A/N: LMAO! You guys cracked me up with your reactions to Sophie and Angelo, HAHAHAHA!

Now, this chapter is heavy. I just wanted to warn you. I know this story has been darker, more painful than my others, but hang in there. I promise, things will get better, and soon, ok? It's just, something like this can't be handled in one 'fix it all' chapter, y'know?

I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!!!

JPOV

When Bella asked me to leave her so that she could spend time alone with the twins, the fact that she couldn't stand to be near me and her harsh tone nearly brought me to tears. I knew I shouldn't have pressed her to talk to me, nor have brought up the fact that I blamed myself for her not being able to bear more children.

"Real smooth, Black," I scolded myself in the elevator on my way down to see how Sophie was doing.

When I arrived at her door, I noticed it slightly ajar, and heard her and Chris talking amongst each other. I was starting to walk away to leave them to their privacy, when Sophie called out to me.

"You don't have to hide, Jacob. Come in," she said.

I sucked in a breath and wiped any stray tears away, and pushed open the door. She was sitting up in her hospital bed, looking much better than she had the day before. Her face lit up in a huge smile when she saw me, and she patted the side of her bed for me to sit opposite of Chris, who eyed me warily.

"I was just telling Sophie that she should have waited before healing Bella, because she was tired from the fight against Maria's minions, and didn't have the proper strength to do something like that," Chris explained, yelping when she playfully punched his arm.

"And I told you, Chris, that I'm a big girl and can make my own decisions. How is Bella today, Jacob?" she asked, turning her attention away from Chris for a moment.

"She's back to her old self, physically. She won't talk to me about anything though, and can't stand the sight of me," I murmured dejectedly.

She placed her cool hand atop mine, offering me reassurance.

"She will come around, Jake. Just give her the space she needs, and let her come to you. Don't press her, because that will only make her drive her farther away," she said.

"Well, I'm going to go find Peter and hit the grocery store, kids. Sophie, Carlisle said that you can be released later in the evening, so I want to make sure we have food in the house since we are staying for awhile. I'll be back in a few hours," Chris said, kissing her cheek.

"Ok. Thanks Chris. I love you," she said, smiling warmly at him.

"Love you too, brat," he winked, grinning at her as he walked out the door.

"How are you feeling?" I asked as my eyes trailed over her pretty face.

"I feel really good, actually. Carlisle brought me some food, and had Alice bring me some animal blood. That one is a force of nature. She told me that once I'm released, she wants me to model for her Spring fashion show at her boutique," she chuckled with a bewildered shake of her head.

"Yeah, Alice is a handful. You should see her when she's had caffeine," I shuddered.

"Ha! I bet she literally bounces off the walls!" she laughed.

"That she does," I agreed, then grew serious again.

"Sophie, I have to tell Bella about what happened between us. I don't want any secrets, and if she and I are going to work things out, she has a right to know," I said, feeling dread as it twisted my stomach in knots.

"I'm sorry I allowed that to happen, Jacob. It's just….it's been so long since I've felt attraction for someone, and I let my loneliness cloud my judgment."

"It's not your fault, Sophie. Not at all. I kissed you, and it never should have happened. I love Bella so much, and to have betrayed her like that it tearing me apart. I just hope that she can forgive me, because I don't want to lose her," I said.

"You won't," she started, but a knock on the door stopped her from going any further.

Peter peeked into the room when Sophie told him to come in, and kept looking at me nervously.

"What's wrong?" I immediately asked, getting to my feet and ready to spring into action, if need be.

"Hi Sophie. Lookin' good," he said to her, trying to delay whatever it was he had to tell me.

"Peter," I growled in frustration.

"Ok, ok! Just…don't kill me, ok? Emily brought Kaylee and Elizabeth up to see Bella," he said, shifting nervously.

"And?" I pressed him as my anxiety rose.

"I, uh…Dude, just come to the waiting room and see for yourself, ok? I'm not getting involved with this shit, because it freaks me out to no end," he grumbled.

Sophie got out of bed, and we followed Peter to the waiting room, where Emily, with a huge smile on her face, was holding Elizabeth and looking over to the play section for kids. There was Chris, sitting on one of the tiny chairs, with Kaylee in his lap as he read her a book.

"What's wrong?" I asked, not noticing anything out of place.

"Daddy!" Kaylee squealed when she finally tore her eyes away from Chris for a moment. She ran over to me, and I picked her up and swung her around, then held her squirming form in a tight hug.

