A/N: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters.


Chapter 29 - Happy birthday Part 2

"Are you enjoying the party, Mrs. Cullen?" Edward breathed into my ear and twirled me gracefully around in the Webers' garden, completely ignoring the quick, noisy song that was coming from Ben's CD player.

I threw my head back and laughed. "It's not that bad."

He chuckled and kissed my throat softly.

It was dark outside, only the very dim light of the moon, that seeped through the thick blanket of clouds above us, and a few lamps lit the small place. The air was heavy and filled with a strange electricity, I could feel it with every fiber of my body. An angry storm was coming, I could tell, it was very close.

"It's only a few minutes away." Edward whispered, pulling me closer, carefully not to crash our baby. "It's amazing how your senses become sharper and sharper with each passing day. It's such an incredible thing to witness it through your beautiful mind." he brushed his lips gently along my forehead.

I smiled.

My ongoing change was really a blessing. And seeing Edward being so happy and carefree about it always made me melt. Every little changes in me thrilled him – the heightening of my senses, my most basic instincts and the intensity of my emotions. I finally felt that he wanted me to become his equal mate just as much as I wanted it and he was so ecstatic that he could give it to me without putting me through the burning agony, he'd had to go through almost a century ago.

"You have no idea just how much it means to me." he nuzzled his face into my neck softly.

It was hours since we found out our beautiful baby's newest gift and Edward had arrived officially too, along with the other guests. The evening passed without any incident, at least till now, with only a few jealous, vicious glances from mostly Jessica, Lauren and even Mike. They didn't seem to like the way Edward acted around me. His love and happiness was undeniable, apparently I wasn't the only one who was glowing, and the fact that he simply couldn't keep his hands off my growing belly pissed them off to no end. Probably they'd already convinced themselves that my marriage with Edward was doomed and we surely already started to grow apart by now, or worse. But they were absolutely wrong, of course.

After we ate dinner - which was absolutely delicious and I was so hungry that I ate both mine and Edward's portion as well, while he watched me amused, rubbing my belly ever so softly -, Angela opened her gifts and cut her cake, which her mother had baked for her and we sang her the 'Happy Birthday'. Everything felt so normal, so human, without angry werewolves and hyperactive vampire siblings.

"It is, isn't it?" Edward chuckled quietly. "A normal, quiet evening. Very rare for us."

"I hope we'll have tons of it in the future." I murmured, pressing my face into the crook of his neck as he swayed us slowly on the soft grass.

"With our little troublemaker here and with your luck... I highly doubt it." he said teasingly and I felt his cold lips touching my hair ever so gently.

"Edward!" I hit his butt playfully and laughed quietly. His arms tightened around me.

"You have to stop doing things like that." he purred into my ear, his velvety voice was barely louder than a whisper.

"Like what?" I asked innocently.

"Touching me so indecently in front of your friends." he answered in a very formal, yet somehow seductive tone. I shuddered. "You misbehave yourself, Mrs. Cullen."

"And are you planning to penalize your indecent wife, Mr. Cullen?" I breathed into his ear, blushing.

He groaned softly, nuzzling his cheek to mine. "Absolutely." he kissed that sweet spot right beneath my ear.

I felt desire race through my veins, singing from my scalp to my toes. The intensity of it took my breath away and for a brief moment paralyzed my muscles. My knees buckled and I'd have fallen to the ground if Edward's strong arms hadn't encircled me protectively, holding me securely to his body. My blood boiled under my skin as I fought for control not to pounce on him and rip his clothes from his gorgeous body right here and now. My whole body trembled in his embrace.

"Edward..." I whimpered into the cool miracle of his skin, pressing my face into his neck again, shutting my eyes tightly, craving for his closeness. My fingers clenched the fabric of his shirt so tightly, it almost hurt, trying to pull him closer to me.

"I'm here, love. I'm here." he whispered softly and I felt him spinning me the opposite direction we'd been headed before. The music grew quieter with each passing second, then the wind stopped suddenly. We were inside.

"Ed...ward..." I whimpered again helplessly, tugging his shirt.

"Shh." he hushed me lovingly as I heard something clicking very softly. A lock. Then he lifted me up ever so gently onto the top of something while he stood between my legs, pressing himself tightly to my still shaking body.

