𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍:
A literal scream of "Welcome home, baby demon!"

"CARLISLE, MY LOVE, YOU NEED TO HUNT, TO PREPARE FOR BELLA GIVING BIRTH," Thalia tells Carlisle. Carlisle smiles at her as Thalia leans into his shoulder. Jacob just looked at them both with an odd expression.

Eden rolls her eyes. Maybe he just realizes that vampires are capable of love. Edward nods his head in her direction.

Cordelia, Alice, Emmett, and Christopher are also in the library, while Rosalie and Esme keep Bella company in the living room.

"Speaking of hunting," he began in a somber tone. "That's going to be an issue for my family. I understand that our previous truce is inoperative at the moment, so I wanted your advice. Will Sam be hunting for us outside of the perimeter you've created? We don't want to take a chance of hurting any of your family-or losing any of ours. If you were in our shoes, how would you proceed?"

"It's a risk," Jacob says, trying to ignore the other eyes he felt on him and to talk only to Carlisle. "Sam's calmed down some, but I'm pretty sure that in his head, the treaty is void. As long as he thinks the tribe, or any other human, is in real danger, he's not going to ask questions first, if you know what I mean. But, with all that, his priority is going to be La Push. There really aren't enough of them to keep a decent watch on the people while putting out hunting parties big enough to do much damage. I'd bet he's keeping it close to home."

Carlisle nodded thoughtfully.

"So I guess I'd say, go out together, just in case. And probably you should go in the day, 'cause we'd be expecting night. Traditional vampire stuff. You're fast-go over the mountains and hunt far enough away that there's no chance he'd send anyone that far from home."

"And leave Bella behind, unprotected?" Carlisle asks.

"What are we, chopped liver?" Jacob asks jokingly. Carlisle laughed, and then his face was serious again. "Jacob, you can't fight against your brothers." Jacob's eyes tightened.

"I'm not saying it wouldn't be hard, but if they were really coming to kill her-I would be able to stop them." Carlisle shook his head, anxious. "No, I didn't mean that you would be...incapable. But that it would be very wrong. I can't have that on my conscience."

"It wouldn't be on yours, Doc. It would be on mine. And I can take it." Jacob says. Eden chuckles. He says that now.

"No, Jacob. We will make sure that our actions don't make that a necessity." He frowned thoughtfully, "We'll go three at a time," he decided after a second. "That's probably the best we can do."

"I don't know, Doc. Dividing down the middle isn't the best strategy." Jacob says hesitantly about Carlisle's plans

"We've got some extra abilities that will even it up. If Edward and Eden are two of the three, Edward will be able to give us a few miles' radius of safety." Carlisle concludes.

"Edward would never leave Bella's side." Eden crosses her arms, "Emmett and I would go with you, Carlisle." remembering that she also has a say in the family.

"Alice, Cordelia, and Christopher can watch our backs for a while while we hunt. When we got some of the blood Bella needs, Alice, Cordelia, and Christopher will come back here with the blood," Eden says as Carlisle nods with her plan, "For sure, we wouldn't get enough with Fork's supply, so we need to go to Seattle. It'll be easy to move from there."

Esme enters the office, a big covered dish in her hands. She stopped hesitantly just behind Christopher's elbow. She held the dish out and took a shy step closer. "Jacob," she quietly says.

"I know it's...unappetizing to you, the idea of eating here, where it smells so unpleasant. But I would feel much better if you would take some food with you when you go. I know you can't go home, and that's because of us. Please-ease some of my remorse. Take something to eat." She held the food out to me, "Thalia cooked some of it. The scent might be more subtle than the others." Esme informs him, and Eden smiles. Esme's motherly instincts could no longer be held back.

"Uh, sure, sure," Jacob mumbled. "I guess. Maybe Leah's still hungry or something." as he reaches for the basket at arm's length, Eden rolls her eyes. They all know that Jacob will be throwing the food away somewhere. Even Thalia knows it.

"Thank you, Jacob," Esme said, smiling at Jacob, and something flashed in Jacob's eyes. Guilt, Eden grins. "Um, thank you," Thalia leaves the office, then fleets back with a big box on her hold, putting it down near Jacob.

"These are my human clothes that I managed to convince Alice not to donate. It hasn't been touched ever since, so no scent would be lingering in it. Do you mind taking it to her?" Thalia asks as Christopher, Emmett, Edward, and Carlisle look at Jacob. It was a look that made Jacob have no option of refusing.

"On it," Jacob mutters and then ducked out the door before anyone can guilt him into anything else.

"Please do keep being kind to him," Eden tells Thalia and Esme. The two looked at her, confused. "It brings me great joy to see his guilt eating him away."

"Just say that you wanted to kill him." Emmett chuckles as he crosses his arms. Thalia and Esme leave the room.

"If it weren't for Bella liking him so much. I would have." Eden says with a disappointed sigh. Emmett chuckles in reply as he and Christopher leave the library, probably to check on Bella.

"We leave tonight," Carlisle says, then Eden thinks of something that she was quick to hide from Edward.

"What is it?" Edward demands. He didn't like it when Eden, Alice, Eloise, and even Cordelia, with months of practice, managed to hide their thoughts from him.

"Nothing, just my mind being intelligent. It would help if you tried it sometime. Feels good to feel smart." Eden teases, smiling at Edward, and then she looks at Cordelia. "Cordelia, mind if I speak with you privately?"

"Sure." Cordelia agrees, looking at Alice, with Alice just shaking her head. She didn't know. Ever since Bella was bearing the baby, she couldn't see anything at all, which was giving her unbearable headaches. Jacob managed to help when he was near because the headaches felt numb.

•| ⊱✿⊰ |•

THEY'VE BEEN HUNTING FOR A WHILE NOW.

Jacob told them that Sam would be focusing on La Push. They'd already gone to Fork's community hospital, but the blood still wasn't enough. They sent Alice, Christopher, and Cordelia as planned. Carlisle didn't want to go back until he was certain that the blood would be enough.

They've gone to Seattle's hospital and are now on their way back until they hear a blood-curdling scream.

Thalia's scream.