A/N: Hello everyone! Hope everyone is doing well. We have lots of new people who have added us to alert and we want to thank you all for checking out our stories. For any of you who have rec'd us to your friends…we love you and thank you from the bottom of our hearts! We have a new story in the works called Uptown Girl. We are going to be concentrating solely on BS for a bit, but put us on Author Alert if you would like to be made aware when Uptown Girl starts to post, but as a little teaser I will tell you that UG takes place in NYC, E&B meet in college, and they are from different sides of the track so to speak.

Thank you so much to our beta, dolphin62598. We heart you mucho! {{{HUGS}}}

Please read the A/N at the bottom b/c we have a little announcement about an outtake for Beautiful Stranger.

Disclaimer: SM owns all; we just twist her characters to give them juicier lives!

She said soon you'll hear the beating
Of an unborn heart
This is the answer
You've been searching for so hard
And for the first time in my life I felt
The wave of love so deep
As I listened for the unborn child's heartbeat

Unborn Heart ~ Dan Hill

*EPOV*

"Hello, Edverd," a tiny voice greeted me from behind, startling me a bit and almost causing the ladle of batter I was holding to spill on the counter. Plopping the ladle back in the bowl of the pancake mix, I turned to face Elyse.

"Well, good morning, sweet girl. Did you have a good sleep?" I asked, bending down to her level.

"Mm hm. Whatcha doin'?" Her head was tilted to her side as the questioning look in her eyes took hold of mine.

I smiled wide at Elyse. She was so damn cute, just like her mom. "I'm making pancakes for you three girls."

"Can I hewp you?"

"Sure," I chuckled lightly at her little speech impediment. I swear I wanted her to call me 'Edverd' until she was at least in her twenties.

Elyse stretched her little arms outward, a signal she always gave to me or Bella…or anyone else in my family that she wanted to be held. Readily accepting her offer, my arms engulfed her small frame and I settled her on my left hip, leaving my right hand free to continue making breakfast.

"Edverd, I wanna fip the pancake. Pwease?" Elyse tapped her fingers on my cheek, breaking me from my thoughts.

"Of course, Sweetheart." Elyse snatched up the spatula, flashing me the biggest toothy grin like she had just won first prize in a contest. I couldn't help but mirror her expression, amazed how kids got all jazzed up about the smallest of things. I held onto her tighter as I leaned us toward the hot griddle on the stove. She wiggled in my grip, the tip of her little pink tongue peeking out in concentration as she readied herself to be the chef.

Giving her soft words of encouragement, I let Elyse handle her own with the pancake flipping, wanting her confidence to break through. So what if the pancake ended up on the floor? I would have let the precious girl nestled on my hip try over and over again, wasting the batter if that meant she would be successful at least once. Of course, Elyse triumphantly flipped her pancake on the first try. She definitely got her feisty determination from Bella; and even though she tipped the scale in James' favor, resembling him over her mother, the more she emulated Bella's mannerisms, the more Bella's physical features were prominent on Elyse's face. It was hysterical to observe this three and a half year old furrow her brow and purse her tiny lips in a pout whenever something was bothering her, or when she would worry her bottom lip with her teeth whenever she felt anxious, or how a wide smile would spread across her face whenever she got giddy because things went in her favor. Yes, Elyse was definitely a miniature Bella…except with blonde hair and loose curls.

However, it was hard to escape the looming cloud of James when Elyse looked a lot like him. It was difficult to admit that James was actually good for something, for being part of the creation of Elyse. But then I dug deeper and realized that James had only touched the physical part of his daughter. He had no part in nurturing her emotional make up, her personality, or her innocent soul. No, James definitely had no part in that. I would never feel any differently for Elyse because of who her father was. It wasn't her fault that her so called daddy was an asshole of epic proportions.

All this talk of James and him being an asshole brought me back from my hazy thoughts, directing my attention back to the present. I made sure I got up before Bella so she could sleep in and I could make a nice breakfast for the girls. We were going to meet up with James and Victoria today and I wanted to do something special for my little family before Elyse and Bella had to face James.

