A/N: Thank you to those who reviewed :-) And Rachel, I hear you and will include more details in the upcoming chapters. I will give a warning for those, just in case. There are more than a dozen people following now - yay! But for all the reads and visits there aren't many comments. C'mon, who's holding back? You know you want to say something...

I sat back in Dr Cullen's office holding a paper bag full of pills and an envelope containing ultrasound photos, basic pregnancy information, and a referral to the local OBGYN. Jasper had gone to locate Alice and explain to her that our trip to Port Angeles was going to be shorter than we'd anticipated and that anything she may hear or learn on said trip was to be treated as top secret until informed otherwise. Dr Cullen sat behind his desk in silence, possibly waiting for me to speak since I had gone mute about half an hour ago.

The scan had been…an experience. I had gone in with Jazz fully prepared to schedule a termination as soon as it was confirmed that I was within the legal requirement of gestational age set by the state of Washington. I was calmer than I thought would be possible given the situation and had maintained a level head until Dr Cullen highlighted the….my baby. According to his fancy machine and all the measurements he took I was only about 8 weeks along, well within the legal parameters. There wasn't even a heartbeat yet…well, one that I could hear. But for some reason I couldn't explain, it suddenly didn't matter anymore. And it didn't matter that the father was a man I was pretty sure wouldn't want him…or her. Or that I had no job, no insurance, practically no money, and no idea how to raise a kid. None of it mattered. Because this…he…she was mine. And I couldn't for the life of me understand how I could have ever considered not going through with it.

My hands started to shake as tears clouded my vision. I was suddenly more than a little freaked out that I had decided to have a baby at 20 with no way of supporting us. And no one to help me.

Oh, God, what if Charlie freaks and kicks me out? Where the hell will we live? I can't stay with Jasper and Rose; they wouldn't want a baby around! And Jazz is getting married soon and Rose has the business…

"Miss Swan, do I have to remind you that you need oxygen to survive?" Dr Cullen's voice cut through my fog of crazy panic and brought me to my senses.

"What?" I was still a little dazed.

"Bella, would you care to tell me what has you on the verge of hysterics?" his voice was so calm and soft and his eyes were so concerned that I couldn't stop the verbal diarrhoea from spewing forth.

"I don't know how to be a mom! My mom was about as nurturing as a barracuda and my dad was alright but I didn't get to see him all that often and he's not exactly the emotional type. And how the hell am I going to feed us without a job? It's not like the kid will have a father that will help out in any way and there's no way in HELL I am telling James that I'm having his…that I'm pregnant. And who's going to hire a pregnant chick?!" I practically shrieked at the end. Somewhere during my little tirade Dr Cullen had gotten up and moved to sit next to me.

"Bella, everything will be alright. Every point you have just made is a reason why you have options. But from the tone of your panic would I be wrong to infer that you have chosen to have and possibly raise this baby?" He leaned back a little and raised his eyebrows.

"Um…yeah, I think so," I managed to choke out while trying to calm my breathing and quell my tears.

"Ok," he nodded once and then clapped his hands together and rose abruptly from his chair. "Ok! First thing, when Jasper gets back tell him to take you to this pharmacy and give them this note from me. They will fix you up with all your prenatal vitamins for the duration of your pregnancy and continue them if you decide to nurse."

"Second," he continued to speak in an upbeat, positive tone while scribbling on several sheets of paper on his desk. "I remember you telling me you were a caregiver in Arizona. There is a woman not far from where you live who needs a minder during the day when her daughter is at work. There is no physical labor involved and you'd really just be there to cook for her and keep her company. She's a little on the forgetful side so try not to let her out of your sight for too long. I told her I would organise one of the nurses to stay with her mother but we are short staffed as it is and you need the work more than they do."

I opened my mouth to say something, anything to make him stop but he just kept on going.

"Lastly, tell Carmen to call me and I will make sure she agrees to see you pro-bono since you would greatly benefit from working with her, especially now that you've decided to be a single mother. Is there anything else I can address that would make this less stressful for you? I would be happy to have a conversation with your father if that-"

"NO!" I shouted and then toned it down a notch. "No, Dr Cullen, thank you. In fact, you don't have to go to so much trouble. I'm sure I can figure things out and you don't know me or owe me anything," I had started rambling again but I was so confused as to why he would want to help me so much.

"Please call me Carlisle. I have a feeling since my daughter and your best friend are going to be married we will be seeing a lot more of each other. And what I am doing is no trouble at all. You may not understand this since you maintain that you were practically raised by wolves…" he paused to smile a little and I couldn't help the indelicate snort that escaped me. He wasn't wrong there.