"Look daddy! He finally showed up!" she excitedly said as she pointed to Chris, who looked as if he was about to either tear her from my arms, or bolt out of the room.

"No way! Chris! You met her! Your Imprint!" Sophie said as she gave a flushed Chris a hug.

"I guess I did," he sheepishly said, scratching the back of his head.

"Oh no! no no no no no! This can't be happening," I groaned, sinking wearily into a chair and setting Kaylee back onto her feet.

She giggled happily and ran back over to Chris, who picked her up and threw her playfully in the air.

"See, freaky shit!" Peter said as he kept a safe distance away from me.

"You no say bad words!" Elizabeth scolded him as she wiggled out of Emily's arms.

She marched right up to Peter, grabbed hold of his leg, and bit him.

"OW!! What was that for?" he howled.

"You no say dat word! Daddy no like!" she said.

"Guess she told you," Emily laughed.

I glanced around the room at everyone, still unable to accept the fact that Chris had Imprinted on my daughter. It would be different if I knew the guy better, but after having known him a few days, I was leery to say the least.

When my vision settled on Sophie, I saw that she was watching the exchange between Peter and Elizabeth with a strange expression on her face. She kept looking between the two of them, a small smile on her lips and her eyes with a faraway look in them.

"What is it?" I asked her, shaking her from her reverie.

"Uh, nothing. Nothing at all," she said, but when her eyes wouldn't meet mine, I knew she was hiding something.

"Your daddy needs to give you a good spanking for biting people, Lizzy!" Peter said as he squatted down and looked her in the face.

"My daddy no spank me! I no like you!" she said as she hauled off and hit him in the face.

"Ok, I'm done! Chris, I'm leaving, so if you want to get some food, let's go," he snapped, completely irritated.

"Chill out, Peter. She's just a headstrong little girl," I said, laughing at my granddaughter.

"Whatever man. I'll see you later," he said, turning and storming out of the room and out into the snow.

"Elizabeth, come here sweetie," I said, calling out to my granddaughter, whom I hadn't really gotten to meet yet.

I had seen her when I first arrived home, but with all of the chaos, I didn't get to talk to her.

"I no know you," she said as she hid behind Emily.

"I'm your grandpa, honey," I said as I knelt on the floor in hopes she would come to me.

She peeked through Emily's legs, then tentatively began tip-toeing over to me, stopping when she was three feet away.

"Are you my mommy's daddy? The one who went bye bye?" she asked as she looked up at me with huge green eyes.

I could see the perfect blending of Joey and Edward in her, but she got her feistiness from her mother, for sure.

"I am. I'm so sorry I had to go," I said, regretting that I had missed her birth.

Her being my first grandchild, it was supposed to be one of the greatest experiences of my life, and I despised myself even more for having missed it.

"Did you get the bad guys?" she asked.

"Yes, grandpa got the bad guys," I chuckled.

"Good. So you no go away no more?" she asked, looking at me as if sizing me up.

"Nope. I'm staying right here," I answered.

She bit her lower lip and seemed as if she was going through an inner struggle. Suddenly, she threw herself at me, hugging me tight and surprising me with her strength.

"I love you, granpa," she said.

"I love you too, Elizabeth," I said with emotion.

"Bethy!" Joey cried out when she walked into the waiting room.

The toddler squealed happily and ran to Joey, who picked her up and pressed her cheek against her daughter's.

"Mommy, that boy print on Kaylee!" she said, pointing over at a still nervous looking Chris.

"Get out of here! Jeese, I do a little housecleaning, and when I come back, all hell breaks loose," Joey chucked as she looked anxiously over at me.

"Tell me about it," I groaned.

"Well, I'm going to go get my things ready so that I can leave once I'm discharged. Should I still call you when I'm ready, Chris?" Sophie asked.

"Yep! Uh, I still have to go shopping, and since Peter left in a snit, I don't have a car," he said.

"Joey, if it's not too much of a problem, would you mind taking Chris over to the house and giving him the keys to my SUV?" I asked.

"Sure thing, dad. I have to go back over there to help Maddy and Sarah finish cleaning the house and getting the nursery finished up, since mom is being released in the morning," she said.

"Are you coming home tonight, or staying here?" she asked.

"I don't want to be away from your mom, honey, so I'll just stay here. Chris, later on tonight, or tomorrow morning, would you mind dropping off one of the SUV's so that I have something to bring Bella and the twins home in?" I asked him.

"Not a problem. Jacob, before I go, can I talk to you for a sec?"

