A/N: Thank you for all your well-wishes. Here's the second chapter I promised. Let the fun begin!

~Four-ish Weeks Later~

"Long night, boss?"

Bella, her head down between her knees, groaned. "God, I wish." She breathed in deeply through her nose—which wasn't the wisest move given the floor of the driver's seat of the van was dirty as hell—and slowly out again. "I don't mind nausea when I've earned it. At least it would mean I had a good time."

Her cameraman, a fresh-out-of-college kid named Seth, chuckled. "Not even questionable chinese, huh?"

"Ugh. Seth, shut up. I don't want to think about food." Though, perversely, even as her stomach rolled, some part of her thought some chow mein would be excellent. She raised her head enough to rest it on the steering wheel and moaned again.

"Well, two things. One, if you get me sick with whatever bug this is, I might kill you."

"Such lies. If you kill me, the only person you'd have left to cover is Paul, and he's a damn blow hard."

"Okay, fine. Fair point. I won't kill you. I'll...put hot wing sauce on your seat so you get a big stain on your ass that will show up on camera."

"Mean," Bella mumbled. "Okay. Don't get you sick. What's the other thing?"

"They left the courtroom about five minutes ago which gives you maybe four minutes to pull yourself together before they get here."

Bella raised her head too quickly. She slumped back in her seat with a huff, a hand over her face as a wave of dizziness washed over her. "Crap. They're early." She opened her eyes and pulled down the sun visor, glancing in the mirror. She grimaced. Even with the makeup she'd put on, her face was ashen, and her hair was a mess.

"You just need a few good on-camera minutes," Seth said. "Then, if you want to collapse, I can carry you back to the van."

That made her smile. She spared a wink for Seth as she brushed out her hair. "Now that's a tempting proposition. If I had ever been the type of woman to feign a swoon, now would be a good time. Paul would be jealous."

"He would, wouldn't he?" Seth smirked.

"He's pretty obvious about it." Bella dug through her makeup bag, touching up so she'd at least look human. Another wave of dizziness hit her, and she clutched the steering wheel, closing her eyes and breathing.

"Seriously, boss. It won't be the end of the world if we don't get this interview."

Bella shook her head. "No. I got it." This one was important, and they both knew it. She opened her eyes, looking at herself in the mirror one more time. "I can do this."

By that time, her quarry's car had turned down the pretty, residential street. Bella pushed her annoying nausea out of her head and got out of the news van. It was go time.

~0~

"This is a damn good interview."

Bella startled awake. Disoriented, not sure for a second where she was, she struggled to find the ground with her feet. She blinked, knowing she was staring at Alice—who was staring back at her like she'd grown a second head—but her brain wasn't sure how to process what she was seeing. "What?" she asked eloquently.

Alice arched an eyebrow. "Did you just fall asleep?"

A little more with it now, Bella rubbed her eyes. "Ugh. Yeah, I guess." She yawned. "And I even had a nap before you came over."

"A nap?" Alice's eyes about bulged out of her head. "Since when do you nap?"

"I don't." Bella yawned again. "At least, I didn't."

"You never have gotten enough sleep."

"No rest for the wicked." Bella flashed her friend a grin. "But, who knows. We're getting old."

Alice scoffed. "Speak for yourself."

"Hey, it's going to happen to the best of us. I'm not saying I'm decrepit, but you can't say you don't feel at least some aches and pains that weren't there in our twenties."

"I slept wrong the other night, and I couldn't move my head most of the day," Alice said in a mournful voice. "Fuck, we are getting old."

"Eh. So I'll try to get five hours of sleep a night instead of four, and you'll...I don't know. Do some yoga? Work on your flexibility?"

"My husband doesn't have any complaints about my flexibility," Alice said with a cheeky grin.

"Don't remind me." Bella gave an exaggerated shudder. "I'm still scarred from that time I passed out on your couch. You two are noisy."

"We're good at what we do." Alice nodded at the TV. "And, like I was saying, you're good at that."

"Well, if I can't be good at monkey sex, I have to keep my options open. Though, I've never had any complaints in that department either." She shook her head. "Anyway. I think I even got the approval of my stick-up-his-ass boss."

"He Who Cannot Be Pleased?"