"This is the kind of thing that happens in small towns. People take care of each other. I know you are afraid of doing this alone but I have a very strong suspicion that your fears will prove to be unfounded. Somehow I don't think you'll get much time to yourself after those who love and care about you are informed about what you are preparing to do. I have a lot of respect for single mothers as I was raised by a fantastic one many years ago. If there is anything else that you need, please don't be afraid to ask. You won't be imposing or taking advantage. Bella, I can tell that you are very concerned with not relying on others, but you should know that it's ok to ask for help when you need it." Carlisle leaned across his desk and handed me a small stack of papers.

"I'll work on it," I murmured shyly and then added a very emotional, "Thank you."

I made my way out to the parking lot and found Jasper leaned up against Alice's car, the two engaged in an intense conversation. The closer I got the quieter they became until I was mere feet away and they both turned to me with expectant expressions. I grimaced at Jazz since it was obvious that Alice had been let in on my little secret. It made me wonder exactly how much he'd told her. I decided to just ask him later. No need to open that can of worms on top of everything else.

"I need to head to the bank and this pharmacist. Would you mind, Alice?" I asked her with a little smile. No reason to be angry with her. She was just a bystander who'd been unfortunate to be caught up in my chaos.

"Sure. Where would you like to go first?" she asked simply and started shoving Jasper towards the back door. I was a little confused until she reached around and opened the passenger door for me with a sweeping gesture. Jazz sighed but it made me smile a little.

The first ten minutes out of town were only filled with bad music from whatever station Alice had chosen. It much too pop princess for my liking but I didn't complain. In fact I was getting a bit tense because it was so obvious that both of them were dying to say something but all they did was cast loaded looks between them in the rear view mirror. Ten more minutes went by like that until I snapped.

"Oh for fucks sake, just say it already!" I screeched and then blushed scarlet. I may have overdone it a little and offended her. But Alice didn't seem bothered in the slightest. Relief dominated her delicate features and she shifted a little behind the wheel so that she faced me more.

"Thank GOD! Ok, so how far along are you? Are you considering keeping it even though the dad isn't in the picture? From what Jazzy said you'd be a fantastic mother, so don't worry about that. And if you ever need some help just let me know because I LOVE kids and have been studying to be a pre-school teacher for three years now and –" she rambled at top speed before Jasper shouted from the back seat.

"MARY ALICE CULLEN! Back the hell off!"

She merely paused to glare at him and very daintily give him the finger. I snickered. It was always the tiny ones you had to look out for. They were the feistiest.

"It's ok, Jazz. I was going to tell you anyway. Yes, Alice, I'm keeping him…or her, not sure which one yet. Not sure that I'll be a great mom but I'm really going to try and thank you for your offer but at this stage all I need is to organise some of the stuff your dad helped with, and figure out a way to tell MY dad." I grimaced and saw Jazz shake his head behind me.

"Charlie will be fine, Bells. After the initial shock of it he'll be great, trust me. I'd be more worried about telling Rose," he snickered at my horror struck expression. "Exactly."

"Can't you do that part?" I whined.

"No way in hell. But I'll be there with you and hold your hand," he offered and reached up to pat my shoulder in consolation.

The rest of the ride passed quickly now that the uncomfortable silence had passed the elephant in the room was being openly discussed. I was thankful when the topic steered away from me for a while. Jasper and Alice were in their junior years of college at U-dub where she was doing a BA in Early Childhood and Family studies and Jasper had finally majored in History after much debate and indecision. What he was going to do with a degree in History was anyone's guess but he loved it and excelled in the classes, which was all that mattered to him.

Closing the bank account had been so painfully simple I was honestly a bit surprised. I had expected questions or raised eyebrows since it was a joint account opened in a different state and I was getting the balance paid out to me only, but there were no issues at all. So I took the $900 balance and opened up my own checking account, depositing the remaining cash from my sock along with it. I had a grand total of $1743.86. It was the most money I'd ever had in my life at one given time and I was a little intimidated by it. I didn't want to blow it on anything but I knew I was going to need baby stuff sooner than I'd expected as well as a new car.

The pharmacy was also pretty easy. The gentleman behind the counter, a very pleasant creole man with long dreadlocks named Laurent, was the contact Carlisle had given me. He loaded me up with a years' worth of Promise Prenatal vitamins, saying that they were the best on the market. He also told me to make sure I came back if morning sickness became an issue because there was something he could give me for that, too.

