A/N: This chapter was originally posted, yet somehow got deleted (I have no idea how!!!!) And with my luck, it was no longer saved on my computer, so I had to rewrite the whole chapter...... again. I realize that this isn't exactly how the original chapter was. I tried making it as close as possible, but it's been awhile and I've forgotten. I hope this clears some things up for people and fills in that gap.

*APOV*

I took a deep breath to calm myself as Embry and I walked through the gigantic automatic doors and into the hospital. Hospitals always made me nervous for some reason, but today, I wanted nothing more than to turn around and run right back outside.

"Why do you look so nervous?" Embry asked, eyeing me skeptically. "It's just a sonogram, right? Not a big deal."

"I know," I said slowly, picking up on the odd tone of his voice. "It's just…. I don't know. Hospitals always make me nervous."

"How come?"

"I'm not exactly sure," I shook my head, chuckling to myself as I pressed the button for the elevator.

After 5 minutes of waiting, an elevator finally opened, and we walked into it, just him and I. I pressed the button for the 12th floor, and we rode in silence until the 7th floor. I hated the silence that was between us, so I had to break it. We normally weren't like this.

"So, have you ever been to one of these?" I asked timidly, just trying to strike up a conversation.

"Nope, can't say that I have," he shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets and looking away. "But then again, how many bosses come to these things with their employees? It's kinda weird."

"You didn't have to come if you didn't want to," I scowled, crossing my arms over my chest. "I thought that as a friend, you would be here to support me."

"Yeah, but come on, Aria. How many guys go to these things?"

"A lot, actually. Look, I know this isn't exactly the most normal situation, but we don't exactly have the most normal relationship. If you don't want to be here, then fine. Go home, Embry. I don't care. I'm a big girl; I can handle this by myself," I sniffed, not realizing that I was starting to cry.

"Aria," Embry's voice softened. "Are you crying? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"You didn't have to come with me today. I didn't force you," I said softly, interrupting him.

I just wanted you to see your own baby up on that screen.

He didn't reply, but when the elevator doors opened and I walked out, he followed me.

"Hello, Aria," a short man with dark thinning hair and a stethoscope knocked on the door and came in with a smile. "I'm Dr. Halford. It's so nice to meet you," he said, extending his hand."

"Nice to meet you, too," I forced out a smile, shaking his hand in return.

"And who's this?" the doctor asked, motioning toward Embry.

"That's Embry," I replied. "He's….."

He's my baby's daddy.

"I'm a close friend of Aria's," Embry finished for me, saving me the trouble of coming up with what to say. "Her fiancé couldn't be here, so I guess I'm just the fill-in for today."

No you're not! You're not just his fill-in. You're more attached to this situation that he'll ever be-

"It was nice of you to tag along," Dr. Halford smiled. "Well," he clapped his hands together. "Let's see if we can get a heartbeat and a picture today."

"Alright," I said slowly, not knowing what to expect.

"If you lie back on this seat," he said. "Then we can get a better view of your abdomen."

I laid back into the seat, finally feeling comfortable for the first time today. Well, I was feeling comfortable until the doctor reached over and started lifting up my shirt.

"Uhhh," I said uneasily. "What are you doing?"

My head shot to the direction of Embry's laughter. "What?"

"Aria, he has to get the jelly stuff on your belly somehow. I can't believe I know more about this than you do," he laughed.

"That's what worries me," I mumbled to myself as I relaxed again and let the doctor do his job.

"Okay," Dr. Halford said, holding up a tube. "This is going to be cold, so I'm giving you a warning."

He squirted a jelly-like substance onto my stomach and my breathing hitched in response to the ice-cold temperature of it.

"Wow, you weren't kidding."

"Now, when I put this around," he said, grabbing an instrument hooked up to a TV monitor. "We'll be able to hear the baby's heartbeat and even see it up on that screen. Embry, would you mind turning off the lights for me, please?"

"Sure."

As soon as the lights were turned off, I started to hear a sound that resembled a little heartbeat.

"Is that the-"

"Heartbeat? Yes it is," the doctor finished for me. "If you look closely," he pointed to a small white dot up on the screen. "You can see the baby, right here."

