Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight.

Chapter eleven: How and why and a helluva surprise

Edward's pov

It wasn't long after Charlie and I had finished our drinks that he turned to me and cleared his throat.

"I think I should explain why I was already on my way over here."

I looked at him from the corner of my eye and nodded.

"Like I said when I arrived, I was talking to Billy, Jacob's father, when he told me that Jacob hadn't called in with his therapist for a while. The boy has been seeing one since his mom died five years ago."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"He apparently has been having delusions. It grew worse over time and his therapist got worried enough to have him committed for a few weeks, but while he was there, he behaved himself like a regular guy so they were forced to let him go. A few weeks later he got arrested for assaulting a girl. He tried to force himself on her, but her brother got there in time to save her. The girl couldn't handle it, though. She killed herself before she could even give the cops a statement and what little her brother actually saw, he wasn't convicted."

I groaned. This was insanity.

"What happened that he lost control again?"

"According to Billy Jacob hasn't been in for his appointments and his therapist checked to see if he had his prescription refilled, but he hadn't. I think he stopped taking his medicine, thinking he could do without them. You must have set something off when you and Bella started going out together."

"I thought he was just being a douche."

"I can't blame you, Edward. I never knew any of this until Billy came and talked to me yesterday."

"I know. I just wish I could have kept this from her. She doesn't deserve to go through this, she deserves so much better."

Charlie nodded solemnly.

The following morning, Bella seemed to be doing a lot better than the night before. She requested some alone time with her dad and afterwards the two of them went down to the station to report what happened the night before. Charlie told us he would call us when they needed any of us for statements.

After Bella and Charlie left, Rosalie sat down beside me on the couch. She looked up, giving me a sad smile and I knew she must have been thinking about her past, so I wordlessly put and arm around her shoulders to comfort her. She gave me a grateful smile before snuggling into my side.

A couple of minutes later, Alice sat on my other side and she too snuggled into me. I couldn't suppress the silly grin as I realized how it must look. Emmett, who had been in the shower, walked In as gave me an incredulous look.

"If anyone calls you a geek after seeing you like this, they are blind and crazy," he joked, before dropping down in front of Rosalie and turning on the TV.

Rosalie pulled away from me and leaned over Emmett, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and leaning her head on the top of his. They looked like they were a real couple and I was happy for them. They suited each other.

Jasper joined us a little while later and pulled Alice from my embrace and settled her onto his lap. We watched L.A. Ink for a while, everyone lost in their own thoughts. I didn't really feel like a fifth wheel, but I did miss Bella very much in that moment.

"I think we should all stick together, no matter what," Alice spoke softly.

"Me too. Whatever happens between us, we need to stick together. We have finally found people who we are comfortable with, we shouldn't let it slip from our fingers," Rosalie murmured, nodding to herself.

"I agree," I added. "I was a loner until I met Bella and with her I finally made some real friends for the first time of my life. I really don't want to lose them."

"Yup," Jasper spoke up. "We might be different and stuff, but we click somehow."

"Dude!" Emmett exclaimed, turning around to face us all. "I can feel my balls shrinking with all this mushy shit. Can we at least pretend we're guys. Shit, I love you all and everything, but really man, keep it cool."

We all laughed together and that's how Charlie and Bella found us.

Bella's pov

I returned from the station to a house filled with my friends and the sight of them together, laughing, comfortable, gave me so much strength. I glanced up at my dad and I saw that he too was looking at them and realizing how special this bunch of people really were.

"I'm going home, kiddo. You stick with this group, you hear? I hope you will be friends for the rest of your lives, because people like these, you only meet once in a lifetime."

My sight got blurry as I hugged my father tight around his waist. He had been great about everything. He was my rock when I needed to talk to the Police and on the way home we talked a lot about what was going to happen next. I knew I was going to have a hard time to come and it would most likely take me a long time to completely put it all behind me, but I also knew that with my friends and my father behind me, I would manage.

~*~

Little over a month had passed and I had taken the stand in the case against Jacob. My testimony was strengthened when a girl spoke up about being assaulted by Jacob in the past. It finally made it clear to me why James had known so much about Jacob and why he had felt the need to warn me. The girl was his girlfriend at the time it had happened.

Victoria had never spoken about what Jacob had done to her, but now that I had stepped forward, James had finally been able to convince her to do the same. So with her, Jacob's total came to three. I had been sick to my stomach about that.

He was sent to a psychiatric facility where he would receive treatment. If he was done with those treatments within six years, he would serve the rest of his time in prison. A very tiny part of me felt sorry for the friend I once had as a kid. I knew though, that without my statement, Jacob would have progressed to a worse kind of man and he needed to be protected from himself.

Edward had been a perfect gentleman about everything. We only kissed and sometimes caressed with our clothes still on, but I had been getting light panic attacks when we would try anything more, so we kept going very, very slowly.

Only a week ago I decided to get some counselling to help me put it behind me and after one meeting with my doctor I could already feel the difference. She showed me techniques to take the bad memories and let them go. So, now I wanted to see if I could take things with Edward a step farther.

"Alice?" I called when I got home after my final class on Friday.

"In my bedroom!" she yelled back.