I followed him out of the waiting room and down the hall a bit, where we could have some privacy. When he turned to face me, he looked skittish, and probably thought I was going to string him up by the short hairs over him Imprinting on Kaylee.

"I just wanted to let you know that I will, in no way shape or form, harm your daughter. I know that me, a complete stranger who you barely know, Imprinting on your daughter isn't exactly what you need right now, especially with everything you have going on. But I assure you, I am a good man and I will not allow anything or anyone hurt her. Even if it means I have to die in doing so," he said with complete sincerity.

"Chris, from what I've seen of you so far, I know that you're a good person. I know that the Imprint won't allow you to hurt her, but I ask that you let her make her decisions later on in life. If you end up falling in love or not, please, just be whatever it is that she needs. I will be watching you, though, so mind yourself," I warned.

"I swear to you, Jacob. Whatever Kaylee wants, she will have. I might come to you for guidance, because this thing freaks me out a bit, and I don't know how it exactly works. I'm actually kinda scared. I don't want to let her down."

"As long as you keep her interests first, then everything will be just fine. You can come to me whenever you want, ok?" I said, still not happy about the whole deal, but understanding that there wasn't a damned thing I could do about it.

"Ok. Thank you," he said, going to walk away.

"Hang on a sec….Chris? Welcome to the family," I said, shaking his hand.

He gripped mine as a slow smile lit up his face.

"Thank you, again Jake. For accepting me, and not trying to tear my head off," he laughed.

"Watch your P's and Q's and you won't have to worry about that. Now come on, you gotta get going so you can make it here in time to get your sister," I said, leading him back to the waiting room.

"Chris, can I come with you?" Kaylee excitedly asked.

Chris looked at me for permission, and I nodded my head in agreement. He looked relieved and turned his attention to my daughter, who looked up at him expectantly. Chris squatted down, and placed his hands on her small shoulders.

"Sure thing, squirt! How about we get some ice cream and make sundaes later?" he asked.

"All right! I love sundaes!" she exclaimed.

"When I come to get Sophie, how about you come with, and I'll cook. Sophie isn't the only one in the family with a mean culinary streak," he grinned.

"Can you make some of that killer jambalaya?"

"Damn straight I can. Although I have to warn you, Sophie's is minor leagues as far as the heat goes," he said.

"Grab a bottle of Rolaids while you're at the store….I have a feeling I'm going to need them," I laughed.

"Kaylee, behave for Chris, ok?" I asked, hugging and kissing her forehead before they left. She rolled her eyes at me, then hugged me back.

"Of course I will, daddy," she giggled.

"I'll see you in a bit," I said, reluctant to let her go, since I missed so much of her growing up.

I gave her one more kiss on top of her head, then let her go, feeling wistful knowing that I was one step closer to her growing up, knowing that I would no longer be her only hero figure, if you could call me that.

I decided to go down to the cafeteria to grab something to eat before going back to my room to shower for the day. I was just heading through the door when I saw Bella and Renee walking toward me, both of their expressions pensive and sad. I quickly ran and hid from their view, not wanting to give Bella the impression I was following her around like a puppy.

Once the coast was clear, I went inside, grabbing several sandwiches, some bags of chips, and a giant cup of coke, then found a secluded seat. I could still smell Bella's scent in the air, and I followed it, stopping at a table within an all glass enclosure filled with lush plants. I set my tray down, and began to eat, thinking of ways to win her trust back.

To win her back.

"Mind if I join you?" Edward asked from behind me.

"Sure, sure. I thought you were in school?" I asked as I motioned for him to take a seat.

"I had two exams today, and was able to leave once I completed them. I decided to come to the hospital, to see how Bella and Sophie were doing. I hear Sophie is being released tonight, and Bella tomorrow?" he asked as he ate a fork full of taco salad.

"Yeah. Chris is picking up Sophie later, and I'm going to join them for dinner with Kaylee. I have a feeling that she is going to be over there all of the time now," I ruefully chuckled.

"Oh? Why……Ah, he Imprinted on her. I sense your trepidation with him, but from what thoughts of his I did pick up, he seems like a good enough guy. A little over-protective of Sophie, but who am I to judge?" he laughed, knowing that he was the same way with the ones he loved.

"Bella is going to kill me for that one, for sure. I make a mess of her life, then my mess follows me here. Not that Chris and Sophie are messy or anything. Ugh, you know what I'm trying to say," I said, completely exasperated.

"When are you going to tell Bella about what happened between you and Sophie?" he calmly asked.

