Disclaimer: I do not own any characters in Twilight. Those rights are reserved for Stephanie Myer. I do own characters created for the storyline. Please support the official release.

Writer's Notes: Thank you Munzke, Navywife, MTyler, Angel, and Guest for your reviews! I love this pairing so much! I'm glad everyone else is enjoying it as well! As always I appreciate all of you! Don't forget to follow, favorite, and review!


~~Photograph by Cody Fry~~


A week went by, and Paul was dealing with the aftermath of his dad. Terrance Lahote drank himself into alcohol poisoning and was comatose in the hospital. Paul was next of kin. He had to figure out what to do with his dad's health. After so many years of enduring good ol' Terry, Paul was stuck with the task of making all the decisions for his dad's medical care. Right now he was stable and breathing on his own but when he would wake up from the coma, they didn't know.

It was stressful for Paul and he had so much more to worry about. Seth went through the shift leaving Jared and Sam dealt with it. Seth was scared and the pain was unimaginable, it made Bella worry about Seth with him being so young. Colin hadn't shifted but the symptoms disappeared but the worry was constantly there for Paul.

The vampire that had been lurking, seemingly vanished. It was another cause of alarm because what was it plotting? Was it Victoria playing games? Or did she retreat because it was futile to go up against that many wolves.

Charlie had his hands full with higher than normal bear attacks towards the next town over. They were similar to the ones Forks saw but the territory ended with La Push and Forks so the Quileute boys couldn't seek it out and investigate fuller. They wanted to stay close to home anyways to protect Bella.

One week, quickly turned into two weeks and into three weeks then four as the bear attacks were getting worse in the next town over, that Charlie got called away to be there more frequently.

Bella felt off the last couple days. Most of it was just nerves with her dad being away and being in danger because she knew that the bear attacks weren't really bear attacks.

Paul walked in the house, closing the door behind him. He ran over from the hospital. There was no change in his dad's condition and there really wasn't anything anyone could do. He also talked to the social worker at the hospital. They found him there to talk about Colin. The emergency custody was expiring soon, but the social worker was confident the judge would sign off on Charlie's extended custody arrangement with Colin as long as Paul was okay with it since Paul was 23 now and technically Colin's next of kin. He agreed with the social worker, telling her that it was important not to upset Colin's balance right now, he was happy and healthy with Charlie Swan and he frequently stayed the night at the Swan residence as well. It was happy news to the social worker and she assured Paul that she would apply for the extended guardianship.

In other news, the scent of leech was back and that put the pack on red alert. Paul found Bella in the kitchen looking a little pale. He frowned, noticing her scent was off just a bit. "Hey." He said softly, coming up behind her and putting his arms around her, kissing the top of her head.

Bella leaned back against Paul automatically. It was just natural at this point to her. It was a sense of comfort. "Hey. Colin is at school. He decided to do the public-school thing. Do you think he'll be okay?"

Paul turned Bella to look at her. He framed her face with his warm hands. "Colin is going to do perfectly at Forks High. He's making leaps and bounds in his social life, it's important to let him grow." He said and leaned down and kissed her softly.

Bella kissed him back, closing her eyes and then leaned against him, her head resting against his chest.

Paul held her for a few moments before pulling back to study her. "Are you feeling okay?"

Bella frowned. "I mean. I feel off…"

Paul nodded. "Your scent is off too. You look a little pale. Do you feel feverish?"

Bella shook her head. "No, just a little queasy."

"Maybe I should take you to the doctor." Paul suggested. "If you're coming down with something, it's best to get ahead of it."

Bella sighed. "I don't really like doctors."

Paul smiled. "I know, but it would make me feel better." He said, rubbing his hands up her arms in a soothing way.

Bella gave in, just nodding. She could be getting the flu and she definitely didn't want to get anyone else sick.

Paul kissed her forehead then went to retrieve her coat from the downstairs closet and brought it to her and helped her in it, before grabbing her keys to the truck. They went out, the drizzling rain making it cold. It was almost November now and it would start getting icier soon at nights. Bella didn't really like the cold or snow, but Forks was home. It was a large difference from living in Phoenix for a while. Paul helped her up into the truck and drove towards the walk-in clinic there in town.