I stepped into her room and laughed at the scene before me. Alice was bent over inside her closet with a huge pile of clothes draped over her bed. Every now and then she would fling something on the pile and while grumbling, dig further.

"Al, I really need your help."

She pulled her head back and smiled. "I'd offer you a seat on my bed, but it's kind of full. Want to talk about it in the living room."

"Uhm...It's actually a really small favour. I need you to help me shop. Edward is cooking dinner for me tonight and I really want something sexy to wear."

Alice's eyes lit up. "First of all, are you about to try what I think you're going to try?"

I nodded, feeling my cheeks flush immediately, but Alice simply squealed and hugged me, telling me she was happy for us both.

"And second," she said while pulling back. "Did you just seriously ask me to help you shop?"

"I did and don't make me regret it."

Alice gave another squeal and then shoved me out of her room, asking me to give her fifteen minutes to get her mess cleaned up again. Apparently her own fashion crisis could wait until we returned.

Edward's pov

It had been more than a months since that night with Jacob and Bella was slowly but surely getting a grip on her anxiety. I could sense the biggest change in her, though, after she had her first session with the psychologist my father had recommended. I was happy that my girl was starting to feel better, because whenever I would touch her and she would panic, I'd feel like a creep, to be honest and I hated it.

I hated myself for making her uncomfortable, but at the same time hated the fact that I couldn't touch her properly. By now I was craving for some improvement, because I desperately wanted to show her how much I loved her. So tonight, I wanted to cook her dinner and then talk to her about practising with taking things further, one baby-step at a time.

At first I didn't want to do it, because I felt guilty for wanting that physical connection, but after a phone call with my father, I knew I should at least discuss it with her, because I really didn't know what she thought on the subject.

So I cooked her favourite meal and waited for her to come over. She would drive with Rosalie who was going out with Emmett tonight. James, who had taken over Jacob's old room, had gone to visit his family for the weekend, so we had the house to ourselves. The typical college boy in me rejoiced.

My good mood however, vanished when Rosalie and Bella entered the house. I don't know what it was, but they were both on edge. You could almost feel the uneasiness rolling off them in waves.

"Girls, what's wrong?"

"Um, Edward. We need you to sit down," Rosalie said softly.

My first thought was, that Bella was here to break up with me and I already felt my stomach drop and my heart start to tear.

"Edward, I was with Alice at the mall today to buy a new outfit for tonight," Bella started, while she paced in front of me.

"Okay. Did something happen?"

"Well, something didn't happen. Shit, I'm doing this all wrong."

"Calm down, Bella. Edward will understand," Rosalie said soothingly.

By now I was completely lost, so I sat and waited for Bella to continue.

"Okay. Alice needed to go to the drugstore to buy tampons. When we were there I realized I haven't bought tampons for quite some time. So I did the math and I'm two weeks late."

I swallowed hard. "Is this something that happens to you a lot?"

"No. I'm never late. So I called my doctor who said it might be stress because of everything that happened lately, but he did urge me to buy a pregnancy test..." she trailed off, not meeting my eyes.

I stood and took her in my arms. "Are you?" I whispered into her hair.

"I'm sorry, Edward," she sobbed. "I didn't mean for this to happen. I'm so sorry. I've ruined everything."

"Shhh, silly girl. Shhhh. You didn't ruin everything. You didn't ruin anything at all."

I pulled away so I could look her in the eye. "The fact that you are carrying my child is a bit daunting, if I'm completely honest, but at the same time it's the happiest feeling in the world."

Bella's pov

I couldn't believe my ears. Edward was actually happy about this? I shook my head, finding it impossible to believe.

"Bella, look at me. I love you more than anything and a baby that is part you and part me, in my eyes, is the perfect proof of that love. If you want my opinion, I think we should have this baby, because with a mommy as loving and lovely as you, what could possibly go wrong?"

"But what about your education?" I exclaimed.

"Bella, really. I can work it out. My mom and dad did when I was born. We can do it too. Unless you don't want to of course," he added, suddenly looking afraid.

"No! I want to keep the baby. I would never get rid of it, because it is part of you and I love you so much."

"Thank god," he whispered, before crushing his lips forcefully against mine and for the first time in over a month, I had no trouble reciprocating. I had no flashes of Jacob. All I felt was Edward's eager lips hungrily devouring mine.

A quiet sob from the other end of the room broke us from our little bubble. We looked up to find a very emotional Rosalie standing awkwardly in the doorway. Edward laughed and opened his arm. Rosalie only hesitated a moment before throwing herself at us and giving us a fierce hug while crying her congratulations.

Emmett walked in and groaned. "Dude, why do I find you with two women hanging off of you, again?"

"Oh, Emmett, shut up!" Rosalie scolded. "I was just congratulating them on their good news."

"What good news?"

I looked at Edward, who raised an eyebrow as if to sat it was up to me, so I looked at Emmett, grinned and blurted: "We're having a baby!"

A/N: I hope it clears up the unexpected attack from Jacob as well as give you hope for the future of Edward and Bella.

Please drop me a review and tell me what you think. For now I am aiming to make this a twenty chapter story, so I hope I can give you what you guys are hoping for.

Thank you all for reading and I hope to see you again soon.

Mo