A/N for 2019-10-20: It usually takes several pairs of eyes to spot plausibility and plot holes. I am most fortunate with my beta, Eeyorefan12, who is not only eagled-eyed in this regard, but also very good at then fixing the plot and character difficulties I create. Thank you.

I'm still working on posting every two-weeks, but will shorten up the posting cycle as soon as the demands of real life permit.

~ Erin

"You have a claim to fame," Edward said, holding out his phone.

"What?" Bella looked up from her breakfast.

"Look." He lifted his chin towards the phone.

She took it, scrolling through the article from The Vancouver Sun. It was about a student who'd written an award-winning essay on micro-climates and native species—

"Chelsea!" She exclaimed.

Edward grinned and nodded.

"How do I get a claim to fame on this?" She asked a little nervously, scanning the article for mention of her name.

"You were her English teacher."

She laughed, realizing there was no reference to her in the article. "For what, like two months?"

"I'm sure you were the capstone of influence on her writing." His airy tone almost disguised his gentle teasing.

Bella shook her head, but with a smile. "Good for her."

"Yes," Edward agreed.

Then another thought slipped in behind the good ones she was having. "Why're you reading the Vancouver News?"

His smile disappeared as he glanced towards the living room, confirming that the children were playing with Esme and Carlisle, before lowering his voice to answer her. "There are some . . . developments we're keeping our eyes on."

The image of Grant's face from Victoria's photograph ran, unwelcome, across her consciousness. Her appetite disappeared, and she put her spoon down. "What kind of developments?"

Edward frowned at her barely-touched breakfast, his features softening as he brought his gaze back to her face. "The kind I really don't want you to worry or even think about."

"Too late." Her words were clipped, her tone communicating her intolerance for any kind of subterfuge. "Tell me."

"Some people have gone missing in unusual circumstances."

Her stomach sank. This was because of her. Because of them. She could feel herself giving in to self-recrimination, wondering if Edward's thoughts matched her own as he sat silently watching her from across the table. Then another horrified realization struck her. "If they're making the news—"

"It's alright," Edward said. "It doesn't appear that the Volturi have noticed."

Her breathing slowed, but only fractionally. She felt abruptly hot.

Edward was beside her suddenly, a cooling hand on her cheek. "And this is why I didn't tell you." He scooped her up, carrying her upstairs out of sight of the children.

Her body felt frozen and stiff, heart pounding. "No," she said, as they reached the door to their room, "put me down."

"I will," he assured her.

"No, now," she said, pushing at his arms.

His frown deepened, but he set her on her feet, where she wobbled for a bit before regaining her balance.

"Please lie down," he said, his voice coloured with worry.

"No. You've been keeping things from me. This is so not okay, Edward. You did this before and—"

"I can hear your blood pressure going up because of what I've just told you. Please—lie down," he asked again.

"No more hiding things," she growled. "I am not a kid—" But her vision blurred, and a wave of dizziness confused where up and down were. When they righted themselves, she was lying in their bed, feet propped up on pillows, trying to smother the urge to vomit.

She wanted to punch something she was so angry. She smashed a fist into the duvet, letting loose several colourful words. When Edward held out his phone this time, she was surprised to hear Anita's voice on the other end.

"Bella?"

"Hi," she snapped.

"Edward says you've had another high blood-pressure reading at home?"

She glared at Edward, but he nodded toward her abdomen before meeting her gaze. His expression was apologetic, but she recognized the determined set of his mouth.

Letting out a pent-up breath, Bella sighed, "Yes."

Then Anita launched into a lecture on the importance of rest, drinking plenty of fluids, and not eating anything with salt in it.

Bella snorted at this last comment. She hadn't so much as seen or tasted a speck of that particular seasoning since her last appointment. Edward had been beyond rigorous in ensuring even the barest trace of savouriness had been eliminated from all her food.

"Sure," she said, the anger waning and a weary sense of defeat replacing it as she ended the call. She handed the phone back to Edward.

He hovered, sitting uneasily on the edge of the bed.

"I know you don't want me to keep things from you, Bella—"

"I understand," she said. "I do." She looked at the slightly-rounded curve of her belly. He was trying to protect her and her baby. She just hated that it meant keeping her in the dark.

And she hated that she was acting like a brat over it. "I'm sorry," she said. "I get why you're being so . . . circumspect."

"Stress is harmful for you right now," he said gently.

"I know." She really did. "But you'll tell me if I need to know something, right?"

"Of course." His face was still creased with worry. She wondered what was going on in his head—what things he believed she didn't need to know. She felt a sudden rush of gratitude. He was doing his best, carrying burdens he thought were too heavy for her right now, and she really wished there was a way for her to to help at least a little bit. Maybe she could start by letting this current argument go.

