AN: This is only half of what I was planning to include in this chapter, but we had a bit of a family emergency this weekend. Everything turned out fine, but sadly I didn't get nearly as much writing time as I had hoped for. It's a small price to pay though for a healthy happy family. As a result, you're getting a chapter with an ending that is way more dramatic than it should have been. Now you're going to have to wait another week to get the whole scope… A semi-involuntary cliffhanger =)

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Chapter 14 - Secrets and lies

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Edward had been hoping for a quiet evening, relaxing on the couch, watching some tv, while gobbling down chocolate pudding and other special treats, but it seemed that was not to be.

First off, Bella appeared to be the opposite of relaxed. He could sense from the get go, that something had her upset—more than just a few missed phone calls. She did her best to hide it, but it was easy to tell from her actions and demeanor that something was really bothering her. She was fidgety and displayed zero interest in a cuddle on the couch. Desert, yes, cuddles, no.

Of course her stress levels weren't helped at all when Edward made the mistake of bringing up that dreaded upcoming home visit from the social service department. Those visits were always stressful, but he knew with 100% certainty that Bella wouldnever do anything that would risk putting them in a bad position with Anthony's social worker. Of course he knew that. He just didn't think before he spoke sometimes.

The second reason why vegging on the couch was a no-go for Edward, was the toddler tornado himself. Getting Tony settled down and into bed was a hard work at the best of times, but this evening, it was an absolute nightmare. Edward held him, rocked him, shushed him and begged him, but nothing seemed to be working. He just didn't want to sleep.

Eventually, the sheer exhausted from all the crying and fussiness won outandthe little boy descended into slumber. Hallelujah!

Edward tucked him in with his stuffed tiger and backed out of the room, silently shutting the door behind him.

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When Edward finally returned to the living room and the couch, he wasn't too surprised to find Bella fast asleep with one of her photo albums lying face down on her protruding belly. He didn't take offence, it was rather late and he knew she needed every ounce of sleep she could get.

Moving the photo album to the coffee table, he contemplated waking her. It was nearly midnight, and she had a bed to get to - but the thought of waking her was dismissed, because she looked so peaceful and comfy where she was at the moment and with her sleeping pattern lately… there was no guarantee she'd actually find sleep again if woken.

Turning out the lights, he dutifully grabbed a throw off the back of the couch and quietly draped it over her sleeping form. It seemed his role this night was to tuck-in his family. His hand hovered over her belly, hesitating for just a moment before he laid it flat on her stomach. He didn't have to wait long to feel a few kung fu worthy little kicks beneath his palm.

"Can't wait to meet you, but please stay in thereas long as you can, peanut," he muttered quietly to the baby, a smile tugging on his lips. "And let mommy sleep, alright?!"

With a final little rub to her belly, he got to his feet and prepared to leave. He needed a shower and a beer, or three... and then bed, in that order. He really needed a good night's sleep.

Before he had even made it three steps from the couch, he stepped on something sharp, causing him yelp in pain.

In an instant, Bella's eyes had fluttered open. "I'm not asleep," she said hastily, moving her hand to her mouth to wipe away any drool that might have been there. "I mean, I wasn't asleep, I was just closing my eyes for a bit. "

"Sure Bella and I didn't just trip over some errant piece of Lego," Edward hissed. "And the pope isn't really catholic either."

"Okay, okay, so I fell asleep. I didn't mean to," she said while letting out a yawn, "And I'm sorry you had to step right into the Lego death trap. I should have thought to warn you about that one." She dropped her feet to the floor and carefully pushed herself into a sitting position. "Nobody should have to endure pain like that. Come, sit down," she patted a place beside her on the couch. "Want me to kiss and make it better?"

"My feet? You're offering to kiss my feet…like, voluntarily? They haven't been properly washed since last Christmas."

"When you put it that way…. I think I'll have to retract that offer," she laughed. "Listen, I didn't mean to doze off. I was trying to wait up for you, because I wanted to give us a chance to talk before bed. I know I've been in a bit of a funk tonight. It started off so good this morning... But then the day went downhill in like 2.5 seconds flat and I just wanted to apologize-…"

"You're apologizing," he asked, astounded as he sank down cushion beside her. "I made your day turn to shit and yet you're the one apologizing."

