A/N: Lots of big feelings in this chapter, so lots of italics, lol. Next chapter should be up Thursday or Friday. Thanks for reading:)

Breaking Down

As much as they thought they'd braced themselves for the unthinkable, Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, and Jasper were wholly unprepared for what they saw when Bella and Edward got off the plane.

"Holy fucking shit," Rosalie breathed in shock at the same moment Esme whispered "Oh my."

All Jasper could do was nod his agreement. It did clear up one question though. Because not only would Bella's baby bump definitely be discernible to human eyes, but if he didn't know better, he'd say she was at least a couple months pregnant. He didn't have a ton of experience with what a woman looked like at each stage of a pregnancy, but he knew enough to know that Bella should not look the way she did. It had been less than twenty-four hours since Edward had called Carlisle.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Edward hissed at Jasper and Rosalie.

Bella, seeing that her husband's attention wasn't on her, took advantage of his distraction and darted behind Rosalie. When Edward reached a hand out to grab his wife and pull her back to his side, Jasper moved to block him. Bella was absolutely terrified.

"You called her?" Edward asked Bella incredulously after snooping in their thoughts, then immediately scowled at his siblings. "This is none of your business."

Carlisle cut in before the situation could deteriorate any further. "I don't think this is the appropriate time for this, Edward," he said sternly, giving the telepath a look that very clearly conveyed just how unimpressed he was by his behavior. His expression softened considerably when he turned to Bella. "How about we get you home and comfortable?"

All that did was make Bella's fear increase, which was obvious even without the benefit of Jasper's gift, so Esme wrapped a reassuring arm around her shoulders and whispered that she was safe, that none of them would hurt her or the baby.

That tight knot in Bella's chest started to uncoil slightly at hearing Esme refer to it as a 'baby' and not a 'thing' and when she nervously looked at Carlisle, he nodded solemnly.

"You have my word, Bella. I promise you are both safe," he gently assured her, then glanced at Jasper.

Without taking his eyes off the outraged telepath, Jasper reached back to take Bella's hand and let her feel Carlisle's sincerity and his own reassurance. It was his silent way of telling her that he would protect her.

Edward, beginning to realize that he was on one side of the line he'd drawn while everyone else was on the other, spun on his heel and started stalking out of the airport. Though not before kicking a trash can, making it fly through the air and crash to the ground with a loud clatter.

Carlisle sighed a weary sigh and looked around to see how many people were watching them. "My apologies," he said to the security guard who was already walking towards them with a face like thunder. "Let's go," he added under his breath to the rest of the family and quickly started herding them towards the exit.

"Bella?" Jasper whispered, beyond concerned about her emotional state. She was a chaotic storm of emotions, and nearly all of them were on the negative end of the spectrum. "Can I calm you down a little?" he asked when she looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "If not for your sake, then for the baby's?"

Surprising everyone, Bella burst into tears when she nodded. Only Jasper knew they were tears of relief. She obviously still had her husband to contend with, but at least these particular Cullens seemed genuine in their willingness to protect not only her, but the baby she already loved.

"You can't see her!" Edward shouted at Alice. "Her future has disappeared, so don't tell me to calm down when my mate's life is on the line."

Alice wanted to stomp her foot in frustration at her stubborn, infuriating brother. She didn't though, not wanting to stoop down to his tantrum-throwing toddler level. "Being the baby's mother, of course their futures are entwined," she growled angrily. If she added a silent 'asshole'… well, only the asshole in question would know. "And because I can't see the baby, I can't see Bella. That doesn't mean she ceases to exist."

Edward scoffed and looked away from her. That was just the family's theory, they had no way of knowing whether it was true or not. He couldn't believe his entire family was against him.

What he failed to understand was that it was less about the family being against him and more that they were for Bella. A small distinction maybe, but a distinction nonetheless. And one the telepath couldn't see.

"You sound as if you're actually concerned about your mate's well-being, but just look at her, Edward," Jasper snapped, pointing to Bella, who was cowering against Rosalie's side with tears streaming down her cheeks. "Does that look like a happy, well-adjusted woman to you? She just found out that she and her husband, the husband she's committed to for eternity somehow managed to make a surprise baby. A baby she already loves. Is that really the look she should have on her face right now? This is good news to her, you self-absorbed fuck. I get that you're scared, we all are, including Bella, so if you can't find it within yourself to be happy with her, the very least you could do is support her."

