Author's Note: You guys are the best, you know that? All your support really urges me on with this story. It makes me so happy to see that people are actually giving my little work the time of day. Hahaha. I can't believe that we surpassed the one hundred mark for reviews. And only in six chapters! Gosh, you guys are the best. Okay, I know that other writers get like hundreds of reviews per chapter but the ones I have are enough for me. So once again, thank you all so much for the reviews, alerts, and favourites. I love you! *kiss*

Also, some people have sent me PM's regarding my update schedule. My anwer? There's absolutely none. I will post an update when I post an update. It will all depend on inspiration and free time. The next post could be just the next day or it can be three weeks after. You guys just have to be patient with me please. As much as I love writing, I do have other priorities, too.

JoJo Sky – No, he does not. Bella and Carlisle had business together in the past. That, however, does not mean that they know each other personally. Also, I'd like to thank you for your heads' up. It is much appreciated. (:

Longing to Write – Well, Charlie isn't a very talkative character. You're right, though. It'd be cruel of Bella to ask that of him. He can probably talk about Dan to his colleagues, but that's as far as it would go. He won't tell them about the father, where the child has been and anything Edward related.

Blaire09 – You'll have to see. ;) However, I do promise you that Jacob will be in this story. I love that yummy man too much to exclude him. Lol.

"I have for the first time found what I can truly love – I have found you. You are my sympathy–my better self–my good angel–I am bound to you with a strong attachment. I think you good, gifted, lovely: a fervent, a solemn passion is conceived in my heart; it leans to you, draws you to my centre and spring of life, wrap my existence about you–and, kindling in pure, powerful flame, fuses you and me in one."

- Charlotte Brontë (Jane Eyre)

Bella P.O.V.

I was panicking.

Hell, panicking might be a little bit of an understatement.

I only had three hours left until I had to be in the Cullen home and still, no one was available to babysit Dan. My dad couldn't do it because he had to be at the police station the whole evening as the Chief Police. Sue was unavailable for she had to leave town the rest of the weekend. Her son, Seth, would be graduating university in a few days and she wanted to show him her support by visiting him for a week. Actually, that was the very reason why she was with my father for lunch. They wouldn't be seeing each other for over seven days.

It made me feel bad to have interrupted their time alone together but when I apologized, my father just snorted and rolled his eyes while Sue assured me that it was no problem.

Since he wouldn't be home the whole night, Charlie left me the spare key. He also said that I was free to stay for the night. I responded by saying that it depends how late I will be from the Cullens. If I arrive home too late, I'd have to stay because an hour drive to Port Angeles would be an inconvenience if I can just stay here.

Hiring a sitter wouldn't be an option. It's not that I didn't trust the people around here to keep Dan safe. I just didn't want Dan to meet more people than he already has. I was desperate for Edward to not know about him.

Rosalie was my third choice. But every time I'd call her cell phone, I would be sent straight to voice mail. I rolled my eyes. This was the thing with Rose. Whenever she went out to shop, she really goes all out. It would be really hard to disturb her. In the end, I had no choice but to leave her a text.

Bitch, call me ASAP. It's an emergency.

A little tad too dramatic, but I was desperate. There was no way in hell I was bringing Dan with me. Nope. That was completely out of the question. One look at him and Esme would never let him leave. I was sure of it.

Jasper was next on the list. Unlike his sister, he answered on the third ring.

"Bella?"

"Oh, God, Jasper! Thank heavens you answered! I tried calling your sister, but she wouldn't pick up."

At this, Jazz chuckled. "Mhmm. That's Rose when she's shopping." A pause. "Is there anything you need?"

"Yes, actually. I know it's a little short notice but do you think you can babysit Dan tonight?" I prayed with all my might that he wouldn't ask for my whereabouts. If so, I wouldn't be sure how to answer. I don't think, 'Oh, you know, I'm just having dinner with the family of Dan's father and I wouldn't want my son to be there because they don't know he exists as well as the resemblance of father and son is astounding, so it would be impossible for them not to catch on', would sit well with Jasper.

