Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story-they are the property of the amazing and fantastic Stephenie Meyer. Don't worry, I'll put them back when I'm done.

This is a continuation of what happens after chapter 7 in Eclipse, so we'll switch gears to where Edward and Bella are, leaving Jake running for now.

Edward's POV:

I was confused. How could this be right for her? She had been in so much pain, her anguish wrenching at my heart. Of course, I had seen how she had been after I left in the dog's–wait, no, Jacob's, I really frustrated her when I referred to him as that–head–torn apart, mourning. But could this really be right? To take her away, forever, from the true love she should have had, would have had, had I not existed, if the world was as it should be?

We were in my Volvo now, driving to her house, prepared to tell Charlie the news of our engagement and marriage. My hand rested on her knee, and her head was propped comfortingly on my head. She was practically shaking. "It's going to be okay, Bella, sweetheart. He's been expecting this. Nothing bad will happen to you, I promise," I reassured her, unsuccessfully.

"It's not me I'm worried about. It's Charlie! What will he do without me there, cooking, doing laundry, talking to him? He'll whither away, a lonely old man, and I will know eternally that it's my fault!" she cried out, turning her head to nuzzle it into my shoulder. I stroked her smooth, brown hair, contemplating where all of her guilt came from. She always took blame for everything, despite the fact that none of it was ever actually her fault–there was often very little she could actually do to prevent herself from getting into trouble–it was simply her nature. Most things she blamed herself for were, in their entirety, my fault!

We arrived quickly at the small brick house, and I pushed down gently on the brake, not wanting to surprise her. I sifted quickly through the thoughts around me, searching for those of Chief Swan. I found the familiar tenor easily, and listened intently for clues about his mood. Where is Bella now? Probably off with Edward again, silly girl. But I need to give her more space. I don't want her to move out. Oh, and I need to call Billy about the game on Saturday...he should be home by now. If not, I'm sure Jake's home. I'll just leave a message... His thoughts continued to penetrate the thin barrier of mind, rambling on about things he had done at work that day, and things that still had to be done.

"Don't worry-he's in a good mood." I said, although that was debatable. He was still warming up to the fact that Bella was not grounded any more, and still desired a bit less of my presence. Maybe this wasn't the best time for this. But we only had a few months until the wedding, and who knew how quickly he'd learn to live with me? Better now than never.

We both climbed out of the car, me jogging casually to grab her hand as we walked up the short pathway to the front door. It was unlocked, so we stepped inside, Bella calling out, "We're home, Dad!" There was a soft grunt from the living room, and the sounds of a basketball game wafted through the short hallway between us. "We want to talk to you for a sec," she continued, getting right to the point.

We strolled casually into the living room, still holding hands, and despite her quick and to the point manner, I could feel intensity and stress coming off her in waves. "It's going to be fine," I whispered in her ear almost silently. She nodded, although I could tell she wasn't entirely convinced. We sat down on the sofa, and finally Charlie's attention turned to us.

"Dad, Edward and I are engaged," she announced timidly, still tentative.

But no one expected what happened next, as Charlie gasped and fell back in his chair, dropping the remote control for the TV on the ground next to him, his eyes wide open, and then he was still.

I hope you liked it! R&R, please! Sorry for the cliff-hanger, it should all be resolved in the next chapter! I'll try to get the next one up soon!