However, in the deepest part of my mind, I knew I was really doing this for me…to remind myself that Elyse saw me as some type of a father figure, as well, even though she seemed to really love her real father. And she should. I honestly was happy for Elyse and relieved that Bella's guilt over her daughter not growing up with her daddy was slowly dissipating. There was a still a big part of me that grew uneasy and anxious whenever Elyse and James spent time together.

We settled into a little routine when my Katie-Pie joined us in the kitchen. She looked all cute with her bed head, hair sticking out all over the place. It was as though she was still sleeping with her rubbing her eyes, her little fists moving in circles. I swear she was Bella's child with the way she loved to sleep. Katie was not much of a morning person.

"Can I help you, too, Daddy?" my daughter so sweetly asked.

"Sure! Come here, my Katie-Pie." She immediately came over while I bent down with Elyse still latched to my hip. Scooping my daughter up with my free arm, I slung her comfortably on my other side.

The girls had fun switching jobs between pouring the batter onto the griddle to flipping the pancakes when they were ready. Kate suggested we make a smiley face on the one for Bella since she knew Bella wasn't feeling well lately. My little girl wanted to make Bella smile and that just about melted my heart. It was the little moments like these that were the most precious to me…the ones that would be forever embedded in my brain.

This made me think of the baby growing inside Bella…our baby that would be the newest member of our family. As I smiled and stared at my two adorable girls attached to me, a wave of nervousness seeped into my veins, filling my head with uncertainty.

How will Katie and Elyse react to the baby news? Will they be excited? Upset? Feel slighted from their mother and father?

Bella and I were planning on telling the girls after seeing James and Victoria. We both agreed that was best considering we didn't want the girls to slip and say something. There was enough impending drama with James finding out that Bella and Elyse moved in with me. He may have acted all cool and collected on the phone, but I knew the real James…and I am positive that the news that his daughter was living with me was not sitting well with him at all. Frankly, I had some ominous feeling that James was waiting to pounce at any moment…biding his time, tracking what Bella and I did and waiting for the right moment to do something…what that was I wasn't exactly sure, but something wasn't adding up in my opinion.

I didn't want to upset Bella or stress her out more than ever because of the baby, so I kept my feelings on James to myself. I trusted Bella completely and matters regarding Elyse were between her and James, but mark my words…I would definitely be around to help or protect Bella and her daughter in any way, shape, or form if something horrendous were to ever transpire. Not to mention, maybe I wasn't giving James enough credit, but who the hell knew? I was going to bide my time like that asshole was his.

~OooO~

Bella, me and the girls arrived at the planetarium just before eleven o'clock on that Sunday afternoon. It was a nice day weather wise, and would have been my ideal type of outing with my girls had we not been meeting James and Victoria there. I shook any negative thoughts out of my head though since I knew the girls, Bella included, would pick up on any unease I was feeling, and I would be damned to show James that I was uncomfortable with this get-together.

We all walked together through the parking lot holding hands, with the two girls in the middle and Bella and I on either side. As we approached the front entrance I immediately spotted Victoria's bright red hair, and standing next to her was James.

As soon as we stepped up onto the curb Victoria saw us and nudged James. When he turned to see us he immediately crouched down and held his arms opened for Elyse.

"Hey, Baby!" he said loud enough so she could hear through the crowd of people and the several yards that were still between them.

I looked down at Elyse and saw her hesitate. It had been over a month since she'd seen James, and at her age that kind of time seems like forever, so it wasn't any wonder that she was a little confused.

Bella squatted down and whispered something to Elyse, which caused Elyse to look shyly over at James.

"It's okay, Baby, you can go and say hello," Bella said quietly to Elyse as she tucked a blonde curl behind her ear.

Elyse turned and slowly started to walk towards James, who had remained in his position, eye level and open armed.

When Elyse was almost to him she seemed to finally relax and took her last couple of steps in a run and wrapped her little arms around James' neck. He immediately wrapped her up in an embrace, stood up and swung her around.