Paul sat with her and she nervously fiddled with her hands. He reached over and put his hand over hers, instantly calming her. He would always have that affect on her because of the imprint, he was meant to heal and calm her. He knew that she didn't care for doctors and some part of that was likely because of the Cullen's.

"Isabella Swan?" A nurse came out and called for Bella. Bella stood, grabbing Paul's hand and drug him back with her.

The nurse was friendly. Young, but older than Bella of course and she had dark blonde hair that was short like a pixie cut. Her brown eyes were a little lighter than Bella's and she was friendly. "I'm Jasmine. I just want to get a quick height and weight check on you then urine sample." She said and directed Bella to a scale. She shrugged off her jacket, handed it to Paul and he quietly accepted it.

The scale said 97 pounds, so that was some improvement in her weight, but she was still very thin. She was still 5'1". She went to the bathroom that the nurse showed her and Paul waited outside, his phone dinging, but he ignored it.

Jasmine smiled at Paul, finding him incredibly attractive. "You're from the Rez right?"

Paul nodded. "Yeah. Paul Lahote." He introduced casually.

Jasmine smiled, fluttering her eyes a little at him. "What's your uh… relation to Miss Swan?"

"She's my girlfriend." Paul said and looked up at Bella when she came out. She was still nervous looking. He just reached for her hand and she took it.

Jasmine's smile faltered a little. It was odd to see someone extraordinary looking be with someone so…ordinary. "Alright, this way." She said and brought them back to a room. She went through the other basics, blood pressure, oxygen, pulse then had her sit and wait for the doctor.

"I can feel your anxiety." Paul said and squeezed her hand. "Why are you so nervous?"

"I don't like being sick." Bella said, blowing out a breath.

Paul squeezed her hand again. "Still queasy?"

"No. It comes and goes." Bella said and sighed. "Maybe its just my anxiety and I'm giving myself an ulcer. Dad is in danger and then everything with Victoria."

Paul leaned over and kissed her temple. "Don't worry about Victoria, we'll handle her. I promise." He murmured and kissed her temple again.

A short while later a doctor appeared, knocking on the door first. He was older, probably around Bella's dad's age. His dark hair was greying and his beard also sported some gray. His eyes were dark brown and he looked sort of Italian. His white lab coat sported the name Dr. Matthews.

"Bella. Can I call you Bella?" He asked, looking up from the clip board and smiled at her.

Bella nodded. "Sure."

"I'm Dr. Matthews, but you can call me Mathias."

"Mathias Matthews. Your parents were creative." Paul commented.

Mathias smiled. "Yes." He chuckled and then hugged the clipboard to his chest and looked at Bella. "So, the nurse says you're just queasy? Any other symptoms?"

"I guess tired a lot. But it comes and goes." Bella relayed.

Mathias nodded like he understood. "And this young man, he's your…."

"Boyfriend." Bella answered.

"Got it." He said and looked at the clipboard, before pulling up a rolling stool to sit more at their level. "You present with no fever or other stomach flu symptoms. Normally I do swab tests for the flu, strep and over viruses, however. You're not sick Bella." Mathias said.

Bella frowned. "It's the anxiety isn't it then."

Mathias shook his head. "Bella, we did a urine pregnancy test. You're pregnant."

Bella blinked a few times, not sure she heard him correctly. "Pregnant." She repeated.

Mathias nodded. "Now, I have an ultrasound machine just right next door, we can take a look and see how everything looks. I will also draw some blood as well, look at some levels. Have you noticed anything else different."

Bella was quiet as she did the math in her head. "I'm late." She pulled her hand out of Paul's and ran them both through her hair as she thought about it.

"How late is late?" Mathias asked.

"Uh…" Bella shook her head. "Two weeks… three maybe. Why… why did I not notice."

Paul reached for her hand again and she gave it to him. "Baby." Paul found his voice now. "There's been a lot going on. Are you okay?"

"Paul, I had that wine." Bella said and looked over at him, fear suddenly shooting through her. "I… what if I hurt the baby." She was panicked now.

Paul felt her panic, her fear and he grabbed her other hand, holding it in both of his. "Listen, let's just take one step at a time. Ultrasound is a good idea. Right?"

