A/N: I don't own this, we all know who does. What I do own are about 1500 1/2" x 6" strips of paper that I spent all afternoon cutting with my pretty paper cutter that's left over from my old scrap booking days. My thumb is mad at me... :D

Thanks go to my uberbeta coldplaywhore. She is speedy, let me tell you. She also reminded me that this isn't the first story to mention possible power outages. You read MIFFY? You should... She wrote it, and it's good. I still need to review the last few chapters. I'm so fail...

Thanks to My Constants and My Girlies. They are lovely…

Thanks to My Wifey, Mrs. Robward. She knows how I feel about her...

Thanks to Twilight44,Unchanged Affections, & burntcore for prereading this. They had lots of great ideas and caught lots of my mistakes. I'd be afraid to do this without them. :)

The girls that got this chapter early were: Kgunter34, ASWIFT, crackupmonkey, viltsuuh, symphiann, edwardandbellabelong2gether, 1sparklygirl, & Agrutle.

I pick totally at random each week, so just 'cause you get it once doesn't mean you can't get it again. :) Also, since ff dot net is being mean about review replies, I can't write you back and send a teaser if you don't have your PM's turned on. Just a thought...

Since so many people were angry about last chapter and the apparent lack of progress, I've revamped the outline for the rest of the story. I've combined a few chapters, taken out some happier stuff, and I'll try to be a little less wordy. The result will be 36 chapters and an epi, so I hope that's good.

Let's go! Edward's finally starting to feel some of the resentment he's been holding back for the last 2 months. I hope you're ready...

o~*~o~*~o~*~o

WHTM Ch 25 – Are You Happy Now?

You took all there was to take,
And left me with an empty plate
And you don't care about it.
And I am givin' up this game
I'm leaving you with all the blame 'cause I don't care.

Could you look me in the eye?
And tell me that you're happy now.
Would you tell it to my face or have I been erased,
Are you happy now?

Do you really have everything you want?
You can't ever give somethin' you ain't got.
You can't run away from yourself.

"Are You Happy Now?" by Michelle Branch

o~*~o~*~o~*~o

Over the next few days, I stewed. Aside from spending time with E.C., all I did was dwell on how angry I was at Bella, and the fact that she'd lied to me. Whether what Jacob told me was true or not, I was furious about it. I didn't want to believe him, especially after the stunt he'd pulled at Bella's birthday party, but he knew about her keeping something from me. I couldn't get past that fact.

The other thing that really bothered me was that he was still around. Why wasn't she upset with him for what he'd done to her in her kitchen? If that was something that wasn't supposed to happen, then why was he still there? Was she really so desperate for friends that she would allow him to keep hanging around, and even let him be in the same house as our son?

My poor mood festered and soon defiled all the happy and good feelings I had about Bella. Once I had embraced what I considered to be her betrayal, my mind started to wander back four years and I became consumed with the way she'd left me. She had taken my son away from me, denying me the opportunity of knowing him during his first few years of life. She had stolen my rights as his father—not even naming me on his birth certificate—and she never gave me a chance to hold his tiny, infant body. She never let me spend the night rocking him when he was colicky and Bella didn't allow me to share in his first smiles, first steps or first words. My heart and soul felt robbed of all those treasures, and no matter how much she apologized or cried, it would never be enough. She lied to me, she stole from me, and she completely disregarded me. In my mind, I was beginning to hate her, even though my heart was desperately fighting against it. Unfortunately, my head was winning the battle.

Renee tried to speak with me when I dropped E.C. off at Bella's house Thursday night, but I couldn't risk Bella coming home. I told Renee that I was in a hurry because I couldn't be there, in that house. I didn't want to see Bella, talk to her, or even just hear her voice. I felt bad about lying to Renee, but I needed a break; otherwise I knew I was going to explode.

Friday I picked E.C. up from preschool, excited about our weekend together. My mom and Alice were going to be flying in on Monday, so he wanted to color pictures for them and make a welcome sign. I figured maybe Renee had filled him with all those little "craft" ideas as a way to get back at me, because the temper tantrum he threw when I explained that I didn't have markers, glitter, or fun foam (whatever the heck that was) was epic and lasted a full two hours. He was so exhausted afterward that he barely even touched the macaroni and cheese that I made for dinner. He fell asleep before I mentioned bedtime, and as I tucked him into his bed, I wondered if he'd last the whole night there, or if I should leave a nightlight on so that he could find his way to my room.

I finally decided to leave his door open and turn on the light in my bedroom. Sitting on my bed with my laptop, I decided to take advantage of the quiet time to research some facts for a class assignment. I was logged into the class blackboard page and suddenly a little screen popped up on the side.

Puddle: Hey Edward, you busy?

I looked at it for several moments, but wasn't sure who it was from.

I knew it had to be someone from that class, but I didn't know anyone, aside from the Angela girl I'd met in the student center a few days earlier. In Thursday's class I didn't talk to her, simply waving and smiling instead, but I was in too foul a mood to speak to anyone.

The name in the top corner was Puddle, and that didn't give me any clues about who the person was, much less if they were even male or female. I decided to take my chances and see if I could figure out who it was, and what they wanted.

PocketPlayer: Just googling stuff. How about you?

Puddle: Me too. So many stats we have to report, it sucks.

PocketPlayer: Yeah, I know. So, what's with the nickname? Puddle? What does that mean?

I was hopeful that by asking about their nickname, it would get who ever the person was talking. That way I could figure it out and decide how much time I wanted to spend on line with them.

Puddle: Yeah, it's pretty much what I am here in Miami.

