As usual, much love and thanks to my beta, Browns. I heart you, bb.

Sending get well vibes to MsAmbrosia. Hope you feel better soon!

To Ang, thanks for pre-reading, darling! You're the best! Thanks to Mel for the four-dollar bill idea! :)

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

EPOV

When I woke up, Bella was gone.

I wasn't shocked or disappointed. I had a feeling it was coming, even before I arrived yesterday and told her about Tanya. Bella had told me bluntly that when things got tough, she retreated rather than confronted. That was her first instinct yesterday, and I was a bit surprised she had held out for so long.

I wasn't stupid. I knew asking Bella to be by my side through all of this might've been asking too much of her. Walking away from my mess would probably be the smartest thing she could do, especially with everything she was dealing with in her own life. I had to believe that she wouldn't though, and would return after she got out of work. Her absence from our bed didn't have a permanent feeling to me, and something inside told me she just needed some time to herself to think about everything. Going to work would give her the excuse to do so, without making it look like she was running.

She'll be back.

The clock next to her bed told me it was after eleven. Bella had class at two, but I knew she liked to go in early and make sure everything was prepared. I was surprised that she managed to leave without waking me. Of course, the lateness of the hour of when we finally fell to sleep may have had a little to do with my inability to have heard her.

We'd finally gone to bed around four a.m., having spent most of the night talking and trying to figure out where to go from here. Tanya's pregnancy was a complication that we hadn't counted on in our - still very new - relationship, and it'd become clear over the course of our conversation that we were both scared that it would cause the other to walk away. Although I had no intention of ever leaving Bella, only time would be enough to reassure her that I was in this forever. The same went for me; only time and her actions would prove to me that she wasn't going to leave.

We both made a lot of promises last night.

Promises that Tanya's pregnancy wouldn't destroy us.

That we'd get through this together.

That no matter what, I would be there for my child - if it was my child.

That we'd work through this and it would make us stronger.

They were promises made with the best of intentions; promises I could only hope that we'd be able to keep.

It wasn't that I thought we couldn't, but I knew the promises you make, could also be the promises you break.

Rubbing my hands over my face, I climbed out of bed. After a pit stop in the bathroom to take care of necessities and brush my teeth, I opened Bella's bedroom door to go see if there was any coffee, and try to come up with a game plan of what to do today. I had the day off, luckily, as I planned to help Alice at the store all day. I should also probably talk to Tanya at some point, although it was the last thing I wanted to do.

As I opened the door, I found Alice pacing back and forth in front of it, muttering to herself.

"Ali, what are you doing?" I asked quietly, trying not to startle her.

Her head snapped up and she looked at me wide-eyed. "Oh, thank God you decided to get up. I was going crazy out here waiting for you!"

I gave a small shrug. "Sorry, it was a late night."

Alice followed me up the hallway and into the kitchen where I opened the cabinet to get a mug for the coffee sitting in the pot on the counter. She watched my movements silently, and I could tell she was waiting for me to say something. I didn't volunteer any information.

Once I had prepared my coffee the way I wanted it, I turned to face my sister. She was facing me, arms crossed, looking like the little spitfire from hell.

I knew this was about to be the first of many uncomfortable conversations I'd have to have in my near future.

"Good morning," I said, giving her my signature crooked grin and hoping it would be enough to melt some of the anger I could feel coming off of her in waves.

"What the hell is going on?" Alice's face was bright red and I didn't remember ever seeing her quite so mad before. "Can you explain to me what happened last night? And why my best friend was in our kitchen crying at eight o'clock in the morning beforetelling me she'd see me later and that she had to go to work? What the hell, Edward?"

I sat down on one of the bar stools at the counter, as Alice watched me, her face going from angry to wary. "It's bad, isn't it?" she asked.

"It's definitely not good."

"Just tell me."

"Tanya's pregnant and she says it's mine."

"She's a fucking liar." There was no hesitation from Alice. Her words were vehemently strong, and filled with conviction.

"I'm inclined to agree, except that she just...I don't know, Ali. She might be telling the truth."

"How is this possible? You've been with Bella for the last month and it's been over with Tanya even longer, if you're to be believed...Jesus, Edward, if you fucking cheated on Bella, I swear to all that is holy I will -"

"Fuck no, I didn't cheat on her! Tanya claims she got pregnant around Thanksgiving, when we were still together."