Bella nodded, calming under his touch. "Oh god. Paul. I'm so sorry." She teared up.

Paul shook his head and then hugged her. "It's okay." His gaze went to Mathias's. "Ultrasound would be great. Thanks doc."

Mathias nodded. He was used to people getting emotional at this stage. "Alright, I'll have Jasmine set you up next door. Give you a gown and I'll send the ultrasound tech in to get you started. As for wine. A little bit of wine is not going to do too much damage. Though we are able to do all sorts of test and see the fetus as it grows with the ultrasound. Listen to your boyfriend. Everything is going to be okay." He said and patted her leg and got up then left the room, giving them some privacy. He told Jasmine to give them a few moments then get the tech to set up the ultrasound with her name and everything before going in and interrupting an intimate moment between Paul and Bella.

Paul could still feel her anxiety and he just wanted her to be calm. Of course so many things were running through his head right now, but his first priority was Bella. Nothing else mattered to him but her right now. "Bella, baby, please, look at me."

Bella hesitated, but she looked up at him, tears in her eyes. "I didn't think."

"I didn't either. It's me Bella. I should have thought more about this. I always have condoms on me and that night… I don't know. I don't have an excuse for it and I certainly hadn't thought anything about it again. I just… I want what you want. Whatever that is, I want you to know that I will do whatever it takes to make sure you are healthy and happy." He pledged.

Bella looked at him. "I'm scared." She admitted.

"I am too." Paul said, his voice soft.

"I… I want this baby." She murmured.

Paul nodded, leaning in and kissed her. "Okay." He murmured back. "We can do this." He reassured her and himself at the same time.

A few minutes later, Jasmine knocked and entered. "We have the room prepared." She said gently.

Paul helped Bella up and he walked behind her, his hand at the small of her back. He nodded a thanks to Jasmine and they went into the next room. She gave her the gown, told her to go ahead and get undressed then closed the door.

Bella felt embarrassed all of a sudden, heat rising to her cheeks.

Paul reached for her. "Hey. Bella, honey, I have seen every part of you. You don't have to be self-conscious around me. I love you." He said the words out loud.

Bella nodded, she turned as Paul helped her out of her sweater and was very gentle with her. She pulled on the gown and got on the table and waited. Paul sat in the chair next to her and waited with her.

A few moments later a technician came in, a taller man. He was wearing red scrubs and he was pretty handsome, blondish hair and dazzling blue eyes. He smiled at Bella and Paul. "Hey, I'm Jason." His voice was sort of southern like he was somewhere from the South. "Just relax, I know this can be overwhelming. I promise you that I'm going to help guide you the best I can." He reassured.

Bella nodded, blowing out a breath. "Okay."

Jason looked at Paul and reached a hand out to shake his. "I appreciate you letting me take a look at your girlfriend, I know that this can be awkward and I promise I'm not going to hurt her."

Paul was genuinely shocked that Jason had cared to include him in speech, but he offered a small smile and shook his hand and nodded. "Thank you, Jason."

Jason smiled, nodded and sat on a stool that rolled around. "Alright Miss Swan, just lay back and scoot down all the way to the end of the table." He said and flipped up some stirrups. "Mathias stated that you were likely pretty early, so we're going to have to do a transvaginal ultrasound. It's a little like your normal exams you get yearly. The wand I use," he picked it up and showed it. "It's a little uncomfortable, but I'll try to be quick. Okay?"

Bella scooted down on the table and nodded, taking in a breath.

"Alright. Is it okay to start?" He asked permission and Bella nodded again and she reached for Paul's hand and he squeezed hers in response when he took her hand.

Paul hated for anyone but him to even touch her down there, but this was medically necessary, so he was trying to stay out of his own head. There was a larger screen on the wall in front of them and the images on the monitor Jason was looking at reflected on the screen on the wall. Paul and Bella watched the screen as Jason moved the probe around, searching for the baby.

Jason hit keys with his one hand and shifted the probe with the other.

Bella and Paul seemed to be in awe as they stared at the screen. "Is that it? What's the other spaces?" Bella asked.