"Hi, Sweetheart ," he said into her hair. "I've missed you so much!"

"Hi, Daddy," she said quietly to him as she touched his face.

I couldn't help the pang of…something…that shot through my chest. I knew I probably shouldn't be feeling this way, but it hurt to see this, and it hurt to hear her call him daddy. I had to keep reminding myself that my situation, although different, was similar in the sense that Bella was a huge part of Katie's life, but Katie had a biological mother in her life as well.

As if sensing what was going through my mind, I felt Bella wrap her arm around me. When I looked down at her she was holding Katie and looking up at me.

"Hey," she said softly with a smile.

"Hey," I said returning the smile. I reached out and touched Katie's nose. "Hey to you, Missy," causing her to giggle.

I looked back up at Bella and she mouthed to me, "You okay?"

I nodded my head quickly before we both turned back towards James, Victoria and Elyse.

"Edward," James said as he extended his hand out to me.

I gathered myself in confidence and reached my hand out to his. "James," I replied as we shook hands. "Hello, Victoria."

She nodded quickly before Bella spoke up, breaking the tension. "We should probably head in. The show starts in fifteen minutes."

We were at the Planetarium to see a stars and planet show in their dome theater. We had talked about taking the girls to one of these shows because they cater to pre-school and kindergarten ages, so we figured it would be a good middle ground for James and Elyse to spend some time together.

As we waited in line for tickets Bella quickly handed Katie to me. "I have to go to the bathroom," she said as her hand covered her mouth.

My eyes widened and I wanted to ask if she was okay since I knew she was feeling nauseous, but I didn't want to draw any unwanted attention to Bella from James and Victoria, so I just nodded as she turned and ran away from us.

"Is everything okay?" Victoria asked.

I turned and looked at her, wanting to tell her to mind her own fucking business, but I knew it wasn't an unreasonable question seeing how Bella hauled ass towards the bathroom. It would just be more suspicious if I got defensive. "She just had to use the restroom. She had a large coffee from Starbucks on the way over," I explained.

That wasn't a lie; we had stopped at Starbucks on the way over so she could get something small to eat before we had lunch. She was rarely hungry due to her morning sickness, and was not feeling up to eating the pancakes the girls and I had earlier, so when the mood struck her to eat something I would get her whatever she wanted. So at Starbucks she got a small breakfast sandwich and a large decaf tea in order to try and settle her stomach…guess that didn't work too much.

Once we bought our tickets and were ready to head into the theater, Bella was still not back. I would have waited for her outside but I didn't want to send James in alone with Elyse, who he was still holding, so I approached the kid who was working the door. I explained to him what Bella looked like and what she was wearing, handed him her ticket and a twenty dollar bill, and he assured me she would get in with no problems.

The five of us entered the auditorium and found an empty row that would accommodate our numbers. James and Victoria walked in ahead of Katie and me to sit down. Katie followed them into the row while I stood in the aisle waiting for Bella. I was looking up towards the entrance when I felt someone poking me.

"Daddy?" my daughter called, tapping her hand on my waist. She looked so sad and instantly, I knelt down to see what was the matter with her.

"What is it, Sweetheart? Why do you look like you are about to cry?" I asked, pulling her into a big bear hug.

"Well…um…I kinda want to sit next to Elyse when the show starts and that girl with the red hair is sitting next to her," she sniffled, wiping the tears that began to form from her eyes.

I looked up and saw that James had placed Elyse in the chair between Victoria and himself, and they were both talking and fussing over her, while seemingly ignoring my daughter completely.

The blood was boiling in my veins now. If either of those two were rude to my daughter today, I was going to go all psycho on their asses. We were at a show for children, and although I knew this visit was for James and Elyse, not letting my kid sit next to someone who was for all intents and purposes her sister, really pissed me off!

"Katie," I started, my hands resting on her small shoulders, trying to make my voice as level as possible, "did anyone say anything to you to hurt your feelings?"

