𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙋𝙏𝙀𝙍 𝙁𝙄𝙁𝙏𝙔 𝙎𝙄𝙓
ミ★ ( bewitched, act four ) ★彡

     Lilith lay comfortably in the makeshift hospital room in the Cullen home. She had been placed on top of the bed by Edward so they could get x-rays of her stomach to do a routine check up. It had been another two months since Lilith had placed the border up around the Cullen home and unfortunately things had taken a turn for the worse. She was growing weaker, paler and skinner while the baby was chewing up everything she had. Keeping the border up was only making things harder but she couldn't take it down as the wolves would sense it fall and attack, no matter how quickly she tried to hand it over to her parents to take care of, they couldn't.

Her parents only had enough power to protect the home, not anything further like Lilith could where she could provide them space for the Cullens to hunt and get some sustenance. It would be too much for the Bailey parents.

     Edward had been stepping up and taking care of her, along with Bella, Leah and Rosalie when he couldn't for reasons like researching and hunting. But, whenever the vampires got too hungry, Bella would take over with the help of Leah and sometimes even Seth.

     Sierra and Oliver had been able to lure small forrest animals to come towards the Cullen home, past the border so they would be able to feed whenever the grounds were sparse, and keep their control around the vulnerable people in the house, but, it was slowly becoming an issue as the wolves had caught on and began to sabotage their prey by eating them first before they could reach passed the border. It was on the rare occasion lately that they have been able to sneak a few animals in every now and again to keep the Cullens sane.

     Lilith was shocked that the wolves hadn't given up in the two months that went by; each day they continued to stand around the border and just wait for it to drop so they could attack. It was a slap in the face to see how much they truly hated her baby when they didn't know anything about it. They just had this fear of it and ran with that, making the unknown a lot more scarier than it was.

     "You rib is cracked." Carlisle pointed towards the x-ray, "But, there are no splinters. You haven't punctured anything."

     "Yet, I guess." Lilith let out a defeated sigh as she looked over at Edward to get him to help her sit up. The baby bump very large and her being too weak to be able to do anything with it in the way and holding her down, "I feel like I'm being crushed from the inside out if I'm being honest."

     "Lilith... I don't want to say this to make you upset, but, are you sure you want to keep doing this?" Edward asked her, his voice and eyes both soft as she spoke as he felt like he was walking on thin ice by asking her that question. After the fights that they had, he didn't want to start another one by bringing up the same topic over and over again, especially not when she was so fragile and vulnerable, "Because if you want to stop, we can just change you and we'll find a beautiful baby girl that looks just like the one in your dream to adopt."

     Lilith smiled at him, "I'm sure, just another month and half to go hopefully and then it'll be all over. We just have to stay strong and stay positive." She nodded. She needed to stay positive. She had read it all over her pregnancy books about how the baby constantly feeds off of the mother; including emotions, so she needed to make sure she wasn't doing anything to potentially harm the baby.

     Carlisle and Oliver sighed, "We unfortunately do need to tell you that the baby is starting to become not compatible with your body. It's becoming too strong and it won't allow you to get the nutrition you need." Oliver began to explain as he looked at the x-rays, "We can see it's starving you by the hour and we can't stop it or slow it down. Your heart might give out before you can even deliver. Are you sure you want to keep trying to hold on as long as possible?"

     Lilith knew that Edward wasn't going to like the answer she was about to give, but, she was never one to give up, and she wasn't going to give up on her baby just yet. Especially when there is a way to help her that they just haven't figured out yet, "I'm sure." She answered. Both Carlisle and Oliver looked at each other before giving each other a nod and walking out of the room together to give Lilith and Edward some privacy, "Are you mad?" Lilith asked in a quiet voice after a moment of silence.

     "No. I don't want to fight with you anymore." Edward answered her, "However, I am a little disappointed that you're not choosing yourself over the baby, but, I can't make these decisions for you, even though sometimes I feel as if you're making the wrong ones." He continued as he grabbed onto her hand, "I just feel selfish because I just need you, and I would be okay if we didn't have the dream family that we are looking for right now. I'm scared to love this baby as much as you do because if you two don't make it, then I lose both of you, and I can't handle that."

     "You won't lose any of us." Lilith shook her head, "I know the news has taken a bad turn, but, we have to remember that we just haven't found the solution for this yet—and it's out there—we just have to keep looking."

     "How do you know that what the high priest told you is true?" Edward asked her, "What if he is just trying to give you this false hope for it to just kill you in the end?"