Alice gaped at me. "It's mid-fucking-February now, what the hell has she been waiting to tell you for? She should've known well before you broke up with her skank ass."

"Irregular periods or some shit...I don't fucking know. I was a little too stunned to be asking the right questions. I tried to think while she was telling me, but at the time all I could process was the fact that she said she was pregnant and it was mine. Then all I could think about was what this would mean for me and Bella."

Alice held up her hand. "We'll get to you and my best friend in a minute. What else did Tanya say?"

I went through the entire conversation I'd had with Tanya, everything she said, how she looked, even her tone of voice. Alice's eyes narrowed further the longer I spoke, but she stayed silent until I was done.

"She's a lying bitch. She's making this up; I hope you know that. I hope you're not buying her shit. She's just trying to break you and Bella up and hoping you'll go back to her." Alice's tone was cold and harsh as she paced the kitchen floor in front of me.

I shrugged. "It's not that I'm buying it, but she just seemed so different yesterday when she was telling me. I would've expected her to be gloating if her plan was to break Bella and me up, but she wasn't. She honestly looked devastated by the news and like the last place she wanted to be was telling me."

Alice shook her head. "Edward, the woman is a manipulative bitch if what I've gathered from you and Emmett is correct. She's going to play it that way because she knows it's the only way she's going to get you to listen to her and actually consider taking her word for this. What doctor do you know would be stupid enough to miss her birth control pills and then fail to mention it to the person she's having sex with, unless she's doing something shady?"

"Mistakes happen, Ali. You can't tell me you've never forgotten something -"

"I've forgotten to water my plants or return a phone call. I've never 'forgotten...'" Alice used air quotes to drive her point home... "to take my birth control pills." I cringed at the thought of my baby sister and her sex life. She rolled her eyes, but ignored me. "In fact, most women I know have it so engrained in their schedule that they do it automatically. I find it hard to believe Tanya just 'forgot.'"

"Ali, all I know is what she told me. Do I think you're right? Absolutely. But I know nothing about women and birth control pills, so what the fuck do I know? Maybe she did forget, maybe she didn't. Either way, she's knocked up and pointing the finger at me as being the father."

"Didn't you wrap your dick up before you -"

I cut her off, really not wanting to have this conversation with my sister. "Jesus, Alice, yes! But they're not one-hundred percent effective. I don't want to believe Tanya. I don't. I know she's manipulative and she promised to rain a shit storm of fuck over my head for breaking up with her. But this...this is beyond being a bitch to me. This is fucking with her life in the process. And while I have no problem thinking she'd go far enough to fuck with me, I know Tanya well enough to know she has a huge problem inconveniencing herself. Plus, she was pregnant at least a few weeks before we broke up. I don't see how - or why - she would do this if she thought it would be a way to hold on to me."

Alice raised an eyebrow. "Ever heard of women's intuition, Edward? She may have seen your break-up coming from a mile away, and made sure to get knocked up so she could get her claws into you permanently." Rolling her eyes, she scoffed, "I can't believe you're buying into her lies."

I shook my head. "And I can't prove that they are lies, Ali. I can't prove that she's lying, and I can't prove that she's being truthful. All I have to go on right now is that she's pregnant and that she says it's mine. And until the baby is born, there's no way to know for certain."

"Can't you make her get a paternity test or something? I know there's got to be a way to do it before the baby is born."

I laid my head down on the counter. "Yes, there are tests, but they're risky. Not incredibly risky, but enough so that most doctors won't do them unless they're absolutely necessary. Paternity is not a good enough reason to make a woman go through them. No doctor I know would do it even if Tanya would agree, and she made it perfectly clear that she wouldn't."

"So you have to wait."

"Yup."

"Fucking great." I heard Alice slam a plate down on the counter in front of me. I raised my head to see she had filled it with chocolate chip pancakes. Bella's favorite.

My heart hurt. I missed my girl, but I understood why she had to go. She had stayed last night when I needed her, but I knew she needed time to sort this all out in her head. She gave me her closeness last night when I needed it; I would give her space now.

Alice and I ate silently. After we finished and I got up to take our dishes to the sink, she spoke, letting me know she had been stewing over something while we ate.

"Please tell me that you got tested for STI's before you slept with my best friend." Alice caught the deer-in-the-headlights look from me and stood up, ready to vault over the counter, I was sure, to smack the shit out of me. "Are you a doctor or not? Do you not think of this shit? What the hell is wrong with you?"