"You didn't do anything, or maybe you did, but it was nothing too bad. Nothing I couldn't handle."

"Wait! Let me just say this," he interrupted. "Those home visits with the social worker are always nerve of that is your fault. Nor is it your responsibility to make them run smoother. I'll make the call in the morning and I'll handle whatever comes from it, when it comes. You shouldn't have to worry about any of that."

"But… But I want to be involved and I want to help any way I can."

"I know you do, I've never doubted that. But you have circles under your eyes and you look like you've been crying." He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her face into his chest." It kills me to see you cry, even more when it's my fault."

"It's not your fault. It's just hormones." She shied away from his embrace. "No, that's a lie. It's more than just hormones," she added with sigh. "We need to talk. I need to tell you about this thing… this thing that's been stuck in my head since this morning. It's… I should have told you about it straight away, but I wanted to get my suspicions confirmed first."

"What is it? Is everything okay?" He furrowed his eyebrows and scanned her face with anxious eyes. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

"I know we're trying to get to the point where we can tell each other everything," she corrected him, reaching to grab the photo album off the coffee table. "This is about my mother and Maggie and all these albums… I'm sure you've noticed my obsession with them lately. "

"Yeah, I've noticed," he nodded. "I thought it was maybe a pregnancy thing. You know, thinking a lot about your own childhood and what your parents were like when you were a kid."

"It's more than just a 'thing' though. Looking at these photos, I can't help, but feel like something is off. Like there are gaps that needs to be filled."

"Gaps? What kind of gaps?"

"I don't know exactly, I'm still trying to wrap my mind around this whole thing. Remember, when I asked to speak with Carlisle and then ran off with your phone? After having both you and Alice making fun of my baby pictures this morning-…" She held up her hand when he opened his mouth to protest. "I know you were just making innocent comments about my admittedly chubby baby cheeks. After this morning, I felt that I had to educate myself about the average weight range for newborns and preemies. I couldn't think of anyone better to ask than your father…. "

"Oh, okay." Edward's eyebrows shot up again. "And what did he say?"

"Well, you were right. I wasn't a small baby, that much is clear. I probably didn't arrive ahead of schedules, either. That seems highly unlikely. So basically, I think, no I know, my mother has been lying to me, my whole life. Not just to me, but to Charlie too and I just can't figure out why," shepaused to draw in a deep breath, unsure of what she wanted to say next when she had so much floating around her head, so much to choose from. "I mean the only reason she would lie about me being born early would be if my-.. If Charlie isn't-…" Her voice broke and a small sob escaped her lips. "If she was trying to hide that she was already pregnant with someone else's baby."

"Hey, hey, hey. Don't cry!" He took her face in his hands, brushing her tears away with his thumbs. "First of, you don't really know enough to draw any solid conclusions about anything. Secondly, he'll always be your dad, no matter what you find out. If there is one thing I've learned, it's that dadship is earned. 'DAD'is a title you get when you perform parental duties like changing nappies full of poo, wiping snot and cleaning up puke."

It was meant to soothe her, but his gentle words only caused more tears to stream down her cheeks.

"I don't remember Charlie ever doing any of those things for me," she sobbed and Edward heaved an inward sigh, remembering how Bella hadn't had the opportunity to spend much time with her dad until she was a teenager.

"I don't have those kind of memories with my parents either," he admitted. "But they are still best parents I could have ever hoped for. Carlisle thought me how to read. He was the only one who truly knew how to handle my temper and outbursts without making me feel horrible. Esme thought me how to trust again. She treated me like her own, but never tried to replace my birth mother and never said anything bad about her... ever."

"Charlie thought me self defense," Bella said tentatively. "Even thought I was a complete klutz back then. And he made sure I always had snow chains for my car and he kept putting cans of pepper spray in my backpack. That has to count for something, right?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm talking about. You'll always have that connection with him. No one can take that away from you. "

"You're right, " she agreed shakily. "I don't know what the truth is. Maybe I'm just imagining things."

"It'll be alright," he promised, trying to calm her with a kiss to her forehead.

