I apologize for the delay, my internet was down for nearly 2 weeks, and then RL got a bit out of control. Thanks a million for the continued support and reviews, and a special thank you to booklover484 and MeantforMore for all that you've done with this chapter!

No copyright infringement intended.

CHAPTER 35

BPOV ~

It'd been six weeks since Tanya left Liam's things on my doorstep, six weeks since anyone's seen or heard from her—James included. Edward thought about hiring a private investigator to track her down, but after a few lengthy discussions with the family, which yes, did include me, we decided to let her stay in hiding. We really had no desire to have her back in our lives, or Liam's, so we all gladly agreed to let her stay missing. Edward, however, did go down to the police station and file abandonment charges against her, as well as petitioned the court for sole custody of Liam, which they granted him. He also changed his name from Denali to Cullen.

On the way home from our shopping trip Edward decided to make a stop at the apartment he had rented for Tanya. To say I wasn't prepared for that trip would have been a drastic understatement.

{Flashback}

"I agree that we should check it out." I glanced to the backseat, before saying, "But I don't think we should take them. I mean, what if she's there?" I whispered the last part; Masen was like a human sponge these days. He absorbed everything he heard, often repeating it later on.

He looked at me, and then back to the road. "Call mom,"hesuggested.

I pulled out my cell and called Esme. She, of course, agreed to babysit, so after dropping the boys off with her, we headed for Tanya's apartment complex. Edward had a key to her apartment – since he was paying for it – so we went right up. After knocking a good five minutes, Edward placed the key in the lock and opened the door.

He walked in first – cautiously, seeing as the woman was bat crazy – and then I followed.

"What the fuck?!" Edward hissed the moment we entered the living area. I gasped, taking in the room.

There were dirty diapers, dirty clothes, half-eaten boxes of pizza, and rotting fast food bags strewn all over the living room, while dirty bottles and dishes with food still on them covered the kitchen counter. The apartment was disgusting and the smell was astounding.

The girls apparently agreed with my observation of the smell. "I'm gonna be sick!" I exclaimed looking around for the bathroom.

"Right there," Edward answered, pointing to the open door on my left.

I ran for it, emptying the contents of my lunch into the toilet. Once I was done, I stood, taking a good look at the bathroom, and vomited again. There was black nasty shit all over the inside of the toilet bowl, dirty towels and clothes all over the floor, and the sink—don't even get me started on the sink.

I gagged again, turning to walk out of the bathroom.

"There isn't a single clean diaper in this place," Edward hissed when I returned to the living room. "Nor a clean fucking bottle. I've yet to find the formula." I looked at him incredulously, he couldn't possibly be thinking of taking the formula with us. The place needed to be condemned if you asked me, and there was no way in hell anything in there was going back to my place.

"I'm assuming there isn't any," he explained, sensing my confusion.

I nodded, turning to take in everything. "This is bad, Edward. How could she live like this?" It was uninhabitable.

"Fuck if I know!" he hissed grabbing my hand. "But let's get out of here. This shit is giving me the creeps!" I giggled, following him out of the apartment. He couldn't get me out of there fast enough, I'd seen more than enough, and I didn't even look at the bedrooms.

"You should have seen his fucking sheets," Edward growled once we were back on the road. "They were covered in what looked like spit up—and I don't mean, he spit up a little in the night, and she just hadn't gotten to it yet. I don't think they've been changed since she brought him home."

I shuttered in disgust, thanking god for making the vial woman so unstable. Liam would have been a fucking mess if that skank had stuck around. Though I didn't really know her reasons for leaving, I'd say she did one thing right, at least by Liam.

"You can't let her get him back, Edward," I sputtered, wiping the tears off my face.

"Fuck no!" he hissed.

{End flashback}

After what we saw in the apartment, Edward decided to donate all the belongings she left in the driveway. He wanted to throw them in the trash, but I thought they were perfectly acceptable for the millions of people out there who could really use them. I mean, once we cleaned them all up, they were actually pretty nice.

