A/N… A quick note up here… I need to thank you again for all the love you've sent my way. I'm doing much better – back to work, my muse stopped pouting at my body's betrayal, and life has essentially gotten back on track. Life in the bunker is normal again.

All that being said, today is a Hobbit-type birthday where I give you the present on my birthday. I'm happy that I'm catching up, so this is awesome timing. Much love to you.

Time moves forward a little here, but I'll let you get to it.

~oOo~

Chapter 12

BELLA

Snow fell softly outside the apartment window as I carefully took Christmas ornaments off the tree that I should've taken down weeks ago. We were three weeks into the new year, and things had grown quiet in Oz. We hadn't sent a team over the walls since Edward had gotten shot and brought his parents back with him.

We'd stayed on our side of the gate that the raiders now couldn't use. After Alistair had destroyed one of their Hummers at the main gate, raiders had towed it out of the way, but we'd replaced it with more of their vehicles. Twice. There was now a crater on the Sound side of the wall so deep that their vehicles couldn't make it through.

Not that it stopped them from coming in; they simply used other gates, but we were slowly blocking those too. Soon, they would have no entry point, which was what everyone in Oz wanted. We wanted raiders to leave us alone. We weren't allowing them to take people any longer.

However, the weather outside was the harsher season for Oz. We had plenty of food stores, and the people in Sector B still had livestock, not to mention the fishermen who went out just about every day. But the cold was hard on us. We had the bare minimum of power, so staying warm was usually by fires. We tried to house everyone in homes or apartments with fireplaces, but it was still damn cold.

Reaching up to a tall branch, I took down an ornament Edward and I had made when we had our first Christmas with Sue and Emmett. It was our hands pressed in clay or plaster. I couldn't remember what we'd used. We'd both been thirteen at the time. I smiled down at how small the hands were.

The apartment door opened, and Edward and his dad led a team of people inside with all the stuff Flash's people had found for us. The baby shifted a little, and I froze, rubbing the spot where the movement made me smile.

"Bella?" Edward said, setting down the box he was carrying. "You okay, love?"

Laughing softly, I took his hand and placed it where the kicking was still happening. "Yeah, here."

"She's having a wrestling match in there," he teased, taking a seat on the sofa so his face was right at my stomach. "She's gonna be a fighter, like her momma."

Grinning down at his handsome face, I shrugged. "Her dad isn't exactly passive."

Edward buried his laugh into my bump, and it tickled. Even more, the baby shifted a little again.

Carlisle was damned certain we were having a girl. My bloodwork had come back fine, and we'd been back to the clinic a few more times. The last time the baby had shifted enough that Carlisle had been able to see it was a girl. Everyone was ecstatic.

But no one was happier than Edward.

"That may be," he allowed, kissing my stomach over and over. "But my girls are powerful and beautiful. She's gonna be amazing."

We were his girls. And he was just about over the moon about it.

Thumps and chatter came from the baby's room. Everyone was pitching in to get it ready. We'd decided on a beach theme, decorating with whales, dolphins, starfish, octopuses, and palm trees. Flash's people had found a bunch of stuff for us over the last few weeks.

The only thing we hadn't decided was a name. At least, not a first name. Edward and I were pretty set on the middle name Renee after my mother.

There was another shift beneath my shirt, and Edward chuckled softly, pressing kisses to the spot over and over.

"I love that she's a girl," he whispered, gazing up at me and barely letting his lips leave my stomach.

"I know you do."

He grinned, kissed my stomach again, and glanced over his shoulder when they called his name from the baby's room. "I'd better help. You okay with the tree?"

"Mmhmm, I'm good. You'll just have to take it out when I'm done."

"No problem, love." He stood up from the sofa and kissed my lips.

He picked his box back up and made his way into the baby's room, where there was a great debate as to where everything was going. I left them to it, turning back to the almost bare Christmas tree.

"Want some help?" I heard behind me, and I smiled over at Esme.

"Yeah. Definitely. I've kinda procrastinated on taking it down, but it's got to go." I gestured to the poor tree that was losing its needles daily.

