Chapter Two
Course of Action
Grace Cullen-Swan

After reviving Charlie and getting him to see my point on the matter, I managed to convince him to let me go hunt for myself and collect blood for the baby.

I did not, however, ask him if I could use some of his huge fishing thermoses. That might be a nasty shock later.

After sufficiently gorging myself on enough blood to avoid having to feed for another few weeks, I set about on my task to keep both Bella and the baby strong.

I quickly found a mountain lion and pounced, taking it down with a quick snap of its neck. I made a small slit in its jugular with my teeth before quickly lining a thermos up with the blood flow to collect as much as possible. As I sat there watching the slow flow of blood, my mind couldn't help but wander.

I was afraid to tell Charlie just how horrendous the stories of hybrids I had heard were. Neither of the mothers survived in the two stories I had heard, and while I thought they were myths, I now had to treat them as absolute fact. I had to think of something, both of those women had been impregnated by Joham, a vampire 'scientist' that reminded me a lot of Dr. Frankenstein. His stories were so grizzly and fanciful that I didn't know what to really believe.

Joham and I met a century ago. He had seen me treating a woman who had fallen and scrapped up her hands on a street corner and had approached me to ask how I could stand her blood. After explaining, he was quite interested in my diet and the prospect of using it to stand his 'experiments' easier. I asked him what kind of science he was interested in, and immediately wished I hadn't have asked. He told me about all of the attempted 'mating experiments' that had ended in disaster from his lack of control before he had succeeded and managed to father two hybrids.

Then, I thought he was an absolute lunatic for having such conviction in a hallucination. Surely he just enjoyed human companionship like the Denali sisters. Surely the women were expecting from another man, a human. Surely this vampire was just delusional.

But now, I couldn't help but curse myself for not believing the stories. I wish I had believed him and told Carlisle and our boys about it and warned them. I wish I would've talked with Edward about it the moment I found out he and Bella were dating. I felt the weight of this situation resting on my shoulders with no idea what to do.

I knew Joham had said both of his 'host' were very weak by the end of the pregnancy due to the 'fetus' taking all vital nutrients. He never cared for the mothers, and treated the babies as objects. So, maybe that just meant I had to cater to both mom and baby. Blood for the baby so it didn't take all of Bella's, and good food and nutrients for Bella to keep her strong enough to carry the baby. That was the idea, however twisted and desperate it might be, but I had to follow through with it.

I wished I could contact Joham somehow to pick his brain about all of this. Or, better yet, one of his children to learn from them what exactly they need and what their mothers might have needed. I only ever met him that one time, by pure circumstance, so how could I possibly track him or his supernatural children down? I needed time. Time I didn't have.

By the time I ran out of daydreams, the mountain lion had been drained and provided several large thermoses full of blood. After disposing of all of the carcasses, I made my way back to the house and stored the thermoses in the back part of the fridge to keep them out of sight.

I climbed the stairs to the bathroom, glad my leg was finally healed, and stripped before showering all of the dirt and mud off of my body and out of my hair. Knowing Bella was asleep, I wrapped a towel around myself and crossed the short hall to mine and Charlie's bedroom.

"What are you still doing up?" I asked Charlie as I walked into the room, seeing him sitting up in bed staring at the wall blankly.

"I'm just thinking." He shrugged, acting as if I had pulled him out of a daydream. "She's going to be okay, right? You said something earlier about the stories you've heard being horrific, and it got me worried. Bella's going to be fine, right?" His dark eyes begged me worriedly.

Knowing there was no way I could live with myself if I lied to him, I sighed as I quickly threw on a nightgown and climbed into bed beside him. I sat against his side, so I could love on him and still see him at the same time.

"Charlie, I've heard only two stories about a human giving birth to a vampires child. The vampire, Joham, and I crossed paths a few decades before I found Edward. He saw me treat a woman who had fallen and asked how I could stand her blood, and that's when he told me my diet might suit his experiments better." I spoke calmly and carefully.

"Experiments?" Charlie shuddered. "He called them experiments?"

"Yes." I grimaced. "Well, I thought he must've been delusional and that the woman must've just gotten pregnant by a human male, but now I have to believe him. And if I'm to believe him, that means I have to believe all of the gory details as well." I sighed.

"Grace, please don't say what I think you're about to say." Charlie tensed up as if he was going to vomit, catching my hands in his firm strong fingers.

"The two women he impregnated didn't survive." I whispered, too overcome by his emotions to speak any louder.

Charlie broke down then. It was the worst I had ever seen him cry as he sobbed into my shoulder. Bella's near death car accident seemed like falling off of a bike and scrapping a knee compared to this. He clawed at me, knowing he wouldn't hurt me, as he tried to comfort himself enough to calm down.

"Charlie." I cooed, wrapping myself around him tightly. "I am not going to let that happen. I have a plan much more detailed than that monster Joham's. He only cared about seeing his experiment survive to full term, he didn't care for the mothers, and so I think I can get both Bella and the baby through this if I stay on top of things."

"You realize you're going to have to think of solutions before the problem even presents itself, don't you? With how fast that kid is growing, as soon as something goes wrong, Bella could be dead." He choked on the word, unable to imagine such a fate for his prized daughter.

"I know, I know." I hushed him, hearing Bella stir across the hall. "I'm trying to think of everything, that's partially why I'm going to try a blood diet with her. I'm going to try everything in my power and then some." I swore to him.

Bella cried out softly at that moment, and I knew I needed to go check on her, so I kissed Charlie's head and promised I would be back as soon as she was asleep again. I crept across the hall and gently opened her bedroom door. She was curled up in bed, facing the door, so her wide brown eyes fell on me the instant I opened the door.

