I don't own Twilight or its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.

Cheryl, Noles, and Gabby, thank you for pre-reading, and April, thank you for editing. Any mistakes left are my own.

CH 22 BPOV

I spent the first few days holed up in my room, only coming out for food. My emotions were all over the place. It didn't help that my morning sickness started hitting me hard, adding to my misery. In the letter he left me, he wrote that he was leaving me for my own protection, because he loved me so much. When I had fought him on it, he dropped an effing bomb about my father.

I didn't want to believe that something so horrible could be true. On the end of the third day, I was convinced he lied because he was trying to hurt me enough that I wouldn't fight him on staying here. That only pissed me off even more. I tried to call him several times, but he never answered. I didn't leave a message because I wanted to talk to him, not a stupid voice box.

A week after he left, there was a commotion downstairs. I headed out of the room warily and peered cautiously down the stairs. I grinned for the first time in days when I heard Shane's excited voice. I followed it into the living room. Rosalie, Carlisle, and Esme had arrived with him, and all of them were standing there, surrounded by luggage.

"Ms. Swan, you're here too?" Shane rushed over then hugged my legs.

"Hi, Shane. How are you?" I gave him a small squeeze.

"Good. We went on a huge plane. I got to watch a movie and eat snacks. The pilot even let me fly the plane, and guess what? I didn't crash," he said excitedly.

"I'm happy to hear it." I laughed; he certainly lightened my mood.

"Hello, dear. It's good to see you. How have you been feeling?" Esme asked cheerfully, while embracing me.

"Hi, Esme. It's nice to see you too. I've been feeling okay. Although I hope the nausea will go away soon," I told her.

"Hopefully, the baby will be kind to you on your special day." She smiled.

I had completely forgotten about the reception in my misery. "I don't think that day will happen anymore," I told her.

"Nonsense, it's only two and half weeks away, surely things will be under control by then. I know Alice is still hard at work—she called me yesterday. But if it gives the boys peace of mind to have us far away, of course we agreed to come," Esme said.

I blinked a few times as I registered her words. "You got to choose to come?"

"Well, yes." Esme seemed confused at first. Then she rubbed my arm tenderly. "I'm sure Edward means well. He just wants what's best for you and the baby."

I nodded and bit my lip, trying to stop my tears. I wasn't going to speak poorly about him to his aunt. Esme tilted her head to the side as she studied me for a moment. She gave me a sad smile.

"We can talk later," she said kindly. She turned to Shane and Rosalie. "Come with me. I'm going to show you to your rooms."

I was left alone with Carlisle, who was checking his phone.

He looked up at me and gave me an apologetic look. "Sorry. This was a last-minute trip, I just need to check in with the doctors covering for me. I'm only staying until they're settled then I'm going to go back on Wednesday."

"It's still nice to see you. Your family has a lovely home," I told him.

"Thank you. It's been years, since I've been here myself. So, I take it my nephew has done something to upset you?" He took a seat and gestured to the couch.

I sat down. "It's nothing you need to worry about. But…" I paused, it felt wrong to ask him.

"Go on. You can ask me anything," he encouraged.

I took a deep breath. "When he brought me here it was under the guise of a weekend away. When I woke up, he was gone. He left a note saying he loved me, and it was for my own safety. I called him and chewed him out for not letting me have a say and I was going home. He told me that his family killed my father. And a good cop was a dead cop."

I paused when I saw Carlisle wince. He closed his eyes and shook his head. His reaction wasn't what I'd hoped for.

"It's a lie, right? He said it to hurt me and push me away, right?" I pleaded.

"I don't know much about that life. I'm kept in the dark, and when I do help out it is for medical reasons. But I do know my nephew, maybe even better than himself. He has been struggling with his feelings for you. You're the first person he has really cared about, and I know it scares him to have you even in the littlest amount of danger. In fact, that first night we met you, he read me the riot act for letting you go to the bathroom by yourself." He chuckled dryly.

"I'd forgotten about that. So, you think he lied?" I prompted.

"I think only he can answer that. Call him," he suggested.

"I've tried, he's ignoring my calls." I huffed.

"I'm sorry, dear. I'll try to talk to him when I go back. But when he digs his heels in, there's almost no changing his mind." Carlisle sighed.

Shane came barreling into the room, ending our conversation. "Guess what I sawed outside."

"What you saw outside. Sawed means to cut wood," I corrected gently.

"Guess what I saw?" he asked.

"What did you see?" I asked.

"There's a river with a dock. Is that where you said my dad used to fish and swim?" he asked, looking at Carlisle.

"Yes, and your uncle Edward." Carlisle nodded then gave me a sly glance. "You know, Shane, Bella here is married to your uncle. So, I think it's only appropriate you call her Aunt Bella now that she's not your teacher."

