CHAPTER NINETEEN:

Mineral de Pozos, Mexico: Maria

Three vampires stood under a lavender sky that grew steadily darker as the sun sunk further and further below the distant horizon. Two of the vampires held hands, barely an inch or two between them, while the third stood a good few meters away.

"And why," the third vampire asked, her voice rich and her eyes a dark burgundy, "would you want to join my coven?"

"Because, Maria," Jasper said, his hand tightening imperceptibly around the smaller one of his mate's, "I didn't want to take the Vow that the rest of my old coven promised the witches and wizards they would seeing as my control over my Thirst still isn't good enough that I can guarantee I won't accidentally attack and kill a human. But when I refused to take it, the Cullens said I couldn't stay with them any longer and the witch who married my coven mate said she wouldn't be able to protect me from those hunting all vampires down."

"I did take the Vow," Alice said, holding her small, pointed chin high. "But I refused to let Jasper go alone."

"But why come to me?" Maria pressed, suspicion painted clear on her striking face.

"Because I had a vision," Alice told the warlord, her eyes fierce in their determination. "I Saw you had some sort of protection from witches and wizards and we want that protection."

"And because you once told me that I'd always have a place in your coven." Jasper added.

Maria looked terribly conflicted for a long moment. "I would like to welcome you back, Jasper." She said, finally. "I really would, but it isn't my choice anymore. The best I can do is to get you into contact with the one who is in charge. But if they agree, then I would be glad to have you. Both of you."

"Then we would be grateful to seek an audience with the one in charge." Jasper said, and Maria finally smiled.

"It guarantee it will be done."

-

-

Washington, Forks: Bella Cullen

Edward didn't like Hermione's plan. I didn't much like the idea of playing bait either, but I knew Hermione wouldn't have suggested it if it wasn't the best option available to save the most lives.

Athenodora was after the Cullens, that much was very clear, and the plan was to use her vendetta to lure her out of the shadows and into the open. Information would be 'leaked' that my family was being transferred somewhere safe, a house protected by the Fidelius charm. Athenodora would know that she couldn't get to us if we were hidden behind magic, so she'd have to make her move and strike before we were secreted away– and when she did, the Auror hit-squad would be laying in wait.

The supposed date that we were being relocated would be in less then a fortnight, Hermione told us– by which time I would have already given birth, a genuinely terrifying thought.

Edward hadn't liked the thought of us all being in harm's way, nor had Rosalie, but Hermione had gently pointed out the fact we were already in danger– Athenodora was coming for us, and at least this way we'd have an idea of just when she would launch her attack. Both of them had reluctantly accepted it, though they still weren't happy about it. Hermione had assured them she wasn't either and she swore that every possible effort would go into keeping us safe.

It was after the meeting that I decided to ask Hermione something that had been niggling away at me.

Luna and Draco had already left the house; Draco still wasn't entirely comfortable around Hermione and Hermione wasn't entirely comfortable around him. There was too much history between them and it would be a long time before they could be at ease with the other's presence. The vampires had left the livingroom too, which gave us a semblance of privacy but I was under no illusion that they wouldn't be able to hear everything we said– part of the trials and tribulations of living with vampires.

"Alice hasn't been able to get proper visions of me since I got pregnant," I told Hermione, "she can't See Luna or the shifters either, but she used to be about to See my future without any issues and she Sees Katie and Qiang just fine too. Do you have any idea what's stopping her?"

"I was thinking about how Alice's Gift works after your bachelorette party, actually," Hermione said, her expression turning thoughtful as she sat down on the arm of the couch I was laying across. "I came up with two theories at the time– one was that before she was Turned, Alice was a witch and she can therefore see humans, witches, wizards and vampires because she has the experience of being each one of them at some point. Because she has no experience being a shifter or, in the case of your child, a half-vampire, she can't See their futures. My other theory was she could See the futures of those she was in proximity to or formed emotional bonds with. It would again explain why Alice can See humans, witches, wizards and vampires but not shifters or your child."

"Except that second theory doesn't explain why she can't see Luna," I pointed out, even as my mind reeled at the possibility of Alice being a witch.

"I know," Hermione agreed, "which was why I had one of my people do some investigating. There are two main magical schools in America– Salem and Ilvermorny. Without a surname or even a confirmed first name, searching for a student who attended either school at some point between 1895 and 1920 would have taken forever. Alice being a Seer, however, made the search much easier. Over that specific time period of two and a half decades there were only seven students who were authentic Seers. One of those students was Mary-Alice Brandon, a muggleborn witch who first attended Salem in 1913." 

