information on this topic." Mozi replied evenly.

Of course I couldn't talk my way out of this.

"Fine," I paused, searching for the right words to say, before speaking. "Esme isn't perfect. She has thoughts, feelings and strongly cares for her family. So, even though she may have gone about this the wrong way, it was with the intention to protect her sons and her company. So, is punishment necessary, yes, to a certain degree. But nothing too damaging, or extreme."

I hoped this wouldn't upset Edward or Esme. I just didn't want to stand in front of 'the grim' and lie. My gut told me that honesty is the best option at this moment.

"Reapers are imperfect beings. That's a good point. I must expect a few mistakes. I've created them. So, it's my responsibility to correct their behaviors." Mozi nodded, before looking at Esme. "I considered ending your existence. But perhaps that would be an overreaction."

Esme's eyes widened as her tiny frame began to tremble. Fear clouded her face. She ducked her head further, as if trying to appear smaller. Completely submitting.

I've never seen her like this. Esme always appeared confident and fearless. Even in her short stature, when she entered a room she dominated that space.

Edward visibly swallowed, watching his mother with bated breath. His emotions surged with overwhelming anxiety. As much as he didn't get along with Esme, she was still his mother. And he still cared for her greatly.

"Instead, I'm going to take your abilities away from you. You won't be able to use curses, ever again," Mozi said, narrowing his eyes. "And I will be dismissing you from this company. You will no longer have any power over the reapers here."

This was a sizable blow. No one in this room saw this coming.

Esme lifted her head with an agonized look. "I'll have… to leave? I can't leave my sons behind. And my grandchildren. I need to be here to support Isabella's pregnancy."

"You don't have to leave this area. I won't be sending you anywhere else. You will be put back to in-the-field work. Reaping souls. Keeping your head down. Stay out of trouble."

"B-but who will oversee this company? What about Aro and the Gallen reapers?" Esme said quickly, she stood from her seat. Emotional.

"I'll be putting someone else into that position. He has proven himself to be a man of integrity. I trust he will take good care of the company." Mozi said with a sharp nod. "As for Gallen, don't concern yourself. I will be visiting with them next."

What would this mean for us? Would this new leader change everything? Would Edward's position be safe as well?

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Leave a review with your thoughts, I'd love to hear what you all think of 'the grim'.