The good thing with Jazz, I learned, is that he doesn't pry. However, his next words were not what I wanted to hear. "Sorry, Bella. You know I'd love to watch Dan tonight, but I really can't. My client will be coming over later in the evening and we're going to discuss his case thoroughly. I might not even be home tonight."

My last choice. If she wasn't available, I was ultimately screwed. "Okay, Jazz. I completely understand. But um, do you think Alice will be available?" The hope in my voice was pathetic, but right now, I really didn't give a shit.

A pause. I waited, holding my breath. "Uh, I don't think she is Bella. I'm pretty sure she's visiting her family this afternoon and would be having dinner with them."

"Oh, alright. Thanks, Jazz. Good luck with your client." I tried to hide the defeat from my voice.

"I really am sorry, Bella. And, thank you." A muffled voice spoke at the other end of the line. I heard Jasper's voice reply, but it came out strangled so I assume he covered the mouthpiece. A few seconds later he came back. "I'm sorry for that but um, I have to go, Bella. See you at home?"

"Yeah, see you."

That call had been over an hour ago. A glance at Charlie's clock told me that it was four seventeen. I cursed. The panic came settling back again. I had no options left; no one left to call and time was running out.

With a sigh, I knew what I had to do.

I got up from the living room couch and went over to the kitchen where Charlie's phone and directory was located. Immediately, I went looking for the Cullen phone number. Two numbers were available; Carlisle Cullen and Edward Cullen.

Three guesses on whose number I dialled.

Waiting for someone to pick up the phone, I thought of the best way to excuse myself out of tonight's affair. I obviously couldn't tell Esme the real reason why I won't make it tonight. Hmm. Stomach bug? Menstrual cramp? Headache? On my way home, my car crashed and I now have to get my leg amputated? Okay, so the last one is a little bit too dramatic and would cause unnecessary worry. However, before I could think up of a better lie, a sweet voice picked up on the other end.

"Hello?"

The voice was high pitched and vaguely familiar. I couldn't figure out who it was though. "Uh, hello. Is Esme home?"

"Yes, may I please know who this is?"

"Be –"

'Cause I may be bad but I'm perfectly good at it,

Sex in the air, I don't care I love the smell of it.

Sticks and stones may break my bones,

But the chains and whips excite me.

I couldn't help but cringe at the song, just as I heard quiet laughter on the other side. "I'm sorry, but I have to go. I'll just call back." Without waiting for a reply, I crashed the phone back into place and pulled out the damn cell phone from my pocket.

It was Rose. Figures. I pressed the answer button.

"S&M? Reallly?"

Laughter. "What? Who doesn't love Rihanna?"

"Yes, who doesn't? But seriously? I was on the phone. The person on the other line probably thinks I'm into kinky shit. First, you specifically made your ringtone on my phone Toxic and now this? Have you been reading too much of Christian Grey, Rose?"

More laughter.

"Fuck you."

"Aw, babe. With a body and face like yours, I'd love to. Unfortunately, I don't swing that way."

My face morphed into one of disgust. "What the fuck, Rosalie?"

Her laughter quieted down. "Okay, okay. Serious time. Sorry I couldn't pick up earlier. There was a sale and well, you know how mall sales are my drug. So? Where's the fire? What's the emergency?"

Shit, right! A smile lit up my face as I realized why I so badly needed to talk to Rose earlier. Looks like I won't be letting Esme down tonight. "Oh, God. Right! Rose, please, please tell me you're free tonight."

"I'm free tonight."

I paused, narrowing my eyes slightly. "Was that sarcasm or do you really have no plans for tonight?"

She chuckled. "I really have nothing for tonight. Seriously though, B, what's going on?"

"Okay, so I ran into someone earlier and they invited me over for dinner."

"Ah, so you need me to babysit Dan for you?"

"Could you?"

A dramatic sigh. "I suppose."

I grinned. "Thanks, Rose. You're the best. I panicked like a madman earlier when no one was available. Charlie has shift the whole evening. Jasper probably won't be home tonight because of work and Alice is with her family."

