Author's Notes: Back from break and a brief drought of writer doubt. This chapter is pretty long compared to the last ones. I won't usually do this, seeing how I want to post chapters as often as possible. Hope you enjoy though!

Have No Ownership of Characters

Chapter Seven: Week Eleven I

As soon as I entered my apartment, I panicked, taking deep breaths, feeling my legs buckle, until my rear was resting on my heels. I couldn't help but think of one word ; date.

I knew better than to believe that was so, but a week ago, I wouldn't have believed that someone as beautiful and kept together as himself would even take a moment to be alone with me by choice. I visited the A.I.S as expected and got the usual check-up, but no medicated changes. And on Wednesday, I kept silent, knowing it was a big week for Tanya. Her child was due anyday now. Bella met with me after class and suggested we do dinner. I didn't want her to think I was undergoing an inner battle of any sorts, so I agreed. We kept our conversation light and talked about her husband and his eagerness to have her baby's bedroom ready before the month was over. She tried to pry out some information about my ride home with Edward, but I kept my evasive act up until she got the picture and let it go. We ended the night with me promising to keep in touch over the week and I was off to continuing the rest of the week babysitting a Middle-aged divorced woman's two dogs for three days.

Monday came easier than the week before and for the first time in over two months, I went days without morning sickness. It seemed that what Carlisle instructed me to do was working. I noted it in the journal, happy that Carlisle wouldn't stare at that observation with that serious frown, but with a smile very much like his son's.

By Sunday, I called Edward, reminding him that I was okay with him driving me to his parent's house and taking me out to lunch. He seemed pleased that the schedule didn't change, but informed me there was a place he had an errend to run right after lunch.

"Is that okay with you?" He asked.

"It's fine." I assured, "I can take a taxi-"

"You're not taking a taxi anywhere." He laughed, "I was asking if it was alright if you could come with."

"Oh," I knew he couldn't see me blush, but it made me suddenly sheepish. He was comfortable enough to have me run errands with him? "If it's alright with you."

"Of course it is," His voice was suddenly soft, "I'll pick you up at 9."

_____

Edward was prompt.

He called, letting me know he'd be in front of the property at 8:55. I waited outside, with the leather journal in hand, standing just under the shade of a tree I'm sure was twice my age. There was a shimmer of silver and a hum of an automatic window rolling down before I noticed that it was Edward. He was out of the car almost instantly, walking around the front before opening the passenger side door.

"Are you ready?" I blinked, watching him, not sure whether I should be amused or put-off. I didn't want to arouse any doubts in his mind about our plans, so I swallowed and took careful steps towards the vehicle before getting in. He closed the door behind me and rounded back to his side before getting in and buckling up, "Have you eaten breakfast?" The question was hard to register. He asked me if I just ate? as absurd as it would have been to me perhaps months before, the idea of him asking clicked a switch in my mind. I was so intrigued by him and the blind intent of his family that I was forgetting exactly why he was even going through the trouble.

He stared at me, furrowing his eyebrows in concern. I didn't want to give him a chance to ask me if I was okay, "Yeah, I had yogurt."

"Yogurt?" He kinked an eyebrow. His lips twitched, but he turned away before I could figure if it was forming into a grin or a frown, "Sure you're not hungry?"

"I've been blessed with a streak of normal nausea-less days. I don't want to spoil it." I explained.

"A muffin and juice wouldn't hurt though." I heard the smile in voice.

"What?" I pressed, feeling like a child.

"Alice is the only other person I know that considers just yogurt for breakfast," He shook his head, "She sometimes gets under the impression that she needs to eat less." I didn't understand what he meant exactly until I pieced the conversation together in my mind. He must've thought I was starting to become hyper aware of my weight. I actually hadn't considered it.

The mood in the car seemed light enough for him to continue the conversation. He seemed mindfull not to bring up my condition, so the topic moved onto Alice and the quirks he had to deal with being raised with her. For someone whom seemed so reserved and to himself, he spoke quite a bit. It was a pleasant distraction from me creating a mirroring episode like the week before.

He made no mention of himself or what he planned to open up to me. We both knew that was for later, yet I had to wonder if it was something his parents would have been okay with. Granted, they were already involved enough with my personal life, wasn't it a stretch to have their son become a part of it? Was that what Carlisle was pleading for with his son, to keep our relationship strictly impersonal? I couldn't help but think maybe his parents wanted me clueless as to what his history contained.