She chuckled and nodded, taking the ornaments from me and carefully putting them back into their box. "How are you feeling?" she asked me.

"Good. She's really active today," I said, rubbing the spot where the baby was shifting again. I took Esme's hand so she could feel it too.

"There she is," Esme whispered, her eyes watering a little. "She's so strong. And she's going to be beautiful."

I chuckled because she sounded like everyone else. Even Edward. Emmett and Jasper were convinced she was going to be hellfire and trouble – like her parents. Alice and Rose were betting on her having Edward's hair and my eyes. Sue and Alistair were absolutely certain she would run the world someday. My dad was simply happy she was healthy.

"Any names yet?" she asked as we went back to the tree.

I shook my head. "Not yet. We'll figure out something, I'm sure. Edward wants something girly yet strong. He said something like my name. I want something that kinda means something. But we're sure the middle name will be Renee after my mom. If I'm not careful, she'll be Small Fry for the rest her life, because the potato thing hasn't died. Emmett says she's just a bigger spud – a baking potato. If I'm not careful, she'll end up Idaho or something."

Esme laughed, tucking a few more ornaments into the box before closing the lid. She looked over at me and finally reached for my hand. "We wanted another child, a sibling for Edward at one point. It just never happened. I wanted a girl. She would've been Emily."

There was movement behind her, and Edward was glancing between me and his mother. When he met my gaze, he lifted an eyebrow.

I started to chuckle because his expression was simply all the hopeful things. "Emily Renee Cullen," I said to him.

"I like it," he said softly with a nod, and he started to tick off the points with his fingers. "It's feminine without being weak. It means something." He pointed to his mother, who was highly amused at her son's reaction. "And it's in no way potato related."

I lost it because he was way too much sometimes. He'd always been this way with me. Always. Just silly and sweet and secretive. I was glad he was showing that a little more around his parents. He could be so fierce and dangerous, but this was the true Edward.

"And you'll share the same initials. EC," I pointed out. And honestly, that might have been the best point. I kind of liked that idea. "Okay." I chuckled again. "Okay. Emily it is."

She shifted, and I grinned at Edward when I rubbed the spot.

"She likes it, too," he whispered, coming back to sit on the sofa in front of me again. "Don't you, baby girl? Emily is a good name, huh?" She pushed again when he spoke near my stomach, and he smiled sweetly, pressing kisses to the spot. "I guess we have a winner."

Raking my fingers through his hair, I smiled. "Yeah, I think we do." I turned to Esme. "Thank you."

Her eyes watered a little as she nodded our way, finally saying, "It seems better to use it for your daughter. Like it was meant to be that way."

Edward glanced his mother's way. "Maybe." He stood up. "The room's just about finished. Wanna see?"

"Absolutely."

I stepped around him and walked into the baby's room. The crib had been assembled for a couple weeks, since before Christmas, but they'd added adorable touches to the room today – pictures of sea creatures, stuffed whales and fish, a rug in the shape of an orange-ish octopus with spreading tentacles. The changing pad had been attached to the dresser that was already in the room. They'd shifted the bed a little to allow space for a rocking chair.

The only thing left to do was put the bedding on and add Emily.

"Flash is working on a baby monitor for us," Edward said behind me. "He said he's looked everywhere for one, but they run on a frequency that doesn't work anymore, so he's got to fiddle with it."

Chuckling, I nodded and stepped into the room. "It's perfect. Thank you!"

"No thanks needed, Bella. We're happy to do it," Carlisle replied, glancing around the room.

Reaching for a stuffed orca, I hugged it to my chest. "Guess this is as close as we'll get to the beach, huh?" I teased Edward as they all left us in Emily's room.

He huffed a laugh. "Maybe for now, my Bella. Hang in there. We'll get there eventually." He hugged me close from behind, pressing a kiss to the back of my head and then my cheek. "Actually, we're supposed to meet at the auto shop today to discuss our next steps."

"Okay," I mumbled, turning to snuggle into his chest. "We're not any closer to getting into Aro's computer room, are we?"

"I don't know. Charlie's been working on it. I think Alistair went to meet with him this morning. We'll see what the update is when we get down there."