"No, Daddy. I just wanted to sit next to my best friend," she responded in a low voice laced with sadness.

I pushed back the need to tell the two of them to grow the fuck up and let the kids sit together, and decided I would spin it in another direction that made my daughter feel special too. "I know you want to sit next to Elyse, Baby, but she is spending some time with her dad and Victoria right now, but that just means you get to sit in between Bella and I and have special time with the two of us!" I said very enthusiastically.

I watched as her eyes widened and she smiled big. "I get to sit with you and Bella? Just me?" she asked.

I smiled and kissed her forehead. "That's right!"

"Okay, Daddy," she responded happily.

I lifted her up and placed her in the seat that would be between Bella and me and then stood up.

Just then, Bella came back from the bathroom and into the main room. She had been gone for a while and looked extremely pale, which led me to believe that she did indeed get sick. She was having a rough time with the morning sickness. Hell, I wasn't even sure why they called it 'morning sickness' because Bella seemed to get ill at any time of the day. I felt so awful for her and wanted nothing more than to take away my girl's discomfort and take the brunt of it myself, but unfortunately, that wasn't nature's way. So all I could do was be there for her every step of the way, making sure she was comfortable.

"How are you feeling?" I asked as I wrapped my arm around her.

"Ugh," she replied quietly so just I could hear, "I'm not feeling the greatest but it certainly isn't the worst I've felt so I'll survive."

I stepped aside to let her in ahead of me, but quickly grabbed her arm gently to stop her.

"What?" she asked as she looked back at me questioningly.

"Umm…why don't I go in first so you can sit on the end? You know…in case you get sick again and have to run out."

She considered my words and nodded her head in agreement. "Good idea," she said as she smiled. "I'd kiss you, but…I just…you know."

I laughed and leaned down to kiss her on the cheek. "I wouldn't care either way, but I understand," I told her as I stepped into the row, past Katie and took my seat. As I sat down Victoria turned slightly to look at me. I gave her a courteous smile and then focused my attention on my daughter.

If I was being honest, the real reason I wanted Bella to sit on the end was so that she didn't have to sit next to Victoria. After my talk with both Victoria and James the other day I didn't think they would be stupid enough to say any kind of shit to her, but I wasn't taking any chances.

Suddenly the lights dimmed and the show began.

oOOo

*BPOV*

After the show was over we all went down to the food court that was located on the lower level of the planetarium. To say that it was kind of weird sitting at a table between Edward and James, would be an understatement. I knew that neither of them really enjoyed the other's presence, but I appreciated the effort they were both putting into the day in order to not make it uncomfortable for the girls.

We all engaged in polite conversation during lunch, but for the most part James and Victoria focused their attention on Elyse so they wouldn't have to interact with Edward and myself. I couldn't care less for myself, but I made sure to overindulged Katie with attention so that she didn't feel left out, and to be honest it was nice to spend some quality time with her away from school and the house. So with Elyse preoccupied with her father, it gave me some time to bond with her.

All I managed for lunch was a bowl of chicken noodle soup, but even that I was only able to really sip on the broth. I ignored Edward's looks of concern throughout lunch that I wasn't eating much. He worried that I wasn't getting enough nutrition, but I had told him that it was normal for woman to get sick like this in the beginning…even if this time was far worse than when I was pregnant with Elyse.

After we finished lunch we went up to the gift shop so the girls could get something to remember the day. I felt badly when Elyse ran up to Edward and I holding a stuffed toy that was shaped like one of the planets, and asked if she could get it. Edward had smiled and went to retrieve it from her so he could pay, when suddenly James appeared and grabbed it before Edward could, telling him that he would pay for it. I flashed Edward a look telling him that I was sorry, but he just gave me a small smile and mouthed at me not to worry about it.

It didn't escape my attention though that Edward walked out of the gift shop with a huge bag. When I asked him what was in it he just smirked at me but didn't answer, so I grabbed it from him and looked inside. I smiled wide when I saw that he got two humungous stuffed toys that were in the shape of stars. They were triple the size of the toy that James got Elyse. I knew I really shouldn't encourage that type of behavior from Edward, but at the same time I understood, so as I handed him the bag back, I tucked myself under his other arm and squeezed myself into his side.

