A/N… I'll let you get to it. You guys are pretty confident as to what – or who – is coming. ;)

~oOo~

Chapter 18

BELLA

"Believe it or not, I can still access the Sound's servers," Flash stated, glancing up from one of his laptops. "They're in a fire-proof room in the basement of the hospital. So far, they're still intact."

Edward nodded, pacing from one end of the café we'd taken over to the other. It faced a general store across the street, which the people from Sectors B and C were starting to set up with food and supplies. The café would now be for security meetings and Oz business.

"No network activity from the Sound, but there is plenty from other walled cities." He held up a hand to stop a barrage of questions. "Let me rephrase… There are attempts at activity. They can't break my virus. And they can't shut up Aro's confession on repeat."

I snorted, shaking my head a little. "I think my sanity would snap if I had to listen to his voice over and over."

Edward grinned at me from across the room, and my dad laughed.

Rose muttered, "No shit."

Flash chuckled. "Which was totally my intention – to drive them crazy, but to also get the real information out there."

We all nodded. I gazed around the room, noting that most of us were there. Alice and Jasper were sitting together in a booth with Ben and Angela. Emmett and Rose were across from me in another booth as Edward continued to pace. My dad and Sue were at a table with a handsome older gentleman named Garrett. Apparently, my dad had help on the other side of the walls. And I thanked Garrett for it.

He was a calm, quiet man, but he exuded a touch of sarcasm and wisdom. He was going to fit in with the elders just fine.

Edward's parents were sitting with the people who used to manage the old sectors. Today was a meeting about how the fight had been, possible memorial services, and new ideas for security and prosperity.

Sam, Jake, and Seth were at another booth, and Jake had his leg propped up.

"Okay, first thing on the agenda…" Sue started, standing up from her table. "Memorial services – Alistair and Isaac. There is a cemetery in the center of the island. Isaac Weber has already been buried. We could use this opportunity to bring everyone together for a service for those two."

"Do we need to go get Alistair?" Edward asked, coming to a stop and leaning against the café's counter.

"He'd tell you no," she told him, wearing a sad smile. "He'd tell you it wouldn't be worth the risk of someone else getting hurt should the people still in the Sound decide to attack."

Edward nodded, but he didn't seem happy with that answer.

"And what about the people left over there?" he asked her, pointing toward Alice. "Alice set Aro's slaves free. There will be people who were forced to work for Aro, and they'll need help. Along with a few others who were simply stuck."

My dad nodded. "He's got a point. We've now removed Aro and Demetri. There will be no more transports or trade from the other walled cities. Hell, most of their stuff burned." He sighed, rubbing his face roughly. "We'll be no better than Aro if we leave them without anything – food, water, and for some, shelter." He gazed around the room. "If you go, if you decide to send a small group, then send them with supplies."

Jasper hummed and nodded. "Armed to the fucking teeth, but with supplies too."

Edward pushed off the counter and started forward.

"And you're not going," my dad stated, pointing to him. "Don't even think about it. Garrett's volunteered to lead it, and Emmett, Rose, and Sam will accompany him. But you, son, are about to be a father, and you and I will be setting up security around here. I'll need your help for that."

Edward flashed a grin when I snorted. "Yes, sir," was all he replied.

Shaking my head at them, I rubbed my stomach where Emily was shifting. However, Carlisle was up next.

"We need to talk about some sort of emergency alert. We're more spread out here, so if someone is hurt or sick, or even if there's a fire, we need to be able to signal for help," he suggested, looking to Flash, who was staring at him blankly, but it was really his way of thinking.

"Give me some time. We might be able to build our own network here. Hell, the old telephone lines might still be usable," he replied. "I have a group out searching for more electric carts. I think they'll be better in the long run than gas-powered vehicles. Finding fuel that hasn't gone bad has been difficult. So your emergency people could use those to transport someone who needs help."

"That's a good point, too, Flash. We'll need volunteer fire and rescue. And without Reverend Weber, I'm the only doctor." He grimaced a little. "There were other doctors in the Sound…" He trailed off when several people turned to look his way.

"We could give them an option," Sue surmised softly, holding up her hand when questions were aimed her way. "Look, you want to help those we freed. Well, start there. Garrett, when you take your team back into the Sound, see what you can find in the hospital. Don't go in…guns blazing. Go in with supplies and honesty."