"Mary-Alice Brandon," I repeated the name– I liked the sound of it; I thought it suited Alice just fine. "You really think Mary-Alice is our Alice?"

"I think the photos of Mary-Alice look far too similar to Alice to dismiss the possibility," Hermione confirmed. "And Mary-Alice vanished in 1920 from a mental institution she was locked up in, never to be seen again."

"Wow," I breathed, my eyes wide. "Alice is going to be ecstatic!"

"Mary-Alice has a great-niece who's a witch," Hermione added with a smile. "Cynthia Brandon, Mary-Alice's sister, had a daughter and that daughter had several children of her own, one of which was born with magic. Mary-Anne Carter is in her sixth year at Salem Witch's Institute."

"That's amazing," I said, "do you think she'll want to meet Alice?"

"I don't know," Hermione admitted, "I couldn't really excuse any more time investigating Mary-Alice Brandon when the vampire situation has reached such a precarious point."

"Well what you have found is amazing," I told her firmly. Quiet knocking on the arched double-doorway of the living room heralded Edward's return and my husband smiled at Hermione as he crossed over to sit beside me, bending slightly to brush his chilly lips against my cheek.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," he said but Hermione shook her head as she stood up.

"No, it's fine," she smiled at him, "I actually have to go. I'll be in touch very soon though– there's a lot of details that are going to have to be ironed out to make sure nobody gets hurt."

We exchanged our goodbyes and I was genuinely upset to watch her leave. When she was gone though, Edward turned to me and gently took my hand, the one not resting on my swollen stomach, in his own. "I think it's time to try what we talked about earlier before your short sleep," he said. It took me a moment to figure out what he was referring to.

"You're talking about the whole sucking down the blood of virgins deal right?" I asked.

"I am." Edward said grimly. "I know it will be highly unpleasant for you–" I couldn't help interrupting him with a weak, humourless laugh.

"Unpleasant? Oh jeez, I wonder what that's like?" I asked sarcastically. Edward's expression was solemn.

"Your condition– both of your conditions– have been deteriorating rapidly, even as the foetus's growth rapidly increases." He said quietly, "We don't have time to waste, to come up with more palatable ways to do this. The fastest way to test the theory–"

"I've got to drink it," I interrupted, "is that all?" Did he really think this would horrify me, I wondered, confused as to why.

"It has to be human, too," Edward added. "If the foetus is craving blood, it's not craving animal blood and the test will be more effective if we don't cut corners."

The soft, swishing sound of the double-doors notified me of Rosalie's arrival as I turned automatically to the sound. She had a gentle expression on her face, one I still wasn't quite used to seeing directed at me.

"We already have blood on hand," she told me.

"The stuff in Carlisle's office, right?" I recalled out loud from earlier.

"It was for you, as a just in case." Rosalie confirmed. "I have a really good feeling about this, Bella. I think you and the baby will be so much better."

"Well," I said, running a hand across my stomach, "I'm starving, so I'll bet Baby is too. Let's do this shit."

Rosalie was gone in a flash, but Edward stayed, holding my hand, his face grim again. Our eyes met, and I could see the pleading, the hope he was afraid to feel, and I squeezed his hand the best I could, an admittedly pathetic effort.

Rosalie darted downstairs after a second, flying through the room like a sharp breeze, and into the kitchen. "Not clear, Rosalie." Edward murmured, rolling his eyes. I looked up at him, confused, but he just shook his head, and I decided to let it go.

It was only a minute or two before Rosalie was suddenly back, a white plastic cup in her hand, the kind with a lid and a bendy straw.

Right– not clear. Looking at the cup, I had absolutely no clue what was inside. Probably for the better.

"Bella, we could try another method," Edward started to say as Rosalie went to hand me the cup, and I had to bite back a groan.

"For Merlin's sake, please stop tip-toing around this; it's just blood! Can everyone please stop making such a big deal out of this? I mean, how awful can it be?" With that, I reached out to take the cup from him. I attempted then to prop myself up on one elbow, but my body felt too heavy to move. Little wonder, for it had been nearly four days since I'd last eaten properly, and with the baby's unbelievable growth rate... Well, the fact I was getting weaker by the hour, my deterioration speeding up as the baby grew faster, was no surprise.

