A/N: Sorry so much for the delay...I could give you a spiel about life getting in the way or something just taking up all of my time, but truthfully, I wasn't inspired to write. Hopefully, I am out of that funk now and will post semi-regularly. Hope I haven't lost too many readers and if you are still around, thanks, I really appreciate it!

Chapter 11

I should have known the greeting was only the tip of the iceberg.

"So, you didn't run off huh?" Renee asked me, staring at me hard. "You too afraid of my girl? She threaten to ruin you or something?" Before I could answer, Renee's face lit up and she started talking again. "Oh, I got it! You're her meal ticket and getting knocked up was the easiest way for her to sponge off you. Good job girly!" Renee turned to find Bella, giving her a smile. I glanced over to find Bella grimacing back at her mother, then turning to refocus her attention on whatever Jacob needed to tell her. Before she was looking at him again, I caught her eye and raised my eyebrows in question. The moment she wanted to go, I was ready to get her out of there.

"Can't say I blame her, your parents are pretty loaded, aren't they? Town doctor and the pretty wife, two perfect kids, who wouldn't want to be part of the perfect family?" Renee laughed at her own joke, I was guessing she found it a joke and took drink from the tumbler she had in her hand. The cup was opaque but I could guess that Renee subscribed to the 'It's 5 o'clock somewhere' mentality and was celebrating the evening with those in Europe.

"Mrs Swan," I began and Renee cut me off quick.

"I am not Mrs Swan, just call me Renee or Grammy. I think I want the brat to call me Grammy," she announced. I nodded, silently telling myself that my baby would be seeing 'Grammy' as little as possible if I had anything to say about it. I glanced over at Bella again and still Jacob was talking to her. I could tell she had said very little and whatever he was saying was starting to wear her down. Her entire body was slumping against the wall, holding her up for whatever he was throwing at her.

I looked around the room, wondering if Charlie might step in, save us from the two overwhelming personalities in the room but he was missing. Hiding, I imagined. I envied and hated him equally at that moment. He got to escape but left us to fend for ourselves.

"So Edward, what are your plans for my daughter? You gonna marry her or just pay child support?" Renee penetrated my thoughts, making me focus on her once again.

"We haven't decided anything yet," I told her.

"Is my girl not good enough for you to marry? Don't want to sully the family line anymore than necessary?" Renee asked with a sneer. Whatever she was drinking was kicking in, making her get louder and ruder, though I hadn't really thought that was possible. Apparently, I was wrong.

"I will do whatever Bella wants," I explained. "If that happens to be marriage, I'll be fine with that."

"What? Bella, you're marrying him? What the hell? I just spent all this time trying to win you back and you're marrying him?" Jacob yelled, pointing to me while still looking at Bella.

"Who said? What? Edward?" Bella asked confused.

"He did, he just told your mom that he was marrying you," Jacob told her, turning this time to give me a death stare. He was intimidating, no doubt about that. He was muscular and built, two things I was not. He also had a bad reputation, a bad temper and rumors of having put someone in the hospital after a fight. I did not want to be on his radar.

"I did not," I said quickly, trying to get Bella to understand.

"Yes you did, you said you'd marry Bella," Renee chimed in gleefully. It was obvious she wanted to incite a fight between Jacob and I. Jacob growled and took a step toward me, his hands forming fists.

"Bella is mine, asshole, even if she was stupid enough to let you fuck her," Jacob told me. He took another step but before he could get closer, Bella moved to stand in front of him and that made him stop.

"That's enough Jake!" She told him. "I am not yours, how many times do I have to tell you that?"

"Bella, baby, I love you." His voice changed to a pleading tone and from the way Bella's shoulders slumped again, it was obviously a tone she had been listening to for a while. "I just want it to be you and me. We don't need him, just let him keep the baby and-," Jacob's whining was cut short by a cracking sound. Bella was shaking her hand and a red bloom was spreading across Jacob's cheek where she had smacked him. She spun around to look at me and I could see the tears in her eyes.

"Can we go now? Please?" She asked me. I jumped up from the couch and nodded. Bella nodded back and I ran to the front door, opening it right before she reached it. Bella could move when motivated.

"Bella, wait," Jacob called out, following her toward the door. I moved to exit, blocking his path and he shoved me to the side. "Move asshole," he said. I grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back, making him spin toward me. I guess the momentum did it, or maybe he was just pissed off, I'm not really sure, but his fist made contact with my cheekbone, knocking my glasses off and pushing my nose to the side with a sickening crunch. Blood gushed from my nose and I grabbed the bottom of my shirt to hold against it, trying to stop the flow.

"Thata boy Jake, fight for your girl," Renee cheered from her seat in the living room.

"That's enough!" Charlie yelled, rushing from the side of the house to stand between Jacob and I. I heard another crunch and knew my glasses had been stepped on when Charlie came to intervene. "Edward, get Bella out of here. Jake, get in the house, calm down and hope that the Cullens don't press charges." Charlie grabbed Jake by the upper arm and shoved him back into the house. Charlie looked over his shoulder at where Bella was standing by my car and gave her a small sad smile. "Sorry honey, I'm so sorry." He walked into the house, closing the door behind him, leaving Bella and I alone outside.