Sighing, I pulled back enough to kiss his lips. "Then I guess I'd better finish the tree so we can go."

Once the last of the ornaments were put away, Edward removed the tree from its stand. We were to drop it off in Sector B so they could use the trees as mulch for the vegetables. We tried very hard in Oz to use, reuse, and recycle. We didn't have much choice.

Edward walked with me to the shop, pressing a kiss to my forehead. "I'll drop this off and be right back," he said, taking the tree up the street.

The auto shop was warm inside, thanks to an old wood-burning furnace the guys had rigged ages ago. Everyone was gathering around the table, and there were a fair number of us for this meeting. These next steps would involve all the sectors and every member of the resistance.

Mr. Weber and Carlisle were sitting together. Alistair and Sue were standing off in the corner, but the former saw me come in and stepped my way with a bag in his hand.

"Your dad sent you that," he said, wearing an amused expression.

I opened the small paper bag, laughing at what I saw inside and pulling out the stuffed animal. It was a yellow fish with blue fins and stripes, and there were chuckles throughout the room at the sight of it.

Attached to the fish was a small note.

You had one like this once, so I thought you should pass it on. Love you.

I hugged the fish closer, meeting Alistair's gaze. "How is he?"

"Exhausted. Stressed out. I worry he's pushing his limits with these assholes. But he sent his love and asked for a bit more time. We'll go over why once we're all here," he replied.

Nodding, I took a seat between Rose and Alice.

"Flounder!" Alice whispered, grinning my way. "I wore that movie out when I was little!"

"Me, too!" I said with a nod, pointing to Rose. "Sue had it when we first moved in with her. We watched it until we drove Emmett and Edward crazy."

Emmett laughed as Rose nodded in agreement.

"How the hell did Charlie find that?" Alice asked incredulously.

Laughing, I shrugged. "There's no telling."

Edward stepped into the auto shop, his brow wrinkling at the bright-yellow fish. I handed him the note, and he shook his head a little.

"Only Charlie," he whispered against my forehead before taking his place behind me. "Who are we waiting on?"

"Flash. And Sam and the boys. I sent them out for intel last night, so I'm curious as to what they found out."

"What did they blow up?" Emmett asked. "I mean, I didn't see any explosions…"

Chuckling, Alistair shook his head. "No. No explosions. Just information gathering for me."

"That must've killed the cousins. Not to cause mayhem and destruction," Rose added wryly, grinning a little when the boys in question walked into the auto shop. "How do your points work if you're not blowin' shit up?"

Jake and Seth laughed, but the former simply said, "If we can't destroy anything, then we base points on how close we can get without getting caught." Jake slapped his cousin's shoulder. "That would make me the winner from last night, since I was practically in Demetri's fucking closet."

"What?" a few of us asked in shock.

"You're serious," Edward said, his mouth hanging open a little.

"Fuck, yeah, I'm serious!" Jake replied, sounding way too proud of himself.

"No, the little shit's telling the truth," Sam told us, shaking his head a bit. "You asked us to get as close to the raiders, the seaport, and Aro as we could. It all kinda fell into place. While I monitored the ship that came in last night, these two went dark, shadowing a few raiders, which led them straight to the main asshole in charge."

"And that main asshole just happened to have a conversation with Aro," Seth added. "God, could he get any creepier?"

"Which one?" Alice and Rose asked at the same time.

Alistair huffed a laugh, holding up a hand. "Okay, okay. So let's wait until Flash joins us, and we'll all sort through what we know."

Flash finally stepped into the auto shop loaded down with his usual stuff – laptop, a box of equipment, and a cup of coffee. He put it all down onto the table, taking a seat across from me.

"Hot damn! Flounder!" he said with a grin. "It's been a minute since I watched that movie."

We all chuckled, but we turned our attention to Alistair when he stepped up to the front of the room.

"I'd like to start with Sam. I sent them out last night for intel only. I'd like to know what they saw before I go over my meeting with Charlie," he said, looking to Sam, who stood up.

