XVII. Fear and imagination.

A little later Tuesday night I sat alone in the living room, watching TV and texting with my mom, while the Cullens discussed plans to go hunting without starting trouble with the wolves or leaving me completely unprotected. Neither Rosalie nor Edward were keen on the idea of leaving me completely in the hands of the wolves on our side.

"Oh wow, blondie actually leaves you alone for a second?" Jacob taunted as he walked into the living room, raising his eyebrows at me.

"She's in the other room with Alice and Edward," I informed Jacob as my eyes diverted from the TV and I turned the sound down. "They can hear you," I informed him as I pursed my lips.

"I don't really care," Jacob replied as he shook his head and I hummed, figuring as much. "Not like your bloodsucker isn't always in my head," he added bitterly as he sat beside me. He looked at me, eyes lingering on my stomach. "So... um... what's the, er, date? You know, the due date for the little monster?" he asked and I shot him a sharp glare as I remained silent. "I'm serious, I want to know how long I'm gonna have to be here. How long you're gonna be here."

"You have little fate in me," I told him as my gaze turned back to the TV, watching the show that played in silence.

"Ana." Jacob urged softly as he stared at me.

"I don't know," I replied with a soft sigh as I shook my head. "Not exactly. Obviously, we're not going with the nine-month model here, and we can't get an ultrasound, so Carlisle is guesstimating from how big I am." I explained while looking down at my stomach, tracing a line from the bottom of my stomach to the top. "Normal people are supposed to be about forty centimeters here, when the baby is fully grown," I explained. "One centimeter for every week. I was thirty this morning." I went on as I looked at Jacob. "In the beginning I didn't gain a lot of centimeters at once, the baby's growth was a lot slower...it's why Edward couldn't hear a heartbeat or notice anything at first. But as of recently, I've been gaining about two centimeters a day, sometimes more." I explained further. "So...about two weeks a day," I added and Jacob frowned as his gaze lowered to his lap. "You okay?"

"So if you continue gaining two or more a day, then...four to five days?" Jacob asked softly, his voice strained as a lump formed in the back of his throat.

I was silent for a moment before I slowly nodded my head. "Yeah," I confirmed in a soft voice.

Jacob looked away and sniffed a little, making my heart hurt for him. He was silent for a few seconds, trying to gather himself. "What about your mom?" he eventually asked, but he still wouldn't look at me.

I shifted in my seat, letting out a soft sigh. "Well, the first year is going to be hard," I whispered, looking down at my lap as I fiddled with my fingers. "I've already been easing her into the thought of me and Edward traveling the world for a bit," I explained.

"That's...if you survive," Jacob commented as he gave me a brief side-eyed look.

"I told her I have food poisoning," I whispered as I bit down on the inside of my cheek, still staring down at my lap.

"To ease her into your death," Jacob commented as he finally turned to look at me, his eyebrows furrowed in horror. I hesitantly nodded in confirmation."If you do survive and she does buy your whole year abroad bullshit, how are you going to explain your sparkling skin, pale skin?" Jacob questioned as he raised his eyebrows. "She's not stupid, she'll realize you're different. She'll realize you don't age."

"I can't tell her what I am...but I can maybe...explain to her that things are different." I reasoned softly as I shrugged my shoulders. "I could do what you did; let her guess for herself," I added as I gave Jacob a halfhearted smile, and he snorted softly. "She'll probably get it wrong but I'll just go along with what she comes up with," I added.

"And if she doesn't accept that?" he questioned as he raised his eyebrows at me.

"She will." I insisted as I nodded my head, sure of that fact.

"What makes you so sure?" Jacob asked, his eyebrows remaining raised as he stared at me.

"She'll do anything for me," I replied as I shrugged my shoulders. "If I tell her it's dangerous to know, she won't push," I assured while shaking my head.

"So you've got it all figured out," Jacob muttered a little bitterly as he slowly nodded his head. "Except of course, if you'll survive or not," he added as his jaw clenched.

"Yeah..." I whispered as I nodded my head, my eyes flicking to my lap. "If I survive or not." I agreed as I let out a soft sigh.

"What do you know of...what will happen in four days?" Jacob questioned hesitantly as he looked at me with raised eyebrows.

My lips parted as I looked at him for a brief second before my eyes returned to my lap. I was silent for a moment, hesitant to answer him. "It's not pretty," I mumbled as I shook my head, eyes remaining on my lap.

"Tell me anyway." Jacob insisted as he turned in his seat, facing me completely.

