A/N… Sorry for the delay. I'll explain at the bottom.

We pick up with Bella after quite some time, so I'll let her show you the time jump.

~oOo~

Chapter 27

BELLA

The sound of Emily's cry broke me out of an already restless sleep. The sun wasn't even up yet, and even though it felt like my eyes had sand behind the lids, she was not going to let me sleep in today.

I padded across the hall to her room, and I couldn't help but shake my head a little. Her hair was now almost identical to her father's as far as its inability to be tamed, but the shade was a bit darker. Her frown would've been comical because she was her daddy made over, except she was teething.

Something about Edward missing out on that giant step made me tear up, and I scooped her up, pressing kisses to her temple, her cheek, her nose.

"We're a mess, aren't we, beautiful girl?" I whispered against her cheek as I blinked my tears away.

"Ma-ma-ma…" she said through sobs.

That was yet another step that Edward had missed; she had said her first word.

I was so tired that I ran through the gamut of emotions the entire time I was changing Emily. I was mad that they were still in Atlanta, exhausted that I was pushing through some of this alone, and sad because I just really missed my husband, my father, my friends.

They'd pulled out of Tacoma when Emily was just under five months old, and she was now a day or two shy of six months. She'd grown by leaps and bounds, and Edward was only catching glimpses of it when we could see each other on the video chat.

And the longer he was gone, the angrier Edward was getting. The unfortunate part was that he was needed. They all were. His team was in charge of keeping the peace and guarding Caius and a few of his men who were now behind bars at an old police station, which was right across the street from the tall building where he'd been staying.

Marcus had held meetings with the people of New York, Boston, and Atlanta, along with my dad and Edward. We were trying to come up with a way to trade, communicate, and adjust to a world without walls, not to mention reintroduce a new type of government. Or maybe it was an old government trying to adjust to us. Either way, things were changing fast.

We were supposed to have another video chat with them all later today, but at the moment, Emily was more important.

Once she was changed, dressed, and her hair pulled back from her face into two adorable yet spiky ponytails, she seemed to be a bit better. I pressed another kiss to her chubby cheek when I picked her up and carried her from the room.

On the way through the living room, I turned on the music player to something soft and low. My hope was that after her breakfast, Emily would crash back out again, but she was wide-eyed and adorably babbly. I set her down in her playpen just long enough for me to wash my face and change out of my pajamas.

And that caused her tentative peace to shatter. Her father's temper came roaring out of her, no matter how fast I moved. Apparently, it was going to be one of those days with her – cranky, teething, and impossible to placate – and I was no better.

I was on the verge of tears myself as I scooped her up at the same time there was a soft knock on the door. Standing on the other side were Esme and Sue. Both looked concerned, slightly amused, and totally understanding.

Esme held up a plastic tube of something, saying, "Carlisle sent this. He thought it might calm the teething."

Sue scooped a squirming Emily out of my arms. "And a cool, wet cloth will help too."

Esme immediately applied the ointment or salve along Emily's gums, which settled her almost instantly as Sue walked her out onto my back porch, singing softly against her cheek.

I collapsed down onto the sofa, sighing in relief as my eyes closed. "I think I've slept maybe three hours."

I felt the sofa dip beside me and gazed over at Esme, who picked up my hand. "You don't have to do this alone, you know. Carlisle and I are happy to take her off your hands, even overnight so you can get some sleep. Bella, if you keep this up, you'll make yourself sick. This is experience talking here."

Grinning, I huffed a light laugh. "Was Edward this cranky when he was teething?"

"And then some, my love," she said through a chuckle. "Then it wasn't teething; it was just… Well, let's just say he wasn't exactly a ray of sunshine first thing in the morning at Emily's age."

I laughed outright. "Well, I'm glad he outgrew that."

She joined me with a light giggle. "I bet."

I nodded, smiling a little and letting out a sigh. "I miss him. Mornings were kind of his time with Emily. He'd get up before the sun, change her, feed her, and they'd both crash back out on the sofa until I got up." I gazed back at my mother-in-law. "He spoiled me."