On the drive back to Forks we had to stop at some local produce stands for Alice to get all the ingredients she needed to help Jasper make dinner. I still wasn't sure what was on the menu exactly, just that it was Thai food, but it sounded amazing when they told me the separate components they would be working with.

"Bella, you let me know if anything smells bad or makes your tummy hurt and I'll make sure to fix you something gentler," Alice offered kindly while driving up to Rose's garage. She'd called Jasper and told him to bring me around as soon as possible but adamantly refused to say why.

"I have instructions to send you around out back," Jazz told me while looking at his phone and frowning slightly.

I shrugged and headed off on my own while they waited. There was a large car yard where Rose had projects in various stages of completion waiting for her attention. Some had 'For Sale' signs on them with prices attached while others were clearly unfinished. It was a large red 1950's truck with a large SOLD sign in the windshield that caught my attention. I sighed and shook my head. It was probably the only think I could afford and of course it wasn't available anymore.

"Miss? There something I can help you with?"

I spun around and came face to face with what had to have been the most gorgeous creature on the face of the earth. He was perfection personified. Messy bronze locks sat over top of piercing emerald green eyes and the sexiest crooked grin I had ever set eyes on. My eyes travelled down and took in his long, lean body, hands covered in grease which he wiped on a rag, clothes well fitted to show off a muscular physique I would have bet a million bucks was far more impressive without all the…cover.

"Miss?" he interrupted my ogling with a bit of humor in his voice. At least he wasn't disgusted by my display.

"Uh, yeah, I'm looking for Rosalie. I'm…um…uh," I stuttered when his grin became more pronounced and his eyes lit up.

"You're name is uh?" he teased with a wink. "Very exotic."

"Bella, my name is Bella. Is she here…Rose?" I felt like such and idiot.

"Yeah, she's in the office. Can I show you," he started to reach for my hand to take me there but obviously God was watching and saw an opportunity to embarrass me, so he took it.

"Bella! Stop drooling over the help and get your cute little butt in here," Rose hollered at me from the open back door of her office.

"I'll just…um…yeah," I finished lamely before I tucked tail and ran to the open door. I was going to murder her in her sleep the first chance I got.

"Like your present?" she asked, waggling her eyebrows. I gaped at her and she snickered loudly.

"I meant the truck. Happy belated birthday!" She leaned down and planted a kiss on my forehead. I was dumbstruck before the impact of her statement hit home.

"Oh my God, seriously?!" I threw my arms around her neck and squeezed with all my might.

"Well if I knew you'd hate it so much you'd try to kill me I wouldn't have fixed it up for you," she teased and made of show of the choke hold I had on her.

"You didn't have to do that," I told her with tears in my eyes. In all honesty I was more than a little overwhelmed with the extreme kindness I had been shown already. Top it off with a new – well, new for me – truck and I was about ten seconds away from a huge emotional melt down. Rose must have sensed that because she pulled back and examined me, her face full of worry.

"Hey, are you ok? Did you not have any luck finding a job? You can always work here if you want. I can only pay you minimum wage and it would be pretty boring but…" she became alarmed when I finally let the floodgates open and sobbed into her shoulder.

It was all too much. I'd never really excepted help from others before and I had been taking and taking and taking today without giving anything back. I didn't want to depend on anyone and I was unaccustomed to people wanting to do things for me without cause.

"I just (hic) can't believe everyone's (hic) been so great! You all (hic) don't owe me a damn (hic) thing!" I barely got my disjointed sentence out when Alice bounded through the door.

"Oh, Bella! She didn't take it well? Really, Rose you could have been more understanding. I mean, you know what it's like to be a single parent…well, kind of. I guess raising your brother isn't quite the same as raising a baby but she'll do just fine! And…" Alice stopped talking immediately when I whipped around, my eyes huge, and shook my head rapidly.

"Wait…what?" Rose turned back to me very slowly, her eyes narrowed into dangerous slits.

"Oh, oh shit! I…oh, Bella I'm so sorry! I thought…I…uh, JASPER!" she screamed and bolted out the front door, leaving me to my demise.

"Isabella Marie Swan…are you pregnant?" her voice was low and steady and freaked the hell out of me.

I gulped and nodded. Her silence stretched on for what felt like decades. When she finally broke it again her voice was very controlled, but something simmered under the surface that sent chills down my spine.

"Are you going to keep the baby?"

Again I nodded. I looked like a freaking bobble head. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"Are you going to tell him?" her voice was barely a whisper but her question was one I had been expecting.

