Disclaimer: Yup…still not mine…

A/N: I'm thinking you guys are wondering what exactly happened to Edward in those two weeks after he returned from Forks. I promise we'll cover "dark times round 2" in the next chapter. The last chapter kind of just took on a mind of it's own and demanded Bella make her grand entrance. :-P

I had a bit of rough times with this chapter. Not to mention work started (ugh), and it was my friend's birthday this weekend (more ugh…I can't even tell you how much beer, sake bombs, and tequila was involved), so yeah…thank you for being patient. And for still reading. Awesome and MANY thanks just for reading. Seeing that always makes me smile. :- )

Homebody- thanks for sticking with me. I hope this is to your liking

Lissa10590- Why hello. :- ) I'm glad you're liking the story too. Thanks for reviewing.

And ajenc, I hope I haven't lost you. Your input always gives me so much to think about. I hope all is well with you.

Right…so, the song, I don't know why, but I felt like it fit.

Hey, baby my nose is getting big

I noticed it be growing when I been telling them fibs

Now you say your trust's getting weaker

Probably cuz my lies just started getting deeper

And the reason for my confession is that I learned my lesson

And I really think you have to know the truth

Because I lied and I cheated and I lied a little more

But after I did it I don't know what I did it for

I admit that I have been a little immature

Fucking with your heart like I was the predator

In my book of lies I was the editor

And the author

I forged my signature

And now I apologize for what I did to you

Cuz what you did to me I did to you

No, no, no, no, baby

No, no, no, don't lie

-Black Eyed Peas, "Don't Lie"

Chapter 8: Don't Lie

"Yes Edward…he's yours."

He's yours. He's yours. He's yours.

I have no idea how long we were standing there in silence. Well, perhaps not silence, more like not speaking. It was anything but silent as Bella's last words echoed in my mind. He's yours. There was a war raging in my head. I didn't know what I was feeling and was almost numb to the world around me. All that I could really comprehend was Bella's words: He's yours.

I snapped out of my daze I saw Bella move. Bella looked down and her hands were twitching and nervously pulling at each other. Her tear stained face was still the most beautiful face I had ever seen in the last six years. Though she was just in jeans and a black sweater, I was totally taken by her beauty. She always told me she hated wearing make-up and it looked like things in that department still hadn't changed. While I took in her appearance her last words still were echoing in my head: "he's yours."

"Edward," she finally whimpered, "please say something."

I had a son. E.J. was my son…my 5 year old son. My son who had been living in the same city as me all this time.

"Why?" was all I could manage to choke out. I could feel my brows furrow as I looked at Bella, willing her to look up and answer me. I prayed that my heart and mind could keep themselves together.

She sniffled and looked up, tears still streaming down her cheeks. "Edward…"

"Why Bella?" I asked again, louder this time.

"Edward…I thought it was for the best…" she whispered, sounding so fragile.

I literally felt like something physically snapped in me.

"FOR THE BEST?!" I yelled. Bella flinched and looked down again, but that didn't stop me, "You left me because you thought it was for the best?! You hid OUR son from me Bella!"

"I couldn't do it Edward!" she pleaded with me, looking up, emotions I couldn't place swimming in her eyes, "I couldn't take your life away from you! If I had stayed, it would've ruined everything! You just had the surgery and there was so much ahead of you. I couldn't burden you with a child also."

"So you just left? You didn't even let me have a say in the matter?! Don't tell me for one second that anything you wrote in that letter is what you honestly believed!" I was still shouting and pulled at my hair in frustration.

Bella looked shocked for a second before I saw what was clearly anger cross her face as she stood up and started to shout back at me.

"Edward, I know you! You would've dropped everything during your recovery to cater to everything I needed during the pregnancy. Look at everything you've achieved Edward! You wouldn't be here and a successful artist if I had stayed! You would've resented me for holding you back!"

The panic was breaking through and I could feel the control slipping away completely.

"This means nothing without you! Everything I've achieved in this life means nothing without you to share it with!"

I was breathing hard now and started pacing, pinching the bridge of my nose with my thumb and forefinger.

"Edward…you don't mean that…" Bella whispered. I still couldn't read what emotions were laced in her voice.

"Of course I mean that!" I snapped, "You were my everything Bella! My life! I love you and you left me when I needed you more than anything!"

Bella was frozen in her spot staring at me. What did I say? Crap…I just said I love her. That realization caused my breathing to pick up even more.