It didn't look like much- just like a little peanut or something. But in that moment, reality hit me like a blow to the stomach. My baby was real. In less than nine months, my life was going to change completely. And before then, my body was going to change completely. Embry and I created a little life together. That fact alone was so huge, so monumental, that it was difficult to wrap my head around it.

I glanced over at Embry and to my surprise, he didn't look happy. He wasn't even looking at the screen. Instead, his face was in his hands. Was he okay?

"Em?" I propped myself up, looking over at him with concern. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he perked his head up. "I'm fine."

But the look on his face suggested otherwise.

"Oh my gosh….. look right there! See that? I think that's its nose! Wait….. maybe not- maybe it's just its-"

"Aria, I know you're excited, but spare me, please," Embry snapped, pushing the sonogram picture away. "And I don't think that's its nose. The doctor said you're barely even 6 weeks along."

"Fine. Go ahead and ruin my excitement," I scowled as we once again waited for the elevator.

When we got on, I stood on one side, and Embry on the other, his black hoodie up and his hands in his pockets. Not a word passed between us. Sometimes we would make eye contact, but when we did, he always looked away. I didn't know what was wrong with him today- it wasn't like him to be such an asshole.

The elevator stopped on the 3rd floor, and a couple walked on. The woman looked so pregnant that she could pop any second, and her husband had his arm around her waist ever-so-sweetly.

"Feel, Will!" she said excitedly, taking his hand and putting it over her stomach. "She's kicking."

"She is," the man's face lit up. "I love you so much."

I looked over at Embry and our eyes met. I made the extra effort of rolling my eyes, acting like I was just as fed up with this lovey-dovey couple as he was, but deep down……. I actually wished that me and him were like that.

*EPOV*

I can't believe that I ever agreed to go to this stupid doctor's appointment today with Aria. Was I crazy? I mean, the baby wasn't even mine! Aria wasn't even mine. That alone hurt enough. But what really put me over the edge was seeing her and Logan's baby up on the monitor. That baby wasn't supposed to be his; it was supposed to be mine. Aria was supposed to be with me, not him. But now, it was Aria, Logan, and their baby, one big fucking happy family. And then there was me, lonely pathetic Embry, just sitting on the sideline.

From the start, I was in a bad mood today. I knew that Aria picked up on it, too. After all, I almost made her cry in the elevator. But really, what the hell was she expecting? Why did she even bring me with her? Didn't she know that it was going to be hard on me, or was she just being selfish again?

If this was her way of finally getting her point across that we can't ever be together, then fine, I got it. I really fucking got it. But she could have chosen a better way to do it!

So when she turned and asked me, "What the hell is your problem?" when I dropped her off at her apartment, I just couldn't resist.

"What the hell is my problem? What the hell is my problem?" I repeated, clenching my fists as I started to shake.

Aria's eyes widened and she took a step back.

"Embry, please don't be like this. You're going to phase."

I took several deep breaths and closed my eyes, trying to regain composure. Yes, I was mad at Aria, but if I ended up phasing and hurting her and yes, even her baby, I'm pretty sure that I would be mad at myself for the rest of my life.

"You want to know what my problem is, huh?" I asked, calmer this time.

She nodded.

"Well, Aria, how would you feel if the person you're in love with is having a baby with somebody else and takes you along to their doctor's appointment to rub it in your face. Hmmm? How would you feel?"

She looked up at me, and I could see anger flash before her eyes.

"You think I'm trying to rub it in your face that I'm having a baby with Logan and not you?" she asked.

"Why else would you have brought me along? You didn't honestly think I really wanted to go along, did you?"

Her lip started to quiver, and I knew that I had gone too far.

Great, make her cry twice in one day, asshole. Look at what a great imprinter you are!

"Please don't cry, Aria. I don't like it when you cry."

"Shut up, Embry. I'm not going to cry; I'm not going to give you the satisfaction."

Satisfaction? She actually thought that I liked seeing her cry?

"You think I like seeing you cry?" I scoffed. "I'd do anything for you to be happy. I don't like it when you're upset!"

