Chapter Two: Into The Night

Bella woke with a start as Charlie banged against her bedroom door. She could instantly tell that he was angry without even hearing his yells. He screamed through the door that she was lucky he had to work early and that he would deal with her later. She waited until she heard his cruiser pulled out of the driveway before venturing downstairs to look at the previous night's destruction.

Charlie had broken his plate and cup in the sink leaving shards of glass on the counter and floor. His beer cans were scattered around the living room and kitchen along with ashes from the ashtray and old butts littering the floor. He must have gotten up earlier than usual to recreate the mess she had already cleaned up.

He left a note on the counter telling her each task she was to complete before he arrived home with specific instructions to turn away any visitors. It didn't take long to pick up the mess and Bella had dinner in the oven before the clock struck one. She decided on a slow cook pot roast dinner, hoping to appease Charlie and his temper. To top it off she started on his favorite dessert, German chocolate cake with a rich pecan frosting.

As she sat down she called her mom and quickly reassured her that she was fine and showed her irritation toward her telling Charlie about the baby. With her mother's apologies and promises to visit Forks soon, Bella told her that she loved her and hung up the phone. After the call she started crying, wishing that she could leave Charlie and go back to her mom and Phil's.

Finally, she couldn't put off the dreaded phone call any longer. She dialed Paul's phone number and let it ring four times before hanging up. She didn't want to leave him a voicemail and play phone tag for an unknown amount of time. She tossed her phone on the couch and added more finishing touches to Charlie's dinner.

An hour later she heard her ringtone go off and was able to blindly answer it on the last tone. "Hello." She muttered into the receiver, hoping that it wasn't Charlie calling to check in on her.

"Hey Bells, its Paul." Her breath caught in her throat as she heard his rough voice on the other end. "I wanted to talk to you more last night but I'm assuming Charlie kept you busy." He always tried to play off her father's abuse lightly, not wanting to force her into admission.

She took a couple of breaths before answering, "yeah he wasn't too happy that you and Jacob were over. Not to mention I didn't get up to make breakfast this morning."

Paul was the only person that understood her predicament with Charlie, having grown in an abusive household himself. "Listen, about that. I was really thinking about what Jacob said in the kitchen." He stayed silent for a moment, letting her remember the conversation. "Look I don't know what you want to do but-"

"Stop." She cut him off. "I don't want to mess anything up between us. There's a lot going on in my life that I'm sure you don't want to deal with." She cleared her throat and wiped the tears running down her cheeks away.

"Bella, Charlie called me last night. He was really drunk so I didn't understand most of the things he said but one thing he did say is…" he paused again making Bella's heart thud in her throat. "Are… are you pregnant?" He asked; his sentence rushed.

She didn't know how to answer his question. The sudden realization of hearing the words come through his mouth shocked her. "I- I don't… How… How did…" She let her voice trail off, stunned beyond coherent sentences. She took a few more breaths and thought about what to say. "Can we talk… in person?" She finally asked.

Paul agreed and said he'd be there within the hour. Bella changed into a pair of comfy sweats and a hoodie. She wasn't prepared for the upcoming conversation, knowing that he wouldn't want to be anywhere near her.

He was true to his word and arrived shortly before three. His old truck rattled as he pulled in and the door left a resounding clang when it shut. He let himself in and found Bella sitting in the couch, watching one of the many news programs on TV. She looked up at him as he walked in and sat in Charlie's chair.

They sat in an awkward silence for a few moments before Paul moved to the edge of the chair and placed a hand on her leg. "Bella, you can't hide from me." He whispered; voice soft and rough at the same time.

She could hear the desperation for an answer in the way he talked. "Paul," her voice cracked as she moved away from him and curled her feet underneath her. "I found out when I was at my moms." She confirmed for him, her body shaking uncontrollably. "I fainted at a pool and when I was in the emergency room the doctor told me about it."