PocketPlayer: You're a puddle? A puddle of what?

Puddle: Water, what else? I guess I should elaborate, huh?

PocketPlayer: That would be nice of you.

There was a short pause before the messenger started to type again.

Puddle: I suppose we can't all be as obvious as you, right PocketPlayer? :D

I'd taken great pride in selecting my nickname for the class, hoping that no one would bother me if I had something that didn't really say who I was. Instead, I went for something from my football days, and up until now, no one had bugged me. I was quickly starting to get a little annoyed at this unwelcome intruder, and I decided that if they didn't tell me who they were in the next minute, I was going to log off. If anyone ever asked me, I'd just blame a power outage. That could totally happen...

PocketPlayer: Yeah, I guess not, although not everyone would get the meaning of Pocket Player.

Puddle: I suppose that's true. Anyway, Puddle... Let's just say that I used to be a delicate snow angel; sweet, fluffy and white. Then the sun met me, like it did here, and now I'm all melted and just a puddle for kids to splash in.

PocketPlayer: So you came from somewhere with snow and now that you're here, you're melted... Angela?

I cautiously asked. I figured if I got it wrong, I'd just explain it with a little laugh and say that I was horrible at guessing games.

Puddle: You got it! You remember me from lunch? I wasn't sure, since you didn't seem too chatty yesterday in class.

I smiled, glad to have figured out the mystery messager.

PocketPlayer: Yeah, it was a bad day. So did you need something? I was just finishing up, gonna head to bed.

I waited for a minute, noticing that it took several seconds before she began to type her response.

Puddle: Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to keep you. I was just gonna say if you were studying, then maybe you'd wanna join our group chat we've got going here. We've been helping each other with documentation and stuff. But if you were just leaving...

The idea that it wasn't just Angela was somewhat comforting to me since I didn't really know her. Being that my relationship with Bella was kind of up in the air, I didn't want to give Angela any wrong ideas. I listened for a moment, realizing how quiet the house was, and that I hadn't heard a peep out of E.C. since I'd put him in his bed. I thought it might be best to bust my hump right then and get as much of the project out of the way as I could, especially if there were others that could help me out with some of it.

PocketPlayer: Well, I guess I can stay a little longer, finish up a few things. Who's in this group with you?

I asked, fully realizing that I wouldn't actually know any of the people from our class.

Puddle: Oh, there's me and Carmen, and then Peter and Randall, too. You know any of them?

PocketPlayer: No, you're the only one I've met from class.

Puddle: Cool, well I'm sending you the chat link, so hurry up, we wanna get this crap done.

I laughed at her words and then clicked the link to join into the chat. Reading through several of their past posts, I chuckled a few times at the blatant flirting Peter and Randall seemed to be doing. I figured out which man was which username because they were pretty obvious – Peter Pumpkin Eater and Randall Pink Floyd. I already knew Angela was Puddle, so that meant that Carmen had to be Marilyn Monroe's Lovechild. That name made me curious, and I hoped that sometime I'd get the chance to ask her about it.

The study session lasted a couple of hours, and I really liked the other people in the group. They all seemed to be pretty focused and responsible, and we each managed to finish our assignment. I was glad since it meant that I would have the rest of the weekend with E.C. and I wouldn't have to do any more work.

Peter Pumpkin Eater: So we're all going out tomorrow night. You in, Edward?

PocketPlayer: Oh, no I can't. Sorry.

I didn't know how much more I should reveal about myself, so I left it at that and hoped that no one else asked.

Randall Pink Floyd: Ah, come on Player! I got the booze and Pete's got pizzas; it'll be fun. We're just hanging at Carmen's pool house, you gotta be there. Tomorrow night at seven.

Randall was insistent, but I held firm.

PocketPlayer: No, I'm really sorry, I can't. Maybe some other time, though. It sounds like fun.

Marilyn Monroe's Lovechild: Oh, come on, man. You got a girl or something? You supposed to spend time with someone? You can bring her, it's cool.

PocketPlayer: No, I can't bring him.

I hit send before realizing what I'd written. Suddenly I wondered if my classmates would think I was gay because of what I'd said. I couldn't decide if it would be easier to have them thinking that, or to tell them I was a single father with a preschool aged son. Most likely, none of them really knew much about kids, since from the way they'd talked so far, it seemed clear none of them had any children. Sexual orientation would probably be an easier subject for them to grasp, and when the next comment appeared in the message box, I knew I was right.

Of course Angela would be the one to say it.

Puddle: Oh really? Him, huh? Will it help if I bring cheesecake?

The rest of the group LOL'd and made laughing faces. I decided to just tell the truth and get it over with.

PocketPlayer: No, nothing like that. I have my son this weekend, so I'm home until Sunday night.

None of them said anything for over a minute.

Randall Pink Floyd: That's cool, man. How old is he? I mean, I don't think Carmen has any toys at the pool house, but he could swim, if you want.

Marilyn Monroe's Lovechild: Yeah sure, totally. I have nieces and nephews so there's pool toys he could use.

PocketPlayer: Thanks guys, but we're still kinda getting to know each other. He's three, almost four, and I didn't even know about him until a couple of months ago.

Peter Pumpkin Eater: No way!

Puddle: How is that possible?

PocketPlayer: Well, his mom is my high school sweetheart and when she got pregnant, she left so that I could go to college on a scholarship and play football. She hid him so that I wouldn't lose all of that.

Once again, my heart and mind were battling over how I was supposed to feel about that. In a sense, I was grateful, and I saw Bella's point in why she did what she did. But I missed out on spending time with my own child, and that was something I could never get back.