Bella nodded. "His lips actually twitched. Upward. I got a nod and a 'good work, Swan.'"

"Hand this woman her Pulitzer Prize right now. If you can impress that asshole…"

"I'll settle for a shot at the anchor position." She put up her hands, fingers crossed. "I can almost taste it. My work's been on point lately."

"You got this." Alice tilted her head, looking at her. "Though, I think we need to review what kind of makeup you have in your case. Your lighting was a bit off."

Bella laughed. "Uh huh. That's Alice-speak for I looked like shit twice in a row this week." She shook her head. "Maybe it's part of that whole getting old thing. My stomach's been a real bitch this week, and I didn't do anything to deserve it. The interview on Monday? I threw up the second after Seth stopped rolling. So embarrassing." She rolled her eyes. At least she hadn't thrown up in front of her constantly disapproving boss.

Alice furrowed her brow. 'You threw up? You have a stomach made of steel."

"Not this week." Bella shrugged. "You know I'm out of tune with my body. Maybe I'm developing lactose intolerance or something. I'll have to figure it out if it keeps up."

"Uh huh." Alice had a weird look on her face, but before Bella could call her on it, her friend patted her knee. "Well, come on. We're going to be late for dinner."

~0~

It was the first time the three women had seen each other since Alice's wedding. Alice and Bella met Jessica at one of their favorite haunts—a mellow bar with decent food and better music.

Bella was spaced out, sipping her iced tea—she didn't think she should call her tummy's bluff just yet—as she watched the band. She was startled when someone's hand came up close to her face and snapped.

"Earth to Bella." Alice waved her hand and laughed. "You're so out of it today."

"She's got a new thing for guitarists," Jess said in a sing-song voice.

"What?" Bella's cheeks flushed hot. How had Jessica known she'd been surreptitiously checking out the guitarist—and finding him lacking, but still. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Jess bounced in her seat, laughing as she looked to Alice. "I almost forgot. It was between sets. I felt bad because I'd been talking to hottie Tyler for a while and left Bella all alone, but when I got back, she wasn't at our table either."

Alice looked bemused as she looked from Bella to Jess. "Go on."

"Oh, God." Bella covered her face with her hand.

"So, eventually, she stumbles in. Red faced—"

"You and I were both drinking."

"—and her hair all messed up. Sex hair."

Bella opened her mouth to excuse that away and shut it again.

"Sex hair?" Alice hissed, leaning forward across the table. "Bella, you didn't."

"And!" Jess leaned in too. "I swear when the guitar player had his solo, it looked like he was making eyes at her. Playing just for you." She patted Bella's cheek.

"Ugh." Bella pulled back, slouching in her seat and reconsidering being sober for this conversation. "You were flashing the girls at what's-his-face. How did you even see that?" And that...that was a mistake, because both other women gave little squeaks.

"It is true," Jess said, sounding giddy. "I knew I wasn't seeing things."

"Bella." Alice smacked her arm lightly. "Did you hook up with a guy at my wedding?"

Bella peeked through her fingers, and she couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips. "Maybe."

"Why would you not tell me something like that?"

With a groan, Bella sat up straight and put her hands on the table. "Because, it's embarrassing. We were in an alley, for fuck's sake. That's all kinds of dirty. And that guy was ten years younger than I am. Maybe even twelve." Twenty-five. Yeah. That was about where she had him pegged, and she was about to turn thirty-seven.

Jess and Alice cackled. "Cougarella," Jess said.

"What's embarrassing about that?" Alice asked. "You're smoking hot. And you know I have a thing for musicians." She waggled her eyebrows. She'd had a thing for a drummer before she met Jasper.

Bella's lips quirked. "Well…they're really good with their hands. I swear to Christ, I haven't been finger-banged like that in...ever. I've never been finger-banged like that." She sighed while the others chortled. Edward's fingers had been so long and strong and…

Yeah. Talented. Really, really talented.

"Wait, so, fingers only?" Alice asked.

"Fingers only at your wedding." Bella took a sip of her tea, watching her friends over the top. "In my hotel room, though…"

"You dirty dog," Jess said.

"Like you're one to talk. Or was it someone else who disappeared with Crowley, Tyler Crowley?"

