A/N: I'm so surprised that no one liked Grandfather Cullen! Isn't he what all grandfathers should be? Warm and cuddly? No? Hmmm.

Monday morning dawned, and Edward got up, his movements robotic as he moved about his room.

This had been his routine for so many years - since elementary school, really. Early to rise. Dress for the day. Go to school - university - work. Work hard. Live right. Count your blessings.

It was how his grandfather had raised him.

And yet, he reflected, staring at his reflection in the bathroom mirror - foggy from his shower - though he had never stepped so much as a toe out of line till now, it was not good enough for Grandfather Cullen.

It wasn't a surprise by a long shot. This was the story of his life since before his birth.

His parents had named him after his grandfather - Edward Anthony Cullen the Second - in an effort to appease Edward Anthony Cullen the First. Just a few days after his birth, they'd caved to the pressure both of raising a newborn and of Grandfather's constant badgering, and left it up to the old man to raise him.

Over and over, his parents tried desperately to redeem themselves in the eyes of the elder Cullen. Over and over, they failed. Finally, they gave up and got on with their lives, living for themselves and later, the two boys they had when they were a little better equipped.

Not that Edward blamed them, but it left all of his grandfather's pressure directly on his shoulders.

It was a staggering weight to bear.

For the first 18 years of his life, Edward lived up to his name. Even then, though he parroted much of the judgemental venom the older man spewed, he still never seemed to measure up.

He attended Cornell University and, away from his grandfather's influence for months at a time, he was startled to find there was a wide, varying world of thought available to him. He began to recognize that his grandfather's worldview was in actuality, very constricted.

Though he began to quietly defy his grandfather's beliefs in favor of views he formed on his own, Edward still tried very hard to be the dutiful son. He graduated with honors, a year ahead of schedule. It was true that he worked in the family's corporation, headed by his cousin Felix, but he worked hard to set himself above his peers.

And still it wasn't enough.

Still chafing at his grandfather's hasty, cruel words, Edward tried to force his indignant hurt down and examine the argument without the anger with which it was flung.

Edward had long since fallen away from the church where his grandfather preached. It wasn't that he'd lost God. He'd just found religion in beautiful sunsets and moments shared with the people who loved him most. There were some ideals he'd been taught, though, that he'd never before thought of shaking.

He was simply not one who enjoyed making a mockery of an institution he cherished.

Grandfather Cullen had married only once and, as far as Edward knew, hadn't even dated again. His mother and father had been married since they were 20 years old. When he thought about marriage, he thought about forever. He'd never thought he would end up married on a drunken night in Vegas.

Was it the wrong thing to do, to continue perpetuating this sham marriage?

He continued going about his morning, these thoughts rattling around in his head.

Time must have passed more quickly than he expected because the next thing Edward knew, he heard a key turning in the lock. He stood, jogging to the door just as it opened.

"Good morning, E-"

"Shhh," Edward hushed, gesturing with his hands.

Leah quirked a perfectly manicured eyebrow, looking extremely annoyed at being shushed. Then her eyes went wide, and she leaned in conspiratorially. "Do you actually have a-" she pretended to gasp, "-female here?"

Edward glared for a moment before his shoulders slumped. He took a deep breath, prepared to tell his well rehearsed lie for what felt like the thousandth time.

"Shut it," Leah demanded. "I can already smell the bullshit."

He narrowed his eyes, about to protest, but the look she was giving him took all the wind out of his sails.

Besides, he reasoned, she was the housekeeper. It was one thing, keeping it from his family who never had cause to venture to the upstairs rooms that they didn't sleep in the same bed. Leah would know.

"Truth?" he asked.

"Spit it out," she returned, folding her arms across her chest.

With a resigned sigh, he tilted his head in the direction of the kitchen. "This might take a while."

Some time later, Leah was gaping at him like a fish out of water.

"I want, so badly, to believe I've done the right thing," Edward murmured. "But a great part of me feels that my grandfather is right. I've profaned an institution I place a high value on."

Leah snorted. "Edward, no thought that starts off with your grandfather being right should be taken to heart."

He looked up at her, feeling lost. "Tell me the truth, Leah. You fight constantly for this right, and I've made a mockery of it."

"Oh, Jesus," she muttered. "Okay, since you've taken it there... What I fight for is the right to the business of marriage - joint taxes, health insurance, all that jazz. All of those numbers you have a right to just because you have a penis and prefer vaginas.

"To me, there are two other types of marriage. The commitment kind that people like your grandfather love to extol upon is something that happens in your heart, when you give yourself to another person and agree to share your life. That is the only true kind of marriage - the only kind that matters in the sense that everyone bitches and moans about."