"More family?" Shane looked excited. He jumped onto my lap then threw his arms around me. "Aunt Bella, you're going to be my favorite because Uncle Edward is grumpy, and I never see him. He just calls, and I can hear him yelling on his phone a lot."

"Your uncle is very nice. Hopefully, you can get to know him when he's not…busy with work," I suggested. I don't know why I was defending him, but I didn't want Shane to hate him.

He shrugged and slid off my lap. He ran to the window and looked out. "Can we go fishing and swimming, Grampa C?" he asked.

"Maybe fishing after lunch, but I think it's too cold to swim," he answered.

Shane ran from the room. "Mom, can I have lunch? Please!"

"That boy has endless energy." Carlisle chuckled. "I hope you don't mind being called Aunt Bella."

"It's sweet. Does this mean Rose accepted the idea of Emmett being the father?" I asked, feeling left out of the loop.

He nodded. "It didn't take her long to agree, after realizing that Shane would be safer that way. It's better than the alternative. I'm proud of Emmett wanting to step up, hopefully Shane will understand one day when he's older why we did it."

"I hope so too. I know you don't deal with pregnancies, but do you have any advice for morning sickness? Though whoever named it that should be shot. I have been having trouble keeping food down all hours of the day," I asked.

He frowned. "I'm sure the stress is contributing. I can prescribe something to help and send one of the men to pick it up."

"Thank you." I gave him a small smile.

NA

I excused myself and went to call Alice from my bedroom.

"Are you supposed to be calling me?" Alice asked in a hushed whisper.

"Why can't I? I was about to apologize for not calling sooner. And why are you whispering?" I was confused.

"Jasper told me you were in hiding, there will be no contact since you could be traced. I'm whispering not to be overheard," she told me.

"Well, no one told me." I became irritable. "I wanted to talk to you about the reception."

"Don't worry, I've got it all under control," she promised. "Jasper told me to keep planning it so no one will be the wiser. The story is you're in bed due to the flu. Love you, stay safe." She hung up on me.

I tossed my phone to the side, pressed my palms to my forehead, and took a deep breath. Maybe this was all a pregnancy dream, because I read women could have crazy dreams while pregnant. And right now, my life seemed nutty. There was a knock on the door frame, and I looked up to see Riley in the doorway.

"Mrs. Cullen. I was told to inform you that you should limit phone conversations. It would put you at risk of being found," he explained.

"Is that why Edward isn't answering my calls," I demanded.

"I don't know, ma'am. I'm just relaying a message," he said apologetically. "Maybe you should give me your phone."

I narrowed my eyes. "Absolutely not. I'm starting to feel like a prisoner, not under protection."

He dropped his hand to his side. "I'm sorry, ma'am, that's not my intent."

"Yeah…well. I know it's not your fault." I scoffed. "No offense, but get out of my room."

NA

While the others ate an early lunch, I settled outside on the porch swing and looked out at the yard. It was a beautiful sunny day. I wished I could enjoy it. Shane appeared, running around the corner, wearing a bright orange lifejacket with Carlisle not too far behind him, carrying a tacklebox and a small fishing rod. The screen door creaked open, and Rosalie came out on the porch.

"How long do you think it will be before he falls in?" she joked.

"Which one?" I commented back.

She snorted a small laugh. "Can I join you?

"Sure." I shrugged.

Rosalie took the seat next to me. "I want to apologize to you for telling you everything was your fault. I should have been thanking you."

"Apology accepted," I said genuinely.

"Shane told me he had to hide under your desk, because he didn't listen to you about getting in the bathroom with the rest of the class," she commented. I had a feeling she was fishing for information.

I sighed. "He snuck by me when I was trying to calm a few kids who were panicking. He had grabbed a yardstick and was preparing to fight the bad guys off. There was no time to get him into the bathroom with others before they tried to break down the door. The closest place to hide was under my desk."

"He was too close." Rosalie closed her eyes tightly.

"I'm so sorry," I said apologetically.

"As I said, not your fault. My son decided to play hero." She groaned.

I sadly laughed. "He was very brave."

"He's so much like Emmett, I don't think anyone will second guess the truth. At least, I hope not." She bit her lip nervously.

"I don't think they will. You'll have a lot of support to back you up, even if it doesn't work. Emmett must be ecstatic that you've given him the chance to protect you both." I tested the waters.

"He's been...amazing and supportive. More than I could hope for. I would've been content with him being his brother and not put him in this strange situation. But Emmett insisted it was better for our protection and that he didn't think his father would question it. I don't know who was more excited for him to be a father to Shane. Him or Shane. Part of me regrets running, but I always knew the truth deep down when I found out the conception date. Emmett had been out of town, and it was—"

"You don't have to go into it. How did you and Emmett meet?" I hoped changing the subject would work.