We got to the cars, and after James said goodbye to Elyse, Edward and I started buckling the girls up into their car seats. I was just snapping the last buckle on Elyse's seat when I felt someone tap me from behind. I turned my head and saw James standing behind me awkwardly.

"Uh…Bell…can I talk to you privately for a moment?"

My eyes flickered back across the car to where Edward was buckling Katie in, and our eyes locked.

"It's okay," Edward said. "Go talk, I'll finish up here."

I smiled to him and mouthed "I love you," before I shut the door and followed James a few feet away from the car.

"What's up?" I asked, cutting right to the point.

"Well…" he started, nervously shifting from foot to foot. "I wanted to let you know that I moved out of my parent's house. I am living in an apartment with Victoria now."

"Uh…okay," I responded.

"Well, what I wanted to know is if I could possibly talk to you about having Elyse over one night this week for dinner or something. I could pick her up from daycare one night and then drop her off after we were done eating."

I immediately felt my body tense, and it was obvious that James noticed too.

"Look Bella…I know how you feel about letting me see her without you, but I'm really trying. I know what I did in the past was really shitty, and I'm not asking you to forgive me personally, but I really want to reconnect with her on a much more substantial level, and seeing her once a week, in a large group, just isn't…"

"Enough," I finished for him.

"Yeah," he said as he stuck his hands in his pockets and looked down at the floor. "I know the end of our relationship was caused because of some crappy stuff I did, but I wasn't always a bad guy. You and I had a lot of good times," he said as he looked back up at me. "I have been going to my AA meetings every night, working hard at my job, and even moved out of my parent's house quicker than I normally would have so that you wouldn't have to worry so much about them. I'm really trying here, Bella."

Shit! What could I say to that? I really didn't know how the hell to proceed. Of course I was worried handing Elyse off to someone other than myself or the family I formed with my friends and Edward's family, but at the same time I knew that I couldn't keep her away from him forever. I mean, Edward sent Katie on an airplane several times a year to visit her mother, so it wasn't like other divorced couples didn't make it work cohesively. Despite the fact that I had sole custody, I would be looked at as the bad guy if I didn't allow them to slowly have a more nurturing relationship.

"Look," I said after a tense few moments, "let me think about it. I'm not totally against the idea, but I just need to consider if the timing is right. I need to make sure this is all good for her. I want you to be a part of her life but I need to make sure she is ready for each new step, as opposed to when you and I are ready. She is my main concern."

He stared at me thoughtfully for a few seconds before he nodded his head slowly. "Okay. Thanks for thinking about it…that's the best I can hope for right now."

"Yeah, sure… I have a lot going on right now so you just have to have some patience. I'll call you in a couple of days and let you know."

"Thanks, Bella," he said, and before I knew it he pulled me in for a hug.

My hands hung awkwardly at my side. I had no idea how to respond. "Uh…yeah…sure," I said as I pulled back and he let go. "I have to get going. Talk to you in a few days."

When I got to the passenger side door I felt a sense of dread. Would Edward be pissed? Because surely he saw that. I took a deep breath and opened the door and slid in.

"Hey," I said to him softly.

He looked straight ahead and not at me. "Hey," he replied coolly.

I glanced to the backseat quickly and was eased when I saw the girls talking amongst themselves, not paying attention to us in the slightest. I looked back towards Edward, who was still staring forward. "Edward, look at me please."

I saw him take a deep breath before he turned his head towards me.

"I'm sorry," I said.

"Bella, I'm not mad at you. I saw the exchange and know that he hugged you, not the other way around, but I…" he stopped for a minute. "What did he want?"

I sighed. "I really don't want to get into it right now," I told him as I nodded my head towards the girls, "but he told me he moved into an apartment with Victoria and he'd like to have Elyse over for dinner one night this week."

"Alone?" he asked.

"Yes."

