We need a little more Edward in this story, don't we… allow me to oblige! Thanks to all you reviewers… lots more to come!

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The doorbell rang while I was upstairs in my room. I was trying to focus on reading for a class; it had been a very uneventful Saturday. A week after I had told my parents I was pregnant, not much had happened. Things were pretty quiet at home. I knew Rosalie was watching TV downstairs on the couch; but I couldn't hear her answering the door.

"Rose? Can you get that?" I called down. Silence.

"Fine. I'll get it myself." I threw the book on the bed, marking my place with a pencil. I managed not to trip on the stairs as the doorbell rang twice again. I sailed past Rosalie on the couch, where she was flipping through the channels.

"Don't bother, Rosalie." She smirked and clicked off the TV set. She sauntered into the kitchen as I reached the door and flung it open.

"Edward!" He stood in front of me like a mirage; I couldn't believe he was actually here. I threw my arms around his neck and held him tight. He leaned in and hugged me too.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were studying!" I felt my feet being lifted off the floor for a second before he set me down gently and held me at arm's length.

"I decided to take a few days off. Never mind that, how are you?" Edward scrutinized my face, triggering a blush. His green eyes were fraught with concern.

"I survived. Everyone knows, and I'm still here." I gave him a lopsided smile.

"Told you. Wish you would have let me be here." He returned my smile with a crooked one of his own, and glanced behind me through the open front door. "Is your family home?"

"Charlie and Renée are out, Jasper's off playing baseball, and Rosalie," I said loudly for her benefit, "is too lazy to open doors." I heard her laugh from the kitchen before she appeared holding a bowl of ice cream in her hands. It occurred to me that she must have known he was coming.

"Hey Rose." Edward grinned. He had really wanted to surprise me.

"Hey Edward. Why don't you take Bella out somewhere? She's been holding herself hostage all week. Some air might do her good."

"Good idea. Let's go, Bells." He reached out and took my hand in his, leading me down the porch steps. I rolled my eyes back at Rosalie but followed willingly enough. We climbed into Edward's silver Volvo.

"Where do you want to go?" Edward reached over and helped me buckle the seatbelt as I fumbled with the clasp. His hands were warm for the chilly February day. I smiled in thanks.

"I don't know. Coffee, maybe?"

"You shouldn't drink coffee in your condition." Edward looked sideways at me and winked. I sighed.

"You're the doctor. Or, will be, at any rate." He turned the Volvo around and headed into town. I knew we would end up at my favorite coffee shop, where I often hung out with Alice and Angela.

As we sat at a table, we filled each other in on everything that had happened since the last time we talked. Edward was almost ready for the MCATs, and hoped to get into medical school at the University of Washington. He mentioned how Carlisle and Esme had been dying to see me, and how come I hadn't gone to visit them in awhile?

He let me have one cup of coffee, claiming that too much caffeine was not good for pregnant women. I grudgingly conceded; laughing, he told me that to compensate, I could have as many cookies as I wanted.

Edward drained his own cup, and signaled the waitress for a refill. "So… how did it really go with Charlie and Renée?" His eyes settled on mine, waiting. I hesitated, unsure where to start. He reached over the table and took one of my hands in his, squeezing it gently. I took a deep breath and told him what had gone down that week.

I had let the bomb drop on Sunday. On Wednesday, Renée called a meeting with all my nearby family. I had sat that afternoon in my own personal hell. I felt like I had been there for the past two months. But then, it was as though I were roasting slowly over the flames. I could feel every single one of their stares on me, even as I kept my eyes on my shoes. My mother's family (my aunts, uncles, and cousins) gathered in our living room; they had been summoned to receive the news about the arrival of another member into the family. Edward smiled ruefully when I told him that.

Renée had managed to turn it into a reunion, even going so far as to force me to bake a cake. She expected them at the house by six, and I would have class until eight. I had figured it gave me a pretty safe margin of time—I had hoped to avoid actually being there when she told them, but no such luck. I had crept into the house like a thief through the kitchen door, peeking around the fridge and listening for any unfamiliar voices. As I tried to sneak past them into my bedroom, I had been ambushed by Rosalie and made to sit in the living room.

"When Renée told them she was going to be a grandmother, before I got home," I recounted, looking at Edward, "they immediately assumed it was Rosalie. She was pissed." He laughed, imagining Rose's face.

As I traced the rim of my empty coffee cup, I continued with my story. It felt better, letting it all out, Edward holding my hand. I remembered how I had endured the flood of questions and comments as best I could, without flying into an unreasonable rage; however, there had been the barely controlled frustration. I had bitten back many sarcastic replies, in an effort to keep the peace. After all, I hardly had the moral high ground.

In the interest of being able to say later on that I kept my cool, I had pretended I was made of stone and merely nodded or shook my head in response. That didn't stop me from sensing their eyes skimming over my as-yet-inexistent pregnant belly. But all of them—every single one of them—could not reiterate enough how much they supported me, how much they loved me. Wasn't home the place where they catch you if you fall?

"And even then," I admitted to Edward, "I didn't stop to wonder why Jacob couldn't be sitting there next to me."

At the mention of Jacob's name, Edward looked down and pursed his lips. I peered into his face, trying to read his expression. His green eyes finally glanced my way, and he shrugged. "I still don't understand," he said quietly. "How he couldn't have been there." Edward had recognized the situation better than I had; something so simple as keeping your word, and actually being there when you say you will.

I slid my hand out of his grasp, tears welling up. I couldn't figure out if I was angry or hurt or just emotional. My emotions were all over the place lately.

Edward quickly took my hand again, apologizing. "I'm sorry, Bella. It's just that… you're so amazing, it's hard for me to see why he isn't thrilled about this miracle, this life growing inside you. It's his, too, and he is not aware of how valuable that is." The fact that he would not even say Jake's name did not escape me. And neither did the look in his Edward's eyes.

Suddenly, it brought back a different memory. A year ago, give or take; before Jacob. We had gone to the movies, just him and me, when all our other friends hadn't been able to make it. Nothing out of the ordinary, laughing, joking, just friends. After the movie, he drove me home from Port Angeles. We lapsed into comfortable silence. Edward walked me up the porch steps to my front door, and we just stood there, saying good night. As I reached for the door, I looked back at him, and for a fleeting second, the oddest expression filled his eyes. I couldn't quite place it, but it made my heart stutter. In that same second, it was gone.

I shook my head. Edward was here, in front of me, helping me, being my friend. Of course he loved me, like I loved him, almost like my brother.

"Thank you for looking out for me, Edward. You don't know how much this means to me." I hesitated, and smiled at him.

"Always, Bella. Always."

The subject of Jacob didn't come up for the rest of the evening.

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Hope you liked it. R&R!