Author's Note: This story has hit thirty reviews! Okay, so it's not a huge accomplishment when compared to stories that have twelve thousand…but for me, it's a big deal. Thanks to all of my reviewers…and I would appreciate more! To celebrate this milestone, here is a nice long chapter with 3000+ words. Enjoy, my lovelies.

Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns it all, and she has the royalty checks to prove it.

Chapter Thirteen: "Security and Protection"

"Jasper, you just landed on Coruscant's Monument Square. I own that, so you owe me," Emmett said in a businesslike tone. "Pay up. Now."

Jasper rolled his eyes. "Emmett, you still haven't paid me from when you landed on Tattooine's Mos Eisley."

"That was last week!"

I snorted as the "uncles" of my children argued over the Star Wars Monopoly game that was laid out on the other side of my bed. "You guys are so juvenile," I giggled. "How are the bugs going to have good role models if they act more mature than their babysitters?"

"That's easy," Rosalie piped up. She was in the floor at the foot of my bed with Edward, playing one of the Grand Theft Auto games. "I will be the prime babysitter."

"Over my dead body," Emmett told her playfully, kissing the top of her head.

Rosalie beamed up at him. "Fine. We'll baby-sit together. But you do diapers."

"That's more like it," Emmett said. "Except for the diapers. Jasper, I need the money. Now."

"I'm counting it out in one dollar bills," Jasper replied tartly before handing Emmett a huge stack of white Monopoly bills.

"Jazz, you are totally dipping into the bank," I accused. "I knew I should have been the banker."

"Waste not, want not, Bella," the psychiatrist replied nonchalantly.

"I hope you're more fair to your patients," I muttered.

"He is!" Alice chirped as she suddenly danced into the room with about a million shopping bags on her arms. "That's why he has so many patients, and that's how he afforded this gorgeous four-carat engagement ring. And Bella, I have some surprises for you!"

"Great," I sighed before rolling the dice and moving my Princess Leia piece to a piece of unclaimed property. "Here's the money, you cheater," I said, tossing a few bills at Jasper.

"Bella!" Alice groaned. "Look!"

I turned my head to ooh and aah at the enormous pile of baby clothes she had bought. I saw jeans, shorts, shirts, onesies, dresses, tights, socks, shoes, hair bows, jackets…

"I really hope we aren't buying clothes for a gender that I'm not going to have," I sighed.

"If we are, then we'll donate them to Goodwill," Alice shrugged. "Or save them for when I get pregnant with a girl. Do you like them?"

"Of course," I replied. "They're gorgeous. Thank you, Alice. I'll pay you back as soon as your fiancé stops stealing money from the Monopoly bank."

"So quick to accuse," Jasper grinned as he read a card. "Damn it! Go to jail without passing go?"

"Serves you right," I muttered.

"Ugh, it's nine PM and I have to go," Rosalie sighed as she glanced at the clock. "I have to actually work tomorrow, unlike a couple of lucky people…" She glared pointedly at me and Edward.

"Don't complain," I replied. "I'm gestating your niece and nephew…or two nieces…or two nephews…"

"Nope, definitely a niece and nephew," Rosalie corrected me as she stood up. "Think positive thoughts, Bella. I will see you tomorrow." She kissed my forehead.

"See ya, Rose. Thanks for the company."

She smiled. "Anytime. Uh, Emmett, do you want to spend the night with me?"

Emmett's eyes lit up. "Definitely. That totally beats playing Monopoly with a cheater." He tossed all of his new one dollar bills at Jasper.

"'Bye, Em," I chuckled as he kissed my cheek. "See you later. You kids have fun and be safe so we don't have more than two bugs running around."

After they left, Jasper made a show of writing an "Emmett owes Jasper" note and leaving it in the board game. After he put it away, he took over Rosalie's controller next to Edward. Alice lounged on the bed with me.

"So," she told me with eyebrows raised. "Guess what happens tomorrow?"

"Hopefully not the birth of my children," I replied.

She rolled her eyes. "Well, duh. How far along are you again?"

"Thirty weeks. Only six weeks left. I'm going to go crazy in these four walls." I sighed and playfully nudged Edward's head with my toes. He looked back and grinned at me.

