A/N: Hey guys. Just a reminder that if you haven't voted in the May to December contest, which I entered, you should. :) Link is in my profile.

When he was a young man, Edward had prided himself with the fact he was good with his in-laws. Then again, the man of that family had been Kate's twelve-year-old brother Vasili-a surprise and a half to the busy single mother of three then-teenage only thing Edward had to do to impress his mother-in-law was be a better man than either of her childrens' fathers. The bar wasn't set very high. Kate's older sisters, Tanya and Irina, gave him a hard time, but, seeing that their sister was so happy, they relented quickly enough.

Even after they'd divorced, Sasha, Kate's mother, had told him she couldn't be too angry.

"You love her enough not to torture her, and for that, I'll forgive you."

If Sasha could forgive him, maybe there was some hope in winning Charlie over. Then again, Charlie wasn't his father-in-law.

The man was being civil, but it was that kind of forced civility where his smile was too big and his handshake far too bone-crushing to be friendly. It was awkward, but Edward and Charlie both muddled through it for Bella's sake.

The day after Charlie and Edward were properly introduced, Edward spent the day with Bella at the Swan's house. Almost as soon as Charlie stepped in the door that evening, Bella dropped the pan of scalloped potatoes she'd been about to put in the oven. To Edward's dismay, she burst into tears.

Both men hurried forward to help, but Edward got there first. Temporarily forgetting Charlie existed, Edward knelt by Bella's side and put an arm around her, gripping her wrist in a loose hold to stop her from grabbing at the mess haphazardly.

"Fuck," she said under her breath. "Shit, fuck, damn."

"It's okay, Bella."

"It's not okay." She leaned forward on her knees, picking up a large shard of the broken pan out of the mess of potatoes and milk. "Crap."

"It's fine, Bells. We can have something else," Charlie said, kneeling across from them.

"We don't have anything else. There's nothing else. I'm making a roast. Roast goes with potatoes. I could do rice, but we don't have that either." Her voice cracked.

Edward ducked his head, studying Bella's distressed expression carefully. When he was sure her fit was pregnancy-induced and not some kind of trigger, he took her hands and squeezed. "Hey, it's okay. We don't need potatoes."

"Dinner without a side is just meat," she said, but she sniffled, looking up at him with a look that was more sheepish than frantic.

"How about this? We'll run out to the store and get whatever you need," Charlie said, not so surreptitiously taking Bella's hands from Edward to squeeze them himself.

Edward didn't make a fuss. Instead, he started to clean up the mess.

"We?" Bella asked. "Dad, I have things in the oven. I can't leave."

"We, as in Edward and I." Charlie gave Edward a couple of rougher than necessary thwacks on the back. "We can get what you need."

Somehow, Edward managed not to grimace, though it was a near thing. Everyone in the room knew damn well that Charlie had been waiting for an excuse to get Edward alone.

"Dad," Bella began, but Edward cleared his throat.

"It's okay, Bella. I'll go with your dad."

Bella frowned, her hands on her hips. She didn't look pleased, but she nodded. "Promise you'll be nice," she said to her father. "It will really stress me out if you maim or murder him."

Edward bit the inside of his cheek and turned to the sink to hide a sardonic smile. Especially around her father, there was no getting around the fact Bella was much closer to a teenager than a seasoned adult.

"He'll get back in one piece," Charlie said. He smacked Edward on the arm. "Come on. Let's go."

Bella cast Edward an anxious look, but he only smiled, pretending his heart wasn't hammering as hard as it was.

Charlie didn't waste any time. As soon as they were out of sight of the house, he got right to the point. "So, here's what doesn't track for me."

Edward coughed into his hand. "What's that?"

"Yesterday, she said you worked hard to earn her trust. After you found out about the baby."

Edward shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "We didn't know each other very well."

"Right, but she trusted you enough to go home with you."

"Right." Edward clenched his hand into a fist out of Charlie's sight. So much for hoping a small-town cop wouldn't be as good at picking up on bullshit. Guilty as he was, the truth was never going to fly. He and Bella had agreed to stick as close to the truth as possible, though.

"When she told me she was pregnant, I didn't react very well," Edward said, his voice gruff. "And I-" Hurt her. "Scared her. I said the wrong things. It wasn't my proudest moment."

Charlie grunted in response but didn't say anything else. They were already in front of the supermarket. They got out, but just before they entered, Charlie grabbed Edward by the arm, hauling him off to the side.

"Okay, here's the bottom line," he said, crossing his arms as he leveled a hard stare at Edward. "You're not some punk ass kid. I get that you're trying to do the right thing here. I can appreciate that. So here's the deal. I'm letting you off the hook."