Rosalie put her arm around my shoulders, supporting my head too, and I smiled at her, weakly. "Thanks." I whispered. Unable to help myself, I sniffed at the end of the straw then flinched in surprise, my face twisting slightly.

"Bella, sweetheart, we can find an easier way," Edward said instantly, stepping forwards as if to take the cup, but I shook my head.

"You can plug your nose," Rosalie suggested.

"No, that's not it," I told them, before toying with idea of mentioning the next bit, the true reason for my surprise. "It's just... it smells good." Because it did; it smelled absolutely mouth-watering, in fact, and almost without my say so, my hand was moving the cup to my lips and my mouth was latching around the straw.

"That's a good thing," Rosalie was saying eagerly, "that means we're on the right track. Give it a try." But I hardly heard her, because I was sucking on the straw as hard as I could and my mouth was full of the most amazing flavour I'd ever tasted in my entire life. I couldn't help my soft moan of delight but Edward mistook the sound for either horror or disgust and immediately stepped forwards, reaching for the cup.

"Bella, love–" he started to say, but I shook my head.

"I'm okay, Edward." I told him, firmly, "It just... it tastes good, too. Like, really, really good." I couldn't quite read the expression on his face in reaction to that, but looking over at Rosalie revealed that her face was shining.

"That's wonderful," the stunning woman beamed at me, "it's such a good sign!" Edward pressed his hand to my cheek and I put the straw to my lips again, drinking eagerly from the cup and deeply enjoying the taste of its contents in my mouth and the warmth as it slid down my throat and tingled through my body.

"How's your stomach?" Edward asked gently, his cold fingers stroking through my hair. "Do you feel sick?" I shook my head, lifting my mouth from the straw for a second.

"No, I don't feel sick. I feel great! That's a first, eh?" I couldn't help the slight laugh that escaped me. Already I felt different; I felt stronger, like with each mouthful energy was creeping back through my body, reanimating my weak, almost lifeless limbs. Inside my womb, I could feel Baby stirring, moving, and I shivered in delight.

When I finished the cup of blood, I couldn't help my satisfied sigh. "I did it." I said, delighted. Edward pressed his icy lips to my forehead, taking both my hands in his as Rosalie plucked away the empty cup for me. We all exchanged hopeful glances and I could feel the joy bubbling up inside me. That one little cup of blood had already made such a difference already– the all-consuming heaviness and unshakeable tiredness and exhaustion was still there, but I could feel my strength returning; I didn't need Edward's support as much now to sit up and my breathing was easier.

"Would you like some more?" Rosalie asked eagerly.

"You don't have to drink more right away," Edward was quick to reassure me, shooting Rosalie a quick glare as my mouth twisted down slightly, but I shook my head.

"Yeah, I know. But... I want to." I admitted.

"You don't need to be embarrassed about that, Bella." Rosalie said, her voice as soft and gentle as the expression on her face. "Your body has cravings. We all understand that." When I nodded the beautiful blonde smiled and then left for kitchen, promising to be right back. Sure enough, only a minute or two had passed before she returned with a fresh cup of blood for me to eagerly chug down.

"How do you feel?" Edward asked once I'd finished.

"Not sick." I said with a wide, beaming smile. "I do feel sort of hungry... only I'm not sure if I'm hungry or Thirsty?"

"Oh Bella, just look at you!" Rosalie breathed, her eyes shining and her smile heartbreakingly lovely. "This is clearly what your body wants– you should drink more."

"She's still human, Rose," Edward argued, shaking his head, "she needs food too. Let's give her a little while to see how this affects her, and then maybe we can try some food again. Does anything sound particularly good to you, Bella?" he asked and I couldn't help my smile as I twisted slightly to face him.

"Eggs." I told him and for the first time in what felt like forever, Edward actually smiled back at me.

And his smile was breathtakingly, perfectly real.

But all good things come to an end, and in this case our next disaster came sooner rather then later.

After yet another snooze, when I next came to the smell of fried eggs greeted my nostrils and my stomach growled like a mountain troll. As I slowly pushed myself up into a sitting position, though, I realised there was something drastically different about the room I was in– I was in the living room still, but all around me the furniture had been dragged out of the way and where there had once been a glass wall was now what looked like metal. I blinked a few times, unsure of what I was seeing. "Edward?" I croaked, and in a second he was beside me, looking as exhausted as I felt.