"I see. So what did you say?"

"I told him I'd think about it."

Edward looked at me disapprovingly.

"What do you want me to do, Edward?" I asked in exasperation, but trying to keep my voice down so the girls wouldn't hear. "I would love nothing more than for him to just go away and not come back around but that isn't going to happen, and just ignoring the situation isn't going to make it go away. You send Katie on an airplane to see your ex-wife. I can't run away from this next step forever, so I ask you again…what the hell do you want me to do?"

When I finished speaking in my loud whisper, I turned forward away from him and felt tears spill down my face.

"Bella? Bella, look at me," he said as she reached out and turned my face towards him with his hand. "I'm sorry, Baby. I didn't mean to upset you. It's just that I get really nervous about you having to deal with any unnecessary stresses now with…the baby," he mouthed out the last two words.

"I know…but unfortunately this is something that I can't avoid," I told him as he lifted his fingers to my face, wiping the tears off my cheeks. "We'll talk about it later, okay?"

He smiled a very genuine smile at me. "Okay," he responded.

As Edward started the car and pulled out of the spot, I turned my gaze out of the window. I knew I had a lot to consider. I was really stuck between a rock and a hard place. I wouldn't allow myself to be fooled or make stupid choices for me and my daughter, but at the same time I had to think about what was best for Elyse. If James were still the man he was when I left him then it would be a cut and dry decision, but if he was really working towards building a better life, then who was I to stand in the way of them developing a healthy relationship?

Of course in my head I would have loved to have a life with just Edward, Elyse, Katie, myself and the new baby…but with or without James in the picture that wasn't ever going to be the case. Even with the baby coming, and even if Edward and I ever married down the road, the fact of life remained that Katie was not my biological child either. I would always love her as my own, and always remain a vital part of her life but…she had a mother, and I would have to share that part of her life with another woman. So thinking that Edward could just step in and be that primary position in Elyse's life was not realistic.

I decided to stop thinking about it all for now. Edward and I would discuss it more tonight after the girls were asleep. I instead focused my attention back on the baby I was now carrying. I closed my eyes and placed my hands over my belly and allowed myself to feel peaceful. I felt a hand cover mine and when I opened my eyes I saw that we were stopped at a light and Edward was looking at me.

"I can't wait for the sonogram this week," he said softly.

"Me either. I just need to hear the heartbeat and know that everything is going okay."

"The peanut will be just fine," he said. "We just have to get it's momma to eat something and keep it down."

We smiled at each other, and for the first time in a long time I felt completely loved and comfortable at where I was in my life. Despite everything that I knew was still unsettled going on around us, when it was just me, Edward, the girls, and now the peanut, I felt that in the end it would all be okay.

"I love you, Bella," he said as he rubbed my little growing belly one more time.

"I love you too."

And with that the light changed and the four of us headed home.

oOOo

The rest of the week passed without much fanfare. I was still getting sick all throughout my days, and trying to eat whatever I could when I could handle it, but the constant push and pull that this pregnancy was putting me through was making me exhausted. I was thankful that I had my sonogram today so I could at least make sure the baby was okay. If the peanut was progressing well then I didn't care what I was being put through; the baby was my first priority.

I was thankful when James called me on Tuesday telling me he was going to be out of town in Portland for a few days this week for work, so we would have to push any discussions about Elyse's potential visit with him until next week. It at least bought me some more time to figure things out. Edward suggested that we give Mr. Jenks, the custodial attorney that Jasper suggested, a call to discuss the proper next steps in our situation. I wasn't sure if I really needed an attorney at this point, but I couldn't deny that getting professional advice from someone who dealt with this type of stuff might be a good idea. So I told Edward we could call him to set up a meeting just to talk, but today I didn't want to deal with attorneys. I had too much on my mind as far as doctors and my baby, so Edward agreed to hold off for now.

I arranged to get out of work a few hours early so that I could go to my appointment. Edward was going to pick me up at the daycare, and after the appointment was over we would come back and pick the girls up.