"You were right. The ship docked around one in the morning. You wanted me to report what they were actually shipping, and I can tell you…it's not much. There were a few slaves; no more than what we'd intercepted on the train. Maybe half that. Twenty? Twenty-five?" He paused for a moment. "I got as close as I could, trying to see where they were from, because the rumor among the raiders is that New York and Los Angeles fell and Boston and Houston aren't far behind. I don't know how true that is, but that's causing some doubt for the workers in the Sound."

"Where were they from?" Edward asked.

"Atlanta. Apparently, they now use a train to transport to Savannah in order to ship to New York, Boston, LA, and here. That Caius guy is a ruthless son of a bitch," Sam replied, shaking his head. "He has to be aware of the train track situation, so he's just figured out another way to keep going." He shrugged a little. "There was food, some crates of ammo, and the usual clothes and shoes. Nothing crazy. However, the boys followed the raiders like you asked."

Jake stood up, and really, despite their youth and silly mannerisms, the boys were serious when it came down to what we did.

"Seth and I followed some peon raiders back to their barracks. We may have 'borrowed' some uniforms in order to move around, but we still stuck to the shadows." Jake grinned at our laughter, but he went on. "You know all those buildings sit up on blocks, so we simply moved about underneath them until we came to Demetri's private quarters."

"And boy, is he stressed the fuck out," Seth added, his expression serious as he shook his head a little.

"Yeah, he is," Jake continued. "First of all, the bounty on Edward and Emmett is still there, but he's getting frustrated as all hell because no matter who he sends after them, they either don't come back or they come back so injured that they're laid up in the infirmary."

Edward and Emmett grinned, giving each other a fist bump. Now that Edward's leg had healed, he and Emmett took each raid with an almost volatile defense. They'd fight, ambush, or completely destroy whatever group Demetri would send in. We weren't going over the wall, but we were defending our side without much thought.

"He's well aware we've stopped going into the Sound—"

"Well, last night doesn't count," Seth interrupted with a grin. "He knows we haven't stopped any ships or removed any slaves. He's kinda confused as to why."

"Demetri also suspects there are spies on his side, but he's too stupid or arrogant to figure out who or why," Sam told us, looking to Jake. "Tell them about Aro."

"Right, right." Jake nodded, focusing back on Alistair. "Aro had his personal guards bring him down to Demetri's place. We were scoping out one building when we saw them, so we followed until we were beneath Demetri's place. I found a loose board and was able to pop up in Demetri's closet when they had their little meeting.

"We have officially made them nervous. Aro's pretty pissed about the train tracks, but he's fucking livid that we took one of his doctors," Jake continued, pointing toward Carlisle. "He's terrified as to what information we know now."

"I didn't tell you anything you didn't already know," Carlisle argued, glancing to Alistair.

"When you're up to all the bad things, then you get paranoid as to someone outside of it knowing the truth," Sue stated wisely.

"Aro gave Demetri an ultimatum," Jake said, wincing a little. "He has until the end of the month to find, capture, and arrest Edward and Emmett. In that month, he has to find Carlisle and Esme." He held up his hand when we all started to talk. "Wait! Aro told him that if he didn't find them, then he's to burn Oz to the ground. He said that he can get slaves from Atlanta and Boston and LA, that he didn't need us for anything, and we've become more trouble than we're worth." He sighed, shaking his head. "He also said if Demetri finds his old slave, then he needs to bring her to him. Alive. They need to use her as an example of what happens when you go against the Sound. What happens when slaves try to get away."

We all glanced over to Alice, who'd gone pale with that bit of information.

"Actually, he wants to do the same with Edward, Emmett, and Edward's parents. He wants to make their punishment public, but if they can't be found, then he'll burn Oz for the same effect," Jake finally concluded.

"Oh, we're pushing our time limit," Flash muttered to no one in particular, shaking his head.

"Yeah, but hang on," Alistair soothed, holding up a hand to get our attention. "If that's the case, then my meeting with Charlie was fortuitous." He sighed, looking weary and worried. "If they're gonna come at us, then our next target needs to be Demetri."

That statement landed hard in the room. Everyone came to a standstill.