I hung my head and remained quiet. I had no answer for her. I did know better. I never should've taken the next step with Bella without getting tested, no matter how safe I thought I'd been. I also knew that Alice would have my balls in a vice if she knew Bella and I had slept together without using any protection. Which included when we had sex in the shower just last night.

I'm not sure what Bella was thinking then, but I had definitely realized we should've grabbed something and been safe. Honestly, though, I hadn't wanted to.

I wanted to get Bella pregnant.

It was juvenile and stupid, but my feeling in that moment was that if anyone should have been having my baby, it should've been Bella.

I didn't care that we'd only been dating a month and had only declared our love just a few days before. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that Bella was the one I wanted to - was supposed to - spend the rest of my life with. I wanted her to be my wife and the mother of my children.

Apparently, I was hell bent on making a bad situation worse, and decided that trying to impregnate her right then would be an excellent idea.

Ever since I'd first met Bella Swan, I had shitty timing. Why should it be any different now?

I finished loading the dishwasher, and turned to face Alice, waiting to see how much more yelling she'd put me through before I could go shower and we could leave. Instead, she was still sitting at the counter, playing with her coffee mug. I considered sneaking by her without saying anything more, but her next words stopped me in my tracks.

"What are you going to tell Mom and Dad?" she asked.

I groaned. "Fuck me."

"That's what got you into this mess." I growled at her, but Alice looked less than contrite. "What? It's true. Do you think you could do me a favor though? Could you wait until Sunday or Monday? The store opens tomorrow and..." Alice trailed off and I knew what she was trying to say without coming out and saying it. She hated being selfish, but in this case, it was warranted and needed. Tomorrow was going to be a huge deal for her and the least I could do was make sure it stayed all about her and not about me.

"Yeah, not a problem. I won't ruin this weekend for you, Ali," I promised.

She gave me a small smile before jumping off the stool and wrapping her arms around me. "No matter what, Edward, we'll all stand behind you. I love you."

I kissed the top of her head. "I love you, too, Baby Sister."

She squeezed me tight before letting go and picking up her mug. "I'm going to go shower. Are we ready to head to the shop when I'm done?"

Alice nodded. "Yeah, Mom and Dad are going to meet us there. Em and Rose are coming later, and Bella said she'd be there when her class is over. Jake and Leah will be here in the morning."

It felt good knowing my whole family would be here this weekend to help Alice. I didn't even mind the fact that Jake was coming. Ever since Bella had cleared up the misunderstanding - the very deliberate misunderstanding - that Emmett had put me through about the two of them, I was quite fine with Jacob Black. Knowing that he was married and madly in love with his wife didn't hurt either.

Alice and I arrived at her store just after noon. To me, the place looked great, totally like Alice. The décor was funky and bright. I knew next to nothing about fashion, so I couldn't tell you about any of the clothes, but the racks seemed well stocked with fun, flirty clothes.

"Okay, Baby Sister, put me to work." And she did.

Not more than an hour later, Mom and Dad arrived with bags from Target, and doling out huge hugs to my sister and me. I was happy to see them, especially in light of Tanya's announcement. I knew I was going to have to tell them. My hope of waiting until after the baby was born and then letting them know if they had a new grandchild was not a viable option. We weren't a family that kept many secrets, especially not big ones. The extra support would be a definite help in getting through this.

I sighed, thinking about the conversation I was going to have to have with Tanya. I knew Alice had her doubts about Tanya's honesty and God knows I didn't want to believe a word that came out of her mouth.

She had mentioned on more than one occasion that her career came first and she never wanted to have children. "They're dirty, disgusting, messy little shits and I'd rather go back to being an intern than to ever consider having one," she had told me one night. We had been out to dinner and someone had brought their baby with them to the restaurant. The child was clearly unhappy, and its cries could be heard across the room. Tanya was annoyed that someone would think of bringing their child out to dinner when they couldn't control them.

Tanya had made it clear that if we were ever going to get married - as if - children would not be a part of our future. If I hadn't already made the decision that we had no future, her statement would've ended it then. I wanted a family and not having children would be a deal breaker for me.

Knowing how she felt about kids, alarm bells were going off in my head that her pregnancy was just a bit too convenient.