Garrett's smile was crooked and easy. "Yes, ma'am. We'll do our best."

The meeting went on, and everyone who had been in the Sound for the fight gave testimony on what happened – from Demetri's death to Aro's. It had been scary, not to mention touch and go for a bit.

Jake had been shot when they'd led the raiders away from everyone else and into the old Oz, essentially leading them into the landmine traps we'd set before we'd moved away.

And apparently, Jake was several points ahead of Seth for his antics. Seth wasn't happy about that.

The last things on the agenda for this meeting were food, supplies, and farming.

"Listen, I've got the horses," Jasper stated firmly, standing up from his booth seat. "There's a home on the edge of a park that Alice and I are going to turn into a horse ranch. It's what I did as a kid. It's what my parents did. There's a bunch of horses roaming around this island, and I plan on building a paddock to herd them into it."

"So in addition to those carts, we'll have horses to ride or pull wagons," Sue surmised.

"Yes." Jasper nodded once. "It'll take some time, and I'll probably need a few people, but I can get it done."

Sue grinned his way. "You let us know what you need, son. We trust you."

Edward stepped forward, pushing his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "One more thing… Alistair, he said something to me at the end. There's a part of me that thinks it was pain, but I haven't been able to get it off my mind." He sighed sadly, gazing around the room, but he focused on Sue. "He said… No matter what, no matter what changes happen to never stop resisting. He said that he didn't care if the country built back up again or if the military was still out there, but he made me promise to continue to lead this resistance."

Sue frowned, and her eyes watered a little as she nodded.

My dad grimaced, but he gazed around the room before saying, "You've been leading them since you showed up in Oz, Edward."

"Yeah, he said that too," Edward said softly.

Dad nodded. "There's a real possibility that we could grow complacent here, but I don't think that'll be the case." He set his elbows on the table and rubbed his face roughly. "I know where Alistair was coming from with that fear. Most of you in this room won't remember what it was like as walls were built to separate us, as politicians lied about why there needed to be walls in the first place, as laws were completely obliterated. There had been civil rights movements throughout history, but nothing as violent as when Aro set a global virus loose. And that's saying something.

"It was one thing to hold a group of people back or…or hold them down, but this was the genocide of every race, age, and background," he went on. "Sadly, his warning comes from experience. Politics and law makers turned the people in our country against each other, and we couldn't do a thing about it. And then, they were killed off as well. The very people who were created and designed to protect the innocent turned against us or were eliminated."

I glanced around the room. Sue and Garrett were nodding. Edward's parents were too. I couldn't imagine what that had felt like. By the time I understood what was going on, the Outer Zone simply didn't matter to anyone on the other side of the walls.

"So what he's saying is… Never stop resisting against assholes who want to control you, keep you down. I'm pretty sure that Alistair wouldn't have acknowledged any government should it just reappear."

"You're probably right about that," Sue agreed sadly, and she turned toward Flash. "I'm going to assume that you've now sent your people into Olympia."

Flash nodded. "We've scouted for supplies there before, but because it was farther away, they couldn't truly give it enough time. Now we can; it's just across the water. Why? You need somethin'?"

"No, just… have them tread carefully. We've grown used to having walls as a barrier. Now it's water. The farther away from the Sound, the bigger possibility there is of finding people, desperate people."

"There are a few small villages – for a lack of a better word," Flash said getting up from the table and walking toward the map we'd put up of the entire state of Washington. He tapped a spot. "If you're worried about the military, I can assure you Fort Lewis is empty. Al had us check ages ago. That's where the raiders acquired all those damn Hummers."

My brow furrowed at that. Apparently, Alistair had been worried about the government returning for a while.

Flash pointed to another spot on the map. "My guys have seen lights and stuff close to Mount Rainier. Only from a distance. There used to be some activity over along the edge of the Olympic State Park, though raiders used to cut through there for water."

My dad got up to study the map, but he turned to Edward. "You and I need to come up with a way to watch the four points of this island. North" —he tapped the topmost point of Oz—"To watch for anyone coming from the state park. South and west, to monitor movement from Olympia. East, which is the direction your house faces, is going to look for anything coming from Tacoma, but really, that's the direction of the Sound."

Edward studied the map, his brow furrowing. "Maybe it's time to take a page out of the raiders book," he stated, turning to face Dad. "Maybe we need boats to circle the island in some sort of routine. I'm not saying we shouldn't maybe build lookout points, but we'll already have fisherman on the water, so let's train them on how to fire a weapon and how to look for trouble."