"Take deep breaths, love." he took my face into his large hands and brushed my hair out of my face, caressing my cheeks, my lips, my nose and my still closed eyelids tenderly, - I was too afraid of looking into his eyes, knowing what his smoldering gaze could do to me. His voice was low and soft, velvety. I did as he asked and took a deep, shaky breath, inhaling his sweet honey-like scent.

His touch, his scent only made everything worse. Every fiber of my body was screaming for him, I'd never been so aware of his presence. It was like my senses heightened, sharpened suddenly even more. All I could hear was his quiet breathing, ringing so clearly in my ears along with the rapid, uneven beating of my own heart. All I could smell was his unique honey-lilac-and-sun perfume. It filled my nose with each breath I took. All I could feel was his skin on mine, ice on fire, and the very familiar electricity buzzing between us with such intensity than never before. I had to have him now. I needed him more than air.

"We can't, love. Not now, not here." he murmured quietly, still caressing my face. "We're at Angela's, remember? She's here, along with Ben, Jessica, Mike and others."

My eyebrows pushed together. I felt slightly irritated. Did he not want me? But as he ran his fingers along my forehead, trying to soothe out the puckers, I all but forgot my irritation as another wave of desire rippled through my body. I gasped for air, my eyes popped open, for the very first time since he'd led me inside, and I stared up at his beautiful face hungrily.

As our gaze locked he gasped suddenly, his own eyes widened with shock. "Bella." he breathed completely in awe, his topaz orbs turned a shade darker. "Your eyes..." he ran his thumbs along under my eyes.

"What?" I asked, slightly distracted by his expression.

"Black... They're black." he whispered in disbelief, unable to take his gaze off of me.

"Black?" I muttered completely taken aback by what he just said. "My eyes changed color?" I asked confused. "How is it possible?"

"You're changing." Edward shrugged a tiny bit, still staring at me mesmerized. "Vampires eyes change color. You know that."

"Yes, I know." I nodded slowly.

"I have to tell you, love, that it's incredibly sexy." he grinned, leaning closer. His cool breath fanned into my face and I closed my eyes, moaning quietly.

"No." Edward said, tilting my chin tenderly. "Don't hide them from me." His voice was calm, composed but I could hear a hint of deep longing in it.

I obeyed his pleading instantly, unable to deny him anything. Our gaze locked again and my breath caught in my throat.

"You're so beautiful." he whispered, brushing his fingertips along my cheekbones lovingly. "I'm absolutely in love with your chocolate pools, and to tell the truth, I'm terrified of losing them. But now, seeing your eyes shining onyx because of the intensity of your desire for me... God, Bella... there are no words for it. "

"Edward..." I whimpered, clenching his lower arms tightly, trying to pull him closer to me, with not much success.

"I just hope that our baby inherited the color of your eyes, so I'll never have to really say goodbye to them." he rested his hands ever so softly on my belly and we both felt our baby kicking, greeting him eagerly as always - the special bond they already shared never ceased to amaze me. My eyes filled with tears at the tenderness and love in his gaze. "I can so imagine a tiny ball of energy with your beautiful brown eyes."

"Really?" I asked, watching his long fingers caressing our child so, so carefully and with so much love.

He nodded, smiling. "Really. And with your silky hair and soft, pale skin, radiating with your warmth."

I looked up at him and couldn't help laughing at him. "And what has the poor kid inherited from you then, Edward?"

He chuckled softly. "My charm and brilliant mind, of course." he teased, then became serious. "It doesn't matter if we have a son or a daughter and how he or she will look like, our child will be perfect anyway."

I sighed, pressing my face into his stony chest. "It sounds so incredible. Our child." He tangled one of his hands into my hair, holding me to him and snaked the other under my shirt, stroking my bare skin. In that moment I could only concentrate on the tenderness of his caresses as he touched our tiny miracle through my skin. My sudden desire and need for him forgotten momentarily.

"It does." he breathed.

"I love you so much, Edward." I choked, tears prickled my eyes, that I tried to blink back furiously.

"I love you more." he whispered.

There was soft knock on the door, then. It was in that moment I just realized what Edward was doing. He was distracting me from the sudden, intense lust I felt with the only thing that could hold my attention in this state, our little Renesmee or Anthony.

Edward leaned back, just enough to be able to look into my eyes. He flashed me a brilliant smile, that made my heart skip a beat.

