Edward waited for me to wake up before he left. Thank goodness it was Saturday and I didn't have to deal with school. I was equally dreading and anticipating this talk with my dad. Edward kissed me good morning and we walked down the stairs together. Since my dad was here, he was relieved of having to eat with me. So naturally, I was surprised when he set a plate for himself as well.

"Your dad wants to see what it looks like for me to throw up." He answered my unspoken question. He helped me make bacon and eggs for the three of us and my dad joined us as we took our seats. Edward constantly surprised my dad with his manners; for instance, holding my chair for me to sit or holding doors open for me.

"Good morning, Edward, Bella." Edward was smug that my dad said his name first.

"Good morning." We said back to him. Charlie eyed the third plate.

"I know you've been curious, so I thought I would show you what it's like for me."

"You're right I have been curious." The three of us sat down and Edward ate in silence, not wanting to scare Charlie. I could see he was using all of his efforts not to grimace at the taste of the food. He slipped once or twice though.

"Does it really taste that bad to you?" Charlie asked.

"Edward said it would be like you and me eating dirt. I've actually done it, so I know what he means." I spoke before Edward could answer.

"When and why did you eat dirt?" He asked me.

"It was a dare in fifth grade." I shrugged like it was no big deal. Charlie looked proud that I hadn't backed down from the dare. Though considering who I'm getting married to, it's not really surprising that I accept dares like that. The three of us ate and I was amused to see Charlie discreetly watching Edward eat. It was just after I finished cleaning up the dishes that it was time to run to the bathroom. I hated having an audience when I was throwing up, but as always, Edward rubbed my back and held my hair. I left the room and Charlie was given a visual of Edward throwing up. I was proud that he was able to keep his breakfast down. I brushed my teeth and walked Edward to the door. He kissed me and walked into the woods. My dad was right behind me, handing me my jacket.

"Let's go, kid." We went in my truck to Port Angeles. When we got there, we walked along the shore line.

"So, tell me about the talk with the Cullens last night."

"I told them what I was thinking about what to do with the baby and the consequences of each decision. The whole family made me feel so loved and accepted that I started crying. Afterward, I went for a walk with Emmet, who put a few more things in perspective. He really got through to me and I truly understand what it means to be mated. In all the talks I've had about it, no one spoke so personally about it. It had always been referred to in the third person. He told me as much as he loves me and the rest of the Cullens, he would ditch us in a second if it meant keeping Rosalie safe. The bond between mates is that strong. Edward and I talked about it as well and I realized that I have already established that deep of a bond with him, though I wasn't conscious of it. They think that my feeling things so deeply even though I'm still a human means I will be a pretty powerful vampire. They think that I will have a gift and am already using it, since no one seems to be able to penetrate my mind. Edward said if I chose to keep the baby, he would gladly raise it as his own. He wants me to be happy above all else. I told him I was leaning toward giving Rosalie her dream of motherhood, and I know he was sad about it. He convinced me that my decision was the right one because as a newborn and a newlywed, I will have different priorities and worrying about a baby shouldn't be one of them. Rosalie and Emmet will get the baby."

"Hmm, that's quite a discussion. I admire you kid. You've been handed a raw deal, but you are handling it with more maturity than even I did when your mother told me about you. I'm proud of you, Bella."

"Thank you. I've been thinking a lot about you too."

"Oh?"

"I've been wondering what is going on in your mind. What are you thinking in regards to the Cullens and their way of life; would you want to be one of them?"

"I have given that a lot of thought. I have reasons to say yes and reasons to say no. Obviously, if I say yes, I get to be with you, which is important to me, but on the other hand, I will have to leave behind everyone else in my life. We will have to fake our deaths, won't we?"

"Yes, the Cullen's lawyer will help to draw up papers if you want to keep the house or let mom have everything. We will have to leave town for a long time. It's been seventy years since the Cullen's were last here. They have a lot of fake id's with each of their human last names. We can add Swan to the mix. I want you to know that I support any decision you make."

"Thank you. I'm glad you found Edward." I smiled.

"Did I tell you that the day I met him, he wanted to kill me because I smelled so good to him?"

"No."

"He later told me that I am like his own personal brand of heroin. He is the strong one to be able to be so close to me and resist temptation. Have they told you what is involved with the changing process?"

"Not really."

"I've been told it's seventy-two hours of the worst pain imaginable. It's like your burning alive from the inside. I remember the burn from when James bit me."

"Wow."

"Yeah. Also, the Cullen's have 'cousins' coming to town in a couple of weeks. They are vegetarians as well in case you want to meet them. There are five of them. I'm not looking forward to it."

"Why not?"

"One of them has been trying to mate with Edward for years. I've been told that they want to meet me. I'm not sure how she feels that he has chosen a human as his mate. She and her sisters are succubi; they like to take pleasure in men; human and vampire alike. She doesn't like that Edward constantly refuses her. It seems that he's the only one to resist her. As far as I know, none of the three sisters has found a mate yet and they've been around for centuries."

"That is something to consider. I can't imagine how lonely it has been for Edward until he met you. I don't think that I would want to do it if I had to spend eternity alone. I'd have you and the Cullen's plus my grandbaby to watch grow up too."

"The baby will have to be turned as well when he or she comes of age."

"I'm thinking that I will want to do it. I don't know how to say good bye to my friends and Renee."

"You can't tell Billy. The Quilettes have a treaty with the Cullens that will start a war if the Cullens bite a human. We think that we have found a way around that though."

"Oh, care to share?"

