Next chapter. Enjoy.

I wake up to something shaking me and I groan, trying to push away the annoyance. After tossing and turning most of the night all I want to do is sleep a lot longer.

"Bella, wake up. You're going to be late for school!" Alice says, grabbing my arms and towing me out of the bed.

Crap. I totally forgot about school. With everything going on I completely forgot that I was still technically in school. However, as of last night I thought that I was going to see Carlisle this morning. Even though we really aren't doing much school work now that it is nearly the end of the year, I am sure they are not thrilled that I have missed several days.

"Wait, what? I thought I was going to your house today?" I ask groggily, while Alice still supports most of my weight.

"I have a plan, but you only have three more days of school. Anyways, I have to hunt for a little bit today. Carlisle is going to call the office to get you out at lunch. I'll pick you up at the bell," She says, pushing me towards the bathroom so I can get ready.

"Isn't it going to seem weird that Carlisle is calling the school to get me out of class?"

"Not if he pretends to be your doctor, they won't even know it's him. They will just think you have an appointment," She answers as if this was all so obvious.

"You have too much energy for me," I grumble. "At least for this early in the morning."

She sighs dramatically, and pushes me into the bathroom. "Get in the shower. You have ten minutes."

"Pushy," I mutter, but she ignores me.

I shower as fast as I can, despite my instinct to sit under the scalding stream for a long time. I need to talk to Sue today. I don't know how this is going to work now that the Cullen's are in town. I am supposed to have an appointment tomorrow, but with the state of mine and Jacobs relationship I am not sure how that is going to work. It's really unfortunate timing, since I have become comfortable with Sue. I know Carlisle is a trusted doctor, but in a perfect world I would have both of them there. That would never happen though. The wolves would never allow it.

When I walk into my room wrapped in a towel I expect to see Alice, but my room is empty except for the unfamiliar outfit laying out on my now made bed. I am tempted to ignore the outfit and just put on something familiar, but knowing Alice, she would have a fit. I put on what looks to be designer, faded maternity jeans and a blush silk camisole, with delicate lace trimming the neckline and bottom. Along with it is an expensive looking black leather jacket, and a pair of flat black boots that come up above my knees when I put them on. When I look in the full length mirror behind my door, I gawk at the outfit, self-conscious at how expensive the outfit must be. When Alice prances in holding a banana and a muffin, I turn and glare at her.

"Where did you get these?" I ask flabbergasted.

She shrugs and shoves the food into my hands. "I ran a couple of errands."

"It's like 7:30 in the morning. Where would you possibly find designer maternity clothes?"

"I have my connections," She answers. "Okay, time to go. I'm going to drop you off. Eat and walk."

We get into an unfamiliar sedan with dark tinted windows, which I assume is a rental since her trip was so short notice. I eat my food, and stare out into the muggy morning sky as we drive too fast to school. Soon enough we are pulling up to the entrance where Alice stops for me to get out.

"Okay, I will pick you up here at noon. Get to class."

I bristle at her demanding tone, but nod and get out of the car closing in it behind me. There are only a couple students rushing to class, so no one notices me getting out of Alice's car. It's a relief because I don't know if I have the energy to explain right now what is going on. I walk into class and Mike waves at me from across the classroom and I smile and wave back as I take my seat. When I get into calculus, Angela sits next to me in her usual spot.

"You look amazing today," She says, gesturing to my outfit, and I blush. "You haven't been to school in a couple days. Everything okay?" She asks, genuine worry in her voice, moving on from my outfit.

"Oh, yeah. Things are fine. Just with family in town I kind of spent the last couple days entertaining." It's not a complete lie. I did spend time with Renee, even if it wasn't for that long.

"I was wondering if you went into labor," she says. "I wanted to call, but I was worried I would disturb you if that was the case."

I smile at her, touched that she actually cares. "No baby yet. I'll let you know when he comes, I promise."

