BPOV

I had asked Alice and Esme to leave. I needed some time to be alone to process what Edward had just told me. As if the revelation that he took advantage of me the night before my wedding wasn't enough now I had to deal with the possibility that he could be my baby's father. I couldn't accept that. As far as I was concerned this was Jasper's baby; it just had to be.

I started to cry again. I didn't like feeling so weak but I couldn't help it. Between my hormones, Edward's confession, missing Jasper and all the fighting going on down the hall I just didn't know how much more I could take. I glanced at the corner of the room and saw Jasper's guitar. I walked over and brought it back to the bed with me. I closed my eyes and imagined being cuddled against him while he played a song for me. It didn't seem all that long ago when we were doing just that, and I knew he would be back soon and things could go back to the way they were. I refused to believe that I wouldn't get my happy ending. I put my hand on my stomach and tried to calm myself. I knew all of this stress wasn't good for him.

"Don't you worry my little one. Mommy knows who we belong to. I'll find away to make this right … I promise."

The yelling in Carlisle's study was starting to overwhelm me. I could feel all of their emotions as if I were in their heads. Alice was infuriated, Esme was disappointed and hurt, Carlisle was trying to be compassionate toward Edward, but he grieved for me and Jasper. And the strongest emotions I was feeling came from Edward. I could feel his shame over what he had done to me. His guilt and sorrow were overpowering. How could I have time to feel what I needed to feel if I couldn't get all of them out of my head?

The screaming intensified and I started to take in everything all at once. I heard their conversation and I wanted it to stop. I ran down the hall trying to block their emotions but it wasn't working. I had no idea what to do with all of this angst.

"Alice, I know but…" Edward was desperate.

"But nothing you idiot! I was there in the driveway that day in Alaska when you told Jasper that it was too easy for you to get to her and that you could have her anytime you wanted." Alice was furious. I was enraged for her.

"No, Edward." Esme said. "Please tell me you didn't do this to get revenge on Jasper." She was horrified over the thought that Edward had done this to me as a way to hurt Jasper.

"No, Esme, you have to believe that I didn't plan this. I never meant to hurt her or any of you." He felt so guilty. It was making my head hurt.

"Do you know what this is going to do to Jazz?" Alice asked. "This could send him over the edge. He could start hunting humans again." Alice was frightened for Jasper and that scared me.

"Alice, Jasper wouldn't do that." Carlisle said. "He loves Bella too much." I could feel the respect he had for Jasper.

I stopped at the doorway. I was trying to control what I was feeling but their emotions were getting the better of me. "Stop it!" I yelled. "I can't take all of this emotion." I put my hands on my head and tried to focus. I just wanted to drown them out, but I couldn't. "It's too much! I can feel everything all of you are feeling and I can't take it! How does Jasper do this?" I suddenly had a new respect for my husband. No wonder he looked so tortured most of the time. This was a heavy cross to bear.

They all stopped and stared at me, but at least they were quite. I took a calming breath and centered myself. There… that was much better. I felt so much more relaxed.

"Well, I guess we know what her power is." Alice said.

"Bella?" Carlisle asked. "How did you do that?"

"Do what?" I asked. I was just happy that they weren't shouting anymore.

"You manipulated the emotions in this room." He said.

"No, I can't do that. That is what Jasper does."

"Well, apparently you can do that as well." Alice said. "You are just like Jasper. I told you they were meant to be." She glared at Edward who thankfully didn't say anything. I didn't think I could handle him right now.

"Carlisle, is that possible?" I asked.

"Well, I have never seen a stronger connection than the two of you and I do remember Jasper saying that while you were human you were able to calm him down on more than one occasion."

"Yes, I guess I did."

"Sometimes we are able to carry over our human abilities and they become more intensified in this life. It is his venom that courses through your veins so I don't see why you couldn't have picked up his power or at least a version of it. Obviously, Jasper will be the best one to determine just how much of an empath you really are, but yes I would say that it is definitely possible for mates to possess the same power." He said.

"But I didn't know I was doing it. I just wanted all of you to stop fighting. I calmed myself and somehow it projected on to you."

"Well, like I said, we will have to wait for Jasper, but in the meantime you should try to familiarize yourself with your new gift."

"That's really cool, Bella. You have an active power just like me and Ed." She stopped. "Just like me." She smiled. "Hey, why don't we go for a walk? You could use some fresh air."

"Bella." Edward said, "I think we need to talk."

"Not now, Edward." Carlisle said. "She has had enough for one day."

"Carlisle, we have some things that we need to deal with. Bella?" He asked.

"You don't have to do this now." Esme told me. "Edward will understand and give you your space." She looked at him and I was sure she was speaking for only him to hear because he nodded in agreement.