"Then why do you accuse me of the stupidest shit?! I may not be sure of a lot of things in my life right now, but I am sure of one thing. I didn't bring you with me today to upset you or to 'rub it in your face,'" she replied, using air quotes.

"Then why did you bring me, then?"

"Because…… because-"

"Because why, Aria? You can tell me."

"No, I can't. You're going to hate me."

"Aria, I could never hate you. That's impossible."

"No. I can't tell you. It's too hard."

"Aria," I said, reaching out for her. "Just tell me, please."

"No," she replied curtly. "I'm not going to..... I, I can't."

And then she shut the door, leaving me out in the hallway all by myself.

"Fuck my life!" I said in frustration as I kicked the ground and walked away, determined to not look back at her stupid apartment door.

I was halfway to the stairs when I heard a voice call out, "Embry! Embry!"

I turned around, not expecting to see Aria running towards me…… but yet there she was, with an urgent look on her face.

"Aria, what are you-"

"It's yours," she breathed. "Embry, I'm so sorry for not telling you sooner. I really wanted to, but-"

"Wait, what's mine?" I asked in confusion.

She put her hand over her flat stomach and I instantly knew what she was talking about.

Why didn't she tell me sooner? Did she originally plan on not telling me at all? How was I supposed to deal with all of this news now?

"I….. I have to go," I said quickly, shaking my head and slowly walking away from her.

"Embry, please don't do this," Aria's face fell. "Come back with me. I want to talk about this."

"No….. no. I can't. I don't want to talk right now."

I bolted for the stairs, only looking back once to see Aria's face crumple as she started to cry.

Way to go, Embry, I thought to myself. Three times in one day- what a great guy you are.

I didn't know what was wrong with me. Earlier today, I was upset because I thought Aria was having a baby with another guy, but then when she said that it was actually mine, I still was upset.

But how was I supposed to feel? Most guys I know would probably freak out. I wasn't freaking out, it's just that I was so…. Overwhelmed.

As I sat on a park bench, observing all of the activity around me, I thought long and hard about everything. Hearing the kids on the playground laughing and playing, seeing couples walking babies in strollers along the sidewalks- it was like I was looking into my future.

In less than nine months, I would have a baby in this world. A living, breathing, walking, talking baby. A baby that has feelings and thoughts; a baby that will grow up someday. A baby I have to protect and love and raise. Part of Aria, and part of me, combined- it seemed like one of the biggest responsibilities in the world, and it scared the shit out of me.

But that's silly, right? I was a werewolf, for crying out loud! I used to deal with bloodsuckers and all sorts of mayhem on a daily basis. Yet this was one of the scariest and most surreal moments of my life.

And then there was the question as to what was even going to happen. Was Aria going to break up with Logan and be with me, so that we could raise our child together? Was she going to stay with him, but give me parental rights and visitation? Or was she going to deny me my own kid for as long as I lived? So many questions were running through my head.

I sighed, not knowing where to even begin. What was I supposed to do next? Suddenly, I thought of my pack. What would Quil or Jake do? I just needed somebody to talk to right now.

I pulled out my cell phone and dialed a number, breathing a sigh of relief when that familiar voice answered on the other end.

"Hey, Em. What's up?"

"Uh, Jake? I have a problem."

"A problem? What kind of problem?" he sounded concerned.

"Well, you see, Aria's kinda sorta having a baby," I forced out.

"Okay…… I'm pretty sure you called me like a week ago telling me this exact same thing," he said slowly.

"No! There's more…… turns out I'm the father."

The sound of the dial tone filled my ears, and I hung up the phone angrily.

Immediately, my phone began to ring again.

"Thanks for hanging up on me, Jake," I said in annoyance.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly. "I just…. I'm shocked. But congrats, man!"

"I'm so lucky, aren't I?" I replied sarcastically.

"Aw, come on, Embry. It's a baby; a blessing!"

"What a great fucking blessing," I mumbled.

"What's wrong? I thought you'd be ecstatic over something like this."

"I don't know how to feel honestly," I admitted. "If anything, this just complicates things even more. What if Aria never lets me see the baby and I never get a relationship with my own child? I don't want to be like my dad was. I want to be in it's life! What if she-"

"You need to stop thinking about all of the 'What-Ifs' and just go talk to Aria about this," Jake advised. "You might be freaking out over nothing."