I started choking on my drink, completely taken aback by his point blank question. I thought I kept it hidden, but obviously I was wrong.

"I have to tell her soon," I said, once I was able to catch my breath.

"Can you show me why you did it, Jacob, because I really don't understand, and it's taking everything in me not to tear you apart right now," he growled.

I nodded my head, then took the walls down, showing him everything. How I was not sexually attracted to Sophie, but an Imprint-like pull drew me to her ever since she healed me. I showed him how Bella was the only one I had ever wanted, and would remain the only one I would love. She was my heart, my soul, my whole reason for living. Even if she wanted to leave me, I would do whatever it was that she wanted. I would be who or what she needed, and nothing else.

"I understand now. It makes sense, really. But Jacob, you should have had better self control. Both of you should have," he cryptically said.

"Do you think Bella feels a pull to Sophie, as you do?" he asked.

"I don't doubt it. And no, I'm not getting some sick and twisted 'Quil and Embry dream world girl on girl action' ideas, so don't even go there," I warned.

"It's intriguing, I'm not going to lie, but there is no way I would share my wife with anyone. If she wanted it, I wouldn't be ok with it, but I wouldn't forbid her. I just don't want to see it, hear it, or even know about it. To me, it's adultery, regardless," Edward said, his face bright red.

My own face flushed, thinking about my daughter that way.

"Ok, this just got way weird. I'm changing the subject," I uncomfortably chuckled.

We finished our meal with small talk, and when it was time for him to make his rounds, we got up to leave.

"I'm going to take a shower, then find Bells and tell her everything, even if she doesn't want to listen. I don't want this poison inside of me anymore, because it's tearing me apart, knowing I kissed someone other than my wife," I said as we walked down the hall together.

"I'm going to be here for a few hours, so if you need to talk afterwards…," he offered.

"Why are you being so understanding all of a sudden? Just the other day, you beat my ass through a plaster wall, and now you're trying to help me?"

"Jacob, I know what you went through yourself while you were gone. Joey showed me everything, so I understand things better now. I know why you did what you did, how much you suffered, and I know that you are deeply sorry for hurting Bella the way you did. I also know that you are going to do whatever you can to win her back, to prove that she can trust you again. Besides, what are friends for?" he asked, smiling his crooked smile.

"Thanks, Edward," I said, shaking his hand.

"No problem. Now go bathe, because you reek like a dog," he laughed.

"You may be all with the heartbeat now, Edward, but you still reek like leech," I joked, even though it was not true.

Honestly, his family still had a mildly sweet scent about them, but it was nowhere near as powerful as it was when they were vampires.

We both started laughing, then shook hands and went our separate ways.

When I got back to my room, I made a quick phone call, then got into the shower. The scalding hot water did nothing to soothe my tense muscles, but it did invigorate me and lifted my spirits slightly. I couldn't wait for the next day to come, so Bella could see the surprise I had in store for her once we came home with the twins.

When I was done, I quickly toweled off and got dressed, and went back into the bathroom to brush my teeth. I looked at my reflection in the mirror, shuddering at how scraggly my hair was getting, and made a mental note to ask Alice or Rosalie to cut it for me soon. It was now past my shoulders, and the months of abuse had taken its toll, most of the sheen now gone and the ends all dry and broken.

When in the hell did you become such a girl, Black?

Since I began formulating my plan to become a better man, one that Bella could be proud of once again.

It's going to take more than a damned haircut to do that.

No shit, Sherlock.

Once my inner spat was done, I brushed my hair back so that it didn't look so bad, then went to make one more phone call before going to see Bella. I had to make sure someone was going to be home at eight the next morning, so that her surprise could be delivered and ready for when I brought her home.

When everything was in place, I threw on my Chuck's and walked down the short hallway to Bella's room. The door was partially ajar, and I could hear several voices talking excitedly on the other side, one of them being Sophie's.

"Come in," I heard Bella call out when I softly knocked on the door.

I opened the door and froze in my tracks at the scene in front of me. Bella was sitting Indian style on her bed, smiling over at Sophie and Angelo, who were sitting on the couch across from her, holding hands and staring at each other lovingly. It was as if they had known each other for a long time, and were deeply in love, which was impossible because they never met until that day.

"Um, hi?" I tentatively said as I tried to make sense of everything.

I saw Angelo's eyes shoot over at me, then over at Bella, who slightly blushed. Sophie looked at me, her face pinking up as if ashamed of something.