"He's not the hottie musician." Jess grinned. "I mean, he was paid to be there. It sounds tawdry that way."

"Well, yeah. When you make it sound like she hired a prostitute." Alice shook her head. "I can't believe I missed all this."

"You were too busy staring soulfully into your new husband's eyes," Bella said, wagging a finger at her.

Just as she said the words, a waitress went by carrying a tray of something Bella didn't catch. Whatever it was, the smell of it hit her like a freight train, and she sat bolt upright. "Oh, hell." She pushed to her feet. "I'm going to throw up."

Alice made a face at her. "Oh, come on. I know we're gross, but we're not that disgusting."

"No, I…" Bella shook her head and bolted in the direction of the bathroom.

~0~

Though Bella felt a lot better when she got back to the table, she didn't argue when Alice pulled her out to the car. She was half dozing, her cheek against the blissfully cool window, when the car stopped. She opened her eyes not to her apartment building but to the CVS nearby. "What are we doing?" she asked.

"You go back to your nap. I need to get a few things," Alice said, opening the car door.

"I'm not an invalid." Bella started to unbuckle her seatbelt, but Alice glared.

"Just stay here. I'll be right back."

Bella rolled her eyes, but she obeyed. She didn't sleep, though. She crossed her arms, staring out the window and thinking through the next story on her docket. She'd been on a roll and if she could keep it up, good things were on the horizon. She'd wanted to be Katie Couric when she grew up. She was almost there.

Alice returned with a bag. She rummaged through it as she set it down on the console between them and handed Bella a bottle of Tums and a Sprite.

"I feel fine," Bella said.

"Drink the damn Sprite, Bella," Alice said as she turned the car on.

Bella was about to retort when she saw something else in the bag. She made a grab for it, and her breath caught. "Oh, no. Oh, Alice." She turned the box over in her hands. It was a pregnancy test. "I thought you and Jasper didn't want kids."

Alice sighed. She was silent for several long beats. Then she said, "We don't want kids, and we're not going to have them."

"So, you think you might have had an accident?" Bella asked, shaking the box.

"No. I definitely haven't, because Jasper had a vasectomy before we got married." Alice glanced at her quickly and away. "That's for you."

Bella was sure she'd heard wrong. She laughed, a choked sound, and shook her head. "I'm not—"

But then she remembered. The naps. The stomach upset that didn't appear to be related to anything she ate and couldn't be a virus.

And, she couldn't remember when she'd last had her period.

"Oh," she said softly. Then, louder, "Oh, shit. Fuck. Oh, no."

~0~

Because Alice knew her so well, there were four pregnancy tests, all of them different brands, sitting on the edge of her tub. Bella groaned as she slid down the wall, holding her head in her hands.

She had two bold pregnants, one pink cross, and one window with two blue lines.

There was a soft knock at the door, but Alice didn't wait for her to tell her to come in. She stood over Bella a moment, her hands on her hips as she surveyed the tests. Then, she slid down on the floor next to Bella and wrapped an arm around her. Almost another minute went by before she spoke. "You know, we were supposed to have this scene like fifteen years ago."

Bella giggled. She couldn't help it. "Fuck, me."

"If I had, we wouldn't be in this mess, now would we?"

Burying her face in her friend's hair, Bella giggled somewhat maniacally as Alice rubbed her back. After a minute or so, Bella calmed again.

"So. Was it for sure the guitarist?" Alice asked.

"Ugh. Don't remind me."

"Okay, we don't have to talk about it right now."

Bella grumbled, and sniffed hard. She wasn't going to cry, dammit. Maybe she felt like a stupid kid but she was, in actuality, a full grown adult woman. "Yes, it was the guitarist. Edward. Bastard."

"He was an asshole?"

"No." He'd been sexy and sweet. A nice guy. She dug the heels of her hands into her eyes. "But he must be in the thirty percent of men who don't know how to put on a damn condom." She clunked her head back against the wall. "And, of course, it's been a while, so I haven't been so consistent with my birth control. Dammit."

"Hmm." Alice wrapped her arms around her extra tight and squeezed. Bella rested her head on her friend's shoulder, closed her eyes, and tried to breathe.

A/N: And now… we wait. But probably not for long. I'm excited about this story.