     "I don't know, but, I have a feeling that he's telling the truth and that he does in fact want to help." Lilith responded with a sigh, "Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith when it comes to some people. They can surprise you a lot of the time."

     "Is that how you felt about me?" Edward asked with a raised eyebrow and Lilith chuckled as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders while he placed his hands on either sides of her bump.

     "Oh, yeah, I had to take a very big leap of faith on you considering the first interaction I had with you was you obviously covering your nose at Bella and I." She joked and he rolled his eyes at her response. She leaned in and gave him a kiss, "But, it all worked out in the end and I couldn't be any happier for it."

     "Me too." Edward agreed, "But, I just can't lose you. You're everything to me."

     "Don't worry, we will make it through." She assured him, "But, if not, and the baby does, you'll have a piece of me through her, and it'll be like I never left."

     "I don't know if I'll be able to feel that way." Edward responded sadly.

  Lilith's eyes hardened, "Edward Anthony Masen Jr. you will not abandon our child if I don't make it through."

     Edward looked down at his feet and bit back a smile at her, she was going to be an amazing mother once they figured out how to make sure both of them got through the delivery safely. She was already using the mother tone with him. He then looked up, "Can we not talk about you dying anymore? I don't like to think about it."

     Lilith's face softened. She hadn't thought about what it was probably like for Edward to think and hear about how his wife might not make it through the birth of his child. He loved her so much, and he probably loved their baby too almost just as much, but, would definitely feel conflicted when it would come to the situation they were in. Because he didn't want to lose Lilith, and he most likely wouldn't want to lose his child either. But, who was he morally supposed to choose? And how would he react to losing both of them, or just one of them? The possibilities were endless when it came to the outcome of Lilith's future, but, none of them were clear enough for anyone to know which one was going to happen.

     "I'm sorry." Lilith whispered, "This is really hard for you also." She assumed. She had been so wrapped up in her own feelings that she had disregarded how Edward would feel about everything. Edward always wanted what she wanted, along with her safety and happiness, but, with a life threatening pregnancy, her safety had to come first to him. But, it unfortunately took to her as if he didn't want the baby at all, when he did want a family and a child with her, if only it wasn't so dangerous and unclear.

     "It's hard watching you go through this knowing that there isn't anything I can do to stop it." Edward told her, "I feel powerless when I watch you go through this pain and struggle for our family, and I feel particularly guilty because I'm the one that did this to you."

     Lilith sighed, "Well, it does take two to make a baby, so I wouldn't feel too guilty about it all. And like I said to you when we were talking about changing me; a moment's worth of pain for an eternity's worth of happiness sounds worth it to me." She quoted herself and Edward smiled, "And besides, millions of women go through this everyday, and they make it out alive. I will too."

     "Well, I'm sure those women aren't carrying a vampire witch hybrid baby in their stomach." Edward stated as he began to move up upstairs towards the bathroom where he had heard Rosalie ask for him to bring Lilith to her for a bath.

     He had lifted her up bridal style as it was the most comfortable way for him to move her around from place to place without causing too much discomfort.

     It had felt as if something was clicking in her mind from Edward's comment but with her pregnancy brain and the sleepiness, she couldn't quite put her finger on it, causing her to hum and simply say, "I guess you're right."

     Lilith sat in the warm water of the bathtub, sighing with content as she felt the warm water hit her skin, feeling it soothe the aching muscles and bones. She then looked up to see Rosalie and Bella both staring, "Can we please not stare?" She pleaded with a vulnerable whisper, "It's making me uncomfortable."

     "We're just making sure you're okay." Rosalie put her hands up, "Anything can happen at anytime and I don't want Edward freaking out on me if something happened to you on my watch. I would freak out on me if something happened to you on my watch."

     "Rose, I'm okay, I promise." Lilith chuckled at the blonde haired vampire and her tendency to be slightly over dramatic, "I'm just very skinny to the point where I don't have any fat on my body besides my belly area and some of my boobs. I'm extremely weak, always tired, moody and sensitive, but, I'm okay."

     Bella snorted as she kneeled down besides the bathtub and placed her hand in the water, "I think you need to brush up on your definition of okay." She remarked, "Is the water okay? Is it too cold or too hot?"

     Lilith hummed, "The water is perfect, stop fussing." She answered and lightly slapped Bella's hand away from the water.

     "Sorry for wanting to make sure that you're comfortable, you have a tendency to lie about these things because you don't want to be a bother or an inconvenience to anyone else." Bella said sarcastically and Lilith rolled her eyes at her friend, lightly flicking some water at her.