"And the third type of marriage?"

"Under the church, of course, which, like all matters of religion is highly subjective and differs from institution to institution, person to person."

She pointed, wagging her finger in his face. "If you ask me, we got it all wrong when we put so much pomp and circumstance on what should have been a personal matter between two people... or you know, however many people floats your boat if your boat floats that way. We gave marriage a definition so people - again, like your grandfather - could look down their nose, saying they have it right and use that as an excuse to judge others who don't define that union the same way."

Edward didn't answer, turning those ideas over in his head, not sure he was completely comfortable with all of them.

Leah sighed. "Look at it this way, okay? You didn't make a promise before God if that's your thing. You didn't make the more important - to me - commitment of the heart. What you did was sign a piece of paper telling the government that you and this Bella chick are together. What you did was noble - playing the system so this girl has what she needs."

She tilted her head, looking at him significantly. "Maybe I think you're a little bit of a moron for being so trusting, but you know what? That's a beautiful thing, too. Not a lot of people would have had the courage to take such a chance. What we forget too often in this world is that sometimes people get in over their heads. We forget that we were never meant to be solitary beings only out for own best interests. You took a look at this girl and, instead of wishing her the best of luck and returning to your own life, you picked her up and dusted her off."

"Wow." Edward chuffed, a little incredulous. "Were you abducted? Where's the woman who usually busts my balls?"

"Well, you know... I got laid last night, so that helps your case some," Leah chuckled. "But honestly, Edward, I could tell you that you've put yourself in a position to lose a lot, and you have, but I'm pretty sure you already know that. Besides, for once in your life, you followed your heart instead of your grandfather's voice. That's a definite improvement if ever I heard one."

~0~

Edward got to work feeling a little bit better about the situation.

He pulled up the internal HR screen, scrolling to the documents he needed. After he'd read everything carefully, he had to laugh.

"I don't know her social security number," he muttered.

"Talking to yourself, Edward?"

Edward looked up, finding Heidi, the company's HR Director, standing in his doorway. He huffed, offering her a smile. "You're just the person I wanted to see, actually."

She raised an eyebrow, her lips spreading in a slow, sexy grin. "Oh, really?"

Doing his best not to grimace at her obvious flirtation, Edward proffered his marriage certificate. "I'm trying to add my, er, wife to my insurance, but I don't have her social security number."

It was difficult to keep a straight face, watching her eyes bug out. Her lips moved, but the sound that came out wasn't recognizable as human. Tactfully, he looked away, allowing her a moment to regain her composure.

"Well," she said, her voice a little shrill. "That's no problem, really. I see your, uh, certificate. Oh! Vegas. That's..."

He raised an eyebrow, and she smiled to cover her true reaction.

"That's that, isn't it?" She chuckled awkwardly.

"You see, Heidi, she's pregnant."

Heidi choked and sat down heavily in the seat across from him.

"I need to get her added to my insurance as quickly as possible."

"Of course!" Heidi nodded. "It's really no problem, Edward. I'll get the ball rolling. You give me her social tomorrow, okay?"

"That sounds great. Thank you, Heidi."

Her smile was tight. "It's really no problem."

Edward tried not to groan as she walked away. He'd hoped that he could fly under the radar for at least a few days after the exhausting weekend he'd had. It wasn't to be. Now that Heidi knew, the whole company would know in a matter of hours.

Sure enough, it was only a half hour later that a rap on his door drew Edward's attention to the fact that his cousin Felix - the company's CEO - was leaning against the wall, grinning in a way that made him very uncomfortable.

"You. Dog," Felix exclaimed, his smile still wide.

"I beg your pardon?"

Throwing back his head, Felix laughed heartily and stepped into the office. "I wouldn't have thought you had it in you,' he said, shaking his head. "I'd even begun to suspect you were a eunuch, and then you bring home a teenage trophy wife."

Carefully, Edward set the blueprints he'd been going over down on his desk, counting to ten in his head before he even tried to respond. "Firstly, she's not a teenager."

Felix waved his hand. "Close enough. I'll bet she's a knockout if she caught your attention."

"Felix," Edward groaned. "It's not like that."

His cousin held up a hand, chuckling. "No need to be bashful about it, Edward. If you caught a twenty year old wife, that means you still got it."

Not for the first time, Edward wondered how he could be related to this man.

On paper, Felix Scarpinato was everything Grandfather Cullen wished Carlisle had been. He was Edward the First's sister's son. He'd kept his nose clean, graduated with honors from both high school and Harvard University, and now ran the family business and ran it well. He'd given Sulpicia Scarpinato nee Cullen several legitimate grandchildren, all of whom were growing up to be model citizens. He was well praised in the community, known for giving generously to various charities.

