A/N: Oh, my lovelies. Again, I can't thank you enough for your continued support. Mwah.

There was not a lot Edward enjoyed more than seeing his carefully honed plans laid out on blueprint paper.

Well, he amended that thought, there used to be few things he enjoyed more. Now that he had Bella in his life, his blueprints had taken a serious nosedive amongst his favorite things.

Still, his life's work did give him a great happiness.

"I love the design of the roof on this particular building. That's quite inventive, Edward."

It was ridiculous how proud his father's words made him. Edward felt not unlike a child presenting a parent with some inane drawing they could coo over.

Then again, he had memories of visiting his parents' house occasionally when his brothers were very small. Silly or not, he remembered gazing longingly at his parents' refrigerator, laden with drawings and positive progress reports.

"Why should I celebrate your minor scholastic successes?" Grandfather had asked with a scoff. "That's not how the world works, boy. You'd do well not to expect a pat on the back for your every achievement.

He could see the man's point, but reflected privately that an ounce of praise every now and again might have done wonders.

"This is excellent work. It will be a credit to the company," Carlisle continued. It was easy to read the pride on his face as he looked up. "And it's no wonder the city asked you to submit a design for the new center."

Edward smiled, looking down at the plans. He was discovering there were some things in life - his father's praise for one - that never came too late.

"Are you going to try?"

"Ah, well I suppose that depends," Edward hedged. "I'd love to, but as it is, I'll be busy with the buildings for work, and then the baby." He chuckled. "The demands of having a family."

Carlisle grinned. "It's well worth the occasional disappointment, I'd say."

Edward smiled, nodding his agreement.

When Carlisle had stepped up to defend Edward against his grandfather, the rift between them that, no matter how they tried, they'd been unable to heal for over a decade had begun to close. The closeness they'd both wanted seemed within reach. Edward hadn't realized how deep his anger at being abandoned went, and for Carlisle, finally being able to stand up to his father had relieved a small measure of the guilt he'd carried with him since he was 15 years old.

Still, the cost of their freedom hadn't eluded Edward.

"What's wrong?" Carlisle asked gently.

Edward looked up, somewhat embarrassed. "I was just thinking of something Bella said some time ago. I know it's his own doing, but Grandfather's life must be so empty."

Carlisle's lips tugged downward. "I think it does you credit that you can think about that after everything he's done to you."

"More to you," Edward said softly. "Did he really hit you when you told him about me?"

His father glanced away, the features of his face tightening. "It was petty of me to bring that up, but it's something I've wanted to say for... a long time. With all his pious lectures, his hypocrisy has always been maddening to me. But to answer your question, yes. He hit me. Quite a lot, in fact."

Edward clenched his fists beneath the table. "I feel less sorry for him, now."

Carlisle was quiet for a long moment. "I don't think my father is evil, Edward. I think he was a man who was devastated by the death of his wife, my mother, who didn't know how to raise a child on his own. To be completely honest, I think he did the best he was capable of.

"You're right. His life is very lonely. I think he's been lonely all of my life, certainly. And yet, despite his pessimistic predictions, I've been, for the most part, a very happy man with a full life. I have a wife who has loved and supported me since we were children. My boys are all healthy, hardworking, and attached to wonderful women." He looked up, smiling genuinely at Edward. "And now that I've seen you finally happy, a husband and about to be a father, I want for absolutely nothing."

He shook his head, his expression slightly rueful. "I can't speak for you, of course, but I don't think my continued anger and bitterness could possibly punish him more than he's already punished himself, choosing not to be a part of our lives. Regardless of whether or not he ever hears me say it, I forgive him."

~0~

Bella blinked, staring down at the mountain of paperwork in front of her.

"You look a little shell shocked, Mrs. Cullen." The Realtor seemed amused.

"Well, it seems like all these official looking pieces of paper say I own a house."

Chuckling, the woman stood and offered her hand. "Congratulations," she said, shaking first Bella's then Edward's hands. "You'll have the key by Monday evening."

"I own a home," she repeated to Edward when the Realtor had gone.

By the way he pressed his lips together, she could tell he was trying not to laugh. "You do," he said seriously.

Bella blinked, abruptly overwhelmed. She was a homeowner, a wife, and someone's mother. Her life had been turned upside down, then right side up but totally turned around from what she was used to.

Of course, her first reaction was to burst into tears. She watched, helpless, as Edward's gorgeous smile melted into a look of vague horror. He was quick to pull her into his arms, holding her tight. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?"

The response she babbled couldn't have been very legible, but she thought the important words, among them "fine" and "fucking hormones", got through.