Jason nodded. "Well." He said and then used his mouse to click. "We have the baby here." He said and did a circular motion around a small little blip. "Then you see this sac?" He asked and they nodded. "Here's baby number two." He said then typed the letter 'B' and then shifted the mouse over, doing another circular motion. "Baby number three." He said and typed 'C'.

Bella was frozen. "Three." She squeaked out.

Paul couldn't speak. So many things ran through his head at one time and he couldn't even begin to process what Jason had just said.

Jason nodded. "I know. Take a moment. It's shock. I deliver this sort of news more than you think. It's okay to freak out if you need to freak out."

Bella just stared at the screen. "Three." She repeated. Her heart was beating really fast. Three was a lot and definitely more than what they had anticipated. "Are… are they okay?"

Jason nodded. "Listen." He said and he hit something and you could hear the heartbeats. "They're all pretty overlapped." He explained. "But their hearts are just developing. You're about 6 weeks pregnant. Which the first two weeks are counted as part of your cycle so gestational age is 4 weeks, if that makes sense?"

Bella swallowed and nodded. "Um. But they look okay right? Nothing wrong with them?"

Jason shook his head. "Looks like a normal six week triplet pregnancy. They're all in their own sac, which is excellent." He said and moved the probe a little and changed angles. "See this little ball?"

Bella nodded as she studied the screen. "What is that?"

"It's called a yolk. It's what is giving the babies their nutrients while the placenta progresses and becomes the source of nutrients." He explained. "They each have their own. Also good news. All have strong heartbeats and are normal. Was there a cause for worry?"

"Um. I drank… some wine. I didn't know." Bella said, not looking away from the screen.

Jason nodded. "Usually, as long as it isn't excessive, we don't see those sorts of issues emerge." He said and he was printing a bunch of pictures. "I have some other things to measure, but I will make sure I get you really good angles on the babies." He said and Bella nodded.

Paul was still in shock. He felt Bella's anxiety and he knew that she likely felt his, but he was trying to come to terms with what was happening, that tears actually came to his eyes.

Bella noticed that Paul was crying and she frowned. "Paul?"

"I'm okay… I promise Bella. I'm…. I'm going to be a dad." Paul said and the emotions heaved out of him. He didn't realize how much he wanted that. Before, thinking about kids, he always was worried he would be like his dad, so he always avoided pregnancy with all the women he's ever been with, but with Bella, he was happy. It was the best news to get. Triplets was scary and that was why he was anxious, but he was going to be a dad.

Bella's heart swelled at hearing him say that while being emotional. "Oh Paul…" She murmured and squeezed his hand. "You're going to be the best dad."

"You think so?" Paul sniffed a little and smiled.

Bella smiled back. The anxiety was going away as they both accepted the triplets. The excitement replaced the anxiety that they had now. "I know so."

Jason smiled as he took his measurements for the doctor. This was why he loved his job. Seeing moments like this. He went back and took some different pictures from different angles of the babies for them to keep. When he finished, he helped sit Bella up and handed her the pictures that he printed for her and Paul. "Congrats you two. Mathias will be in with you again shortly, you can go ahead and get dressed again." He said and waved to them and left.

Bella looked at the small black and white pictures of the babies. "Our babies, Paul." She murmured, a smile touching her lips. She looked up at him, seeing his tears still in his eyes. She leaned over and kissed him, he smiled, kissing her back.

She got dressed and waited, a little while later Mathias returned, smiling.

"So, triplets. This is scary and exciting news, yes?"

Bella nodded, squeezing Paul's hand. "It is, but they're okay and that's what matters."

"Good, that's what I like to hear. This pregnancy is wanted, I will check that off on the list. Are there any questions you have for me before I unload a bunch of information on you?"

"Um. Triplets. It means it riskier right?" Bella asked.

Mathias nodded. "Yes. So, I have a whole folder here to give you for some reading material, but this is what we're going to do. I am an OBGYN. You got lucky today with me on rotation." He said with a smile. "Of course there are other OBGYNs, I believe Casey Stewart, she's really nice and there's a few midwives that I work with that you definitely have an option of bringing on to your service."

"I… feel comfortable with you." Bella admitted.