At three o'clock I made my way out of the building and found Edward sitting out front in his car. As soon as he saw me he immediately got out and walked around to open the car door for me.

"Hey," he said as he kissed me. "Are you ready for this?"

"Absolutely! I just want to hear the heartbeat and know that everything is okay," I told him as I slid into the passenger seat.

Edward closed the door and walked around the car, getting into the driver's side. "Me too. I'm also hoping the doctor can tell us when you will stop feeling sick all the time."

I laughed…men. "Edward, no one can predict when and how long you will have morning sickness. Some women get it just in the beginning, while some have it for the whole nine months. It's a crap shoot."

As he pulled out of the parking lot I saw him furrow his eyes. "But you said that with Elyse it wasn't this bad or often. Why are you having such a rough time of it this time?"

I smiled at him. It was so cute to see him trying to piece it all together and come up with a logical explanation as to why my body was doing what it as doing. "Babe, just like every child is different, every pregnancy is different too. I mean…I've only been through this once before, but each pregnancy is different. You can't anticipate what is going to happen simply based off of a previous experience."

He chuckled at himself. "I guess you're right. I just want you to be able to eat and not spend so much time throwing up and looking pale. Not that you don't look beautiful, I mean…you're simply glowing, Bella, but I just hate seeing you look sick all the time."

"Yeah…you and me both," I said with a giggle. "But as long as the baby is healthy in the end I really don't mind going through this," I told him honestly.

He glanced over at me and smiled, before reaching out and lifting my hand up and giving it a little squeeze. "You're right. That is all that matters at the end of the day."

We pulled into the parking lot of Dr. Banner's office and made our way inside. There was thankfully not too long of a wait, and after sitting for about fifteen minutes we were ushered into one of the exam rooms. I changed into my gown and sat on the table while Edward sat in the chair beside me.

It was amazing what a different experience this was from the last time I was here when pregnant with Elyse. Dr. Banner had delivered Elyse, so I was here almost four years ago for the same exact appointment; only difference was that this time I wasn't alone. James had come with me to a few appointments but he often couldn't make them because of his class schedule. So the first time I heard Elyse's heartbeat, as beautiful of a moment as it was, I was all by myself, and scared out of my mind. My parents and I were still talking at that point but they were three hours away and couldn't make it down as often as I would have liked. But sitting here now, with Edward beside me, holding my hand, made me feel so filled with love.

I was interrupted by my thoughts when the door opened and Dr. Banner walked in.

"Hello, Bella and Edward," she said cheerily as she entered, followed by a nurse.

"Hi," we both replied in unison.

"How are we feeling today?" she asked as she looked at me.

"Well…my morning sickness has been rough this time around, I'm not gonna lie," I told her.

"Yes," she said while looking at my chart, "you haven't gained any weight since you were here last week, but that isn't unusual in the beginning, especially if you are suffering from bad morning sickness," she stated. "Anything else?"

"Well besides the nausea, she is tired all the time. I really think she should stop working and stay home and rest as much as possible," Edward cut in and added before I could respond myself.

Huh? What? I looked at Edward as if he were crazy. Not work? He never mentioned anything to me about not working; this was definitely the first time I was hearing this. That was not an option. I had to work. It wasn't like we were married. I couldn't walk away from a job that supported my daughter and me.

Edward looked at me and nodded shyly when he saw my facial expression. "What?" he said softly. "It was just an idea I have been throwing around in my head."

"You've never mentioned it before," I answered back quietly. "Edward…I have to work…"

I was cut off by Dr. Banner who chuckled. "Look, there is really no reason that Bella can't work if she wants to. It isn't uncommon to be nauseous and fatigued early on in a pregnancy. As long as she is okay with it, and knows her limits about when to take it easy and rest, I really have no objections to her working. But if at any point I think she needs to be on bed rest, you can rest assure Mr. Cullen I will let you know," she said and winked kindly at him.

"Uh…thanks," he said, looking embarrassed.

"Okay, Bella, why don't you lay back and we'll do the sonogram."