She smiled sadly, reaching up to tuck my hair behind my ear in a way that Edward usually did. "I'm sure he did. Carlisle was the same way when Edward was a toddler. I'd wake up to the two of them in the middle of the living room building some sort of huge tower with wooden blocks or a war between stuffed animals and army men. Both would still be in pajamas, hair sticking up everywhere and beautiful matching smiles on their faces.

"Once I was up, Carlisle would get ready for work, but the mornings were just for boys," she finished, wearing a wistful expression. She seemed to come back to the present, and she patted my leg. "Now, Sue and I are gonna steal my granddaughter so you can get a few hours of sleep. I know you have to check in with Flash and Atlanta, but they can live without you for an hour or so. Okay?"

Sue stepped back inside from the back porch, and Emily was happily chewing on her finger. "We're taking her with or without your permission, Bells."

I cracked a weary smile as I rubbed my face with both hands and nodded. "I surrender."

Esme laughed a little. "Help me get her things, and we'll get out of your hair for a bit. We'll have her back to you in time for Edward to see her on the video chat."

A couple of bottles were already made in the fridge, and her diaper bag was by the door, so I gathered those up for the two of them. I also grabbed a small blue whale out of her crib that she'd been attached to the last week or so.

The silence left behind when they closed the door was almost unnerving, but I didn't even bother to go back to bed; I simply collapsed onto the sofa, wrapping the throw around me.

I woke up a few hours later feeling better, less wrung out. After a long, hot shower, I almost felt back to normal as I left the house and got into the golf cart. That was one of the benefits of this new world and our secluded little island. There was no need to lock our doors because crime was virtually nonexistent.

The island had changed so much, I noticed, as I drove toward the community club where we'd set up the old resistance. Crops were now larger, healthier, and we'd be harvesting soon because the summer was almost over. Horses, cows, and goats were corralled in large pastures.

The clinic was doing fine. Carlisle ran it, along with one of Marcus's medics from the ship – Vera Bryant. She was an older woman, former Army nurse, and she and Carlisle worked well together. Both of them brought knowledge and discipline from separate experiences to the table, and the clinic ran like a machine.

The USS Sanctum sat large and intimidating at the dock alongside the ferry. At the last minute, Marcus had left Chelsea Stone in command of the ship, the remaining military personnel, and the large group of survivors they'd picked up. Some of those survivors had decided to come ashore and join the Oz community. They brought with them amazing experience in mechanics, construction, and agriculture.

Since so many of our people had left to help Marcus in Atlanta, Chelsea put her soldiers to work as our security, lookouts, and peacekeepers. They rotated shifts every eight hours, and some of them even went out on the fishing boats to keep watch on the water with the fishermen.

The community club parking lot had a fair amount of golf carts, and when I stepped inside, the place was busier than I expected. The room where Flash had set up all his computer equipment, radios, and ammunition was buzzing with radio calls and video noise. This room was now the hub of the island's security and home base for our people across the country. Nolan and Flash had started to monitor twenty-four hours a day, splitting shifts, and occasionally Garrett would stand in for them, but it seemed that everyone was on duty.

I took a seat next to Garrett, asking, "Did something happen?"

He shook his head. "No, Marcus wanted us all to listen to this meeting. Where's my pretty girl?"

"She was kidnapped by both grandmothers this morning."

He grinned. "Good. You needed a break, Bells." When I nodded a little, he went on. "When my son was first born, I was working sixty hours a week at a packing plant – sometimes overnights – just to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table. My wife was an amazing mother, but she just about came apart at the seams trying to do all the things those first few months. I tried to help when I could, but I was always at work or damned exhausted. Without her sister and my mother, she wouldn't have made it. Take whatever help comes your way. That advice is coming from experience."

Garrett smiled sadly, and I could see regret and grief in his eyes. He'd become an invaluable member of not only the resistance, but as an elder too. He respected my dad, and he'd watched over Edward's parents in the Sound. Plus, he had knowledge that he was willing to share.