"Bella, Edward?" a gentle voice from the other side of the room broke our little bubble. "Sorry to interrupt, but it started to rain outside and everyone is in the living room now. We're only waiting for you two. Jessica wants to play something."

"We'll be out in a minute. Thanks Angela." Edward answered, his eyes never left mine.

"Edward Cullen, you're such a cheater." I mumbled, blushing furiously, embarrassed by my previous behavior.

He chuckled quietly, rubbing my cheek with the pad of his thumb. "Are you mad at me?"

I sighed. "Can I ever?"

"Nope." he grinned and leaned to press his cool lips to mine in a soft, loving kiss. "I promise you, love, that I'll make it up to you once we're home finally." he brushed his fingertips along my bare arms tenderly. I shivered. Though my previous wild emotions calmed and I was completely in control myself, they didn't disappear, far from it.

"God, this is so embarrassing. Stupid vampire emotions." I bit my lip nervously. Why couldn't I control myself like him?

He gently smoothed my hair out of my face, looking down at me with such love in his sparkling, topaz eyes. "You have absolutely no reason to be ashamed of, love. There's nothing sinful in feeling an intense desire for your husband and wanting to make love to him." he lifted me off the counter carefully, then intertwined our fingers, while I blushed a deeper shade of red. "By the way, you're pregnant and are changing. I think it's quite normal to feel this way and you handle all these crazy emotions amazingly."

"Thanks." I mumbled, still embarrassed.

"Now, come on. They're waiting for us." he smiled, unlocked the door and led me out into the living room.

They were all sitting in a loose circle in the middle of the room, talking and laughing. As we stepped into the room Angela looked up at us and smiled kindly. Edward led me to the empty spot next to her and helped me sit down on one of the pillows on the floor before he joined me too.

"No wonder she got knocked up, after all. They can't even manage a few hours without having sex. Even on the birthday party of their friend they rather sneak out into the bathroom for a quicky." Lauren leaned closer to Jessica and whispered into her ear bitterly. Jessica snickered quietly, nodding her head in agreement. Would I have been still only a normal human, I would have missed their small exchange. But now I heard every word.

I looked up at Edward, feeling slightly hurt by their exchange. He smiled down at me reassuringly - though I saw anger flashing in his eyes -, and shifted his body closer to mine. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me between his legs and rested his hands on my belly shielding me and our child from them. He pressed a soft lingering kiss on my temple and somehow I knew exactly what he was doing. He wasn't only trying to protect us from Lauren's and Jessica's glares and malice, he was marking us as his, he was marking his territory. As he'd done it a thousand times before, only I hadn't really understood the meaning behind his small gestures back then. I looked up at him again and he gave me a tiny shrug, a small smile played on his flawless lips. A normal human probably would find him insanely possessive and freak out. Yet, to me it all felt somehow right. I was his. Just like he was mine. And now we shared a tiny being as well.

"Is everything alright?" Angela asked quietly, with a hint of worry in her tone, pulling me back from my thoughts.

"Yes, thanks." I smiled at her, flushing slightly. "Just a little nausea. I don't know why they call it morning sickness."

She chuckled, nodding.

"You still have that?" Lauren cocked one eyebrow, smirking. "I thought you already passed that period, seeing how fat you already are."

The whole room froze. My eyes widened and Edward's arms tightened around me. I felt his chest rumbling against my body as he tried to stifle his furious growl.

"I think it's completely normal. My mom got sick sometimes even after her first trimester when she was pregnant with the twins." Angela said quickly, smiling at me apologetically.

"Okay, can we start now?" Mike asked impatiently, clearly feeling really uncomfortable with the current subject.

"Of course." Jessica clapped eagerly, shooting one last glare into my direction. "So... how about some 'Truth or dare'?" her eyes widened with excitement and maybe a hint of mischief.

I shifted uncomfortably in Edward's arms while he stayed calm. My stomach clenched at the idea of playing this game, especially with these people. Lauren and Jessica clearly knew no bounds, not even Edward's presence held them back, which was really reckless. I bit my lip and looked around nervously, hoping that the others were feeling similarly about this game.

I was wrong. So very wrong.

