We started walking back to the meadow.

'that was quite a bombshell you dropped' Leah said suddenly.

'which one? I think I showed them far more than I intended'

'oh yeah, not really happy to see you intimate moments, but I mean the Billy -Embry situation'

The three of us stopped 'is it true?' Seth asked...

'I don't know, but I know my dad didn't have an affair and it's pretty suspicious. I didn't want to say anything and start something, but I couldn't help it, it was like memory vomit'

'gross' the two cringed.

'So that's everything... They can figure it out. So, what do we do now?' Leah asked. She and Seth both looked at me expectantly.

'I guess we just keep an eye out for now. That's all we can do. You should probably take a nap, Leah.'

'You've had as much sleep as I have.'

'I'll run the border, Al. I'm not tired at all.' Seth was so glad I hadn't forced them home; he was all but prancing with excitement.

'Sure, sure. I'm going to go check in with the others.'

Seth took off along the new path worn into the damp earth. Leah looked after him thoughtfully.

'Maybe a round or two before I crash.... Hey Seth, wanna see how many times I can lap you?'

'NO!' Barking out a low chuckle, Leah lunged into the woods after him. I snorted, glad they had something to keep up the good mood. It did me well.

Plus, Leah was right, I was going to leave the pack to live with Rose and as my imprint Leah planned to go with me or rather was to be free of the pack. Free to do as she wished.

I changed into my other form when I was a few yards from the lawn, putting on my shorts and tank top.

The door opened before I got to the steps, and I was surprised to see Carlisle rather than Edward step outside to meet me—his face looked exhausted and defeated. For a second, my heart froze. I faltered to a stop, unable to speak.

"Are you all right, Alex?" Carlisle asked.

I nodded "is everyone? Are they okay?"

"They're... much the same as last night. Rosalie's resting. Bella's just woke up"

It had been a while since I'd slept—since before my last patrol. I could really feel that now. I took a step forward, sat down on the porch steps, and slumped against the railing. I was afraid to see them, afraid Rosalie would be worse, that Bella would die or that the pack would show up... that Jacob would claim his position as alpha and attack, that Sam wouldn't care and join him.

Moving whisper quiet as only a vampire could, Carlisle took a seat on the same step, against the other railing.

"I didn't get a chance to thank you last night, Alex. You don't know how much I appreciate your... compassion. I know your goal was to protect Rosalie, but I owe you the safety of the rest of my family as well. Edward told me what you had to do..."

I looked at Carlisle "you guys are my family too. I don't do well isolated; the lone wolf thing isn't for me. Besides what's the point of eternity if you're alone"

I could see the agreement behind Carlisle's eyes, that's why ha chose to save Edward and Esme. Loneliness.

We sat in silence. I could hear the others in the house. Emmett, Alice, Lucia, and Jasper, speaking in low, serious voices upstairs. Esme humming tunelessly in another room. Rosalie and Edward breathing close by—I couldn't tell which was which, but I could hear the difference in Bella's labored panting. I could hear her heart, too. It seemed... uneven.

"what is it doing to them?" I whispered "Bella was so much worse last night. I saw... the tubes and all that. Through the window. And Rose she looked like she was in pain, I had never seen that before."

"Rose is I believe experiencing some normal pregnancy pains. Her body isn't really made for this. The venom you gave her is helping the internal organs, but it can't do much more for the external skin. And I don't know what's going on inside, but I don't think our diet is helping" I heard the unsaid words; the baby wasn't growing, it wasn't eating and it might die before it even got the chance to breath.

"And Bella...The fetus isn't compatible with her body. Too strong, for one thing, but she could probably endure that for a while. The bigger problem is that it won't allow her to get the sustenance she needs. Her body is rejecting every form of nutrition. I'm trying to feed her intravenously, but she's just not absorbing it. Everything about her condition is accelerated. I'm watching her—and not just her, but the fetus as well—starve to death by the hour. I can't stop it and I can't slow it down. I can't figure out what it wants." His weary voice broke at the end.

I thought on that for a moment... what do baby's want. Rosalie wasn't doing well, every time she hunted in the last few weeks gave her internal pain and the feeling disgust, nausea...

And Bella couldn't get nutrition because the baby was taking it all, but it still wasn't good enough. We were heading for a path of losing three if we didn't figure this out.