"What should I do? What would you do?" she asked, wiping at her eyes with the sleeves of her sweatshirt. "I mean, on one hand, I don't think I can just forget about this and pretend I never suspected a thing, but on the other hand, do I really want to know the truth?"

"That's a question only you can answer, but there is no rush. You're not supposed to stress yourself like this. You have to think of your health and the baby first, Bella," he tried to reason with her. "Take whatever time you need."

"That's easy to say, but—".

"I mean it," Edward told her, his voice firm. "You are in control of your life, not your mother."

"Yeah, alright but, me being...well me, I've kind of, sort of, already spoken to Seth about obtaining a copy of my birth certificate." The words came in a rush as if she had just admitted some great weakness or failing. "Not that I expect to find any other name on there, but Charlie's…. but still…."

"Just remember you don't have to go through this alone, you can talk to me. I promise I'll listen and help you the best I can. I don't want you stressed, or upset, or-…. Just don't rush anything, alright?"

"You're right. I know you're right. I was thinking I should speak with Phil, like face to face, before I do anything else."

"Phil? Your step dad? Phil?" Edward asked, surprise coloring his voice. "You think he might know something about this?"

"Not really, no. But if someone can make Renee talk, it's Phil…."

"So you want Phil on your side. Have you heard anything from your mother since she came barging in here the other week? She hasn't been bothering you, has she?"

"No, I haven't heard from her at all, which in itself is a bit odd. Usually it's me avoiding her and not the other way around. If we have a disagreement about something, she'll always try and make me see her point of view. She'll bug me until I can't take it anymore. She's very adept at using guilt andmanipulation to get what she wants."

"Okay, so maybe it's a good idea to speak with Phil then. Maybe he can shed some light on what's going on with your mother. I'll come with you, if you like?"

"I'll have to get back to you on that one." Bella picked up the photo album and flipped through the pages. "You realize I'm going to have to go to Florida and visit Charlie, right?"

"You're not going anywhere in this state, but to bed. I won't allow it. Actually, I'm pretty sure no airline will let you fly in your 3rd trimester anyway and you can forget about traveling by bus, or train. It would take forever and you only have what, like ten weeks left?"

"Ten weeks, and four days," she grumbled. She found the page she had been looking for and held it up for Edward to see. "You see this? This is my parent's engagement photo. They don't exactly look ecstaticabout holy matrimony, do they? I have to at least go see him. he might not have any answers, but I want to see his reaction when I ask him about it."

"Bella," he said slowly. "Your dad is quite ill. His Alzheimer has accelerated very quickly. He doesn't even remember he has a daughter half the time. I'm not saying this to hurt you, but-…"

She met his frown and tilted her chin up stubbornly. "He remembers Renee though. He always remembers Renee. He's always talking about her." She pointed at the engagement photo again. "This was taken the same day my mom revealed to Charlie that she was pregnant."

This piqued his interest ."He proposed to her on the spot?"

"That's what I've been told, yes. But what if she lied to him? What if-…." She started, but trailed off, as she heard Edward make a choked whimper-like sound. "What's the matter Edward? What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry. I…-" He shook himself, like someone trying to shoo away a bad dream. "Who's that guy?" he asked, pointing the center left-hand photo on the opposite page.

"That's EJ, Maggie's brother."

"Oh, do you know his name? Like his full name, he looks… I think I've seen him before."

"I think the J is for Junior. His dad went by the name Ned, but I believe it was actually Ed, Ed senior. So I guess EJ, is short for Ed Junior. Come to think of it, I'm not sure I've ever heard proper name, actually. I know Maggie's full name though… " she trailed off, flipping the album over showing him the personalized label with the name Ann-Margaret O'Sullivan printed on it.

"O'Sullivan? You're kidding me!" A strangled noise escaped his throat as his face turned white as a sheet, and he stumbled backwards. "NO! I can't-…No…"

He looked like he was about to leave, but at the very last second, he turned back, "I need some air. I can't be here anymore."

"Wait! Edward, what's wrong?"

He opened his mouth to say something but t then he promptly closed it into a tightly drawn frown, shutting off the words.

Bella waited, but no explanation came. Without another word, he stormed off and a few seconds later she heard the front door slam after him.

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