AN: This chapter is un-beta'd at the moment. It will be replaced when I get the changes made. All things Twilight belong to SM.

The funny thing about getting my period was that I didn't pay attention to it unless it was insanely heavy. I didn't mark it on the calendar, or have the ability to mentally count the days from my last cycle. As long as I got it, I was good.

When the first month passed and it never came, I didn't even notice. When the second month passed and I saw that I had a lot more extra tampons than I was used to, it made me pause and wonder. Not to mention the occasional nausea, vomiting, and fatigue. I had a perfectly viable excuse for it all. The fatigue was because I was wearing myself thin by working double shifts throughout the week. The sickness was due to the food poisoning I got a few weeks back that left remnants of nausea that I just couldn't kick. I was just sick I told myself repeatedly until I could no longer deny the possible reason behind it all.

Feeling like a sixteen year old girl, I made an embarrassing trip to the drug store. The visit should have taken no more than ten minutes. Pick a test, pay for it, and get the fuck out of there. However, there were way too many pregnancy tests on the market these days – digital, early response, blue strip, pink plus sign, one that probably sliced, diced, and sautéed. Finally, I decided on the digital one hoping that there was no way for me to wrongly read a false positive or negative.

Yelling a quick hello to my dad, I ran up the stairs and locked the bathroom door. Before sitting on the toilet to pee on the stick that had the potential to change everything, I yanked my underwear down hoping to see at least the smallest hint of blood. Nothing.

Three minutes. I was expected to wait three minutes after pissing on the plastic. I stared at the stick like it held the reason for my existence…

There was one day a few years ago, at nineteen I think, when I was joking around with Emmett and asked him if he would be the godfather to Edward's and my love child. We laughed about it. It was also the first time we had gotten into his family's liquor cabinet.

After reading the results, I would have to ask Emmett again if he'd like to be his nephew's godfather.

~'Cause baby you're worth it~

It shouldn't be this hard. I wasn't a teenager and I held a full-time job; albeit the grocery store wasn't where I envisioned myself five years ago.

Charlie was going to be so disappointed in me - not that I made him the proudest father in the past. There was a point in my life where I had been rebellious. I did poorly in school and I hadn't made much of myself since graduating. I was still living at home with no prospects of moving out. Adding a child into the mix was not going to put any points in my column.

I ambled down the stairs, unsure of how I was going to break the news to my dad. I had to do it sooner than later. I loitered around the door and watched as he paid strict attention to the television. Charlie was a simple man. He enjoyed his work, a good dinner, and a beer while he watched whatever manly program he found on our basic cable package.

"You're going to have to repaint the frame if you keep picking at it like that," Charlie spoke without taking his eyes off the TV.

I entered his domain, dragging my feet. I wouldn't say I had worked up the nerve to tell him, but it was definitely now or until I couldn't hide it anymore. This was not something I had any desire to hide from him.

I sat down next to him on the sofa, watching the basketball game without really seeing anything. I couldn't bring myself to look at him just yet. I was ready to crack and I hadn't even murmured the words that he was going to dread.

In an instant the television went black and the only thing visible was our own reflections. Mine looked pretty pathetic staring back at me.

"Talk to me," he demanded gently.

I shifted my body to look at him – the man that wanted nothing but the best for a daughter that never proved her worth.

"I…" I started but abruptly stopped when my lip began to quiver. Looking into Charlie's frightened eyes was gut wrenching. Before it could even register, two tears quickly crashed down to my hands which were placed tightly on my lap.

"What's wrong?" He was frantic with worry. His body jerked left than right, unsure of his movements and what needed to do to make the situation better. "We can fix it! Whatever it is we can fix it, but you have to tell me."

I shook my head sadly. This wasn't something that could just be fixed. Not like everything that he had to help me fix.

"I'm so sorry, daddy," I cried. I was sure that he would misunderstand what I was apologizing for. I wasn't sorry for the baby that I carried and already loved with my whole being – it was half Edward's, after all. I was sorry for not being the daughter that he deserved. I was sorry for not being more for him. I was sorry for putting him in a predicament that he would want no part of.

"Shh, baby. Please don't cry." He cradled me in his arms as if it was completely normal. Truth be told, neither of us were overly affectionate, always overtaken by the awkwardness of it all. We knew who we loved and why, but we never seemed to find a reason as to why we had to show it.

I pulled back in an effort to control my emotions. If I stayed hugged in his arms, I would stay there and revert back to daddy's little girl that could do no wrong but did so time and time again.