At the same time, I knew Tanya. I spent nine months fucking her and picked up on some of her quirks and mannerisms. I knew, without a doubt, one of Tanya's biggest pet peeves was inconvenience. She hated it with a passion. When Tanya had a goal, she let nothing stand in her way and, if something did, watch out. Her job was the most important thing in the world to her, and getting pregnant was going to put a huge damper on her getting where she needed to go in her career. She'd have to go on maternity leave right around the time we would be finishing the last of our residency requirements. This baby would mean she would most likely have to put things on hold for a while, if not indefinitely.

Tanya was also incredibly proud of her body. She never put anything in her mouth without calculating calories and how much time it would take at the gym to burn off any excess ones. Her boobs were large and as fake as a four-dollar bill, thanks to the surgery daddy paid for after her graduation from college. Her make-up and hair were always perfectly flawless. The woman was as vain as the day was long. Ruining her body for a child? Unthinkable.

Her career and her body - two things I could not picture Tanya bargaining with, ever. It was those two things that kept the seed of doubt planted in my mind.

There was also the matter of what she would gain from this. She had to know I wouldn't be coming back to her. Rumors were commonplace at the hospital and I was positive she knew about Bella and myself. Maybe she thought it wasn't that serious since we had been seeing each other for such a short period of time, but at any rate, the pregnancy had been a done deal well before we'd broken up. Maybe she thought it would keep me with her? I suppose, had I not seen Bella again and not gotten the balls to finally end things with Tanya, it might have. There's no way I would ever turn my back on my child, and if Tanya had announced her pregnancy while we were still together, maybe I would have stayed. But it was a huge maybe, and it would have been a gigantic gamble on Tanya's part.

What would she get out of holding on to me though? It wasn't like she was trying to set herself up as a trophy wife for a surgeon - she had a brilliant mind and was a very talented surgeon in her own right. Maybe my family's money would have been an incentive, but I knew her own family was as wealthy, if not more so, than my own.

None of it made any sense.

"Edward, sweetheart, are you okay?" I looked up to find my mother staring at me, a look of concern across her face. She was holding some fabric - a shirt - in her hands and her head was cocked to the side, as if she was trying to figure something out.

"Yeah, Mom, I'm okay." I gave her a smile and hoped it would be enough to convince her that everything was just fine. The truth was I wanted nothing more than to confess everything to her, including my doubts and fears, so she could hold me and tell me everything would be okay.

Sometimes, I really wish I was five-years-old again.

My mother didn't look convinced. "Are you sure? Is everything okay with you and Bella?"

My parents had taken the news of Bella and I getting together with overjoyed reactions. When I called to tell them that we were seeing each other, my mother had screeched so loud that I was sure I could hear her in Seattle, and not just because I had her on the phone. My father shouted, "Finally!" from somewhere in the background and I began to wonder if I hadn't been as slick as I thought in hiding my attraction for her all these years. It would also explain why Emmett was so quick to pick up on my discomfort the night they had brought Bella into the hospital.

At any rate, my father and mother were thrilled that Bella and I were dating. Charlie, on the other hand, seemed to be withholding judgment.

It wasn't that he disapproved - I didn't think - but he seemed to be reserved in his feelings toward my relationship with his daughter. Bella explained that he watched her ex-boyfriend hurt her at a time in her life when it was the last thing she needed, and he'd be cautious toward anyone she became involved with. He'd also been there the night of the disastrous run-in with Tanya at the restaurant. Charlie might not say much, but the man was a trained observer, so he picked up on much more than the average person would. He explained to Bella that he wasn't thrilled with the fact that I seemed to be starting something with her before breaking things off with Tanya. He was completely right and I had no problem with working hard to convince him that I loved his daughter and would treat her with the utmost respect.

Of course, now that my ex has showed up claiming to be pregnant with my child, well, that might put a kibosh on any friendly feelings the man might ever have toward me.

I would worry about Charlie later. I had to get through this weekend first, make sure Bella was still okay with standing by me - because, really, who could blame her if she left me? - break the news to my parents, and talk to Tanya about what we were going to do.

"Bella and I are fine, Mom. Everything is...fine." I hated lying to her, but I promised Alice and there was no way I was going to break it.

My mother looked like she didn't believe a word that was coming out of my mouth, but thankfully, chose to let it go. "How was your weekend away? I haven't talked to you or Bella since you've been back."