"No," I choked out. My previous tears had clogged my throat and I cleared it loudly before trying again. I wanted to make myself perfectly clear. "No. I've been thinking about it all day. He already has a son he wants practically nothing to do with except to complain about how Vicky keeps him from seeing him. Plus…" I hesitated.

"Yes?" Again with the control. I waited for her to blow a gasket but she just patiently stood there and waited for me to continue.

"I…I'm not sure what kind of mother I will be but I do know what kind of dad he would make. I know what it's like to be raised by someone who never wanted you and I won't put anyone else through that. He'll just be mine," I finished and raised my chin a little. It was the first concrete decision I'd made concerning James since I'd left. It didn't feel like a lot but I figured baby steps would have to do.

"He?" For the first time there was a quiver in her voice and her eyebrows shot up.

"Oh, uh, that's just what I'm assuming. Not sure why since it could very well be a girl. I'm only eight weeks along so I won't know for at least another three months," I explained with a shrug.

"Have you told Charlie yet?" She moved a little closer to me and I saw her thaw with each passing second. It relaxed me exponentially.

"No, I wanted to tell you first and I would have if Alice hadn't had a brain fart and beat me to it," I grumbled but couldn't stop my smirk. She hadn't done it on purpose and if I had gotten to know her at all today I'd bet she was standing outside berating herself for it.

And then it happened. Rose grinned. Her smile was so huge it could have split her face in half. She swept me up in a huge hug and laughed in my ear. I clung to her, stunned by the change in her demeanor.

"I'll help you! I'll help you with everything! Oh my God, a baby! A BABY!" she shrieked and giggled again.

"Yeah, that's the general idea," I nervously laughed back, still unable to really embrace the idea happily since I had yet to inform my father.

Jasper and Alice cautiously made their way into the office but when they saw how elated Rose was and how calm I had become they joined in the cuddle fest. It was a ridiculously mushy moment but I was thankful for it. In the car on the way back to their house Jasper teased Alice mercilessly about her big mouth and how much she had to make it up to me.

"I'm telling you, you owe her something huge now. Like your first born," he continued to taunt while they made dinner.

I sat at the table unpacking all the bags of prenatal stuff and sifted through the numbers Carlisle had given me. I was going to have to call Mrs Brooks after dinner and see about looking after her mother, Naomi. Then I would have to call Carmen to set up my first appointment. Now that Rose has sorted out a vehicle for me I wouldn't have to rely on someone else to ferry me around, a fact I was eternally grateful for. When the phone trilled loudly on the wall next to me I didn't hesitate to reach over and answer it, still reading the information packet on proper nutrition during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

"Hello?" I asked distractedly.

"There's my angel."

The voice on the other line sent a chill down my spine and I nearly dropped the phone on the table. My mouth went as dry as the Sahara and I struggled to form words. Jazz and Alice continued to prattle on in the background, completely oblivious to my raising panic.

"Bella, I know you're still there. I can hear your breathing," he informed me smoothly. His voice was dead calm, but I knew better than to be lulled into some false sense of security. That was when he pounced.

"What do you want?" I finally rasped out.

"Aw, is that any way to great your fiancé?" he asked with mock hurt in his voice.

I didn't answer. His question was designed to incite guilt and so far it hadn't worked. Instead, I waited for him to continue since I knew he would be far from finished.

"You think you can just take my car and empty my account and that would be ok? How am I supposed to pay my bills? How do I get to work?" his voice hardened a little but he softened it out again. He was obviously working very hard to control himself. I wondered why since he'd never bothered before.

I remained quiet, unsure of how to defend those actions. I had done exactly that, left him penniless and without at mode of transportation. I started to feel the guilt that he'd always been so good at bringing out of me.

"I miss you, angel. I know you're angry with me about what happened after you got home from work, and I could never begin to tell you how much I regret it. I didn't mean to hurt you, angel. Come home to me. You're my heart, my everything," he cooed in his silkiest voice. It had always worked before and I expected that he believed it would work again. Except this time it just reminded me of what he was. What he was capable of. And suddenly I was mad.

"I'm not your anything anymore," I whispered.

"Oh, aren't you?" his voice iced over slightly. I immediately broke out in a cold sweat and my heart began to race but I was determined this time not to back down. Not this time. It wasn't just about me anymore.

