SM owns the story, I just made up this new version. Thanks to all of my favorite readers for all of your lovely comments last chapter. As promised here is something new. I hope you like it!

Chapter 22

Bella's POV

The drive to Forks was relatively quiet, Edward and I stole glances at each other, but otherwise I was just content to have Edward's hand in mine. I had never in my wildest dreams thought I would be able to let Charlie to see me again once I started changing. I had accepted that maybe I would go to Forks to occasionally check in on him from a distance, but now he knew. Even before Edward left I had resolved that Charlie would never be able to cross into this world let alone understand what it would all mean. It wasn't until my new siblings had really spelled it out to me that Charlie was going to find out all of this stuff. While I hadn't gotten to spend much time with Leah and Seth, I felt closer to them then I wanted to admit. Their company meant so much to me the last time I was in Forks. They knew what it meant to keep secrets from those you love, whether they be family or friends that weren't apart of the pack. I was bound to them even though we were supposed to be enemies. I loved them, but being close to them affected Jake too. I knew his feelings for me hadn't changed even after I became a vampire; he never looked at me differently. As much as he knew I shouldn't stay in Forks last time, he sure did do a good job of distracting me. Every time I mentioned trying to leave he would have another reason for me to stay and if it weren't for Laurent I may have really given him a chance at my heart. But no matter what Jacob did or said he could never replace Edward that pain ran too deep. So in the end it was better things happened this way, I found my way back to Edward and Jake would be free to imprint without guilt of leaving me behind. I wanted Jacob to be happy; he had given me so much he deserved true happiness like I was feeling now.

Slowly, the snowy landscape gave way to the dense green of Washington. It was cloudy and raining slightly on and off, but that was the town's nature; I found it oddly comforting now. I texted Leah when we started to get close and she said that she and Seth would get Charlie back to the house as soon as they could. Apparently, the gloomy weather couldn't stop Charlie from fishing this morning like every weekend. I tried to tell her she didn't have to rush him, but she wouldn't let me push it back anymore than I already had. Too soon we pulled up to my father's house and I tried to take deep breaths. I guess after all this time I wasn't sure if he would be mad at me for leaving or happy or maybe he might be afraid of me and tell me to never come back. I mean me must have been told the full truth about vampire nature, would he still believe it's me? Would he still want a relationship with me? Edward picked up on my hesitance and squeezed my hand before he letting it go, getting out of the car. I waited patiently as Edward came around and opened my door. I took his hand again as we walked up the path and stopped at the door. Suddenly, the door swung open to reveal Sue standing there smiling.

"Bella, I am so glad you came" she said as she ushered us inside. "Leah and Seth are on their way with Charlie."

"Thank you" I said my voice quivering. I was preparing myself for the worst only to be taken off guard by her acceptance. Realizing I shouldn't be rude I introduced Edward, who was extremely cordial and then we moved into the living room while Sue excused herself back to the kitchen to finish preparing dinner. Minutes later I heard as Charlie's cruiser pulled up in the drive. Leah and Seth burst into the room faster then Charlie could even get out of his car. Or maybe he was as hesitant as I was when I arrived. Seth and Leah both hugged me and then stepped to the side when Charlie entered. He stood unmoving from the doorway looking at me. I held his gaze for a few seconds before looking to the ground and then back up. His expression was confusing, he looked hurt and happy at the same time and just when I thought he couldn't take it anymore he stepped forward one step. Then he took two more steps and then finally closing the distance he reached out taking my face in his hands. Traitorous tears were on the verge of spilling down his face while he studied my face. And then finally he spoke as he crushed me into his chest.

"Bella, don't ever leave me like that again" he said as he held on to me while his shoulders shook.

"I'm sorry dad" I sobbed tearlessly onto his shoulder. It took a few minutes for him to pull himself together, but finally he released me and even acknowledged Edward. Shortly after Sue called for dinner and everyone made up their plates and came into the living room. Charlie didn't even ask us to eat anything so I guess Sue prepared him well for what to expect.