The ride was quicker than I anticipated and soon I was out of the car - with the gentleman assistance of Edward - and walking towards the front entrance of the house. As if expecting us, the door was open and we let ourselves in. We were greeted with a waft of freshly cooked pancakes and the stimulating aroma of coffee.

"Edward? Jasper?" I heard the tinkle-like voice of Alice, She poked her head out from the kitchen down the long, wide hall, waving us over, "Just in time. I made breakfast for everyone. Mom's upstairs getting dressed and dad's in his study." She nodded in my direction as if indicating that the information was addressed to me, "Dad needs to eat." She hummed sweetly before disappearing in the kitchen.

Edward gave me an apologetic smile, "She won't take no for an answer, I'm afraid." He whispered low enough so only I could hear.

"That's fine, I have room for a pancake or two." He smiled knowingly and I took that oppurtunity to smile back, feeling a sudden rush in my gut. The moment couldn't last or I'd let it get to my head. I made my way upstairs, keeping in route to Carlisle's study. I stepped before the closed door, knocked twice and waited until he allowed me entry. I stepped in timidly, not knowing what to expect considering the last time we spoke, he was whisked away with doctorly duties. I was afraid of finding the answers of what transpired from that day on his face. To my relief, he looked well relaxed, if not happy to see me.

"You look so much better." He stood from his desk, walking over to welcome me with a gentle pat on the back.

"I struck to what you said and the nausea is nearly gone." I held out the leather journal to him, "I wrote down some of the changes that happened over the week."

He took the book, fingering through it with genuine interest and that smile that I had the desire to see, "This is what I wanted to see, Jasper. I'm hoping the rest of your pregnancy can go as smoothly as this past week." Be walked back to his desk, pulling out a small bag that I knew to have his equipement in it. He asked me to sit before taking my blood pressure, my temperature and asking me the same list of questions as the week before. He scribbled some notes on the journal and on his computer before nodding in satisfaction.

"I'm guessing Alice is expecting us for breakfast." He sighed, standing to his feet.

"Yeah, she implied that you needed to come down." I stood along with him, knowing we'd have to make a trip downstairs.

"We can take a break for now," He escorted me out the room, "I only have one more thing to ask of you and you can be on your way."

Alice was waiting, spatula in hand, and a stern look on her face. Sitting relaxed at the kitchen counter with a plate in front of him was Edward, a rather amused smile on his face as his sister uttered, "You two took too long." She pointed the object at us as if it was a weapon.

Carlisle patted my shoulder, ushering me to the plate of loaded pancakes before casting a sheepish glance at his daughter, "Duty called, angel."

"Oh, don't angel me," She poked him with her small pointer finger, but I could see the grin spreading on her face. I think the only time I had ever really seen her angry was that morning she came to visit me for the first time. I swallowed the rising anxiety in my chest, trying my best to not worry about whether or not she was angry with me. It wasn't the time to second-guess myself or their intentions. Bella wanted me to trust them, Edward, for some insane reason, wanted me to trust them. The problem that I just couldn't get past was why.

I couldn't hide my discomfort quick enough. Carlisle's back was to me, but Alice's eyes were on mine and I felt movement beside me as Edward stood up. He was close enough to touch me when I felt his breath on my cheek, "Hey, do you want to eat?"

There was no nausea this time around, but a tightening in my chest, a familiar panic. What if I couldn't do this?

"Jasper, stop it," Edward said lowly, "Please, just have a bite to eat."

"What about lunch?" I asked quietly, hoping I wasn't going to get anyone's attention.

He seemed to be thinking about something, before speaking again, "We can get a late lunch after I run my errand. I have a place we can go to talk."

Alice placed her spatula down on the counter, turning off the stove before turning to me again. She didn't move, but I could see the wheels turning in her head. Carlisle lifted his head, furrowing his eyebrows at us, but I couldn't let him guess that anything was up.

"I think I'll have a quick bite." I tried to sound light and unphased, but I wasn't sure it was working. Carlisle's frown only deepened. He looked from Edward to me and something in his eyes changed.

"Edward," He said in that father tone I couldn't help but recall. I did my best to repress the shiver that went through me. A regurgitation of memories played in my mind and I shuffled my feet forward to the small stack of plates next to Alice, "A word please." Carlisle gingerly placed his own stacked plate onto the counter before striding out of the kitchen. I couldn't look at Edward, so I waited until his footsteps followed before I could turn to get any food to eat.