Randall Pink Floyd: Dude, that's messed up.

PocketPlayer: Yeah, tell me about it. Even worse, my younger sister knew the whole time and never told me.

I felt the anger building up inside of me again, and I fought back the desire to hit something.

Marilyn Monroe's Lovechild: Wow, sorry Edward. What do you think of your son? What's he like?

PocketPlayer: He's great. He's funny and smart, athletic and creative. He makes me laugh, he's really amazing.

Puddle: That's really nice, Edward.

Randall Pink Floyd: Okay, so Player's got his kid, the rest of us are still partying at Carmen's. Play, if you wanna show up for some swimming, feel free. Maybe we can plan a get together for next week. What do you all think?

PocketPlayer: Um, my mom and sister are flying into town Monday, but I won't have E.C. next weekend, and I'll may need a break from my mom and sister by that point.

Everyone agreed, and we all promised to sit near each other in class Monday morning, so that we could divvy up note taking assignments. I had to admit; it would be really nice not to have to get every single word the professor said in lecture. The classmates I'd met all seemed really great, and I was happy that I'd finally made a few friends.

E.C. was up at the butt crack of dawn the next day, anxious to make breakfast so that he could play on his play set in the backyard. After heating up some Eggo's in the toaster, I helped him get dressed and then sat him in front of the television in my bedroom while I took a quick shower. I'd learned my lesson before, about leaving him unsupervised, so the bathroom door stayed open, and I listened as he sang along to the cartoon he was watching.

We played for an hour or so and then I asked him if he'd like to go over and see his puppy. He hurried to put his tennis shoes on and we walked across the street to Missy's house. As soon as we were in her backyard with the dogs, E.C. noticed that one of the puppies wasn't there.

"Well, we sold one of them. It's time for the puppies to go to their own houses," Missy said, looking excitedly at E.C. My son began to bounce up and down.

"We takes my puppy t'day, Daddy? Can we, can we? Pweeze?" he asked, his big brown eyes shining with joy. I smiled and nodded back at him.

"Okay, but we gotta get her leash so we can walk her home."

E.C. and I hurried back to my house and got the pink leash and collar we'd picked out for her at the pet store. E.C. wanted the collar with rhinestones on it, since his puppy was a girl and he just knew she would love it. As I fastened the collar around her neck minutes later, E.C. couldn't keep his hands off of her, petting her, stroking her fur, and kissing her all over her little head. In return, she licked at his cheeks, which made him laugh and giggle.

I paid Missy for the puppy and we walked back to our house. When we got to the street, I reminded E.C. that he only crossed when he was with his mom or me, and that he had to always look both ways. He was a nervous ball of energy, and I knew he only nodded and agreed so that we could get home faster. The little puppy sniffed everything along the way, pulling her leash in different directions and making us go that much slower.

"Come on, Say-yee!" E.C. called out to her, as he ran for the front door.

"Say-yee?" I asked him, wondering what he was calling the puppy.

"Yeah, Say-yee. Dat's her name, Daddy. Say-yee."

"You mean Sadie?" I said, trying to clarify exactly what he meant.

"Yep, Say-yee. Can I shows her my room, Daddy?"

"Sure thing, buddy," I said with a smile as we walked into the house. I loved seeing E.C. so happy and excited about his new pet. I needed to remember to explain to him how important it was to be gentle and soft with her, but for now, we were just enjoying her.

"Come on, Say-yee! I'ma show you my bedroom. You gots a bed in der so you can seep by me," he said, opening his door and pointing straight to the little dog bed by his nightstand. Sadie sniffed around the room, her furry little tail wagging in excitement. E.C. continued to point out all of his toys, telling her all the good things about them and why he loved to play with them.

After a little while, Sadie was ready to see the rest of the house, so I unhooked her leash and let her wander. The floors throughout the house were hardwood, so I figured that would help a little with house breaking her. Missy said the puppies were pretty much already house broken, but I knew there would be a few accidents here and there until Sadie got a little older and became more comfortable with us, as well as used to a routine.

"Come on, Say-yee!" E.C. yelled as he led her to the back door. I had installed an extension to the sliding patio door so there was a doggie door for her. I tried to contain my laughter as E.C. squeezed his little body through the door, trying to show Sadie how to do it. She hopped up and through the opening, and soon the two of them were chasing each other around the backyard. When E.C. climbed onto the play set, Sadie began sniffing the rest of the yard, just familiarizing herself with everything. She was a cute little dog, and had yet to even bark. I hoped that she would be a good playmate for E.C., and that she would even be good company for me when I was alone.

The weekend was over before I knew it, and Sadie had taken to E.C. like nobody's business. When I took him back to Bella's that night, he wanted to take Sadie in the car with us so that he could show Renee and Phil. I was a little nervous about seeing Bella, but her car was gone when we got there and I relaxed a bit. I hadn't heard anything from her since I'd seen her days earlier and I was relieved. I wasn't sure what I might say or do if I did see her, so it was best to just keep my distance for a while longer, until I was able to figure out all of my conflicting emotions.

"Look how cute she is!" Renee said, clapping her hands together as E.C. stood proudly in the yard holding Sadie's leash.

"Dis is my doggie, Say-yee. I likes her, Nana."

Renee laughed. "Oh sweetie, I can see that. She's just precious. Phil! Come out here and see this sweet little puppy!" she yelled back toward the house, and soon Phil came walking out, a smile on his face.

"Hey E.C., whatcha got there?"

"I gots a puppy, see?"