"Not here. Knowing my luck, if I say it here, someone from the tribe will hear it and demand an amendment to the treaty. If you do it, you'd also have to decide who you'd want to do it. Carlisle has changed Edward, Esme, Rosalie and Emmet. Edward is going to change me." I was speaking quietly since we were out in public. It was actually pretty nice to be so close and open with my dad. I liked talking to him and I was unaware of the time until my stomach growled. My dad checked his watch.

"We've been walking for hours. It's almost one."

"Wow."

"Let's get some grub and maybe catch a movie?"

"Sure." We headed back and went to a deli along the coast near my truck. After that we went to see a comedy at the theater. I was surprised that I managed to keep my lunch down, but didn't let it get my hopes up. I can see why my mom fell for him. When my dad let loose and smiled, he was quite attractive. I saw more than one woman check him out, but I didn't tell him. We went home and I took a nap on the couch before calling Edward.

Before I knew it, two weeks had gone by. It was time for my four week check up and to my dismay, the Denali's visit. My dad had decided to meet them and Alice promised me that no one would try to seduce him. I felt like she was keeping something from me though. I had decided not to tell anyone my decision about the baby except Edward and my dad. Alice of course knew, but was keeping it a secret. She knew when I wanted to reveal it and promised me not to spoil it. She was the only one to know that little secret and I wanted it kept that way. My dad was getting increasingly used to riding on the back of one of the Cullen's whenever we went to their house. Today, it was Alice. She was showing him that she was just as strong as the men in the family. It also helped that Charlie liked her best. Edward walked me into Carlisle's office for my 'appointment'. I wanted to share this with only him because he was eating human food for me, he deserved to be a part of the pregnancy.

"How are you feeling, Bella?"

"Ok, I'm still tired and my throwing up is reduced to breakfast only, which I'm glad for."

"Me too." Edward murmured happily because it meant that he could stop eating lunch with me and Alice could stop skipping it. I was weighed and provided a urine sample so Carlisle could keep an eye on my glucose levels; not that he needed it, they could all smell it when my blood sugar was too high or too low. I lied on the table with a sheet covering the lower half of my body. I was humiliated that my future father-in-law was about to check my vaginal injuries in the presence of my fiancée. I covered my face with my free hand and warned Edward not to look through Carlisle's eyes. It was unfortunate for him that I knew when he was lying; yet another reason behind the theory of my vampirism transformation. He often asked me how I knew when he was lying, but I refused to tell him. I had to have some advantage over him, didn't I?

"The healing is coming along nicely; it's almost impossible to tell that anything had happened."

"I'm glad; it was very sore for a while." He covered me again and this time lowered the top half of the sheet slightly to expose my stomach. He palpitated it with his hands and then bought over the ultrasound machine. He confirmed that the baby, and only one baby, was doing well. It looked like a blob to me so I took his word for it. Edward was mesmerized and once again wished that this was his baby. Carlisle said he would check me again in a month and to let him know if I experience any unusual symptoms. Both men left the room so I could get dressed again and I went right up to mine and Edward's room. I curled up on the bed and closed my eyes. Edward must have sensed that I wanted to be alone because he didn't follow me. I shed a few tears in silence and drifted off to sleep.

"Bella, it's time to wake up." Edward lay behind me, stroking my back from my neck to my hip.

"Huh? How long have I been up here?" I rolled over to face him.

"Almost two hours. Have you been crying?"

"A little; pregnancy thing." That wasn't the real reason I was crying, but he didn't need to know that. There was nothing he could do about it anyway.

"Alice told me that the Denali's will be here in an hour if you want to freshen up." I snuggled into his embrace. I felt his lips on my head.

"Ok, I can do that. Is she going to try to seduce you again?"

"I don't know; she may or may not. It depends on whether or not she believes that you are truly my mate. I haven't asked Alice because it doesn't change my decision in the slightest. I belong to you; only you." I smiled and hugged him tighter to me.

"I belong to you too." He tilted my chin up and kissed me. I ran my hand up the inside of his shirt because I wanted to touch his skin. He moaned into my mouth and pulled away.

"Can we save this for later?"

"No, I need to touch your skin right now. Lose the shirt." He did as I asked and I shed mine too, but kept my bra on. I craved skin to skin contact. I knew I was pushing his limits by exposing so much of my body to him and sharing all my body heat at the same time, but it felt good. My hands were far from idle and they rubbed all over his body. I wondered if deep down, I was marking Edward as mine as a warning to Tanya. I must be more in touch with my future vampire instincts than I was aware of. I pulled away to ask him this.

"Do you think this is my way of marking you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I am rubbing my scent all over your chest, head and back. Do you think that this is my human way of marking you? Perhaps as a way to warn Tanya that you are mine? Or could it be my instinct to protect my mate?"

"It's entirely possible; you do have a lot of vampire characteristics manifesting themselves in human form. This must be your way of expressing them. That must be why I haven't stopped you yet. I know that you haven't been looking forward to this visit because of Tanya's continual attempts on my virtue. That's something to talk to Eleazar about and I know Carlisle will be interested to hear it."

"Who's Eleazar?"

"He and his mate Carmen live with the sisters. His gift allows him to see the gifts of other vampires. He used to scout humans for the Volturi that had potential. He's the one to discover Felix, Jane, and Alec." I shuddered at the mention of the Volturi. I didn't like them.

"I'm quite interested to hear what he thinks of you." He pulled me out of the bed and shoved me toward the shower. I didn't feel like making a decision about clothes, so I decided to let Alice pick out my outfit for the evening.

"Edward?"

"Yes?"

"If she tries again, will you eat dinner with me?"

"Why?"

"So she can see how much you love me."

"Sure." He valiantly held back his disgust at the thought of food, but in all honesty, he should be used to it by now. It's been a month since he started eating meals with me.

A/N: Reviews are wanted and appreciated. Have a great day! Kelly