"Yes, my love?" he asked quietly and I pointed to the thick sheet of metal that had replaced the glass.

"What the hell happened to the wall?" I asked. Edward blinked slowly, turning his head slightly so he didn't have to look me in the eye. My heart immediately stuttered in my chest. "Edward!" I said harshly as panic flared through me, "what the fuck is going on?"

"The Pack decided it was their duty to eradicate... it." He said, the words dragging out of him like it was physically painful. I let out a choked sound, my hands fluttering to rest on my stomach as if I could somehow protect my baby. In that moment, I was so horrified that I didn't even object to Edward using the term 'it'.

"Is everyone safe?" I demanded, "Is J-Jacob...?"

"Jacob's fine," Edward promised, lifting his head up so his gaze met mine again. "In fact, he was the one who warned us. He and Seth broke off from the Pack to come warn you and your vamps. I assume Leah will follow too, when she learns what happened." I swallowed back the bile threatening to rise in my throat.

"Was there a fight?" I whispered, before cringing back, afraid of the answer. To my relief, Edward shook his head.

"Luna and Draco set up wards around the mansion so the wolves couldn't get through." He explained. "Jacob doesn't trust the magic entirely, though– he thinks it's too easy so he's decided to hang around and help guard the house. I'm fairly sure he's just doing it for the free food and board, though."

"Jake's actually volunteering to spend more time here?" I asked, shocked. Edward nodded.

"I'm as surprised as you are," he said, with a light chuckle. "Would you like me to go get him?" I immediately nodded and Edward kissed me gently before standing up and disappearing from the room, returning about half a minute later with a very familiar face in tow.

"Jacob Ephraim Black," I said, clicking my tongue and shaking my head in mock-disapproval. "And there you were saying I was the one always getting myself into messes. What the hell actually happened?"

"When I phased, the Pack saw my memories of your spawn," Jacob said as he flopped down on the couch beside me, lifting my feet to make room then settling them on my lap. "Sam decided to kill it and I told him not to be a goddamn fucking idiot."

"Holy shiitake mushrooms." I stared at Jacob, mouth open slightly. "And what did he say?"

"Oh, he kicked me out of the Pack." Jacob said cheerfully. "And off the reservation."

"Well that's just... fuck." I let the expletive escape. Jacob snorted, eyes flicking down to my stomach.

"In this situation, I'd say that's precisely what happened."

"Oh go hump a chair, you dog." I rolled my eyes at him, before sighing. "God, but who even needs sex?" I muttered. "Life seems determined to fuck everyone over at every opportunity already."

"Consolation prize?" Jacob suggested. "You know– give us something worth living for?"

"Huh. That is... that is actually profoundly meaningful coming from you, Jacob. You've made me all uncomfortable and itchy. Don't do it again." I told him.

"Oh piss off." Scoffed Jacob and I grinned at him before my smile wavered.

"You're okay, right?" I asked, unable to help the meekness in my voice. "I– I never wanted for you to have to choose between me and the Pack."

"Bella," Jacob said, rolling his eyes. "I don't care about that– I'd pick you every time and never have a single regret. The only thing that pisses me off is how fucking helpless I felt when Sam was Alpha-ordering me to do shit." He shook his head, a scowl on his face. "And now the son of a bitch can order Quil and Embry to never talk to me again!"

"Didn't you say that you're the rightful Alpha, though?" I asked him. "You told me you didn't want to claim that title and the responsibilities that go with it before, but if you don't want to be made helpless like that and don't want your friends to be made helpless then maybe it's something you have to do."

"Huh." Jacob said, a look of stunned realisation on his face. "I... did not think of that." I rolled my eyes fondly at him, digging my toes into his stomach.

"That's what you've got me for– the higher level thinking."

"You're so mean to me," Jacob complained playfully, "I'm a hero, you realise– I risked life and limb to come warn you and your vampires about Sam. What if I was seriously injured? Or what if I'd died?"

"Well," I said thoughtfully, "there'd be more air to breathe."     

"See?" Jacob huffed. "Awful." I just laughed and after rolling his eyes, Jacob joined in.

And in that moment, knowing Jacob was right in front of me and would be staying under my roof, I couldn't help but feel whole and like nothing could get me down.