"Edward, I'm sorry…"

"SORRY!?" I bellowed, "Why didn't you come find me? I saw you at Izzie McCarty's party! You looked straight at me! I saw you outside of my stor-"

It was like a light bulb went on in my head.

"Bella…are you Izzie McCarty?"

She looked down and nodded slowly, the most attractive blush I've ever seen on a human gracing her cheeks. I shook my head. Now was not the time for those thoughts. Things started falling into place in my mind. Her book Love Story was basically the fairytale version of the life Bella and I could've had. Her anonymity…no pictures, no videos, no interviews…

"So all the mystery and hiding who you are…it was so I couldn't find you," I choked out.

"Edward no! You know I hate attention like that!" Bella shouted, her eyes wide, "Plus I left you all the pictures! I…I…I secretly hoped someday…that someday you'd find me."

It was barely above a whisper and I instantly felt the guilt hit me. In my foolish anger I had burned those pictures, but it didn't excuse why she never came back for me. She could've easily come back to Forks. She knew I had to have remained there, especially after the surgery.

"Why didn't you just come back to Forks? You knew I was there."

"Edward, I couldn't…my Dad…I just…I was too scared."

"But you saw me at the party and were outside my store. Why didn't you talk to me then?"

Bella looked down and kicked her shoe against the floor.

"Answer me Bella!" I yelled. I could tell the panic was starting to play on my anger and my control was slipping into nothing.

"I couldn't Edward! I thought you knew it was me! You have the pictures! You looked away. I figured you didn't want me anymore! I couldn't talk to you at the store knowing that you didn't want me anymore! Plus I saw you with Alice! It was clear that you didn't want me and I couldn't do that to E.J.!"

"ALICE?!" I shouted, even more confused now, "she's Jasper's fiancé and co-owner of the store! As for E.J., he gets letters from his 'daddy' Bella! How do you explain that? His dad, the artist in Paris?"

"He started asking me when he was in pre-school. Emmett had to go and open his big mouth and say, 'Yeah Bella, where is his dad?' He tried to persuade me more than once to tell you, to go back to you. I even made it to your store one day, but then I saw you walking down the street arm in arm with Alice, and I…I just assumed…."

She sniffled and didn't finish her words. I stood motionless and now surprised. She had tried to come to see me?

"I just couldn't…especially after I saw the two of you and how well your business was doing. I didn't want to hurt E.J. What was I going to tell him when you decided that you didn't want us?"

I was shocked. She thought I wouldn't want them? That I didn't want them?

"You think that I don't want you?" I growled.

"It's not just me anymore Edward…" Bella whispered.

"You think that I wouldn't want my own SON?! He's my son Bella! How could you keep him from me! 6 years and I've never known! How could you keep this from me?! You just decide it's better to make up a father in Paris when I've been here all along!"

"Do you think I'm not tormented by my decisions every day?!" She screamed at me, "I have a permanent miniature version of you running around me all the time!"

"Were you ever going to tell me?"

Bella hesitated.

"You were never going to tell me were you? You were never going to tell me that I had a son?!"

My breaths were ragged and I was gasping for air and control, but it was useless.

"Edward…I know you I-"

"Clearly you don't know me at all!" I yelled.

"What would you have done Edward? It would've ruined everything you've worked for!"

"NO!" I roared, slamming my fist on a table, but before I could finish, we were interrupted.

"Daddy, are you mad?"

APOV

"Daddy, are you mad?"

We were walking back with a bottle of water from down the hall when we heard the shouting and yelling. Neither Jasper nor myself was quick enough to grab E.J. as he took off towards the classroom. We had both tumbled into the classroom in time to hear E.J.'s heartbreaking question. He had tears streaming down his cheek and his bottom lip pulled tightly between his teeth. Bella and Edward were standing a few feet apart from each other, both breathing heavily. Both of them were staring down at E.J. in shock.

"Um…sorry, we heard…and um…he…just took off…" Jasper stuttered.

I saw Edward grip his hair tightly in his right hand, "I can't…I can't stay here…"

"DADDY I'M SORRY!"

Again, none of us were quick enough to stop E.J. He flung himself at Edward's legs and quickly latched on to one.

"I'm sorry daddy! I ruined your surprise didn't? I'm sorry!" he wailed.

You'd have to be, for lack of better wordage, blind to not be able to see the panic clearly taking over Edward's entire person. He was struggling to remove E.J. and not hurt him while repeatedly saying, "it's okay, it's okay." Bella was completely frozen in shock and didn't snap to until Jasper stepped in to try and calm E.J.