Edward blinked, sure he hadn't heard right. "What?"

"You're my age. Good job. Nice family. You kept your nose clean-believe me, I checked."

Edward grimaced, his jaw clenched tight.

Charlie went on. "I figure a guy like you has his life in some kind of order. Accidents happen. I get it. I doubt it's part of your ten year plan to end up supporting a twenty-year-old girl and a baby. It's not that I don't appreciate what you're offering Bella, but I'd rather you left the both of them alone. I don't want Bella to be put in the position of thinking she owes you something. She deserves to live her own life."

"I don't think Bella owes me anything. It's the opposite," Edward said, struggling to keep his tone even.

"Bottom line? I'm relieving you of any responsibility. I'll make sure my daughter has what she needs. Do Bella and the kid a favor, huh? Nobody needs a father who's only there out of some screwed up sense of responsibility. I don't want you to put Bella in the position of having to explain to her kid why his daddy doesn't love either of them."

Charlie didn't wait for Edward to respond. He walked into the store, leaving Edward seething behind him.

It was a full minute before Edward could get his body to unfreeze. He entered the market with stiff steps, gnashing his teeth, knowing the whole time his anger was a mask of his guilt. After all, Charlie hadn't said much Edward wasn't thinking himself, at least about the baby. Bella's baby deserved what Xavier still had - a father who adored him and wanted him. As it was, Edward didn't know how he felt about the baby. How many times had he pushed the topic away whenever his family wanted to talk, wanted to know what he was going to do? Since Bella had put his hand to her bump, Edward had been unable to push away thoughts of their mystery baby.

He knew he'd have to think about it-really think about it-sooner than later, but he was terrified of what he'd feel. Or more accurately, not feel. He didn't want to face the idea that Charlie might be right-the baby might be better off without him as a father.

Where Charlie was wrong was in how he felt about Bella. Yes, at first, he'd been acting out of responsibility. There was only one right thing to do, as far as Edward figured, and that was to be there for Bella in any way he could. But now the idea of walking away was unfathomable. Not because of the baby-the baby was still no more than a concept, a heavy weight that had the potential to destroy his existence but one that was still held aloft, almost out of sight. Bella, though…

Edward thought about her sweet kisses, the trust she put in him despite everything. He hadn't lost the sense that she knew him. It was still easier to express whatever was between them physically. He had no words. He never had the right words.

That first night, she'd had his words. There on that stage, she was everything he'd been trying to say.

He didn't want to walk away from her, and he didn't know what to feel about that either.

When he caught up to Charlie, Edward fell into step beside him. He didn't know what to say, so he just asked what was on the short list Bella had given them.

Before Charlie could answer him, a loud voice drew their attention. "Hey, Chief. Who's your friend?"

Edward saw Charlie's posture go stiff and his eyes harden before he turned around. "Hello, Dick." The way he leaned on the last word would have been funny if Edward wasn't suddenly very sure who it was he was looking at.

Light blond hair, icy blue eyes. A malevolent twist to his lips. The guy made Edward's stomach churn and his fists clench at his sides just looking at him.

Charlie cleared his throat. "Edward, this is Richard Newton." He hadn't taken his glare off the other man. "Edward is a...friend of my daughter's."

Richard's eyes narrowed as he looked to Edward. "A friend of Bella's, huh?"

Charlie's moustache twitched. "You going to start?"

Richard held his hands up in a placating motion. "Must be nice, that's all. That your kid gets to move on."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Charlie said, his tone clipped. To Edward he said, "I'm going to get the potatoes. Milk is over that way."

"I'll get it," Edward said. He let his glare linger on Richard for a few more seconds before he headed in the right direction.

He didn't have time to take a deep breath before he heard the quick footsteps of someone coming up behind him. He whirled to find Richard had followed him. "Can I help you with something?"

"Hey, man. I'm here for you. Take it from me. You don't want to be friends with Bella Swan."

Edward took a step toward the man. "You know what I want? I want you to shut your mouth, because I don't want to hear whatever you have to say about her."

The man quirked an eyebrow. "Oh, so it is like that." He scoffed. "What is it about that girl? She's nothing much to look at. A whiny little bitch prone to histrionics."

"I'm not going to listen to this," Edward said, turning away from Richard before he gave in to the desire to punch the man's teeth out.

"Hey, it's your ass. She's just going to do to you the same thing she did to my boy. She'll take you for what you're worth, let you bust your hump to provide for her, and all you'll get for it is a jail sentence."

Edward turned, enraged. "Your son is a predator and a bastard. I hope his prison buddies are treating him as well as he treated Bella."

