AN: SM owns Twilight.

I own this plot and all the crazy changes I make to the characters, their personalities and the circumstances they find themselves in.

Chapter one. A dilemma, a solution.

Bella POV.

At seven a.m. the next morning, while Charlie is still sleeping Carlisle phoned and asked if he could come by to the house and check on Charlie and talk to me.

He rolled up soon after I'd put the phone down, driving his flash, new, gold Mercedes. I welcomed him inside, Dad and I live in a small, two bedroom house, which could use a coat of paint and some maintenance. I had no idea when that would ever happen!

I must look pretty crappy too, after tossing and turning all night long with all the worry. My eyes feel like they are aching, along with my brain. Its no help worrying, I still can't think of a way out of out situation, except for winning the lottery.

"While Charlie is asleep, I'd like to ask how your health is holding up Bella." Carlisle's voice is always so soothing, and calm.

I huff and roll my tired, aching eyes.

"Apart from not sleeping so well and worrying about our situation, my general health is ok, I guess."

"That's understandable, and how is your financial situation? I noticed how anxious you were yesterday; after I told you about Charlie's urgent need for an operation."

I blinked and looked down at my hands. They were all hardened and calloused from the cleaning work I did, my nails were horrible, my skin leathery and rough.

I didn't feel like I was twenty two, that's for sure!

I really didn't want to tell Carlisle any of my problems, but I had no one else to confide in.

I huffed; my eyes met his concerned gaze.

"Let's just say that...it's incredibly stressful having to try and deal with Charlie's deteriorating health and his possible impending death... I can't find enough money to pay for his operation, let alone, his current medical bills and medication, as his insurance refuses to cover it... There's absolutely no money to pay the mortgage, and we're about to lose the house to foreclosure, any time soon... My college career has been put on hold, as the teaching and research positions were all cut at N.W.U... I have big student loans to pay... I just can't see a way out of this financial mess... I can't travel somewhere else, to take any other good positions in my field, due to having to be close to Charlie, to help him as much as I can, while he's so ill. So that leaves me taking on crappy cleaning jobs. And those don't pay enough to even buy food with, let alone cover all of our debts and bills."

I was determined not to cry again, it was getting ridiculous!

''Er, sorry to dump that on you Doc, you did ask!"

Carlisle nodded, looking serious.

"Well Bella, I know this may sound a bit forward of me, I was wondering how you would react, if I told you I may have a way to assist you and Charlie out of all of your financial problems, and make sure Charlie gets the top medical care he needs, including his operation and the hospital stay he will need to properly recover after his surgery."

I look at him as if he's talking Martian to me. It wasn't making any sense at all.

"I might ask if you've been ingesting some mind-altering substances, or if you think it's a joke to get my hopes up, that there's some way out of our problems!"

"Oh, believe me it's no joke, I'm completely serious Bella. I've known you for many years; you've always been a kind, thoughtful girl, with a great personality, a bright mind and you are someone, who is more than unusually responsible and compassionate for your age."

Yeah well...with two parents who weren't so great at being responsible, the burden was always left on my shoulders. I was born old.

I nod. I really had no way of working out what Carlisle meant and why he was being so complimentary.

I wasn't so extraordinary, I was just plain, old Bella Swan.

I needed to sit down, Carlisle was doing my aching head in with his cryptic comments.

"Would you like a coffee? I've just got some freshly brewed, and I need to eat some toast, come and lets' sit down, while you explain where all of this is heading. I'm quite confused about what you are trying to say to me."

Carlisle smiled and we sat down at the tiny dining table in the kitchen, our coffees steaming in front of us.

"You know that Esme and I never had the opportunity to be parents. It wasn't by choice, over the last ten years, we have tried every type of assisted technology, but unfortunately there's been no success. We have now decided, to start seriously looking at all of the alternatives. We were thinking of adoption, but would prefer to have a surrogate arrangement, so that we could use my sperm, and be at least be partially genetically related to any baby that results from the process."

I had heard the rumours around town about the Cullens and why they never had any children. None of the rumours were remotely true, most were cruel, callous and unkind.

"Unfortunately Esme has no fertile eggs, and has recently had to have a hysterectomy, due to painful and untreatable condition called endometriosis. It has been really devastating for her, as you can imagine. So we need an egg donor and a kind woman willing to carry an embryo for us as a surrogagte."

"I'm very sorry doc, I had no idea. I'm sure you'd both make lovely parents. Umm, but why are you telling me this?"

Carlisle went quiet; I could tell he was trying to summon up the courage to tell me something tricky.

"Well, I'd like to propose the idea, that maybe ...the surrogate could be you Bella...you could take some time to seriously think about becoming our surrogate, using your eggs and my sperm, and carrying a baby for Esme and I."

I was shocked.