The force that Paul used to eject himself from the chair was astounding. Bella had never seen anyone get up and walk away as quickly as he did. Her face turned red as she realized that her suspicions were true. The actual confirmation was more heartbreaking than just thinking about what he would do. The last thing she expected was for him to walk away. She watched his truck pull out of the driveway before setting Charlie's dinner plate and drink up.

xXxXxXx

Charlie was solemn as he ate his dinner. He kept his anger at bay and told her through gritted teeth that if she forgot or neglected any of her duties again, she would get a worse punishment than on her second night home. Without saying anything further he finished his dinner and retired to his den to watch the game.

Bella was in shock at how calm Charlie was and didn't know what to do with the politeness he emitted. She cleaned the kitchen and made him a lunch of leftovers to take with him on his group fishing trip. She packed extra for Billy and Harry before turning out the lights and taking her own dinner to her room.

She booted up her computer and checked her email while eating. There were a few updates from her mom and a couple of spam letters for social networking websites. After she finished eating she checked her phone and found that she missed calls and texts from both Paul and Jacob. It had been hard enough talking to Paul in person and seeing him leave without having to read his text messages or listen to his voicemails.

Jacob had called to remind her that Charlie was going fishing the next day and that the men were going to rent a room at the local hunting lodge to spend the weekend up there. He ended by asking if she wanted to spend time on the reservation. She sent him a quick text agreeing to hang out with him after she finished her chores.

Paul's messages had a different tone to them. The first few were angry that she had kept something from him and the last ones apologized for his actions. He also asked to see her that weekend and talk more about the current situation.

Bella started shaking after reading the texts and decided to delete them all. She didn't want the reminder that she had failed in the biggest possible way. She had to fall asleep before her mind went haywire and brought up every devastating event that she could remember. It was hard enough dealing with Charlie and his constant demands on a daily basis. Adding everything else in almost made her fall off the edge.

xXxXxXx

Bella woke early and had Charlie's breakfast ready before he woke up. He grunted a rare "thanks" before heading out the door on his fishing trip. She tidied the house and took a quick nap in the living room before Jacob was supposed to head over to pick her up.

He started her when the door opened as she was sleeping. It took her a few moments to calm down after playfully smacking his arm and chastising him for walking in without knocking. "Jacob you can't just walk in on someone like that." She handed him a glass of water and munched on a slice of toast.

"I know Bells," he grinned, "I just figured you would be awake instead of sleeping this late." He grabbed her other piece of toast and ate it before she could grab it back. "What do you want to do today?" He asked as he washed the toast down with water.

"I just want to relax for a little while. Charlie's out of the house for the weekend and I rarely get a chance by myself."

Jacob nodded in understanding and told her his own plans for the day. "I planned on going to First Beach to play some ball with the guys. I figured you might want to join and get a little bit of the sunshine." He picked her up without waiting for an answer and put her in the passenger seat of his dad's truck.

Before she knew it, they were on their way to the reservation. As each mile passed beneath him, Bella could feel her stomach twisting tighter and tighter. She fretted over the thought of Paul being at the beach with Jacob and his other friends. She wasn't sure if she was ready to see him again after he left so quickly. They listened to the radio on the drive and Bella stared out the window at the ever changing forest surrounding Forks and the reservation.

"Who's going to be there?" She asked nonchalantly. She wasn't trying to hide her curiosity but she didn't want Jacob to know what she was specifically hinting at.

"Just the usual guys. Paul, Embry, and Quil agreed to meet up for a quick game. Jared started hanging around Sam and his group of misfits so he hasn't been around lately." His voice got quiet. He had told her about Sam Uley and his group of misguided youths. He talked about them with a great amount of disdain, almost regret.

"I'm sure Jared will come back to play ball games with you and the guys." She reassured him, patting his shoulder. "What am I supposed to do while you guys have your time?" She asked as they neared the familiar pebbled parking lot to the beach.

"Well you can watch." He answered as if it was the most obvious statement in the world. "I mean, we do need a cheerleader." He laughed as he parked the old truck in the sand. "It's not like we do anything but throw a ball around and fall down a lot."