"Bella, Leah tells me you have lived in some very interesting places in the last year. Can you tell me about them?" Sue asked sounding quite curious.

"Umm, sure. I guess I have spent most of my time in Europe actually. I lived in the South of France, which had extremely beautiful wildlife and I spent a good amount of time in Italy most recently. Italy had some very nice architecture" I told her while I watched Charlie who looked at me wide eyed.

"How did you survive out there when you don't even speak the language?" Charlie asked.

"I learned picked up the languages pretty well when I got there. I can speak French and Italian quite fluently now." Charlie seemed to take this information in strides so I decided to deflect a question on him. "I'm sorry I missed the wedding. What else have I missed in Forks?"

"It was a small affair, but almost every resident of La Push was in attendance and we had a spectacular barbeque down there" Charlie replied.

"Well I'm glad you're here Sue. Thanking you for keeping an eye on him and don't let him eat at the diner too much" I said and Sue laughed. After dinner was over for the humans and the werewolves, Charlie turned on the TV but I could tell he wanted to say something. Ten minutes into the game Sue and Leah went to wash dishes, but insisted I stay with Charlie. Then Seth and Edward left with a knowing look. So now Charlie and I were alone; he turned up the volume on the TV and turned toward me.

"All this stuff that's happened; it doesn't change the fact that you, are my daughter. I can't say I completely understand why you did what you did or what you thought you had to do. I will always be here for you, Bells and even though I may not want to hear all the details about all the mythical creatures that are suddenly running around here, I always want to know what's going on with you. I know you can't explain how different you are to everyone around here, but I expect you to check in every once in a while, okay kid?" he said.

"Okay, dad" I said as he turned back to the game lowering the volume a little. I couldn't stop the smile that spread across my face at my father's words. Leah and Sue came back soon after that and convinced me that I had to stay at least a week. Edward and I agreed, but decided that it was time to go for tonight; Sue and my father were both trying to hold back yawns. We promised to meet tomorrow and Edward and I headed towards his home. I guess I wasn't surprised to see the Cullen home back in working order when we walked in. It was as if they never left, the hole in my chest was completely healed the moment Edward held me in his arms in Alaska and now we were back where it all started. The whole thing made it feel surreal, but I was quickly interrupted from my thoughts when I heard a lone wolf approaching. Edward looked slightly pained as he looked toward the wolf's direction.

"It's Jacob" was all Edward said. I reached up letting my lips graze his before I walked outside. Jacob phased a few feet away and enveloped me in the warmest hug imaginable before putting me back on my feet, kissing my cheek.

"What am I chopped liver? I have known you way longer then either one of those fur balls you call brother and sister and you don't come see me? I'm hurt Bells, really hurt" he said laughing.

"Well I wasn't ignoring you."

"Good because if you were there were going to be some serious consequences" he said heartily.

"Did you break the treaty just to threaten me Jacob Black?" I said to him with a smirk on my face.

"Wow, it's gonna be like that huh. I didn't they would care, seeing as I come in piece. But if they really wanna fight they better watch out because my best friend is the biggest bad ass vampire around and I am pretty sure she doesn't want to see me torn to pieces." I shook my head at him wondering what he really came here for, but before I had a chance to ask he took my hand and started leading me farther away from the Cullen home. I knew this wouldn't please Edward per say, but clearly Jacob wanted to talk so I let him lead. A few miles out he finally stopped and we sat down on a fallen tree.

"Is there anything I can do to convince you to not go back to him?"

"Jake, I can't stop loving him any more than you can stop breathing. He has always been the one for me and you know that."

"I know, but we had such a great thing going once upon a time, didn't we?"

"Yes, but we are clearly meant for other paths. We would have been good to each other I can see that, but I would never have been truly happy and you deserve someone who can feel the same thing for you. Someone is out there for you, I promise you Jake. Almost all of the wolves have imprinted and so will you. That's why we could never be, we are both bound absolute true love. I told Charlie and the rest of my family I would stay a week, but then I have to go. I'll understand if you don't want to spend time with me if it's hard for you, but I still want you as my best friend. I love you Jake" I told him.