Eric, Tyler, Mike and Lauren had the same expression on their face. They all were eager and excited beyond belief to start this game. I couldn't imagine why. Mike even bounced in his seat a little, much like Alice did every time she got excited about something. Angela and Ben, on the other hand, seemed just as reluctant about this like me. I looked up at Edward, he had his eyes closed tightly, his beautiful face was full of irritation and disgust as he probably was listening to someone's thoughts. I gulped and his eyes popped open, his stiff features relaxed immediately as our gaze locked and he smiled down at me.

"Don't be afraid." he leaned to whisper into my ear, his fingertips danced along my cheekbone, just a feather-like touch. "Just do as I say." He kissed my temple softly before pulled away.

I nodded, relaxing in his protective embrace. Whatever they were planning, he would see it in their thoughts. His gift could be truly a blessing sometimes.

"Let's start already." Mike said, grinning widely. "Who picks first?"

"Angela." Jessica answered. "It's her birthday after all."

"Okay." Angela sighed, then blushed slightly as every eye in the room flashed toward her, waiting. "Hmm... Tyler. So... truth or dare?"

Tyler thought for a second. "Truth." he said finally.

"Hmm... What was the most embarrassing thing you've ever done?" she asked.

Tyler shifted uncomfortably, his wide grin subsided. His obvious excitement for this game disappeared. His eyes flickered toward Edward and me, his expression was like he'd just bit into a very sour lemon. Edward pressed his face into my hair, and I felt him shaking against me with silent laughter.

"You have to tell the truth." Mike reminded Tyler, patting his back, grinning widely.

"Fine." Tyler huffed, then took a deep breath before began. "Last year I went to Bella's house to pick her up for prom." he ducked his head embarrassed, avoiding to look at any of us, and continued. "Chief Swan was quite surprised to see me at his doorstep dressed up and everything..., waiting for his daughter, who had already left then with her date, who was obviously not me..." his voice became more and more quieter and weaker with every word, and I watched as his blood rushed under his skin into his cheeks. "It was really embarrassing, but then... he called Cullen..." he nodded toward Edward, still avoiding to make eye contact with anybody. "...which only made the whole situation even worse."

When he finished his story, his whole face was bright red. I couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for him, though what had happened back then was entirely his fault. He could only blame his own stupidity to get into such an embarrassing situation. After all, how he could've been so delusional, I still couldn't imagine. How he could've thought, even then, that I would go out on a date with him, especially to prom, when I'd been Edward's girlfriend for a long while. It'd been quite obvious to the whole town..., well obviously not for him.

"I can't believe you did that." Mike choked out, holding his stomach while he laughed uncontrollably, along with Jessica and Eric. Angela and Ben snickered too, though they weren't so uproarious than those three.

Lauren, on the other hand, seemed to be furious, her whole face flushed with anger as she glared at poor Tyler. He was obviously in big trouble. I didn't know they were together. Though maybe not, only she had her eyes on him, still. Then her fishy eyes found mine and filled with pure hatred. It radiated off of every fiber of her body in huge waves. There was no question of me looking away. I didn't want her to think that she won, I wouldn't give her that pleasure. Not after what she'd done in the mall in Seattle. Though to tell the truth, I still didn't really understand why she hated me so passionately. I'd never done anything to her that would've given her any reason to feel this way.

Edward hissed angrily then, not loud enough for anybody around us to hear. He snaked one of his hands under my shirt, trying to soothe our baby, who was moving around quite actively. There was no need for him or her to use its shield.

"Okay, it's my turn now." Tyler straightened and looked around quickly.

Lauren huffed and looked away from me finally, turning back toward him again.

"Mike." he smirked, trying to avoid Lauren's gaze as best as he could, though it couldn't be an easy thing to do. "Truth or dare?"

"I say dare." Mike answered smugly and shot a quick glance at me. "I'm not afraid."

Tyler thought for a moment, before an evil smile spread across his face. "I dare you to call your mom and tell her that you proposed to Jessica a few weeks ago."

"What!" Mike shouted. His eyes widened and he paled. Less than a second he became almost as pale as Edward.

But to my surprise he was not the only one. Jessica's frightened expression mirrored his own.

Was this true then? Had he really proposed to her? What was going on between the two of them? They weren't even in love with each other, I was pretty sure of that. So why did they want to get married?

"You told him?" Jessica glared at Mike, her eyes wide with disbelief and anger. He shot her an apologetic look.