"Or at least not terrify her," Alice muttered under her breath.

Edward looked at Bella with pleading eyes. He took a few steps towards her but Esme and Emmett saw her flinch away from him and they both stepped in front of her to block his path.

"She's afraid of you, Edward," Esme said, her disappointment and anger at the telepath clear in her voice.

"I just don't want her to die!" Edward screamed. "Look at her! How can you even talk about being happy when it's already obvious that… that thing is killing her!"

Bella's silent tears immediately turned into choked sobs and Rosalie had to catch the girl as her knees buckled. Without needing to exchange a single glance, Jasper and Emmett moved as one, grabbing the telepath and forcibly dragging him out of the house while the others tried to comfort Bella.

Leah, Peter, Charlotte, and Bree just watched them from where they were sitting on the lawn, all of them with varying expressions of disappointment. They'd opted to hang out outside while Carlisle examined Bella, not wanting her to feel crowded. They had, however, all given the human a hug of encouragement before leaving.

Unfortunately, Carlisle's examination had been quick and extremely worrisome. It didn't take him long to realize that the amniotic sac appeared to be vampiric in nature. There were virtually no tests he could do that might give them more information to work with. Perhaps more unfortunately, Edward had thoroughly lost his shit at finding that out. All it did was 'confirm' to him that the fetus was a monster like him.

And hearing in Alice's thoughts that Bella's future had essentially disappeared seemed to tip the telepath right over the edge.

Jasper and Emmett unceremoniously dropped him on the ground, and rather than fighting, Edward's entire body seemed to deflate. As annoyed as Jasper was, he couldn't help feeling a brief - very brief - pang of sympathy for him. Fearing you were going to lose your mate was surely one of the worst things a vampire could feel.

Bree walked over to them and sat down on the grass beside Edward, then scootched herself closer until she was pressed right up against her big brother's side. "You're hurting her," she whispered. "Jasper wasn't lying, we're all scared. But right now, Bella is more important than our fear. And if we're this scared, think about how scared she must be. She needs you, Edward."

While Bree definitely had her moments of overexcitement, like when she was decorating for the wedding, the baby of the family was a little like Esme, in that her overall emotional signature was typically gentle and calm. Everyone on that lawn held their breath, hoping Bree's particular brand of quiet, gentle love might be what Edward needed to get his head out of his ass.

But rather than answer her, Edward rolled to the side and got to his feet, then took off running.

No one tried to stop him.

Emmett groaned in frustration and went back inside to support his wife while she supported their pregnant human, and Jasper practically threw himself on the ground next to Leah and put his head on her shoulder. "Why is he so infuriating?"

Leah smiled a little sadly and ran her fingers through his hair. "And he'd been doing so well."

She wasn't wrong. The entire family had been so proud of him for how hard he'd worked to change his problematic attitude and behavior - even Peter and Charlotte had eventually come to enjoy his company - and everyone fervently hoped this backslide wouldn't be permanent. They had no idea what damage would be done to his and Bella's relationship because of this, or what it would take to repair it. Or if Bella would even be willing to try to repair it.

"He's not so far off the mark about one thing though," Charlotte felt the need to point out. "It's already taking a physical toll on her."

No one could deny that. Even while Bella's stomach was growing at a staggering speed, the rest of her looked awfully tiny. Her skin was practically bleached white and she had dark circles under her eyes. She certainly didn't have that 'pregnant glow' the humans talked about.

"I think that's more to do with her mental state than the baby sapping her," Jasper said. "She's a mess from head to toe. As much as she already loves the baby, she's terrified. And Edward's attitude is only making it exponentially worse."

Leah hauled herself to her feet with a sigh and pulled Jasper up with her. "Come on, I'll teach you how to make an omelette. Let's get some food in her."

"Maybe throw in some spinach," Peter called after them. "Google recommended leafy greens."

Edward wasn't gone long. As much as it pained him to look at Bella and the very obvious evidence of what he'd done to her, it was even worse to be away from her.

She'd eaten an entire omelette, and of course the leafy greens they'd snuck in, and had even managed to keep it down so far. Now she was back to pleading with her husband.

"I know it's risky, Edward. I understand that, but I can do this. I know I can," Bella told him, her voice steady despite the ever-present tears on her cheeks. "I've always had faith in you. Always. So can't you try and have some faith in me? Edward, please," she cried when he had no outward reaction to her words, reaching her hand out towards him, but he stepped away from her. She covered her face with her hands and started sobbing. "We have this miracle right here. It's right in front of you and you won't see it."