"I have to tell you something," I wheezed out. He looked at me expectantly, but lovingly and patiently. "I'm pregnant," I finally confessed.

I waited for the fall out of his ire, and I wasn't disappointed. I felt him freeze before subtly pushing away from me. My heart sank. I didn't expect his support, but I hoped for it.

We sat in silence for over fifteen minutes. Charlie alternated between holding his head in his hands and staring blankly at the ground. I couldn't tear my eyes away from him. The silence was deafening, maddening even, but I was too scared to be the one to break it.

Finally, he sighed deeply. "I guess it's not as bad as going to jail," he said to the ground. "That's what I thought you were trying to tell me." The silence returned for long minutes before he spoke again. "So you're pregnant." I nodded even though it seemed that refused to look at me. "And you know who the father is, right?" He looked at me pointedly.

"Yes, dad."

"Does he know yet?" I shook my head. "Who's the father, Bella?"

"Edward."

Charlie threw his head back with a groan. I was sure he knew about my feelings for Edward. More than once had he walked in on me confessing my undying love for Edward to his brother or caught a glance at my endless notebooks that had 'Mrs. Edward Cullen' written within a heart from years ago. It was only recently that I'd stop doing that. Charlie probably thought it was a lot more harmless than it really was. Really, it was harmless up until an hour ago. I was even doubtful that Emmett understood the full extent of how much Edward owned my heart.

Charlie was a fan of Edward, but how that benefited me I wasn't sure. He always admired Edward's hard work and dedication; not only to his studies and career, but to his family and community. I'm sure Charlie thought I was capable of corrupting Edward if I ever got my claws into him.

"Does Emmett know?" He sounded tired- aged dramatically since I broke the news less than an hour ago.

"No. I just found out. You're the first person I told."

"I'm honored," he deadpanned. Another huff. "So what are your plans?" He continued without letting me answer. "How are you going to handle this? Do you realize how hard it's going to be to raise a baby – a child – on a cashier's salary? You have no real career or degree." He got up and began pacing the length of the living room. "You're still on my health insurance for god's sake, Bella," he stated as if I hadn't already known that.

"I know, Dad, I know," I responded meekly, willing myself not to cry again. "But I want to keep the baby, Dad." I knew what it was like to not be wanted. "I'm not asking you to support this baby. I was just hoping you could support me with my decision. I know that bringing a baby into this world isn't the smartest thing, but I can do this."

"And what makes you think you can? What do you know about raising a baby?" I could tell that he was trying to contain his frustration. While I appreciated it, it was still a hard pill to swallow knowing that Charlie was not only upset with me, but thought I couldn't be a good mother.

"I don't know," I answered honestly. Really, I hadn't thought much about it. It was just…a feeling. I knew what I shouldn't do; my own mother being a prime example. "If I need help, pointers, or whatever I could ask Sue or Esme," I reasoned.

Sue and my father had been seeing in each for the past six years. She was there through my rough patch in high school, and more than once, was the voice of mothering advice. Between her and Em's mother, I was okay in the positive female role model department.

I hadn't spoken to my mother, Renee, in years. She was never mother of the year and I accepted that at the young age of ten when I finally took notice of how Emmett's parents treated their kids. Esme was always there, even when she was working. I heard her say numerous times that she was only a phone call away, even extending it to me if I were to need her for something. Their dad, Carlisle was a workaholic, but still made time for them when he was home and called often throughout the day.

My mother, by comparison, was as far from Esme on that spectrum as one could get. Where Esme took me in, Renee abandoned me. I didn't realize that's what it was until the age of eleven. There were phone calls, letters, and eventually e-mails full of promises of visits and shopping trips. As a young child, every correspondence had me sitting on the porch steps waiting for my mom to arrive. Charlie humored me more often than not by sitting out there with me, but he knew. He knew she wasn't coming.

My senior year of high school I was finally ready to cut all ties. It was hard, as a child, to know that your mother felt that you held her back. It was a slap in the face to get a phone call telling me that I was going to be an older sister. Renee was beyond ecstatic to find out that she was having another baby. A chance to "get it right this time" as she referred to it.

What was so wrong with me?