"I'm fine; I want us to spend time together while you're here. It's not as bad as it was before, I won't push you. I just had to try so I don't wonder."

"Thanks Jacob. So will you grant me permission to bring Edward on your land Chief?" I asked.

"I'll ask the others and get back to you. Does that sound fair?" he said.

"Yes" I said and hugged Jacob goodbye. I watched as he phased and ran off in the opposite direction before I started back toward the Cullen home. When I got close I could see Edward sitting on the steps his head in his hands looking sad; he was so predictable. In a flash I stood before him and let my breath wash over him. He breathed in deeply before looking up and I took his face in my hands placing kisses all over his tense features. Slowly his hands found my waist and pulled me close to him as our lips found each other. After a few minutes are lips slowed to a stop and we walked into the house hand in hand. The whole Cullen clan was smiling at us when we came in and it felt like home again.

That night we all reminisced, telling stories of my human days and the days continued like that. During the day, I spent time with human/werewolf family; then I would spend the early evening with the Cullen's and my nights with Edward. This new routine continued all that week, but I knew it couldn't last forever. I was sitting in Charlie & Sue's kitchen staring at a bowl of apples. Charlie had invited Edward to go fishing this morning and Sue had taken Leah and Seth to visit Harry's grave. This left me waiting for all of them to come back and wondering why suddenly I had a craving for apples. I knew it was insane to think that I actually wanted to eat an apple. Vampires don't eat human food and most importantly human food is supposed to smell vile, but today these apples smelled just as delicious as blood. I decided that before giving into this delusion I had better see if anything else smelled this good in Charlie's fridge, but as I opened the door I was assaulted by the most fowl scent ever. So I went back to the table even more confused than before. How could one human food smell so good, but not the others. What was wrong with me? Was I becoming human again? I had no idea what was going on with my body suddenly. A day or two ago I thought I felt slightly sick, but after making an extra hunting trip I felt better. Today, I felt almost tired and fruits were starting to smell good. I knew everyone was due to return soon so I had to make a decision. I couldn't come up with a good reason not to try the apple, I mean the worst thing that could happen is it tastes gross or I may have to choke it back up later. So without another thought I sunk my teeth into the apple. The juice ran over the corners of my mouth as I savored each bite and before I knew it, I had eaten the entire thing. After eating two more apples I rinsed my mouth out in an attempt to cover up what just happened. I didn't want to alarm Edward with my strange behavior, but most of all I wanted some time to figure it all out before getting interrogated.

Sue was due back any minute; however I needed time to think. Running into the woods I felt bad about taking off when all of a sudden I felt something move inside of me. I skidded to a stop placing my hand on my belly, floored by the sudden roundness. I pressed the slight bulge; it was firm but still gave way to my hand. A moment later I felt it again and saw as whatever it was nudged back. I gasped as I listened closely now realizing that there was a slight difference to my heart beat. I hadn't noticed a few days ago, but now it sounded like my heart beat had an echo. Except it wasn't an echo, it was another heartbeat. I tried to take deep breaths to keep myself from hypervenlating with no success. I sat down trying to reason through how I could possible be pregnant. I thought vampires couldn't have children, but clearly that can't be the case. Vampires are supposed to be frozen in time, unchanging. Okay so maybe female vampires can't have kids because their body can't change, but I could because my body is not totally vampire. So now what? I was in shock and yet felt strangely elated. I had never considered having kids before, because I thought Edward couldn't have them and before Edward I had never wanted to be intimate with someone. The idea of Edward's baby though had my heart doing back flips. My only concern was how this pregnancy would go. Would the baby be more vampire then anything else? Could I even carry this child full term? I needed to talk to Carlisle before I had the chance to freak out any more except I was just so tired. I didn't want to go back to the Cullen house without talking to Edward first so I found myself heading to the meadow. Once I reached the soft grass I couldn't help laying down and closing my eyes. Somewhere in my subconscious I could hear Edward calling my name but the dream I was having was so vivid. Slowly, my mind surfaced recognizing the distress in Edward's voice.