She smiles at me and the teacher calls the class to attention, ceasing anymore conversation. The rest of my classes go by quickly, and in English one of the student office helpers brings a half-day dismissal pass into class for me. As I tuck the note into my bag anxiety hits me full force, as I realize in just an hour I am going to see the rest of the Cullen family. I believed Edward when he told me I would never see any of them again- This isn't something I had anticipated. I had come to accept that I was going to do this all alone, and now that they are back, at least temporarily, but I am now coming to the conclusion that the Cullen family is going to be a part of my life. But if I am being completely honest, I am not sure I am ready to throw myself back into the deep end. Afterall, when they left, it really hurt. I don't know if I will ever be able to truly trust them not to abandon me again. I don't want my child to go through what I went through when they left… I never want him to feel that pain. If they are going to be a part of my child's life, they are going to have to stick around or leave now.

My heart wrenches at the thought of having to tell them to leave, but if it is to protect my baby, I will do what I need to. There are some complications with their lack of aging when it comes to my family, but if they stick around then we will have to figure it out. Either they are all in or completely out. They can't just come and go as they please when it comes to my child. We don't have to live in the same city, but they can't cut us off the way that they did. Not again.

The lunch bell rings, and I make my way out to the parking lot, and sure enough there is Alice parked exactly where she dropped me off. As I walk to the car I begin to hear murmurs, and I hunch my shoulders wishing I could disappear. How is it that I was so invisible in Phoenix, but here it is like the entire school is watching my every move. I am sure that by the time I get to school tomorrow the speculation as to whose car I got in will spread like wildfire. Fortunately, the windows are tinted so dark that you really can't see inside the car unless you are standing right infront of it looking in through the windshield.

I crawl in the car, and before I even touch my seatbelt Alice is speeding out of the lot, and greets me happily. "Hey, Bella."

"Hey," I say quietly, too nervous to really have any firmness in my voice.

"It's going to be okay, you know," She says, reaching over to grasp my hand.

I look over at her angelic face, and smile as best I can despite my nerves. This shouldn't bother me so much. I know these people… For the most part. What do I have to be worried about? I mean, it wasn't even that long ago that I saw them last. Nine months isn't that long. I can show them how confident I can be. I can show them how I thrived despite them, right?

"They are all very excited to see you," She says.

"All?" I ask skeptically, thinking of Rosalie.

She nods, and glances at me sideways. "Yes, all of them."

I narrow my eyes at her, but don't ask anymore questions. I start mindlessly tapping my nails on the center divider, and staring out the window. I watch as the trees fly past us much too fast, and remember how I felt the first time I rode in a car with Edward. His driving scared me then, but over time I started to trust that he was fully capable of managing the car at that speed, considering how fast he travels on foot without running into trees.

When we turn onto the road leading to their house, I start to wonder if the remnants of the fight with Victoria are still there. In the short time they have been back, somehow the overgrown drive to their house has been cut back, and it brings back memories of how quickly the Cullen's work. I wonder if my truck is still parked in front of their house with a gaping hole in the driver-side door. But as we pull up to the house my truck is nowhere in sight, and neither is the pile of ashes we left behind. It's as if it never happened. We stop outside the garage and in a flash Alice is already out of the car and opening my door for me. She helps me out of the car, and when I stand I feel how truly unsteady I am on my feet at the moment. I grip onto her arm as we walk up the steps to the house, and I can't help but remember the last time I walked up these steps. Yet somehow I feel more nervous now than when I was here to face a vampire intent on my death. Before we even make it to the top step Carlisle is opening the front door, a warm smile plastered on his godly face. I gasp quietly at seeing him again.

"Bella, please come in," He says, stepping back to make room for us to enter the house. I see his eyes drift to my stomach momentarily as I walk in, but quickly shifts his eyes back up to my face. We walk into the living room, and emotion fills my every fiber as I look around the familiar room, no longer covered in white sheets. At one point this place felt like a second home to me. It takes me a few moments of looking around the room to see four vampires waiting for me, all with different emotions on their faces.