"I know it's a crazy idea, but just think about it for a minute. We could pay off all of your debts, like the student loans, mortgage, and the medical bills, as well as take excellent care of Charlie. If you are found to be completely healthy and fertile, and agree to do this for us, we'd be forever grateful, and most of all, your immediate financial worries would be over."

"Huh! And Esme would be ok with this...arrangement?" I asked, after I'd gotten my voice back.

Esme was a friendly woman who I'd met a few times over the years. She helped out both the local elementary and high school, doing remedial reading, tutoring and running cake stalls to raise money for the P and A, even though she wasn't a parent herself.

"I've spent a long time talking it over with her, and she knows all about what a great person you are. It would be a way to solve both our problems. We would like to know and trust the woman we choose to be the surrogate, rather than go online, or to an agency and take our chances. Those places wouldn't necessarily be the best for finding us the special kind of woman that we want for our surrogate."

I nodded, it kind of made sense that they would want to know all about the woman that they would trust to be the surrogate. It was a big responsibility, with scary implications. My mind spun with endless possibilities.

"If I agreed, how would I go about doing something like...being a surrogate? I'm not going to have to... err...have a sexual relationship with you, it would be more like... uhh...some sort of artificial insemination, wouldn't it? I'm pretty boring, and would never cheat on Esme with you, even if it was in order to make a baby for you both." I stuttered out. I was as red as a scaled tomato.

On top of the whole sperm and eggs scenario, I had pretty much no actual experience in the sack. For years I'd been working my butt off and studying hard, to accomplish my double degree and keep up my grades.

I was devastated that I wasn't in a position to make my dreams of being an environmental researcher a reality.

The one time I relented and attempted to have sex, it was a horrible disappointment. It turned out to be, a fumbling, embarrassing and mortifyingly, quick episode, with a guy called Eric, who managed to cum in less than five seconds.

Thank God he was using a condom!

I ended up not actually feeling that much, apart from being nauseatingly disgusted with myself, for giving into peer pressure and trying to be like the other girls I knew. Sex was a given, an everyday event, no big thing for most of my college classmates.

It all took place in the gloomy dark of his filthy room, and I'm pretty sure I didn't feel much of anything... because his dick was only about two inches long.

There wasn't any blood or pain, like some girls went on and on about. Iit's even possible I could still technically be a virgin, with a fully intact hymen who knows?

It was Carlisle's turn to be speechless.

Thank god he couldn't read my thoughts! He shook his head.

"No, no nothing like that. Once you get a complete health check, and agree to do this, making sure that you understand everything fully, and know what you are agreeing to do for us. We can monitor your cycle, so that you can avoid taking any extra hormones, and we could place my sperm into your uterus, using a fairly simple, artificial insemination technique, while you are at the peak of your ovulation. I promise that no sex will take place between us. There's nothing embarrassing to worry about, and I'm sure Esme will want to be there the whole time, as she's keen to be involved in this process."

"Oh ok."

Well at least that I could get my head around the technicalities of it all. I had majored in biology after all!

"So if you agree to do this, we will pay you to stay at home and relax, study and live relatively stress free,we will look after all of your health needs, and assist you during the birth and then afterwards, help get you back into good shape."

"Um, so if I end up having a baby for you and Esme, you would be the legal parents right? Or would there need to be...some sort of actual adoption process, where I'd relinquish my rights? Would I be allowed see the child as they grew up?"

"I'm sure we could happily agree to keeping in touch, and that you would be able to have plenty of contact with the baby. And although I'm not a lawyer, Esme and I will need to become the full legal parents in the eyes of the law. We can get advice for all of us as to how it would work, and if we need to go through a full adoption process, or not."

"How much time do I have to think about this?"

"Well, I don't want to pressure you. But keep in mind, the sooner you can agree, the sooner we can help pay the bills for you, and assist Charlie have his operation."

I groaned and felt tears spring up in my eyes...again. Damn these tears, would they ever cease?

Charlie's health wasn't going to wait, and the bank was going to start demanding their overdue mortgage payments, and start the foreclosure process any day now.

I knew my student loan repayments weren't being met either, as I'd used the money for last two month's payments, to cover the electricity bill, phone and food.

I expected the debt collectors to come knocking any day, to take away the large flat-screen tv and fancy leather recliners. Charlie had splurged out one day, when the old telly died, and had insisted on buying them all on some crazy, two year, interest-free, payment system.

He hadn't managed to pay off any of it, due to becoming seriously ill, and no longer being able to continue working as a police officer. His health insurance refused to cover his treatments. His social security had run out, so our living expenses couldn't be covered.

"Please don't cry Bella, I can't even imagine how tough things are for you at the moment. I'll just go check to see how Charlie is doing, ok?"

I nodded.

Carlisle turned and left to go upstairs and see dad.

I let myself cry properly when he had left the room.