Dad grinned. "Done, kid. I like it." He turned to Garrett. "Get your team ready. Remember to take some supplies with you – food, water, clothes – and make sure that you check the hospital. If any doctors, nurses, or freed slaves need out of the Sound, then load them up on the ferry."

"Copy that," Garrett stated, turning toward his team. "Let's get some stuff together and we'll head out in the morning."

I started to get out of the booth, but a hand appeared in front of me, and I smiled up at Alice. "Thanks," I said through a chuckle as she helped me to my feet.

"You're starting to remind me of a turtle on its back," she teased with a grin, and since it was true, I simply laughed.

There was a lightness in her now. Alice wasn't so angry or scared anymore. After listening to what had happened inside Aro's office, I was certain that Alice had gotten some closure. Of all of us, I think she probably deserved it the most. Well, her and my dad.

Wincing a little at Emily's kicks, I rubbed the spot as I walked a little. She would be here soon. I could feel it in her size, in the fact that she'd dropped a little. Carlisle had been monitoring my blood pressure just in case. I honestly couldn't wait – for both physical and emotional reasons. Emily's arrival would change everything.

~oOo~

EDWARD

I stood out on the dock just outside my back door, watching the sun come up. So far, the island was well under way of getting settled. Crops were being planted, Jasper had managed to corral about six or seven of the horses, and Charlie and I had started teaching a large group of the residents on weapons and fighting. Some days, I woke up sore as hell.

Garrett's trip to the Sound brought back a couple dozen people. Along with Aro's former slaves, we now had two more doctors, three nurses, and a mechanic. Flash had also acquired one of Aro's IT people. Sue and Charlie gave every last one of them the option of staying or they were free to take some supplies and move on to somewhere else if they wished. All of them stayed.

Garrett's team had also brought home Alistair's body so we could put him to rest. We'd used the opportunity to not only have a memorial service for him and Mr. Weber, but it was also a chance to introduce ourselves to the new arrivals. Everyone was slowly finding places to live and settling in. No one seemed sketchy, and only one raider survived long enough to make the trip back on the ferry.

Eric Yorkie was young, not much older than Jake and Seth. He'd been forced into joining the raiders by Demetri. Apparently, his parents had done something to offend that asshole, so he took their kid. They were now reunited, and Eric volunteered for guard duty. Eric and his parents were damned happy Demetri was dead.

Once I made my way back inside the house, I checked on Bella, who was sitting up on the side of the bed.

"Where were you?" she snapped, rubbing her stomach.

"Just checking the water, love. Want some help?" I asked, bracing for her temper. My sweet Bella's patience was running out with this pregnancy. She was so very ready to be done with it.

And in her defense, she'd started having sharp contractions last night. My dad was pretty sure she was close.

"No! I just want this kid outta me," she answered sharply, and I tried my damnedest not to laugh. This shit couldn't be easy.

"Easy, Bella. I'm just try—"

Her eyes met mine; they filled up with tears and spilled over. "I'm sorry," she cried, shaking her head.

"C'mon, let's see if we can't get you up and into the bathroom. Okay?" I asked, walking to her to wipe away those tears. I hated the damn tears. I'd hated them all the way back to when she showed up with my dad.

I was really reaching to lift her myself, but she pushed up with her legs, and suddenly froze, wide-eyed and scared.

"What?"

She glanced down to the floor. "I'm… I think… Baby, my water just broke."

"Fuck," I hissed as she squeezed my hand. Glancing down, I could see that she was right. "Okay, okay. Let's get you to the clinic, Bella."

"We have to get your dad…" She trailed off, hissing in pain.

"Love, look at me. I've got you. I'm right here, but I need to get you to the cart," I told her.

She blinked up at me and finally nodded. "Edward, I'm scared."

I cupped her face, kissing her lips softly. "You know what? Me, too, but we're gonna do this like we've done every-fucking-thing else in our lives. Together."

Bella huffed a sniffly laugh. "True."

It took a minute to get her cleaned up and dressed enough to set her in the golf cart. I peeled out of our driveway as fast that fucker could go, stopping in front of my parents' home.

My mom had to have been watching out the window, because she rushed out of the front door, saying, "Your father is already at the clinic. Go! I'll meet you there."