Mathias smiled. "Thank you. I'm glad you feel that way. I have my own office here in Forks. I'll give you my business card. Now, on to all the other details. We'll do checkups every two weeks. Triplets are riskier. At some point, I'll likely put you on bedrest. We want to keep the babies incubating as long as possible. It is common to go into preterm labor with triplets and need surgery. I don't want you to be afraid, but I want you to know all the risks with this. Hypertension is also another issue that we may have to battle. Your blood pressure was elevated today, but I surmise that you are an anxious person. Do you take medication for the anxiety?"

"No. I… don't like taking medicine." Bella admitted.

Mathias nodded. "Okay. Do you take anything else? Vitamins?"

"Oh, yes, a multivitamin. I'm anemic."

Mathias wrote that down. "We'll do a blood panel. I'll want to make sure we keep your anemia under control. It's very important for you and the babies." He explained. "We also do genetic panels. We can do some blood tests around week 8 or 9 and we can check for common genetic diseases. It's not a requirement for that one. It's just something we offer."

Bella looked at Paul. "I mean, we should know right? If something was wrong?"

Paul swallowed. "Whatever you think is best for Bella and the babies, whatever she wants."

Mathias nodded. "If any of you have a history of certain genetic diseases, as in if it runs in your family at some point, we can check for that. We can also ascertain gender to a certain degree. There are three, so we'll be testing for male DNA present. If there's none, then no boys are present. It there is some male DNA, then we can be certain that at least one of the babies is male." He explained.

Bella nodded. "Okay. That sounds interesting."

Mathias smiled again. "So, I want you to take it easy. Try not to stress out too much. I'm prescribing a prenatal and then when I get your blood panel back after today, then I will prescribe iron tablets separately. If you get sick, like you came in queasy today, lemon drops can help, but if its unbearable, I can prescribe a medication that will help alleviate that." He explained.

Bella nodded. "Okay and the folder. It'll have everything in it that I can and can't do?"

"Yes, including a list of medications you can take while pregnant as well for like allergies and coughing, flu that sort of thing." He said and handed her the folder. "Everything looks good though. Jason got some great images. Blood flow looks good and position so far looks good. We're going to monitor you closely though and be a team throughout the process. If there's something you're not comfortable with, don't hesitate to say something. You as well Mr. Lahote. If you feel uncomfortable at any time, please voice it. We want you both comfortable."

"Wow. That's… that's really great. Thank you." Paul said with a nod.

"Not a problem guys." Mathias said. "You're all set. Jasmine is going to draw some blood real quick, then you can go ahead and go by the pharmacy you had listed on your papers to pick up that prenatal. Congrats you two." He said and winked before leaving, right when Jasmine was coming in.

Jasmine smiled at Bella. "Congrats guys. That's really special." She said and then had Bella extend her arm for her while she drew her blood. It didn't take long. "All done. You guys have a great day, Mathias already had you checked out." She said and left with the tubes of blood.

Paul stood and then helped Bella to her feet. He grabbed her hand, lacing his fingers with hers as they walked out of the clinic and went out to her truck. He opened her door and she got in. His phone beeped again and he sighed as he slid into the driver's seat. "I'm likely in trouble. I haven't even checked in with Sam."

Bella frowned. "You can't do that. Call him." She said as she fastened her seatbelt.

Paul pulled his phone from his pocket and scrolled through the messages. They were from Sam asking where he was, why he wasn't responding and where Bella was. Colin was still at school, so they had time to get home before he got home. He dialed Sam though and put the phone up to his ear as he started Bella's truck to get the heat going for her.

"You haven't answered me all day. Are you okay? Is Bella okay?"

"Relax Sam. We're fine. I brought Bella to the walk-in clinic. She wasn't feeling well. I'm sorry I didn't think to message you. She just… became priority."

Sam was quiet a moment. "Okay. Good. How is she? She was sick?"

"Sort of." Paul said and looked at Bella. She nodded to him and he nodded back. "We just found out Bella is pregnant, Sam."

Silence filled the air between them. "I'll meet you at her house." Sam said and hung up.

Paul sighed and slid his phone back in his pocket. "Let's get your vitamin and get you home." He said with a smile then leaned over and kissed her before driving away from the clinic.