I was done. School, friends, and housework took a backburner. I spent weeks telling Charlie to get out of my face; that he didn't know shit about me. In my struggles to convince him that I no longer cared about the high school experiences, the diploma that my hard work would have earned me, I somehow managed to start believing the lies. With less than three months left of school, and graduation on the horizon, Emmett and Charlie banded together and told me, in not so many words, to get my shit together. After missing nearly six weeks of classes, notes, tests, and homework, Emmett helped me catch up. His own worked had to have suffered, but I was too much of a coward to confirm my suspicions. On his part, Charlie fought the school to prevent them from taking me off the rooster after having missed so many days. I was put on lockdown until graduation – if I managed to graduate at all. In the end, I did, but just barely. Getting into any college was damn near impossible, and if I was being honest with myself, not something I wanted to pursue anyway.

"Tell me the truth, Bella." He waited until he was satisfied that he had my undivided attention. "Did you get pregnant on purpose to trap Edward?"

My eyes widened at his question and my heart broke. Did he really think so little of me? We both knew that I made some regretful decisions in the past, but surely his opinion of me couldn't have dropped so low.

"Of course not! It was a lapse in judgment - my judgment," I clarified, unwilling to throw Edward under the bus. "I'm not trying to trap Edward. I don't expect anything from him."

"You need to tell him, Bella."

"I am. I will," I corrected myself. "It's just…I'm still trying to wrap my head around this, too. I told you because…you're my father and it was important that you know."

With a defeated sigh he closed his eyes and began rubbing them slowing. "I'm your father, Edward is someone else's father now. He needs to know sooner than later."

He walked away before I could assure him that I didn't intend to make Edward wait too long.

I hadn't even given the rest of the Cullen family a second thought in the short time from being unsure to being a future mother. The Cullens were always good to me as I was Emmett's best friend. Not only had they babysat me in my younger years, but hosted birthday parties and invited me along on family vacations. I couldn't even fathom what they would think. A small, very optimistic part of me hoped that they would accept the pregnancy with no questions asked. However, the realistic part – the part of me that knew the Cullens – was aware that this would be a blow to the traditional parents.

~'Cause I know that's a good place to start~

"I have something to tell you," Emmett and I said at the same time. I laughed and told Emmett to go first. I could use a little more time. It had been two weeks since I told Charlie and every day since he'd ask me if I had told Edward or Emmett yet. Every day I was met with a nod of disappointment when I confessed I had not.

"I met this girl this morning at the gas station. She was beautiful, Bella. Like, she was ethereal," he gushed all starry eyed. I shouldn't have been surprised that he used such a word to describe a female.

"Yeah?" I asked excitedly. It was unusual for Emmett to be so excited over a girl, especially since they threw themselves at him since high school. He was always the complete opposite of Edward. Where the females seemed to ignore Edward, Emmett couldn't beat them away with a stick. Emmett had game – I witnessed myself a time or two – but he remained the perpetually single type.

"So what happened? Did you get her number? Did you give her yours?"

"We did. We exchanged numbers, but I haven't called her. She said she was on her way to work so I'm going to give her a call tonight."

"I'm so excited for you." I crashed into him for a tight hug. His happiness was my happiness. "What's her name?"

"Huh. What 'til you hear this." He put his palms up for dramatic effect. "Rosalie. Even her name is sexy."

I ran through all the females in Forks I knew and not one Rosalie came to mind.

"Is she new?"

"Yup. Moved here over the holidays." He sighed contently before shifting his eyes over to me. "Your turn now."

I had to break the news gently to him. This was big after all. My news would dramatically change both of our lives forever and I needed to ease him into this information.

"Me and Edward had sex at your Valentine's party and now I'm pregnant and Edward's the father and that makes you an uncle."

With comically wide eyes, not unlike an owl's, he blinked at me, letting the news sink in. I could tell the moment it did. His eyes returned to their normal size and he huffed out a laugh.

"You're joking right," he asked with a smile. His smile faded when I didn't answer and his face become serious. "Tell me you're joking, Bella," he demanded. I shook my head.

I didn't expect him to jump for joy with me – though that would have been nice – but I wasn't expecting what he gave me either. He almost looked stress out himself; like he was the father.

"What's wrong?" I asked, stupidly. There was a lot wrong, according to Charlie, but my situation didn't affect Emmett directly.

He ran his hands through his short hair. "Bella." He stopped speaking as if to really consider his next words. "Edward was a virgin and if what you told me is true – and I'm not saying that you're lying – you took Edward's virginity."

It was my turn to laugh, except it wasn't that funny.

"Shut up, Em," I said instead. "Ha ha. Don't even joke about that. This is serious."

"Yeah, and so am I."