"Oh, you're one of those assholes, huh? He didn't hurt her. Yeah, it was unfortunate she tripped, but he didn't give her much more than a love tap. Every woman needs a good slap now and again. You don't see Karen whining about it. She knows what she gets when she's being a bitch. Any man-"

Edward couldn't listen anymore. He drove his fist into the other man's stomach. Hard. "You know the more I think about it, some men deserve to be hit, too," he said through clenched teeth. He stepped back, calmer about the whole thing than he should have been.

Richard, doubled over and clutching his stomach, looked up not at Edward but at some point behind him. He gasped out a breath and said in a strained voice, "You gonna do your job, Chief?"

Edward grimaced as he looked over his shoulder. Sure enough, Charlie was there, looking on with his brows furrowed. Great, as though the man needed an excuse to throw him in jail.

But Charlie just shrugged. "I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't see anything." He reached past Edward to pick up a carton of milk. "Anyway, most guys have been punched in their lives, Dick. You don't see them whining about it."

Not even bothering to fight a smirk, Edward followed Charlie to the checkstand with their purchases. Neither of them spoke. They paid and left. Back in the car, Edward flexed his aching fist.

When they pulled up to the house a few minutes later, Edward huffed. "I care about her," he said, his tone quiet. "She's been through more than enough, and the last thing I want is to be the one who hurts her."

Charlie grunted. "Yeah, I get that. Not saying I wish you didn't think about it before you… Well, anyway. I get it."

Edward wondered if it was his imagination, but it seemed like the tension between he and Charlie had lessened considerably. That seemed ironic, that an act of violence would actually win him grudging respect from the other man.

Well, whatever. He couldn't say he felt that bad about hurting a man who'd had such a large part in hurting Bella. If it helped with the Charlie situation, that was just a bonus.

They went inside, and there, Edward came face to face with a wall of muscle. He wasn't a short man. It wasn't often he had to look up at someone. When he did, he found himself face to face with a dark-skinned young man with long, glossy black hair. Edward took an involuntary step backward.

The kid grinned. Bella appeared behind him looking even more anxious than before. "Edward, this is Jacob Black. Jacob Black, Edward Cullen. Jacob invited himself over."

There was a timbre to her voice Edward didn't like at all. He looked away from her reluctantly and offered his hand to Jacob. "Nice to put a face to the name," he said.

Jacob's grin only widened, and, as Edward expected, took his hand in the classic alpha-male handshake of death-an especially unpleasant experience given that Edward's hand was so sore. Two in two days. Edward kept any reaction from his face.

"Okay," Bella said, giving Jake an irritated look that said she knew exactly what he was doing.

When the guy let go, Edward put his abused hand down at his side, flexing surreptitiously. This town made him very tired.

"Great, so. That happened." Bella clicked her tongue against her teeth nervously. "Thanks for getting the stuff. Give me twenty-five minutes, and I'll have dinner on the table."

Jacob slung his arm around Bella's shoulders in a careless way. "I'll help you."

"No." Bella twisted out from under his arm. She combed her fingers through her hair in a nervous way that made Edward's stomach ache. She looked around, a little self-conscious. "Um. No. That's okay. It's a one-person job. I got this." Jacob took a step toward her, and Bella took a large step to the side, away from him. "Seriously, um. Yeah. You can... maybe there's a game on or something?"

"Come on, gentlemen. That's our cue to get out of the kitchen," Charlie said.

"I thought preggos weren't supposed to lift things," Jacob said.

Bella's smile was more familiar then as she fixed him with a look. "They're potatoes. I'll survive."

Jacob finally relented and followed Edward and Charlie to the living room.

It was more of the same thing Edward had been putting up with since the day before-passive-aggressive comments veiled by smiles and even tones. This time, though, since it wasn't Charlie, Edward threw in a few well-timed barbs of his own.

When Bella called them, they all settled down in the dining room to eat. Edward didn't miss how Jacob plopped down in the seat next to Bella. She looked at Edward, a nervous glance that confused him, before she turned her attention to serving the roast.

"You never told me you could cook. This is really great," Edward said, meaning it. The roast was melt-in-your-mouth tender and juicy. The potatoes were soft and delicious.

Bella seemed pleased at his compliment, and she smiled. Her smile didn't last long. Jacob elbowed her playfully, bringing back that tense expression Edward couldn't understand. "That's what I've missed the most about you being gone, Bells. I starve at my dad's house."

"Yeah right. Billy only works to keep you fed," she said.

Edward thought he saw her scoot her chair further away from Jacob. It was really beginning to piss him off how this guy obviously wasn't taking her hints. The only reason he kept his mouth shut was because he couldn't help but think it wasn't that Bella was uncomfortable with Jacob-she'd spoken of him so warmly before. Rather, Bella seemed uncomfortable with the idea Edward could see every time Jacob touched her.