Now I know what you're thinking, if they were still nice, why get rid of them? Well, honestly, because they were hers. Sure, they belonged to Liam, but she picked everything out for him, and I didn't really want any sort of reminder for—well, for any of us. The bitch was out of our lives—at least for the time being.

"Hey, baby," Edward called, walking into the bathroom. "I'm gonna go fill up the Volvo. Liam's sleeping … Masen's gonna go with me."

"Okay," I yelled from the shower. "I'll be ready when you get back."

"Uh-huh," he retorted leaving the bathroom.

"Whatever," I called out behind him, though I knew he couldn't hear me.

"I heard that," he yelled back. "Love ya, baby!"

I giggled. "I love you, too!"

It was Memorial Day weekend, and we were getting ready to join the Cullen's at the family beach house in Ocean Shores. Masen was ecstatic to be spending three whole nights with the Cullen clan, especially McKenzie; those two were like two peas in a pod, and I couldn't have been happier. He needed kids his own age to play with, especially since he wasn't going to daycare anymore.

Boy, that was another fun conversation, but I refused to back down, especially after the stunt he pulled with my checking account.

{Flashback}

"What the hell is this?" I hissed walking in the front door. Edward was sitting on the couch in the living room, watching some show on the T.V., when I walked into the living room.

"What's, what?" he asked, his eyes never leaving the T.V.

"This!" I snapped, shoving the 8 ½ by 11 inch paper into his face. He took it from me, stared at it for a minute, and then turned his attention to me.

"Looks like your bank statement," he answered so matter-of-factly.

"Yeah," I retorted, snatching it back, out of his hand. "Care to explain how I went from less than two hundred dollars in my checking account, to … this?" I stared at him, waiting for him to say something, anything, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he got off the couch and walked into the kitchen. He preferred to avoid any type of confrontation, at least when it was someone against him.

"Edward!" I hissed, following him into the kitchen.

He stared at me, with a stoic expression on his face. "It's fucking money, Bells—"

"I know what it is, Edward!" I screamed. "I mean, why in the hell is it in my account?"

Edward groaned, pulling his hand through his hair. "Can we please not argue about this? I'm trying to take care of—"

I interrupted him again. "That is more money then I make in a freaking year, Edward!"

"You said you wouldn't fight me on this shit anymore!" His frustration was clear, but I was beyond pissed. "In the hospital—"

"I said, 'take care of us', Edward!" I screamed, interjecting once again. "This is—"

"Me taking care of you!" he bellowed. "Please, can we not fight about this?"

I stared at him, the six long weeks he was in a coma flashed before my eyes, reminding me of the many promises I'd made during that time, not only to Edward and myself, but to the man upstairs as well.

"Fine," I conceded. "But no more putting money in my account without my knowledge, got it?"

"Yeah, I got it. You know I wasn't trying to piss you off. And the reason it's so much? The accident was just a reminder that life can change in a matter of minutes, Bella, and I don't want you to ever be in that position again—but I promise, I won't put any more money in your account without discussing it with you first."

I gave him a sad smile, tears streaking my face. "I appreciate everything you've done, or are trying to do, Edward, and I promise not to fight you on it anymore, as long as you keep me informed. No more going behind my back, kay?"

"Okay," he cooed, pulling me into his arms.

{End Flashback}

I hurried out of the shower, determined to be ready when Edward got back. I quickly toweled off then went to pick out my clothes. After slipping on my matching bra and panty set, I pulled on my blue cotton Capri's, and the matching striped tank top. I knew Alice would have a coronary, but I really didn't care. The drive was almost two and a half hours long, and that was without the added stops due to my overactive bladder. Throw in the unexpected things that could happen with the kids, and we could be looking at more like three to three and a half hours. I was definitely dressing for comfort—screw fashion.

I'd just finished pulling my hair into a messy bun when Edward and Masen walked into the bedroom.

