Better Than Revenge

Seth's POV:

I was kind of fascinated. I mean, she looked like a new baby on the outside - an unusually beautiful baby, but a baby. Except she was one of a kind. Literally.

Elena held her lovingly in her arms like she was her own. I felt my jaw loosen and a smile start to form.

"Come over here." She said quietly.

As I got closer, the smile grew. Elena smiled back up at me. It was hard to believe this little being was the thing inside Bella that nearly killed her. This baby was the cause of all that crazy stress and drama that's been around for the past month.

Well, not all of it.

"Do you want to hold her?"

I sort of hesitated, but it was only because I didn't really know how to hold a baby. I couldn't tell Elena that.

I held out my arms and Elena set hers over them, letting the baby gently fall into the space. She kept her hands beneath mine just to be safe.

I smiled again. The baby slept soundly, taking long and slow breaths. How could Sam want to destroy such an innocent creature?

"She's beautiful." Elena whispered, touching the baby's cheek with the back of her finger.

I nodded. "What did they name her again?"

"Reneesme."

I didn't notice Jacob, leaning against the wall like he was. He chimed in and it surprised me, especially after what just happened with Bella. She was okay for now, but it really scared him. It scared all of us.

I was under the impression that he didn't get to see the baby yet, mostly because Elena was hogging her. I was careful with my feet in walking over to him.

He straightened up tall, like I was presenting him with a piece of royalty. He kept his eyes locked on the baby as I handed her over to him. I knew right away.

My jaw dropped, but I picked it up. "Jake."

He looked up quickly but dropped his eyes to the baby again with a hard gulp.

I blinked. "Bella's baby?"

He pretended I didn't exist.

I spun around to Elena. She didn't understand; there was no way she could. She couldn't feel what Jacob felt. She didn't realize that the baby in his arms was the thin but unbreakable string of thread holding him to earth.

. . . . . . . .

Valerie's POV:

"Dad, please, I just need to -"

"I don't want you seeing them."

"Why!"

"Because I said so, and that's the end of it."

I was ready to pull my hair out. "Dad, I just need to make sure everything is okay. I'll only be a few minutes, I promise."

"I don't like the influence they have on you. You look like you haven't slept in days."

"Influence?" I laughed. "I just had trouble sleeping last night. I drank too much soda before bed. It has nothing to do with their influence on me!"

"The Clearwater boy." Dad spat at me. "It's taking its toll on you, I see it. I don't want you seeing him anymore."

I sighed. "But-"

"Valerie, that's enough!"

I bit my tongue to keep from screaming. Then I came up with a brilliant idea. "Okay, I don't want to see them. But Bella asked me to come visit her, and I know she's sick, but she needs me."

It completely backfired. My dad's nostril's flared. "Charlie hasn't seen her at all since she got sick, and you expect me to allow you to visit? How stupid do you think I am?"

I reduced to begging. "Dad, please, you need to understand -"

"Don't lie to me, Valerie! What's gotten into you?"

It wasn't worth screaming about. I ignored him completely, storming to my room and sinking my face into my pillow. I let out a good scream.

Then I stood up, took a look in the mirror, accepted that I wasn't the same person anymore, and lifted open my window to crawl out and onto the mushy grass.

I made sure to set myself into autopilot before getting anywhere near the Cullen's house. It's the only way I could ever get through anything vampire related. I'd have to work on that.

Getting inside was easy enough. Someone fairly harmless answered the door and allowed me in. It didn't register who exactly it was - I was on autopilot. They directed me upstairs, so I tried to keep myself from running. I needed to find someone, either Jake or Seth. Someone to ease my heart from beating so fast in a house full of bloodthirsty vampires.

. . . . . . . .

Seth's POV:

It sounded like an elephant was stomping up the staircase. It disturbed the peace that just started to set back in.

She seemed to be panicking, like she couldn't get up here fast enough. She reached the top step gasping for air. "Val?"

She tossed her hair away from her face. "Is everyone alright?"

I could see that she needed comfort, so I stepped away to pull her into my chest. "Everyone's fine."

She sighed heavily on my shoulder. I felt her melting in my arms, and her fingers anchored in the back of my shirt. I squeezed her closer.

"Seth, I think Jacob could use a glass of water." Elena rubbed my back with one hand and basically separated us with the other.

"I'm fine." Jacob insisted.

Valerie broke away from me and focused on Jake now. It bothered me, but then I remembered that Jake couldn't love her the same way anymore, so I didn't have anything to worry about. It was the first time I actually realized how jealous I was.

She didn't say anything, just filling the space between his arms that still bothered me.

The baby whimpered, fidgeting in Rosalie's arms. Val turned slowly away from Jacob and caught sight of her for the first time.

She covered her mouth with her hands after a minute. "Oh, my God."

Rosalie was still calm. "She must be hungry."

Jacob became concerned. "What will she eat?"

Rose offered the baby into Jake's arms. "I'll be right back."

Jake looked over to me with a sort of helpless expression.

"She'll probably feed her the same thing Bella's been eating." I guessed.

Valerie's eyes were as wide as her face could allow. She wanted to get closer, but she couldn't move.

I reached my hand out to her. "It's okay."

She slipped her fingers through mine and stepped right up next to Jake. "She looks so...normal."

The little whimpers stopped for the time being, but her tiny eyes were open wide, staring at all of us. It seemed like she took her time, taking in each face and setting it in her memory.

"Hi, baby." Val smiled big and poked her finger between Reneesme's fingers. The baby held onto her with her tiny fingers.

I peeked up at Jacob. He was grinning like a goofball. "And you made fun of me for smiling like that?" I teased.

He rolled his eyes, but I took it as an apology.

Val looked back and forth between us, trying to read past our faces. She spent extra time staring at Jake, and how he was particularly fond of the so-called demon child that nearly killed Bella.

"How are we doing?" Carlisle set his hands on my shoulders. Rosalie stood behind him.

"What do we feed her?" Jacob asked again, noticing Rosalie's empty hands.

"I want to hold off on that for right now." Carlisle reached to take the baby from Jacob, but he wouldn't give her up.

"But she's hungry. Right?"

Carlisle nodded. "I'll have to make sure she's healthy and stable, and then we can figure out what would be best to feed her."

Jacob reluctantly offered the child into Carlisle's arms. He made it seem like he was tearing himself in half.

Valerie noticed. She stared at him again, but this time his eyes met hers. The realization slapped him in the face. She broke the stare-down, folding her arms across her chest. She wasn't sad, she wasn't angry. Just, surprised. I guess.

Carlisle took Reneesme into another room, maybe just getting the hint that he was a grandfather in his early thirties - well, early three-hundreds. He asked for Elena to follow him.

She kissed the side of my mouth before I could even see it coming. "See ya, Sethy."

I avoided eye contact with both Jake and Val, but I don't think they were even looking at me. We were all quiet for a few seconds, and Valerie broke it with a few giggles. I couldn't tell if she was laughing, though.

She smiled, touching Jake's arm. "It's okay. Second place is growing on me."