We went quiet for a moment, and he huffed a laugh. "I don't miss money or paychecks or rent. Killing yourself just to survive, working for an asshole you'd rather punch in the face than concede to…that shit is something I don't miss at all. That might be the silver lining to this new world."

"You're not the only elder who feels that way. Sue, Alistair, my dad, and even Edward's parents have said something similar," I told him, glancing up when Flash called my name.

"Check your screen," he said, pointing my way.

I grinned at the face I hadn't seen in person in over a month. "Hey, Daddy."

"Hi, baby girl. I just wanted to see my girls, but one is missing," he said, furrowing his brow.

"Stolen by grandmothers this morning, but they should be bringing her by anytime now. How are things over there?"

His eyebrows raised as he huffed a laugh. "Slow going," he answered simply, shaking his head a little. "This asshole may be worse than Aro. At least Aro tried to keep the peace – or at least his raiders did. But this guy didn't care how much blood was shed on the other side of his walls."

"They're fighting again?"

"They never stopped. Honestly, I think he bit off more than he could chew, because he tried to control all of the southeastern US. And since his pansy ass hid behind walls, then he couldn't stop anything happening in say…Florida, Alabama, or Mississippi." Dad sighed deeply, rubbing his face. "He relied on supply shipments too much, because these people are suffering – not enough food, shelter, or farming. At least, there's not enough space inside the city. And that's what we're working on before we leave. They need help getting started on being self-sufficient."

My dad's explanation had caused the whole room to go quiet. Everyone was listening.

"Marcus's people are reworking the power, and our team is keeping the peace, along with Gio from New York. The leader here, Leon, is doing a damn fine job at finally getting everyone to just listen. So hopefully we'll make headway soon."

Dad looked tired, but when the sound of my daughter came through the speakers, he lit up.

"Ma-ma-ma," Emily babbled happily when Esme handed her over.

I hadn't seen her come in, but she and Sue had both shown up. I dropped loud kisses to Emily's cheek and neck just to hear her squeal and then turned her to face the computer screen.

"Look, Emily… It's Grandpa," I told her.

"There's my fishin' buddy!" Dad beamed, and his eyes crinkled at the corners. He shifted a little to the side, and the other person I needed to see took a seat next to him.

"My girls," Edward said through a deep sigh. "You two are a sight for sore eyes."

"Look, baby… Daddy!" I whispered to Emily, tapping the screen.

"Da!"

Edward gasped, and my dad chuckled, giving my husband's shoulder a squeeze before getting up to leave him alone on the screen.

"Did she just…"

"Yeah, we've been working on it," I told him proudly.

"Damn, I miss you both so much. I'm so tired of this place. Bunkin' with Charlie is fine, but I miss my girls," he rambled, and I could tell he was trying to not get emotional over his daughter calling him Dad for the first time. He rubbed his face, and then focused back on the screen. "Tell me you guys are okay, that the island is secure."

"We're good, Edward. Promise." I pressed kisses to Emily's temple. "We're tired and we miss you, but we're okay."

"Same, love," he agreed wearily, fidgeting with something in his hands as he told us about Atlanta and Caius, who was still behind bars.

I couldn't help but smile when I realized it was the little orca he was spinning around over and over restlessly. I reached into the pocket of my jeans and pulled out the shark. Edward's grin lit up his sweet face, and he chuckled a little when Emily reached for the rubber toy. It was big enough not to pose a danger, so I let her have it to keep her occupied for a few minutes as Edward continued to explain that apparently, Caius's fate was still in the air.

Marcus wanted him alive, but Pearson argued that Caius's sentence should technically be death by firing squad. My people held no opinion. We'd sentenced Aro to death, so really this was between the people of Atlanta and Marcus.

Leon Barrera – the newly elected leader of the South – was simply content that Marcus's brother was locked away, but some of the residents wanted justice…or blood, depending on their definition.