"Emmett! Tell me right now that you're joking." He stared at me. "How the fuck is that even possible?" I shouted. "He's a hot twenty nine year old doctor!"

"He's a twenty nine year old nerd. He may have the looks, but he still acts like a nerd, Bella. You're just too infatuated to see it," he countered. "He's socially awkward, stutters when he's nervous, goes over the periodic table when he can't sleep, and subscribes to Warlock Weekly. You're opinion of him is extremely biased."

"He's your brother. How can you say that?"

"What?" He threw his hands up in defense. "I didn't say that I didn't love him. I'm just telling you the truth; what other people see. There were girls who tried, sure, but Edward was never able to seal the deal."

I let myself fall onto his bed. This was so wrong. He deserved to have lost his v-card in a more appropriate manner; not while drunk in a bathroom. Not while I was perched on a sink and against a wall…

"Wait!" I interrupted my thoughts, jolting off the bed. "There's no way he was a virgin. I know you don't want to hear this, but he knew what he was doing – even drunk. How the hell would a virgin know how to handle wall sex and-"

"Stop!" Emmett yelled, holding his hands against his ears. "You have no idea how much I don't want to hear this. Look, maybe I'm wrong and somewhere down the road he lost his virginity, but I highly doubt it. I'm pretty sure you were his first."

I sat back down on Emmett's bed, contemplating yet another way I managed to fuck up Edward's life. I couldn't lie and say that a part of me wasn't pleased that I was his first – if that were true- but a larger part of me was disappointed that I took another choice away from him.

I felt the dip in the bed besides me before his arms wrapped around me. "It'll be okay. How'd the morning after talk go? Awkward?"

"I…uh…haven't talked to him since that night," I confessed. "The next morning I got called to come in even earlier. I did check up on him before I left, but he was still sleeping. Then I think it became a mutual avoidance. The few times we'd be in the same room together one of us found a reason to leave. I thought about calling him, but what would I have said? Hey, Edward, the sex was great. What did you think? Let's do that again sometime?"

Emmett laughed loudly. "You're horrible at relationships. Always were."

"Are you mad at me?" I asked.

"No," he sighed. "Shocked? Hell yes, but not mad. I guess I reacted badly. Should I assume Edward doesn't know then?"

I shook my head. "The only people who know are you and my dad."

"How'd he react?"

"Huh. He was disappointed, ashamed, probably embarrassed." I could feel the tears forming. I wiped them away before Emmett could see, but he knew. "He asked me if I got pregnant on purpose." I nodded when I heard Emmett sputter. "Yup. You know how much he admires Edward and everything he's become. I mean, fuck, I'm sure he's prouder of you than he is of me."

"Don't say that." He squeezed me tighter. "He loves you. He loves me more, but he still loves you." He laughed when I gave him the stick eye. "I'm kidding. But seriously, this is a lot for him to take in, too. He's going to be a grandfather for Christ's sake."

"I get that, but to accuse me of something so low down? C'mon."

"Yeah, that was pretty harsh. He knows you better than that."

"How do you think your parents are going to react?" I asked, needing to change gears from Charlie.

"I don't know. It's hard to say. You know they love you and they love kids, but they're kind of old school. I don't think that they expect anyone to wait until marriage these days, but it's not even like you two were dating. I think that aspect may take them aback."

"Do you think they'll disown me? Or as much as non-parents can disown their son's friend?"

"Of course not. I don't think they're going to jump for joy that their more-than-perfect-son knocked you up, but I don't see them kicking you out of the house either."

"That doesn't exactly instill the confidence that I need. Not to mention that I don't want them pissed off at Edward. It wasn't his fault."

"So what? You're going to take all the blame for this? When the hell did you become the Immaculate Conception? You've may have been drunk but you were both there."

"I wasn't drunk, Emmett." I made sure that he understood what I was saying. "I knew what I was doing, but…I was just so caught up in the moment that I wasn't even thinking about protection. All I could think about that it was Edward. An impossible dream that I thought would never come true."

Emmett sat stoic beside me, staring at the wall ahead. He wasn't trying to comfort ma and tell me that things would work out the way they were supposed to.

I stared at the same wall Emmett found so fascinating. My mood was slipping further and further south. "That's why this is my fault." This time he didn't disagree with me.

AN: If you haven't figured it out, part of the title is Justin Timberlake's Not Such a Bad Thing. The scene breaks are lyrics to the song (in no particular order). Someone needs to fic that song, so when that happens, let me know.

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