"Once Demetri is out of the picture, only then can we get anywhere near Aro's computer," he continued, gesturing toward Flash. "Charlie has slowly removed several of Aro's personal guards. One caught the old virus, which made him a threat. He was eliminated immediately. Another was caught messing around with one of Aro's slaves, which again…earned him a first-class ticket to hell. Charlie set him up to get busted by Aro to perfection."

I sighed deeply, glancing up at Edward and then back to Alistair. "And just what happened to the slave?" I asked angrily.

"She's currently in the hospital, Bella," Alistair soothed, pointing to Carlisle and Mr. Weber. "Charlie brought her with him to meet with me."

"What's her name?" Alice asked in a whisper, and she was still pale and nervous.

"Mary."

Alice sighed, her eyes welling up. "She's… She'd been his slave since she was fourteen. He… While he'd let some slaves go, or…worse, he kept Mary and me around. Is she… Will she…"

"She's stable, Alice," Mr. Weber soothed her. "She's a little battered, thanks to Aro, but she'll recover physically in a week or so."

Alice nodded, and I noticed he said physically, which meant that mentally, she was probably a wreck. I shook my head, reaching for Edward's hand, and he gave it willingly, adding a kiss to the top of my head.

"Now we've taken not one but two of his slaves?" Rose asked Alistair. "Oh, he's gonna be all sorts of twisted over that."

"Yeah, probably," Alistair agreed easily. "We're not gonna give him time enough to think about it. Like I said, Demetri needs to be our next target. And we're going to follow Charlie's order on this to the fucking letter. This is his mission."

"I bet it is," Edward sighed, pressing another kiss to the top of my head before speaking to Alistair. "I vowed to Charlie that I'd help him get to Demetri, so what's the plan?"

"We need to wait just a little longer. Charlie wants to remove one more of Aro's guards before we move forward," Alistair told him. "I think you're right, Edward. I think we need to do this in one big nasty hit. We hit the raiders, removing Demetri, and we set foot inside Aro's office to get to his computer. All at once. All in one shot."

He held up a hand again to stop us from asking a million questions. "But before we do any-fucking-thing, we need to prepare for what will happen next. It'll be quite possible that Oz will have to pick up and move away from here. We'll have people who will need a new home, protection, and safety. We'll have to house them, feed them. Seattle will fall, but there will be repercussions and vengeance on Aro's part."

"Not if we remove every raider in those barracks," Jasper piped up. "I mean, if we do this right, then there won't be a single raider left to come back at us. And if the Sound finally hears that their creepy little savior is the reason they lost family, that they're trapped working for him, and that the world is destroyed, then they won't fight for him either."

"If what you're saying is true, then the only way to get to Aro is to have Charlie bring me or Edward to him personally," Emmett stated grimly. "He'd have to 'arrest' us in order to bring us before him. And by that time, Demetri better be dead."

"Or me," Alice said softly, gazing down at her wringing hands. "You have Charlie return me, and Aro won't even think twice about letting you into his office."

"Or all of the ones he wants," Edward added. "Emmett, me, and Alice will be a guaranteed entry into that office."

"Shit," I groaned, rubbing my face.

Rose sighed. "So we're just going to start a war? We're going to send three of us into the lion's den? Four, if you count Charlie." She gestured to me.

"I'm telling you, we're not doing anything until we have a plan," Alistair stated firmly. "We need to decide whether it's time to move Oz and its people to another location. We need a detailed plan to remove Demetri and his raiders, and we need to get to Aro's computer. That last thing will not fucking happen unless we have an exit plan. I mean it, guys. I'm not sending anyone into Aro's building until we can be sure we can get you back out once we've planted that thumb drive." He looked to me. "Charlie included, Bells. I swear it."

Flash stood up, pulling the box he'd brought closer. "Okay, then you guys will appreciate this…" He pulled out a folded map and slapped it down onto the table. "As you know, my scouts have been pushing farther and farther away from Seattle toward Tacoma, going as far as Olympia," he started, spreading the map out in front of us. "They've found a few locations away from the walls. There are several islands in the inlets – Fox, McNeil, and Harstine Islands… They're all old neighborhoods for what used to be the richer folk." He tapped a few places on the map. "They're all empty. Abandoned. Whoever survived the virus most likely moved into the Sound. Not only would we be removed from walls and raiders, but we could essentially put ourselves on our own island. A few of these are two or three times as big as the space Oz occupies. There are homes, space enough for farming, and lighthouses we can use to monitor the water.