Sadie was happily jumping all around E.C., licking at his legs and feet. The two of them were so much fun to watch as I stood back and let E.C. share the moment with his grandparents. This was something he'd wanted for a long time, and I didn't want to take that away from him.

"Edward, you gonna be able to handle this?" Renee asked, a tiny smirk on her face.

"Yeah, I think so. She's pretty good, and my backyard is fenced in, so I think we'll be okay. We'll see."

"Oh good. Well, she's just gorgeous. Oh! Let me get my camera," Renee said, before running into the house. Phil remained in the yard, watching E.C. lead Sadie all around the yard.

"So you talk to Bella?" he asked.

I cleared my throat and straightened up a bit. I knew this conversation would happen eventually, I could only avoid it for so long. "No, I tried but it seems Jacob is the one she'd rather talk to nowdays. It's fine, I just wish she'd been more honest about it."

Phil looked at me for a moment. "What are you talking about?" he asked, his expression seeming to be so genuine and sincere.

"I came by here to talk to her and Jake was here. He said some things, and as much as I don't want to believe him, he knew stuff that he shouldn't know, so how can I not believe him?"

Phil just laughed. "Boy, I worry about you sometimes. Yeah, Jake's interested in Bella. Anyone can see that. The thing is, she's not interested in him, so you need to get over your little concerns or whatever, and just talk to her. You two are never going to work things out if you don't."

"Maybe I don't want to work things out. I mean, she basically kidnapped my child for almost four years, never even bothering to tell me, and I'm just supposed to be okay with that? I don't know; I'm still working through all of this mess. It's just gonna take me some time." I shoved my hands in the front pocket of my jeans and rocked back on my heels a bit, saying a silent prayer of thanks when Renee came running out of the house with her camera in hand, effectively ending Phil and my conversation.

She followed E.C. and Sadie around the yard, snapping a few pictures, before finally telling E.C. that dinner was almost ready and that he needed to go inside and wash up.

"E.C., bring Sadie over to me. It's time for you to eat," I called to him. Once he handed over her leash, he knelt down and gave her a kiss and tight hug, mumbling a good bye to her.

"Bye Daddy. I wuv you," he said, hugging me and kissing my cheek before darting back into the house. Renee smiled at me and then followed him, leaving me, Sadie, and Phil standing in the grass.

"Just think about things, Edward. You know why she did what she did. It doesn't mean it was right, but just don't lose sight of that. You'll work it out, one way or the other." Phil patted my shoulder with his hand before turning toward the house and walking away from me.

"And if you don't figure it out, then I guess it was never meant to be. And you know, that's okay, too." Phil looked over his shoulder at me, smiling a tight smile and nodding before stepping inside the house.

His words replayed over and over in my head as I drove home. How could it ever be okay if Bella and I didn't end up together? We were supposed to be together, anything else just seemed wrong.

I kept hold of Sadie on the front seat, her tiny head lying on my leg as she slept. E.C. had worn her out, and I figured she'd sleep soundly that night. My mind continued to wander, trying to process everything and figure out all of the different thoughts and emotions running through it.

By the time I pulled into my garage, I was still confused, but then I realized I probably would be for a while. I knew Phil was right in at least one thing he'd said. Bella and I did need to have a talk, just the two of us, and we needed to lay everything out on the table and stop hiding things. For the life of me, I didn't know how to do that.

The next morning I got up early and headed off to class. I checked Sadie's food and water dish, then closed the bedroom doors and made sure there was nothing on the floor anywhere else in the house that she could get into while I was gone. I knew it would just be a couple of hours, but she'd never been on her own before, and I was anxious about how she'd do.

I saw Angela when I entered the classroom and immediately was welcomed into the little study group I'd chatted with over the weekend. Randall was a tall, lanky guy with dark hair and ice blue eyes. He seemed to be a bit of a jokester, and he reminded me a lot of Emmett. Peter was a little shorter, with shaggy blonde hair and flip-flops. While everyone else had on dressier clothes, more along the lines of slacks or nice jeans and button down shirts, he wore his sandals along with a pair of tan cargo shorts and a Led Zepplin t-shirt. I liked him from the second I shook his hand. He has an easygoing air about him, and I appreciated that.

Carmen was short, probably only an inch or two over five feet tall. She was clearly of Hispanic decent, but her hair was white, bleached to be the same color as Marilyn Monroe's had been. Suddenly her username on the class website made a lot of sense. I wondered how each of them saw me, if I was what they'd imagined, and I hoped that I seemed genuine and trustworthy to them.

"Did you have a good weekend with your son?" Angela asked, sitting down at a desk. I settled into the one next to her, pulling out my notebook so that I'd be ready when the professor got to class.

"Yeah, it was good. I got my son a dog, which he named Sadie, and we spent all weekend playing with her. He loves her, and it was hilarious to watch them together."

Angela smiled, laughing as she spoke. "That sounds really fun, Edward. I'm sure you're a great dad to him."

I let out a long sigh. "I hope so. I'm trying to be. I've missed a lot, so I hope I can make up for it."

"You know what? Don't worry about that. It doesn't seem like your son is worried, and he didn't know any different until you came along, so just embrace the time you have now and make the most of it. Just be happy with him."

I looked at her for what seemed like a long time. She squirmed a bit in her chair before finally asking nervously, "Did I say something wrong?"

Shaking my head, I replied. "No, actually that was perfect. You said exactly the right thing. Thank you for that."

Angela was a smart girl, that much I could already tell. She knew next to nothing about my situation, yet she'd managed to get right to the heart of it in only a few sentences. How could she know that she was right? As I thought about her words during class, I realized that Angela wasn't only smart; she was sincere. I would do well to listen a little more closely to her in the future.