I felt an intense ache in my chest, a familiar ache I felt whenever Edward was reminded of what was going to happen in a few days. I looked over my shoulder, knowing my husband was on his way. Edward entered and looked at Jacob. "From what little research we've been able to do, it would appear the creatures use their own teeth to escape the womb," he said with a strained voice.

Jacob's eyes widened a little at that information as he looked at Edward. He took a second to process before his eyebrows furrowed. "Research?" he questioned.

"That's why you haven't seen Jasper and Emmett around. That's what Carlisle is doing now." I explained as I looked at Jacob. "Trying to decipher ancient stories and myths, as much as they can with what they have to work with here, looking for anything that might help us predict the baby's behavior."

"Stories?" Jacob questioned and I nodded. Edward came over to us and sat down on the armrest of the couch where I sat. "If there were myths, then...then is this thing not the first of its kind?" he questioned.

"Maybe. It's all very sketchy." Edward admitted as he shook his head. "The myths could easily be the products of fear and imagination. Though...your myths are true, are they not? Perhaps these are, too. They do seem to be localized, linked..." he explained while reaching out and taking my hand into his.

"How did you find...?" Jacob began to question as he looked at Edward, his eyebrows furrowed.

"There was a woman we encountered in South America. She'd been raised in the traditions of her people. She'd heard warnings about such creatures, old stories that had been passed down." Edward explained, his fingers aimlessly playing with mine. His cold touch was as soothing as always.

"What were the warnings?" Jacob asked curiously as his furrowed eyebrows raised.

Edward looked at me for a moment, knowing I didn't like this part of the story. He sighed softly before looking at Jacob. "That the creature must be killed immediately. Before it could gain too much strength," he explained before squeezing my hand in assurance. "Of course, their legends say the same of us. That we must be destroyed. That we are soulless murderers." he added.

Jacob nodded his head and then went silent. He was like that for a moment before hesitantly looking over at me and then quickly looking back down at his lap. "What did their stories say about the... mothers?" he asked softly.

Edward tensed up and I could feel his heart aching in my own chest. "I...I can't-" he mumbled softly, frantically shaking his head as he looked away.

"There are no survivors," I spoke up and Jacob's eyes shot towards me, wide in horror.

"Of course, there were no survivors," Rosalie spoke as she entered the living room, a frown tugging at her lips. "No survivors, blunt and uncaring." She went on and both Jacob and Edward looked at her with a frown. "Giving birth in the middle of a disease-infested swamp with a medicine man smearing sloth spit across your face to drive out the evil spirits was never the safest method." she snapped at the two men. "Even the normal births went badly half the time. None of them had what this baby and Ana has. Caregivers with an idea of what the baby needs, who try to meet those needs. A doctor with a totally unique knowledge of vampire nature. A plan in place to deliver the baby as safely as possible. Venom that will repair anything that goes wrong. The baby and Ana will be fine." She ranted, angry at the two men for even doubting my capabilities to survive this. She really had a lot of faith in me. "And those other mothers would probably have survived if they'd had that, if they even existed in the first place. Something I am not convinced of."

I gave Rosalie a thankful smile and she nodded at me. She shot Jacob and Edward both a pointed look, silently threatening them to drop the topic before she turned around and stormed out of the living room.

The next morning, after a long and warm bath, I lay on Edward's bed, my head on his lap. I was still wrapped in just my towel, having been exhausted after a night with little sleep. Edward let me nap, running his fingers through my hair in soothing patterns.

Very suddenly, there was a dull ache in my stomach, my baby girl pushing against my sides as she stretched out. "Ow." I gasped as my eyes shot open, my hand shooting down to rub soothing circles against my stomach.

"Ana." Edward panicked as he sat me up, looking me over with wide eyes.

"She's just...stretching." I whimpered in assurances, my mouth hanging open in silent pain as my brows furrowed.

"Carlisle?" Edward called out in panic as he continued to look me over with wide eyes, grabbing my blanket and covering me with it to maintain my modesty.

"Right here," Carlisle replied as he rushed into the room, hands immediately pressing to my stomach to feel for anything out of the ordinary.

"Okay." I breathed out when the baby settled down in my stomach. "Think it's over. Poor kid doesn't have enough room, that's all, she's getting so big." I mumbled softly as I continued to rub at my stomach.

Edward insisted Carlisle still give me an examination and Carlisle confirmed that the baby was indeed just stretching and nothing had been cracked or broken.