My life was going down the toilet.

Things were about to get really bad, really soon... if I didn't take this lifeline that the Cullens were offering me.

I had no other choices...did I?

My mom refused to help me or Dad in any way, not even come up and give me a break so that I could do some extra hours cleaning. She wanted to keep partying down in Florida with Phil, being a free spirit, with no financial worries. Lucky her!

I had no brothers or sisters.

No aunts, uncles, or grandparents.

No secret family inheritance, no hidden treasure.

No life insurance to cash in early.

Dad's work colleagues were doing it tough too, with their hours being cut. They were sympathetic, but not in any position to assist us.

No one, including friends or neighbours could help us out either, the whole town was in a serious financial decline, it was a depressed, stressed timber town.

All of the bright, younger people had left as soon as they could, seeking their fortunes elsewhere. There were no new start-up industries or exciting opportunities here in Forks, that was for sure.

The banks didn't want to know us, even when I tried to reason with them, to help me reschedule our mortgage repayments, let alone, lend us any more money, to cover the debts we had accrued.

There was no properly paying work available for me, to pay off our debts and make ends meet.

Within one month, I expected that we would become homeless, if nothing changed. And if that happened... Dad would die even quicker. Winter was harsh here in Forks, and it was about to hit, and there were no homeless shelters here in Forks. There was nowhere for us to live... except out of my car.

If I agreed to do this for the Cullens, I needed to get them to pay the mortgage quickly, and arrange to get dad into hospital for treatment, as soon as possible.

I could probably handle the rest...I crossed my fingers, if they did just those things first, I could get by, take on extra work, somewhere.

I wanted my grumpy, irascible father, to live without anymore pain and suffering, and I needed to get money which would allow me and Dad to live with a roof over our heads.

But...what if I wasn't fertile?

What if I got pregnant... and then the baby was born with some illness or congenital abnormality?

What if I miscarried?

Would they still assist Dad and me?

Would they want a child who wasn't perfect?

Would they hand the baby back to me, and refuse to take care of him or her?

I wasn't in any position to take care of a baby!

In the end though...would I actually be able to give away a baby and cope with the sadness and longing, of deliberately giving up someone so small and defenseless, who had grown for nine months inside of me?

Could I do it?

Was I capable?

I needed to be really clear about what I needed, if I was going to go ahead with this.

I had to keep a cool head and ask some difficult questions.

I really hoped that Esme and Carlisle would have all the right answers!

They needed to completely reassure me they would be responsible and care about any child that I might grow in my womb for them.

After all, if I didn't do this right... we could still end up homeless, my dad dying and me still owing huge amounts of money for the rest of my life!

I bowed my head and tried to breathe calmly and slowly.

I needed a way forward, a way out of this situation.

They desperately wanted a child, and were prepared to help me and dad, medically and financially.

Was there any other choice?

I asked God to help me.

I was willing to give this a go, if they made sure they covered all the debts and costs involved, and take good care of the baby, even if it was in some way disabled.

I was taken out of my deep thoughts, when an ambulance rolled up outside and the paramedics knocked on the door.

"Hi Bella," Tyler grinned at me, he was one of my old classmates who had stayed in Forks. "Doc Cullen just phoned for us to come and get Charlie, apparently he's got to go back into hospital, and he's gotten a lot worse."

"Um it's upstairs and to the left." I pointed, as they come rattling past me with the gurney.

I follow them up, and Carlisle looked up at me while continuing to work on Dad.

"He's unconscious and unresponsive. It appears he got stuck into someone's homemade hooch last night. He's going to need to go straight into ICU, it's very serious, I afraid. I'm hoping we'll be able to revive him and at least get him out of this comatose state. I'm sorry Bella."

I nodded and sigh deeply.

It looks like I will be spending my day at the hospital, rather than doing my cleaning job. They'll probably give me the sack if I don't turn up today, the pricks.

"I'll get dressed and come to the hospital in my car. Thanks, I'll talk to you later ok?"

"Yes, we have plenty to discuss."

Tyler and the other paramedic looked at me and then at Doc, and then back at my unconscious Dad.

Carlisle nodded at them and they lift Dad onto the gurney and take him downstairs.

"I'll pack him a bag with some spare pyjamas and toiletries. Err Carlisle, I need to have a really long talk with both you and Esme, before I decide anything, ok?"

"How about you come over to our place this evening? I don't think Charlie will be coming out of hospital very soon. We all need to talk it over and make some decisions. Thanks for taking the time to at least consider the idea Bella; you don't know how much this means to us both."

'Yeah, ok. How about six?"

"Sure, I'll let Esme know, come and eat with us, you look like you could have a night off from cooking."

"Thanks, I'd like that."

What do you think Bella should do? What would you do?

Please send me some of your thoughts, I'm keen to hear what you think.