Rosalie tilted her head back and laughed. "I was at one of the dance clubs with my friends. He tried the worst pick up lines ever and screwed it up. Are you from Tennessee? Because you're the only one I see. I never laughed so hard." She sat up straighter and turned her head to me. "How did you and Edward happen?"

I gave her an abridged version on how we met and got married. She listened thoughtfully as she watched the duo fishing on the dock.

"You know when I met Edward, I always thought he was gay and was too afraid of his family to come out of the closet. He wasn't exactly nasty, but always cool and aloof. He would never give girls the time of day if they approached him. I guess he was just waiting for the right one," she commented.

The screen door creaked open again, and Esme stepped out, carrying a mug. "I've got some ginger tea for you. Hopefully, you'll have an appetite after it."

"Thank you, Esme." I accepted the hot drink.

"I remember those days all too well. I don't miss them." Rosalie wrinkled her nose.

"How long did it last for you?" I asked.

"I think I got a break around the start of the second trimester," Rosalie told me.

"You know some say the more severe the morning sickness the higher chance for multiples." Esme smiled and winked.

I started to tear up and couldn't give her one in return. Rosalie excused herself to check on Shane and wandered down to the water.

"Do you want to tell me about what my nephew did?" Esme took the seat beside me and wrapped her arm around my shoulders.

I shook my head. "I talked to Carlisle, and it helped."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"I am. However, talking to you about Edward is weird since I know you're more like his mom than his aunt."

She replied warmly. "I can be objective."

I took a sip of the tea before beginning. "I always wanted a family. A big one. My father was great and everything. But I still feel like I missed out—I was even going to settle with Mike to get it. With Edward, I was at first against it because I didn't want to make the same mistake. But things changed quickly, and we fell in love. Now he's just trying to push me away to get me to stay here— permanently, from the sound of it," I admitted.

"I'm surprised you weren't on the first plane back," she said.

"I wanted to be. But then he said some awful things to get me to stay. I don't know if I believe it, but…and we can't talk it out since he won't take my calls," I told her.

"No wonder you seemed surprised when I mentioned the big day." She frowned. "Do you want me to talk to him?"

"Thanks, but I think it would be best to be between us," I answered her.

"Hmm. Well, if the boy doesn't wake up by the time I go back, I'll be speaking to him. I hate to see that he's pushing happiness away," she surmised.

I gave her a half-hearted smile in return. I hoped he would come to his senses soon too.

NA

I held the flash drive in my hand eagerly on the way back to the house. On it was the best news I had in weeks. I could still hear the heartbeats fresh in my mind. The ultrasound had lifted my spirits. After Carlisle returned to Seattle, my nausea grew worse, and Esme was so concerned that she got him to find a doctor in Maine to help me. The doctor in turn wanted an ultrasound. I wanted to wait for one, in hopes Edward would come to his senses, but I didn't want to risk the baby. The doctor prescribed me Zofran to take and gave me a flash drive with the ultrasound on it so I could share it with Edward.

When I arrived back at the house, Esme greeted me. I could hear Rosalie and Shane in another room as she attempted to help him with his schoolwork.

"How did it go? Did you get to hear a heartbeat?" she asked eagerly.

"I did. She also prescribed something stronger for nausea, but promised it wouldn't hurt the baby," I told her.

"I've talked to my husband, and I have some news, I consider it mostly good news, although they took their sweet time telling us. Also, there is a downside," she said.

"What is it?" I prompted.

"Edward Senior is gone. He died of a heart attack, this past Friday," she told me.

"Does this mean we can go home?" I started to perk up. Glad the bastard was dead.

"Actually, they want us to wait until after the funeral, which is today. So tomorrow most of us can go home." She gave me an apologetic look.

"Most of us…aka, you guys. Edward wants me to stay here," I said bitterly.

"I will get through to him as soon as I get back," Esme promised.

"I love that you want to try, but I think we both know that won't work." I gave her a sad smile, my earlier mood deflated, and left the room.

I went to my bedroom and pulled out my cellphone then called Edward. Not surprisingly it went to voicemail. I growled and ended the call before leaving a message. I was ready to toss my phone across the room. A thought occurred to me, and I dialed a different number.

"Hello?" Jasper answered.

"I was told if I couldn't reach Edward to call you. So, tell my husband that he's an asshole for ignoring me," I demanded.

"Okay." He chuckled nervously. "Anything else?"

"Yeah. I'm coming home. The threat is over, and I don't buy the bullshit excuse he fed me to keep me away," I snapped at him.

"Bullshit excuse?" he questioned.

"Yes. The one where he told me that he killed my father. I know it's a lie," I told him.

There was a long moment of silence, and I sat down on the bed as dread washed over me. The longer the silence, the more I suspected maybe it wasn't a lie.