"I don't think she wants to see me again today. We've haven't exactly been getting along."

"Well, what's new?" he chuckled. "She's your imprint, though. She'll forgive you. You just need to go talk to her."

"But what if-"

"Hey! Stop with the 'What-Ifs!" he laughed. "Talk. To. Her. That's all you can do for now. Look, I gotta go patrol now. I'll talk to you later, alright?"

"Okay. Have fun," I teased.

"Don't I always?" Jake snorted. "Remember Embry- a baby's a blessing!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," I said as I hung up the phone.

I put my phone back in my pocket and looked up at the sky, contemplating whether or not to follow Jacob's advice. Finally, I gave in and decided to go see Aria again.

As I walked back through the park, I noticed a small little girl, just walking around by herself. The closer I got to her, I realized that something wasn't quite right. She was crying, and it looked like she was scared. I bent down to talk to her, my 6'7 frame hovering over her small body.

"Are you alright?" I asked her politely as she looked at me, shaking her head no.

"I can't find my mommy," she started crying again.

I didn't want to leave this little girl alone by herself in the park. I guess my paternal instincts were already starting to kick in.

"Shhh, shhh. It's okay. I'll help you find her. What does she look like?"

"Mommy tells me not to talk to strangers," the little girl told me. "Unless you know them."

"Well, I'm Embry. What's your name?"

"Sierra."

"That's a very pretty name," I smiled at her. "See, now we know each other. What does your mommy look like so that I can help you find her?"

"She's tall and pretty."

"Okay….. anything else?"

"She has red hair."

"Hmmm….. red hair, huh? Come on, let's go look for her."

She automatically grabbed my hand, which took me back a little, but made me feel a little good about myself. I didn't want her to wander around here by herself; not all strangers were as nice as I was.

Finally, after about 5 minutes of searching, I finally spotted a tall woman with red hair frantically walking through the park. That must be her mother.

"Is that your mommy?" I asked Sierra, pointing ahead.

Her face lit up before she screamed, "YES!" and ran over to her as fast as she could.

"Oh my God. Sierra!" the woman exclaimed as she bent down to pick her daughter up. "What have I told you about wandering away from me in the park, young lady?"

"You say not to do it," she shook her head. "But mommy- that man over there helped me find you! He's really nice," she pointed to me.

"He helped you find me?" she asked skeptically.

"Mhmmm. His name is Embry."

"Hi, Embry," the woman said shyly, holding out her hand. "I'm Jess, Sierra's mom. Nice to meet you."

"Same to you," I said, shaking her hand.

"Thank you so much for bringing her back to me. I swear, I'm a way better mother than you probably think I am," she chuckled.

"That's alright," I smiled. "Sometimes kids get crazy and run off. Stuff happens."

"Yeah….. so what brings you to the park today?" she asked, trying to strike up a conversation with me.

"I came here to just sort my mind out, I guess."

"I like to do that here sometimes."

"Yeah. Well, I have to get going," I replied, not wanting to really talk anymore.

"Maybe I'll see you around sometime, Embry," Jess smiled at me.

What was that supposed to mean?

*APOV*

I always screwed things up. Always.

Even when I think back to growing up, I never could do things quite right. Or I'd do them right, then mess one tiny thing up in the process. And here I was, at 25 years old, still messing things up; still screwing up my life.

Part of it- okay, most of it- was my fault. There's no doubt about that. After I moved here to New York City, it seemed like my somewhat-stable life started unraveling the second I met Embry Call.

I tried acting like I didn't feel anything for him. Hell, I've even told him numerous times that we couldn't be anything more. But it was just like a rollercoaster- my feelings went up and down. I could never seem to make up my mind on whether or not I wanted to be with him or not. I always ended up convincing myself that I was fine without him, yet here I was, crying my eyes out over him.

When I told him that the baby was actually his, I didn't expect him to react the way he did. I expected him to at least be happy. But the look on his face said it all- he was shocked, he was angry, he didn't want to be around me anymore. I wouldn't have been surprised if he hated me by now. I couldn't blame him though; he always seemed to take me back every time, but once again, I always screwed things up.