The first I see is Esme, who smiles at me in a way only a mother could. Then there is Emmett whose mouth popped open in what looks to be complete shock. Jasper leans against the window, furthest away from me, his eyebrows furrowed in what I think is concentration. And lastly, the person whose expression takes me totally off guard. Rosalie doesn't look at me directly, but her focus seems to be on my baby bump- She smiles, and her hand rests gingerly on her heart. It is the most gentle expression I have ever seen on her face, which takes me by surprise considering her outright distaste for me in the past. I have gotten so used to her glares and expressions of total contempt, that this gentle expression throws me off guard momentarily.

I tear my eyes away from Rosalie as Esme takes a slow step toward me, and I can tell she wants to embrace me. "Bella, dear. May I give you a hug?"

I hesitate, but I don't have it in me to deny this gentle motherly woman at least a hug. I nod and she closes the distance, wrapping her arms around me gently. Even though I do not deny her an embrace, I can't seem to find it in myself to reciprocate the hug very well, but she doesn't say anything. She lets go and takes a step back, and looks at me up and down.

"You're positively glowing, Bella," She says adoringly.

I laugh nervously, and reply shakily, "Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's sweat."

"Oh, nonsense. Come sit down, and let's chat before Carlisle steals you away," She says.

I follow her over to the couch and I try to sit down as gracefully as possible but I barely manage not to just fall back onto the couch with my giant protruding stomach in the way. Everyone moves in closer, and all take various seats around the room, though seemingly giving me space. It is silent for a moment as we let the moment sink in. But soon enough, aligned with his character, Emmett breaks the silence.

"So, my brother knocked you up, huh? How the hell did that happen?"

Rosalie reaches over and smacks him on the shoulder and mutters under her breath, "Idiot."

"What?" He defends.

"Well, considering you have been alive for going on a hundred years now, and you are married, you would think you would have gotten the sex talk by now," I tease. Everyone snickers.

"Come on, you know what I mean. It seems you and Edward like to challenge the realm of reality quite a bit." He says.

"Seems that way doesn't it." I muse flatly, not really sure how to reply to that. There are so many things that happened in our short time together that I thought to be impossible, or at least Edward did- However, somehow we have defied all logic and laws of the universe and created something incredible. From what Edward has told me, none of them thought us having a relationship was possible, at first at least. Yet, we were able to have a romantic relationship for a short while, and even create a child together. Our worlds have been a giant globule of impossible situations, yet here we sit discussing the most impossible yet.

Emmett chuckles and leans back, "I wasn't even sure you guys really boned."

Groans, and frustrated murmurs sound throughout the room while Carlisle quickly rises, stepping towards me, shooting a glare towards his son. "Okay! I think that is our signal to get on with our day."

It takes me a moment to recover from Emmett's vulgar statement, and I can feel the blush on my face spreading like wildfire. Clearly he hasn't changed much in the last couple months. Edward and I never were intimate around his family, yet I somehow knew that it wasn't a secret that we would be able to keep. Especially with such keen senses and a psychic in the family.

Edward and I sit on the plush couch of the Cullen's living room, our legs tangled and hands just barely in company appropriate spots. We had the house to ourselves but we knew his family should be arriving back from hunting at any moment. Last night was the night that we took our intimate relationship to the next level, and I suspect when Alice saw that we would be coming over today she devised a plan to keep the family out of the house for most of the day. Knowing that their arrival was due, we did make ourselves decent, at least when it came to the amount of clothing we were wearing.

Edward nuzzles my ear playfully, and his hands slowly graze up my sides, tickling me ever so slightly. I laugh quietly, and register my ever-present elevated heart rate. Besides the couple of hours of sleep last night, Edward has made it his duty to keep my heart rate raised.

"Stop," I laugh, though the tone of my voice is telling him quite the opposite. "Your family is going to be here any minute!"

He shrugs, and leans down to press a kiss to my exposed collar bone. "So?" He presses another kiss to my throat, slowly making his way up. "I have to hear them and their escapades all the time." Another kiss pressed to my jaw. "Not to mention all the compromising positions I have caught them in over the decades."