"You want to move away from walls?" Flash asked, standing up straight and glancing around at all of us. "Well, how about putting water between us and everyone else? Even if Aro tries to get back at us, he'd have to swim to do it." That last thing was muttered sarcastically, but we understood what he meant.

"That would be a massive undertaking to move everyone," Sue muttered, studying the map.

"Yeah, well, my scouts stashed an old ferry that they got up and running. A few trips back and forth…and boom, we've left the Sound to rot," Flash countered.

Carlisle stood up, studying the map on the table. He tapped one of the islands, saying, "This one. Anderson Island. I… We had friends there once. There's plenty of room, a small hospital, and even schools. There are enough homes to go around and room for farming."

Flash smiled his way. "And it's as empty as a ghost town."

Alistair took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Okay, we need a vote from every sector, an inventory on weapons and ammo, and a layout of Aro's building. When we have our plan together, I'll take it back to Charlie. But we must all be in agreement."

I stood up, rounding on Edward. "You wanna just walk into Aro's office?" I ground out through gritted teeth.

"No, love. I don't," he whispered back, pulling me away from everyone.

"Well, it sure as shit sounded like it," I snarked back, poking his chest with the stuffed fish I still had in my hands.

Edward snorted, grabbing the stuffed animal and pulling me closer. "No, what I want is for you to help me plan." He kissed me briefly. "Bella, you can't go anywhere near any one part of this situation, but you can use that brilliant mind to help us with plans and escapes. Jesus, love, you know the Sound as well as any of us."

"And if I fuck up, I lose everyone I love." My hands started to shake at the mere thought of it.

"No, baby," Edward said soothingly, his gaze warming completely. "You won't. If we do this right, then there will be no one to come after us except Aro himself."

I studied his face while all the information we'd just received rattled around in my mind, and I shook my head, saying, "Edward, the only way this will work is if we move Oz first. Get everyone out of the line of fire before we decide to start a war."

Edward frowned, nodding a little. "You might have a point."

"And Edward, I'm due in a little over two months! We're already pushing February…like next week! If we're timing this right, then I'm gonna be the size of a whale when all this goes down."

Edward grinned, grasped my chin gently in his hand. "You, my Bella, are gorgeous and strong and smart. We will figure it out."

"And we just got her room done," I mumbled belligerently, hugging that damned stuffed fish.

"Bella, stop. I'll move her room myself," he vowed, holding my shoulders. "Just…help us plan. Help us get in and out. You and I know every safe house and underground tunnel. We need to plot out how to get everyone out once everything starts."

I shook my head. "I don't like it. I get it, but I don't like the thought of sending you three with my dad into Aro's office," I stated, pointing to Alice and Emmett. "This plan needs to be better than the last one where you ended up with a bullet in your damn leg, Edward. I'm not kidding. He wants to exterminate all of you and us. You get that, right?"

He flinched, nodding a little. "But without his raiders, he's defenseless."

I studied his face. Edward was so damned determined to bring an end to this that he was willing to do anything.

"Then we start there. The destruction of the raiders base," I told him, pointing to the table.

Edward leaned in to kiss my forehead. "We have a month before Demetri does as Aro asked – set fire to Oz to kill us all. We need to be ahead of them and already in place before that, Bella."

I sighed, knowing he was right. "Okay, so let's get to work."

~oOo~

A/N… It's a girl! ;) That was a huge debate for me over boy or girl, never mind the name – that was an even bigger decision. And we're getting down to the ugly shit. So please make sure your seatbelts are secure.

By the way, Anderson Island is real and sits in the inlet not far from Tacoma. However, I'm fudging some of the facts about what's on it. Because I can.

Okay, so the next chapter is pretty well underway. I think I'm safe to say that it'll be ready by next week, but don't hold me to that.

That being said… Until next time… Mooches, Deb ;)