Disclaimer: I do not own own the Twilight series or any characters in it.

It has been four days since Charlie told me to leave. In that time, I've decorated my bedroom with the assistance of Esme and Emmett. He carried the furniture in while Esme and I discussed designs for bed covers.

I decided on the least likely to cause blindness, but still tasteful cream colored bed spread with a swirling pattern.

Now, for the bed. I wanted something tasteful and decorative as headboards go, while at the same time being adequate and logical as far as mattresses go. It took a few hours to choose a bed, but I finally settled on an Amalfi Upholstered Bed with Chianti Finish.

Emmett snorted when he spotted the blankets on my bed and I glared in response.

"Is there a problem, Emmett?" I practically growled, irritated.

"No, no problem." He snickered, a huge grin on his face. He didn't even try to hide it, the jerk.

"What?" I snapped, not in the mood for this.

"I never figured you for the type to have your cream in bed." He snickered, his golden eyes glittering with amusement.

I frowned at him for a moment, before realizing what he was implying. I blushed five shades of red. "Emmett!"

I searched for something I wasn't particularly attached to, to throw at him. A pillow was the only thing on hand at the moment, I hurled it at his head, missing it by at least half a foot. The burly vampire guffawed and was gone in a blink.

Esme sighed. "I'm sorry about that boy."

"It's not your fault Emmett is so dirty minded." I scowled at the door, even though I was unable to see the vampire in question.

"How are you feeling?"

"Alright. . . . I don't really feel any different. Am I supposed to?"

"No, sweetheart. You won't feel any difference for a while yet, if we have been graced with luck."

"Esme. . ."

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"Do you think Charlie will change his mind? About his views of a potential grandchild, I mean."

Esme's heart shaped face fell, the smile fading. "I honestly don't know, Bella. I don't know the man like you do, I couldn't begin to guess what he would or wouldn't do. Saying that, I sincerely hope he does change his mind."

My heart squeezed painfully, my hope plummeting to its grisly death. I knew it was a long shot even before I asked.

Cold arms enveloped me, surrounding me in a sense of comfort and support.

"It'll all work itself out, have faith in that, if nothing else." Her soft, musical voice and motherly tone soothing my worries for now. "Now, let's get this room done, then we can bake a great big cake. How does that sound?"

I smiled, those were the magic words. "Great."

I loved to bake, which she knew, of course. I know I'd be the only one eating the cake, but it could last me a few days.

In the end, I had a cappuccino colored bedroom. I loved my bed, and the bed spread that covered it. It felt like it was mine, which was what I was aiming for.

I straightening the comforter and glanced around my room one more time, then flipped the light switch, casting the room into darkness.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Rosalie muttered, watching Esme and I as we worked on a cake. At the moment, we were mixing ingredients and in my case, preparing the pan.

Esme paused, her hand over the large bowl of batter. "Why wouldn't it be a good idea?"

"I'm not an expert, Esme, but adding more flour may not work out well. It might make it really doughy and thick. Doesn't sound very appetizing." Rosalie commented dryly, pushing off her elbows and swaying gracefully from the room.

I watched her for a moment, jealous of her graceful movements, even when she doesn't try. "She's right, there's enough flour in the batter, all we have to do now is pour it into the pan and place it in the oven. The heat will do the rest."

"Oh." Esme washed her hands and put away the remaining ingredients.

I carefully poured the batter in the 9x11 inch cake pan and sat the dirty dishes in the sink. Then took the oven mitts Esme offered me with a smile, cautiously sliding the pan into opened oven. I breathed a sigh of relief when I managed to get the cake in without burning myself or any other injuries.

I accepted the glass of ice water Esme handed me.

"Well, that's that." I grinned, touching glasses with her in a silent toast before sipping the cool water.

"Have you thought about what you will do once you become pregnant?" She asked, setting her cup on the counter.

I startled, choking on the water. I coughed, hitting myself in the chest while my throat protested.

"Are you alright?"

"F-fine. Sorry, you just caught me off guard."

"I didn't mean for you to hurt yourself."

"I didn't, really. I'm fine, just needed a second."

"Are you sure?"

I nodded, reassuring the motherly vampire. She had asked a good question, though. What would I do? "I'm not sure. I haven't thought about it, yet. I've just been focusing on getting pregnant and settling in here. The if it's possible and how to, mainly."

"That's understandable." She replied, golden eyes warm.

"Do you have any plans for construction of baby rooms? Or are they going to stay in the same room as the parents?" I inquired, honestly curious to know the answer.

"I think that would be their decision to make." Her eyes flicked to the side, toward the living room where Jasper and Emmett were last seen playing video games. Call of Duty, I think, maybe something else that has shooting and stuff. They all looked the same to me, it had fighting in it and that's all I really knew about it.

"Will it hurt?" I whispered. I knew that she was the only one who could tell me if birth would hurt. She had gone through the process before and she was someone I trusted.

"To be honest, I don't remember the birth itself very much." Her eyes grew distant, like she was gazing into the past. A memory of what had been. "I remember the first time I heard him cry, the weight of him in my arms and his smell."

I listened, her voice capturing me. There was a love there, that I had heard when my mother spoke to me. It was present when Esme spoke to or about the vampires that resided here. Her family.

My family.