A real, honest-to-goodness smile crossed my face. "It was amazing. The resort was beautiful and it was wonderful to get away from everything for a little while."

My mother beamed. "I'm so glad, sweetheart. It's nice to get a break from reality every once and awhile." Her smile faded and a pensive look crossed her face. "Bella's truly okay, right, Edward? She's handling everything well?"

I know I must have looked confused. "What do you mean, Mom? Bella's fine. She's...perfect." And she was. She was entirely too good for me and I knew it.

"Has she spoken any more about the accident or how she's dealing with it?"

I could only stare at my mother. "She honestly hasn't said much about it, if you want the truth. There were some...issues...with her feeling anxious about some scars she still had and she was worried about my reaction to them, but other than that..." I trailed off, really thinking about the question. "I know something is bothering her from time to time, but I try not to push her on it. I know she'll talk to me when she's ready."

"So the nightmares stopped?" Esme put the shirt she was holding down on a shelf and gave me a look I couldn't interpret.

"Nightmares? I don't know what you mean." And I didn't. Every night that I had spent with Bella there hadn't been any nightmares that I knew of.

"Edward..." My mother trailed off at the look on my face. "You really don't know."

I shook my head. "Know what? What are you talking about?"

Sighing, she took my hand and led me over to where there were a couple of chairs by the dressing rooms Alice had set up in the back of the shop. She and Dad were busy arguing over the placement of a painting she was having him hang on the wall and they weren't paying any attention to us.

We sat in the plush, purple chairs and I began to get worried when my mother didn't say anything at first. Finally, she looked at me and gave me a small smile. "Edward, Charlie came over to see your father one day not long after Bella moved back in with him. Charlie was distraught and incredibly upset, and your father wasn't home at the time. I couldn't let him leave like that, so I brought him inside and we talked." Mom took a deep breath and I felt a churning in my gut.

"Charlie told me that Bella had been having nightmares every night since her return to Forks. She was actually having them in the hospital after she came out of the coma, but Charlie thought they'd stopped once she entered rehab. The first night she was home, she kept Charlie awake with her screaming. He was up with her all night, waking her up, comforting her as she cried. She screamed for her mother, for all the pain she was in...Charlie said it was the scariest and saddest thing he'd ever seen."

My mother's eyes filled with tears and I could only imagine how bad it had to have been since it upset her so much and she wasn't even there to witness it, not to mention how Charlie must have felt.

"Charlie said the nightmares tapered off after a few weeks, but the day he came over, Bella had the worst one yet the night before. He was barely able to wake her up from it and when he finally did, he said she just looked at him with no life in her eyes. He said it was like looking at someone who had just died." My mother's breath caught and I could tell she was trying to hold back her tears. My heart was pounding a mile a minute. It took all I had to sit where I was, and not jump up to go find Bella so I could hold her in my arms.

"Charlie was at a loss about what to do for her. She refused counseling and medication, telling him she'd be fine and she was getting better. He came to the house that morning to ask Carlisle to talk to Bella and try to convince her that she needed some help."

I sat back in my chair, stunned. I had no idea things had been so bad for her. I knew that going through what she had couldn't have been easy, but she never spoke of the accident or its aftermath. I never pushed her to do so because she seemed to be doing just fine. I knew she was keeping something from me, but I assumed that it was just her anxiety over our relationship. Things had been moving so quickly between us that I just thought she was trying to come to terms with it.

Now it seemed I might've been completely off base.

My mother was silent as she watched me. "I had no idea, Mom. Not a fucking clue."

She didn't look surprised as she nodded at me and gave me a small smile. "I'm not really surprised, honey. Charlie has been worried about Bella for months...he was hoping she was getting better with this move to Seattle, but he's still concerned. Has she mentioned the accident or anything at all to you?"

I shook my head. "No, not really. Other than telling me her ass of an ex-boyfriend broke up with her not long after she woke up from her coma, she's never mentioned anything about what happened."

My mother's head tilted to the side and I could tell she was pondering something. "Have you ever asked her about anything?"

"No, although now I'm thinking maybe I should've. I could tell she was keeping something from me, but I've been trying to give her space and just prove to her that she could trust me. It feels like we've been together so much longer than we have, and I remind myself of that when I want to question her. I thought giving her space was the right thing to do...but now..."