Josh's high-pitched voice carried upstairs. "Man?"

"I think you've been requested," Bella said gently, putting her hand over his.

"Do you need anything?" Edward asked, standing up.

"My phone and some water," she said, sighing. She knew it would take a few hours for her body to calm down enough for her to be able to be out of bed again. If she read, there was a chance she'd fall asleep, which would also help.

"Sure," Edward said, starting to pull away.

"Wait," Bella said. "Just how long have you been worried and watching the news?"

Edward eyed her cautiously, his gaze raking over her form, as if he could assess what kind of impact his words would have. "We've never stopped. Not since we came back."

Since last fall. They'd been monitoring mysterious disappearances since they'd come back last fall. She tried not to let the shock of this show in her face, and nodded, watching him disappear. He returned just as quickly, putting the water and the phone down on the nightstand.

"I'm good," she told him. It was an absolute lie, but she didn't need him hovering, or Josh coming to find him and then her, when she needed to rest.

If the Cullens had been watching for so long, that meant they were being more than cautious. She thought of all the times she'd seen laptops and newspapers scattered over the Cullens' dining room table at the Vancouver home. She had never really asked what they were looking for, nor had information been volunteered, but now she realized that there had been more worrying events. It also meant that these 'developments' hadn't come to the Volturi's notice. That could be good, or it could mean that there was a higher likelihood of the Volturi discovering them soon.

She shook her head. There was no point in worrying. It would accomplish nothing but wear on her body.

She pressed a hand to her stomach. "I'm sorry, little one," she murmured. There was the tell-tale flutter inside, not yet perceptible to her hand, but the knowledge that the baby was moving made her relax a little.

For all the angry resentment she had for her pointless treatment for psychosis, she also had the benefit of the techniques the therapy had provided. When her fears had been overwhelming, her counsellors and psychiatrists had reminded her that she couldn't always control what happened around her, but that she could control what she did in response to those things. So now she practised what they'd taught her, purposefully tensing and relaxing each part of her body, knowing that she had no control over what others did, but that she did over her muscles and nerves. It helped a little, and she moved on to the deep breathing exercises.

Mildly relaxed, Bella unlocked her phone and scrolled through the weather and local news, carefully avoiding any sites that were sourced north of the border. Then she wandered into her email, noticing only one unread from yesterday. She tapped the link, not recognizing the address.

Her body tensed again, heartbeat rising. There were only two words in the email, which perched above a photo from a newspaper, showing two people reported missing. The text read: "Anytime." It was signed, "Victoria."

Momentarily panicked, she moved the e-mail to her saved items quickly and clicked her phone off.

Edward was standing beside her, frowning fiercely.

"Sorry," she said guiltily, figuring Alice had seen this and alerted him. The thought actually brought her a bit of relief. It would be out of her hands now.

"What are you reading and seeing that is making your blood pressure jump like that?" He looked accusingly at her phone.

He didn't know? "The . . . uh, news?" she supplied in a meek voice. Had she really just lied to him?

Edward closed his eyes. His face looked pained.

"Come lie down with me?" she asked. She really did want him to, just not for the reasons he suspected.

"Of course."

She rolled onto her other side and buried her face in his shirt, wanting to keep her expression private. His hands made equally private patterns over her back, and she lost herself in trying to predict the trails of his fingers as they moved and massaged lightly.

As her breathing slowed, she let her mind wander back to the email. The voice inside her head was telling her that this was not something she should or could keep hidden. Her knee-jerk response had probably just been a result of her shock, right? She wondered why Alice hadn't seen the message coming to her. Was it because nothing would change because of it? Did that mean she wasn't really in danger for now? Victoria clearly still had access to Bella's personal information and so, yes, that was something the Cullens needed to know—but Victoria's ability to track her had never really been in doubt since this all began.

Right now, Edward's ministrations were making Bella so relaxed that the shock of the message was melting away. She had to tell him, she knew she did. Still, the image of his worried expression just a few minutes before made her hesitate. It wasn't like the email had just come in . . . it had been sitting in her inbox for a while. Alice hadn't seen it. Victoria was being bold, but she had been before; the myriad dead ends they had investigated were testament to that. Most importantly, Edward deserved a few moments of respite. She could give that to him. She would tell him, she resolved, but a little later. Maybe tonight. Or even tomorrow . . .

Her phone buzzed on the nightstand.

It was Pavlovian habit to reach for it, but Edward's pointed look stopped her.

He reached in her place, glancing at the screen as he passed it to her. "Your dad."

Bella's lips tightened. It was another knee-jerk response to want to criticize him for screening the world from her, but a flutter of guilt in her chest reminded her of her own hypocrisy in that regard. He wasn't trying to be paternalistic for the sake of it, he was just . . . being paternalistic in an attempt to protect her. Just like she was trying to protect him from further worry.

