One More Night

Chapter Thirteen

Bella quietly read Vanessa a bedtime story from the book Charlie had just bought for Vanessa the day before. Bella was so excited to read her daughter the Hans Christian Andersen stories Renee had read to her as a small child. She hoped Vanessa would be just as captivated as she had been. She was on the story of The Snow Queen and had another page left to read to Vanessa when she looked to the little girl.

Vanessa looked so peaceful, eyes shut, shallow breathing, and muscles relaxed. Bella smiled at this. Yup, Vanessa was definitely her father's daughter. Everytime she saw Vanessa sleeping like this, an arm dangled over the side of her toddler bed, legs tangled in with the blanket, it reminded her of when she went to tell Jacob she knew he was a wolf and saw him sleeping in his bed.

She smiled, placed the book in Vanessa's small bookshelf, and gave her daughter a kiss on the cheek. Vanessa grumbled under her breath before rubbing her face into her pillow.

Bella knew she couldn't have dreamed up a more perfect child than Vanessa Savannah Black.

She smiled as she switched on Vanessa's nightlight and walked out of her bedroom door, quietly latching the door closed. She turned and found her true love smirking at her.

"She passed out?" Bella smiled before moving over to Jacob, wrapping her arms around his neck. His palms grasped her hips as she giggled.

"She was asleep before I finished the first story. I guess she didn't inherit my interest in stories." He snickered before he gave Bella a big kiss. She whimpered into his mouth as she pulled herself closer to him. He pulled out of the kiss and gave her the most loving look she had ever seen.

"We will definitely do that when we get back. Everyone is waiting for us at the Cullen house." She forced down her arousal for him and gulped before removing her arms from his neck, taking his hands in hers.

"Do you have any idea what this is about?" Jacob shrugged as they strolled out of their house. Bella felt uneasy about leaving Vanessa at home alone, even just a mile into the woods from the Cullen house.

"She'll be fine, Bells." Jake's arm moved around her waist and she relaxed a little. "Alice is going to watching her. Don't worry." She smiled at him as she relaxed. "Leah didn't give anything away in the pack mind." Bella nodded with a huff before snickering herself.

"Yup, Edward was the same way. I swear, those two sometimes are more stubborn than us." She nudged his hip with hers and they kissed sweetly before running quickly to the Cullen house which only took a moment. Bella was quickly embraced by Leah which was the oddest thing ever. Leah seemed overly happy for her and it was suspicious to Bella.

"I'm so glad you guys are here!" Leah was acting, in Bella's opinion, more like Emily. Leah was never nice to Bella. The closest thing she ever was to nice was indifferent.

"Oookay? What's going on?" Bella said with an eyebrow raised as Edward walked up and wrapped his arms around Leah's waist.

"Whatever could you mean?" Edward said with an uncharacteristic sarcastic smirk.

"I feel like you are trying to tell me something without saying it. What's this whole thing about?" Bella asked as Jake draped his arm over her shoulder and Leah smiled at Edward over her shoulder. Seth walked out and scowled at Edward as he made it to Jake.

"Personally, I want to beat Edward to a pulp right about now." Seth instantly phased and ran into the woods, growling and snapping his jaw at trees. Jacob and Bella were stumped by this. Seth was never angry about anything unless it was a sudden tragedy, like his father's death. This was the first time Bella had ever seen him even irritated. She was dumbfounded to say the least.

"He will be fine, love. Give him some time." Edward spoke sweet words to ease Leah's worries, which did little, but she didn't let it show on the outside. Edward was no fool. Since he could see inside her head, her putting on a fake smile didn't hide her true feelings from him.

"Come on. We have some big news." Jacob and Bella looked to each other worried. Bella thought for a moment that the Cullen's were thinking of leaving again, which would have been tragic for everyone, but that wouldn't explain Seth's anger.

The couple casually strolled inside, hand in hand, where the rest of the family was sitting around, still as a statue. Bella was surprised by the scent of Paul and Rachel and saw the couple standing in a corner.

Paul rarely ever brought his imprint to the Cullen house. They may have been vegetarian vampires, but they were still vampires. He didn't want to take the risk of a slip up and have Rachel be there for it.

"Thank all of you for being here for this. Leah and I have some very big news." Bella quickly scanned the room to see all of who would bear witness to this and also caught sight of Sue, standing awkwardly by Carlisle and Esme who were walking with a supportive smile across their lips.

"I'm just here to see how Bella and Jake takes this." Paul confessed aloud and Leah gave him her famous death glare before Bella growled at him.