After class, I got home and checked the house, finding Sadie fast asleep in her purple dog bed in the living room. E.C. wanted to buy a dog bed for each room in the house, but I talked him into just having one for each bedroom and then one for the living room. I figured that would be plenty for her, especially at first, since we didn't know if she'd even like the beds we bought. Once Sadie heard me, she woke up and followed me around the house as I tried to make sure everything was perfect for when my mom and Alice arrived.

I took Sadie out back for a few minutes, and then called to check the arrival time, knowing that Mom and Alice's flight was scheduled to get in around three thirty in the afternoon. By the time they picked up their bags and got their rental car, it would be about five when they got to my house.

Since they would likely be tired and hungry, I pulled out a local dining guide and looked at a few restaurants, so that I'd have some ideas for dinner. Turning on the news, I dragged out my notes from the morning's lecture and read through them as the TV droned on in the background.

A few minutes after five, I heard a car pull up outside and I glanced out the window, seeing Alice's head pop up out of the car. I grabbed Sadie's leash so that I could keep hold of her and then went to welcome my mother and sister.

"Oh, look at all the palm trees!" Alice squealed when she saw me. Her eyes quickly dropped down to Sadie, and her smile disappeared. "What is that?" she asked, catching me a little off guard.

"Hi to you, too, Alice. This is Sadie, E.C.'s puppy. You'll love her," I said with a laugh. Looking up, I saw my mom as she approached me, her arms wide open and ready for a hug.

"Hi baby," she said, wrapping herself around me and crushing me to her chest with a motherly embrace.

"Hi Mom. You find the house okay? It wasn't too hard, was it?" I asked, hoping that she'd notice my lack of oxygen as I spoke.

Soon enough, I'd helped them both inside with their bags and showed them the spare bedroom. My mom was going to be sleeping there and Alice would be in E.C.'s room, since he wasn't staying the night at all during the week.

"Oh, Edward, Mom and I are going to get some furniture going this week, so I hope you're ready for this place to finally look respectable," Alice said, as she wandered the house, looking at each room. The walls were white and bare, and there wasn't much in the house, just a few basics that I'd brought with me. Things like a sofa, the dining table, dressers, and a couple of beds were really all that I had. My mom had been planning to furnish the place, so I wasn't worried. Now that she was here, and I saw the stack of magazines that Alice plopped onto the kitchen counter, I knew I should probably be concerned.

The evening passed by quickly and soon we were all back at the house, getting ready for bed. My mother asked when E.C. would be back next, and she was excited about getting to spend the afternoon with him the next day. Alice had made plans to see Kate on Wednesday and check into a couple of the fashion design schools around Miami. She and Jasper were considering moving to Miami if one of the schools really interested Alice.

I had to admit, it would be nice to have some family nearby, and I really did miss being able to see and talk to Jasper on a regular basis. My mom and Mrs. Jones would be furniture shopping all day Wednesday. I was rather relieved that I had an extra lab that afternoon and would be at the school pretty much all day.

Tuesday after my classes were over, I picked up E.C. and brought him back to my house, where he was immediately swept in my mother's arms and kissed until he had the hiccups from laughing so much. She and Alice spoiled him rotten, having brought an entire suitcase filled with toys, clothes, and treats just for him. He wasn't too happy when I told him that most of his new treasures would have to stay at my house, but he quickly forgot as soon as Sadie came into his bedroom, barking and wagging her tail. Alice still hadn't warmed up to the puppy, though I wasn't sure why.

Alice and my mother both wanted to go with me when I took E.C. back to Bella's, and after several minutes of me asking them to please stay behind, I realized it was an argument I wouldn't win. I finally gave in once they used their pouty faces on me, their sad eyes and quivering lips totally melting me—I just hoped and prayed that Bella would be working late that night. I had successfully avoided all Bella talk with either of them until that point, and I really didn't look forward to breaking the news that she and I weren't even speaking, much less planning a Christmas wedding. I knew my mom meant well, but her hints were growing less and less subtle, and I was starting to think I probably wouldn't be welcomed home if I wasn't intending to permanently put my grandmother's ring on Bella's finger.

Renee and Phil were there when we pulled up to their house, and they were pleasant and welcoming to my mom and Alice. E.C. pulled them both inside so that he could show them his bedroom, and after about an hour of visiting, it was decided that E.C. would spend the night at my house Thursday and Friday night so that my mom and Alice could have a little more time with him.

I breathed a sigh of relief when we left and still hadn't seen any sign of Bella, though Alice asked when she'd be coming over to visit. I simply shrugged, saying I didn't know because she was busy. I didn't have the heart to tell her that Bella wouldn't be making any stops by my house any time soon.

Wednesday morning I left early for school, wishing my mom luck on her shopping trip. I spent some time in the library, between my morning classes and the afternoon labs, studying with Angela and Peter. I was really enjoying getting to know my new friends, and I liked being able to just talk to people and not have to worry about anything other than who had managed to take the best notes during our professor's lectures.

They asked me a bit about E.C. and the kind of custody arrangement that Bella and I had. When I mentioned that we didn't have one, Peter's mouth hung open in disbelief.

"Do you mind if I ask why not?" he said.

"I don't know; it just hasn't come up. I mean, we kind of set up a schedule, but it's nothing legal. It's just us on our honor. I don't think Bella would ever do anything to try to keep me from seeing our son."