"You two are really engaged?" Ben asked surprised, looking back and forth between the two of them, eyes wide also. There was nothing but pure confusion and curiosity in his voice.

"Have you lied to me about the result of that pregnancy test?" Lauren asked sharply, glaring down at Jessica. She stared back at her horrified. "You said it was negative. Was it a lie? Did he knocked you up, after all?"

"What is she talking about?" Mike asked, turning toward Jessica as well.

She let out a frustrated sigh and groaned, shooting a glare at Lauren. "It's nothing, really. I thought I might be... pregnant." she said the word 'pregnant' with disgust and shuddered. "But it was a false alarm, thank God."

"Oh." Mike said. "It's okay, then." he shrugged, visibly relaxing.

I watched their exchange in disbelief, wrapping my arms around my belly instinctively, resting my hands on Edward's there. Maybe I was too sensitive because of my pregnancy hormones, but their behavior really upset me. How could they think and talk about these things this way?

"Then why the hell did he propose to you?" Lauren burst out again. "You're not even together anymore. Or am I missing something?" she raised one perfect eyebrow.

"Well, we are now. It was a sudden decision." Jessica shrugged, embarrassed. She clearly didn't want anybody to find out about this, at least not yet. "We were a little drunk then, but later we decided why not to give it a try. It might be fun."

I shook my head, hoping to clear it. I couldn't believe what they were just saying. How could they be so shallow and immature? Marriage was not a funny game to play, it was a huge, serious thing, a sacred bond between two people in love. Once I'd been terrified of matrimony, but being married to Edward was a whole different thing. I treasured every single moment of our marriage. My earlier fears felt so ridiculous now.

Edward purred into my ear softly in response to my thoughts, kissing the shell of my ear.

Angela's eyes flickered to mine and I saw the exact same questions and disbelief in them that filled my mind as well.

"Mike, you still have a phone call to make." Edward reminded him in a very sweet and velvety voice, causing the blood to rush out of his face again. "Or would you rather back out of your dare?" he added, smiling softly. The pleasure to be able to torture Mike was evident in his voice and I couldn't help chuckling at him.

"No, I'm not backing out." Mike gulped nervously. "Let's get over with this."

Ben reached the phone toward him, maybe a bit too eagerly, and he took it with shaky hands, then started to dial.

"Put it on speaker." Tyler grinned. Mike grimaced but obeyed.

"Hello?" a sleepy voice answered a few seconds later. It was really getting late.

"Hey, mom. It's me." Mike said in a weak voice.

"Mike? Do you have any idea how late it is?" she yawned. "Is something wrong, honey?"

Mike blushed as Lauren, Eric and Tyler snickered quietly.

"No, nothing's wrong, actually." he stuttered. "I'd just like to tell you something."

"Right now?"

"Yeah, right now." Mike nodded. "Listen mom, don't freak out, please, okay? You know how Jess and I are..."

"Jess?" she asked confused. "You mean Jessica Stanley?"

"Yeah, her... Well, I... I mean she and I... so we're getting married." he rattled out, blushing furiously. He looked like he'd be sick in any moment. Jessica buried her head into her hands, groaning.

"What?" Mrs. Newton inhaled sharply, all the sleepiness gone from her voice.

Tyler and Eric laughed quietly as Mike paled again. I was really surprised that he hadn't fainted or puked yet. I doubted the sudden, intense rush of blood in and out of his face was healthy.

"What do you mean you're getting married, Michael Newton?" she shouted angrily. "You're only nineteen, you can't marry her or anybody else, for that matter. Are you insane?"

"Mom..." Mike whispered weakly.

"I won't discuss this any further now. I'm calling Mrs. Stanley, right now." she interrupted him. She was really pissed. "We'll talk about this tomorrow morning. All of us together."

With that she hung up the phone.

There was a few moments of silence in the room. Every eye flickered between Jessica's and Mike's frozen forms.

"That went smoothly, didn't it?" Tyler asked finally, grinning widely. Jessica shot him a death glare, that shut him up instantly.

"Great... just great." she mumbled.

I felt Edward shake with silent laughter. His sweet breath tickled my neck. "I'm really grateful right now for the way your mother's taken the new of our engagement. It could have been worse. So much worse." he breathed against my skin.

"I couldn't help feeling sorry for them." I sighed quietly.