"Bella…Bella what's wrong? Is it another attack?" Edward said in a panic.

"I'm just tired. I have to talk to you though" I said as I felt Edward lift me from the grass. My eyes felt so heavy I wasn't sure if I would be able to stay awake to tell him. The scent of him was all I could focus on as I buried my face in his neck while he ran. "Wait Edward, stop I have to tell you something" I mumbled before succumbing to the darkness again. When I started to wake up again I could hear worried voices all around me. I was groggy but I demanded to speak to Carlisle and Edward in the other room. Edward set me on my feet gently, guiding me with his hand on the small of my back and the three of us went into the next room. Edward was nervous and it was almost palpable how much tension was rolling off of him. I shielded the room from prying ears and turned to face Edward pausing. "I'm pregnant" I told him and he stood stock still. His expression was something I had never seen before; all of his careful composure was gone.

"How do you know?" Carlisle asked.

"If you listen carefully there is a second heart beat that shadows my own and I have been feeling strange. I felt nauseous one day, I ate apples today, I fell asleep earlier and I can feel the baby moving." I lifted my shirt to display my slight baby bump and Carlisle approached me.

"May I?" he asked.

"Of course" I said before he placed his hand on my belly. He pressed lightly watching my face for any pain and when he released the pressure, the baby pushed back noticeably. Edward gasped at the sight and continued to watch my stomach.

"I think you are right Bella, but I don't know what we can expect though" Carlisle said.

"I understand" I told him looking to Edward. He hadn't moved from that spot the whole conversation until now. At a humans pace Edward came up to me in awe and with almost tears in his eyes. When he was directly in front of me he dropped to his knees so he was eye level with my stomach, put his hands on my hips and pressed his ear to my skin. After a moment he looked up, got to his feet and started to attack my lips. I was so over joyed that he was happy I wanted to cry and before I knew it I had tears running down my face.

"I would like to run some tests if that's okay with you, Bella" Carlisle said.

"Yes, that is fine" I told him.

"We are going to want to know as much as possible Carlisle" Edward said finally breaking out of his stupor. I smiled as Edward pulled me into a tight hug. "I never knew how important this was to me until now. This is the best gift I could ever ask for and we will do everything we can to make sure our baby is born healthy." I yawned as I hugged Edward and he suddenly scooped me up in his arms again. I let my shield down as Edward and Carlisle exited the room taking me upstairs. I told Carlisle he could start his tests but that I needed to take a nap. My dreams were filled with beautiful landscapes colored in the most vibrant colors. It was so breathtaking and real it was hard to believe I was dreaming, even though I knew I had to be. When I woke the sun was beginning to set and I was alone in my and Edward's bedroom. Not far away I could hear Edward and Carlisle discussing medical findings.

I got up slowly almost wanting to stretch like I used to do when I was human. I knew Edward had been keeping tabs on me, because the moment I stirred he ceased all conversation with Carlisle and appeared in the doorway. I knew the look he was giving me, so I told him I felt better and he smiled. As I walked up to him he opened his arm and I crushed myself into his chest. I took deep breathes of his scent before looking up to meet his eyes. It wasn't long before his lips came down to meet mine and my heart soared. My body felt like fire under his touch again, no longer the slight cooling touch he had only weeks ago. The need that spread through me was like a wild fire and I wanted more. My lips moved with urgency as Edward picked up pace and I jumped on him wrapping my legs around his waist. I think this took him by surprise at first, because his lips froze only momentarily and then he stepped more into the room kicking the door shut as his hands slid from my thighs higher to my behind. He walked me back to the bed and gently laid me down; his lips never parting from my body. We made love slowly, taking in all of the sensations one by one. It was three hours later that we had finally showered and redressed before leaving the bed room. I couldn't help but sneak glances at Edward as we went downstairs. My head was still retracing the memories of the past few hours. When we entered the entire Cullen family and the Denali's were there. All of the women were clearly beaming at me making it evident that Edward and Carlisle must have told them of the bun I had in the oven.