"Hey," I jumped, forgetting Alice was in the room with me, "I wanted to apologise for last week." She spoke gentler this time, "I meant to last week, but being with Rosalie can be a full-time job," She looked up at me with sorry eyes, "I didn't mean to come down on you so hard and say those things, but I was really scared. After what we went through, I get so nervous that this will turn out exactly-" And the strangest thing happened. Her eyes welled up and she shut them, her mouth stopped forming words and her voice died in her throat. I stared at her, bewildered at this moment, at this situation. There was more to this family than they were letting on. Granted, I'm sure I had something to do with it, but there was a history here that they weren't telling me.

My hand lifted on its own accord, resting on her small back, a back so similar to a girl I used to be close to years ago. My heart swelled at an alarming rate and for a moment, I considered the idea that I could love Alice as well as Bella as sisters. Their love was bigger than the bodies they concealed them in, "Alice, are you okay?"

Her eyes blinked back tears and there was a sad grin on her face, "Peachy keen," She said, although I could hear the tightness in her throat.

"I deserved all that," I rubbed her back in soothing circles, "I shouldn't have treated Edward so harshly for trying to help me out-"

"Yeah, Edward," She rolled her eyes and this time her grin widened into something more genuine, "He let me have it when I told him what I did." She let out a snort of laughter that caught me off guard.

"He-?" I couldn't believe it. After hurting him like that, he was willing to stand up for me? I bit my lip, feeling my heart burn against my chest.

"Yeah, it's been awhile since I've seen him so fiery and heated about something," She eyed me through narrow lids, "I don't know what you're doing, Jasper, but something has sparked in him. He's usually so...distant, even now." She was quiet for a moment, her eyes glassing again before shaking her head, "Eat, before you see me when I'm really dangerous." I didn't hesitate, grabbing two flapjacks before I walked on over to counter. She poured me a class of orange juice and we continued our moment together in a peaceful silence.

____

Edward appeared in the kitchen again, a look of fury on his beautiful face. Alice, once again with spatula in hand was tossing aside the pan and putting the juice carton back in the fridge before she looked up and saw him, "Dad ream you?" She said, teasingly, although I could tell the issue was serious.

"Alice," He growled and I bit my tongue containing any noise that attempted to slip out. His anger frightened me, yet aroused something else I wasn't so familiar with.

"As well as I know, dad could see you're up to no good." She went on lightly, humming as she turned on the faucet in the sink.

His jaw clenched and I couldn't help but inhale deeply. When his eyes met mine, I looked away, "Was it something I did?" I said low enough for just him to hear me. Why else would his dad need him up there at that moment?

"No," All fury out of his tone as he tried to pursuade me otherwise, "My dad knows what I'm going to do." He said softly.

"What are you going to do?" I fingered the fork on my plate, watching the trail of syrup follow the metal. I was able to eat 3/4 of the meal and take down about a glass of juice before I felt satisfied. My stomach clenched automatically at the idea of a full meal. Edward took his time to answer my question, keeping silent long enough for me to question if he was going to answer at all.

"I'm going to give you a choice."

____

I walked the hall down to Carlisle's study, this time more nervous than before. I knocked and just as casually, he invited me in. He stood this time, in front of his desk, a thin strip of paper between two fingers. He looked troubled, but still put-together.

"I know you're going to give me trouble about this Jasper," He said with a twinkle in his eyes, "but believe me, this is the least me and my wife can do. I know you're an individual who prides himself in handling how he lives, but please," He handed me the sheet of paper, "allow us to thank you."

"Thank me for what?" I asked, not sure if he meant my weekly check-ups visits or something else entirely. Then I looked at the paper and gasped, "$1,500? Dr. Cullen, I can't take this!" I stammered.

"Dr. Cullen now, is it?" He laughed, pushing himself off the desk, "Jasper, I know your future is going to need much more than what your current part-time job can provide. By allowing me to use information about your condition, you're participating in something that can benefit thousands of future patients." The look in his eyes changed. For a moment, I thought he was going to continue, but he merely nodded his head towards the check, "I don't want you to feel uncomfortable or cheap. It's the last thing any of us would of consider you, son." And there was a silence, a desperate silence that filled the room. The energy between us felt heavy with unsaid words and lost emotions, I wasn't sure whom it was coming from.

I pinched the paper between my fingers and chewed my bottom lip as I came to a conclusion. Whatever Edward had to say, he needed to spill all of it. There was some underlying problem that was threading between my relationship with the Cullens and if anything was going to keep this going, I had to know what it was.

"Alright," I caved in, "I won't fight your help."

