BPOV

When I woke up, it was in a different setting. I was confused. There were...pillows? Then I realized they were my pillows. On my couch.

Oh God.

I saw the Cullens, all of them, sitting in various chairs around me, Alice just simply sitting cross legged on the floor. Then I remembered.

Edward lied.

Edward loved me.

Oh crap.

"Oh no..." I moaned.

Edward shot a glance at Alice, "Thanks a lot."

"You will thank me for it later." She said grinning.

Edward looked back at me, "Bella.."

"Was she right?"

"Bella, I-"

"No Edward, just tell me. Is Alice right? Is she telling the truth?"

His face was torn. Finally he said, "Yes."

I took a deep breath.

"Well."

"Bella, I don't expect for you change anything. I made a stupid, idiotic mistake nine years ago and have spent every moment regretting it. I will regret it for eternity. I love you. Still. I always have and I always will."

Tears started to well in my eyes, thinking of the things I wanted to tell him, and thinking of the things that I can't tell him.

"I love you too, but...things are different now. Complicated."

Which made me think of the time.

SHIT!

"Oh no! What time is it?"

"A quarter until ten. What is the matter Bella?" Edward asked, concerned. Everyone got an anxious expression on their face.

"Oh no, no! Guys I am sorry but you have to go!"

"What? What's wrong?"

"Oh no, I can't believe I forgot. What kind of person am I?" I started mumbling slash yelling intangibles. By this time everyone was on edge.

"Maybe we all should go.." Carlisle said.

"No, whatever it is, it's too late. My vision is clouding up."

"NO!" I screamed. This can't be happening this can't be happening. I had to keep this a secret. They couldn't know. They will feel obligated to help. There would be attachments. I wouldn't do that to him.

I heard the upstairs door slam.

I started to hyperventilate.

"Get ahold of yourself, Bella." I mumbled.

"Okay, everyone, just stay in here. I will explain everything as soon as possible. It's too late now, I guess."

"Bella, what is wrong?"

Everything, I thought. But I just turned and walked to the door. Ms. Benton, the nice old lady upstairs was kind enough to watch him while I was at the meeting. I looked down at my son, my wonderful son, and thought about the things that were about to take place in his life. I couldn't let him get attached, but an introduction was inevitable at this point.

"Mommy!" he squealed. I thought the others probably heard but I was outside now. My apartment was built so that the upstairs was accesible from outside and that is how tenants reached the top. It was my hope that I had walked far enough up, interceded enough that they could be surprised. I really didn't want them thinking about all of this while I wasn't there.

"Hey Connor! Did you have fun with Ms. Benton?"

"Yep! I watched old movies!"

"Cool, we'll talk about them later. Right now I need to introduce you to some people." I was a little withdrawn, even Ms. Benton saw it. She sent me a look that said "Are you alright? I noticed you were running a little late". I nodded and turned down the stairs.

I opened my apartment door and could hear them whispering in the room. I could tell it was anxious whispering; they didn't know. Good. I put Connor's coat on the rack and was thankful that it was a Friday night.

I walked into the living room with Connor in front of me and watched as every single of their mouths drop. Edward's face held the most shock and Esme's of sadness. I know she lost her own son.

"Everyone, this is my son, Connor."

EPOV

Bella. Had. A. Son.

Bella and I never had a relationship like that. I knew he wasn't mine. But that wasn't what I was concerned about.

No, I never got married.

I saw her face. It was hard to place. I could tell she loved her son, but there was some guilt in her face. I now understood what she meant by "Complicated".

"Connor, these are some people who are very important to me." She turned and looked at us all, her expression expressing the forgiveness and unconditional love she felt for all of us. I wondered about Rosalie and Esme.

Rosalie was the first to kneel by him.

"Hi Connor," she said smiling, "I'm Rosalie."

"Hi Rosalie. You are very pretty."