I was lying on the couch, flipping through the channels on the TV like some pathetic, depressed person, when I heard a loud knocking on my door. I rushed to the bathroom, wiping the runny makeup from my eyes, and opened up the door. To my surprise, Embry was standing there, and he didn't look too upset anymore.

"Oh, Aria," he said softly, reaching down to wipe my eyes. "How long have you been crying?"

"What are you talking about?" I said, pushing his hand away. "I haven't been crying," I lied, trying to put up another front.

"Yes you have. I can tell," he hung his head down. "And it's mostly my fault."

I looked up at him and our brown eyes met. I held his gaze for a minute before speaking.

"Embry, get in here. We need to talk."

I grabbed his large, warm hand and led him inside, straight to the couch.

"I'm not exactly sure how I feel right now," he took a deep breath, running his hand up and down my arm.

"Me either," I cracked a slight smile. "I have no idea what to do."

"Well, I don't know, either. So I guess we're in this together."

"Just so you know," I said slowly, struggling to find the right words. "I really want you to be in our baby's life, Embry."

"You do?" he looked at me in surprise.

"Yeah," I nodded. "I really do. I think I owe it to the both of you."

When he didn't reply, I started to get worried.

"Unless of course, you don't want to be in its life, then you don't have to. I just thought that-"

"Aria," he replied, taking both of my hands in his. "Of course I want to be in our baby's life!"

"Really?" I asked, tears forming in my eyes.

"Yeah. Our relationship may be complicated as hell, but this is one of the best possible things that could come out of it. Why would I waste that?" he asked me.

"Well, what about Logan? How in the hell am I supposed to tell him? He's going to be so pissed, probably. Ugh, I don't even want to think about-"

"Relax, Ar. We'll tell him together."

"Together?" I repeated.

"Yeah," he nodded. "I promise you that I'm going to be here for you, Aria. No matter what, you can always count on me. We'll go through this together."

"Thank you," I whispered, fighting the urge to just wrap my legs around him and kiss him.

"For what?" he asked.

"For always being there for me. Even when I screw up, you're always there. I don't deserve it," I shook my head.

"You're too hard on yourself, sometimes," he shook his head. "I wish you saw yourself the same way I see you."

"Is that really any better?" I raised my eyebrow.

"Well….. not really," he teased.

"Embry!" I hit him with a pillow.

"Just kidding," he flashed me that wolfy grin. "The way I see you is hard to describe. You're one-of-a-kind, Aria. The best way to describe you is…… perfectly imperfect, I guess. Everything you do, everything you are….. everything you aren't- just makes me love.... I mean like, you more."

I didn't even realize how close our faces were until he pulled away, leaving me feeling unexpectedly disappointed.

"I, uh, I need to go," he said quickly, getting up from the couch. "Boundaries, boundaries, stupid damn boundaries," I heard him mutter under his breath.

He was about out the door before I realized he was forgetting something.

"Em, wait!" I shouted. "I have something for you."

I ran to grab my purse and searched hectically for that picture.

"What's this?" he asked as soon as I put the piece of paper into his hand.

As he unfolded the picture, a smile broke out across his face.

"It's the ultrasound from today," I explained to him. "I figured you'd want a copy for your apartment or something."

"Thanks," he said as he wrapped me in a hug, almost crushing me.

"Uh, Em, can you let go? I can't breathe."

"Oh, sorry. Don't wanna crush our baby, right?" he laughed.

"Righto……"

I watched him contentedly as he walked down the hall, just happy that things were good between us again. We were in this together, not just for my sake, not just for his, but for our baby's sake.

Me and Embry.

Embry and me.

Our.

That little 3-letter word seemed to make this pregnancy already a million times better.

A/N: Like I said, this chapter isn't exactly like the original, which really disappoints me because I REALLY liked that chapter!!!!! Oh well :( Most of you read it already anyways. I hope that this one was an alright substitute. I'm not completely satisfied with it, but it was bugging me that there was this huge missing chapter in my story so I took an hour out of my day to concoct this one. The rest of the chapters after this are still the same. Thanks for reading!