I know I should pull away, but when have I ever done what I am supposed to do? He finally touches my lips lightly with his own, I wrap my arms around his neck pulling myself closer, deepening the kiss fervently. Briefly my mind flashes back to that first kiss we shared, where I did the same thing, but Edward had pulled away and I muttered a pathetic "oops". Now, he welcomes the passion that I feel like I have been holding back, the dam broken and heat rushes in unimpeded. We proved that he was strong enough last night, and he seems utterly exuberant that he can finally give in to his most instinctual human needs. And I am not complaining either.

As we begin to get carried away again, a throat clears from the entryway, and both Edward and I attempt to correct our less than appropriate sitting arrangement. However, my legs are still strewn strategically across his lap. I bury my head in his chest, barely peeking out through my hair at most of his family standing staring at us incredulously. The familiar burn of the blood rushing to my face makes my embarrassment all the more horrific. Rosalie quickly replaces her wide-eyed expression with a scowl, whipping around to disappear up the stairs. I glance at Carlisle and Esme right before they turn and walk into the kitchen. Esme harbors a knowing smile on her face, but I can tell she is trying her best to hold in the joy radiating off her. Alice rolls her eyes, and grabs the shocked Jasper by the hand, and tows him up the stairs. That leaves only Emmett, not budging, a wide terrifying smile plastered on his dimpled face.

"Well, well, well…" he says, taking a step closer, and I bury myself deeper into Edward's embrace knowing what is coming.

"Emmett," Edward says in a warning tone, and his body stiffens automatically to whatever is playing in his brother's mind.

"What? I was just going to say how… comfortable," he pauses dramatically. "You look."

"Okay, you said it. Now leave," Edward hisses threateningly.

Emmett guffaws loudly. "Did you finally steal my brother's virtue, Bella?"

And like that Edward is in motion, and I am left sitting on the couch as he chases Emmett out of the house. The movement is so fast that I barely register Emmett beginning his escape just a millisecond before Edward lunges at him. After about ten seconds I hear a loud crash, a splash, and booming laughter echoing throughout the property.

I take Carlisle's outstretched hand, and he pulls me up effortlessly. Without another word from his family he leads me out of the room and up the stairs.

"I have to apologize for Emmett. He has never understood boundaries," Carlisle says remorsefully.

"Yes, I remember," more bitterness in my voice than I had intended.

We walk into his office, him leading the way. I am sure having to walk at my even more slow pace must drive him crazy. Though, he does take care of sick humans, so I am sure it's no more frustrating than normal. I am shocked to see an exam table sitting in the middle of the large room, along with a stand with several different monitors. The last time I was in here it was just an ordinary office- Well, ordinary for a Cullen. Did he get all this for me? I stare at the set-up nervously as he shuts the door quietly behind us. This looks to be more extensive equipment than they have at the birth center, though that shouldn't shock me. I don't even bother asking where he got the machines, knowing between their connections and extensive bank accounts that measly medical equipment is just a minor purchase.

He helps me up onto the table, and I can feel the nerves kick in again. The baby flips around, reacting to my emotions, and I think I see Carlisle glance curiously at the movement before correcting his facial expression. "So, Bella. Tell me about your pregnancy."

I hesitate, but figuring his expertise will be invaluable to my child's safety, I begin. "So, about a month after you left I started to get morning sickness. Throwing up, you know, the usual. I was late for my period, and even though I thought it to be impossible, I went and bought a pregnancy test. Long story short, it came back positive. I went to the doctor once, just to make sure the home pregnancy test was correct, it was. I refused a sonogram, just in case there was any compromising information. The doctor said without a sonogram she wasn't a hundred percent sure, but gave me a tentative due date of June 15th. I didn't go back, but a couple months ago I started to see a midwife on the reservation. I don't know what Alice told you about that, but she knows this is a high risk pregnancy. She for some reason was not able to get an image on the baby when she did the sonogram."