"E.J., baby…" Bella tried.

"NO! Daddy!"

"I'm sorry," Edward choked out, "I need to go."

"NO! DADDY DON'T LEAVE!"

"E.J., I'm sorry…" Edward's voice sounded so broken. He successfully pried the little guy off his leg, but E.J. only threw himself down on the floor.

"NO! NO! NO! DADDY PLEASE!"

I was completely frozen. I didn't know what to do. There was so much pain and hurt around us that it was hurting me to see.

"DADDY PLEASE! I'M SORRY!" E.J. fought heavily against the embrace of his mother and Jazzy trying to calm him down.

Edward froze, his hand hanging in the air above the doorknob.

"I'm sorry E.J. Your mother and I…we…we need to…to work some things out."

"Daddy please don't go! Mommy, do something!" he wailed.

"I love you son," Edward choked out. And with that he took off out the door.

E.J. yelled as he fought the embrace of his mother. I was frozen. My heart wanted to break as I heard little E.J.'s pleas with Edward. Edward looked so broken when he turned around at the door and spoke softly to E.J. If the pain in my chest hurt me so much right at this moment, I couldn't even begin to imagine how much Edward was hurting.

"DADDY! DADDY!" E.J. wailed as Bella unsuccessfully tried to calm him down. Jasper was in teacher mode and he knelt down and tried his best to help Bella calm E.J.'s cries. I suddenly snapped to attention. This was going to destroy Edward. He was almost catatonic when he found out that Bella just lived in this city. What would he do now after seeing her AND learning he has a son?

"I need to get to Edward!" I shouted, quickly moving to grab my purse. Jasper nodded as he tried to help Bella. I knew he would understand.

Quickly I jumped into my Porsche and started my way back towards our apartment buildings. Edward didn't have too much of a head start on me, but I was cursing the traffic gods as I hit some backup right outside the school. Had I not been in four-inch heels and I didn't absolutely detest all forms of exercise, I might've just run to Edward's apartment. It took me 45 minutes just to go the couple of lousy blocks back to my building. I parked and jumped out of my car and walked so fast over to Edward's building that it might've looked like I was running.

Thankfully I still had the key and I knocked loudly. When there was no answer I let myself in. I breathed a sigh of relief when it at least looked like Edward didn't take any rage out on his living room at. I peeked into his studio and noticed it too was untouched. I sighed and made my way to the bedroom. I knocked and again there was no answer. I opened the door slowly, so scared of the state that I was going to find him in. My heart was thundering in my chest. He wouldn't try to harm himself right? Good lord I hope not…

I breathed a huge sigh of relief when I saw him curled up on his bed. I said his name quietly, but I got no response. As I got closer I realized that while tears had dried on his face, he was sleeping. He looked so peaceful as he lay there. I debated about whether or not I should hang around until he woke up, but I decided to let him be. I had a feeling that now that he knew, and E.J. had met his father, that Edward wouldn't do anything drastic. No matter what, he already cared about this boy. Plus I wanted to talk to Jasper and see if he was able to talk to Bella at all.

By the time Jasper came home I had worked myself up into quite the angry state. I couldn't believe that Bella thought a man like Edward wouldn't want his own child. I couldn't believe that she would keep something like this from him either. True it might have altered his plans, but if I knew Edward like I think I do, it only would've altered his plans for the better. He would've been a great father. I guess the only good thing that could come out of this was hopefully he would get the chance.

I was quickly on my feet when I heard Jasper's keys in the door. When Jasper opened the door I immediately jumped in front of him.

"What happened after I left?"

"Hello to you too Darlin'" Jasper chuckled.

"Don't you 'Darlin' me. What happened with Bella?"

Jasper sighed and placed his bag and keys down before going to collapse on the couch in the living room. I quickly sat next to him and curled my legs up under me. He ran his hands through his hair before he started.

"Well…it took a while but we eventually calmed E.J. down enough to stop screaming. He cried and didn't say anything else as I talked to Bella. The school nurse came in to check on Bella too. She apparently just fainted from the shock."

I nodded as I took all this in. Really I just wanted more information about this whole Bella/Edward situation.

"Did you ask her about Edward? Did you ask what she's going to do now? What about E.J. and-"

"Darlin'! Just hold your horses, I'm getting there."

I smiled a little sheepishly as I gestured with my hand for him to continue.