He was right though, we needed to get this over with. I wanted it done before Jasper got home. I needed to set Edward straight and let him know how I felt.

"No, Esme." I said. "I think that I would like to talk to him."

"Bella," Alice said. "You don't have to do this. Why don't you just wait for Jasper to come home? Let him handle it." She looked at Edward and I could feel how torn she was that she was taking Jasper's side.

"That won't solve anything, Alice. Jasper has been through enough. I have to deal with this. So, if you will excuse us I'd like to speak to Edward alone."

"Fine, Bella." Carlisle said. "We will be downstairs." He looked at Edward.

"Yes, Carlisle, I understand." He said as they left the study.

"Would you like to sit down?" He asked.

"No, I'd rather not. What did Carlisle just tell you?"

"That if I hurt you any further he will kick me out of the house."

"You really pissed him off, huh?"

"Yes, apparently so. He seems to be rather attached to you, but I don't blame him."

Neither of us said anything for a while. The silence gave me a chance to focus and decide on exactly what I needed to tell him. I guessed he was doing the same. He paced the room, but I really didn't feel the need to move.

"Edward?" I finally broke the silence. "Why did you do it?" I wanted to understand. I knew his actions were wrong on so many levels, but I wanted, no, needed to know where he was coming from. This was my first love, a man I trusted with my life, and I needed him to explain it to me.

"What I did was inexcusable and deplorable. I took advantage of you in the worst way. I violated your body, mind and soul. I took something from you that you didn't offer and for as long as I exist I will never get over that."

I could feel his remorse and guilt, but I wasn't ready to let him off the hook. "I'm never going to get over it either." I whispered.

"Bella, I'm not trying to make excuses. I will take full responsibility for my actions. I will deal with Jasper and explain to him what I did. I'll make him understand. I will fix this for you."

"How can you fix it? Can you tell me for sure that you are not my baby's father? Because that is the only thing that's going to make it right for Jasper."

"Bella, I…"

"No, you can't fix this. When you snuck into my bedroom that night you took more than me. You took away my only chance to give Jasper something in return for everything that he has done for me. This baby was my gift to him for making my life so complete. I was giving him something that he never thought was possible; a baby. A new little life that we created together. But now I don't know if that's true. I know I should be furious for what you did in that bedroom, and part of me is, but I'm more upset with what you have possibly taken from Jasper."

"If I could take it back I would."

"You can't. When are you going to learn that your actions have consequences? How many times do you have to hurt me before you see that?" I felt the tears begin to well up in my eyes. No, I wanted to be strong, but really how much more could I take?

"Oh, love, I'm going to leave you alone for now. I don't want to make you cry again." He turned for the door. He was walking out on me again? No way was I letting him leave without an answer.

"Wait!" I shouted. He turned and I could feel his shock. "You still haven't told me why."

"Because of you." He simply said.

"What? I didn't ask for that. I didn't lead you on. You knew what my feelings

were and which one of you I chose."

"No, I don't mean that you caused me to do what I did. I meant that I was so caught up in the idea of you." He put his face in his hands. "It's so hard to explain, Bella."

"Try, Edward. I have to know."

"Before you I had no idea what it meant to love someone. I had read about it and seen countless movies on the subject but I never thought that it would happen for me." He walked to me, but I didn't encourage him to come any closer so he stopped. "Then I met you and as hard as I tried to avoid you I couldn't stay away. I'm drawn to Bella; I have been since that first day in the cafeteria. Now that you are one of us you might begin to understand that we are not always rational creatures. We do things on impulse and instinct and sometimes we can't control what we are feeling. That night in the bedroom I was so overcome with my love for you and I knew that I would never get the chance to be that close to you again. I'm a monster Bella," He closed his eyes and I could feel his pain. "And that side got the better of me. I was always afraid of losing control with you and what good did all of my restraint do? It only took me a few minutes to hurt you and destroy your happiness. I knew that I never deserved you. I'm sorry."

He ran his fingers through his already messy hair and as he stared at me I finally saw the toll this was taking on him. He had known about this for months and he would have gladly kept that indiscretion to himself for all of eternity, but my pregnancy forced his hand.

"I'm not ready to forgive you. Not by a long shot, but you did help me see where you were coming from that night. You made a mistake, I get that, but now your mistake has impacted four lives, not to mention the hurt you brought down on the rest of this family."

"I know, but I had to come forward. After I did what I did and you called out for Jasper, well, in that moment I realized that you were never going to want me. I snapped out of what ever delusion I was in and understood immediately what I had just done to you. I was so ashamed. I wanted to wake you up and explain, but you were so happy and content that I figured you would never have to know how evil I truly was. I wanted to bury it and let you live the life I could never give you; the one Jasper could."

