Bella placed a hand on her stomach, trying to alleviate the terrible anxiety she had begun to feel. Edward stared straight ahead, glaring out of the windshield. His held on to the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"Bella," he said in a tight voice. "This isn't a game. We're not playing around right now, do you understand? I want to know the truth."

"I know, I know," Bella exclaimed. Her heart was pounding so hard, too hard. Maybe she would get lucky and have a heart attack or something before Edward verbally beat the information out of her.

This was it. This was the real end of them. Edward would never forgive her for keeping such a huge secret from him. Panic welled up in her throat and Bella fought the urge to gag.

She should have told him. As soon as she realized what was happening, she should have told him. But she didn't know until it was too late…

"Bells, are we going fishing tomorrow?" Charlie asked, poking his head inside of her room.

Bella rolled over on her bed and frowned at the sunlight streaming in through her windows.

"What are you doing in bed?" he asked in surprise. "You still don't feel good?"

"Not really," Bella mumbled, squinting at the light. "Can you close my curtains?"

"Sure," Charlie replied, hustling across the room. Once the room darkened, Bella breathed a sigh of relief and closed her eyes. She felt the edge of the mattress dip, and then Charlie's warm, calloused hand rested on her forehead.

"You have got a little fever, I think," Charlie said, sounding worried. "I have a thermometer somewhere. I'll go look for it. I haven't used it since, well, probably since that time you were here and you had the chicken pox. I'll go look, though. Do you want me to get you some soup? And ginger ale, and crackers, right? Maybe I should call Renee and – "

"No, no," Bella cut him off. "I'm okay. I'm just tired."

"Do you feel like you're going to be sick?" Charlie asked, eyeing the garbage pail by her desk. He stood up and moved it to the side of her bed.

"No," Bella shook her head. The movement made her stomach feel unsettled. She felt achy and sore, and just tired. It was probably her period. She got it the previous year, when she was thirteen, and it still wasn't regular.

Renee told her that the menstrual cycles of young girls often didn't become regulated for years. Bella understood, but it was a pain to suddenly get her period when she wasn't prepared.

Like right now, for example. She was about to get her period, and she had no pads or tampons. She forgot to pack them and now she was going to have to ask Charlie to get them. Bella cringed at the thought.

"Maybe you should take some Advil. That helps take the fever down," Charlie mused. "I'll get some."

The Advil helped a little bit. An hour later, Bella's period began. She was too embarrassed to ask Charlie to go out and get her pads. Bella figured she could just pick them up tomorrow. Her period was never that heavy, so she just wadded up a bunch of paper towels and used them.

When she crawled back into bed, her limbs felt heavy and it was so nice to lay down. Bella closed her eyes and wished that she was home with her mom. She wished Edward wasn't so mad at her, and that she knew who told everyone that he was adopted. Bella pushed the troublesome thoughts from her mind and closed her eyes, willing herself into a deep sleep.

x x x x

The moment Bella awoke, she knew something was wrong. Very wrong.

She slipped out of bed, whimpering out loud at the fiery sharp cramps in her abdomen. It was dark enough outside that Bella realized it was late. When she got into the hallway she could hear Charlie's snores.

Bella doubled over in pain when she got to the bathroom. She ripped down her pants and uttered a cry at the sight of so much blood. The paper towels had soaked through, and the blood stained the crotch of her pants and was smeared on her inner thighs.

She cleaned up quickly and flushed away the evidence. Then she had to scrub the toilet lid, because blood had gotten on it, too. Charlie would freak out if he saw blood.

Bella choked down more ibuprofen before she left the bathroom, then she crept into bed.

This time she didn't fall asleep. The cramps had worsened as the hours passed, and now she felt like she was going to get sick. After she retched into the garbage pail twice, she could hear Charlie shuffling around outside of her door. Bella wiped away her tears and finally succumbed to the urge to call for her father.

The rest of the night was a blur. She remembered the hospital, and Dr. Cullen's worried eyes looking down at her. Then she woke up to a cool, shaded room, and the soothing voice of a sweet woman named Esme.

"I don't want to tell you," Bella said in a faltering voice. She pushed her memories out of the forefront of her mind and glanced over at Edward.

"I can't do this anymore," Edward said in a soft voice. He looked at her, and once again Bella was left breathless by his beauty. Tonight, though, it was marred by stark pain and bitter disappointment…and both of those emotions were caused by her.