I walked to the doorway, peeking into the living room and just took a moment to look at them. They had gathered in the room, engaged with each other in various activities, but still connected to each other. I smiled softly, they were mine now, too.

I sat in the cab of my truck, hand hovering over the keys hanging limply in the ignition. Spending quality family time with my immortal family had got me thinking of my mortal family, more specifically my father and how things turned sour the last time we spoke. I was planning on heading to Charlie's to try to talk to him, but I froze before I even started the truck. I was still parked in the garage, the front sliding door opened so I could drive through.

I couldn't do this.

I yanked the keys from the ignition and scrambled out of the cab, stepping back a few paces for good measure. I took a deep breath and pressed my hands against my forehead, the gesture helped me focus. Okay, okay, okay. Breathe, Swan, you're alright. I pressed harder, more harshly, holding the position for a moment then dropped my hands to my sides.

I groaned, placing my keys on the hook Emmett drilled for me after I moved in.

I couldn't get into the house fast enough, I needed to distract myself.

Emmett barreled into the mud room where I was practically freaking out. I had begun to pace and my hands were twisted up in my hair, occasionally pulling the roots painfully.

"Hey, Belly bean! What ya doing?" He boomed, bounding toward me with his trademark big grin.

"I couldn't do it." I mumbled, gripping my hair tighter. I should have been able to do it. I had faced scarier things than Charlie, multiple times. So why couldn't I gather enough courage to drive to his house and speak to him? I was volunteering to carry three vampire mens' babies! If I could do that, I should be able to handle a conversation with my father.

I was a coward. I was a yellow bellied, roll over and show your every weakness, lamb in a world of ravenous lions.

"Bells?" He frowned at me, concerned.

"I can't face him, Emmett, I tried to pep talk myself and drive over. . . . Nothing. I chickened out and now I'm pacing in your mud room ranting like a nut case. I'm a big, stupid coward and I don't know why I thought I could drive over to his house." I rambled, my movements increasing as my rant continued. My breaths were coming faster, black spots dotted my vision.

"Whoa, Bells, calm down. You're alright, just breathe. In, out, and again." Emmett murmured soothingly, golden eyes warm. I matched my breathing to his, my vision clearing and my thoughts becoming less manic. He smiled at me encouragingly, until my breathing was healthy and normal again.

Pain flooded my body and soul as I remembered the words Charlie hurled at me, the look in his eyes, his face.

"He doesn't want me anymore because I want to help you." My voice wobbled and became less intelligible with tears, I choked on a sob.

His words clung to me, sticky and black like tar, spreading fast and covering all the positives, smothering them until nothing remained.

I sobbed harder, hugging myself, feeling vulnerable and small. I envisioned myself as a glass bird I saw in a shop in Phoenix once, before mom met Phil. Fragile, delicate, easily broken if the right pressure is applied.

Cold arms pulled me to a marble chest-burly biceps that wrestled bears, that could accidentally crush me if he forgot to check his strength. I felt safe in his arms.

"I got you, Bells." He whispered, resting his chin on my head. "I got you."

I don't know how long we stood there, in our bubble of hurt and comfort, but I eventually calmed myself.

"Thanks." I whispered, wiping tears from my cheeks.

He kissed my forehead and left me alone in the mud room, allowing me a moment to regain my composure. I appreciated that.

I sucked in a deep breath and blew it out. I no longer felt like I was going to have a mental breakdown, or like I was a coward.

I shook my hands out and entered the main house, heading first for the kitchen to wash my cheeks. The tears were starting to dry, the crusty sensation of dried salt uncomfortable. I downed half a glass of water, my throat a bit sore and need to replace what I lost with my crying fit.

Next, I went to the living room to relax, maybe watch television for a while. Preferably with at least one member of the family.

Esme and Rosalie were looking over magazines on the love seat. Jasper was sitting on the corner chair, reading a book that looked like it was older than Edward. A strong breeze might have ripped the weathered pages and covers apart. The book was hardback, the covers a faded tan that appeared similar to two small rectangles of sun bleached log with rough edged and slightly yellowed pages between. The title was illegible and the design nearly indistinguishable vine work.

"Anybody want to watch T. V?" I asked, waving the remote I'd picked up from the side table.

"No, thank you." Jasper answered, his accent thicker than I remembered. How long had it been since I heard him speak?

"I would like to watch something." Esme replied, setting down the magazine she'd been flipping through.

"What's our poison?" I sat on the longer couch. "Romance? Comedy? Drama?"

No one mentioned my episode in the mud room, though they almost definitely knew about it. Jasper would have felt my emotions and they more than likely heard everything. I wasn't exactly quiet and their hearing is phenomenal.

In the end, we chose a romantic comedy. It was strange, how I didn't miss being in love, being involved in something that was more than myself. Even as I watched the couple on screen, surrounded by happy mated couples, there was no ache of sadness or loneliness.

Esme sat beside me about halfway through, cold hand softly squeezing mine.

I smiled at the maternal vampire, laying my head on her shoulder for a moment. Rosalie picked Titanic next, even though we've seen it at least a thousand times. I rolled my eyes, vampires were prone to choose classics.

Esme's choice was a feel good movie that sent warmth shooting through my chest.

We watched movies until I dozed off, surrounded by my vampire family.