The Twilight Twenty-Five
thetwilight25 dot com
Prompt:Fabricate
Main Character: Edward
Rating:M
Word Count:444
Unbetaed, so all mistakes are mine.
Stephenie Meyer owns it.
Thank you for reading:)
"Edward Cullen. Don't stand there and fabricate a story about needing to get some fresh air. You're climbing in your window at 3 a.m. Where were you?"
Carlisle's arms were crossed in front of his chest. He was a patient man, but lately Edward's grades had been slipping, and now he was out sneaking around in the middle of the night.
"Edward...are drugs involved? You can talk to me, son. I—ˮ
"No! I'm not on drugs, or selling drugs, or whatever you're thinking, Dad." Edward toed the carpet nervously.
Relieved, Carlisle ran a hand through his hair. "Okay. But I still need to know what you were doing."
Edward sighed. "Dad..."
Carlisle sat on the edge of his son's bed, signaling that he wasn't going anywhere until he got answers.
"You've always been able to talk to me, Edward. You know I'm on your side no matter what. But lately, you're acting different. Something's going on. Let me help."
After a moment, Edward blurted out, "Bella's pregnant."
Confused, Carlisle asked, "Bella? Bella next door?"
"Yes."
Not wanting to believe the obvious, Carlisle said, "Explain, please."
Edward paced, mirroring his father's habit of pushing his hands through his hair when worried. "We—we've been seeing one another for a few weeks. Charlie thinks she's too young...shouldn't be dating...so we haven't really told anyone. I've been going to see her at night."
As the pieces clicked into place, Carlisle's hope that he'd misunderstood slowly drained away. He waited for Edward to finish.
"One night we got...carried away." Edward's face blazed red. "Bella took a pregnancy test. We've been trying to figure out what to do, and tonight she was really upset. That's why I was out. I was with her."
"Okay." Carlisle nodded. "There's a lot to be done. First, Charlie needs to know. Is Bella seeing a doctor? What will the two of you do about school?"
Edward scrubbed his hands over his face, and when he moved them away it was apparent he was close to tears. Carlisle stood, embracing him like he hadn't since Edward was much younger.
"I'm not going to sugarcoat this. This is going to be hard. But your mother and I are always here for you, Edward. And for Bella, too. We'll figure this out."
Later, after Carlisle had left him and Edward was lying in bed, it seemed impossible that in a few months he, too, would be somebody's father. Despite the enormity of the situation, confiding in his father had been a huge relief, and he closed his eyes, feeling a tiny bit better about the long road ahead of him.