"It was a lie, wasn't it?" I prayed he would agree with me.

"Edward didn't kill your father. Newton did—"

"What? Michael?" I gasped.

"Edward, nor I, for that matter, knew until recently. We found out the night we took care of Newton. We were away at college at the time that it had happened. Your father was never a planned hit, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The target was the other people, the woman was a fling of Senior's and was allegedly pregnant with his child. And supposedly extorting him," Jasper explained.

"You're telling me that I almost married the man who killed my father. And I mean, Michael knew he was my father before he killed him. Then he what, decided to make it up to me by dating me? Marrying me?" I ranted in disgust.

"If it helps, when Edward found out, it pretty much led to Newton's killing blow. He was so pissed that Michael did that to you," Jasper said.

I blinked back tears, remembering Edward telling me I didn't want to know everything Michael did. Still it hadn't been Edward who killed my dad. And I believed Jasper when he claimed he and Edward didn't know.

"Back to what I was originally saying, I want to come home. Now you can either help me, or I will find a way to do it myself," I demanded.

NA

Less than twenty-four hours later, I was stepping onto Edward's office floor. I clutched the flash drive in my hand as I headed toward his office. I was fully determined to give Edward a piece of my mind before I showed him what was on the drive. I walked right past Lauren and through his door. Jasper had let me know that he was here and alone, so I knew I wouldn't be interrupting a meeting.

"Just put it on the desk and get out. Next time knock or you'll be fired," he snapped without looking up from the computer screen.

I took a moment to study him. His face was a lot scruffier than I had ever seen it, and I could see the bags under his eyes from where I stood. I could tell he hadn't been taking care of himself since I was gone. The fight left me when I realized he was punishing himself more than I could.

I marched over to his desk and threw the disk on top of his keyboard in between his hands. He looked up sharply and looked ready to yell. His anger melted into confusion.

"Bella? How?" He glanced at his phone screen, and I could make out a blinking dot on a map.

"I switched necklaces with Esme. And Riley was with me the entire way so don't get your panties in a twist. Neither of us are leaving this room until we talk." I sat on his lap.

He leaned in to kiss me. "My bride—"

"Nope." I pushed him away. "You and I are going to talk. Well, I'm going to talk, you are going to put on your listening ears."

"And if I don't, what, no recess? Because sitting on my lap isn't a punishment." he snarked.

"I don't find this funny. I'm sitting on you so you can't run away from the situation. You deliberately said things to hurt me, and that's not okay. You're lucky this is a flash drive of the ultrasound and not divorce papers." I blinked back my tears, pissed that my emotions were going on overload. I wanted him to take me seriously.

He started to open his mouth, and I shook my head.

I wagged my finger back and forth between us. "You and I are partners. You might be this big boss, but you're not my boss. We are in this together. We make decisions together, not for the other."

I took a deep breath. "I know it was Michael who killed my father, not you. And you didn't have anything directly to do with it. But the fact you used it to push me away was harsh."

"I had to keep you safe," he gritted out.

"And I understand that." I stared into his exhausted looking eyes. "However, I believe I'm just as safe here with you as I would be in Maine, especially since your father is gone. I'm certainly happier with you. You said in your letter, if you love someone, set them free. But there's another part of the phrase, If they come back they're yours; if they don't they never were. Well, I'm here because I love you, even though you were an ass for what you did."

"I love you, too. I'm sorry for hurting you. You're my Achilles' heel, and everyone seems to know it, even before I did. I told you I have no idea how to do relationships. All I knew is I had to protect you at all costs," he pleaded with me.

"Which is why you get a pass this time. But do this again, I'm not going to come back," I warned him.

"Noted." He nodded his head.

I picked up the flash drive and plugged it into his laptop then opened the file. I turned up the sound as loud as it could go. I smiled as the sound filled the room.

"Hear that. Not the swishing sound but the heartbeats." I beamed, looking at him. "They did a transvaginal ultrasound to see if they could figure out why I have been so sick."

"You're still sick? I thought my uncle…"

His words froze as he stared at the screen. I watched his face; I had a tough time deciphering what he was thinking. He looked very perplexed.

"What does A, B, C, mean?" he asked.

"It means you can probably prepare for a lot of crass jokes from your brother. We are having triplets." I grinned, kissing his cheek.

A/N: In case you're wondering of the overlap in the timeline. Carlisle was only in Maine for a few days before going back to Washington, making him there in time for Senior's death.

I'm sure a few might think Bella is forgiving Edward too early. She didn't let him off the hook completely, but after seeing him and knowing his reasons(even if she disagreed) she wasn't so mad as upset. She decided to talk about it rationally rather than have a huge fight about it, mainly because she had enough time to think about it.

Triplets! Are you surprised? I want more than one, and twins are common in FF so I decided to go for the unexpected.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me.