"Bella can I touch the baby?" Alice said in a rush and blurred in front of me. She didn't even give me time to respond before she was bending over looking at my stomach. She laid her hands on either side of my little one gently. "Hi, baby!" she said with such enthusiasm. "I'm your Aunt Alice and I can't wait to take you shopping." After that everyone had their turn to touch and some of them talk to the baby like Alice. Rosalie was the only one who never came forward, but had watched as everyone else had a turn.

"Rosalie would you like to feel the baby? They are kicking me right now" I told her. Rosalie was there in a heart beat so I took her hand and pressed it to the spot I last felt the baby. A few seconds later my little soccer player was kicking with glee and Rose's face lit up.

"Thank you Bella" she said her eyes filled with tears she would never shed.

Day by day my little tummy began to grow into a big tummy. Everyday Carlisle and I would sit down to track my progress, seeing as the baby seemed to be growing so quickly. Carlisle was estimating that I could be full term in only a few weeks. There were many concerns about how much the baby would be vampire compared to human, but after discussing it once we agreed to was better to wait and see before getting ourselves worked up. Edward was very attentive, always asking me if I wanted to go hunting or if I needed to lay down for awhile. It was strange to feel more human suddenly. As my stomach grew so did my appetite, my need for sleep and strange cravings for apples. I also found myself slowing down a bit, but I wasn't sure if the was out of necessity or if it was just my own subconscious desire to ensure my baby's safety. As far as the birth, we really weren't sure what to expect. Alice's visions of me had been few and far between when I hadn't been pregnant and now she couldn't see me at all. Carlisle was fairly certain that we were well prepared.

One thing I found particularly strange was that while my thirst for blood increased, it wasn't anymore difficult for me to be around humans. Carlisle had been worried that the baby's blood lust may make my own stronger, but so far it had only made my sense of smell stronger. After a week of being supervised by everyone at the Cullen house I wanted to see my other family. During the past week I had spoke to my father and Jacob on the phone about what was going on but Carlisle hadn't wanted me to see them until he had a chance to observe me. So after one week of finding out I got the clear to invite some of the wolves over to the house to see how it would go. Leah, Seth and Jacob came early that morning, but the minute I caught their scent I wanted to gag. I had been accustom to their scent before; even though it was quite fowl at first, usually I got used to it pretty quickly and was able to ignore it. But on this day I had to stop breathing all together when I hugged them. Eventually though I was able to take short breathes until it was easier to manage and once I overcame that Edward agreed to accompany me to my father's house so I could test out humans. I was quite pleased that there was no change when it came to Charlie and Sue. Charlie took the news of the pregnancy better than I thought he would. He clearly was not thrilled about the circumstances but after explaining vampire nature he seemed to warm up. I guess the fact that I wasn't married trumped the fact that Charlie had always wanted grandchildren.

So in light of the current events it was decided that we would all stay in Forks until after I had the baby. This way Carlisle had access to medical equipment in case the baby or I needed anything. Also there was talking of how the Volturi might view this and I didn't want them to find out. Tanya and Kate had shared stories of their mother during my pregnancy. I had briefly heard about immortal children in Italy, but no one had spent any time discussing it because it seemed to be such a sore topic. Carlisle believed that my baby would continue to grow faster than a human even after birth. Edward and I both worried about how much time we would have with our child. Would they keep growing like this forever? Would we have to see our child die from old age some day? It wasn't something we liked to talk about for obvious reasons, but we were hopeful that fate wouldn't give us such a miracle to take it away so soon.

