𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍:
Tick Tock

DAYS WENT AGONIZINGLY SLOW.

They're locked up in the house since Carlisle insisted that the treaty is not broken on their part. If violence is not necessary, then they won't kill the wolves.

"I'm so sorry we couldn't be there, Isabella." A British accent says on the phone, Eloise, Eden told them it was better if they stayed in New York. They wouldn't be able to go to the house in the first place without the shape-shifters hunting them.

And Jasper was also happy with that decision. He wouldn't risk Eloise's safety. "It's okay, El," Bella assures, and Eloise says, "Tell Edward to get over his arse and support the baby, it's his miracle sperm that made you pregnant in the first place, and all he can do is own to own up the consequences."

Eden chuckles, walking towards Bella, hovering over the phone, "Hey, El, how are you?"

"Fairly well, we've been planning a new program at UNICEF, and I have a performance later which you could watch it's live on television tonight," Eloise informs them excitedly, and Eden smiles, "We'll watch."

"And Jasper has been teaching at NYU as a history professor." Eloise tells them proudly, and Eden smiles as Bella says, "Have someone who witnessed history as a professor."

"I know, it's brilliant!" Eloise exclaims enthusiastically. Eden hears Jasper calling Eloise and bids her goodbye.

"Well, time for your bath," Eden says as she helps Bella up. Rosalie is helping Carlisle in the office to prepare for Bella's due date. Eden helped her towards the bathroom as Bella took off her robe, and looking at the mirror, Eden assisted her as Bella sat down in the bathtub.

Eden then releases her vapors. Bella always asks Eden to put barriers so their conversation wouldn't be heard all over the house.

"Thank you, Eden," Bella says, and Eden nods as Bella begins to scrub herself slowly.

"No need to thank me, Bella," Eden replies as she sits on the floor beside the bathtub.

"It's just that you and Rosalie have been so supportive of me," Bella tells her, and Eden smiles.

"Hey, it's up to us women to support each other," Eden tells her, and Bella smiles. "I was shocked when Rosalie wanted to help me. I thought she hated me."

"Hate is a strong word, Bella."

"I know she wanted a child even when she turned. That's why I called her. I know she would help me." Bella nonchalantly says, and Eden looks at her with a furrowed brow.

Of course, Eden knows that Rosalie wants a child of her own. She was the one who was there when Rosalie woke up from her transition and when Rosalie questioned if they could conceive.

Adoption was a difficult option. They would outlive them, and to see the baby they raised die of old age would just hurt them both. Rosalie assured Eden that it was alright.

Rosalie had already accepted the fact that she could never bear a child of her own, that she was okay as long as Eden was by her side.

"Yes. Rosalie is kind because she saw an opportunity to be an aunt to a baby." Eden says as she helps Bella stand up from the bathtub, wrapping a towel around her body.

"But don't take advantage of my wife's weakness, Bella," Eden tells her, voice distant. Bella looked at her, quick to deny it, someone knocked at the door, and Eden told them to come in. It was Esme.

"Esme, would you take over for me?" Eden asks, not giving Esme a chance to reply when Esme was already holding Bella when she walked out of the bathroom to find her wife.

She walks towards the library seeing Rosalie, Emmett, Cordelia, Alice, and Edward gathered at the round table. Edward looks at Eden apologetically, and Rosalie smiles, approaching Eden.

"Can we talk? Privately?" Eden asks her, and Rosalie frowns. With a nod, they walked towards their separate cabin. With Rosalie looking at Eden worriedly as they entered the cabin, they stood in the living room with Eden looking at the unlit fireplace.

"Honey? Is something wrong?" Rosalie worriedly asks Eden, approaching her and putting a hand on her shoulder. Without looking at Rosalie, Eden suddenly blurts out, "I'm sorry I couldn't give you want you want, Rose."

Rosalie ponders, wondering what Eden meant. Then she realized. She turns Eden around to face her and sees Eden with a pained look in her eyes.

"Hey," Rosalie says softly, placing a hand on her face and brushing a thumb on her cheek.

"I told you I accepted that I'm not going to have kids for a long time now, Eden." Rosalie assures her, and Eden shakes her head; venom tears pool over her eyes, "I couldn't give you what you deserve," Eden replies, and Rosalie takes both of Eden's hands to her hold.

"I deserve you. We deserve each other, Eden." Rosalie tells her with a smile as she brings their foreheads together. "I love you, Eden."

Eden smiles as she wraps both of her arms around Rosalie's waist. "I love you more, Rose."

"That's not possible."

•| ⊱✿⊰ |•

IT WAS NIGHT TIME when they decided to return to the main house. They went to the living room and saw Emmett, Esme, Rosalie, and Edward watching Bella sleep. Eden walks towards Emmet, who is looking at the windows and scanning for any signs of wolves.