She chuckled again. "Always so dramatic, Bella. Now that our schedules are cleared up, spill. Who is this person and why is it so important that you have dinner with them?"

I hesitated. "Esme Cullen."

Silence. "Excuse me, but did you say Cullen?"

"Yes."

"As in, baby daddy's mom?"

I rolled my eyes. "Will you stop calling him that? But yes, I'm having dinner with his mom."

"What the hell, B? Why would you subject yourself to that?"

I sighed. "Rose, even if Edward can be awarded as the world's biggest douche, Esme is a sweetheart. I just – she'd always been good to me. I couldn't say no. Besides, it's only dinner. And he won't even be there."

Silence. She was thinking about what I just said. I could picture her pursing her lips with her eyebrows furrowed. "I guess I understand. Okay, B, give me some directions. I'm just at the Seattle mall. Give me around an hour and I'll probably be in Forks."

After giving the route to Charlie's house to her, we talked for a little while more about mundane things before we said our goodbyes.

"If you start getting lost, just give me a call, okay?"

I could feel her rolling her eyes. "Jeez, Bella. I'm a bitch, but I'm not stupid. You gave me directions; I can take it from there."

It was better if I didn't argue. "Alright. Damn, calm your tits, Rose. Thanks again for doing this. You're the best."

"Yeah, yeah. You only say that when you get something from me." Her voice was teasing.

"Aw, damn. I got caught. "

We both laughed shortly before she quieted down. "Careful though, B, okay? I know he won't be there, but I'm sure he will come up. Please don't let your anger get the best of you when he's mentioned."

I snorted. "I'm not temperamental."

This time, she snorted. "Right, and I'm a gnome. Where do you think Dan got his tantrums?"

"... TV?"

"Mhmmm. Right. Okay, if it makes you sleep better."

My eyes found the clock. I cursed. "Rose, I've got roughly two hours to get ready. Just ring the doorbell, okay?"

"Whatever, bitch. See you in a few." Then the line went dead.

Just as I returned my phone in my pocket, Dan appeared by the kitchen doorway, looking ruffled, obviously having just woken up from his afternoon nap.

"Mommy?"

I looked over at him. He looked so adorable in his half-asleep, half-awake state that I found myself controlling the urge to pinch his chubby cheeks. Instead, I bent down and kissed his forehead. "Yes, baby?"

He ignored my endearment. Usually, he would protest, claiming he was a man now that he's five, not a baby. "Are we having dinner together tonight?"

"Sorry, baby, but mommy is meeting some friends tonight. We can have dinner together tomorrow, okay?"

For some reason, his green eyes welled with tears. "Dan? Dan? Dan, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

He wrapped his arms around my neck and buried his face in the crook of my neck, sniffling. It broke my heart to see him like this but I didn't know how to help. Hell, I didn't even know what the problem was. Wrapping my arms tightly around him, I pulled his little body closer to mine. It was pretty uncomfortable for me to bend like this, but my son was upset. I didn't have time to care about comfort. "Baby, tell me what's wrong please. You're worrying me. Does something hurt?"

I felt him shake his head. For a few moments, we stayed like that; him crying in my arms while I continued asking him what the matter was and whispering assurances in his ear. The position I was in was starting to get to me so I scooped him up and brought him over to the living room. I sat down on the couch I previously occupied and comforted my weeping son. When Dan finally calmed down, he pulled back and wiped his cheeks. They colored red for a few seconds and I realized that he was embarrassed to be caught being emotional like that. I couldn't help but smirk at how my son was taking the 'man of the house' seriously. For Christ's sake, he was only five!

Helping him dry his tears, I made him look at me. "Want to tell me what that was all about?"

He shook his head, his gaze anywhere but at me.

I sighed. "Come on, Dan. What's wrong? You know it kills mommy to see you like this."

He looked at me for a full minute before wrapping his arms around me again. A muffled sound came from him, but I couldn't understand.

"What was that?"

He shifted so his lips were by my ear. When he spoke, his voice was so soft, so low that even if he was right by my ear, I had to strain to listen. "I miss spending time alone with you, mommy."