She huffed out a frustrated breath.

"That's not your normal reaction to your dad," Edward observed with amusement.

"No, it's . . . I know you're acting in my best interests, I'm just—"

"Angry and frustrated at being coddled. I'm aware." There was still a hint of a smirk on his face.

It was enough to make her shake her head and laugh a little, but only a little. "It's difficult." It truly did remind her of her time in the psychiatric ward. All her freedoms kept from her. All decisions dependent on the approval of her doctors. "I don't want to be protected that way. I want to know you have confidence in your ability to support me, not manage me. Not be paternalistic."

His smile blossomed, and he kissed her lightly on her lips. "I think it's safe to say I have no interest in being paternalistic towards you, but perhaps your father does." He inclined his head towards the phone.

"He wants to visit today," Bella said, reading the text. It'd been a few days since the barbeque, and Charlie was asking if he could drop by to see her and the kids.

"Hmm," Edward said, nuzzling her neck.

"It would be nice," she murmured, enjoying the sensation. It was very pleasantly distracting, although perhaps not as calming as she needed right now. When his lips reached her collarbone she breathed out, "What are you doing?"

"Not being paternalistic," he murmured, continuing to make the point. She closed her eyes and let a small moan escape. His mouth and hands were magical.

"Man?" Josh called from downstairs.

Bella heard Carlisle's voice urging her son away from the stairwell.

She and Edward both sighed as he reluctantly stopped his tantalizing exploration and sat up. Josh would not be distracted for long. She texted Charlie back, telling him it would be great to see him.

She needed to tell him about the engagement.

"Whatever it is you're thinking about, stop thinking about it," Edward warned her.

"I need to tell him," Bella said, glancing at her ring. She'd taken it off at Charlie's after Edward had proposed, deciding that announcing their engagement in front of Seth might be awkward. She still wondered how she would share the news with Charlie.

"We need to tell him," Edward said, interrupting her thinking.

She went to sit up, and he put a hand on her shoulder, warning her to stay prone. She reluctantly put her head back on the pillow.

"You still don't want to," Edward said softly.

No, she didn't want to tell her Dad about their engagement. But being able to worry about it was a nice distraction from other things.

"I . . . no," she finally said. "I don't think he's going to take it well, but if he found out we hadn't told him, it would be really hurtful. I know he's going to have a hard time hearing it, but he will come around. I just—"

"Everything will be fine, Bella."

"You can't possibly know that—" Then she stopped to consider that he possibly could. "Wait, has Alice—?"

"No, I simply have faith in your father. He loves you, even if he still holds a grudge against me. He knows you love me, and he also knows that I'll take care of you. He's impressed that I got you to take time off work."

"He thinks you got me to take time off work?" The pitch of her voice communicated the affront she felt.

"If I could, I would correct that unspoken assumption, but I think it might lift some eyebrows."

"That is so not fair." Despite her inner grumble of discontent, she knew he was right.

It was still irksome.

"But if your dad is coming, and you want to share that news, you should rest for now."

"Yes, Doctor Cullen." She levelled a dark gaze at him, but then softened her look when he leaned in to kiss her.

"You're my worst patient ever," he murmured.

The kiss ended abruptly with her irreverent laugh. "All your female patients are probably too dazzled by you to be anything but good," she groused.

"I admit nothing." he said with a wink.

By the time Charlie's car came crunching down the driveway, Bella had felt well enough to be up and about for a few hours. And by up and about, that meant she'd sat in the living room, and then outside on a lawn chair while the kids played in the pool Emmett had set up on the lawn. Emmett had proposed installing an actual full-sized, inflatable pool, but Bella had refused. Too many worries about Josh finding his way into its depths and not coming out of it alive had plagued her, despite knowing that he would never ever be left unattended.

"Just humour the pregnant lady her worries, okay?" She'd told Emmett.

He'd rolled his eyes and pointed at Edward, "Like that guy would let me do anything but."

"Damn straight," Edward had quipped, parroting Emmett's favorite phrase.

The children were just as happy with the much smaller and shallower pool that sat on the grass. Now, she deliberately avoided letting her mind wander and instead spent her time watching Edward interact with them, convinced that giving him a carefree afternoon had been the right thing to do.

The kids greeted their grandfather and Sue with wet hugs. Bella hadn't anticipated her coming along too. With her arrival, Bella was half-expecting to see Seth or Leah pop out of the back of the car.

Sue's presence was a huge statement of trust.

Or reconciliation. Maybe.

"No, no," Charlie said, watching Bella lean forward as if to stand. "You sit." He bent down and gave her a damp hug. Sue approached much more carefully, arms folded, but a friendly-enough smile on her face.

"Hi, Sue," Bella tried cautiously.