"I was admitted to the hospital," Bella blurted. Almost immediately, she regretted the words. The sting of tears pricked at her eyes and she sucked in deep, uneven breaths of air.

"Okay," he replied gently. "So you met my father at the hospital, then."

"Yes," Bella whispered. She dropped her eyes to her hands and her vision blurred from the tears.

"And my mother?"

"She was there, too," Bella mumbled. "She stayed with me."

Edward mulled that thought over. It made sense, he supposed. Esme used to hang around the hospital a lot. Carlisle would mention someone who had no visitors, or someone who was having a particularly difficult time, and Esme would make it a point to stop in on them.

Sometimes she baked muffins or cookies to bring to them. He remembered an elderly man who was admitted to the hospital and ended up staying for nearly three weeks. He only ate Esme's cranberry apple muffins. She had tried to get Edward to come with her once or twice, but he found it awkward. He wasn't comfortable around the sick or dying.

"Why were you – " Edward paused, hearing his cell phone ring. It was probably Esme, ready to yell at him for hanging up on her earlier. He pulled the phone out of his pocket and checked the display. It was Jasper, so he silenced the call and turned around back to Bella. "Why did you go to the hospital?"

Bella exhaled shakily. Edward watched her suspiciously. She looked like she was about to fall apart. He was becoming progressively more nervous about her secret, whatever it was.

"I – well," Bella began.

His phone rang again. Edward picked it up, irked now, and saw Jasper's name flashing on the screen again. He silenced the call and offered Bella an encouraging look.

This was it – the moment of truth. Bella unbuckled her seatbelt and twisted her body to face Edward. "Do you remember that time we – "

"You've got to be kidding me!" Edward exploded, hearing his phone ring again. He passed Bella an apologetic look and then flipped the cell open. "Jasper, I'm kind of fucking busy right now so – "

Bella swallowed and licked her dry lips. Part of her was grateful that Jasper's call delayed the inevitable, if only by a minute or so. Another part of her was angry that she finally had the chance and the nerve to tell Edward, and the moment was interrupted.

"Don't fuck around, Jasper," Edward said flatly. He listened again, and then sighed heavily. "Can't you get Emmett?"

Bella bit her lip and looked away, feeling like she was intruding.

"Yeah, I'll be there in two minutes," Edward practically spat. He flipped his phone shut and threw it on the dashboard. He let out an impatient sigh and practically growled. "Bella, I need to go. Jasper is in trouble. I'll talk to you – tomorrow, I guess."

Bella nodded and reached for the door, hurrying to get out of his way. "Is Jasper going to be okay?"

Edward nodded and turned his steely gaze on her. "He will be, once I get there. Jake and his lowlife friends are trying to kick his ass, so do you think you could maybe put a move on it?"

"Jake?" Bella repeated, stunned. She sat still in her seat. "Like, Jacob Black?"

"Yeah, your best friend," Edward sneered. He reached across her body for the door handle and pushed it open.

Bella got out, suddenly feeling clumsy and awkward. She straightened her clothes as she stood, then leaned into the car for the grocery bags. "Thanks, um, for the groceries. I'll pay – "

"Later, Bella," Edward snapped.

The wheels of his car spat gravel and threw up dust as he peeled out. Bella shifted the bags to her other hand and watched Edward drive away. She held her emotions in check and shoved all thoughts of Edward to the back of her mind. She had been prepared for a mood swing; it seemed like whenever they were making some sort of progress Edward felt the need to set them back a few steps.

Bella trudged up the stairs to the porch and set the bags of groceries on the floor. She dug into her pocket for the house keys and then struggled with the lock for a few moments. Like everything else, it was old and ready to give.

The day stretched out before her, long and empty. Carlisle was trying to keep Charlie in the hospital for another night, though Bella suspected that it was more for her sake than Charlie's health. Edward took off for parts unknown, presumably to help Jasper.

Bella quickly unpacked the groceries and took a critical look at the kitchen. It was faded and dingy. Everything looked old, and it just felt stale. She opened up the windows all the way and let a cool breeze ruffle the yellowed curtains.

Bella fingered the old lace delicately. She could clean today. Surely there had to be a mop and floor cleaner somewhere. Maybe there were a few cans of paint lying around, too. Satisfied with her plan for the day, Bella eagerly began dismantling the curtains. A load of laundry was definitely on her agenda.

She worked hard and without a break, until the door bell rang nearly three hours later. Bella dropped her soapy sponge into a bucket of sudsy water and climbed down the small ladder. She glanced around the room and was very happy with her results. The walls glowed a little lighter after being stripped of a decade's worth of grime.