Do you hear that sound? Yeah? Well, that right there is the sound of my heart breaking.

At his words, I felt like the world's worst mother. I didn't even realize that I had begun to neglect my son these past few days. Though he was with me physically, I was always out or doing something that didn't include him. All this Edward drama, Charlie's relationship with Sue and business had really been distancing me from my son. Even if he acted all macho and brave, Daniel was still only a five year old boy; a five year old boy who wanted some of his mother's time.

Understanding why he was so upset, my arms immediately hugged him tighter. I kissed the top of his head before rubbing the back with my palm. "Oh, baby. I'm so sorry I haven't had time for you lately." He pulled back and shyly looked down at me, his emerald eyes clearly hurt. "How about this? Tonight, you be a good little boy and tomorrow, I'm yours the whole day?"

A beautiful smile lit up his childish face. "Really?"

I responded with a smile of my own. "Yes, really. We can even watch a movie and buy ice cream."

His smile widened and his hand reached up to wipe the final traces of his tears. "Thanks, mom."

"Anything for you, baby."

He huffed. "I'm a man, ma. Not a baby. Stop calling me it."

I laughed. My energetic child was back. "Mhmmm. Sure, little man." I glanced again at the clock and saw that it was five twenty. I closed my eyes to stop myself from cursing out loud. "Okay, midget. Mommy has to go shower and get ready. Why don't you grab the cookies from the kitchen and watch television? Aunt Rose will be here so if the doorbell rings, open it for her. But only for her, okay?"

Dan got off my lap and nodded his head nonchalantly, heading for the kitchen.

An hour later, I was showered and dressed in royal blue off-shoulder top and black skinny jeans with a pair of wedge heels on my feet to finish the look. My hair was only half dried and my make up was natural. Two squirts of Chanel perfume was on me and my phone was safely tucked in my pocket. In short, I was ready for dinner.

As I stepped into the living room, my eyes adjusted to the darkness, the faint glow of the television illuminating around the room. Outside was pure darkness and a look at the wall clock told me that it was now six twelve.

"You're looking pretty good for a simple dinner. Sure you weren't lying to me, B?"

I turned around swiftly at the voice and saw Rose looking at me approvingly, a smile on her beautiful face. "Scare me, why don't ya?" She laughed before giving me a small hug. "And thanks, Rose. Anyway, you know how important impressions are to me."

An eyeroll. "They already know you, Bella."

"No, Esme knows me from six years ago. Not who I am now."

She raised an eyebrow. "So, this is all for Esme?"

I paused, thinking. "I just want to show her that the past doesn't affect me anymore. That her son doesn't affect me anymore. I'm happy and I don't need him."

Smiling at me in understanding, Rosalie nodded her head. "Well, message clearly delivered. You look gorgeous, B."

Instead of replying, I just threw her a small smile before heading over to the couch. Dan sat, transfixed with Adventure Time as I sat down beside him before ruffling his messy locks. "Be good to aunt Rose tonight, okay?"

The five year old boy blinked at the television before turning to look at me. An innocent look appeared on his face. "I'm always good to aunt Rose, mommy."

Laughter could be heard at the kitchen as I groaned at Dan's words. If anything, he was even worse with Rosalie because she actually participated in his mischief. "Yeah, okay. See ya later, Dan."

The corners of his lips quirked and I was sure he was holding in a smirk. With a sigh and a kiss on his temple, I got up and headed for the kitchen where Rose stood, preparing a salami and PB n' J sandwich.

"Take care of him alright, Rose? And for God's sake, do not let him watch any horror movies tonight. The last time you did, he couldn't sleep for three weeks. Which meant I also couldn't sleep for three weeks. Three, Rose. Three."

She laughed and rolled her eyes before taking a bite of her sandwich. "Yeah, yeah. Jeez. Talk about momma bear. Now, go."

Rose continued to usher me out and only stopped when I was outside. "Alright, alright. I'm leaving. Damn, Rose."

She smirked at me in response before shutting the door in my face.