Jasper's heart went out to the girl as she completely broke down. She'd been trying so hard to stay brave and strong in the face of Edward's rejection, but it was too much. When her husband just stood there, looking at her with sad, scared eyes, every family member in the room moved as one until Bella was surrounded by Cullens.

Even as Jasper did his best to gently surround the girl in peace and the love everyone felt for her, his focus was split and he was struggling a little. Rosalie was in the backyard and her emotions were tearing at him. He felt ravaged. Ripped apart.

Catching Alice's eye, he tipped his head towards the back door. Alice immediately nodded and let him feel her reassurance. She would keep Bella safe while he went and checked on their sister. Knowing Bella was in good hands, Jasper untangled himself and walked outside, though not before death-glaring the telepath.

She's your wife, asshole. She needs your arms, not theirs.

Edward ignored him, just continuing to stare at Bella with the same sad, scared look that had been in his eyes since he stepped off that plane. He was so lost in his own self-loathing and fear that he was letting Bella down in just about the worst way possible. Jasper gritted his teeth in frustration. He had a feeling Edward was going to need a little bit of an ass-kicking to force him out of this angst-fest.

Pushing the infuriating telepath from his mind, Jasper came to a stop behind his twin. "Rose," he whispered, gently putting his hand on her shoulder.

Rosalie slowly turned around and the look on her face stole all the air from Jasper's lungs. Sadness and grief didn't go far enough to describe his sister's emotions in that moment. She was utterly bereft. This wasn't longing for something that you knew could never be yours. This was the utter despair of losing the only thing you couldn't live without. And woven underneath and through it all was a searing heartache that felt like it was crushing his chest.

After taking a deep breath to try and find himself beneath all of Rosalie's pain, he took her hand and led her towards the forest that bordered the yard. She didn't protest, didn't utter a single word, she just let herself be led away from the house.

As soon as they were far enough away that no one could overhear them, Jasper turned and wrapped his arms around his twin, holding her tighter than he typically did. It felt like Rosalie was being torn apart and he was desperate to try and hold her together. To keep her in one piece.

They stood like that for five minutes before Rosalie's breath hitched and she started crying. As soon as she did, the rigidity left her body and she slumped against him like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Jasper just braced his back foot and took all of her weight, utterly baffled about what was causing her so much pain. If he didn't know better, he'd say something had happened to Emmett. Her emotions were nearly the same as vampires who'd lost their mates, only without that steely core of wrath that screamed for vengeance.

After a few minutes, her sobs started to slowly taper off. Jasper knew she was working up the courage to say something, so he just kept on holding her and rubbing her back.

"Should I let him go?" she whispered after another few minutes of silence.

Jasper sighed as the puzzle pieces finally fell into place. Rather than answer her, he pulled away just enough that he could lower both of them to the ground. Then he scootched them around a little bit so Rosalie was sitting in front of him and took both her hands in his. She was staring at the ground, so he gently nudged her until she looked at him. "No. And I can't be emphatic enough about this, Rose. No. Not ever. Not for any reason."

"But what if…"

Jasper just shook his head and wrapped his arms around her again. "You're the only thing in this life that Emmett needs. He's never had the same longing to be a parent that you do. You know that, Rose. His regret isn't that he couldn't have children, it's that he couldn't give you children," he reminded her. Rosalie didn't say anything, so he figured he'd just go ahead and state the obvious. "We still have no idea if a human can even survive this. Regardless of whether or not being a father was the thing I wanted most in this world, I wouldn't want it if the cost was a woman's life, whether I loved that woman or not. Even if Emmett did want any child and not just your child specifically, which he doesn't, he's not going to feel any different than I do."

Logically, Rosalie knew all of that was true. She knew in her heart that Emmett wouldn't want to leave her just for the sake of having a child with a human. But shouldn't she set him free so that at least he had the choice? The possibility? Fatherhood might just be within his grasp, and even as the thought of living without him filled her with excruciating pain, she loved him enough to let him go if he wanted to try and reach for it.

"Rose," Jasper sighed, pulling her a little closer. "He doesn't want that. I don't even need to hear him say it, I know he doesn't. He can't live without you. He wouldn't want to. And you know that too."