"Sure, you say that now, but what happens when she wants to move away, or she wants to get married. You should have something in place now so that when that day comes, you're ready. I mean honestly, what's to keep her from taking off? She did it before," Peter said, a hint of sadness in his voice.

Angela cleared her throat. "You know, Edward, he's right. My brother was married and when he and his wife divorced, he was trying to be a nice guy, and just give her what she wanted. She ended up with full custody and before he knew it, he was only able to see his daughter one weekend a month. Then when his ex-wife got remarried, she didn't even stick to that. She packed up and moved to Montana, and my brother got no say in the situation. Now he's lucky to get to see her for a few weeks during the summer."

I hadn't really even thought about Bella leaving, taking E.C. and running away from me again. Chances were, if I pushed her enough or if we fought enough, she would end up with someone else, and she would leave. I wouldn't have any legal ground to stand on if she decided to do that.

"You know, I'm not even on his birth certificate."

Peter's eyes grew wide with shock. "Edward, please tell me you're talking to a lawyer. You need to protect yourself in all this, get it down all legal like that she kept him from you. She could totally come after you for back child support, and until you paid it, you wouldn't get to see him. You really need to be careful."

My mind was racing with all sorts of scenarios and I wondered if Bella would ever be angry enough with me to do that. Would she actually try to keep me from my son, or ruin me financially? The more we discussed it, the more certain I became that I needed to talk to my mother about this, and then meet with a lawyer. I needed to know what my rights as a father were and what I was going to be legally responsible for.

That night I mentioned the afternoon's discussion to my mother, asking her advice and guidance on what to do. She said she'd actually been thinking about it for a few weeks, since finding out that Bella and I weren't reconnecting as quickly as I'd hoped we would. She told me to be very careful and that I should mention something about it to Bella, or at least to Renee. I knew that if I kept all of it from them, then it would look shady and they would be suspicious of me. I didn't want that, I just wanted to be sure that I would always have a place in my son's life, no matter what my relationship was with his mother.

Thursday I brought E.C. home with me from school, and my mother and Alice were busy putting his room together. He was so excited about all the sports related furnishings they'd bought, and it was all I could do to get him outside with Sadie so that they could get things set up.

By the time they were finished, the bed was covered in a green bedspread that resembled a football field, and the headboard was a giant football. They even set up a large shelving unit along two walls that housed all of his toys and books. E.C. was so excited, and he couldn't wait to climb into bed that night. He didn't even mind sleeping on the floor and letting Alice have his bed, especially when Sadie curled up next to him and tucked herself down inside his blanket with him.

The next morning I was up and going early, ready for a class when I heard a scream coming from E.C.'s room. It was Alice and I hurried to see what was wrong. She was standing in the middle of the room, pointing down to the floor where a pair of her shoes was sitting next to her suitcase.

"Edward!" she yelled, not realizing I was standing right next to her.

"What?" I asked, stepping closer to her.

"Look!" she shouted. "Look what that thing did to my shoe!"

I looked down to the floor and there, inside her shoe, was a lovely little present obviously left by Sadie in the middle of the night. I couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up and out of my throat, and I covered my mouth in an effort to lessen it, since I could see how angry she was.

"That thing, that mongrel, pooped in my shoe, Edward! Get it out of there now! This is great, those shoes were new and now I can never wear them again. Oh, I hate dogs!" she huffed. By this point E.C. had woken up, as had my mother, and Sadie jumped up to stand next to me, her tail happily wagging as her tongue hung out of her mouth.

"Daddy, whassa mader? Auntie Alice is makin' lossa noise and I's sleepy," E.C. said, rubbing his eyes with his little fists.

"It's okay, Daddy will clean it up. Sadie just had an accident in Aunt Alice's shoe last night, that's all." E.C. looked up at me with questioning eyes, then over to Alice, who continued to rant about the puppy. "Don't worry, buddy, Auntie Alice loves Sadie, don't you, Aunt Alice?"

Alice stood nearby, pacing back and forth, her hands on her hips, as she quietly cursed the dog and wished horrible and harmful thing to happen to it. She glanced at E.C., seeing the concern in his eyes, and quickly nodded in agreement, mumbling something about how cute the little fur ball was. I continued to laugh as I picked up her shoe and got rid of the problem. I made sure to clean the shoe out and spray it with disinfectant so that she wouldn't complain too much, and then I put the shoe back in the bedroom. I also mentioned to her that she might want to pick up all of her things off the floor, or at least close the bedroom door so that Sadie wouldn't get into anything else.

My mother was in the kitchen fixing pancakes for breakfast, as I got ready to go to class. I sat down with E.C. and ate quickly before kissing him on the top of the head and grabbing my books. My mom was going to watch him for the day, and the two of them were headed over to the Jones's house to pick up Mrs. Jones for some more shopping. Alice and Kate were scheduled to check another fashion school, so I knew they'd have a long day as well.

Friday night was nice with all of us hanging around the house. E.C. called my dad and talked to him for a while, telling him all about his new dog and his football furniture. He was excited and happy and I loved how comfortable he'd become with my mom and sister.

Saturday morning we had breakfast again and then headed over to Bella's so that we could drop E.C. off. It was Bella's weekend with him, so I wanted to get him home before it was too late in the day. I started to worry when I saw Bella's car in the driveway. My mom had stayed back at the house, working on some living room decorations she'd bought the day before. Alice was with E.C. and me, and she started to bounce a bit in her seat once she realized that Bella was home. I knew any conversations we had might turn out badly, but I didn't have the heart to warn Alice before hand. I really hoped that we could just slip in and out without too many words being exchanged between us, but I should have known better.

