**Edward POV**

Bella disappeared for a few seconds, then returned with an ice pack and a towel. She wrapped the ice pack in the towel, and then gave it to me.

"You're the doctor's son. I think you'd know what to do with these better than I would," she admitted with a sheepish smile.

I nodded, and placed the ice pack over my eye, where it hurt the most.

Bella looked at me, carefully, as if trying to figure out what to do about the rest of the injuries.

"I think we should call Carlisle," she said finally.

What? No, I did not want Carlisle to know about this. "No!" I shouted.

"It's the only way we can help you," she argued. "None of us know what to do about it all anyway."

I didn't want to admit that my pride was getting in the way of rational thought. I knew that calling Carlisle was the sensible decision, but I didn't want him to see me like this. After my parents died, when he adopted me, he had seen me at my very worst, emotionally, at least. I didn't want him to see me at my physical worst either.

Bella seemed to understand which direction my thoughts were taking, and she rubbed my arm reassuringly. "Don't worry. We'll take care of you," she whispered. "All you have to do is let us."

Those words were surprisingly soothing, and I found my resolve disappearing. "Okay. Do what you must," I told her reluctantly, preparing myself for Carlisle and Esme's shock when they saw me in my present state.

---

"So why were Emmett and Jasper beating you up, again?" Carlisle asked, as he stuck a bandage to the cut on my forehead.

I looked around nervously. Bella was in the room. She still didn't know that Carlisle knew about her...baby...so I'd have to be careful.

"We had a...disagreement," I replied vaguely. "I really don't want to talk about it." Not now, anyway.

After Bella had called Carlisle, she had scolded Emmett and Jasper. It was quite a sight. A petite, slender brunette yelling at two muscular football players...you had to be there. Soon after, Alice, Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper had left to go shopping. Alice's idea, of course. But I think that Emmett and Jasper would have used whatever excuse they could get to leave the house as quickly as they could. I don't think they wanted to be there when Carlisle and Esme got home.

"Bella?" came Esme's quiet voice from the corner of the room. "Do you know what this disagreement was about?"

"I wasn't there. I was with Alice in my room. We were talking. When I caught Emmett and Jasper, I made them stop, and then I called you guys." Bella's explanation had a lot of holes in it too, and I think that Carlisle noticed that. He, undoubtedly, knew about the pregnancy, but he wasn't going to completely accept it until Bella told him personally. The same went for Esme.

After taping several more bandages to the various cuts on my physique, Carlisle handed me two Tylenol and a glass of water.

"I can't do anything to make the bruises go away, but this should help with tonight. You're lucky you didn't break anything!" he told me.

After that, he left to put the first-aid kit away. Esme excused herself to go make dinner. And Bella and I were alone. I moved toward her. There was something I had to talk to her about. It was just too difficult for me to pretend that Carlisle and Esme knew nothing of the pregnancy when I knew for certain that they were aware of it. It was hell for me to have to try and keep a secret that I knew was out anyway.

"Bella." I was choosing my words carefully. "I think you should tell them. Everything."

"Why?" she asked, her brown eyes looking into mine.

"Because it's the right thing," I whispered. "For you, for me, for the child."

"But you'll get in trouble," she argued. "I don't care about myself. I should have listened to Alice when she told me to stop drinking. But you? Why should you get in trouble? I can tell them that I don't know who the guy was. That he disappeared from Alice's room that night, and I never saw him again. It would work." I had been right. This girl was too forgiving and kind for her own good.

"No, it wouldn't, Bella," I told her. "They'd find out eventually. I'm sure they'd prefer to hear it from you than from Jessica Stanley."

She covered her face with her hands. "I completely forgot that Jess knew. How will I face the kids at school?" she wailed.

"With all of your friends by your side," I told her confidently. "Don't worry. We'll take care of you. All you have to do is let us." I grinned cockily as I repeated her words from earlier that evening. Her eyes softened, and I knew then that I had won.

"Fine," she said reluctantly. "But not tonight."

"Then when?" I asked, smiling at the rhyme.

"Saturday. It will have been six weeks then."

"All right. Now do you want to tell them, or should I?"

**Bella POV**

I had been dreading Saturday ever since I promised Edward that I would tell Esme and Carlisle the real truth about the events at Alice's party. I could tell that things were different by Thursday. I was feeling extremely nauseous in the mornings now, even though I wasn't throwing up yet. In a way, I felt that Emmett and Jasper were responsible for me having to talk to Esme and Carlisle now. If they hadn't attacked Edward, he wouldn't have cornered me after his injuries had been treated. He wouldn't have asked me to tell the truth. But I suppose I could find a million people to blame, if I thought about it long enough.

Edward had offered to tell them for me, but I couldn't let him do that. It was my mistake to correct, and I knew that I would have to take responsibility.

Edward had smiled at me when I told him that. It was an odd little half-smile, that was full of admiration. I couldn't figure out what it was for, but it felt nice.

Saturday morning, before Carlisle and Esme woke up, Edward and I baked a cake. When it was done, we wrapped it up and hid it in my room. Maybe Carlisle and Esme wouldn't be so upset if they had chocolate in front of them...

When Edward had heard the reasoning behind that decision, he had laughed and shaken his head. "That is probably the stupidest thing I have ever heard," he laughed, "but I'll help you, if you want."

Edward was a surprisingly good cook. "Food Network," he'd told me, when I inquired after his excellent culinary skills.

"What kind of guy watches Food Network?" I asked incredulously.

"The kind of guy who prefers cooking to cleaning, and Carlisle said that I had to choose one or the other."

I had laughed when I heard him say that. It was so absurd.

Anyway, after the cake was brought out, Esme said, "Well, Bella, there must have been a reason for such a delicious surprise."

"There was," Edward said, smiling. How could he smile at a time like this?

"Really? What is it?" Carlisle asked, a twinkle in his eye.

"I'm pregnant," I mumbled, barely audible.

"What? Speak up," Esme commanded.

It was too much for me, then, and I got up and left the room. Edward would tell them. I wanted to hear their reaction, though, so I hid around the corner, and listened.

"She doesn't know that I told you already," Edward said after a long pause.

"Why didn't you tell her?" Carlisle questioned.

"I didn't want her to get upset. She didn't need to know, so I didn't tell her."

"But she could have been saved a lot of stress. Imagine how nervous she must have been about tonight!" Esme put in.

"I suppose. But we've only gotten on decent terms very recently, and I didn't want to mess that up."

"I'm not blaming you, Edward. I'm glad you came to us and told us the truth after Bella ran away. I'm just worried about her, that's all," Esme said.

What?! Esme and Carlisle had known ever since that stupid runaway thing that I had done! Who did Edward think he was, telling them my business? How could he have betrayed my trust in the manner that he did? He had no respect for my feelings at all! Did he even do so much as ask me for my permission first? And, more importantly, what did Carlisle and Esme think of me every single time they saw me walking past, knowing that I was carrying a child?