"Hey Bells." I cooed sweetly, walking to the bed and sitting softly on the edge beside her. "Bad dream?" I asked, rubbing soothing circles on her shoulder blade and back.

"No." She shook her head. "A good dream." She cried, thick tears streaming from her eyes.

"A good dream?" I questioned her. "Then why are you crying, sweet girl?"

"Because I just wish it was real." She sighed. "He's never coming back, is he?" She cried and my heart lurched in pain for her.

"I don't know, Bella." I told her truthfully.

"And I'm really having his baby."

"You are." I nodded, hearing the baby's fluttering heartbeat just under Bella's. "It's heart is just beginning to get really strong."

"Really?" Her eyes widened a little bit in wonderment. "So you really think I'm about fourteen weeks?"

"Well, since your exam earlier, I've noticed some more development so I think it's actually somewhere around sixteen." I confessed. "I wouldn't be surprised if you started to feel it move soon."

"Wow." Bella spoke, the first word on her mind. "Hopefully it'll slow down. I can't keep up much longer." She sighed.

"Why is that?" I asked.

"I thought it was just the depression, but I think now that I know I've been pregnant these past few weeks, I've just been really achy and tired at times. It's like the life's literally being drained from me." She revealed.

"Oh, well, I have some things to try to help you keep up your strength from now on." I told her. "We'll start that in the morning. You should get some more rest before school."

"Okay." She nodded, settling back down, a clear burden having been lifted off of her for the meantime. "Thanks, Mom." She yawned and I kissed her head before going back across the hall to Charlie.

"How is she? What's wrong?" Charlie asked the moment I entered the room.

"She's fine, she just had a dream that made her emotional. I talked her through it and convinced her to lay back down." I told him, crawling back into bed beside him. "I know it's terrifying, but we have to be strong for Bella right now. She's afraid, just like we are, but if we let her know about the stories and pain we're only going to terrify her. That's only going to put more strain on her and that's not good for her or the baby." I explained.

"You're right." He nodded, pulling me into his arms. "I don't know what I would ever do without you, Grace. Thank you for staying by me."

"I didn't take 'till death do us part' lightly" I teased him and was rewarded with a soft grin. "I love you, Charlie. We'll make it through this, no matter what I may have to do, Bella is going to be okay." I promised him and I meant every word.

If it comes down to it, I'm more than willing to take myself and Bella out of school so I can track down Joham and get more answers. Or, worst case possible, I could always figure out a way to change her last minuet. Bella is going to survive this no matter what I have to do.

"Here, let's lay down so you can get some sleep." I urged him. "You have a long workday tomorrow." I reminded him.

"Yeah, you're right." He nodded, getting under the covers and pulling me against his side. "I love you."  He promised me in the dark, and I kissed him sweetly before letting him settle down.

He fell asleep quickly, his face immediately being wiped of the worry and stress lines that have been a constant feature lately, and I couldn't help but marvel at my husband. After so many years without him, it seemed funny to me that now I couldn't imagine going a day without hearing his voice. I prayed that no matter what happened this perfect man would stay by my side, since my brother had obviously left it.

Before thoughts of my brother and family could settle into my mind, I pushed them out and focused on Charlie's deep breathing and the two sweet heartbeats across the hall.

In the morning, after getting both Charlie and Bella up and moving, I called them both down to breakfast. I was trying to be inconspicuous about the metal water bottle sitting at Bella's place at the table, but of course nothing gets past her and Charlie.

"What's this?" Bella asked immediately as I set her and her dad's plates in front of them.

"Tea." I answered quickly, before Charlie could say anything. "Hot tea, you know, for the baby." I smiled at her before sending Charlie a sharp look when she looked away.

She apprehensively opened it and took a careful drink of the hot blood. Charlie and I were both tense as we watched her. I was praying it would work while Charlie was praying he wouldn't gag.

"It's good." Bella nodded eagerly, beautiful brown eyes widening in surprise, before taking several long drinks of it. "Thank you." She smiled at me, some blood in her teeth.

Charlie bolted from the table and up the stairs to the bathroom to vomit. He practically tripped the entire way upstairs to get there in time.

"Is he okay?" Bella asked, eating her breakfast with a little more enthusiasm than I had previously seen her have. "He looked green."

"He's fine." I nodded, too happy about the sound of Bella's heartbeat picking up to worry about Charlie's weak stomach. "Just enjoy your breakfast, make sure you drink all of that tea, please." I asked her, washing my hands before going to the stairs.

"I will." She nodded, actually enjoying herself, and I smiled at her before climbing the stairs.

"Charlie? You okay, love?" I asked through the door.

He opened it and quickly pulled me inside, shutting and locking the door behind us.

"That was the most disgusting thing I've ever seen." He coughed, still looking like he might be sick again.

"Oh really? You're the Chief of Police and have one of the weakest stomachs when it comes to blood that I've ever seen. I'm sure you've seen plenty of grizzly accidents." I reminded him.

"Well...yeah." He nodded. "But that was a lot to handle just then."

"Her heartbeat surged once that blood got in her system. She's already getting stronger, Charlie. This could be what gets her through this." I smiled widely at him. "I know it's a disturbing thought, but this is good for her, obviously, and so you're just going to have to get past this one." I sighed. "I'm thrilled about the progress already, and I'm excited to see what else it helps. This could be huge for her."

"Okay." He nodded. "You're right, as always. I'll just have to not think about it."

"Good." I nodded.

Another wave of nausea overcame him then, and he couldn't help but throw up violently.

"Maybe I should send it to school with her from now on." I noted.

"Maybe." He agreed with a wry smile.