Privately, Edward found his elder cousin to be quite boorish. He was definitely a man's man, and thought of his wives as just another indicator of his wealth and status.

If Grandfather Cullen had any sense, he would not be jealous of his sister's successful son. His own son had been married to the same woman for over two decades while Felix was on his fourth wife. Carlisle didn't need to throw money at the community. He showed his sense of charity by giving of himself and his time where he could. It was true that he would never make as much money as Felix did, but he worked very hard. He and Esme had made a business of buying, restoring, and selling houses. It was only in the last seven or eight years that they'd saved enough to own a steady home outright while they bought other properties, turning them over or keeping them as rentals, but they'd made it together and lived quite comfortably.

It may have taken him a while to come to that conclusion, but since the wool had been yanked from over his eyes, Edward had tried to be his father's son.

"And a baby on the way, too, eh?" Felix continued, oblivious to Edward's quiet fuming. "You work quick, don't you? I understand, of course. Not a lot makes a man feel more like a man than a son to carry on his name."

"Is that what it takes?" Edward asked coolly, his tone deceivingly innocent. "Well, I'd always wondered."

His cousin eyed him, and then chuckled again, slapping him on the back. "I hope you enjoyed your freedom while it lasted, boy. You're a married man now. It's a whole other world."

"Yes, I can see that," Edward said honestly.

~0~

The Cullens made Bella nervous, but that wasn't really their fault.

The dinner get together had been mostly friendly. Rosalie - Emmett's fiancee - had been the coldest. It was obvious she didn't trust Bella, but she had a great deal more tact than Jasper had. Her questions were far more innocent. Edward had bristled at her cool attitude, but Bella gently reminded him that it was only natural for them to be suspicious. It must have been quite a shock for him to bring home a wife rather than work up to the idea like most people did.

Jasper was trying to be open - that much was obvious. He was noticeably suspicious but tried to keep it from his tone and expression. It went without saying that his girlfriend was a positive influence. Alice was the warmest of the "children". She was always all smiles, seeming to accept Bella's place in Edward's life. Talking with her was less of a veiled interrogation and more of a conversation.

From what she could tell, Emmett was a roll with the punches kind of guy. He didn't take much seriously, which would explain why he missed it when what he probably thought were gentle jibes cut Edward deep. She didn't think he was trying to wound his brother, and Edward typically tempered his frown quickly, forcing a smile until the moment passed.

With her, Emmett was friendly. She could tell he liked teasing. His questions were intrusive but not meant to be cruel.

Carlisle, like his youngest son, seemed carefully concerned. He was empathetic, gentle, and obviously looking out for his son's best interests. Though it made her feel doubly bad they were lying to his family's face, Bella couldn't be anything but glad that someone had Edward's well being at heart.

Edward's mother, Esme, on the other hand seemed to have embraced the idea that her long-bachelor son had married as nothing but a wonderful thing. She'd accepted Bella as a daughter as naturally as she took to breathing, and, like Alice, wanted to get to know the new woman in her son's life.

Which was why Bella shouldn't have been surprised when Esme showed up wanting to take her to the doctor.

It wasn't a point that Bella could argue. It had occurred to her that she was a little far along for first doctor's appointments - at least, she thought she might be, what did she know - and because everything else had gone so spectacularly wrong, she was terrified that there was some problem with the pregnancy.

So she conceded quickly, letting Esme drive her and soothe her fears.

Esme had been wonderful - better than Bella's own mother ever could have been in that situation. Normally, Bella would have been completely against the idea of a woman who was still a stranger to her accompanying her into the exam room. But, if she were being honest with herself, amidst all the other things that had her running scared, Bella hadn't quite had the time to wrap her mind around the utter terror she felt at finding herself unexpectedly pregnant.

To that point, Bella hadn't given any thought to being a mother. She had no idea if that was what she wanted. When she figured out she was pregnant, her instinct had been to protect the innocent being from its father because no one else should have to suffer due to her stupidity.

Now that the immediate danger had passed, Bella was beginning to grapple with the idea of gestating a whole human being. The concept was too much to fathom, and it seemed terror had become her primary emotion.

So she let Esme stand at her side and took what comfort she could when the older woman squeezed her shoulder. When they did an ultrasound and the baby's whirring, quick heartbeat filled the room, Bella looked to Esme as if asking permission before she smiled, wanting to know if it was okay, scared as she was, to be awed at the sound.

When Esme gazed down at the ultrasound, looking at the blurry shape that more closely resembled a lopsided bean than a baby at that point, her ecstatic grin allowed Bella to consider the option that this baby could be a good thing. Up until then, she'd only felt stupid, overwhelmed, and scared.