____

It wasn't that easy. I knew I would never drop the excess baggage and allow a family to weave their way into my life without question, but I was going to try to consider their assistance with my pregnancy. I had to remember just as Edward stated, they were proffesionals.

We said our goodbyes to Alice and Esme, who had joined in the kitchen, putting away the last of the food. Edward and I were back in the car, heading out the gated drive-way.

"Do you like Echo Park?" He asked, when we were finally down the mountain, entering the traffic of workers out for lunch.

"I never been." I admitted honestly. I never had a reason to go.

"Want to take a walk there?" He said casually, but I couldn't help but notice the way he stared. My hand trembled, but not as bad as I expected it to. I knew that look, but I didn't want to think about it.

"It's a bit far isn't it?"

"We have time." He answered. I nodded a yes and we took the streets over, a ride in silence with my dangerous trail of thoughts.

____

Edward expertly parallel parked in front of a stretch of grass and pack of laughing children. We got out and made our way on the walkway before he spoke again, "You're comfortable?" I noted the way he looked me over, his eyes on my stomach a second too long. I felt a heat run through me, consciously placing my hand there. There was a bump that I hadn't noticed before. It could have easily been mistaken for a beer belly, but it didn't matter, I suddenly felt like a whale. I entertained the thought of him reconsidering being here with me in public. I looked around at the children, laughing and running about with no evident guardians. There was a small Hispanic mother holding the hand of a little girl with the same brown eyes and smile, two pigtails coiled and falling, touching her ears. No one seemed to notice me now, but I knew if we stepped deeper into the park...

"Hey," I felt a hand on my elbow and I turned, surprised to see just how enchanting his eyes were, a sea of green speckled with gold, "You're fucking beautiful, stop worrying about what others will think." He said this so gently, but I wouldn't deny that there was a hint of demand in that tone. I shrank back, not because I was scared, but because he threw me off. How did he read that on my face? was I that obvious? And was I...beautiful to him? Or was he just saying this to make me feel better? He suddenly seemed to remember his place, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to come off so strong. It just frustrates me that you would think so low of yourself."

"You don't know what I was thinking, Edward." I mumbled, still perplexed with his accuracy.

"I was born in a family of stubborn internalizers. I've grown to read eyes and body language to know what someone is thinking. It's second nature now." He spoke casually, "And something about you, just makes you that much easier to read." I found that piece of information interesting. We walked deeper into the park, towards a body of water. His eyes darted towards me on occasion, as if he was trying to read something else. I stared back, daring him.

He looked angelic in the noon light, his hair shimmering bronze, his skin sparkling. I couldn't turn away, "Do you know what I'm thinking now?" It slipped out of my mouth like someone else had control. That wasn't me. I never sounded like that, so coy and flirty. My cheeks reddened in heat and I turned away.

He chukled, "I know you're thinking that you weren't suppose to say that," He glanced around as if looking for something before jerking his head towards an empty bench a few yards away, "Come on, let's be less of strangers."

We walked over, took our seats and looked over the man-made lake. I heard the distant laughter of school children and wondered whether or not one day my child would be one of them, running around, eyes like mine hair like his or her other father, dancing in the grass with carefree glee. A part of me promised to make it happen.

"Jasper," Edward jarred me from my fantasy, "I know so little about you, but I'm almost certain that we share some bad habits more than we allow ourselves to realize," I was quiet as he went on slowly, "I've worked so hard these last few years to become the way I am today. I never visited home, rarely ever spoke to Alice, let alone my parents and kept my oreientation a secret for a painful 3 years. I didn't know at that time, that there was a part of me that couldn't forgive my parents."

I leaned back onto the wooden bench, suddenly compelled to touch his skin, let him know I was listening, but all I could bring myself to do was speak, "Forgive them for what?"

With a saddened expression and a moment's hesitation, he finally spoke, "I realized I was who I was when I was 16. Two things happened to me that year, I couldn't keep my eyes off of a classmate and I couldn't keep my eyes off of his piano. I had always played, but it was a hobby or an extra activity. I liked it, but it was always there because my mother encouraged me to build skills no matter what they were and since I cared so little about sports or art, I took to music.

"I met this new Junior boy in my music class. He said he travelled a lot and he had just came from Italy. He was a bit shy and kept mostly to himself, but when he played, he shined. I admired him so much, that I couldn't help myself, I asked for lessons. He didn't hesitate to say yes I noticed. On our first day of tutoring, he showed me his grand piano, which was perhaps the most enchanting thing I had ever seen second to him at that point. We practiced for hours. I had before then learned the basics of playing, but over time moved on to other instruments. Being introduced for a second time, it was different." He stared off onto the water, elbows on knees as he replayed his memory, "The second and third time I came over, we played as long as we did before. And the fourth, he showed me a song he composed. He played it for me and it was the first time I ever felt music. I asked him to teach me and from there our lessons become a religious series of meetings.