Light drizzle fell over me and I quickly ran to my car to avoid heavy downpour. The moment I started the ignition, the car time blinked rapidly at me. Six thirty-two. Perfect. The address Esme gave me earlier was only a ten minute drive from my house.

I was so lost in my thoughts and nerves that the drive to the Cullen residence felt only like a minute. When I reached the place though, I wondered if I got the place right. The house was huge! Hell, it was more like a fucking estate than a house. But then I remembered that Esme was now married to Carlisle, one of America's leading businessmen, so I put my shock aside. But still though, the place was so beautiful.

The first thing I came across was a gigantic gate and it was open. Esme must have told them that she had a guest coming over. After that, I went through a long road with lots of trees, shrubs and a beautiful Bermuda garden. By the end of the road, I saw the house. I was awestruck. It appeared to be around three stories high, with glass doors and black wood walls. There were three rocking chairs by the doorstep and glass lantern hung from the little rooftop, giving it a very homey feel.

By now, I was gaping at its' mere magnificence, circling the round fountain with an angel by the center of the driveway. The best thing about all of this was though it was extravagant, the touch of simplicity still never left the place, leaving traces of hominess around.

Once I parker my little Audi by the side, I let out a breath. Okay, Bella. You can do this. It's only Esme, maybe Carlisle. They're very nice people. Nothing to worry about. Even as I encourage myself, my nerves still ran everywhere. That's the thing with pep talks. Behind all the good words and inspiration, they were still just a bunch of bullshit. Sighing, I got out of the car. Better get this over with.

Reaching the front porch, I rang the doorbell with much hesitation. A few seconds later, the voice I recognised as the one who picked up the phone replied behind the door.

"Coming!"

The door opened and to my shock, the face I saw was -

"Bella?"

"Alice?" We stared at each other. "What are you doing here?"

She looked at me suspiciously. "This is my parent's house."

I looked at her dumbly. "What?"

She gave me a small smile. "I'm Alice Cullen, Carlisle's daughter."

"Oh."

Her face turned serious as she stepped out into the porch, closing the door behind her. I took a step back as I had a feeling I knew where this conversation was headed. "Dan is Edward's, isn't he?"

I bit the inside of my cheek as her gaze scrutinized me. Her first reaction to seeing Dan now made so much more sense to me. It was no wonder she looked at him like he was one big puzzle; she was trying to figure out how he looked so much like her step-brother. Jasper probably realized the similarities as well, my brain going back to his reaction upon seeing Dan in brighter light.

No use lying to Alice now. I was caught. And it wasn't like I was any good at bullshit stories anyway. "Yes. But please Alice, you can't tell anyone about him. No one knows about Dan. I can't - no one related to Edward was supposed to know about him."

She looked confused and highly horrified. "But why, Bella? He's the father. You have no right to keep him away."

My temper flared as I remembered that afternoon in the Masen doorstep years ago. I laughed humourlessly, taking a seat on one of the rocking chairs. "You can't say that. He never even wanted Dan in the first place." As I spoke, I looked up to glare at her. "I have every right to keep our son away from him. He paid me to abort Dan, Alice. There's no way in hell he's going to know I kept our child alive."

A gasp was heard as Alice rushed to my side, hugging me. "Oh, Bella, I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I'm so sorry." She kept repeating apologies but I tuned her out. I could feel the lingering feelings of hurt start to creep up the layers of wall I've built around myself regarding this topic and I forced my hurt to channel itself towards my anger. It was so much easier to be angry right now. Being hurt would lead me to being vulnerable and I couldn't have that. Not now when there were others that would be witnesses.

Maybe later I could cry. Right now, I had to be angry.

"I can't believe he would ever do that. It just doesn't seem like an Edward thing to do."

Again, I gave a humorless laugh. "Oh, trust me. That kind of thing is exactly what he would do."

Alice frowned. "I just don't get it. He's so nice and sweet now. There's got to have been a misunderstanding."

My fists clenched as I welcomed the rage that coursed through me, running through my system. "Sorry, Alice, but nope. Definitely no misunderstandings. He paid me to kill our baby because he wanted to continue whoring around."

