𝑺𝑶𝑳𝑺𝑻𝑰𝑪𝑬 [𝑯𝑨𝑹𝑹𝒀 𝑷𝑶𝑻𝑻𝑬𝑹/𝑻𝑾𝑰𝑳𝑰𝑮𝑯𝑻]

𝐹𝐴𝑇𝐸

"H-how?" Gwen asked, looking up to Edward with a confused look. She couldn't quite believe her ears, was this some sick joke? She knew there were half-breeds, but Edward had said they were completely sterile...In over the 100 years the Cullens had all been together, how had they not come across one of their kind impregnating a human?

"That's impossible" Edward muttered into the phone, the same confusion in his eyes.

"Edward, it's killing her!" Alice said in a panicked but whispered voice. "She made me promise I wouldn't say anything! We stayed on the island as long as possible, but the fetus is growing too fast! Carlisle believes she should be having the thing soon! I can't do this anymore! It's killing her! It's killing Bella!"

"Alice, what are you saying?" Edward snarled. "This isn't possible!"

"Bella is pregnant!" Alice cried. "I didn't realize it when we got to the Isle Esme, she wasn't pregnant yet but then she disappeared! I couldn't see her anymore. Edward...I can't see her future anymore. Nothing but black..."

Gwen watched as Edward's facial expression completely changed as Alice's words overwhelmed him. He had turned completely into a sculpture; a true vampire. She watched him stop breathing all together and could practically see his mind racing.

The raven-haired woman took charge, taking the phone away from him

"Alice?" Gwen called out, taking the phone off of speaker. "It's Gwen. Where are you now? What can we do?"

She looked up at Edward once more, seeing his expression had not changed. Edward's stare seemed glassy, as if he couldn't see anymore.

She expected Alice's sharp voice, but instead, she was met with a quieter tone, "We're home. We made it a few hours ago. I know that you're here and I haven't been the best towards you, but I-I need help. I-I don't know what to do--"

"We'll be right there."

"Thank you..." Alice said quietly. "I had no idea who to turn to, Rosalie is--"

"Is she okay?"

"Just...Please come, as soon as you can."

The two women hung up the phone, as Gwen turned back to Edward.

"Gwen--" Edward said weakly, his eyes full of disbelief and guilt. He stared up at her with a face that looked a thousand years old. "I-I didn't know," he said, the words as quiet as a breath. "I never dreamed...How could I have known that a human was able conceive a child with one of us—"

"The intermingling of species isn't unheard of" Gwen managed, keeping her mind on the logical side of things to help her from spinning into her emotions. "Half-breeds are common in the wizarding world--"

"But this isn't the wizarding world--"

Gwen raised her eyebrow at his tone.

"I'm sorry, it's a lot to process" Edward sighed, looking regretful at his tone. "I know they're out there, the sadistic ones, the incubus, the succubus. They exist. But the seduction is merely a prelude to the feast. No one survives."

He shook his head like the idea revolted him. Like he was any different.

Gwen shook her head, "Listen, you had no idea this was going to happen. You had no idea you could even get her pregnant!"

Edward suddenly froze, turning towards the bed they had just spent hours on together and back to her. And when he looked back at her, his eyes were half-crazed with an expression like someone had lit him on fire. His hands were rigid claws at his side.

"I did this" Edward muttered desperately. "I put it inside of her. I'm killing her. I could have--" Edward eyes suddenly grew wider, his eyes moving towards her bed and back to Gwen. "I could have done this to you. I don't know what I was thinking--how could I--"

"Just because the baby will be a half-breed doesn't mean it's going to kill her."

Edward paced around, unable to be consoled. Gwen herself, felt a rush of guilt as she felt a frustration and even jealousy at the situation. For a few moments, despite everything that was happening, she believed everything would be okay between them. For a few moments, she had hope they could be together...And just in a few seconds, a gnawing feeling began to grow as she wondered if she had lost Edward again.

"Go" Gwen said, feeling as though she hadn't quite digested the news. "Your family needs you, go."

Edward hesitated, his mind still racing and his eyes full of guilt. "I'm going to fix this."

"Edward...You're having a baby" Gwen managed, swallowing hard. "How are you going to fix this?"

"We'll get it out of her" Edward said, his words barely a whisper. "I'm sure Carlisle will be on the case now."

"What? What do you mean?"

"That thing growing inside of her is an abomination! It'll kill her! We have to get it out of her, you heard Alice. That thing will kill her."

"Alice also said the baby was almost due--"

"We don't even know what the fetus will turn out to be!"

"Edward, you have magic on your side now."

"And how long before we get that magical help?" Edward asked, his eyes growing sadder by the second. "They don't even want us there, and now? How could they want to help a vampire and a muggle?"

He stopped without warning and pivoted to face her. His expression froze her again. For a second she was just a kid. Just a child. Because she knew she would have to live a lot more, suffer a lot more, to ever understand the searing agony in Edward's eyes.

She could see the agony of pain and guilt in them: the loss of Tanya, Eleazar, Bella, everything that had happened...

"I'm sorry I--" Edward began.

"No" Gwen said quietly. "You have a point. It hasn't exactly been easy. How many promises have I made you that things would get better? I'm just saying, there might be ways to save her."

"I just don't see that happening..."

"Regardless on what you want, Bella is going to do everything in her power to keep this baby."

"But how could she? This thing is killing her!"

"You don't know Bella very well, do you?" Gwen asked him, as the gnawing feeling in her stomach continued to grow. Bella would do anything in her power to keep Edward, even carrying a dangerous pregnancy to term. They would forever be intertwined...And Gwen, forever an interloper in Bella's perfect family...

"What?"

"She's going to want to keep the baby, to keep you."

Edward went quiet, looking at her with sad eyes as though a realization came to his head. "I meant what I said. I am yours. There is no going back. I won't let anything stop me from being with you, as long as you will have me."

"You're having a baby--"

"My duty almost killed me once" Edward muttered. "I was but a shadow of myself. These last few moments with you, I knew what living could truly be like for me. That strong unexplained pull I have always felt with you, when we were together just now--It felt complete, like we were meant to be in that place and time. For an immortal being, I never once believed in fate. I did not believe I was destined for something so great such as love. But I now believe that the fates chose differently for us both and in this universe, in our lifetime, we were led to each other. Despite it all. I will not run from fate. I will not let you go again for duty. Whatever happens, we will figure this out together."