Rosalie decided to sit beside Bella. Esme was looking at Bella, preparing to tend to her needs, and Edward, who was watching Bella sleep.

Jacob's footsteps can be heard. He got up the stairs and walked toward them, and looked at Bella with a frown.

"Rosalie, why don't you get Jacob something from the kitchen?" Esme tells Rosalie, with her rolling her eyes.

"Thanks, but no thanks, I'd rather not eat something with blondies spit," Jacob interjects and sits at the arm part of the sofa.

"She would never embarrass me with such a lack of hospitality," Esme dismissively tells him. Jacob just hums, still unsure.

Rosalie stands up and sets her magazine down on the coffee table. "Of course not." and walks towards the kitchen.

"You'll tell me if she poisoned it, right?" Jacob asks Edward, and he smirks. Eden rolls her eyes.

"It broke one of her ribs," Edward tells him.

The clanging of kitchenware can be heard. Esme just sighs and shakes her head. They look in the direction of the kitchen and see Rosalie holding a dog bowl and walks toward Jacob and sets the bowl on the floor.

Eden chuckles. "Enjoy, mongrel," Rosalie says with a fake smile.

"And don't make such a big deal out of it. Even normal human babies can be known to crack ribs." and walks back to the kitchen. Jacob got one bite of the hotdog, throwing the dog bowl at the back of Rosalie's head.

Rosalie turns around to face him and glares at him. "You got food in my hair." and walks away.

Eden released vapors from her palms as a pillow smacked Jacob at the back of his head. Edward and Emmet didn't even try to hide it, while Esme just looked disappointed.

•| ⊱✿⊰ |•

"SCREAMING AT HER DOESN'T REALLY HELP THE SITUATION," Eden says as Edward leaves Carlisle's office clinic, angry and frustrated. The baby cracked one of Bella's ribs again, and Edward was getting frustrated with Bella's decision to keep the baby.

"Eden jus-" Edward starts with a heavy sigh as he looks at her. Eden looks at him with a raised brow, crossing her arms to her chest. Edward was becoming a real ass since Bella was resistant to his pleading not to continue with the pregnancy, and Eden was getting annoyed.

"No," Eden says as she stands up from her seat, walking towards Edward slowly. "You said enough to Bella. So you will listen to me, Edward Anthony Mason-Cullen, and you will listen well." She says as she releases her vapors through her palms as it wraps around Edward's body forcefully, making him sit down on the sofa.

"There is a distraught pregnant woman inside that office, who is, by the way carrying your child since it was your dead sperm, which I don't even know it was possible, created it," Eden tells him as Edward looks down on the floor. "You created a miracle, Edward, and you can't even see it," Eden says with a bitter laugh escaping her lips.

"You have something that many of us envy, that many of us wanted to have but are not able to do so." Eden tells him, her voice trembling, "You can start a family that many of us want. And you just throw that opportunity like it was nothing."

"I would've done anything, traded, sacrificed everything to have what you have right now," Eden says. She feels her throat tightening, and she places a hand on her chest, "I would give anything that I have right now to have a baby in my arms."

"I understand you, Edward. You are slowly losing the love of your life, and I know it hurts, and it's killing you to see her this way. But have you ever thought of what would happen if Bella aborts that baby?" Eden asks him, and Edward shakes his head slowly, pursing his lips. He can't read Eden's mind, and to be honest. He doesn't want to.

"It'll kill her, regret and guilt will consume her, and imagine if she turns into one of us, she'll be depressed for the rest of her forever, she'll never be the same woman you met before, you know what happened to Esme and what led her to do what she did," Eden tells him, and Edward stays silent. Everyone in the family knows what happened to Esme, especially Eden, and Edward, since they were the ones who were present when Esme was newly turned, and Esme wasn't in a good place. She didn't speak to one of them except Christopher. It took Esme decades to be in the state she was in right now.

"I'll help her, just like Christopher helped Esme." Edward whispers, and Eden shakes her head, saying, "You know your situation differs from theirs. Bella will look at you, and all she'll remember is you were the one who made her kill her baby."

Edward makes a painful expression, "Eden, stop,"

"I'm not done. You need to realize what your actions are leading to." Eden says and continues, "You know what Thalia told us. She can feel it."

Thalia told them that she could now feel Isabella Marie Swan's death. And her ancestors were not silent about it. They were screaming in her head whenever she was near Bella, her head was pounding painfully, and she had never felt anything like this before. They concluded that maybe because Thalia bonded with Bella, that's why the effects of feeling her near death were excruciatingly painful.

"Do you want Bella's last memory of you was of you screaming at her?" Eden demands, and Edward shakes his head, and Eden takes back her vapors.

"Then I suggest you apologize to her and get over your bullshit, and you have some groveling to do."