"I knew I was attracted to him, but I kept our relationship innocent and friendly, until the end of the school year." The story seemed to end there. He leaned back, eyes flickering from parents to toddlers and I waited. Mostly because I was unsure what to say to this. He finally spoke with a new energy in his voice, "He told me he was leaving for awhile. He never said where. He never spoke of parents and I never seen a guardian of any kind whenever I was over. And the way he just could appear and leave, it unerved me. I wanted him to stay, so I did the only thing I could think of, I kissed him." He smiled smally, "And he kissed me back. It was so exhilerating. There were so many things rushing through my mind then. Fuck, I knew right then and there I was gay. It hurt, hearing him say after that he couldn't continue tutoring me. He looked so scared. And I slipped up and told him I wanted to be with him. I said that." He let out a dark chuckle, "And I knew he wanted it too.

"He was gone the next week. Left without a trace. No one questioned where he was, and people moved on with their lives. It was like he was never there. It was around then, that I became detached from my family. I stuck to my room, practicing anything and everything. Dad knew about my lessons, so for my birthday, he blessed me with a keyboard, my first ever." His fingers were molding his hair into disarray of auborn locks and he went on, "During the second semester of Junior year, he came back, looking sick and out of it." I didn't expect his story to turn out like this. I waited and listened, hoping he would explain why, "He pretended he didn't know me and avoided the music hall altogether. After a month of him avoiding me as well, I followed him home. He was only a block from my own neighborhood. I waited a week or so, building up my courage, before one day I just banged on the door. An older man answered. The guy told me that he was sick and needed rest. When I asked who he was, he said 'I'm his partner.'." Edward scoffed.

"I figured he didn't want me, so I tried to put him out of my mind, but you can imagine the shock I had when my mom told me at dinner a few weeks later that 'my friend' was one of her new clients back at Expecting Care." I gawked at him. This couldn't be where I thought it was going, "Yeah, Jasper, he was one of the first 6 men in Los Angeles to experience carrying. At that time, it was still new, and there were still...shit to work out." He stared hard at the water ahead, "My mom said he looked sick and unhealthy. He didn't speak at the sessions and wouldn't open up to her. She suggested he see a doctor and he said he already had one. After a few months, my mom asked Carlisle to pay a home visit. It was her first time urging him to into anything personal with her clients, but sadly, my mom knows me too well and was aware that whatever I was going through, had something to do with her. My dad came when the partner was away and investigated. It took a lot of pursuasion, but my father was able to do a check-up. He had low blood pressure, was exhausted, underweight and over-medicated." Oh God, I knew where this was going.

"For the next few weeks, my mom tried to get him to open up. He refused. My dad paid a few more visits, but was never ableto make it past the front door. And through all that, he got worse, lost more weight and eventually stopped coming to school altogether." Edward inhaled deeply, a noise caught in his throat. My hand shot out on impulse, touching his own, giving it a squeeze, to let him know I was there listening. I knew the story was going to take a turn for the worst, "He arrived one day on our doorstep in the middle of the night. He looked so scared and lost. I couldn't sleep that night and I heard the knock on the door. I answered it and he fell into my arms sobbing, going on about the medication he was on, the unhealthy baby growing in him and his absent partner. He couldn't find him. He said he had no family and he said...he said he needed me." I waited patiently as Edward composed himself, taking deep breaths, "I woke up everyone in the house, bringing him in. He confessed everything to us. Of course, my parents went into immediate action, calling the A.I.S offices, then the hospital. My father wanted to make sure that he was okay. He panicked. I should have known he was going to leave. He said he had to go to the bathroom and like that he slipped out back.

"We searched, looked everywhere, but the next morning, the school janitor found him in the music room." He didn't need to say anything else. I knew what he meant. He was found dead. I could hear it in his voice.

"Alec," He spoke softly, "Alec Carbro."

"Edward," I finally spoken, caressing his knuckles with my finger. My eyes teared, but I blinked away the pain I felt radiating off of him.