"Shut it, Paul, and let them speak!" She spat at him and he quickly shut his mouth. He wanted to rebut, but with Bella being the Alpha Female, phasing or not, he couldn't ignore her order.

"Thank you, Bella." Leah sent an appreciative smirk to her and the she-wolf nodded briefly.

"As I was saying, I'm glad all of you could make it. We have called all of you here because each of you is important to me and Leah. We care about each and every one of you and we hope that we can count on your support through this new change in our lives. I know most of you will see it as very unorthodox and strange, but I also hope you can find it in yourselves to keep love in your hearts and understanding in your minds through this." Edward let out a nervous breath though it was completely unnecessary. Being a vampire, he didn't need to breath and everyone present knew this so his action put everyone else on edge. They all hoped it wasn't something terrible or tragic.

"I'm pregnant!" Leah expelled a little louder than necessary along with a deep sigh of relief. It felt like she had been holding it in for ages, but now that it was out, it was like her nerves went into overload and a nausous wave ran through her body.

The room was silent, jaws dropped along most of the faces, and you could hear a pin drop. The sound of crickets outside filled the house and Leah frowned until Bella broke the silence.

Most weren't sure what to think, even Jacob was baffled, but Bella knew exactly what to think.

"Oh, my god." Bella muttered as she moved over to the other she-wolf and embraced her with a smile across her face. Leah relaxed and a smile finally appeared on Edward's face. Once Bella reacted, all the others relaxed. Some were joyous for the couple to be given a gift that both of them were so grateful for that miracle to happen. Others, like Paul and Sue, weren't so supportive.

"But, how?" Sue blurted out as Bella pulled away from Leah and everyone's eyes were either on Leah or her mother.

"How what?" Leah asked and Edward gulped, hearing all the questions going through Sue's mind, placing a hand on Leah's back for support.

"How is that even possible? Am I the only one wondering this?" She looked around at all the other faces, seeing their confusion, before her eyes zeroed back in on her daughter. "Need I remind you, you are a shapeshifter, Leah, and he is a vampire. God, were you….unfaithful?" She asked and everyone gasped at the question. They all knew it made sense with the special circumstances of her pregnancy, but it was never something anyone should ever question out loud.

"Mom! How can you even ask me that?" Leah's heart broke from her mother's disbelief. "Of course, Edward is the father of this baby. I love him with all my heart and this baby is just as much his as it is mine. This is your grandchild. I would think you would be a little more supportive than you are." Tears filled Leah's eyes as Bella took a hold of Leah's hand to lend her support.

"Sweets, I'm sorry, but it's inconceivable. There is no way you could have a child with him. It would be incompatible. A fetus can't be a vampire and a shapeshifter. It's impossible. No body could possibly handle inhabiting both vampire venom and the wolf gene." A small sob escaped Leah's lips. If there was one person who she hoped would support her in this, it was her mom, but Sue just couldn't get past it.

"Susan Clearwater, just STOP!" Bella bellowed at her with the spirit of the alpha female flowing through her voice. The entire room fell silent as everyone's eyes zoned in on Bella. Her body radiated authority as she stood by the she-wolf and the Cullen in love with her. "You cannot seriously stand there and say just because Leah's baby is different that it can't possibly be real and true. Leah is more than a wolf like Edward is more than a vampire. Thei-their love is real and true. I've seen it. It's something that transcends time and such a stupid thing as different supernatural beings. It's as real and irrevocable as Sam and Emily….as Carlisle and Esme….as me and Jacob." She glanced around at all the faces and noticed her mate give her a wink and nod of approval. "They don't need an imprint for them or anyone else to know it is real and everlasting and the same goes for her baby. Don't you dare stand there and try and accuse her of even thinking of being unfaithful to Edward.

"Do. Not. Speak. About. What. You. Do Not. Know." Bella clearly pronounced every word with conviction and order radiating from them. Sue took a step back and looked regretful, but still, she did not apologize to her daughter for her behavior.

This was supposed to be a special moment for Leah, but Sue had to ruin it.

Sue walked out the side door and jogged over to her car before driving off.

"Thank you, Bella." Edward spoke as Leah pressed her face into his shoulder, both of them pressing their hands into her flat stomach.

"Don't mention it." Bella squeezed Leah's hand more and the she-wolf looked to the alpha female who gave her a small smile. "She will come around Leah and she will be begging for your forgiveness. This is her granddaughter or grandson after all." Leah's grin reflected Bella's as she nodded. "Congrats, both of you. I am so happy for you." They both nodded as Bella moved back to her place at Jake's side.

"This is definitely news worth celebrating!" Alice exclaimed and the other Cullen women soon embraced the wolf girl with words of encouragement.