Bella opened the door as soon as we started getting out of the car and her eyes never once met mine, which I knew because I was watching her. She was completely focused on E.C. and walked straight to him, scooping him up in her arms and hugging him tightly.

"Hi Bella!" Alice said as she ran across the yard toward Bella and E.C.

"Alice?" Bella said, clearly wondering why Alice was there. Maybe Renee hadn't told her why E.C. was staying at my house, or maybe she hadn't mentioned who was there. Either way, Bella's guard was obviously up, and she wasn't saying much to any of us.

"Hi! I wanted to see you sooner but Edward said you were really busy with school and work and all. I missed you! Maybe we can go to lunch tomorrow or something, I don't leave until Monday morning."

Bella stood still, holding E.C. in her arms. She whispered something to him, and then set him down on the ground. He sprinted over to me, giving me a hug and telling me good-bye, then ran to Alice and did the same. Before I knew it, he was inside the house, closing the door behind him.

"You told him. How could you tell him, Alice? I begged you not to, how could you do that to me?" Bella spat, her voice clearly angry. Alice looked like she'd been punched in the stomach.

"What are you talking about? Told who what?" Alice asked.

Bella took a few deep breaths. "Edward. You told him about E.C. and about me being pregnant. You knew that I wanted to be the one to tell him. How could you ruin that? He should have heard it from me. Now he won't even speak to me, isn't that right?" she said, turning her eyes toward me.

"You and I know perfectly well that the reason I'm not talking to you has nothing to do with Alice, and everything to do with a certain co-worker of yours. Don't twist this around, Bella," I seethed.

"You're not talking to each other? What?" Alice asked, confused by what we were saying to each other.

"Jacob means nothing to me, I told you that. You just don't listen, Edward. You never have. You always just jump to conclusions and no one can convince you that you're wrong. Well you know what? This time you're so wrong, and you're just too stubborn to see it." Her voice was beginning to rise a bit, and I heard it crack a few times.

"Well maybe what I see is exactly what's going on. I mean, everything checks out, doesn't it?" I spewed back at her, trying to keep my voice down a bit so that I wouldn't scare E.C. inside the house.

Alice continued to stand by in awe, just looking back and forth between the two of us. "I don't understand..."

"You told him, Alice. You were my best friend and you broke your promises to me. You have no idea what you've done. I can't even look at you right now, much less go to lunch with you. You're not my friend, not really. You ruined everything!" Bella yelled, then spun around and ran back into the house, slamming the door.

Alice still stood by, shell shocked from what had just happened. My anger was boiling by that point, and I hurried to my car, climbing in and racing away as soon as Alice had her door closed. She was silent the whole way home, and once I turned off the car, I noticed that she was sniffling.

"Are you alright?" I asked, genuinely concerned for her.

"No. What was that about? Why was she so angry? And why aren't you two talking to each other?" Her voice was so soft; I barely heard the things she said.

"I let it slip that you told me about E.C. I accidentally told her the night before she left Forks to come back to Miami. She was really embarrassed and angry and she basically told me it was over. She wouldn't talk to me until I got here, and I started smoothing things out between us, only to find out that she has a secret boyfriend. Well, she says she doesn't, but he says she does, and it sure looked like they were more than just friends when he was feeling her up a couple weeks ago. I was gonna talk to her last week, but he was there instead. I don't know what to think, but it feels like she's just playing me."

Alice was silent for a few minutes, the quiet in the car deafening. "I'm sorry, Edward."

"Me too."

That night I moped, letting myself get worked up and angry over the argument I'd had with Bella. My mom knew something had happened, but neither Alice nor I were offering up any information, so she stayed quiet and kept busy finishing up some decorative stuff. Though I never doubted my mother's abilities, I was surprised by just how different the house looked by Sunday afternoon. There was actual furniture in each room, pictures hung up and even a few of the walls were painted. I wasn't even sure how she'd managed to get everything done, but I knew that once my mother set her mind to something, she was a force to be reckoned with.

Sunday night we sat in the living room watching television. Alice was in E.C.'s bedroom talking to Jasper, most likely ranting about Sadie, again. That morning she'd left her new purse on the floor and didn't bother to close the bedroom door. Being a puppy and feeling the urge to chew, Sadie sank her little puppy teeth into the purse and chewed the whole side of it before anyone found her. I knew I'd have to buy Alice a new purse, but I kind of didn't feel bad for her. I'd warned her, but she just didn't listen.

"So, you ever gonna tell me what's going on or are you going to wait until I get home and can't do anything to help?" my mom softly asked. I looked over at her, noticing the concern on her face, and I couldn't hold back any longer. I let out a deep sigh before casting my gaze back down to the floor.

"I don't know. Everything is just such a mess right now, I don't know what's gonna happen or what I even want to happen. I'm just...confused and hurt, I don't know what to do."

I spent the next hour telling my mother everything that had been going on between Bella and me. I spilled every detail, even the ones that I wasn't proud of. She sat and listened, nodding her head and taking it all in. When I got to the part about the attorney and filing for legal rights to E.C., I saw her cringe.

"Edward, that's a slippery slope to go down. You'd better be sure that's really what you want before you start with that process. I agree, you need to be on E.C.'s birth certificate, and you should have some type of legal custody agreement worked out, but you need to talk to Bella. You have to include her in every step of this, otherwise I have a bad feeling this will blow up in your face, and you'll lose her for good." She reached over and ran her hand through my hair, letting her fingernails scratch along the back of my neck, and calming me in the process.