Dinner went on, and Jacob started to tell a story of the previous year when Bella jumped from a cliff way too far up and had almost given him a heart attack. "I told her only show-offs jump from that cliff, but she thought I was talking about something else," Jacob said, and he reached over to ruffle Bella's hair.

Bella pushed back from the table, the movement spastic. "I'm going to clear the table."

Edward watched her disappear into the kitchen. He wiped his mouth with the corner of his napkin, picked up his plate, and followed her.

"Hey," he said, setting his plate down on the counter beside her.

She jumped. "Hey." She stared down at the dishes as she washed them off.

Edward leaned back against the counter, crossing his arms, wondering how to broach the topic. "So, Jacob-"

To his surprise, Bella dropped the plate in her hand. It clattered against the others in the sink. She picked up a dish towel, rubbing it fitfully. "He's a friend. He's just a friend. He doesn't even have a crush on me anymore."

The way her words shook startled Edward. He took a step toward her, raising his hand to touch her arm, and stopped cold when she jolted backward, her eyes wide with fright.

Realizing what she'd done, Bella corrected quickly, relaxing her stance from cornered animal to pacing cat. "He's just…He's a physical kind of guy. We've known each other for years. He's a hugger, but it doesn't mean anything. We're friends. That's all."

"Bella-"

"Why the hell are you making excuses to him?"

Both Edward and Bella swung around to see Jacob taking up the whole doorway to the kitchen. His eyes glinted with fury, and they were set on Edward.

"I'm not making excuses," Bella said.

"You are. You were fine when we were alone, but the second he gets back, you're all twitchy. What the hell is going on?" He took a step toward Edward. "What's he doing to make you so scared?"

"He's not doing anything."

"Don't give me that. You-"

"Enough." Bella looked to her friend, her eyes tight with a deep ache, but her tone fierce again. "What I need is for both of you to stop trying to figure out how Edward is victimizing me." She looked between Jacob and her father, who had joined them in the kitchen. "Believe me, I get it. I know what an idiot I was when I was with Mike. I don't need you to remind me."

"Bella, that's not-"

Bella held her hand out to shut him up. "Look, I'm very clear about every mistake I made with Mike, and if you think you're scared that I could make those mistakes again, you should try being me for a day. And I get it. I was gone for six months, and I came home in another not-so-great situation. We all know I make great life choices, okay, but this isn't the same thing as that. Just leave Edward alone. None of this is his fault."

Jacob persisted. "Then why the hell did you get so jumpy with me the minute he showed up?"

Her laugh was dry. "Because my brain is fucked up." She took a shaky breath. "There was a lot I didn't tell you about Mike. About everything. He was jealous of you. More jealous about you than anyone else, and whenever we hung out, and he caught me…" She swallowed hard, obviously fighting to keep her voice steady. "It was bad for me. Really bad."

Jake looked as though someone had punched him in the stomach. "You said he didn't hit you then."

"He didn't hit me for that. It was just bad." The way Bella stared at Jacob, willing him to understand there were worse things than being beaten without making her say the words, made Edward heartbroken and furious.

He wanted to go back to the store and find Richard Newton. It wasn't as good as being able to tear Mike apart, but he would take it as a close second.

"It's a trigger," Bella continued. "That's all. You understand what a trigger is, right?"

Edward wondered if Charlie and Jacob appreciated what was happening here. She was trying so hard to be all grown up, to explain her neurosis with calm facts, but this had to be devastating. How vulnerable she must have been feeling, having to explain to these two emotionally healthy men, her father and her best friend, that another human being had disfigured her psyche, maybe permanently. Edward could see the slight tremor of her hands, and he wanted so much to go to her, wrap her in the shelter of his arms and offer to be her strength for this.

"I understand what a trigger is," Jacob said, his voice tight. "What I don't get is why it's happening now. It's been two years, and you've never acted like this before. We hung out all the time when you lived here. You weren't scared, and you've never been scared of me."

"I'm not scared of Edward." She looked at Edward then, saying the next words to him. "I'm really not. It's just the situation."

"What situation?" Jacob asked.

Bella shook her head. "Don't worry about it."

"I do worry about it. Bells, if I'm triggering you or whatever, I want to know what's causing it so I can stop."

At that, Bella seemed to lose whatever composure she'd gathered. She shook her head, staring down at her toes as she wrung her hands. "It's fine," she muttered. "Edward is going home tomorrow night. It'll be fine."

With that, she bolted for the stairs, leaving the three of them staring after her at a loss.

A/N: EEEPS. SO.

Thank you to all my girls for all their help and endless patience with me.

How you doing out there?