"That's why you came to me the next day. You weren't just apologizing for all you had put me through."

"No, I was apologizing for the night before. I went to Jasper and made my amends with him, too. I was fully prepared to let you go and just be there if you ever needed me as a friend or a brother."

"And now?" I asked. "Things have changed for you again. I can feel it."

"Bella, you heard Carlisle, there is a strong possibility that…"

"No," I cut him off. "Don't say it. I can't accept that yet."

"You don't have a choice. I could be the father and we are going to have to deal with that. Don't you think Jasper would want that, too?"

"Jasper wants this baby and he will accept him no matter what."

"And you don't think I would?"

"You don't have to accept him if he isn't yours. Jasper does and I am terrified of what this will do to him. So, if you don't mind I can't worry about your feelings and what you think the right thing to do is." I started to cry again. Damn hormones! "I'm not ready to discuss this after all."

"I'm not going anywhere, Bella. I will help you figure this out."

"How?" I sobbed. "Not even Alice can tell us the outcome."

I ran past him and back to my room. I curled up in a ball in the middle of the bed and cried uncontrollably. Why was this happening?

"Oh, Bella." Alice got on the bed with me and wrapped her strong arms around me. "Everything will work out."

"You know that for sure?"

"Well, it's true that I can't see your future now, but I have seen how happy you and Jasper are. Those visions wouldn't just go away. You are each others fate and you will spend eternity together. I'm sure of that."

"Even if this is Edwards's baby?" I asked.

"Yes, even if the idiot got you pregnant."

"Why are you so sure?"

"Because I spent a long time with Jasper and I know the man that he is. He would never abandon you or this baby. You have to have faith in him. He would never doubt you."

No, he wouldn't. He loved me unconditionally, I had to believe that. My phone began to vibrate. I looked at Alice in total terror. I took it from my pocket and handed it to her.

"Please Alice, I can't talk to him right now. He will sense that something is wrong. I need him to focus on what he is doing and stay safe."

"Bella, I don't want to lie to him."

"Please just tell him I'm sleeping or I am sick. I-I can't… not yet."

She let out an exasperated breathe and then flipped open the phone.

"Hello, Jazz."

"Alice? Why are you answering Bella's phone?" With my new super sensitive hearing I could listen to his voice.

"Because she is not feeling well and is in the bathroom." She shot me a look.

"Is she okay?" Jasper was concerned.

"Yes, just pregnancy stuff. How are you?"

"I've been better. Are you sure that all is well there? You sound agitated or distracted." He knew something was wrong.

"We are fine. Bella just misses you. When are you coming back?"

"Well that's what I was calling about. Is Carlisle home?"

"Yes, he is in his study. Why?" She asked.

"I need to speak with him. Will you tell Bella that I love her and I will call her later this evening?"

"Sure. She will be able to talk to you then."

"Alice?"

"Yes." She closed her eyes and shook her head.

"What are you hiding?" Oh, no! I mouthed the word please to her.

"Nothing, Jazz. Just come home safe, promise?"

"Of course. Tell Bella for me, okay?"

"Bye."

She handed the phone back to me. "You do know that he didn't buy a single word of that, right?"

"It's better that I didn't talk to him right now with what Edward just told me and this new power I have to deal with. I would have just upset him further and I can't get into any of this over the phone."

After Alice sat with me for a while I was able to fall asleep for a few hours. When I woke up the house was so quiet. I couldn't help but get lost in my thoughts. Some were actually pleasant. I thought about Jasper coming home; safe and happy. We could spend forever together just as we had planned; the three of us. But then reality crept in and I knew that Edward was going to part of our lives for quite sometime. If he wasn't the father of my baby then we would have to deal with him until Carlisle could come up with a way to test paternity, but if he were the father, I winced at the thought, then he would make my cozy family of three a foursome. The house was too quiet; I didn't want to think anymore.

Once again my phone began to vibrate. This time I needed to hear his voice.

"Jasper." I smiled.

"Hello darlin'. Feeling better?"

"Yes, I'm so sorry I missed your call before. How are you?"

"I'm fine, but I really miss you." I closed my eyes and pushed back the lump in my throat.

"Did you see them?"

"Yes."

"That's wonderful! Now you can come home. Oh, baby, I can't wait!" I was thrilled.

"Yea, well about that darlin'…"

***Heartbreaking, isn't it?

***Thanks again for all of the support and enthusiasm over this story! I'm thrilled!

***Since you've all been so patient with our couple's separation I was thinking a lemon flashback in JPOV for the next chapter. Just because they are apart doesn't mean we should suffer. Unless of course you don't want Hot Jasper…