"I know Mom, but I don't know what other choice I have. She could just take him and leave and I'd have no say in it. What would I do then? I can't lose him. I'm trying so hard to make up for all the time I've already missed, and I just don't want to take a chance." My eyelids slid closed, the seriousness of the situation finally hitting me. We sat together for a little while longer before I finally said good night and headed off to bed.

The next morning I was up early for class, hoping to help my mom and Alice finish packing before I left. Their flight left that morning and I wouldn't be back in time to see them off. My mother said that they were going to stop by and see E.C. on their way to the airport, and then they'd be leaving.

I hugged them both tightly and told them how much I'd miss them. I wasn't sure when I'd see them again, though they were all tentatively planning to come to Miami in November for Thanksgiving, which was just a few days after E.C.'s birthday. I hoped they'd all be able to make the trip, and I kissed my mom before hurrying out the door.

When I got home from class, they were already gone. Lying on the kitchen counter was a piece of paper with a name and phone number on it. Below them was a note from my mother, saying that it was the name of an attorney in the area that specialized in family law.

Apparently, he was a friend of Aro's, and Mrs. Jones had suggested him as someone that I could talk to, just to get an idea of what my rights were. I hung the paper on the fridge with one of E.C.'s little alphabet magnets and then went to my room to get my laptop. When I opened it, I saw that there was an email from Bella. I was curious as to why she'd email me, so I opened it and quickly glanced over what she'd written.

Edward -

Since you had E.C. this last week, I'm going to keep him next weekend. I got tickets to a circus on Saturday and I want to take him. I just wanted you to know.

Bella

My mouth hung open in shock. She wanted to take my weekend from me? Even though I wasn't the one that had asked for him to stay the nights while my mom was in town? That was something that had been worked out between our mothers, and yet here she was, trying to make me pay for it by giving up my specified weekend. The more I thought about it, the more set I became in my decision. I had to call the attorney. I needed to know what my rights were as a father, and I needed to get my name on E.C.'s birth certificate.

Thinking about the things I hoped to gain from legal proceedings, I realized something—everything I was upset about was Bella's doing. She was the one that had taken my son from me. She was the one that had hidden him away. She was the one that was controlling the amount of time I got to spend with my son. She was the one keeping me from being listed as his legal guardian. She was doing all of these things, and for what? I thought back over the few months that we'd spent together in high school, and tried to remember if she'd always been so manipulative, or if this was something new, maybe brought on by new influences. I wondered if being in charge made her happy, and if it was what she needed so that she could feel superior to me.

My mind was made up—I would set up an appointment with the attorney my mom had found and I would look into my rights when it came to E.C. I wasn't going to let Bella run away this time. This was about my son, and I intended to get what I was entitled to. I wasn't about to give up. Not again. I'd let her go once before, and it cost me my son.

I wouldn't do it again.

o~*~o~*~o~*~o

A/N: So, what do you think? Like I said, they aren't getting back together for a bit. I'm keeping this as realistic as I can, and the fact that these two don't talk means it's gonna be a while. They are dealing with emotions and it's only been 2 months since Edward first found out that E.C. even exists. Hang in there...the HEA will happen eventually. Oh, and I do have some lemons planned, in case you were wondering. :)

You wanna see E.C.'s bedroom stuff, or Sadie, his little puppy? I have pictures up on my fanfic blog. There's a link on my profile. :)

How about some story rec's?

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by jennde – this is not the story for you if you're looking for sweet fluff. It's the story of a young college bound Edward, who falls for an older Bella. Too bad she's engaged to Carlise, Edward's father. It's heartbreaking, angsty, non-canon, and simply breath catching. But what else would I expect from the person that wrote the o/s Unplanned, which makes me SOB so much, it's second only to The Best Man, which makes me cry harder than anything ever has in my life. This story is wonderful, I'm so caught up in it, and I can't wait to see how it will turn out. It's short, too. There's not much left to it, but ugh...the heart break is killing me. And it feels so good...

http:/www().()fanfiction().()net/s/6950000/1/Between_The_Devil_and_The_Deep_Blue_Sea

Rabbit Heart by KitsuShel – this is a story about Bella returning to her roots, trying to find the family that she thought she'd lost, and hiding from all the things that threaten her in so many different ways. I love this story, plus it updates every Friday! I love that! :D The Edward in this story is amazing. He's sweet and sincere and wonderful... I want him. Plus he looks good wearing a tool belt and whipping up some carpentry stuff. Yum... :) There's a bit of mystery in this, since someone is stalking Bella, but we don't know who. That's exciting, right? :D

http:/www().()fanfiction().()net/s/6754319/1/

And for something complete...

Some Little Girls by sleepyvalentina – for any of you that read Art After 5 or Counterpoint (two of my favorite fan fic stories) this story is kind of their sequel. Well, it is their sequel. It follows Bella and Edward as they deal with life in the future, marriage, pregnancy, and all the craziness that those things bring with them. The story is wonderful, just like the original stories are, and I gotta say...I cried a bit when this ended. Having to accept the fact that one of my favorite Edward's in all of fan fic was finally done...that got me. I'm still sad, and I'll miss him, but this story is so good. It was the perfect way to finish out a beautiful series.

http:/www().()fanfiction().()net/s/5684908/1/

So, as always, 1 in 10 reviewers will get the next chapter early, and everyone that reviews will get a teaser. Hopefully ff dot net will get their crap straightened out and let me reply the right way. If not, I'll have to do it through the message system on ff dot net, so make sure your messages are turned on so that I can send it to you. :)

I'm on Twitter, and it's fun.
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