I am practically out of breath as I rush through all the information. Carlisle looks at me with a measured, professional expression, soaking in all the information I am throwing out. After I finish, he takes a seat on a stool, settling in.

"So, I know you have answered this question many times, but I feel it would be remiss if I did not ask," he hesitates, and I shift nervously. "Have you been intimate with anyone outside of Edward?"

I shake my head and he nods. He walks over to his desk at a normal human pace, and pulls a notepad and pen off the desk before returning to his seat. "Okay, you may not remember this, but what was the first day of your last period?"

I do know this answer, considering how many times I sat in my room counting the days again and again. "August 11th of last year."

The questions continue for another half hour, and I struggle through the answers, trying my best to remember the information. It would be easier if I had access to my file down at the birth center, as I am positive that Sue has all the answers already. But I don't think that anyone on the tribe will jump at the opportunity to help any of the Cullen's. Even for medical reasons.

"I am going to do an ultrasound, if that is okay?" He asks after taking my blood pressure and and testing my blood glucose on a small hand-held machine.

"Yes, of course." I would love to get an image of my baby, but after the last time we tried I have no confidence. "It didn't work last time."

His eyebrows furrows as he pulls a tube of the jelly that Sue once used on my stomach to perform the sonogram. I was hoping to be able to read his expression, to see if there were things that came up that would point to any bad news, but the practiced diagnostician he is, he has given nothing away. "Alright, well I would like to give it a shot, and maybe I can see what we are working with."

After a few minutes of examining the area where my baby is, I see his head tilt slightly to the right, and his eyes narrow the tiniest bit. "Fascinating…" he whispers, but says nothing else. I want to ask him what he means, but I remain quiet, not wanting to break his concentration. I feel the baby kick at the ministrations, and he freezes his movement momentarily. "The baby doesn't seem to like the ultrasound."

With that he pulls away, and flips off the machine, and I struggle again trying to read his expression. But he doesn't leave me in suspense for long. "Well, you were right. A first for me, but the ultrasound did not give me much viable information. I saw the outline of the uterus, but I was not able to see into the uterus. Almost like it is too opaque for the machine to pick up…"

"What does that mean?"

He looks at me and a small reassuring smile spreads across his face, a practiced reaction I assume. "I'm not quite sure. I will have to do some research, but from the other information I gathered, it seems like your pregnancy is progressing rather exceptionally… I have to be honest though, Bella. This is uncharted territory, and I fear that you and the fetus may not be compatible. As of now, it seems fine, but as for the delivery, it worries me."

"If the pregnancy is relatively normal, why shouldn't the delivery be the same?"

He ponders this, and I can tell he is running through many different scenarios. "Yes, that would be ideal. But if it would be okay, I'd like to continue to regular exams, and I understand that there are certain aspects of this that may be uncomfortable for you, however, as a physician, I hope you can move past any qualms you have. For the safety of you and your baby, of course."

I don't give myself a chance to think about it, I just nod. One thing I have learned throughout my pregnancy, is that my body is no longer just mine. If this means his safety, nothing is off the table.

After Carlisle performs a quick pelvic examination, he spends several minutes jotting down notes. I spend the minutes trying to recover from my embarrassment. I know that Carlisle is a professional, and has practice in gynecology… this is no big deal to him. However, when I look at him I still see Edward's adoptive father. I suppose if these exams become routine, I will become desensitized.

In order to stop thinking about the exam I bring up a new subject, though not exactly an ideal topic. Anything to get off the subject of my lady parts. "Did you think about telling Edward no about leaving?"

He glances up at me, pity now set in his eyes. "Yes, I did. I should have. I suppose an apology should have been the first thing out of my mouth when you walked into the house. I cannot express how sorry I am for leaving you here to fend for yourself- It's unforgivable."

I want to say it's not unforgivable, but the truth is I don't know if I can accept his apology right now. It's too fresh. "Do you think Alice is right? That he left because he thought it was what was best for me?"