Alice smiled brightly. "You're going to get to see another room tomorrow," she announced. "You're going to Edward's house while Esme and I renovate your guest room into the perfect nursery."

I sighed. "Alice…"

She shook her head. "Don't argue. You can't be around the paint fumes. And Esme has already bought everything we need. It's going to be almost as gorgeous as your children." She rubbed my massive belly gently. Carrying twins, eating a lot of delicious food, and not getting up to exercise really piles on the pounds.

I laid back and closed my eyes. "I really hope they sleep well tonight. They kept me up last night."

"Ha, wait until they're actually out of your belly," Jasper replied. "When Rosalie was born, I thought about murdering my parents for having her. She was so loud."

"And I'll have two of them," I smirked. I had to admit, I was already becoming the proud, doting mother.

"Jazzy, I'm tired," Alice announced. "Let's go home, babe."

"Sounds good," Jasper replied. "We both have to work, too. Lazy bastards." He tickled the bottom of my foot, making me kick at him.

After they said their good nights, Edward flopped down on the bed in the empty spot next to me. "Your turn," he said, yawning.

Oh, our game. The game in which we exchanged secrets. I yawned and closed my eyes in thought. "Um, let's see. I can't handle alcohol at all. Three beers made me throw up all my guts."

He laughed quietly. "That doesn't surprise me. You're so tiny. Or you were, no offense. My turn. I can handle my alcohol quite well, but after about the fifth or sixth, I start to do really stupid things."

"Such as?" I asked him, already fading into sleep.

He snorted. "Emmett and I tried to hop over a bonfire. I lit my ass on fire."

"Goddamn, Edward. Were you badly burned?"

"Nah. Jasper threw some water over me. I was too drunk to feel anything."

I laughed sleepily. "I once ate a bug…"

"What kind?"

"A cricket."

"That's disgusting, Bella," he murmured. "How old were you?"

"Fifteen. Jake dared me to."

"Were you guys high school sweethearts?" he suddenly asked me.

"Mmm, yes. We started dating my sophomore year. His freshman year." I screwed my eyes so they were shut more tightly. I didn't want to think about this.

"Wow," he said. "That's impressive. That you guys ended up married and happy, I mean. My turn…" He paused, and then blurted out, "I lost my virginity when I was fourteen."

"Only fourteen?" I asked, my eyes flying open to stare openly at him.

He had a frown on his face, eyes still closed. "Yes. Biggest mistake of my life. Her name was Jane. She was fourteen as well."

"That's…slutty," I replied.

He grinned. "I know. Like I said, biggest mistake of my life."

"Why? Did she get pregnant or did you get a disease or something?"

"No, of course not. She became obsessed with me afterward, and she started stalking me."

"Stalking you…what do you mean?" I asked, suddenly very curious.

"I discovered her under my bed one night. And then she stole my puppy. And then she tried to kidnap me and sneak me across the border."

What? "Seriously, Edward?" I gasped. "That's seriously creepy."

His green eyes opened, and he smiled mockingly at me. "No, I just made all of that up." He started laughing as I grabbed a pillow and hit him with it. "I lost my virginity in college to my then-girlfriend."

"That doesn't count as a secret," I said between giggles, hitting him again. "You're a jerk."

He closed his eyes again. "Sorry, I had to come up with an impressive secret to match yours. You're really gullible, hun. Fine, I'll do another one. I hate Brussels sprouts, and I still hide them in my napkin whenever Mom cooks them. I couldn't ever offend her. I love her too much…plus I'm kind of scared to offend her."

I knew what he meant. Esme could be vicious when she was provoked. Luckily, it took a lot to provoke her. "Your mom makes delicious Brussels sprouts," I replied. "Start putting yours on my plate. I'll eat them for you."

"Sounds like a deal." He suddenly yawned hugely. "Bella?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm exhausted."

"I know," I replied. "You're not taking care of yourself because you're so busy taking care of me. Why don't you go home, get in your own bed, and sleep tomorrow away?"

