Author's note: hey guys, I know I've said this before but I apologize for taking SUCH a long time to update this story. I hadn't forgotten about it. I have just had so much drama going on in my own life that writing fanfic hasn't been at the top of my priorities.

But here's Chapter 20 for you. It has a cliffhanger at the end!

Thanks for reading. Please read & review. :) And you won't have to wait so long for Chapter 21...promise!

Chapter Twenty

– Accident –

I ran upstairs and shook Jacob awake, "Jake!"

"Uh," he moaned, rubbing his eyes. "What is it, Bells? It's the middle of the night!"

"I couldn't sleep. My back was aching and I was worrying, so I went downstairs. And this was pushed underneath the door."

I handed him the note and he read it, his eyes widening in disbelief. Then he tossed it in the trash.

"NO! We should keep it, Jake."

"Why?" he shook his head, still looking fuzzy with sleep.

"It's evidence," I said strongly. "We might need it. Seriously, Jacob, this has got to stop. I'm going to call the cops."

"Yes, of course it's got to stop. But I really don't think we should involve the police, Bella."

"I know what you think. And I don't agree."

By now, my lips are pursed with my disapproval of my husband's reluctance to involve the law. I stalked over to the window and sat, crossing my arms and letting out a long breath.

"We need to resolve this, Jacob. I want to call the cops. I'm sick of not having a say in things."

"Huh? What? Are you saying that I'm a control freak or something?"

"Yeah, actually. That is EXACTLY what I'm saying! You seem to think it's okay for your ex to torment me. Personally, I don't think that verbal abuse, bullying and intimidating threats are very good for pregnant women. But maybe you disagree."

"Of course I don't disagree. Bella, I don't understand. You know I only want the best for us."

"Yeah, well, I was beginning to wonder," I snapped. "Most days I throw up; I don't feel pretty, I feel damned awful. The last thing I want is your psycho ex threatening me whenever I go out of the house. And you spend so much time organizing your darned garage that maybe I should just go ahead and have this baby on my own."

"Bella, come on now, please. That's not fair."

I saw the wounded look in Jacob's eyes and attempted to ignore the remorse that was welling up inside me. I didn't mean to make him feel bad. My words were meaningless and I was letting all my angst and worry about Rose out on him. I looked down at the floor, my cheeks reddening. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that."

When Jacob got out of bed and came over to wrap his arms around me, a solitary tear coursed down my face. I turned to face him, my bump pressing into him. "I don't want anything to hap…oh my God, did you feel that?"

It felt like butterfly wings inside my stomach, a tiny flutter. It stopped momentarily and then I felt it quiver again. I broke into a smile as Jacob beamed at me, "Come on, beautiful. We need to stop fighting. We're waking Baby up."

He picked me up, bridal-style, and I spent the rest of the night curled in his arms, with the promise that he would call the cops tomorrow and sort everything out.

Charlie gave an official warning to Rose and the next few months of my pregnancy progressed without incident, without any further scares from my own personal stalker. My previous experience of pregnancy made me worry more often than perhaps I should have; I had to remember to remind myself that this pregnancy was so very different. I was carrying a human baby this time. My mom came to stay in August, a month before the baby was due. It was months since I had last seen her and when I drove to pick her up from the airport, her face creased into a massive smile which emphasized the laugh lines around her eyes.

"My baby's having a baby!" she exclaimed, putting her hands on both sides of my now massive bump. "I hope the delivery won't be plural!"
"Nope," I shook my head. "I'm definitely not having twins, even though it feels that way sometimes."

We drove home from the airport in Port Angeles, laughing and chatting. For possibly the first time in my life, I felt completely at ease with my mom. I had always been very independent and although I loved my mom, we sometimes had moments of friction. She offered to stay with Jacob and me through until the baby was born so she could support me with the housekeeping and lend a helping hand. Jacob was keen on the idea but I hesitated for a couple of days before saying yes. Even though my mom and me have been getting on well, despite having such different ways of approaching life, I was tentative. When the time came for Baby to arrive, I knew I wanted to have some time with just Jacob, the baby and me. But when I picked her up from the airport, I knew I had made the right decision. In fact, I felt privileged to be sharing this special time with her. When we got back to the little house down on the Reservation, she cooed over the cuteness of it. Our house was small and had only two bedrooms, one of which was going to become the nursery, but Jacob and me loved it. It was our den, a cozy place where I always felt comfortable. Mom helped me paint the nursery…well, she painted while I rested my huge bump and watched. And we had multiple shopping trips to Port Angeles to pick out diapers and adorable onesies for the baby.

The weather in Forks and La Push was perfect, adding to my buoyant mood. The forecasters predicted sun for the rest of August which delighted Mom. I'd grown used to the rain and the foggy mists of the Pacific Northwest but it made Mom depressed. She hated it, which was one of the reasons why she left, taking baby me with her to a sunnier state. So the summery August weather on her visit made her very happy. On August 25th, I woke up late. I was finding it harder to sleep at night; every position seemed uncomfortable. And then there was the fact that I had a nightly soccer match going on inside my belly – there was no doubt about the baby's strength!

Jacob had already left for work when I woke and my mom peeped around the door, "Good morning, darling. Jacob just left a minute ago. He was in a bit of a bad mood because his VW wouldn't start, so he took your car. He said he was going to head to the junk yard to get a new part for it."

"Oh, that's annoying," I said. "He's been having problems with that thing. I keep telling him to get a new car but he says he's emotionally attached to it."

My mom and me looked at each other, rolled our eyes and giggled. "Only a man could get so sentimental over a hunk of metal!"

We spent the morning sunbathing in the garden, soaking up the warmth. Jacob called to say he would be back for lunch. I stayed in the garden, dozing, while my mom prepared a salad. I was vaguely aware of the phone ringing and my mom called out, "I'll get it, Bella."

"Mmhhm," I mumbled, the sun lulling me into sleep. I was perfectly relaxed. But then my mom came outside and sat down beside me on the ground. She put her hand on my shoulder and I opened my eyes. She was serious and I instantly knew that something was wrong. A chill ran through me.

"What's happened, Mom? Tell me."

"That was Charlie on the phone. Jacob's had a car accident, Bella. Someone had spilled gasoline all over the road; Charlie said it looked like it was done on purpose."