"I don't know," Edward sighed deeply when he was done. "I think Marcus has seen enough death, so to order it against his own brother?" He shook his head slowly. "I get it. Caius is kinda broken now, anyway. He rarely eats, doesn't put up much of a fight, and he's gone quiet. The remaining few of his loyal raiders are locked up with him. They're more of a hassle than he is."

Edward looked away from the camera, nodded, and then glanced back our way. "Marcus wants to start this meeting. Love you both."

"Love you, too," I told him, whispering to Emily to say, "Bye, Daddy."

"Da!"

Edward chuckled, waved toward the screen, and stood. The orca went right back into his pocket as he stepped out of sight of the camera. He was instantly replaced by Marcus and Pearson.

Flash shifted the video feed from one computer to the large screen on the wall. Marcus's side of the meeting did the same. There were a handful of people sitting with him around a large, rectangle table. One side of the table held Gio, Edward, and my dad. The leader from Boston – Louise Murphy – sat with a man I'd only seen on security feeds.

Leon Barrera had an impressive beard – long, thick, and peppered with gray. Honestly, he looked like one of Sue's old garden gnomes. All that was missing was the pointy hat. For all that the South had been put through, Leon was quick to laugh or make a joke. Emmett had liked him instantly.

On our side of things, Chelsea had joined us at the table, along with Sue, Carlisle, Garrett, and of course, Flash and Nolan. The latter two were there to provide information to Marcus, should he need it.

"Okay, Chief, it's your show," my dad told Marcus.

That was just about the only title Marcus tolerated. He cringed at Mr. President, but Commander in Chief was something he could handle. It was the title Pearson had called him from the beginning, and everyone around him was starting to follow suit.

Marcus took a deep breath and nodded a little. "I think, thanks to Louise here, that we've come up with a decent train trade route and schedule."

He nodded to someone off the camera, and on our screen, there was a large map. If I was reading it correctly, then it showed the train route they'd taken to Atlanta, an extension of that toward the coast – Savannah – and then a shipping path from there up to Boston and New York. All of that was highlighted in green.

In orange, train tracks were shown leading to other big cities – Houston, Chicago, Washington DC, and finally, Los Angeles. That last one made me narrow my eyes as I played with Emily's hair as she slowly started to nod off.

"The green shows proven routes. Routes we've already taken and that have clear communication back to our home bases. The orange is something that would take some investigation. Houston's and Chicago's communications have been down for years, and LA lost theirs most recently. In order to expand, we'd need to send out teams to see just where those cities stand. It's quite possible we've lost those to the virus. DC, however, we know has been lost completely, but we'll eventually need to at least take a look."

Marcus stood and started to pace along the back of the table behind Edward, Gio, and my dad.

"The silver lining right now is that New York, Boston, and the Pacific Northwest are stable, flourishing. Those three places are in good positions to trade, to take in survivors, or to provide information. And everyone here has offered those things.

"Eventually, we'll seek out those other places, but for now, let's focus on this group here. Atlanta – or the South in general, really – needs help with food, security, and medical attention," he said, pausing for a moment when Leon raised his hand a little.

"Florida is farming just fine; they simply didn't want to do any sort of business or trade with Caius. If we reach out to them, we may be able to make peace and begin trading. Alabama, as well. That's gonna give you cotton, citrus, tomatoes, and strawberries. And if I'm not mistaken, there's a rather large marijuana farm in the panhandle of Florida – and I don't care what laws were never passed on that shit, because those plants are versatile as all hell – oil, clothing, rope, and yeah, a bit of escapism."

Carlisle leaned forward, asking, "Would they be willing to trade for it?" When everyone stopped to look his way, he grinned. "As a doctor, marijuana has so many medical benefits – pain reducer, appetite stimulant… It's better than any drug for anxiety and other mental health issues. I'd like to be able to use it for my patients."

Marcus smiled and nodded. "I agree, so we'll have to reach out to Florida."

"I've sent my son already," Leon stated. "Rey and his friends are taking a page out of your book and setting up radio boosters and relays along their way. We should be hearing from them soon."