"Not a chance," he said quickly. "With your luck, you would go into premature labor and you wouldn't be able to contact anybody or something. I'm going to stay here. I might have to call Emmett to drag me to the guest room, though."

"I'm going to the restroom again," I told him, quickly putting a hand on his shoulder to weakly hold him down. "Don't move. I'm fine."

I could see him roll his eyes behind his heavy, sleepy eyelids, but he didn't argue. He probably knew better than to argue with someone as huge and hormonal as I was.

I slowly walked to the bathroom, peed for the thousandth time that day, and then went back to bed. Edward was sprawled out along half of it, snoring quite loudly, his mouth open.

I chuckled, turned out the light, and slid under the covers next to him. Oddly enough, the sound of his snoring put me to sleep.

The next morning, I woke up to the same snoring that I fell asleep to. His head was on my shoulder, his morning stubble tickling my neck. His body was snuggled up next to mine. Edward was a snuggler-not really that big of a surprise, for some reason. He seemed like the type who would enjoy spooning.

I hadn't woken up next to a man in seven months, so I nearly jumped out of my skin when I realized what was causing the chainsaw noises. After I recovered from the initial shock, I started giggling. My laughing woke him up.

"Mmm, turn out the light," he groaned, hiding his eyes in my shoulder before jumping to attention in the same manner I did. He sat up immediately, rubbed his eyes, and glanced at me sheepishly. "Oh gosh, Bella. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep-"

"It's fine, Edward," I giggled. "My only complaint is the chainsaw impersonation. Seriously, have you gotten that checked out?"

"I only snore when I sleep well," he replied groggily. "And I'm not quite ready to get up. I really didn't mean to fall asleep in your bed, Bells. That's so inapprop-"

"Edward," I interrupted him again. "It's fine, I promise. It actually felt kind of nice. You like snuggling, eh?"

He flushed a deep crimson. "I'm not acknowledging that. Did I bother you or make you uncomfortable last night?"

I shook my head. "No, I slept well, too."

"Good," he smiled at me, though the tops of his ears were still red from the embarrassment. "Um, I'm going to run to my house and get some fresh clothes on, and then I'll bring you breakfast."

It only took him a couple of minutes to get dressed, and then a little while later he brought me pancakes with maple syrup. Once again, he was being too good to me. After breakfast, I made my first bathroom trip of the day.

When I returned to my bed-prison, Alice and Esme were waiting at the foot of my bed, smiling angelically.

"What?" I asked suspiciously, already dreading whatever they were going to say. I knew those looks.

"We called in sick to work," Alice said in her usual bubbly tone.

"Why?" I said flatly.

Esme's smile grew, if such a thing was possible. "Because we're creating you a nursery!" she said gleefully. Now I understood where Alice got her enthusiasm from. "Which is why we're about to move you to Edward's house right about…" She checked her watch. "Now."

I groaned and shook my head as I crawled under my blankets. "Why do I have to move?"

Esme rolled her eyes playfully. "Oh, Bella. The walls of the other bedroom are painted lavender."

"So?" I replied. I didn't really care. The previous owners of the house had a teenage daughter who had painted her room lavender. I had never even thought of changing it.

"Lavender doesn't match the theme I've designed, so we're going to have to prime and paint the walls. You can't be around paint fumes, especially when you're on bed-rest."

"And what theme is that?" I asked.

Alice cackled in delight. "We're not telling. However, you're going to love it. Trust us."

"You don't have a choice," Esme said firmly. "Edward, darling!"

Edward returned from the kitchen. "Yes, Mother?"

Esme's eyes narrowed. I knew she didn't like to be called that because it sounded too formal and cold. Edward was only doing it to annoy her. "Have you prepared Bella a room at your house?"

He shrugged. "Not much to prepare. She'll be in my bed. I only have to set the X-Box up for her."

Alice cut in, "Bella, I'll pack your bags. And by the way, I know you read all of the books I brought last month, so I brought you a whole new collection. I hope you enjoy Nicholas Sparks."

"Please, not Dear John," I begged. I already knew what it was about-a US troop separated from his one true love.

Alice looked almost offended that I would think that lowly of her, but she quickly melted into sympathy. "Of course I didn't buy that for you," she said quietly. "I also bought Dean Koontz mysteries. Jasper recommended him."