"I know she is right," he muses, putting his notes to the side and truly engaging in the conversation. "Edward is the most self-loathing being I have ever met, and with what happened with Jasper last fall, all of his fears came true. For a short while he was able to pretend that his fears were unfounded, but in that moment he saw the monsters that he allowed to surround you. He couldn't live with himself if his own family was to cause you harm." He shakes his head mournfully, no doubt replaying the event of that fateful night. "We were all thrown for a loop, I think that is why he was able to convince us to leave. It's no excuse, however the truth is, we saw what could have happened."

"It wasn't like there weren't vampires in my life after you left," I say bitterly, remembering Victoria trying her best to hunt me down.

He stiffens, and for the first time I see a flash of anger briefly flit across his features. It shocks me to see such an expression on his ever-patient face. "Yes, Victoria. That is also our fault, we have so much to apologize for. I am not sure where to begin."

"It is going to take time, Carlisle," I admit. "But you can begin by helping me bring my child into the world safely."

He smiles at me, but I can still see the concealed pain in his ochre eyes. "I will do that for you, Bella."

We finish up, and as he helps me off the table, Alice bursts into the room a large smile plastered on her face. "Esme made you lunch."

"She didn't have to do that," I say, but a loud groan of my stomach rumbles through my body. Both Carlisle and Alice laugh, but I shake my head at my own bodily response. Without warning Alice picks me up, and flies down the stairs. I didn't get a chance to thank Carlisle for his help, but I suppose this won't be the last time I see him. Alice places me at the dining table- Me being the only person who has actually ever eaten food at this table. Soon enough Esme enters the room and places a plate piled high with spaghetti, garlic bread and salad. I wonder if she made it or it it is take out, but either way it doesn't matter.

Both Alice and Esme take a seat at the table, Alice to my right and Esme across from me. I remember feeling self-conscious about eating in front of them, while they didn't eat anything, but that wore off quickly. I dig in while Alice and Esme start discussing the logistics of turning one of the guest rooms into a nursery. I think about protesting, but I don't want to take this joy away from them, and I know realistically that my anger towards them is going to wear off, and I will appreciate having a nursery here.

"So, does this mean you are moving back?" I cut in.

"I thought that was obvious," Alice says flippantly. "You aren't getting rid of us again."

I throw a side glance her way, and mutter. "Yeah, because I had so much say the last time."

I see Esme shoots a reproving look in Alice's direction, but Alice just shrugs and continues with her plans. I finish my meal, and zone out thinking about the phone call I am going to have to make when I get back home. Will Sue refuse to see me anymore? Out of all the people on the reservation, she seemed the most supportive of my pregnancy. I don't know if that kindness extends to the Cullen family. If I am being honest, I want Alice there for the delivery. I have never had many girlfriends, though I suppose Anglea would now qualify, but to have Alice there helping me would be ideal. However, I still want Sue to deliver my baby. We connected, I felt like she knew where I was coming from. It makes me sad to think I am going to have to shift the image of having Sue there to help me. The problem is that I want my three worlds to collide. My human world, my werewolf world, and my vampire world. They are all distinctly different worlds, and they refuse to meld.

We sit at the table for a long time, and I go in and out of listening to them talk. Around three o'clock I announce that I am tired and want to head home. Alice agrees to drive me home, and Esme gives me a hug telling me to come back soon. As I am walking out the door Rosalie yells "Wait!" from the top of the stairs.

She runs down, and stops about five feet away from me, and she hesitates before she speaks. "Um, I got this… I thought maybe you would like to play music for the baby…" She walks closer and holds out a package with the word Bellybuds on it. It shows a picture of the green buds stuck to a pregnancy belly, and shows a woman playing music for her baby. "If you already have one, I can return it-"

"No! It's great," I say, smiling at her, taking it from her. It is a weird sensation smiling at Rosalie. I spent months just trying to stay out of her way, but now she is giving me a gift? I didn't expect this cordial reunion. "Thanks."