The blunt answer I gave deepened her frown. "That's impossible, Bella. Edward has the biggest respect when it comes to women."

At this, a bitter laugh escaped my lips. "Edward? Respect? To women? Ha! Clearly you haven't known him that long." I closed my eyes as a sliver of hurt made itself known; the girl who had foolishly fallen in love with a monster making its' appearance. "Our relationship started out as a bet, Alice. He only dated me to get a fucking rest house."

Alice gasped again. "But that's - it can't -" She looked at my face and must have seen something because she hugged me tighter. "I never knew he had been so cruel. He's so different now, Bella. I just - it's so hard to imagine Edward doing all of that."

"Yeah, well. At least you only have to imagine him like that. I lived through him being that big of an asshole." I shook my head as I felt the anger reaching to the peak of rage. "No matter how changed he is now, he'll always be that horrible eighteen year old monster to me."

"Oh, Bella. It must have been so hard for you. Raising a child all on your own at such a young age." She then proceeded to muttering angry curses toward her step-brother and ways on how to castrate him. Despite my anger, I let out a small laugh at Alice's words.

I was about to tell her that I had gotten over what he'd done, when the front door opened and Esme's beautiful face was came into view. She looked confused for a minute before catching sight of Alice and I. A smile broke out from her face.

"Did you two know each other?" She asked softly, coming over to talk to us.

Alice was the one who spoke. "She's a friend of Jasper's sister."

A light of recognition graced her expression. "Rosemary? Was that her name?"

Momentarily forgetting my anger, I let out a small chuckle. "It's Rosalie, Esme."

"Oh, that's right." She turned a light shade of red. "I just never met her before, only heard of her from Alice."

I laughed lightly, as did Alice. "It's okay."

"So what were you girls talking about?"

I tensed. Alice, noticing my discomfort, decided to speak again for us. "We were planning for a little shopping trip soon."

Esme eyed us suspiciously before letting it go. "Alright. Well, shall we go in? Dinner's ready."

Alice and I stood up then followed Esme inside the house. When we arrived in the kitchen, I was surprised to see all the food prepared. There was a plate of lasagna, a basket of bread sticks, a plate of beef steak, a bowl of potato salad, another bowl of fresh vegetables and a plate of calamari laid out in front of us. For a few seconds, I gaped at it all. Could we even finish three fourths of this? Or were there more people coming? When I asked, however, Esme said that it would just be the three of us this evening. I asked her about all the food and she said that they could have it the rest for breakfast.

For over an hour, the three of us just talked. We had conversations about Alice's fashion line, about Esme's new house design, and even a little bit about my technology. We also talked about what went on for the past few years and about our future projects. Thankfully, no one opened the topic about Edward. I wouldn't have known what to say – if I would have even said anything.

At around eight thirty, Carlisle arrived from a day out with his buddies and joined us for dessert. Esme had made lemon squares, tiramisu and strawberry cheesecake. As we laughed and talked, I felt my phone vibrate before music cut through the conversation on the table.

Oooh, baby let's get naked,

Just so we can make sweet love,

All these sensations got me going crazy for you,

Inside on top of you,

Grinding inside and out of you,

Baby I kn –

With a completely red face and mortified look, I jumped out of my seat with a squeak. My gaze landed on Alice and saw her biting her lip to keep herself from laughing. Esme looked like she was hiding a smile, while Carlisle just looked amused. At that moment, I prayed for the ground to open up and eat me alive.

"Excuse me, I have to take this." My voice came out soft and completely embarrassed. Without waiting for another second, I high tailed it out of there and went straight to the living room. Pressing the answer button, I spoke angrily. "I'm going to kill you. How the hell did you even get a hold of my phone again?"

I didn't expect Rosalie's voice to come out frantic. "Kill me later. Listen, B, I just didn't know what to do. I am so, so sorry. Dan just wouldn't stop crying and –"

My heart froze for a second. "Rosalie, is he okay?"

"Yes." A pause. "I mean, I think he is. But, Bells, he won't stop crying. The lights went out in Charlie's place earlier and he's been in tears since." I paled. Dan was deathly afraid of the dark. Being in a completely dark place is his worst nightmare.