"No, I'm not. If my putting over a thousand miles between us didn't clue you in than maybe you'd better listen up. We. Are. Done. I don't want to see you anymore. I don't want to talk to you anymore. I can't…" I had to stop when my voice cracked to take a deep breath. I would NOT cry. No way in hell was I going to give him the satisfaction.

"We'll never be done, Isabella. NEVER. We're a part of each other, soul mates. You belong to me," he said evenly before he dropped his voice down low, "and no one else."

"I belong to no one," I bit back and my anger once again steadied my voice. "Least of all you!"

I was so afraid of what his comeback would be that I slammed the phone back into its cradle and stepped away from it like it might blow up. It was then I realised the kitchen had become eerily silent. I turned and saw not only Alice and Jasper, but also my dad standing behind me. The first two looked proud and like they were trying to keep from tackling me in another group hug. But my dad, he looked…furious. Beyond furious. He looked like he was about to have a stroke.

"Uh, Dad?" I started to ask but then froze when I saw what held his attention. He wasn't even looking at me. I doubt he'd even heard the conversation I'd just had. Instead he stared at the stacks of pamphlets on the table surrounded by prenatal vitamins. All of which had my name printed in large, bold capital letters.

"Chief, I think you should sit down. Alice, go get my sister," Jasper instructed them calmly before turning to stand behind me with his hands on my shoulders. My dad eyed Jazz suspiciously while he took his seat. Behind me he snorted and I could feel him shake his head.

"Please, Chief, I'm with Alice and she's been here less than a week. It couldn't possibly be mine," his voice was firm and disbelieving at the same time. Charlie's color normalised a little and he huffed out a breath before nodding once.

"Whose is it?" he asked, although his face told me he already knew the answer. I guess he just wanted it confirmed. However I had already planned on how to answer that question when other people asked it so I thought it was the perfect time to try it out.

"Mine," I informed him firmly. He stared at me for at least five minutes before his moustache twitched and he sighed.

"Good. Let's keep it that way. No reason for that asshole to be involved. And I swear to whatever God is listening, Bella if you go back to him I will do everything in my power to take that kid off of you." He shook his finger at me and everything. I was taken aback.

"You'll…excuse me?" Had I heard him right?

"I'm not kidding, Isabella. You wouldn't have been in this situation if I'd done my job as a father and a cop. If I hadn't been so damn oblivious to all the signs I could have gotten you out of there months ago…don't shake your head at me young lady!" he barked when I had started to object. "It was bad enough that I'd swallowed all the bullshit Renee fed me about you being clumsy or picking fights at school when I would question another trip to the ER that just happened to reach my ears up here. But for me to actually not notice that you were in a relationship with someone who…someone who…" his voice cracked and for one horrifying moment I actually thought he was going to cry. But just as quickly he pulled himself together and shook his finger at me again.

"Never again. And never, ever will I allow another member of my family to be hurt like that. Now, you're an adult and I can't stop you from making mistakes and choosing to return but I'll be damned if you bring a kid into that!"

I sat there stunned. Charlie had never, ever yelled at me. Ever. And there was no reason for me to doubt anything he'd said. I knew without question that he would follow through on his threat. I also knew that, for some asinine reason, he blamed himself for what had gone wrong with my relationship with James. I could at least set him straight on that front.

"I don't think anyone could have stopped me from seeing him, not until I was ready. And I wasn't ready, really ready, until today. That was him on the phone, in case you missed that. I told him it was over. And it is, I promise. I can't…you're right. There's no way a baby should be brought into that kind of situation." I wanted to tell him that it was just as much my fault as it was James' since I antagonised him so much even though I knew his temper, but that was an argument for another day.

Jasper squeezed my shoulders comfortingly and I reached up and grasped his hand to silently thank him. Rose poked her head around the corner before she sauntered in with Alice on her heels. They had very obviously been listening the whole time. I frowned and shook my head.

"So much for having my back," I grumbled at her. Alice was off the hook since she never could have handled Charlie like Rose.

"We did, you just didn't see it," Rose replied with a smirk. Alice winked before turning to stir the dinner I was pretty sure was ruined due to the lack of attention it had received.

"What, were you communicating with him telepathically?" Jasper snarked. I grinned.

"Nope, we were hiding his guns. And his bullets. Separately," she responded before tasting the concoction on the stove. She hummed approvingly while my dad protested from his chair. Loudly.

A/N: Hmmmm, I wonder who the hottie was at Rose's garage? Want more of him? REVIEW :-) Oh yeah, I am that evil!

To all my regulars out there, keep leaving me your messages! I love to hear your thoughts and will keep including little previews xoxo