Mom grabbed my hand and smiled at me. "Honey, there's no wrong or right way to approach this with Bella. I'll be honest, based on the things Charlie has shared with me and with your father...I'm a little worried about her myself. It doesn't seem like she's dealt with what's happened, but then again, maybe she's doing so in her own way. But Charlie seems to think she's just bottling everything up and not coming to terms with anything that's happened. He told us that Bella was always really good at ignoring what she didn't want to deal with, and this would seem to fall in that category. He said she never speaks of Renee or Phil or about what happened. She claims not to recall anything about the accident and doesn't seem at all interested in regaining those memories." My mother sighed and took my hand, giving it a squeeze. "I'm not sure what the right answer is, darling. What I can tell you is that I am thrilled that the two of you found each other after all this time, and if anyone can get Bella to open up, it'll be you."

She stood and I followed, wondering what I should do - if anything - about Bella. "Honey." My mom stopped me before I could take a step away from the chairs. "Just...follow your heart. Everything will be okay, I'm positive."

I hoped she was right, but my mind was racing. It was bad enough that Bella and I had to deal with Tanya's pregnancy so early in our relationship, but now I was worried that there was something deeper and more serious happening with her that I completely missed.

How could I have missed it?

I was so caught up in landing my girl that I had pushed aside the fact that she had survived a near-fatal accident just a few months before. An accident that killed her mother and step-father.

I had no idea what had happened seven months ago because Bella never brought it up. Other than telling me about her anxiety over her scars, and that her fucker of an ex broke up with her during her recovery, she never mentioned it at all.

It was almost as if she was pretending it never happened. She never broke down, she never cried. She had a short temper, but I had no idea if that was something new or if she had always been that way. We had jumped into this relationship with one another without really getting to know each other.

That being said, I had no regrets about doing so. I loved Bella and I knew that she loved me. I knew that she was the woman I was meant to spend the rest of my life with, but after the conversation I just had with my mother, I wondered if maybe we had rushed things a bit too much.

For the first time since we began dating, I wondered if our relationship would survive the Tanya issue and Bella's past.

Three hours later, Emmett and Rosalie arrived, followed soon after by Bella. She looked exhausted, purple shadows under her eyes and absolutely no color in her cheeks. Alice looked at me alarmed when she first saw her, but I gave her a subtle shake of my head to let her know not to say anything.

Everyone hugged her after she walked into the shop, with Emmett giving her such a big hug I was afraid he'd break her ribs. She looked like she was about to burst into tears when my mother wrapped her arms around her, and I was positive I saw a few escape while my father hugged her. Alice's eyes were wide with unease, and even Emmett looked a little confused and worried. My mother gave me a small smile before gathering everyone's attention.

"Alrighty, we've still got a lot to do before Alice opens this place in the morning, so let's get going. Emmett, why don't you help your father move those two displays where Alice wants them, while Rose and I will unpack the panties into the right drawers." She pointed to a small dresser in the back corner near the dressing rooms.

"Ewww, Mom, don't say that word ever again! Gah!" Emmett looked like he was going to puke and I rolled my eyes.

"Emmett, shut it, or I'll use the words moist and panties in my next twelve sentences. Now, get to work!" We all chuckled at the look on Emmett's face, which was a cross between horrified and amused. We all split up at that point, with my father and Emmett already following in Alice's wake as she gave them directions and my mother and Rose moving toward the back. Bella stood in front of me, head bowed, shoulders slumped. Unable to stand it any longer, I gathered her up in my embrace.

"Hey baby. How was your day?" I whispered into her hair. I was relieved when I felt her arms tighten around my waist, letting me know that no matter what, she was still here with me.

"Long. Everyone hates Friday classes because they want the weekend to start as soon as possible. It was torturous, especially since I'm so tired." She snuggled into my chest with her nose before turning and laying her cheek against my heart.

"I'm sorry." It was all I could say. I was sorry for keeping her up so late talking about Tanya and the baby. I was sorry for having to have to talk to her about Tanya and the baby. Most of all, I was sorry that I had been so wrapped up in my own head, I hadn't noticed that she might be suffering with her own stuff in silence.

Boyfriend of the Fucking Year, that's me.

Bella didn't say anything and I was afraid she had fallen asleep as we stood there, but just as I was about to pick her up and tell everyone we'd see them later, she stepped back away from me.