"We are so happy for both of you." Carlisle offered his congratulations to the expectant parents who stood pressed together and Edward exchanged a smile with his adopted father before Leah sweetly squeezed his hand.

Suddenly, Alice walked up to Bella and squeezed her hand gently before muttering to the alpha female.

"Vanessa is waking up. She had a bad dream." Bella quickly nodded before looking to Jacob who smirked at his imprint.

"I'll be right back." He nodded and they shared a quick kiss before she exited.

Though she didn't feel adrenaline, have a heartbeat, or need to breath, it felt like her nerves were shot. It was like her mind was in a fog and her skin tingled as she strolled into the last place she wanted to be.

Irina had very bad memories of Volterra from when her mother was destroyed. The whole clan, Irina, Kate, and Tanya, had been dragged back to Italy to be intensely questioned about their involvement in their mother's creation. Eventually, they were found innocent in any wrongdoing, but that visit still held ill feelings in her gut.

Her heels softly clicked against the stone floors as she was escorted from the entrance of their headquarters to the lounge deep within the chambers where the three head members of the Volturi, Caius, Aro, and Marcus, relaxed and did their studies of past and current sciences.

They heard the opening of the heavy, steel door and the click of Irina's heels before she stood a few yard behind them. She hoped this would give her a running start if they decided to be spiteful and kill her for dampening their mood.

"What is it that you want?" Caius taunted her as he turned to her, his crimson eyes burning into her reddish-orange topaz eyes. "Hmm?" He challenged her even more as Aro and Marcus continued to face away from her, reading their books.

"I-I-uh…" She was at a loss for words and Caius raised an eyebrow at her, growing agitated. She hated that she was so frightened and nervous. If this place and situation didn't reminder her so much of her mother, she wouldn't be so petrified. "I have to report a crime!" She pushed it out so fast she feared it was too loud and seen as disrespectful, but they must deal with this reaction a lot. They didn't mind. Caius continued to watch her like a hawk while the others continued their reading. "I-I saw something….The Cullens…." Suddenly, Aro paused at hearing that name and turned to her. She felt more anxious with his eyes on her as well. "They have done something terrible. They broke a law….One of our most important ones, sire." Aro jumped up and sped over to her before snatching her hand. Marcus was still unmoved and Caius was only slightly irritated.

"Let us see, my dear." Aro's voice was soft and eyes hopeful as he got lost in all of Irina's thoughts, dreams, and memories. His gasp filled the room as all eyes narrowed in on him, Irina's regretful of what she had to do. After he released her hand, he stumbled back a moment before leaning against the table, a haunted look across his face. "Oh, my….Dear friend Carlisle, what have you done…" Those were his last words before he patted Irina's cheek in gratitude and retreated from the room.

Aro needed a moment to think before coming to a decision.

As Bella made it to Vanessa's room, her daughter was starting to wake and gently shook her as Vanessa whimpered.

"Sweetie, it's okay. Mommy's here." Her sweet little brown eyes opened and looked to her mother with tears streaked down her cheeks.

"Mommy, please, don't go away." Bella's heart clenched at her daughter's words before she picked her up in her arms, rocking her back and forth.

"Of course, I'm not going anywhere, honey. What would make you think I would go anywhere?" Vanessa sniffed her tears as she clung close to her mother, her fear coursing through her.

"I saw the bad men. They wanted to take you and Uncle Edward away." This just confused Bella. Vanessa never had bad dreams. She was always a child who had dreams of sunshine, the beach.

"Hey, no one is taking any of us away. All of your family is here to stay. Do you got that, sweetie?" She nodded and calmed down her crying and soon relaxed, but she was anything, but tired.

Bella got her dressed in some warm clothes and walked with her over to the main house. The others were surprised to see the little child up so late.

As soon as they reached the porch, Vanessa raced into the house and collided into Edward's side, making him groan.

"Uncle Edward, I had bad dream." He chuckled and picked her up, balancing her on his hip. Bella's eyes sought out her mate who smirked at her from across the room.

"She couldn't sleep." He nodded as she moved to his side, his arm moving around her waist.

"She actually had a nightmare?" Bella nodded as she looked up to Jacob.

"I've never seen her act like that, Jake." His eyes met hers and took in her worry. "She said she saw some bad guys who were trying to take me and Edward away. It's ridiculous, of course, but something about it just doesn't sit well with me." Jacob completely agreed with her, but he wasn't going to worry her even more.

"You're her mother. It's your job to feel that way." She tried to brush away the feeling, but it harder than she thought.