Babies need nutrition just as we do. The baby Rose was carrying was at least half me, half her... if blood didn't work maybe real food would. I cringed for a moment thinking the same for Bella. The baby was part Edward, part vampire and human food wasn't working. Maybe he or she needed another form of nutrition. Blood.

That thought put a sliver of fear in me, if the baby was already craving blood...

"I wish I could get a better idea of what exactly it is," Carlisle murmured. "The fetus is well protected. I haven't been able to produce an ultrasonic image. I doubt there is any way to get a needle through the amniotic sac, but Rosalie and Lucia won't agree to let me try, in any case."

"A needle?" I mumbled. "What good would that do?"

"The more I know about the fetus, the better I can estimate what it will be capable of. What I wouldn't give for even a little amniotic fluid. If I knew even the chromosomal count, it might help to know what the count was—whether the fetus was closer to us or to her or even you. To know what to expect." Then he shrugged. "And maybe it wouldn't help anything. I guess I just wish I had something to study, anything to do."

"I know how you feel... I'm not sure what to do... I'm worried that things are only going to get worse" Then we heard Edward's voice inside the house, and we both paused to listen.

"I'll be right back, Bella. I want to speak with Carlisle for a moment. Actually, Rosalie, would you mind accompanying me?" Edward sounded different. There was a little life in his dead voice. A spark of something. Not hope exactly, but maybe the desire to hope.

"What is it, Edward?" Bella asked hoarsely.

"Nothing you need to worry about, love. It will just take a second. Please, Rose? Esme can you keep an eye on Bella?"

I heard the whisper of wind as Esme flitted down the stairs.

"Of course," she said.

Carlisle shifted, twisting to look expectantly at the door. Edward was through the door first, with Rosalie right on his heels. His face was, like his voice, no longer dead. He seemed intensely focused. I got up to approach Rosalie, she easily leaned into me inhaling my scent. I held onto her tightly as Edward shut the door behind them.

"Carlisle," he murmured.

"What is it, Edward?"

"Perhaps we've been going about this the wrong way. I was listening to you and Alex just now, and when you were speaking of what the... fetus wants, Alex had an interesting thought."

Me? I had a lot of thoughts, which one? Man, it was weird knowing he could hear me all the time, it was necessary, but it still felt like an invasion of privacy that I've never experience before.

"We haven't actually addressed that angle," Edward went on. "We've been trying to get Bella what she needs. And her body is accepting it about as well as one of ours would. Perhaps we should address the needs of the... fetus first. Maybe if we can satisfy it, we'll be able to help her more effectively."

"I'm not following you, Edward," Carlisle said.

"Think about it, Carlisle. If that creature is more vampire than human, can't you guess what it craves—what it's not getting? Alex did."

"Oh," he said in a surprised tone. "You think it is... thirsty?"

Rosalie hissed under her breath. Her perfect face was all lit up, her eyes wide with excitement. "Of course," she muttered. "Carlisle, we have all that type O negative laid aside for Bella. It's a good idea," she added, not looking at me.

"Hmm." Carlisle put his hand to his chin, lost in thought. "I wonder... And then, what would be the best way to administer..."

Rosalie shook her head. "We don't have time to be creative. I'd say we should start with the traditional way."

"Wait a minute," I whispered. "Just hold on. Are you—are you talking about making Bella drink blood?"

Rosalie looked at me "yeah... it could help"

That same ghost of hope that had been in Edward's face was now in the doctor's eyes. He pursed his lips, speculating. I scrunched my nose at the thought, though I shouldn't, I mean when I was in Canada I killed a caribou and ate part of it raw.

"Alex also thought the way to help Rosalie would be to eat food, that maybe that's why you keep having pain" Edward added, looking at the two of us as Carlisle began thinking of ways that would be best to give to Bella. "the baby isn't accepting the nutrition that the blood offers. What do you think, Carlisle? Can we try?" Edward asked.

Carlisle took a deep breath, and then he was on his feet. "We'll ask Bella. And it is Rosalie's choice whether she eats or not. But it couldn't hurt, you aren't getting the nutrition you need yourself. You can hardly stomach blood"

I looked at Rosalie who nodded "if it's what the baby wants then I should."