I did as instructed and the nurse placed a cover over me, while pushing up my gown so just my belly was uncovered. Edward stood up and took his place beside me, holding my hand in the process.

The nurse dimmed the lights while Dr. Banner squeezed a cold, clear gel on my stomach. I squeezed Edward's hand slightly at the shock of the coldness, causing him to lean down and kiss my forehead.

"Love you, Baby," he whispered.

"Love you, too," I said before he stood up and looked towards Dr. Banner as she flipped on the screen of the ultrasound machine.

I could hardly contain my excitement as she lowered the transducer wand onto my stomach. Edward's grip on my hand tightened slightly in the same anticipation I was feeling, and after a few short seconds we both saw a blurry green image on the black screen in front of us.

The sound was turned down so we couldn't hear anything at the moment but even to my medically untrained eye I knew what I was looking at. I had seen the same image when I was here pregnant with Elyse, and as the tears spilled down my cheeks I knew that for the very first time ever, I was looking at my little baby.

I glanced quickly at Edward and saw him staring glossy eyed at the screen as well. His eyes flashed over to mine, locking his gaze at me, and he smiled the biggest smile I had ever seen. He reached to me with the free hand of his that wasn't holding mine and brushed the hair away from my forehead. Neither of us said anything, we just knew instinctually what the other was feeling and thinking.

"You'll see right here," Dr. Banner started as she used her free hand to point to the screen, while the other moved the wand around my belly, "this is the amniotic sac. And right here is the fetus," she told us.

We stared in wonder as Dr. Banner continued to move the wand around, doing and looking for whatever it is she was supposed to. "I would say that by the conversation we had last week about your menstrual cycle schedule, and the size of what I'm seeing here, you are nine weeks pregnant. That would make your due date on or around November fourteenth."

"An autumn baby," I said as I looked at Edward.

"Yeah…what about that," he said with a big smile. "It will be right before Thanksgiving and Christmas. This will be the greatest Christmas gift you could ever give me," he said as he leaned down and kissed me on the lips."

"Oh! Wait a minute!" Dr. Banner said, startling both Edward and I immediately.

Our heads both snapped towards her, as my grip on Edward's hand tightened to most likely a painful level. "What?" I exclaimed, dread and worry lacing through the small word.

"Well I'll be damned," Dr. Banner said. She leaned over and turned up the volume on the machine, filling the air with a beautiful, melodic sound of a tiny thumping heartbeat.

My free hand covered my mouth as new tears fell down my face. Seeing the baby was one thing, but actually hearing a real life heartbeat filled me with a sense of peace that nothing could ever duplicate.

"Is that the heartbeat?" Edward asked cautiously.

"Yes it is," the doctor responded.

"Okay, but why did you sound startled before?" he asked. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes, Edward, everything is okay," she said with a lighthearted chuckle. "The reason I sounded surprised is because looking at the screen we can see there is only one amniotic sac," she paused for a moment. "Ah-ha…there it is…the other one was hiding," she said pointing to the screen.

We were both beyond confused, so Dr. Banner continued. "Can you see the two images within the sac? If you listen carefully you will notice that there isn't just one heartbeat you are hearing…there are two," she said looking at Edward and I. "Congratulations you two…looks like you are the proud parents-to-be of twins."

A/N: So a couple of you suspected that there might be more than one peanut in there since Bella was gaining weight quicker and had worse morning sickness than with Elyse…so good job to you super sleuths out there. Now how will these two take the news? Yikes!

Holly and I are offering an outtake in support of Foxy Fics fundraiser for Parkinson's Disease. Your donation will get you a compilation of all the works that were contributed by various authors. Our outtake will be from Beautiful Stranger when Bella tells her parents that she is pregnant with Elyse…so we are going back in her past. For more information please visit the link below. Replace (dot) with a .

foxyfics(dot)blogspot(dot)com/

D0NATIONS START AT JUST $5...This is not an auction, it is a donation, and it goes towards a great cause.

As always…tell us what you think.

Pauline & Holly
xoxo