"Can we just go?" Bella snapped at me, turning and walking the rest of the distance to the car.

"Sure, why the fuck not?" I muttered. I bent down and retrieved what was left of my glasses, putting them into my pocket. I followed the fuzzy shapes in front of me where Bella was standing and I stopped when I was next to her. She turned to look at me and I shoved the keys in her hand. "You have to drive, I can't see."

Bella finally took a look at me and gasped. "Edward? Are you okay? We should take you to the hospital," she said.

I shook my head. "No, just home. Nothing Dad can't do for me at the ER that he can't do from home."

She frowned, at least I think it was a frown and nodded. "Okay, get in." She unlocked the car, we both climbed in and quickly left the Swan house. When we arrived home, Bella halted my exit from the car and I turned to look at her. Since we were closer now, I could almost see her clearly, but there were still fuzzy parts.

"Edward, I want to-," she started and I cut her off.

"Not now," I told her. I climbed out of the car and walked into the house, where I could get fixed up before I listened to Bella's apologies. At the moment, I wasn't sure I believed them and I knew I needed a clear head before I said to her everything I wanted to after that fiasco at her father's house.

"What in the world? Carlisle, get in here!" Mom shouted when I walked in the door. "Edward, honey? Are you okay? What happened?"

"I was in the wrong place at the wrong time," I muttered, making my way to one of the kitchen stools.

"Bro, you look like you found the wrong end of a fist," Emmett said with the shake of his head.

"I did," I told him. Mom brought over a kitchen towel, wet from the sink and started to clean the blood off my face. I saw Dad rush in, then rush back out, only to return a few moments later with the first aid kit. Mom stepped aside and Dad was in my face, frowning and looking me over.

"I need to reset your nose before I do anything else. It's going to hurt," he explained. "Emmett, come over here and hold Edward's shoulders. I don't want him to move."

I closed my eyes and felt Em's hand squeeze my shoulders tight. "One...two...three," Dad said and then I heard another crunch and my face filled with pain again. I felt my jerk in response, but I barely moved, thanks to Emmett. He released me after that, patting me on the shoulder before moving away. Dad then started poking and prodding my face, looking for more broken bones.

"Esme, get an ice pack," he called out. Tape was placed across the bridge of my nose and then another towel was all I could see, this one cool and resting against my cheekbone.

"Swallow these," he said and I took the pills offered, along with the water to wash them down. I knew better than to question what Dad was doing. If I had wanted an explanation, he would have told me, like he did when he was patching up Em. Since I was squeamish, silence was better. A few more minutes, and Dad stepped away, wiping his hands onto a towel.

"You are going to bruise and your face will swell, but otherwise, you should be okay in a couple of days. If you are in pain, take something for it. Wear your glasses, not your contacts, especially with the swelling," Dad advised and I held up my ruined pair for him to see. He sighed and I saw his shoulders slump. "Do you have a spare pair?" I shook my head and he sighed. "Your mother or I will run you into Port Angeles tomorrow for a new pair. Obviously you can't drive."

"I'll take him," Bella offered, her voice coming from behind me. I turned toward the sound and saw the fuzzy outline of her in the doorway leading to the living room. "It's my fault this all happened in the first place, it's the least I can do."

I didn't say anything. I was still sorting out my feelings. I knew it wasn't Bella's fault I got punched, that was all on Jacob's shoulders, but she knew what we were getting into when we went to her father's house. She didn't tell me prior to getting there, didn't give me the option to not go, though I would have gone to support her regardless, but still, she knowingly put us in that position without telling me. It wasn't making me feel charitable toward her at the moment.

"Fine, I think I want to lay down now," I announced and slid off the stool. I slowly made my way through the kitchen, grateful that I could maneuver based on memory and not really on sight. As I approached Bella, I could see her stand up and wait for me. When I reached her, she stopped me with a hand on my arm.

"Can we talk?" She asked, her voice soft.

"Not right now, maybe later," I replied, continuing on my journey toward the stairs and ultimately my bedroom.

"Edward, I just want to-," she started. I could hear her following me.

"Bella, I just need to lay down right now," I told her.

I started up the steps and I could hear her footsteps echoing mine on the wood tread. When I reached my bedroom door, she tried again.

"Edward, please, I need to-," she pleaded.

"Bella, look, right now is not a good time. My head is pounding and so is my nose, I'm a little dizzy from walking around not being able to see and you aren't high on my list of favorite people right now. Just give me some space and we will talk later." My voice was firm, and while I didn't get loud, I knew from her response that she finally got it.

"Okay, I'm just really sorry," she whispered. I saw her blurry image move across the hall and go into her room, allowing me to finally go into mine. I closed the door behind myself, stripped out of my blood-covered clothes and crawled into bed. I needed to close my eyes and get rid of the headache right now. I would deal with everything else later.