Bella dried her hands on her jeans, happy with her work so far but dismayed about her appearance. She was sweaty and dirty.

Honestly, though, the chances that the door was for her were very small. The only person she had worth dressing up for was Edward and he was busy. Besides, as the day wore on, the more offense she took at the way he had taken off earlier. It was easy to be angry when he wasn't there.

Bella picked her footing across the floor. Various cleaning supplies were strewn across the kitchen and living room floors and Bella was careful to watch her step. The doorbell chimed again and she picked up her pace.

Bella opened the door with a smile, but the smile froze on her lips. She ran a hand self-consciously over her hair and felt her cheeks burn.

"Um, hi…" Bella trailed off. Bella shut her mouth; her jaw had dropped in surprise when she recognized the figure standing at her front door. She hoped she didn't look as shocked as she felt. Then, in true Bella fashion, her mouth opened again and she blurted out, "What are you doing here?"

The day had gone to shit. Pretty quickly, too.

Edward leaned back in his seat and ran his fingertips under his right eye, grimacing at the pain.

"Sorry, man," Jasper sighed.

Edward looked over at him and shrugged. Jasper pulled down the visor and flipped the vanity mirror open. He was surveying his own cuts and bruises, which were definitely worse than Edward's lone black eye.

"You're paying for new tail lights," Edward stated. Getting punched in the face by one of the guys from the Reservation didn't hurt nearly as badly as seeing them take a bat to his car.

"I know," Jasper groaned. "Fucking most expensive piece of ass, ever."

"Why do you do it?" Edward demanded. "Just leave her alone. Every time you see her one of them follows you and tries to start shit."

"Leah's nice," Jasper replied defensively. "She isn't like the other girls from around here. She's into nature and peace and love, and all that stuff. I like her."

"Yeah, well, me and Emmett don't like saving your ass every other week," Edward snapped. He turned the Volvo on and let the engine rumble for a few seconds.

The adrenaline rush of the fight had worn off, and Edward felt exhausted. Despite what he told Bella, Jacob hadn't been there. It was Quil and Embry this time. Everyone knew that Jasper and Leah had a "sort of" thing going on, and the boys from the Quileute Reservation didn't hesitate to pound on Jasper whenever they saw him.

Jasper grunted his acknowledgment. "Did you and Bella work out your shit yet?"

Edward frowned and the Volvo lurched forward.

"Guess not," Jasper said lightly. "Emmett said he would meet up with us around five. You wanna do something?"

"No." Edward shook his head. "I'm tired. My head hurts. I just want to go home and get in bed."

"Jesus Christ," Jasper crowed. His shoulders shook with laughter. "You sound like a sixty year old woman."

Edward rolled to a stop in front of the Hale homestead. He caught sight of a Jeep parked a few houses down and it looked too familiar to be a coincidence. Edward leaned forward to look at the front of Jasper's house, and sure enough, a curtain parted briefly.

Just the brief glimpse of Rosalie's guilty face told Edward the rest of the story. He laughed and shook his head. He was surprised that Emmett thought he could pull himself away from Rosalie at five o'clock. Although, with Jasper inside the house… Edward supposed nobody was a better cockblocker than an older brother.

"What?" Jasper wanted to know.

Edward waited until Jasper was outside. "Tell Emmett I said hi."

He didn't wait for Jasper's reply.

Edward sped careless through Forks. With Chief Swan holed up in the hospital he didn't really have to worry about the cops. He got the impression (whenever he was pulled over) that they felt sorry for him. It was no secret that the Chief had some sort of vendetta around him.

They didn't know why, of course. The Chief had never come out and said anything specific to Edward, either, but he assumed it was because of the way things had ended with Bella. He broke Bella's heart and the Chief made his life a nightmare.

Edward didn't want to think about Bella. His stomach seized up with tension whenever he did. He saw the way her eyes filled with tears and heard her scared, high-pitched voice when she told him that she didn't want to talk about knowing his parents.

He shoved the troubling thoughts aside and sighed in relief as he pulled into his driveway. A quick bite to eat and a hot shower would make him feel a lot better.

Edward was poking around in the refrigerator when he heard it.

"Edward Anthony Cullen."

Shit.

Edward sighed heavily. There was no getting around this. He knew that tone. He turned slowly, dreading the upcoming lecture. "Hi, Mom."