"It's nice that you would go out of your way for Edward," Bella said softly, interrupting her own erratic thoughts to fill the silence in the car when they were on their way home. "Not all mothers would do that for their grown children."

Esme glanced over at her briefly before returning her eyes to the road. "Really, Bella, this is such a small favor. I would gladly give any friend a ride to the doctor."

"And pay their copay?" Bella asked pointedly.

The older woman pursed her lips and chuckled lightly. "You make it sound as though it was an enormous amount. It's not a big deal. Even if it was, the money is simply being juggled. Edward will reimburse me before the day is out, and his insurance will reimburse him once all the paperwork is sorted.

"Besides," she said, the skin around her eyes tightening, "I owe my son much, much more than I could ever hope to give. Taking his wife to the doctor to ensure my grandchild is healthy is just a given. It doesn't even count toward that debt."

"I'm sorry if I'm prying, but you seem to feel very guilty, and I don't think that's necessary," Bella said, eager to ease Esme's obvious pain. "It's easy to tell that Edward adores you."

Esme's answering smile was gentle. "I find it amazing that my son could forgive me at all, after what we put him through."

"What do you mean?"

Again, Esme looked at her briefly. "Edward hasn't told you the full story, has he?" she guessed.

"He told me you let his grandfather raise him, but-"

"We gave up our parental rights entirely, Bella," Esme interrupted, her voice pained. "We let ourselves believe it was best that we had absolutely no say in how he was raised. Looking back, I don't know how we could have ever thought it was a good idea. When we were kids, I can't tell you how often I had to comfort Carlisle when his father made him feel... and when he..."

The older woman took a deep, steadying breath. "Edward's grandfather is very... traditional."

Bella scoffed. "I think you mean judgmental and hard."

"You've met him then. I'd wondered," Esme said tightly. "Still, when Edward was a very little baby, we thought we might have made the best choice. Carlisle and I were able to go back to working hard to finish school. Yes, we got a lot of grief from Edward's grandfather, but we were allowed to see our son frequently."

She paused, pressing her lips together hard. "Well, as you perhaps can imagine, one of Edward's grandfather's beliefs is the old adage, spare the rod, spoil the child."

Bella's hand went to her mouth, and she pressed down.

"I don't mean to imply that Edward was... abused," Esme said quickly. "It's just that Grandfather Cullen has never hesitated to use... physical correction. I knew this because of Carlisle... Why we didn't think..."

"Edward was three years old when we first saw it, and I instantly regretted everything. That he could be so demanding of a toddler..." Her voice wavered, and she had to take a breath before she went on. "We tried, then, to take him back. We were adults. We thought we could handle it. If nothing else, at least Edward wouldn't be subjected to that."

"What happened?" Bella asked softly when Esme didn't continue right away.

By then, they'd arrived back at Edward's house. Esme turned the car off and leaned forward, her elbows on the steering wheel and her hands over her eyes. "We contested his rights, but we were eighteen, and we'd signed a contract. The judge ruled in his favor, and..."

Her voice choked.

Bella reached over, her hand on Esme's arm, perplexed and heartbroken by the other woman's obvious grief.

It took a moment, but Esme calmed and raised her head, looking not at Bella but straight ahead. "He didn't let us see Edward for two years."

"Oh, my God," Bella muttered, completely horrified. She'd known that the senior Cullen was mean, but that was a level of cruelty she couldn't quite wrap her mind around.

"After that, we did what we could. We had to be agreeable, even when we didn't agree, because we knew he wouldn't hesitate to take Edward away again. As he grew older, Edward's grandfather made it very difficult for us to see him, and when we did, we had no say at all in his life," Esme finished with a sigh.

For a long moment, they sat in silence, Bella quietly fuming.

She was really beginning to hate this man she'd never even laid eyes on.

"It wasn't your fault," she said fervently. "It was him who made Edward's life - all your lives - harder than they needed to be."

Esme turned, offering up a sad smile. "I'm Edward's mother, Bella. Maybe I was an idiotic, scared out of my mind child, but I was still his mother. Every hardship he had to endure, every moment of self doubt his grandfather placed in his head - and even now, Edward doubts himself constantly - is my fault."

She reached across the console, impulsively grabbing Bella's hand. "But somehow, my son got through all of that, and I don't think any mother could ever be prouder than I am of him," she said, eyes shining. "Edward is such a good man, and he'll be an amazing father. He isn't his grandfather. He isn't like Carlisle and me. He's going to do this the right way. I know it."

A/N: Many thanks to barburella, jfka06, and Ginnyw for all their help. Much love.

And love, as always, to all of you. You have questions. Hopefully you got a few answers. More to come!