Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, nor would I want to, because the end would have turned out completely different.

It had been two weeks since Bella had seen Jacob. They talked on the phone nightly, mostly about homework. With his exams coming up in less than a month, Billy was buckling down on him. She understood. Billy had promised that he could spend the entire two weeks of Christmas break with her.

With less than a week away until Thanksgiving, she was craving normalcy. The dream had played itself out after she had seen Jacob last. The talk they'd had at his house had calmed both of their nerves.

Tonight would be the first night that she had seen the Cullens in over a month. She had been touched when Esme had invited her and Jacob to her and Carlisle's anniversary dinner.

Bella had been surprised when Billy had given Jacob permission to come. They had agreed to come separately, so that there would be no temptation for them to leave together.

She stood at the Cullen's front door, waiting for someone to let her in. Jasper opened the door with wide eyes.

"Hey." she said with a smile.

He smiled back before helping her with her jacket. Alice peaked around the corner, her look mirroring Jasper's.

"What's going on?" Bella asked as she walked into the living room.

"Bella, please sit down." Esme said, gesturing towards the couch.

"I'd rather stand."

"Then I ask that you be silent for a moment."

Bella's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but she did what Esme asked. Alice gasped before a hand flew to her mouth.

"Maybe we should get Carlisle, just to make sure." Jasper said from next to Bella.

"Can I talk now?"

"Yes, I'm sorry."

"What is going on?"

"I'll go get Carlisle; he'll explain it better than any of us can." Esme said as she walked out of the room.

"Are you sure that you don't want to sit down?" Jasper asked.

"I'd rather stand." she said again as she shook her head.

"Maybe you should stay next to her Jazz." Alice said from the love seat.

Carlisle came into the room and stood a few feet from Bella. His eyebrows were knitted together in concentration.

"Bella, I'm going to ask you a personal question. I want you to be honest with me. Have you and Jacob slept together?"

"Yes." she said, looking down at her feet.

"When was the last time?"

"Three weeks ago. It was the only time."

"And you didn't use protection?"

"The condom broke." she said, knowing what he was suggesting.

"Accidents can happen."

"How do you know that I'm pregnant?"

"We can hear their heartbeats." Alice said with a smile.

"Jacob was trying to tell me that he heard something…"

She blacked out before collapsing in Jasper's arms. He laid her gently on the couch. Carlisle waved smelling salts under her nose to make her come to. Her eyes slowly opened and focused on him.

"How long was I out?"

"Only thirty seconds. How many fingers am I holding up?"

"She can't tell if you're wiggling them." Esme said, smacking him playfully.

"Sorry. The situation called for humor."

"You're holding up three."

"Very good."

"Did Alice say that you could hear their heartbeats?"

"Yes, there are two. You said something about Jacob before you fainted."

"He must have heard them too." Bella said, shaking her head in wonder.

"It's like humming bird wings. And since there are two, it's like hearing an echo. It's amazing." Alice said, coming to stand next to her.

"I have to tell Jacob before he gets here." she said, sitting up.

"You're going to have to settle for telling him in person. He just pulled up." Jasper said, looking out the window.

"Will he hear it when he walks in?"

"More than likely, it's very loud." Carlisle said with a small nod.

"How is that possible? They're not even a month old."

"They won't get much louder." he said reassuringly.

Emmett was the one who let Jacob in.

"Did you get a bird, maybe two?" Jacob asked.

"Crap." Bella said under her breath.

"Come in here, Jacob." Carlisle said before Jacob could respond.

Jacob walked into the room, and his eyes fixed on Bella's immediately. She was on the verge of tears when he sat down next to her. The sound made him look at her.

"I can explain that, if you're willing to listen." Carlisle said gently.

"No, if anyone is going to tell him that I am pregnant it is going to be me." Bella said, shaking her head.

"That isn't an echo is it?" he asked, taking hold of her hand.

"It's two separate heartbeats." Bella said with a nod.

"Oh, God." Jacob said, raking his free hand over his face.

"Now Jacob, I know that this is a shock, but I would have expected a better reaction from you." Esme said as she sat on the other side of Bella.

"The nightmare…" Jacob started to say.

"Is not going to happen, I will not let it happen." Bella said vehemently.

"What nightmare?" Jasper asked.

"For the first several days after we…ya know, I had a nightmare that members of the Volturi came and killed two little boys. Mine and Jacob's twin boys."

"They will be here while you are pregnant." Alice said with a gasp.

"That changes everything." Carlisle said, standing.

"What?" Bella asked, looking at each vampire.

"It is against vampire law to kill a woman who is with child." Esme said seriously.

"That doesn't mean that they won't come back." Jacob said with a sigh.

"I am going to plead Bella's case." Carlisle said in an earnest tone.

"Are you sure that they will listen?" Bella asked.

"Caius will be most sympathetic. I will have Edward go with me."