I had always known Esme had wanted to be a mother, but I hadn't realized how important it was to Rosalie too. One thing I was grateful for over the last two weeks was how close Rosalie and I became. I finally got to hear her story and how she always wanted children. By sharing my pregnancy with Rose we had finally bonded and now I truly felt like I belonged with the Cullen's. Between the baby and my full acceptance into the Cullen clan I was overjoyed. Carlisle tried to do an ultrasound on the baby but we found out it had a hard protective shell around it that the ultrasound could not penetrate. So while Alice was furious about not knowing the baby's sex, I was okay with the surprise. Alice said she couldn't properly decorate without knowing whether it was a boy or girl so she bought things for both. Somewhere in all of the commotion to prepare for the baby and the fact that all these vampires were living in the Cullen home I had missed the fact that Esme was not around as much.

So after being four weeks pregnant I was given a present from the whole Cullen family; a key to a cottage that Esme and the rest of the Cullen's had fixed up for Edward and I. I was completely taken back at the gesture and inside I was rejoicing that we might be staying longer in Forks than I hoped. The cottage was everything I had ever wanted if I had even considered what my own house might look like. That night Edward and I decided to spend the night in our cottage. I was feeling a little tired, but more than that I was feeling huge. Since finding out I was pregnant that slight baby bump had turned into a mountain so much so I could not see my feet when standing. Edward's affection for me never decreased; in fact he seemed to take great pleasure that my huge belly contained his child. My affection for him did not decrease either, in fact I had a hard time not jumping on him all the time, damn these hormones. Edward started a fire in our very own fireplace and we were sitting together; me leaning back against Edward's chest with his hands on my stomach. This had become a routine of ours, that way Edward could be holding me and the baby at the say time while we talked to him or her. We talked about how we hoped that the baby would look like us

"Bella, there's something I have been meaning to ask you for a long time" Edward said to me while shifting so that we were facing.

"And what is it that so have waited so long for?" I asked him. I gasped as Edward reached behind himself pulling out a ring box and moving so that one knee was touching the floor.

"Isabella Swan, I promise to love you every moment of forever. Will you be my wife?" he asked as he opened the box to reveal a beautiful antique ring nestled inside.

"Yes" I squeaked, tears pouring down my face. "Yes, Yes, Yes," I told him between kisses. I hadn't expected this, with the history my parents had I never saw myself getting married. But this was no ordinary man and the moment he said wife my mind lept for joy.

"You could not have made me happier" he said back while sliding the ring onto my finger. "It belonged to my mother, but if it's too old I can get you something new."

"No, Edward it's perfect. I love it" I responded.

"You look tired, let's go to bed" Edward said picking me up and walking me to our bedroom. I yawned slightly as he turned off the lights and climbed into bed next to me wrapping his arms around me and pulling me to his chest. I was so content I couldn't hold off sleep for long. As always my dreams were always so colorful and today I was running threw the forest holding hands with Edward. We were both so happy until I felt a sharp pain. I slowed down in the dream and so did Edward looking at me in confusion. The pain had been in my back but just as quickly as it had come it had stopped. Suddenly though I recognized that I wasn't pregnant in my dream. All the other times I had dreamed I never realized it was a dream during the actual dream. I was so confused and until I felt the pain again and slowly I started to wake up. I shot up in bed and gasped as another stabbing pain rippled across my back. Edward was clearly startled by my sudden behavior but put his hands on either side of my face and steadied me.

"What happened love? Did you have a bad dream?" he asked, but I felt the pain again tensing my whole body and my hands instinctively went to my stomach. Edward looked down at my stomach then too to see it slightly moving and his mouth fell open.

"I think the baby is ready to come out" I whispered. "Oh God this hurts" I said as I felt another pain. Edward wasted no time then grabbing me in his arms and running me out of our cottage toward the main house. I felt hot even as the cool air whipped against me and my heart was racing. This was it, tonight Edward and I would meet our child.

Okay so don't be too mad I ended it here. We all know more or less what will happen so hold your horses. I promise to have another chapter up in two weeks. Please review.