"Excellent. Thank you, Leon." Marcus braced his hands on the back of an empty chair at the table. "I'm doing my best to get the members of Oz back home. I've asked for volunteers for a new security in Atlanta, and eventually, we'll be able to spread that outward to other cities and towns." He sighed, shaking his head. "There should never have been walls built, but power and greed caused all of that to happen back before anyone could stop it. My brothers used the government to their advantage, and when it was over, they removed that last bit of government so that they could take over, to completely rule a world that was broken and hurting.

"New York and Boston have started to rebuild their security. You guys in Seattle have done the same. I'd feel better if we could get Atlanta organized a bit before leaving them to flounder," Marcus continued, pushing off the chair and pacing again.

Gio nodded in agreement, saying, "Chief, we're on the brink of being…okay. You've got a man who can make fuel and a functioning train. We've got the medical supply factory and the ability to make bullets. Louise over there has a sugar processing plant, which could process corn into the oil your fuel guy needs, and she also has a tool factory. All of those things can be traded for food, livestock, and seeds."

Louise hummed in agreement. "We can start small, but we can also get people back to their hometowns. Aro, Caius, and those two from LA would send slaves to other cities so they had nowhere to go, a way to control them. We need to correct that."

"I agree," Marcus concurred, leaning on the empty chair again. "We should also start training every city on how to make their own fuel, which would allow us to get another train up and running…maybe vehicles too."

My dad chuckled a little, glancing up at Marcus. "We've got to shrink this country back down. Before all of this, getting from one place to another was nothing – a plane ride, a day's drive. Communication made us lax with the ability to call anyone at any time, so we've got to get that back. I realize Flash and Nolan are working their asses off back home to get a network up that will accommodate not only all the former walled cities, but also connect to any small villages trying to make it. Like the ones we passed through on the way here."

"I've got some people doing the same," Louise added. "We were home to MIT and Harvard, so I've got some really smart people willing to help your guys."

Shifting a slowly nodding-out Emily to my shoulder, I glanced over to Flash, who smiled at Nolan. "Excellent. We appreciate that. Have them contact us. The old walled cities are still connected. Once Caius was captured, we opened it back up. Now we're just trying to figure out how Aro had locked the rest of the world out."

"Yes, we're trying to do the same. I'll have them get in touch with you," Louise stated, glancing back to Marcus.

Marcus nodded but looked toward the screen. "Chelsea, please have Phelps write down his instructions on how to make fuel. I know he's working on more as we speak, but if he could map out the process, then we could get these people started."

"Sir," she said with a quick smile. "I think he's already done that, but I'll double check."

"I would like to hear from Leon's son about the Florida farms before I decide on when I'll be releasing Edward and his team. As much as I know they want to go home, we just need them a little longer."

My nose wrinkled at that because I just missed everyone over there. I buried my frown in the top of Emily's head. She was sound asleep at this point, that shark of mine still in her hand. I gently took it and tucked it into my pocket, gazing back at the screen to see what was next.

"LA, Marcus," Flash reminded him, putting his own map up onto the screen. "This is an aerial view of LA that Charlie was able to steal from Aro. This is what it looked like when all the shit went down – walls, rundown neighborhoods, and a cluster of towers where James and Victoria ran things."

He took the map away and instead put up pictures from what he'd been able to see from the network's cameras and security feeds.

"This is how things are now. That city burned, and we can't quite tell if it was deliberate or not," he stated roughly, shaking his head. "As you can see, there was a resistance there. But you can also see their raiders were armed to the damn teeth."

On the screen, a grid of six photos were showing a grim reality of LA. They'd tried their best to set it up like Aro had in the Sound or Caius had in Atlanta, but from everything I'd ever read about California, it was densely populated, not to mention spread out. They were positioned way too far from any airport, and they'd created a walled section to the water, but they were surrounded by possible resistance.

"That city would be easy to break," I muttered, and my husband flashed a grin before glancing up from the table. "What? It's stupid the way they've set up their walled area."

Marcus nodded, wearing a half-smile. "You're not wrong, Bella. It may be why it burned."