"Oh no." Alice said with a groan.

"What?" Bella asked.

"He must have read someone's mind."

"I'll handle it." Emmett said opening the front door.

"Who does he think he is?" Rosalie asked putting a hand on Bella's shoulder.

Emmett stood at the door shaking his head quickly.

"I'll come out." Jacob said, rising from the couch.

"No." Bella said in a panicked voice.

She grabbed hold of his arm in a vice grip hold. Jasper looked at her, and she immediately let go of him.

"Don't do that again." she said, giving him a pointed look.

"I was trying to help."

"She has a right to be upset. Edward is going to give Jacob an earful, and you know it." Rosalie said, coming to take Jacob's place.

Esme pulled Bella to her as Bella placed her head on her shoulder. Rosalie rubbed Bella's back as she whispered soothing words in her ear.

"Let it out." Alice said, coming to sit in front of her.

Jacob, Emmett, and Edward stood on the porch. Jacob's heart broke, hearing Bella's sobbing from inside.

"Make it quick." he said, staring out into the night.

"Don't tell me what to do boy." Edward said in a condescending tone.

"Don't ruin this night for Mom and Dad Edward. If you've come to start trouble you can leave." Emmett said.

Jacob looked at Emmett out of the corner of his eye. Emmett nodded with a tight lipped smile.

"I have a gift for them." Edward said in a defeated voice.

"Dad wants to talk to you." Jasper said from the door.

Edward nodded before turning towards the door. The door opened, and Carlisle stepped out.

"The two of you can go inside."

"If this is about Bella and I than we should be out here."

"Very well, send Bella out."

Jasper walked Bella to the door, and Jacob pulled her into his arms. She collapsed against him as he sat them on the steps.

"Do not interfere." Bella said in a strained voice.

"I won't." Jasper said before closing the door.

Carlisle moved around Jacob and Bella to walk down the stairs. He sat on the bottom stair, looking right at Bella.

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes." she said in a small voice.

"But not Edward?"

She shook her head with a sigh.

"You have to know that I didn't want to hurt you. That's one of the reasons that I didn't fight you when you broke off our engagement." Edward said from behind her.

"You did hurt her; you lied to her the entire time." Jacob said, casting an icy look over his shoulder.

"She didn't know that at the time."

"That doesn't matter." Bella said, sighing again.

"I hated lying to you. It hurt me a lot more than it hurt you. I will never lie to you again, I promise."

"We don't have a choice, do we?" she asked Carlisle.

"No."

"Then I guess he'll have to be a part of it."

The door opened, and Alice stuck her head out.

"Dinner is ready."

Inside, Bella couldn't look at Edward without wanting to hit him. Jacob took hold of one hand while her other hand was balled into a fist.

"Bella, eat. You have two people growing inside of you who need nourishment." Rosalie said when Bella refused to eat.

A plate was dropped behind them. Edward quickly moved to clean it up.

"Jacob isn't eating either."

"He isn't pregnant. Bella, please eat." Esme said in a motherly tone.

Bella picked up her fork and cut a piece of roast beef. She slowly moved it towards her mouth and had to immediately grab her drink to help it go down.

"Jacob, you too." Esme said, looking at him.

"Yes ma'am."

"It's a good thing you're ambidextrous. Because I am not letting go of your right hand." Bella said as she watched him.

He squeezed her hand tightly as he chewed his baked potato. Nothing else was said through the rest of dinner.

When Jacob left at nine-thirty, Bella walked him out. They leaned against his car, not wanting to break the silence.

"We need to tell our dad's soon."

"I know. We'll do it tomorrow."

Bella nodded in agreement.

"Are you okay with everything?"

"It's fine, Bells. We've been so worried that it would happen, that now that it has the shock has worn off." he said with a laugh.

"What about Edward?"

"We set him in his place, didn't we?" he asked, smiling at her.

"Yeah, we did." she said, smiling back at him.

"Stay at your dad's tonight?" he asked, giving her a pleading look.

"Will you come over?"

"As soon as my dad and Rachel are asleep." he said, kissing her forehead.

"You should go."

"When are you leaving?"

"Now."

"I'll see you in a little while."

Rosalie met Bella on the stairs, and she handed her her purse.

"We're glad that you came tonight."

"Yeah, me too. You guys saved me from buying twenty bucks worth of pregnancy test." she said with a laugh.

"There's a phone number of an OBGYN at the hospital in your purse. Carlisle said to call him next week to set up an appointment."

"Why do I need to wait?"

"The babies are too young. Technically you won't be showing signs of being pregnant until next week."

"Morning sickness." Bella said with a groan.

"Among other things."

"Will you tell him that I said thank you?"

"Sure." she said with a smile.

Since their talk that spring, things had been easier between them. Rosalie was even working on being nicer to Jacob. They hadn't said one mean thing to each other the entire night. That was more than Bella could ask for.