"After the nurse left, Bella asked E.J. to play in the back so she could talk to me. She asked if I've been friends with Edward for a long time and if you were really my fiancé. I asked her why that mattered and then she confessed that she had tried once before to come see Edward at the store, but she saw him walking arm in arm with you down the street and she figured that you were his girlfriend or something. She said she thought he looked happy so she couldn't bring herself to approach him and ruin his happiness."

"She thought Edward and I were dating?! Ewww…"

"Darlin'…" Jasper said as he looked at me seriously.

"Oh right, sorry. Focusing."

Jasper chuckled before he continued, "I asked her if she was at her party that we all went to and she nodded. So I asked her if she had seen him at the party, and she told me she had. Of course that led to my question of why she didn't talk to him then, and she told me that he had pictures of her. She figured he knew what she looked like, and when he looked away she thought he didn't want her anymore and he hated her."

"Wait…pictures?" I asked, and not a split second later the memory came back to me, "Pictures! Edward told me about those! He said he burned them!"

Jasper looked at me wide eyed as I continued, "Edward was so angry over Bella leaving he didn't even look at the pictures. In his rage he threw them in the fireplace. He never knew what Bella looked like."

"Oh lord…" Jasper groaned as he leaned his head back to rest on the couch.

"What did she say she's going to do?" I whispered.

"She's not sure," he sighed, "now that E.J. knows and met Edward, she's worried about how this is going to affect him if Edward wants nothing to do with them."

"But Edward would never do that!" I cried.

"Darlin', I know Edward is our friend, but we don't really know how this is going to affect him."

I sighed and nodded. Jasper had me there, but I still held on to some small hope that maybe I knew Edward like I thought I did, and that he would never abandon his son, even if he couldn't forgive Bella.

"I guess we'll just have to keep a close eye on him," I sighed. I did not want a repeat of the two weeks prior to this one. Jasper and I sat in silence for a while longer, both lost in our own thoughts.

"Do you want me to make something for dinner Darlin'? I'll heat up the leftovers."

I smiled, "Anything that's microwavable huh?"

Jasper leaned over and kissed me softly, "No one microwaves better than me."

We both laughed at that and Jasper stood before offering me his hand to stand up. I took it but quickly jumped on his back, making him piggyback me into the kitchen. At least for a brief moment it seemed like there was nothing wrong in the world as Jasper carried me and bounced me around, both of us laughing like a couple of carefree kids.

As he carried me though, a thought popped into my head. I needed to talk to Bella. She needed to know the man that Edward has become. The man that he has been since she left him. She was what was keeping him alive all these years. She needed to know what had been happening to him. I know he thought he had us all fooled, but I knew better. As Jasper set me down, I internally groaned in my head. Edward, Bella, and E.J. weren't the only problems. I wasn't speaking to Emmett and Rosalie despite them calling all day today. I am more than a little certain Emmett is going to hear about what happened at the school today.

I started making a plan. I would need to talk to Angela about this. I sighed, I had a lot of work to do and damn it I was going to fix this. Yes, I am extremely angry with Bella for doing all this to Edward (I would have to cage the rage before I face her), but now that they had found each other again, didn't they deserve the happy ending that Bella gave Robert and Kristen in Love Story? And E.J., oh E.J., he definitely deserved both his parents. I couldn't handle the thought that this poor sweet little boy might be caught in something nasty. He's not even related to me and the sounds of his screams for his father were haunting me. I had a feeling if I could get Angela in on this, that would get the ball rolling on this plan and it would all work out. Looks like the store will be closed for a week or two. This is so much more important. A new moon rising indeed.

Well? Yes? No? I'm sorry, but I couldn't just have Bella and Edward get reunited and be all happy right away. It seemed too quick for me in New Moon how quickly Bella and Edward were back together (not that I'm complaining cuz they always belong together damn it!) but yeah. Edward's got a lot to work through. I'm sensing a "dark times round 3" coming up.

Let me know what you think. I tried to make Edward's confusion with everything and being overwhelmed come through. I don't know that I was successful. :-\

I saw "The Proposal" this weekend too and it had the "New Moon" trailer at the beginning. Holy crap it's even BETTER on the big screen. Can November get here quicker please?

So…up next, what happened to Edward during the "dark times rounds 2 & 3", Alice is on a mission, and everyone's favorite big teddy bear offers up some valuable information…why yes, I believe his name is Emmett. :-P

So again, thank you just for reading. I hope this chapter was satisfactory. And for your reviews, I can't thank you guys enough. You rock! Review if you can. Pretty please? :- )