"Burning. It's still burning," Nolan countered. "We think their resistance escaped into the mountains or another neighborhood away from their walled city. It wouldn't shock me if they lit that shit on fire and walked away."

"And the walled city residents?" my dad asked.

"As far as I can tell…" Flash said, trailing off as he focused on bringing up another picture. "They may be on the water." He put up a picture of their pier. "This is one of the ships that would pull into the Sound every month or so. They had two, but Jake and Seth sunk one of those in the Sound last year. This is a shot from a security feed the day the fires started."

On the screen was that same feed, and the pier was packed with people and supplies, all being loaded haphazardly.

"And this is that feed as of last night."

The ship was gone.

My eyes drifted to the video monitor, and my dad and Edward were deep in an almost silent yet animated conversation. Marcus glanced their way, as did Louise and Gio.

The latter asked, "Do they know that Seattle has fallen?"

"We sent out the same computer virus to them the day we brought down Aro," Flash answered. "As you all know, that virus shut down communications between walled cities because we needed to be able to control what Aro could see or do. We kept those restrictions in place until Marcus and our team could get to Atlanta."

"During that time," Nolan went on, "LA stopped even trying to access the system. They attempted to contact Atlanta and Seattle, but we didn't allow it to go through. Our original plan was to allow any resistance a chance to fight back. And it worked. Boston, New York, and Seattle took down their oppressors. It may have worked for LA, but with the fires taking out much of our video access, we don't have a clear picture as to exactly what happened down there."

Marcus went to pacing again.

"They'll head to the Sound first because it's the closest," Edward told Marcus. "You know I'm right."

Marcus nodded, continuing to pace, but he didn't say anything for a moment.

"Sir," Chelsea piped up. "We're watching the water, and we're on twenty-four-hour watches. I've got fifty men of ours and twice that of the residents of Oz keeping an eye out – that's fishermen, ferry captains, and lookout posts. Flash's recon group takes a trip up the bay to check on the Sound to look for supplies, survivors, and any activity that may be a problem. As of now, there's nothing to report."

Edward shook his head, and I could almost tell what he would say next, and I was exactly right.

"That's not enough!"

"Edward," I called him calmly, trying to not wake Emily. "Listen to me. Chelsea's right about the shifts and the trips to the Sound. You need to know that we've got the warning siren working. Every home has a radio, and someone is monitoring that radio all the time. We put that in place for fire and rescue, but we added in suspicious activity too."

Carlisle hummed in agreement, adding, "We're safe. We're being vigilant. And so far, nothing is out of the ordinary."

"Edward Cullen, do you think I can't handle this place?" Sue snarked his way, and my husband's face reddened as my dad laughed. "Have you lost all reason?"

I buried my chuckle into Emily's hair.

"No, Grandma, I just… We're so far…" Edward sputtered, shaking his head, but he locked his gaze on the screen.

I didn't have to ask; he was taking in the sight of Emily and me, and to Edward, that was his biggest fear. He was protective of the people of Oz to the point of madness, but that didn't come anywhere near how protective he was of me…and now his daughter.

"I understand, son," Carlisle spoke up. "Please concentrate on getting finished what you're doing over there. Be safe and take care of one another. And I promise you, we'll do the same here. If you leave now, it's possible that you'll have to go back. Get Atlanta to a good place, a strong one, and you can come home when it's over. I promise you that we're fine here."

My dad and Edward glanced to each other, and he said something softly to my husband. Edward's shoulders sagged a bit, but he nodded.

"Okay, Dad. Just… If you see anything or if something happens, let us know," he pleaded softly.

"You have my word, son."

~oOo~

A/N… Okay, I've reached a point with work and RL and just everything, that I've had to write when I find the small moments of time. So you'll get chapters when I can get them done, and as soon as they've been cleared by my team, then I'll post as soon as possible.

Which is why you're getting a chapter in the middle of the week instead of Sunday.

I'll do my best to get the next chapter written quickly, but until then… Mooches, Deb ;)