"Hi, Bella," Sue nodded back.

"What, you two don't hug anymore?" Charlie quipped, sitting in the chair by Bella.

Sue bent over her, giving Bella an awkward and very brief hug. She looked relieved when Mer called her over to the pool, and away from Edward.

"It's nice to have you here," Edward said.

Charlie waved away his offer of food and drink, and they all watched the children at play.

Then Bella cleared her throat, deciding she might as well bite the bullet and get on with it. A direct approach seemed best. "I'm glad you came. I was worried your prejudices might keep you away."

Charlie's eyebrows met his hairline. "Not pulling any punches today, are you?" Then he turned to Edward and said, "Actually, maybe I will take you up on that offer of coffee."

Edward looked to Bella first, who nodded. His hand brushed her shoulder briefly before he walked away. She'd wait for him to come back before dropping the news, but she wanted to clear the air with Charlie before then.

"I'm trying, Bella," Charlie said.

"I know. Just thought I'd give you a realistic picture of where you are in terms of moving from bitter and begrudging acceptance to actual tolerance or, heaven forbid, kindness."

Charlie snorted.

"See?"

"I'm not being bitter and begrudging." Then he scowled, catching sight of Edward returning with two cups of coffee

"Oh no, you're the picture of joyful welcome," she muttered under her breath.

"Thank you very much, Edward," Charlie said politely, taking a mug from Edward and eyeing Bella meaningfully.

Edward had taken hold of Bella's hand again, squeezing it in reassurance. She looked at him, and he lifted his eyebrows in inquiry. She took a deep breath.

"I'm also glad you came, Dad, because we have some news for you."

Charlie's hand jerked, nearly spilling his coffee.

Bella flinched internally, biting her lip. Shit. Those were the exact words she'd used to start the very same conversation with him about Matt.

She'd been pregnant then too. Of course, Charlie had looked well past that fact and expressed his genuine happiness for her and Matt, whom he'd adored from day one.

Now Charlie looked at her left hand, which was bare again. She hadn't wanted to tip him off before having this crucial conversation.

"We're engaged," Edward said, just as she'd begun to open her mouth. "We've told Mer and Josh, and we're excited to tell you too."

Charlie glared at him, grinding his teeth together. After his mouth worked at a few shapes, he said, "And how do they feel about that?"

"They're really happy, and so am I," Bella said, hoping her father could be too.

"Then I'm happy for you," Charlie said, and leaned over and gave her a gentle but genuine hug.

In a move that left her stunned, he then stood and extended a hand to Edward, "Congratulations," he said solemnly.

Edward gave him a polite, but sincere, "Thank you." He transferred the cup of coffee he'd been holding to his other hand so he could return Charlie's handshake.

Bella snapped her open jaw shut, and stared. She wasn't sure if she was more impressed by Edward's subterfuge or Charlie's apparent change of heart.

"Do you want to tell Sue, or may I?" Charlie asked her.

"Uh, why don't you?" Bella managed.

Charlie looked at her left hand a second time and much more pointedly.

With a blush, Bella pulled the ring out of her pocket. "I wanted to tell you first," she mumbled.

"It's beautiful," Charlie said gently. He looked to Edward, "It looks old."

"It was my mother's," Edward explained. "My birth mother—a family heirloom."

This seemed to command some respect from Charlie, and he nodded. "I'm sure Sue will do a much better job of oohing and awing all over it."

Charlie stood up and walked towards Sue.

Despite how unexpectedly-well telling him had gone, Bella wrestled with very real anxiety for the reaction this would produce in Sue. She watched the other woman's posture stiffen, a forced-smile making its way across her mouth.

The unnatural expression looked even more so by the time she reached Edward and Bella. She made no moves beyond her words, offering strained congratulations, and then hurrying back to Mer and Josh.

Bella looked sideways at Edward, who shrugged in a very human gesture. It was better than Sue having a heart-attack, she supposed.

"So, you picked a date?" Charlie asked.

"In the fall," Bella said. "Nothing big. Except me."

Charlie laughed.

She enjoyed hearing it.

"You seem happy," he added more softly, watching Edward slip away to tend to Josh, who was flapping his hands—the beginning of some sort of large frustration. "And Edward is good with the kids. Must be his doctor training."

Bella's throat tightened with feeling. He really was making an effort. Dipping her head forward, she let her hair screen the expression on her face.

"I will be there for you, no matter what," Charlie said, his warm hand finding hers. "Even if it means making nice with Edward."

Now she chuckled, wiping at the surprising tears that wetted her cheeks.

They slipped into safer topics of conversation, Edward, and then Sue finally joining them as the children played nearby, making not the easiest of company, but a company of people she loved.

DISCLAIMER: S. Meyer owns Twilight. No copyright infringement intended.