Bella noticed that Alice was still badgering Leah and Edward about wanting the reveal the sex of their baby. Bella giggled at this.

"Alice is very persistent." Jacob laughed at his imprint's joke about the little fortune teller that he had grown quite fond of. She could be very pushy, but she always meant well, like a grandparent who is always telling their child how to properly change their newborn's diapers. Billy had been like that when Vanessa was a newborn baby and done that exact thing.

"Haven't I always told you persistence is the key to everything." He teased her back and noticed Alice flash him a wink before returning to badgering Leah and Edward.

"Come on, Edward! What's the point of having these powers if I can't use them to tell you guys what you are having?" Leah found the banter to be adorable, but Edward was getting on his last nerve.

"Alice, enough. We want this pregnancy to be as normal as possible and that means not using your gift of foresight to find out the sex of our baby. We will find out the old-fashioned way, through an ultrasound." Alice finally yielded and Leah giggled.

"I know you mean well, Alice, but this baby is going to be very different than any others so we just want some semblance of normalcy within my pregnancy. It's nothing personal, but we have to decline." Alice quickly gave them a hug as she heard Esme whistle before Alice cheered in response.

"Oh, goody! The food is all ready!" Though the Cullen's never needed food, whenever anyone was there, Esme cooked a feast. She had grown accustomed to the wolf appetite and adjusted to portions to fit it.

Alice raced off to the kitchen to assist Esme with all the things of food, setting the dining room table that was more of buffet line than anything else. It took some time to do with all the trays of food they had.

While they were dealing with that, everyone watched with amazement as Edward led little Vanessa towards the piano. Jacob was confused by this, but everyone else seemed to understand what was going on.

"Edward has been giving her lessons. She became very interested in what he was doing by watching him mess around with his piano so he started teaching her." Bella explained to Jacob. Though he was little envious that Edward had been able to teach his daughter something when he hadn't gotten a chance to do that yet, he pushed it to the side as Vanessa sat next to Edward.

Edward started to play a small tune and Vanessa joined in. Her fingers moved fluidly across the keys and soon Edward stopped playing, leaving it all to Vanessa without the toddler even knowing she was doing all on her lonesome.

Alice started to stroll into the living area with a vase for the dining room table in her hands filled with fresh yellow roses, Leah's favorite, when she was hit the sudden impact of a large, shocking vision.

She saw the synchronized movement of the whole Volturi guard glided along the glimmering white snow. Their black cloaks flowed behind them from the speed of their movement, moving into a large clearing.

With a loud, anxious gasp, Alice dropped the vase, shattering on the floor. Everyone's eyes snapped to her as Edward had already turned to her, heartbreak and panic across his face. His eyes went to Leah who was placing one hand on her flat stomach, looking at Alice with befuddlement.

"Alice?" Bella and Jasper said at the same time as Jasper sped to his mate, gingerly placing his hand on the small of her back, an attempt to relieve some of her tension. Nothing could make her feel more relaxed after the vision she had just received.

"Alice, what did you see?" Bella pressed as she saw the frantic hysteria reflecting in Alice's eyes towards her, her unnecessary breathing coming out as a quiet hyperventilation. She looked to her mate and he nodded, silently reciting Bella's question.

Alice did not want to say it aloud. Saying it out loud to everyone there would make it that much more real and she didn't want it to be real. It can't all be coming to an end already, could it? All their hard work, all their triumphs and tragedy...It couldn't have lead them all to this point, could it? It couldn't have all been for nothing, could it?

"Th-th-the Volturi." As soon as those words left Alice's lips, Bella felt her heart speed up. She hoped that Alice would never say their name again in reference to a vision, but this was not the case or how her future was meant to unfold. Panic filled the young mother as her wolf placed his hand on her hip opposite of him, holding her close to his side. Her eyes quickly flashed to her young child who looked both confused and frightened by this.

"Honey, come here." Vanessa jumped from her seat and flashed over to her mother, pressing her back to Bella's knees. Bella's hands instantly went to her daughter's trembling shoulders. She barely noticed the shake as hers were convulsing as well.

"What about them?" Jacob asked with the most level voice he could summon though he was worried beyond belief. He knew his imprint was terrified of these vampires and for good reason. She nearly became a vampire just to protect him from them and he knew how much she didn't want that at the time.

"They are coming for us….For Vanessa."

Sorry for the long wait for this. I hope it was worth it. I wish I had a good reason for the delay, but I don't. All I can do is promise to try to not let it happen again.

For the next chapter, they find out what is really going up with the Volturi suddenly deciding to come and something unexpected happens to Bella. What is it?