"We'll go to bed early tonight, if that's okay? I just talked to Jake and he said that he and Leah were going to be here early, since Alice opens at ten. He figures she'll have us up at the crack of dawn to get over here and make sure everything is ready. They were going to leave tonight but Leah got stuck working so, yeah." She was rambling, which was a sure sign of her exhaustion.

"Do you want to leave now, go take a nap or something?"

Bella shook her head. "No, let's go see what Ali needs from us."

I wanted to groan, but figured that would be a good way to get my head smacked by Bella or my ass beat by Alice. I followed my girl as she made her way toward my sister, vowing to keep a close eye on her as well as sit down and have an honest conversation with her after this weekend.

Jake was right when he told Bella that Alice would have us all at the store at the crack of dawn. My entire family, Bella, Rose, Jake and Leah, plus the two girls Alice hired to work for her, were at the boutique before seven a.m. Alice was in pure panic-manic mode; screaming at all of us to move, fix, straighten, and clean whatever she deemed not perfect. My mother was nearly as bad; she was determined to make sure her baby's opening went off without a hitch. Dad handled them both so well that the rest of us stood back and stayed quiet. We did what we were asked to, but otherwise let my dad run interference for us.

Just a little over three hours later, Alice opened her doors. She had steady traffic throughout the morning, not overly busy or packed at any one time, but a constant stream of customers. Some people just came to browse and check out the new store, while others actually came to shop. Alice was beaming and she vibrated with excitement. It was contagious. My father was behind the counter, ringing up purchases with one of the girls Alice hired. My mother was making rounds of the shop, helping customers and just offering a pleasant greeting as they walked around. Emmett and Rose had left to go get us all some coffee, and hopefully, something to eat. Jake, Bella and Leah were back by the dressing rooms, laughing and chatting. I left them alone, knowing Bella would probably appreciate the time to catch up with her best friend.

I placed myself in a corner of the store discretely, trying to stay out of the way while I watched everyone. There were more of us here than Alice really needed, but none of us had wanted to miss out on her grand opening. She had worked her ass off to get this place off the ground and we all wanted to celebrate and be here with her for it.

I was happy to see my girl looking well rested and content. There was color in her cheeks today and the shadows had all but disappeared from underneath her eyes. She was currently laughing at something Jake was telling her, while Leah looked on in amusement. I knew the two of them hadn't always gotten along, so it was nice to see them interacting without any discomfort or awkwardness. To me it was yet another sign of how selfless my Bella could be, letting go of her own dislike of Leah for Jake's sake.

Missing her, even though she was only across the store from me, I made my way toward her. She smiled as she spotted me coming, holding out a hand for me to take as I drew closer.

"You guys look like you're having a good time over here," I said, snaking my arm around Bella's waist and pulling her close to me.

"Jake was just filling me in on Charlie's latest fishing story. Apparently, Dad's boat caught a leak and Charlie didn't notice it..." Bella trailed off in a fit of giggles.

I looked at Jake and Leah, hoping one of them would finish the story. Jake did me the favor.

"Charlie's boat started to sink when he stood up to take a leak."

The four of us started cracking up at the imagined image of Fork's Chief of Police peeing off the side of the boat as it started to sink. Talk about getting caught with your pants down.

Suddenly, I felt Bella tense up. I looked down to see what was wrong and saw that her jaw was clenched and her eyes were set in a glare toward the front of the store. Jake and Leah caught the change in her and turned to look over their shoulders just as I raised my head to see what had her so upset.

Tanya.

Oh, hell, motherfucking, no.

I glanced quickly down at Bella, whose breathing had picked up and her face turned a dark shade of red. Jake and Leah looked back at her, confused, but I couldn't focus on them at that moment. My eyes cut over to Alice, who was standing at the cash register talking to my dad. He was watching one of Alice's girls ring someone up and my mother was still flittering around the store and thankfully, hadn't seen Tanya yet.

I left Bella without a word and started toward her, hoping to get her out of the shop before any of my family saw her. I had no doubt she was in here on purpose, but I had no intention of breaking my promise to Alice. I was not going to have Tanya's untimely arrival force me into telling my parents about her pregnancy before I was ready, nor would I allow her to take the focus off Alice today.

Fucking bitch could mess with me, but she wasn't going to use my baby sister to do it.