"Jacob, the most wonderful thing has happened," Bella carefully said, while still locking eyes with Angelo.

I felt an intense flare of jealousy, because they looked like they were hiding something, sharing an intimate moment. Sophie was giving me the same look, and right away I knew.

Something happened between Bella and Angelo in my absence, and it took every ounce of control I had not to phase and destroy him on the spot.

"What, you're all fuck buddies now?" I snapped, warranting a loud gasp from all three of them.

Bells fixed her eyes onto me, which were filled with rage.

"How dare you? How dare you come in here and talk to me like that? For your information, Jacob, Sophie and Angelo have been in love for nearly a century, but the Volturi kept them apart all of this time. They just now found each other again, which is amazing in its own right. Maybe if you didn't come in here, acting like a self righteous asshole and jumping to absurd conclusions, you would be able to see," she spat at me.

"I-I'm so sorry," I said, feeling completely foolish.

"Sophie, Angelo, could you give Jacob and I some privacy?" she asked without looking away from me.

They carefully got up from the couch and made their way to the door, with Sophie putting herself between me and Angelo. After they'd gone, Bella got up from the bed and slammed the door shut, and turned to face me.

"Please, Bells. I don't want to fight with you," I begged.

"You brought it up, so let's talk. While you were gone, I was so alone. So broken and hurt that I barely made it each day.

"Angelo forced me to keep going, for the sake of the babies, and to keep me going until you came back to me. I was alone, heartbroken, and pregnant with twins. I began to lean on him more and more, and he began to develop feelings for me, and one day, he kissed me, and I returned his kiss. It was an error in judgment on my part, but it felt so good to feel wanted, desired.

"As I let the kiss go on, your face flashed in my mind, and I wanted to die even more because I betrayed you by responding to his kiss. Even though you betrayed and left me, sneaking off and leaving me to wake up alone after we made love that last night, I felt like I betrayed you even further by letting another man kiss me," she explained as a lone tear trailed down her cheek.

My chest was on fire, the agony over what I had done to her leaving me unable to breathe. My vision clouded as my eyes filled with tears, and my anger waned because I understood. How could I hold her accountable, when I had done the same thing to her by kissing Sophie?

"When I got sick….and Peter took me to Sophie…after she restored my soul and saved me…..Oh God, Bella. I felt so drawn to her, almost as if I was Imprinting. I got confused by what I was feeling, and I….I kissed her," I quietly said as my tears spilled down my face.

I fell to my knees in front of her and wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her forward and resting my head against her stomach. She stood still, her body tense. Then her hands moved into my hair and began to slowly run her fingers through it. I looked up at her face, crying harder when I saw the sadness in her eyes.

"I-I'm so sorry for what I put you through. I don't deserve another chance with you, but I hope you can forgive me someday," I sobbed.

Slowly I got to my feet, pausing when my face was level with hers. My eyes beseeched hers, begging, pleading for her to love me again. She closed her eyes, then leaned forward, our lips millimeters apart. Just as they were about to press against mine, she opened pain filled eyes.

"I love you, Jacob, and I always will. But right now, I need some time alone, to think about everything. I….I think it's best that you not stay at the house until I figure it all out. I know, because of the Imprint, that we need to be near each other, and I will not keep you from your children. But until I can forgive you, I think it's for the best," she said, her voice eerily calm.

"What do you mean? You want me to move out? Oh God, Bells, please don't do this. I am begging you, please don't give up on us. I know I messed up, but please don't throw everything we have away just yet. Please Bells," I sobbed as the room began spinning.

"I'm not giving up on us. All I'm asking for is some time. Give me that, please?" she asked, her chest heaving from the same pain I was feeling.

"Ok," I whispered as the life flew out of me. I felt so dead inside now, so hollow and empty, so hopeless.

"You can come by everyday to spend time with the kids, Jake. I will not deny you your children. They need you," she softly said as she stared at the floor, unwilling to meet my eyes.

"I'll go over to the house tonight to get some of my things. I'm going to stay at the cottage, so if you need me," I said, leaving it open ended, knowing she understood.

She nodded her head, and I walked away, feeling my heart shatter over and over again.

"Jake!" I heard her call out to me just before I walked out the door. I spun around, my heart pounding wildly, my hope soaring, and looked at her.

"I really do love you, and I always will. Everything I am belongs to you, but until I can trust you again, I cannot be with you. Just know….my heart is yours but you have to let it heal," she said.

I nodded my head, unable to find my voice, and walked away……..