They walked down the path laughing together. Bella had never felt as carefree as she did in that moment. It was as if she had no troubles with Charlie or in general. The dreadful feeling in her stomach returned full blast when Bella overheard Paul joking with one of the other guys. Jacob all but dragged her the last few feet before she decided on a spot to sit down and watch their game. The weather wasn't perfect but it was better than the constant wind and rain. "Have fun." She told him, her eyes trying not to stray toward Paul.

xXxXxXx

Their game lasted well over an hour with Quil and Jacob's team winning by a point. The boys agreed to meet up later for dinner at Sue's diner and went their separate ways. Quil and Embry stalked off toward the woods leaving Paul and Jacob on the beach with Bella. The three sat in an awkward silence broken only by the sound of sand sifting through Bella's hands.

Jacob was the first to break the silence by telling them that he was going to take a quick swim in the ocean. Bella never understood how they could stand the cold water but never told them to quit swimming. She dreaded being left alone with Paul since he left her house in a rush.

"Look if you don't want to be around me, fine. Just don't expect me to be around after your choice." She told him quickly. "I don't care what happens but I'm not going to be treated like that." She was nearly crying and wanted to curl up in her bed before anything else happened.

Paul sat quietly beside her, thinking. She always knew when the wheels were turning in his head. "I didn't even know you were seeing someone else."

At that point, Bella's jaw dropped. She couldn't come up with any sort of response to what he'd claimed. Thankfully Jacob spared her an embarrassing scene by walking up and saying it was time for dinner. Bella's stomach rumbled sealing the deal as the three headed toward the diner.

The boys talked about everything under the sun as Bella picked at her hamburger and fries, contemplating what Paul had told her on the beach. She didn't understand how he got from her being pregnant to her "seeing" another person. She was so lost in thought that she didn't realize the table had gotten quiet and everyone was staring at her. "What?" She asked, picking up a fry and biting it for emphasis.

"Why are you acting so weird?" Quil asked, earning a smack from Jacob and Paul. "Come on, we're all thinking it! Ever since you got back from Phoenix it's like we don't even matter anymore; like you don't want any of us to be around!"

Bella was about to start an argument with him when Jacob started shaking, his fists clenched tightly in a ball. "How dare you!" He yelled at Quil, standing up abruptly. "She has enough to deal with right now without you trying to piss her off!" He slammed his drink on the table and stormed out the door, disappearing into the darkness.

Quil and Embry tried to follow after him but returned moments later saying they didn't see which way he went. The duo decided to check out his house and garage before going home for the evening; leaving Paul alone with Bella once again.

She sat in silence, the anger emitting from Jacob still fresh in her mind. She had never seen him get that angry in her entire life. It was a strange emotion from such a happy person that she was offset by the fact that his temper lost control. "I should go home." She sighed, picking up her jacket and shrugging it on. "By the way…" she paused for emphasis, "the baby is yours."

She stalked out the door and started walking toward Forks. It wouldn't take her too long to walk home though she wasn't looking forward to it. It wasn't the easiest walk to trek, especially at night. She didn't want to get mauled by a wild animal but the thought of having to stay in the diner with Paul fueled her drive to get home.

She knew she left Paul in utter disbelief; the shock on his face had been enough confirmation. She didn't want him around when he finally did blow up about being "trapped" with her for the rest of his life. It was the same thing Renee had said of Charlie when she divorced him.

She made it home a little after midnight, feet sore and legs aching. It was warm in the house, thankfully, and Bella relaxed in the bathtub without worrying about Charlie's temper. She slept comfortable in her bed, the first since leaving Phoenix. She dreaded having to go back to the harrowing routine when Charlie returned from his fishing trip. Without dwelling on the negative thoughts she drifted away peacefully.

A/N: Thank you for continuing onto the next chapter of this fanfiction. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Please leave your comments on the way out.