She had her back to me, so she never saw me coming. Or at least she wouldn't have if my father hadn't called my name in that moment. He had no idea where I was going, but it hadn't escaped his notice that I was striding across the floor at a determined pace. His voice carried a hint of a question and Tanya's head came up at the sound of my name.

She whirled, almost ramming into my chest. "Ed..Edward?"

I had to give it to her, she looked surprised to see me.

"You need to leave, now."

Tanya's eyes widened and she took a step back from me. "Wh..what do you mean? I..."

"Don't play dumb with me, or insult my intelligence. I know you know this is my sister's new store and I know you came here to cause problems. I'm not asking you, I'm telling you - you need to leave here, now. You will not ruin this for her."

She looked at me wide-eyed. If I hadn't known her and her manipulative ways, I'd totally believe that she wandered in here on accident.

"Edward, I swear, I had no idea. I was out shopping for...the baby..." her hand caressed the small bump "...and I saw the grand opening sign. I had no idea this was your sister's place, honestly."

"Whatever, you need to -" I cut off when I noticed her face pale and she bit her lip. She was no longer looking at me, and I noticed her eyes held a bit of...fear?

I got my answer a second later when Bella came up beside me.

"Tanya," she said quietly. "Welcome to New Beginnings." Bella turned to look at me, her face still a bit red, but her breathing was under control. "Edward, it might be best to take this somewhere else." Her eyes cut over to the cash register, where there was a customer standing, being cashed out by one of the employees. Alice and my father were to the right of them, having been joined by my mother, Leah and Jacob. My parents looked confused and it looked like both Jake and Leah were holding Alice back from stomping over here.

She may be my baby sister, but she's a fierce tiger when she's pissed.

I reached up with my left hand to pinch the bridge of my nose, while Bella gripped my right hand in hers. I drew my strength from her, knowing that she was right and I should escort Tanya outside.

"Bella," Tanya began and both our heads turned to her in shock that she was speaking. "I'm so sorry about all this. Please understand that none of this was planned and I -"

I cut her off. "Tanya, enough. Let's go outside."

I squeezed Bella's hand before letting go and moving it to point the way out to Tanya. We had only taken a few steps before I heard my mother's voice.

"Dr. Jackson, what a surprise to see you here." Her eyes were calculating as she came to stand beside us.

My mother was nobody's fool. She knew something was up.

"Uh, yes. I saw the sign saying grand opening so I thought I'd stop in. I had no idea this was your daughter's store." Tanya looked extremely uncomfortable and I began to wonder if I was wrong - maybe this wasn't deliberate move on her part.

"Well, feel free to look..." At that moment, my mother's eyes came to rest on Tanya's hand, which was still resting lightly on her stomach.

My mother's eyes widened, but otherwise her expression did not betray whatever she was thinking. My father, Alice, Leah and Jake walked up at that point, making us an awkward group standing in the middle of my sister's store. I opened my mouth to make an excuse for Tanya to leave, hoping to stave off any more conversation between Tanya and anyone in the vicinity. I could see Jake's eyes narrow as he caught sight of her baby bump before glancing behind me at Bella. They must've had some silent conversation because his eyes landed on me next, flashing in anger.

Fucking wonderful.

Before anything could leave my mouth though, my mother spoke. "It looks like congratulations are in order, Dr. Jackson." She nodded her head at Tanya's stomach.

Whether deliberate or accidentally, Tanya's eyes swept up toward me for just a moment before they dropped to the ground in what looked to be embarrassment.

I could feel the tension radiating off Bella's body behind me as she took in a quick breath. I saw Alice smack her forehead with her palm out of the corner of my eye and Jake roll up on the balls of his feet, hands in his pocket. Leah stood silently by his side.

I only had eyes for my mother and father. I knew the minute they put everything together.

It was my turn for my eyes to drop to the ground.

"Um, I think I'm going to go. It was...nice, seeing you all again." She turned to me and laid her hand on my bicep. I heard Bella hiss behind me. "I'm sorry if I caused any problems being here. I'll...talk to you later?" She asked before dropping her hand at my nod. With that, she turned and left the store.

Leaving behind in her wake a silence filled with confusion, anger, disappointment and hurt.

Fuck. My. Life.

A/N:

Thank you so much for all of your reviews and especially to all of you who have reviewed every chapter.

Thanks again for everything - especially to the person who nominated "After All" in the Hidden Star Awards for "You Cliffy Bitch." Thank you so much!