AN: I just realized, I made a minor mistake in my story. It's been awhile since I've read the Twilight series, so I got Felix and Alec mixed up. Not necessarily who they were, just their names...so earlier, whenever I mentioned "Alec" I meant "Felix." I guess I could go back and fix it...OR you could just read this and mentally fix it. I think that works for me. =)

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Borrowed Time

We were back at the house, all gathered in the living room. Esme and Rosalie sat on the couch; Carlisle was perched on the arm of the sofa, while the rest of us stood.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Edward shouted. He was pacing back and forth, running his fingers through his hair. He stopped in front of me, anger raging in his eyes. He breathed heavily, while his hands were balled into fists at his sides. "What were you thinking, Bella?"

"I was thinking of saving our child, Edward," I spat out. My stance reflected his—we were both angry and tense. Edward thought I had just sold our only child and myself to the Volturi, but he didn't know I had a plan.

"Saving Liz is not giving yourself to the Volturi, Bella. I can't even—"

"Edward Cullen, calm down. She's got a plan," Alice said. I had never heard her voice so serious and commanding before. She was glaring daggers at Edward as he turned his head to face Alice. Shock was registered on his face. Apparently I wasn't the only one that was surprised by Alice's tone. Alice looked beyond Edward towards me. "Explain, Bella."

Edward looked back at me, this time with confusion. I inhaled. "I lied. I told them I was seven months along."

There was a pause among all of us, until Carlisle stood up. "You just bought us an extra month," he said surprised.

Edward's confused expression deepened. "Why did you lie?"

"I don't know," I answered truthfully. "I just told myself that the Volturi should know as least as possible."

Edward shoved his fingers through his hair again, trying to collect his thoughts. "So what now? What do we do?"

Before I began, I looked at Alice. She nodded, encouragingly, and I knew my plan was going to work—it had to work. There was no other option. I looked back up at Edward. "I'll be giving birth in a month, then…then you change me. As soon as possible, you'll change me and I can help."

"Bella," Edward dropped his voice while he gently wrapped his hands around my shoulders. His head inched closer towards mine as his eyes stared at me with intensity. "I can't allow you to fight against them. I can't risk losing you."

"You know I'll be stronger than all of you at that point, Edward. Why wouldn't I fight with you? Let's face it—you need me, and you need me as a newborn. Any other way, I'm just a liability."

His grip grew a little tighter on my arm, but I could still see the restraint in his eyes. He knew I was right, and I think he hated that. "What about Liz?"

I raised my eyebrows. "What about her?"

"If I change you right after you give birth, you won't be able to be around her for awhile. You won't be able to enjoy it…"

"Edward, I wouldn't be able to enjoy it regardless, what with the vampire brigade breathing down our necks."

He let out a small snort as I rolled my eyes, understanding now that he had ran out of arguments against my plan. He pulled me forward into his arms, wrapping himself around me. I closed my eyes and let my head rest against his solid chest, grateful for the small escape.

"I know, Alice," Edward mumbled in my hair, obviously a response to something thought by Alice.

"So don't worry. You've married a smart woman—she knows what she's doing," Alice retorted.

I smiled to myself as Edward reluctantly let me go, his body and eyes looking resigned. I stretched on my tiptoes and combed down a stray hair of his. "Can't we just wait, somehow? We don't have to do it right after you have Liz…."

"Yes I do. We're on borrowed time, here. I can't risk them checking in on us and seeing that I've had Liz and I'm not able to protect her." Our eyes met, and it hurt me a little to see how he wanted another choice so desperately. Here was one of the few times I wish he could have read my mind—maybe then he could see how confident I felt about the plan.

Swiftly, he yanked me back into his arms, hugging me a little tighter than before. He bent his head down, resting his lips on my shoulder. "We can protect her, Bella. We'll keep her safe, and I'll keep you safe, and we can just wait. You know how I feel about this…I never wanted you to feel like you had to be turned. I hate this…."

"Edward?" I spoke up, getting his attention. He lifted his smooth, marble face up to look at me, and I ran my hand down his cheek. "I know in my heart this will work. Every fiber of my being is screaming at me that this will work…this might be the only option, but it's the right option. I know it's risky and I know you hate leaving things to fate like this. Let's be honest," I said with a sad smile, "you like to control a lot of the things around you, but this is one thing that's out of your control. You just…you just have to trust me, okay?"

Edward's head fell back onto my shoulder, and I was worried that my little speech had no effect on his morale. "I trust you with everything I am," he eventually whispered into my skin. Edward slowly, hesitantly lifted his face back up, and a sad but soft smile appeared on my face. The perfection of my broken angel was staring back at me, trusting me with everything that he was, just as I trusted him with everything I was. He lowered his head, letting his forehead press against mine, his cold skin leaving an impression against my own.