Rosalie just sniffled a few times and let the man she'd considered a brother for seventy years hold her until she felt like she could get words out past the ball of emotions lodged in her throat. "But you heard Bella," she whispered. "This is a miracle. How do I have the right to stand between Emmett and a miracle? You know that man deserves every good thing this world has to offer."

"He does," Jasper agreed. Emmett was genuinely one of the best people Jasper knew. "But you are the best thing this world has to offer him."

Rosalie's eyes filled with venom tears again and she cursed her nature for the thousandth time that she would never have the emotional release of crying real tears.

"Rose?"

Emmett's whisper-soft voice had Rosalie on her feet before she'd even made a conscious decision to move. She threw herself at her husband and something inside her let out a sigh of relief when he wrapped his strong arms around her.

Emmett looked to Jasper with worried eyes, silently asking him what was wrong.

Jasper just shook his head as he got to his feet. It wasn't his place to tell him where Rosalie's head had gone, and he knew she would eventually tell her mate everything she'd been thinking. All he did was briefly rest his hand on Emmett's shoulder as he walked past him, letting him feel his reassurance that everything would be fine.

The scene that greeted him when he walked inside was significantly calmer than when he'd left. Edward was sitting in the corner of the room staring at his wife, who looked to be on the verge of sleep, her head on Esme's shoulder and a blanket tucked around her. Carlisle was sitting beside them, quietly reading to the emotionally and physically exhausted human.

Jasper looked at Carlisle a little curiously when he realized he was reading The Importance of Being Earnest, but he figured it was a better choice than some of Bella's 'classics' about shitty relationships.

Leah was eating a meal of her own, so Jasper just kissed the top of her head and leaned on the back of her chair. She sent him some curiosity and a little concern, silently asking where he'd gone and if everything was alright. He just gave her a small smile and nodded. Rosalie would be fine but it hurt his heart to see her struggling so much.

When Alice quietly slipped up the stairs a few minutes later, Jasper and Leah exchanged a worried look. Leah tipped her head towards the stairs and gave his arm a little nudge, silently telling him to go see what was troubling the seer.

Jasper closed Alice's bedroom door behind him after she told him he could come in. "What's wrong?" he whispered, sitting beside her on the bed and wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"It's making my head hurt," she explained quietly. "My mind keeps trying to search the future, but with the way the baby's blocking me, it's giving me a headache. And I don't want Bella to know I'm uncomfortable."

Jasper just nodded. "Want to tell me about whatever it is you're considering?"

Alice laughed tiredly as she rubbed her temples. "Don't you already know?"

"I have an idea," he shrugged. He was honestly hoping his suspicion was wrong, because he knew he couldn't leave town at the moment. Not only was Bella's physical health too precarious for anyone's comfort, but her emotional well-being was as well. Edward's reaction to the whole situation was devastating her, and Jasper had been using his gift to keep her emotions at a slightly more gentle simmer almost continuously since they'd left the airport.

Peter knocked on the door once before opening it, and he and Charlotte came to sit on the bed beside them. "What if one of us comes with you?" Peter asked Alice, knowing Jasper was needed in Washington but knowing he would be worried about their tiny little friend traveling to Brazil by herself.

Alice looked at the two Texan Whitlocks in surprise. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't nervous about what she'd find in South America. It could be other hybrid children making her blind, but it just as easily could be hostile shapeshifters or something else entirely that none of them had ever imagined before. They'd all learned by that point that anything was possible.

"Really?" she asked hopefully.

Peter and Charlotte both nodded. "Of course," Peter assured her.

There was another knock on the door and Leah popped her head in. "Can I come in?" she asked, having adopted the Cullen's rule about not going into anyone's personal space without their permission.

Alice just laughed and gestured for her to join them, but her laughter immediately cut off when her gift sprang to life - or tried to - with the same result as the last seventy-two times. She rubbed her temples with a frustrated sigh. "Maybe it's not the worst thing for me to get out of here for a while."

"About that," Leah said a little hesitantly, perching herself on Jasper's knee. "I have a thought."

"Just one?" Charlotte laughed.

"One relevant thought," Leah clarified with a smile.

Going off her emotions, Jasper had a terrible feeling about what that relevant thought might be. "Leah…"

"But what if Alice was right all the way back at the beginning?" she protested. "What if it is a group of shapeshifters? Having two vamps approach them alone seems like a pretty bad idea."

"You want to come with us?" Alice asked.