"Dean Koontz is great," I replied. "Thank you, Alice."

"Anytime, my dear," she replied, kissing my forehead before crinkling her nose. "Bella, why do you smell like my brother?"

I rolled my eyes. "What are you trying to imply? Edward fell asleep in my bed last night while he was entertaining me with stories of stalkers, burnt derrieres, and Brussels sprouts."

Esme and Alice glanced over at Edward with perplexed eyes. Edward snorted and put his hands up as if he were being arrested. "I have an imagination, that's all," he replied.

Esme was the first one to shake it off. "Um, okay. I really do wonder about my children sometimes. Oh, Edward, that reminds me. I hope you haven't started lunch. I cooked some this morning and brought it over. Grilled chicken, baked potatoes, and your favorite vegetable-Brussels sprouts!"

I started laughing, attracting more mystified looks. "Oh yeah, Edward was telling me last night how much he loves Brussels sprouts," I told Esme, earning an incredulous look from Edward. "He has this really interesting way of eating them. He'll have to give you a demonstration today."

"Interesting," Esme said, glancing between me and Edward like she was watching a tennis match. "Uh, I'll go put the food in the refrigerator."

As soon as she left the room, Edward glared at me. "I hate you," he muttered.

"Why?" I asked innocently.

"You know why. You're forcing me to eat the vegetable equivalent of Satan."

I snorted. "Right. Well, I had to get you back for the fake secret last night."

"At least I can hold my alcohol," he smirked.

"And light your butt on fire," I giggled.

Alice raised an eyebrow. "You guys are really strange. I'll start packing for you now, Bella." She turned to her brother with a grin. "And Edward…Mom knows that you spit your Brussels sprouts out in your napkin. Emmett does the same with broccoli, cauliflower, and basically any other vegetable. You guys aren't as smooth as you think."

Moving over to Edward's place wasn't that bad. I actually got to have the luxury of standing up and walking next door, and it certainly felt nice to be in a different room. Edward also had a huge flat screen in his bedroom with a satellite connection. I had hundreds of channels at my fingertips. It was divine.

However, the question of sleeping arrangements had to be brought up. He had a couch and a very old Futon along with his bed. I suggested calling Jasper and Emmett over to bring my bed to Edward's house, but Emmett was working late and Jasper had been called to a hospital in Port Angeles.

"It's cool, Bells," Edward assured me. "I'll sleep on the Futon. It folds out into a bed, for crying out loud."

"That thing is so old, though," I replied. "I saw it when you moved in. It has rust on the rails, Edward."

"The couch, then."

"You're kind of bigger than the couch."

"Then what do you want me to do?"

"We slept in the same bed last night," I replied. "And you have a king sized bed. We'll just bunk together again."

He was hesitant at first, but he eventually gave in.

Okay, I'll admit it. I liked sleeping next to Edward. It gave me a sense of security and protection. There was something about hearing a man breathe next to you, and feeling his body heat as he cuddled with you. I would have traded almost anything to have Jacob in bed with me, but Edward soothed some of the hurt away when he was laying next to me.

Edward was my comforter. Yet again. How incredible was it that we went from strangers to technical roommates/best friends in less than seven months?

Edward really was a man of many talents-apart from the writing, playing music, singing, and law career, he was kind, compassionate, thoughtful, empathetic, funny, charming, good-looking, conversational, comforting, and soothing. But above all, he was a godsend. A sort of guardian angel, sent to me to help me through the worst time of my life.

Edward, for some reason, gave me hope. He let me see the light at the end of the tunnel. And I needed that more than anything he did for me. Hope was more beneficial to me and my babies than food, bed-rest, and prenatal vitamins.

Hope was everything. And as the birth of my precious children was drawing near, I was beginning to feel it.

I like it when Edward isn't being so serious. I prefer a playful Edward to any other. What could you call him? Playward? That sounds kind of perverted...

My goal for this story is to have at least fifty-five reviews. My record is fifty-three reviews for my story What Sarah Said. So why don't you help me meet my goal and press that magical button below?