I was about to tell her I was on my way, but I heard a car horn blare. "Rose, where are you?" She hesitated. "Rosalie!" Dan's cries could be heard at the back and the sound tore my heart.

Footsteps of the others could be heard coming as my voice grew loud and frantic. "Bella? Is everything okay?"

I turned around to face them, but I was not sure of who spoke. They all looked back at me, concern on their faces. "I – I –"

"Bella, I just passed by the Cullen's gate."

My phone almost dropped. "What?"

"Holy shit, their house is big!"

"Rosalie!" I closed my eyes, rubbing my temple. I assured myself that this wasn't possible because she didn't even know where their house was. "Tell me you did not just say you're at the Cullen house." Just as I finished saying this, I could see headlights seeping through the windows before Rose's silver Prius could be seen. Without thinking, I ran outside and into the car.

For a moment, I didn't care that these people were Edward's family. I didn't care that they didn't know Dan existed. I didn't care that they would probably see the resemblance of Dan and Edward and puzzle everything out.

I couldn't care about any of that when my baby was in tears.

The car door wrenched open and Dan met me halfway. I crouched down and he collapsed into my arms immediately. "Baby, are you okay? Please stop crying. Shhh. It's okay now. Mommy's here."

The lights of the whole driveway were suddenly turned on. Even as I heard a small gasp from behind me, I didn't turn around. I didn't need to. It had to be Esme, discovering I had a child. Oh, wouldn't she be in for a surprise when she realizes who fathered this child?

The little boy in my arms continued to cry as I felt all of their presence behind me. "Bella..." Esme's voice was broken. I didn't have the strength to turn around and look at her. I was sure that her face matched her voice.

I glanced up once and saw that Rose had gotten out of the car. However, she didn't make any move to come any closer.

Dan pulled away from our embrace and looked up at me. His face was so terrified and full of tears, I would have done anything to make it go away. A sharp intake of breath could be heard as Dan's face came into clear view for Esme to see. "Mommy, I was so scared."

"Esme, sweetie, breathe. In. Out. In. Out. Yes, just breathe slowly." Carlisle's soothing voice could be heard as I continued to comfort my son.

Still, I couldn't turn around. "It's okay, baby. Mommy's here now. No one's going to hurt you."

After a few moments, Dan's cries were slowing down. He let go of me and simply held my hand, while the other rubbed his face furiously. It was then that I stood up and with a blank face, turned to face the Cullens. Alice was looking at me with sympathy and I gave her a small smile in return. Carlisle had a look of calm on his face, but his eyes were full of questions as his steady gaze focused on Dan. It was Esme's expression that flooded me with guilt. There was no anger. Hell, I would have welcomed her anger. No, instead, there was sadness. Lots and lots of sadness, swirling around her green eyes as she took in every single part of her grandson.

"Oh, Bella. Does he know?"

It didn't take a genius to know who she was referring to. Just as I was about to reply, the sound of tires screeching disturbed the evening silence. When I turned around, it felt like the whole world stopped moving for a second. I forgot – no, I didn't know how to breathe as my worst nightmare came to life.

A familiar silver Volvo slowed down to a stop in the driveway. There had only been one owner of such a car here in Forks.

Edward.

Author's Note: Again, I apologize for any grammatical or spelling errors. This has not been checked well. Lol.

Okay, I know that I promised this chapter to be intense but I just couldn't make it happen. This chapter alone is already thirteen pages in Microsoft Word. If I continued it, this would probably be around twenty-five to thirty. Yikes! I had to cut it in two.

But on the bright side, the next chapter would be the moment we've all been waiting for. Or, I hope it will be. It all depends on Bella and Edward, really. I swear, these characters come to life when I write them. Lol.

Ayts. So I'm super excited to write the next chapter. Eeep. I hope I live up to your expectations for the Bella-Edward confrontation. Heh. See ya guys next chapter. (:

Oh, and don't forget. Send me some looooove with them reviews. It makes Dan really happy. ;)