That was all it really took to break the tension. Emmett roared, Bella laughed, and Connor blushed a deep red. He got that from his mother, we all saw it.

"Hi Squirt, I'm Emmett."

"Hi Emmett. Wow are you big."

"I swear I taught him manners."

Emmett laughed, "It's cool, Bella."

"I'm Alice!"

"Hi Alice. You're short like me!" Everyone got a laugh out of that one.

"Hello, I'm Jasper."

"Hi Jasper. You can come by me too?" Everyone else was fairly close but Jasper was on the distant most chair.

"It's okay, kid. Nothing against you."

"Okay." Connor said, but he seemed a little forlorn.

"And I'm Edward." I kneeled by him and looked him in the eyes. He had Bella's warm, chocolate eyes. I smiled at him.

"It's nice to finally meet you."

"Finally?" I asked incredously.

"I saw some pictures. Grandpa found some when he was taking away the floor. He sent them to Mommy. She looks at them a lot."

"Okay! That's enough chat time! To bed for you!"

"Mommy! I'm not sleepy!"

"You are seven. Ten is being generous. Bed."

"Fine." He pouted. It reminded me of Bella when she was mad.

"I'll be right back" she mouthed.

She walked down a small hallway and disappeared. I looked at my family.

All the looks said the same thing.

"Edward, you do realize that it will hardly work out now." Emmett said.

"I'll figure it out."

"Edward, your brother is right. She has a son."

"He looks a lot like her." I said.

"He does." Rosalie said and smiled. "At first, I was jealous. But then I saw how much she loved him. And she was willing to show him to us. To let him know us. Maybe she has a better idea of what she is doing then we think."

"Well said, Rosalie." Esme said.

"I wonder who" Alice simply said.

"I don't know." I spoke.

We sat in somewhat silence for a few minutes, waiting for Bella to return. She finally turned the corner and smiled.

"Well, I guess you understand the complication, Edward."

"Slightly." I said with a smile.

She sat down on the couch. "What do you all want to know?"

"Bella, we don't want to intrude." Esme said.

"No, it's okay. I left out this part before. I'm worried. I don't want him to get...to get attached. And for you all to leave again." She looked at me.

"But, "She continued, " even after these nine years, I already feel..whole around you all. You were and still are important people to me. He didn't lie when he said I have pictures. Very crafty hiding, by the way Edward." She smiled and got up. She walked over to a televison cabinet and pulled out two small boxes. The were simply labeled: "Connor" and "Edward".

She opened the Edward box. CD's, all the pictures, everything was in there. She had kept all of it. I looked at her.

"You kept it?"

"All. I look at it at least once a week."

"I'm so sorry I left you."

"I know. But I'm glad you did. If you didn't, I wouldn't have him." She nudged her head in the direction of Connor's room. "And he is everything to me. I wouldn't trade him."

"I understand."

"That being said, I wish I could have had both."

"Bella, you still can."

"No, Edward. We can't. I am, physically, twenty seven, or ten years older than you. But that is besides the point. I have a son. I can't have him see you not age. I can't become a vampire and take care of him at the same time. I can't have him become one at the age of six! My life is too complicated now."

"Bella.." I knew she was right though.

"Edward, I'm sorry. But I would like to answer all of your questions. And I would like for you to be around. Just when you go, be gentle about it." We all nodded and she lifted the other box lid.

There were pictures, announcments and newspaper clippings, so many things in one little box.

BPOV

I didn't know where to start talking from. Finally, Esme started.

"How old?"

"He is seven. Turned seven on October 31st."

"Halloween. Ironic."

"Well, I've always had a flair for the monsters." I joked.

"Tell us about it." So I started. I took out a variety of pictures and laid them out and pointed while I explained.

"I went to Phoenix. It was what I needed. I stayed so secluded. It took me a long time. I know you don't want to hear that but it's true. Which is why I was so surprised when it happened." I paused and looked guiltily at him. He urged me to continue.

