A/N : Thank you to my one reviewer, SassyAni . To anyone else, if you read, please take the time to review. Like I said, I love any and all reviews, even if they're not particularly good ones! Oh and I'm a big Rosalie fan, so there will probably be a lot of Rosalie in story and I'm working on a Rosalie/Emmett story right now, so expect that soon!

Chapter 2
The Cruel and Bitter World

Edward sat staring out the window into the clear, empty night and dropped the phone onto the bed. He heard the shower cut off and dreaded the conversation he was about to have. Moments later, Bella came striding out of the bedroom in nothing but a towel. The look on her husband's face made her draw in a sharp breath. "Everything okay??

"Get dressed. We're going back to Forks in an hour," Edward said, barely bothering to turn his head. He hoped to have this conversation back in Forks, but knew by the look on her face, that it was going to happen right now. "Edward, what's happened?"

"There are things. Things that I didn't know and I should have. Now please get dressed and we'll talk about this." Her clothes sat on the bed, but she noticed the rest of her belongings were already packed and her suitcase was gone. "Where's my bags?"

"In the car." Bella grabbed the clothes and walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. They were doing so well and now it was like Edward was back to being evasive and unknowingly hurtful. Pulling on her jeans and sweater, she snatched the brush off the counter and ran it quickly through her wet hair. As the blow dryer started it's work, thoughts were racing through her mind. What if someone was hurt or the Volturi had already come? He could bite her know and it would be problem solved. If only she hadn't been so eager to make love to him again. Her hair was half dry when Edward knocked on the door. She turned the dryer off and walked out, brushing past Edward.

"I'm not going to like this, am I?" she asked as she threw her brush in her purse and searched for her Chapstick. "Bella, sit down." His tone was sharp. Bella spun around and glared at him, but sat regardless. "What is going on?"

"Alice called. Apparently, there are some things that we had no idea could happen and it involves you," Edward said. Perhaps easing her into this would be easier. "The Volturi are coming, aren't they? They know you haven't changed me and they've come to push you."

"No, nothing like that. Something else." Bella gave him a quizzical look and thought maybe he wasn't going to tell her. He was just going to drag her back to Forks and lock her in the house, leaving her oblivious to what was going on. "I wouldn't never do that." Edward said quietly. Bella's eyes widened and she stared at Edward. "You are NOT supposed to be able to do that." Edward realized that he hadn't been responding to Bella's actual voice, but her mind.

"I think it may have something to do with what's going on. Listen, have you been feeling okay?" Edward asked, remembering things from his many Family Health classes. "Of course. I felt wonderful until about ten minutes ago when you started getting me worried," Bella replied, upset that Edward was reading her thoughts. She didn't like him being able to know her every thought. "Why do you ask? What is going on?"

"I don't really know how to say this," Edward said, as he stared into the eyes he had fallen in love with and would die for. "Just say it."

"You're pregnant," Edward said, saddening as confusion and anger passed across Bella's eyes. She looked at him for a moment and then her face relaxed. She grabbed her purse and stood up, walking towards the door. "Bella, stop." Edward reached out to grab her hand and turn her. The action caused her to slip and she felt herself falling before Edward pulled her quickly back up. A fluttering in her stomach made her reach for it and she began to wonder if Edward hadn't been kidding.

"Edward, that isn't possible and even if it was, there is no way you would know now," Bella said, straightening her shirt and looking at him with eyes full of defiance. This was not a funny joke and the fluttering in her stomach wouldn't stop. She clutched the doorway for support, as Edward moved to take her in his arms.

"No. Do not try to coddle me. How in the hell would Alice know this?" Bella asked. "A vision, which Carlisle then researched a bit. Look, we're going to be late and I'm sure Carlisle can explain this better than I can. I hardly know what's going on Bella."

"Then let's go have a chat with Carlisle," Bella said, as she walked right past Edward and to the waiting car. He followed and as they pulled out, she stared back at the cabin and hoped that whatever Carlisle had to say would be better than her actually being pregnant.

Esme knocked quietly on Rosalie's door and listened for movement. When she heard none, she opened the door to see Rosalie sitting on the floor with a book in front of her. Esme sat gracefully in front of her, smoothing her dress as she landed. "What are you reading?" "A book," Rosalie replied without looking up. "Are you okay? Emmett said you were sorting some things out."

Rosalie suddenly snapped the book shut and looked into Esme's concerned eyes. Her anger softened and she turned, placing the book on a table. "Why is this happening?" Esme shrugged lightly. " I honestly don't know and no, before you ask, I don't know anything else."

"It's just not right, Esme. A baby deserves real parents who are warm and have unconditional love. You are a vampire and you know as well as I do that we are not normally warm and unconditionally loving people. Hell, we're not even people," Rosalie said, the anger she felt seeping into her voice. "You think we don't love unconditionally and care deeply about those around us? I know this isn't a normal thing Rosalie, but since when are we normal?" Esme's eyes looked almost hurt at Rose's description of them. She cared deeply for her adoptive children and she knew her love was unconditional.

"Of course we do Esme, but a baby? What will we do with a baby? This is not Bella, who is already weirdly prone to care about the undead. This is a baby who was forced into this situation by people who made selfish and stupid choices." Rose stood and walked to the couch sitting in the corner of her room. Esme walked over and sat down beside her. "Is this completely about Bella and the baby?"

"Yes." Rosalie replied stubbornly. The sorrow she had felt earlier, turned to anger, and then jealousy. Bella wanted so desperately to be a vampire and lose her human side, but here she was with something she would probably hate. "No," she finally said, as Esme continued looking at her.

"If you could be a real living, breathing, feeling, loving human again and have children with the man you loved, wouldn't you do anything for that?" "I love deeply, Rosalie. I have children who are real. Maybe not babies, but I have children who I care for and would kill for. You know that," Esme spoke quietly, but with truth in voice.

"I wanted a husband. I wanted the white house and the dog and the kids running in the yard. Things I wanted that I can never have know. Bella yearns to be like us and here she has everything I want. How is that even rightly close to fair?" Rosalie said, her jealousy now mixing with self-pity. Esme put her arm around Rosalie and the woman, who was still so much a girl, laid her head on Esme's shoulder.

"Darling, there are things in life, whether you are human or not that are absolutely unfair. Should we stop living because of that? I lost a child in my human life and got four in this one. Everything has a way of making itself happen if you wish and want it badly enough."

"There is no way that I can wish myself into being human again," Rosalie said, her eyes blinking back tears that would never come. "You never know," Esme said, as she kissed the top of Rosalie's head. Her most headstrong 'child' was unusually quiet and hurting in a place that Esme knew all to well.

A slight tap came from the door and Alice stuck her head inside. "They're here." A nod from Esme. "You don't have to do this," she said.

"I know." Regardless, Rosalie rose with Esme and they headed downstairs with Alice to see Bella and Edward coming in the front door, a look of relief across Edward's pale face and to everyone's surprise...a look of joy on Bella's.