Leah nodded, trying to ignore the unease radiating off her imprint. "I think it makes more sense to have a protector of your own at your side," she explained. "And I don't mean a vamp protector," she quickly added when Jasper opened his mouth.

Even though he was loath to admit it because he didn't want Leah to make that trip without him, Jasper knew she was making a valid point. If Alice's previous assumption was correct, and it was a group of shapeshifters causing her blind spot, it did make sense to have one of the wolves with her. But just because he knew she was right didn't mean he liked it. Regardless, he gritted his teeth to keep his mouth shut because it wasn't his decision to make. He and Leah had always been respectful of the other's autonomy. Leah had hated the thought of him leaving to go help Maria track down Matthew, but she'd never attempted to sway him in his decision or talk him out of it.

"I don't know," Alice said hesitantly. She didn't feel like this was the ideal time for Jasper's mate to leave him. The atmosphere in the house was extremely tense and heavy, and even though he put on a good face, Alice knew it was taking a toll on him. It was Leah who brought him the most peace. She wasn't sure she wanted Jasper to lose that right now.

Leah's phone rang, breaking the uncertain silence. Glancing at the display, she saw it was Paul. She hesitated a moment and then looked at her imprint. "What should I do?"

They all knew they'd been given a little bit of breathing room when it came to any of the other wolves finding out what was happening, as Seth had volunteered to help out at the clinic that afternoon. If he'd been free, he would have been at the Cullen's to spend time with his own imprint. And Paul and Catalina had gone on an overnight 'hunting' trip the night before. Catalina still had moments where being around so many people got to be too much for her. She'd been living alone for such a long time that it wasn't always easy finding herself in a community the size of La Push. Sometimes she just needed to run and stretch her legs.

"It's up to you," Jasper told her. "I'll back you up whatever you decide."

Leah looked at the other vamps, all of whom nodded. "He's your best friend," Alice said with a small smile. "I think we all know it has the potential to go badly, at least at the beginning, but we don't want you to have to hide things from him."

After debating for another few seconds, Leah took a deep breath and answered the call.

Paul and Cat opted to run in their animal forms, so Jasper and Leah were waiting at the side of the little building behind the house while they phased back to human and got dressed. Leah hadn't told him anything over the phone, she'd just asked if he would come by for a little bit.

Paul, however, wasn't stupid, especially when it came to decoding his best friend's various tones of voice. "What's wrong?" he demanded as he came around the corner, wrestling with the hoodie he was pulling over his head.

Leah just sighed and snapped at him to quit fucking moving. "Your head's not going to fit through the arm hole, dumbass," she snarked, adjusting the sweatshirt for him.

Catalina came around the corner looking much more composed. "Why is the human here?" she asked curiously, having caught Bella's scent. "I mean Bella," she corrected herself, not wanting to be impolite.

Paul stopped and took a deeper scent of the air, and realized his imprint was right. Bella's scent was too strong for it to just be leftover traces of her past comings and goings. Cat, for as long as she'd been alive and for all the years she'd spent alone, had honed her senses far beyond what Paul and the other Quileute wolves were currently capable of. And fortunately for him, it ensured her survival on more than one occasion.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about," Leah started, leading the two shapeshifters towards the large expanse of lawn that made up the backyard, where Peter, Charlotte, and Alice were waiting. Jasper and Leah had told the other Cullens that Paul and his imprint were on their way over, and after a few minutes of quiet discussion, Carlisle had agreed to let them handle telling the wolf how their circumstances had so drastically changed. A gesture Jasper was grateful for.

It didn't take all that long to get Paul and Catalina up to speed, although it did take slightly longer than it would have if they hadn't had to translate some of what they were saying for Cat. Her English had vastly improved since she'd arrived in Washington, but not enough to cover all the facets of their current situation.

When they finished, both Paul and Cat were wide-eyed with shock. And if Leah wasn't imagining things, there was a glint of rage in Paul's eye.

"Where is he?" he asked, his voice just barely concealing the anger he was feeling.

"Is Edward really your biggest problem here?" Leah asked incredulously.

Paul glared at her. "Maybe not, but he is a problem."

Leah couldn't really argue with that. Before she could answer him, the back door of the house opened and the problem in question stepped outside.

"I didn't know it was possible," Edward said quietly as he walked towards the group on the lawn, that all too familiar self-loathing clear in his voice.

As soon as the telepath was far enough away from the back patio that he was sure he wouldn't do any damage to one of Esme's favorite places to sit, Paul was on his feet and lunging for him.