She forces a smile onto her face, and nods. Esme is staring at Rosalie with her eyebrows raised, surprise clear on her face. Alice just smirks and grabs my hand, pulling me out of the house, while I am still stunned by the interaction. When we get into the car, and we are halfway back to my house I ask incredulously, "Where did that come from?"

"Rosalie can be nice. She admires your determination with this pregnancy," she says.

"My determination?"

Alice shrugs and smiles. "It's the first thing you have done that she completely agrees with. She is excited to have a baby around too."

I know she always disapproved of my choices in life, but why is my having a baby a decision she approves of? I never learned much about Rosalie, other than that it was hard for me to know their secret… But could there be more to her than the hostile beauty queen I had grown to avoid? Did Rosalie like children? I can't imagine her being the maternal type, but I guess I don't know her that well at all. Hopefully if they are indeed sticking around, my relationship with her will continue to improve.

We arrive at home and Alice informs me that she has some errands to run, but will be by later in the evening. I can't help wondering if she really is going to come back. How long will it take for me to trust that she will not leave again? I get out and once I am in the house she zooms out of sight, and I shake my head disbelievingly. I walk into the house and straight to the phone, knowing that I can't put off my phone calls. I dial the first number, and I tap my foot nervously before an angry voice picks up.

"Hello?" Jacob's hostile voice booming through the line.

"Jacob, this is Bella." I say, trying to keep my voice flat and informative.

This takes him by surprise, and I wonder who he thought was calling. "Bella? You're okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I am just calling to inform you- Well, you and all you pack brothers that six of the Cullen's are back in town," I say, and I struggle to keep my tone stoic.

There is a long silence and I wonder briefly if he hung up the phone, but then he asks quietly, "Is he back?"

"That is none of your business," I answer, still too angry at him to converse easily.

"Like hell it-" he booms, but before he can finish I hang up the phone, not in the mood for a werewolf temper tantrum. I quickly dial Sue's number and she picks up quickly, her tone a stark difference to Jacob's hostility.

"Bella? Is everything okay?" Sue answers, her voice full of concern.

I smile, glad to hear that she still cares. "Yes, I am fine. I just wanted to talk to you about our appointments… I don't know how much you know, but the Cullen's are back in town."

"Yes, I heard. The boys are pretty upset about it," she says, and it almost sounds dismissive.

"Yeah, well, I don't know how it is going to work… I can't just cut the Cullen's out of my life, afterall, they are my baby's family…" I say, more emotional than I had planned.

"Of course not. Listen, you are my client, and no one is going to take from that. I have told my husband and the council this much, and they aren't thrilled… But Bella, I promised that I would help you, and I intend to stick to that promise." So much conviction in her voice makes it hard for me to doubt her words.

"But the Cullen's-" I begin but she cuts me off.

"Have not broken the treaty, and if that doctor is safe enough to be around bloody patients, I have no qualms about being around him."

I shake my head, not completely comprehending her words. "Won't they stop you?"

"They don't have a choice," she answers automatically.

Tears flow down my face, and I am completely amazed at her dedication. I would have never expected it. To go against the advisory of her tribes council, and help me… It is selflessness that I would have never asked of her. "Thank you." I whisper.

I can hear a smile in her voice. "No problem. Now, I want to see you at your appointment tomorrow. Don't worry about Jacob, I will deal with it. Just come yourself."

"Okay." I promise.

"See you tomorrow, Bella."

She hangs up, and it takes me a moment to recover. I hang the phone up and lean against the wall as I process her reaction. I knew that she was good… Is she going to feel safe being around Alice? Carlisle? I know she is going to face some backlash because of me, and I feel unbelievably guilty for that, but I can't help be overjoyed to have my midwife so dedicated to my child. She really is amazing.

That was kind of a long chapter. For me anyways. I finished Midnight Sun, and I have to say it was pretty great. Worth the wait if you ask me.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please review!

xoxo