"There's no need to feel sorry, love. Believe me." he said in a hushed tone. "They deserve this trouble. Both of them."

I bit my lip, then nodded finally.

"If you came out of your shock, it's your turn, Mike." Tyler snickered, patting his still motionless friend's back teasingly.

Mike blinked, then looked around the room embarrassed. Then he shook his head, as if trying to clear it, and took a deep breath. "So, it's my turn. Okay. Hmm..." he thought for moment, still looking around. Then all of a sudden his baby blue eyes locked on mine and wide grin spread across his round face.

It was a little weird how quickly he seemed to get over what had just happened a few minutes ago and the fact that how big trouble he and Jessica both were, thanks to this stupid game.

"Bella, truth or dare?" he smirked, eying me eagerly.

I hesitated and shifted uncomfortably under his intense gaze. Weren't his fiancée sitting right beside him? Edward squeezed my hand softly, while his other one stroked my belly in a slow, soothing rhythm. I saw him roll his eyes, probably because of something Mike's was thinking.

"Truth." he murmured so low, that nobody but me had a chance to hear it.

"Truth." I echoed his words loudly.

Mike frowned at my answer, obviously disappointed in my choice, but quickly composed his expression. Suddenly I felt Edward stiffen against me, before his arms locked around our baby even more protectively, as if he was trying to shield our precious miracle from whatever thought just crossed Mike's mind. He obviously hadn't thought of this option before.

"Why did you keep that child instead of just having an... you know?" Mike asked.

I gasped, staring at him in disbelief. How could he ask something like this? How could he even say it out loud? I felt anger start to boil under my skin.

"Mike!" Angela looked at him horrified. Ben put his hands on her shoulders reassuringly, slightly rubbing them. His expression was shocked.

Before anybody else could interrupt him Mike continued quickly. "I mean, haven't you even considered this option? Because, lets face the truth, being a teenage mother is nothing but trouble. It doesn't bother you that you're doing the same mistake as your parents? Getting married and having a baby as a teenager."

"Are you trying to suggest that I'm a mistake." I narrowed my eyes at him angrily.

Edward snapped his teeth and inhaled sharply.

"No, of course not." Mike shook his head, slightly frightened. Then he took a deep breath. "It1s just that this whole thing completely ruins your life, because who knows how long Cullen will stick around this time? Didn't you have dreams and plans for your future?" he shrugged casually and flashed me a wide smile, which quickly disappeared as his eyes met Edward's furious ones.

From the corner of my eyes I saw Lauren smirking, waiting for my answer. Her smug little smile only fueled my fury. I was livid and saw red.

"It's a good question." she leaned to whisper into Jessica's ears. "I wonder why they decided to keep that little brat. I wouldn't have ruined my future like that."

Edward's arms tightened around me, keeping me from lunging at her throat. I wanted to rip her into pieces.

"Shh. Calm down, love. You need to calm down." he breathed against my skin, pressing his lips to my temple softly.

I could hear the restrain in his velvety voice, he was angry too, but more than that he was worried about me and about the wild emotions that rippled through my whole body. I trembled in his arms lightly. I knew if it weren't for us, he would've already ripped Mike's throat out. But his first priority was me and our baby.

I took a deep breath and turned back toward Mike.

"Dreams and plans?" I asked, fuming, before Edward had a chance to interpose. I knew he would answer for me gladly. "You worry about my dreams and plans for the future?" I laughed dryly, glaring into his baby blue eyes. He flinched at my tone, confusion and a hint of fear crossed his face. "Yeah, I had dreams and plans for my future. Most of them have already come true. I'm with Edward, my first and only love, and I will be with him for the rest of my life. And though I lost my father, I still have the most loving family, anyone ever could ask for.

"And you know what? There was something that I've never dreamed of having, that I've never even wanted to have, ever in my whole life. That's why it was so easy to give it up when I learnt Edward's secret. I never minded that he can't give me a child..."

The others' eyes widened at this and they all stared at Edward in disbelief. Angela was the only one, who remained calm, because she already knew this.

Edward sighed and pressed his forehead to my temple softly. For a brief moment I felt a small sting of guilt because I shared something so private about him with these people. I knew he didn't mind Angela knowing it, he'd always liked her gentle, selfless nature and mind, and she would never gossip about us. But the others were different.