Jasper debated if he should step in or not, but ultimately went with 'not'. Apparently Alice, Peter, Charlotte, and Leah all decided the same thing, because they all stayed where they were too, though they were prepared to move if they needed to. Paul was in his human form so he couldn't do much damage, and Edward didn't look like he was going to attempt to defend himself, so Paul probably wasn't in any danger either. Seemed even the telepath knew he deserved an ass-kicking.

Too bad he didn't realize why, as evidenced by his words when he came outside.

"I don't care that you slept with her, you piece of shit," Paul growled, his hand wrapped around the telepath's throat. "I care that you've basically fucking abandoned her after doing it. No one deserves that, but she's your mate and wife. What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"You looking for a list?" Jasper asked with a smile that dropped after a second. "I'm willing to give you a little bit of leeway, but be careful."

Paul just rolled his eyes. He wasn't planning on hurting any of the Cullens, even if this particular Cullen deserved it. Not only did he not want to put Leah in an uncomfortable position, but he actually liked most of the local vamps. He pushed himself to his feet and started walking back to Catalina, but at the last second he turned back around and aimed a single kick at the telepath's ribs.

When Jasper and Alice both shot to their feet, Paul held his hands up in front of him. "I'm done."

Edward had no outward reaction. He just stared at the sky, a part of him wishing the wolf would end him for good.

Jasper heaved a heavy sigh and went and sat down beside his brother. "I know that you think this whole situation is doomed and you're going to lose her," he whispered. "But she's still alive. Right now, she's alive and only a handful of feet away and she needs you."

"She made a good point earlier," Alice said as she walked over to sit with them. "She's always had faith in you. Even when you didn't believe in yourself, in your ability to keep your control around her, she always believed in you. She believed in you even when we doubted you," she reminded him. "So why can't you give her the same grace she's always given you?"

"There's no way a human can survive this," Edward answered, closing his eyes in anguish.

Jasper let out another frustrated sigh. "You have no way of knowing that. There's nothing to say that Bella can't survive this. And if the worst happens, and it looks like we might lose her, we'll change her before that happens. We'll do everything in our power to help her, but she needs you. You're her biggest source of strength, and right now she needs every bit of strength she can get."

The others exchanged a quick look before hopping to their feet and joining them. Edward might not deserve their help but Bella did.

"You're breaking her heart, Edward," Charlotte said, trying to speak gently regardless of how atrocious she found his behavior. The fear of losing a mate was the worst kind of fear to live with. And she should know. She spent her first year in a near-constant panic that Peter would be killed in a battle, or that Maria's spite and hatred would get the better of her and she'd destroy him herself. "Try and think about this from Bella's perspective. She married the man of her dreams and had, from her brief description, the very best night of her life. She sees the baby as the tangible evidence of your love. A creation of your love. Why wouldn't she want to fight for that?"

"Bella has always been stubborn and determined when she puts her mind to something," Leah pointed out. "If anyone can stubborn her way through this, it's her."

"And she loves you," Jasper reminded Edward. "She loves you every bit as much as you love her. She doesn't want to leave you, so you know she'll fight like hell to stay at your side. But you need to actually be at her side. Don't lose her just because you're too stupid to do the right thing."

Paul figured he'd jump in there. Again, not for Edward's sake, but for Bella's. They might not be particularly close, but no one deserved to have their partner turn their back on them when they needed them the most. "And apparently you keep calling the baby a 'thing' but we all know Bella was going to be changed in a matter of weeks. You've already come to terms with her becoming one of you. And unless I'm severely overestimating your character, and I think we both know how unlikely that is, I can't imagine even you could see your wife as a soulless monster, whether her heart is beating or not. So why do you assume that whatever she's growing is a monster?"

"He's right," Peter agreed. "Think about your Bella, and then really consider whether or not she could create whatever abomination it is that you're imagining."

Edward wanted to believe them, he really did, but he knew he was a monster. Bella might not be, but he was. And from Carlisle's examination and the discovery that there was actual vampire skin growing around the placenta, it was only logical in his mind to conclude that the fetus had to be monstrous like him.

All used up in the patience department and done with trying to get her brother to see sense, Alice decided to shift her focus to how they might keep her best human friend and newest sister safe and alive. She looked at Jasper, who eventually sighed in resignation and nodded, so she got to her feet and headed for the back door.

They needed answers and right now she only knew of one place where she might find them.