The medical clinic wasn't far from the general store and the café that the resistance had been using. I pulled to a halt at the front doors, and before I could stand up, Tanya was there with a wheelchair.

"Your dad figured she was close," she told me, rolling the chair to Bella's side of the golf cart. "C'mon, Bells, we've got you."

Tanya gently settled Bella into the chair and rolled her inside the clinic where my dad was waiting with a patient smile on his face.

"Her water broke," I told him, glancing down at Bella and running a hand over her head and through her ponytail. She reached up to link our fingers together.

He nodded, kneeling in front of her. "Your contractions, how far apart are they?"

"A couple minutes? Maybe?" she told him nervously.

He nodded and gave her knee a squeeze. "Okay, let's get you in the back."

Things were a little hectic for the next hour or so. They got Bella settled into a gown and a bed. By the time my mother made it to the clinic, my wife's contractions were getting closer and closer.

Bella's tight grip on my hand never relented, even when the pain eased up occasionally. I took a seat next to her, brushing her hair from her sweaty forehead.

"You're doing amazing, love. Just hang in there," I urged her softly, pressing kisses to the white knuckles of her grip.

"You'll stay?"

I grinned, holding up our clasped hands. "I can't go anywhere."

She gave a sniffly laugh. "I mean…"

Kissing her to stop her worry, I whispered against her lips. "I'm not going anywhere, and if they try, I may shoot someone."

She groaned and laughed at the same time, ending with a hiss of pain. "Somehow, I don't think you're joking."

Grinning, I leaned closer to kiss her again. "I'm not, Bella. I'm here for my girls. That's it. End of fucking story."

"Love you," she whispered, sniffling again.

"Love you, too," I said back, trailing off when my eyes met my dad's.

He lifted the sheet to check her, and he nodded my way before looking to Bella. "Okay, sweetheart. You're at ten centimeters, and Emily's in position. It's time to push."

It took a little over two hours of pushing and more whispered encouraging words against Bella's sweaty forehead than I could count to finally hear the sound of my daughter's crying. My hand was probably bruised, and Bella was exhausted, but nothing mattered when we heard Emily Renee Cullen for the first time.

Dad grinned, checked her over as he cleaned her up a little, and then set her into Bella's arms as I hovered over them. My baby girl had a shock of chocolate-colored hair atop her head, and her face was round, red, and unhappy at finally being out in the world.

Finally seeing my daughter in the arms of my wife just did something to me. If I had been protective of Bella since we met, then that was nothing compared to now.

"Congratulations, son," Dad said softly from the other side of the bed. He reached down, telling Bella that they needed to finish up with her, and I gave Bella a kiss as I scooped Emily into my arms. "Everyone's in the waiting room if you…" He trailed off when I nodded absentmindedly.

Once that tiny thing was in my arms, once I saw so much of her mother in her, I was a ruined man. This small human would own me for the rest of my life.

Tanya stepped forward, slipping a little pink hat on Emily's head. "When you come back in here, we'll get her dressed."

Smiling her way, I barely let my eyes leave Emily's face. She was calm now, studying me with a furrowed brow and pooched lips. And I just wanted to smother her in kisses. As it was, I leaned in and pressed one gently to the middle of her forehead.

I caught Bella's teary gaze, smiling a little, I whispered against our baby's temple. "You still look a little like a potato. A red one."

Bella groaned, but her love for us was all over her face as she fought her laugh and exhaustion.

"Go show her off, Dad," my own father teased me, turning me around. "I need to clean Bella up, son." He kept his voice low with that last thing said, and I nodded that I heard him, stepping out of the room and into the hallway.

The clinic wasn't that big, so I took my time, soaking up my daughter's arrival, but I knew my own mother would be pacing the floors. I knew that Charlie would be a wreck in the waiting room. Even Sue would be nervous.

Everything would change now that Emily was here. And as I stepped out into the waiting room to see just about everyone we knew, I pressed kisses to her forehead again, silently vowing that I would make sure she had a home, a family, and a future.

~oOo~

A/N… Emily's here! :) This was a lighter chapter, and a bit shorter than usual, but you can relax for a moment. No fighting, no struggles…just the baby we've been waiting for since the beginning.

Next Sunday is looking good for the update. I've already started the next chapter. So until next time… Mooches, Deb ;)