"It's okay, love. It doesn't matter." he breathed against my skin quietly, rubbing my arm gently. I smiled up at him, before turned back toward Mike and continued.

"I never minded that we could never have a family of our own, but I know that it always pained him. He tried to protect me from that future because he wanted me to have everything, especially a child of my own.

"So when we found out that this baby was growing inside me - a part of me and more importantly a part of him -, it was one of the happiest moment of my life, of our life together. This beautiful miracle is not trouble or something to be ashamed of, and never, even for a mere, small part of a second did we think that we should kill it." I shuddered at the thought and pulled Edward's arm tighter around our baby, feeling an almost overpowering need to protect our tiny creation. "Both of us and even our whole family love this child already so dearly. Maybe it's hard for you" - my eyes flickered to Lauren and Jessica for a brief moment - "to understand but it's the most natural thing for us. I hope this answers your question." I glared at Mike again, long and hard. His completely insensitive question and Lauren's little comment made me really upset, though Edward's loving presence helped to ease some of my tension, despite the fact that he was just as angry with Mike and especially with Lauren, if not more, as me.

Mike opened his mouth, trying to say something, but no sound came out of his mouth. Jessica, Lauren and Tyler seemed to be just as taken aback by my little speech as him, while on Eric's face there was nothing but pure curiosity and awe as he stared down at my growing belly. His eyes followed the slow movements of Edward's hand under my shirt, caressing our precious baby lovingly. I wondered what might be in his mind.

"If I were you, Newton, I wouldn't push this any further. Just be happy that it was Bella who answered your incredibly rude question and not me. You should mind your own business and erase my wife finally from that shallow mind of yours." Edward said darkly.

Mike gulped loudly and nodded weakly, his whole body began to tremble under Edward's furious, penetrating gaze and he shifted further away from us. I thought his instincts told him not to piss the vampire further and it was very clever of him, as well as from Lauren and Jessica. They didn't dare to open their mouth either, though under the surface, covered by their momentary fears, I could see their eagerness to find out more details about Edward's and my relationship, that had always been and still was such a mystery to them.

I'd never liked this game, it was so childish and immature, and I'd never understood why was it so amusing to humiliate your friends. Maybe sometimes it really could be funny, you could laugh some of the dares and truths, but most of the time this game was just horrible. And obviously my so-called friends liked to play it pretty dirty, not caring about who they hurt or upset in the process, and definitely not respecting anything or anybody besides themselves. But they shouldn't have started this game with us, and definitely shouldn't have insulted our unborn child, because this game was just the perfect opportunity for some revenge, that I knew Edward and his siblings had been planning for a few days. It was the perfect opportunity to teach them some lessons to never mess up with a Cullen, as Rosalie had said.

I'd never really wanted them to do anything about that slap in the mall. I'd only wanted to forget that it'd ever happened. But I hadn't done anything to stop them either, just like Esme and Carlisle. We'd just stepped aside, giving a silent permission for the others to do as they pleased.

But now Mike, Lauren and Jessica went too far. My blood boiled under my skin, I was beyond furious. I wanted them to pay for every careless, hurting word that had ever fallen from their lips or even crossed their mind, for every tiny, scornful smile and for their invidious envy.

Edward looked down at me and cocked one eyebrow, his eyes wide with shock. Then slowly an evil smile spread across his face. He obviously liked the train of my thoughts – I just gave him a silent permission to get his revenge right here and now, after all -, and I knew that with all the things he'd ever seen and heard in their mind, he'd be able to find the perfect way to torture them, and he would do it with pleasure.

"Maybe we should play something else." Angela said quickly, smiling up at me kindly, trying to ease the tension Mike's thoughtless question had generated.

"No, it's okay." I smiled back at her reassuringly. "And I think it's my turn now, anyway."

She looked at me for a brief moment, then nodded hesitantly. Ben nodded to me too, encouragingly, just a tiny movement, before he pecked her cheek, trying to soothe her worries.

I thought for a minute, considering my options.

"Leave them for me." Edward said in a hushed tone. I looked up at him and he nodded, smiling mischievously.

"Hmm... Ben, truth or dare?" I asked finally.


A/N: Sorry for the long waiting. I hope it was worth it. :) Thanks for your so many reviews and love. And I try to hurry up with the next chapter.