"His name was Mark. We got along really well. He made me happy. I couldn't believe that I could be happy again. We dated for two years and then got engaged. Then Connor came around." I smiled.

"I love my son. He is all I have."

"What happened?" Everyone asked.

I held up the articles.

"According to the accident report, he took the turn a little too fast when the roads were a little wet. The one time it rains in Arizona and he wrecked. The bike when up in flames. He broke so many bones. They said the impact could have killed him or the flames. They weren't sure which got to him first."

I hadn't realized that I was crying. Edward put his arm around my shoulder.

"Connor was born four months later. All he knows are these pictures."

"I'm so, so sorry." He said.

"It's hard. I mean, I know nothing about boys. I don't know how to throw a damn ball. But I try, I really try." I was mumbling incoherantly now.

Sometime in the midst of this conversation, I fell asleep. I wasn't quite sure when. But I woke up to the sound of sizzling. And a smell of...eggs?

I stretched on the couch and realized that everyone was still there. The Food Network was on and Esme and Carlisle were watching it while they were cooking in the kitchen. Whatever it was, it smelt good.

"You guys stayed?" I asked.

"We're sorry, Bella. We should have asked." Esme said.

"Oh no! I don't mind at all! I just wish I would have had something to keep the boredom away."

"It's fine, Bella." Carlisle said warmly.

"When did you guys learn to cook?"

"We actually started when..when Edward introduced you to us. It's good that we have a good memory" Esme said.

"Well, it smells good, whatever it is." I looked around and didn't see anyone else. "Where is everyone?"

Carlisle and Esme looked at eachother.

"What?" I asked.

"Connor got up and wanted to show them his room."

I groaned. "I better go rescue them."

I got up and walked to the back hallway. The door was open and I heard talking. I walked in.

"Hey bud."

"Hi Mommy!" I looked around. Everyone was sitting on the ground, looking happy and entertained. They smiled widely at me.

"How are you?" I asked him.

"Great! You're friends are so cool!" I smiled at him and looked up.

"Yes, they are. What have you been doing?"

"Well, I showed them my bed, and my Pokemon cards, and lots of stuff!"

"I'm sure they were very interested." I glanced over at them. Emmett spoke up.

"Seriously! I love this racecar bed! It's sweet!" I laughed out loud at his description.

"Did you tell him that it was your sixth birthday present?"

"Yep!"

I walked over to the floor and sat down and he sat back on the bed. "What else?"

Everyone piped in and told me about the morning. They listened to stories about his friends Jack and Cody, and learned about the untimely death of his rabbit Lollipop.

"Oh yes, Lollipop." Edward laughed at my expression. Under my breath, so I knew that everyone but Connor could hear it I said, "I hated that rabbit."

"Did you tell them anything else?"

"Well, I wanted to tell them about you-know-what but I thought they would tell you and you would get mad."

I made a face. I did know.

"Connor, I told you that there are just some things that I can't manage."

"But now you have friends! They will help you! You won't be scared anymore!"

"Connor, I wasn't exactly scared.."

"What's going on?" Emmett asked.

I groaned. "Fine, Connor. I will make an exception. But you know the rules, otherwise, only on your birthday."

He cheered and ran into the living room to where he knew I kept it.

Everyone looked at me.

"I kind of went overboard trying to protect him and the one thing that I wished he hadn't been exposed to he was. You'll see."

He came in and proudly announced, "Now everyone close your eyes."

Everyone played along and I helped him but the DVD in the player. I could only imagine their faces when this came on the screen.

"Okay! Open them!"

They were polite, knowing that laughter or shock would hurt his feelings, but it was all there.

"Connor," Alice said, "What did you want to tell us?"

"Mom never lets me watch them but for my birthday and even then because its halloween and the movies are always on. I think they are so cool."

"Connor," I groaned.

"Mom, I know you are scared. But its just vampires! I am pretty sure they don't even exist!"