"I closed up. I wouldn't come out of my room for weeks and when I did, I only went to school. I graduated and left for USC, staying in dorms. It broke the family up. Mom felt guilty about Alec and dad was angry. They had these deep, heated discussions. Dad was sure it was the medication that killed him, mom was intent on the fact that he died from no love, no family and no hope. It haunted them, because it haunted me. And they fought to alleviate that pain for me, bring some kind of justice to Alec. But they couldn't. I left, scared because a part of me couldn't forgive them, or myself from letting him slip away and because I knew if I came out, it would only hurt them more."

"But why?" I asked. He knew they wouldn't hate him. They helped and supported a gay, pregnant student, why not him?

"My parents have hero complexes. If they can save you, they will. I thought, for a moment, they would forget I was their son and see me as someone needing to be saved. I would remind them too much of Alec. I couldn't hurt them like that, so I stayed closeted, until my sophomore year in USC. I met Emmett, who was the complete opposite of Alec, but shared his passion. We became friends quick. I didn't know he was gay, but apprently he knew it the moment he saw me and made it a mission to 'get to know me better'." He laughed, "Emmett helped me through a lot. He started the healing process after Alec. He pursuaded me to change my major and tell my parents. I ended up one-uping that and came out along with telling them I was dating him." He shook his head at the memory, "Em was shocked to say the least." I could recall him making mention of a football player he was dating in college.

"How'd your parents take it?"

"I didn't wait to find out," He said with a small frown, "I was kind of an asshole. I was so sure they would be scared for me, so I avoided them. They invited Em and I over for family dinners and vacation trips and I declined every invitation until Alice got admitted into USC. It became a more difficult task. That girl would not let me out of her site."

"Do you forgive them?" I whispered the question, feeling silly for asking it.

He didn't seem to mind, "I do now. I trust their decisions and I came to terms with what happened to Alec. We got to him too late. My parents went out of their way more than any other person would," His eyes were on mine, determination set in them, "I trust them with all I have, Jasper, but I needed to tell you this, so that you could know. There are obvious similarities between you and Alec..." His voice trailed off.

"I know." I whispered.

"I don't want you to run away," He said straightly, "I want you to know they genuinely care for many reasons, the most obvious because they don't want a repeat in history if they can help it." His other hand was on my own now, "but if you don't trust them..."

"I do." And with every fiber in my being, I believed that.

"Then, please don't run away from this." The desperation in his eyes matched the mood in his father's room earlier that day. They needed me as much as I needed them. They wanted to fix history. I didn't know what to think of it.

"We see you as you are Jasper." His voice cut through my thoughts, "I have been forced to think of Alec lately, but I still see you." I knew he was promising me something, but I wasn't sure what, "So is it a deal? You're still willing to stick around?"

"I have no plans to go anywhere."

He seemed to take in our surroundings for the first time and stood up. He looked so different to me, less put together, more complex. I thought his story would satiate any curiousity I had about him, but I wanted to know so much more. I needed to. He rubbed his knuckles absently and held out his hand before I took it, pulling me gently to my both turned at the gleeful squeals of a child. A young toddler about the age of 5 was before us at my feet, staring up at me with questioning eyes. She had wavy auborn hair and teal eyes very much like my own, and tugged on my jeans, smiling toothily. I couldn't help but stare at her. She looked so familiar to me like I met her before. And then she took me by surprise when she raised her hands up to me as if silently asking for permission for me to lift her.

Edward and I exchanged glances and small crossed his face as if he knew something I didn't, "She wants her daddy." He joked and I couldn't help but gawk at him. As much as I knew this wasn't my child, I couldn't deny her need to be held.

"Rox!" the yell caught us off guard, "Roxanne, what did I tell you about that?" A young woman, not much older than I ran to the girl, lifting her up with ease. She had the same teal eyes, but bobbed golden blonde hair, "I'm so sorry. She probably thought you guys were my brother and her dad. She doesn't usually run to strangers like this." The woman looked flustered, but nonetheless annoyed as a mother would.

"It's fine." Edward assured, lightly.

"She's beautiful." I couldn't stop the words as they left my lips.

"Thanks." She said with a bright smile, then with a nod to my belly, "Enjoy them while they're attached to you. As soon as they walk, they go." And she turned and marched towards a wide blanket, a few feet away from us, daughter in her arms.

Edward and I shared another glance. I was sure I saw the future.

AN: Hope that answered some questions. Edward's story was pretty lengthy, but he needed to explain all that for Jasper (and you guys) to understand why he is like he is as well as the rest of the Cullens. Thanks for reading! Next chapter, I introduce some special characters!

Review and let me know how you like (or dislike) it so far.