     "Don't call me out like that." She fake glared at him, "But, speaking on not wanting to inconvenience you... I wanted to ask you guys something." Both Bella and Rosalie looked intrigued as to what Lilith could possibly want to ask of them and both made themselves comfortable before looking at Lilith expectantly for her to continue. The way she had leaded into it sounded a little strange to the point that she could ask for almost anything and they wouldn't know what to expect.

"I was thinking just before. Edward has been talking a lot and worrying about me not making it through this—which I feel might happen in case we don't figure out the solution, no matter how positive I'm trying to be about it—and he has been talking about his plans on what he might do in case we don't. And I realised I needed to make a plan also in case he doesn't either." Lilith began to explain and Bella raised an eyebrow.

     "What do you mean?" Bella questioned her best friend, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the discussion of Lilith's possible death.

     Lilith sighed and rested her arm against the edge of the bathtub, "If I don't make it through childbirth, but, the baby does, Edward might do something a little reckless because of it." She reiterated, "And I just need one of you to promise me that you'll take care of her for me in case neither of us are around to do it ourselves."

     "Basically be like a godparent?" Bella assumed and Lilith nodded her head. She then bit her lip and looked over at Rosalie who looked deep in thought. She would love to be the one to look after the baby, but, Bella didn't know much about vampires or babies—she didn't even know if she wanted a family yet and she was sure that both her and Jake were not ready in their relationship to look after one. Especially not the one that tore them apart in the first place. But, Bella knew how much Rosalie wanted to be a parent and have a family of her own. She knew how protective she was over the baby and it wasn't even born yet, she could only imagine how protective she would be once it did come.

     "I think Rose should be her godparent." Bella spoke and Rosalie looked over at her in shock, surprised that Bella would let her be that for her niece, "Rose wouldn't ever let anything happen to her, you know she would be safe with Rose around."

     Lilith let out a chuckle, "You are right, there wouldn't be anyone more protective than Rosalie."

     It was Rosalie's turn to roll her eyes, "You're saying that like it's a bad thing." She mumbled and Lilith chuckled harder.

     "It's not a bad thing, I just worry that she wouldn't be able to have any friends because you and Emmett can be intimidating." Lilith joked and Rose made a face.

     "Funny." Rose said sarcastically before grabbing the warm towel beside her, "For that one, you've lost tub time privileges. Time to get out."

     Lilith pouted at the blonde vampire, "But, it's so warm in here." She whined as she put her hands together in a begging motion, not wanting to get out of the warm water that was only slightly beginning to her cold, but still warm enough for her to want to stay in.

     "As cute as you look giving me the puppy dog eyes, it's time to get out and dry off." Rosalie said with a more softer tone, losing the joking mannerisms that she had earlier causing Lilith to pout further.

     "Fine." Lilith finally agreed once she looked at her fingertips and saw how shrivelled they looked from being in the water too long, looking at them in disgust.

     Rosalie helped Lilith stand up in the tub before her and Bella helped Lilith step out of it and began to dry her off gently and wrapping her into one of the white fluffy robes to keep her warm before they went to the room and put her in thick warm clothes because she couldn't stay warm anymore from how skinny she had become. Lilith stopped Rosalie from doing anything else, and the blonde vampire looked at Lilith in confusion, "Do you promise to look after her if Edward and I can't do it?" She asked her.

     Rosalie pursed her lips, "I already planned on it." She admitted, "She's my niece and I'd do anything for her, but, I'd rather focus on making sure you survive also."

     Lilith let out a sigh of relief that all of her bases were now covered at least to an extent, "I know, I know. I want that to. But, I just needed to make sure that if it all went very wrong that there would be someone willing to look after her like a parent."

     "Believe me, everyone loves this child in their own way, they just don't know how to express it or know how they feel about it because it might be killing you. And we love you too much to be okay with the thought of you dying." Rosalie explained, "But, if something were to happen to you and Edward, the entire family would step up and take care of her without a second thought."

     "I'm so grateful for you guys, you have no idea." Lilith said as she began to tear up while Bella and Rosalie gently rubbed her back to calm her down, "I put you guys through Hell and you're still here and willing to take care of me."

     Bella had gotten used to Lilith's mood swings where she began to just take them in stride and not even stress about them. She knew Lilith wasn't able to help it and she didn't want to make her anxious or stressed about them to make everyone feel more comfortable about it, "You're family, Lil." Bella told her, "You'd do anything for them, and you'd do the same for us."