"Mommy," Masen exclaimed. "Daddy buy me lots a bug juices." I looked at Edward, who was currently retreating out of the bedroom.

I smiled at Masen. "He did, did he?"

"Uh-huh," Masen responded with a nod, following me out of the bedroom. "He say it's for vdation—what's vdation?"

I laughed, looking down to Masen. "You mean, vacation?"

Masen nodded. "Uh-huh. What's that?"

"Uh—"

"It means, we get to eat lots of junk food," Edward informed, cutting me off. "Stay up really late—do all sorts of fun things." I glared at Edward, as Masen jumped up and down.

"Yah!" he exclaimed. "I stay up late wiff Kenzie!" He was hyped up now thanks to his father.

I shot Edward one last scathing glare, and then went to the dining room table where the over abundant diaper bag sat.

"I hope you're planning on staying up with him," I stated as he headed into the kitchen to water up some bottles. "Because I plan on relaxing this vacation—and that doesn't mean chasing after kids all night long."

Did I mention that Edward went back to work about two weeks after Tanya came up missing?

{Flashback}

"I talked to mom today," Edward announced, climbing into bed.

I laid the book I was reading over my baby bump, and turned to look at him. "Yeah?"

"Yeah …" he hesitated. "Uh, since Doctor Richardson released me to go back to work …" Again with the hesitation. "She's gonna watch Liam until I can find someone to watch him permanently."

I narrowed my eyes, though he couldn't see that because he was looking anywhere but me. "You're mother is going to watch Liam while you work? Is there any particular reason you don't want me watching him—"

"Hey," he cooed, pulling me into his arms. "I didn't know if you'd want to, Bella. I don't want to push you into too much, too quickly."

"You're not pushing me, Edward," I replied honestly. "I know I didn't carry him, but—"

"That has absolutely nothing to do with anything," he interrupted, his voice coming out firm. "I'm willing to bet, you've been more of a mother to him in the past two weeks then she ever was." Edward wiped the tears I didn't even realize I was shedding away. "He'd be lucky to have you as a mother, Bella."

I nodded my acknowledgement, before resting my head against his chest. "I want him here, with me, Edward."

Edward nodded, rubbing soothing circles on my arm. "Mom said you'd say that," he admitted. "She also said she'd take both of them a couple of days a week, to give you bit of a break—"

"I don't need a break—" I started to interrupt, but he quickly cut me off.

"You're four months pregnant with twins," he retorted. "You most certainly do need a break, and I'm sure the farther along you get, the more you'll agree."

I nodded, but didn't say anything. He was right—I just wasn't ready to admit it.

{End Flashback}

Edward came up behind me, wrapping his arms around me. "Hey, a half hour is late for Masen. And yes, you will definitely be relaxing on this vacation." He ran his hands over my large belly. "You'll be like a momma bear in hibernation … only in the summer."

I laughed, shaking my head. "You know that really made no sense, right?"

"Whatever," he retorted letting me go. "You know what I meant." He smacked me on the ass, and loaded the bottles into the diaper bag.

"Masen," I called, trying to grab his attention away from whatever video game he was playing. "Did you pack all of your Leapster 2 and DS games?"

"Uh-huh." I could tell he wasn't listening to me, because his eyes never left the game.

"We're leaving," I exclaimed. "Please put your game back in your bag, and put your shoes back on." He didn't listen. "Masen." Still nothing, so I turned to Edward, who was putting the video camera battery back into the case.

Edward glanced at me then turned his attention to Masen. "Masen!" he barked, getting his son's attention immediately. "Your mother asked you to put your shoes on, so put your shoes on." Masen only seemed to listen to Edward these days, completely ignoring anything I say to him. It was starting to aggravate me, but I couldn't allow myself to stress out over it.

"Fine," he snipped jumping off the couch.

"Watch it," Edward warned watching him put his game back into his travel bag.

I headed for the hallway. "I'll get Liam."

**Author's Note**

Please review :) Next chapter will be fun … for the most part ;)