Esme stood before him, hands on her hips. She stood at 5'6 but struck fear in the hearts of many great men. He had seen Carlisle give up a Hawaiian vacation and endless days of golfing to appease her. An angry Esme was not to be meddled with.

"You hung up on me," she accused. "And you undoubtedly made that poor girl uncomfortable. Is that how I raised you?"

"I'm sorry," he replied contritely. "It's just that – "

"And you don't even know what she has gone through!" Esme snapped. Her brown eyes, always so warm and compassionate, sparked with anger. "You ought to be ashamed of yourself!"

He could feel it. Another tantalizing piece of the Bella Swan mystery was about to click into place. "Yeah, she has been through a lot," he agreed, gently urging Esme on.

"And now with her father," Esme said worriedly, wringing her hands. "She needs a friend, Edward. Be careful with her, all right? She's fragile, I think."

"How did the Chief handle her? You know, back when she was in the hospital," Edward said casually. He reached into the fruit bowl beside Esme and plucked an apple out of it.

"Well, how would any father react in that situation?" Esme asked absently. She stared at the floor, her arms crossed, apparently deep in thought. "Though I suppose, given the situation, Charlie had a right to overreact. Isabella was lucky Carlisle was there."

"What do you think would have happened if Dad wasn't there?" Edward pushed.

Esme's gaze suddenly sharpened and she looked at Edward suspiciously. "You can ask Isabella your questions, Edward."

"Bella," he mumbled, taking a bite out of the apple. Esme paused at the kitchen doorway and cocked her head to the side, looking at him strangely.

"Excuse me?" she asked. Her eyes narrowed and she looked at him keenly.

"She goes by Bella now," Edward said lamely.

Esme nodded and gave him a knowing smile. She turned to leave the room, then paused. "Oh, and Edward? We'll talk about that black eye when your father gets home."

Edward cringed and turned back to the fridge as she left the room. His hand was on the carton of orange juice when he was struck by another question to ask. Edward slammed the door shut and jogged into Carlisle's study, where Esme was perched on the edge of his desk.

"Yes, Edward?" she asked in an amused voice. Esme placed the day's mail down on the desk and gave him her full attention.

"Mom," he began, not sure of what to say. They never spoke of that terrible summer. He had wished a million times that he could take back the hurtful things he said to them, but that was impossible. Instead, the three of them had buried away the memories and forged ahead.

"Edward?" she asked after a moment. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah," Edward said quickly. "Um, you remember that summer? When I found out… When I found out I was adopted?"

Esme couldn't quite hide the expression of shock and then pain on her face. He felt like such an asshole.

"Yes," she responded, a bit stiffly.

"I have a question," he said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.

Esme held up a hand, asking for a moment, and slid off the desk. Miserable now, Edward watched her silently. Esme walked to the wall behind the desk and took down the painting that hid the built-in safe. She worked quickly and the heavy black door swung open in just a few seconds.

When Esme turned to him, she held a manila folder. It was sealed shut and his name was written on it in black marker.

"I took the liberty of hiring a private investigator for you," she said with a sad smile. "This is everything he could find. I have never opened it, and neither has your father."

"What is this?" Edward asked blankly, taking the folder that she offered.

Esme frowned. "It's everything the P.I. could uncover on your biological parents. Isn't that what you're here for?"

Edward all but shoved the folder back at her. "No! No, I don't care about that. You guys are my parents, I know that now. I just – I overreacted back then. It was a lot to take in."

The pained expression was back on her face. "We always meant to tell you, Edward, but we agreed that it would be best if we waited until you were eighteen."

"It's okay," Edward said quickly. "I just wanted to know if you told anyone else about it."

"About your adoption?" Esme clarified.

"Yes," he nodded. "After I found out – when I got upset – did you or Dad tell anyone about it?"

"Did we tell anyone about it," Esme mused out loud. "Yes, I did. I don't think your father did, but I know I discussed it with someone."

"Who?" Edward asked, holding his breath. He leaned forward, his insides nearly quivering with anticipation. The truth.

Esme looked a bit uncomfortable. "Well, I was upset – you were upset, we all were. I needed to talk to someone about it. So, I told Emma about it. Emma Stanley."

"You told Emma Stanley about it?" Edward breathed. "Jessica's mom?"

"Why?" Esme grimaced at his tone.

Edward shook his head and turned away. Bella didn't break his confidence. Jessica Stanley did. Not Bella.

He should have known.