Edward chuckled with relieved nervousness and just held her, occasionally stroking her hair soothingly, his lips pressed to her temple.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled some seconds later, sniffling but getting a handle on herself. "It's just a lot."

"Don't you apologize, sweetpea."

It wasn't Edward who spoke, but the waitress. "Here you go. This'll fix you right up. On the house."

Bella was instantly distracted from her tears as the aroma of baked goods enveloped her. She wiggled out of Edward's grasp to lean forward. She's rarely felt so ravenous in her entire life.

It was a cookie the size of her head resting in a pan, covered with one, two, three scoops of chocolate ice cream. The warm smell of freshly baked cookie permeated the air, and Bella's mouth watered, already imagining the feel of the warmth of the cookie mixed with the cold of the ice cream.

Her look must have been comical because both Edward and the waitress laughed. At the moment, she simply didn't care. There was not a lot that was more important to her than getting to dive into this delicious dessert.

"Thank you," Edward said for both of them.

"It's no problem, doll," the waitress said, waving her hand. "I have four little ones of my own. Before I had the first, I could count on two hands the number of times I cried as an adult. When I was pregnant." She whistled lowly. "I needed all of my fingers and some of my toes to count the number of times a day." She shook her head, laughing. "And I got frustrated at all those tears, which only made me cry harder of course!"

Bella was about to commiserate with that thought, but she'd put the first bite of cookie in her mouth and forgot about everything else. "Holy crow!" She moaned as she chewed and then looked up at Edward. "I feel the need to confess. I think I'm having an affair with this cookie."

The waitress laughed and clapped Edward on the shoulder. "Well, my work here is done. I'm sure I'll be seeing you often enough, Daddy, when the cravings hit." Shaking her head, the woman walked away.

"Is it really that good?" Edward asked, eying the cookie speculatively.

Bella brandished her fork. "Mine," she said simply.

Playfully, Edward stole a taste directly from her lips.

~0~

"Where to, Mrs. Cullen?"

Bella blinked, a little flustered. The movers were staring expectantly, and Bella's first instinct was to look over her shoulder, trying to determine who they wanted to talk to. Her second instinct when she realized they were looking at her was to tell them to go find Edward and ask him.

But Edward was gone - on a trip with one of his brothers back to the old house for some odds and ends. He'd told her he trusted her judgment completely.

"And besides, it's not like we're bolting the furniture down. We can change it whenever we want," he'd reasoned.

It was her house. Hers.

Homeowner. Wife. Mother.

"I want it kind of skewed this way." She indicated with her hands. "Facing the corner there."

She waited, almost as if she expected them to look annoyed, having to take orders from a kid, but they simply nodded and moved past her with the sofa.

"That's an excellent idea," Esme murmured, straightening up from where she'd been adding books to the built in shelves along the wall. She tilted her head, studying the workmen as they positioned the couch. "It's an excellent use of space for this room."

Feeling shy, Bella smiled.

"You know, dear, even if you decide you don't want to go into interior design, you do have a good eye for these kinds of things." She gestured around them. "I was thinking, we're going to be looking into buying our next fixer-upper. Would you like to go with Carlisle and me when we do? Maybe you'll get a feel for a related field."

"Oh!" Bella blinked, thinking the offer over, and smiled genuinely. "Yes. That actually sounds really fun."

For a moment, Esme looked so stunned, Bella almost took it back. Maybe it was an offer she'd only made because she was sure Bella would say no. But then her smile was so genuine, Bella had to smile awkwardly back.

"Good," Esme said easily, tempering her grin. "I'm sorry. I'm just not used to you saying yes to me so quickly. I had all sorts of reasonable arguments prepared."

Bella felt a blush light her cheeks. "I'm trying to be better about that. It's just all this, all of you being so interested in me is kind of new. " She ducked her head, her tone soft. "I guess I've always been kind of a loner, like my mother. She left me to my own business. My father was that way to an extent, too. He had friends, but he liked being alone."

"Three people alone in the same house," Esme mused, her lips tugging downward. "That sounds very sad."

"It was..." Bella was about to protest, but she remembered Edward's revelation. "It was isolated," she finished quietly, realizing how well and truly lonely she'd been in her old life.

Esme patted her arm comfortingly. "I don't think I've ever heard you talk about your mother and father," she observed.

Bella just smiled. "Another time," she promised, knowing if they didn't get off this subject quick she was likely to start crying.

"Anytime." Esme held her gaze, making sure she understood. And Bella did. Her mother-in-law would be there for her if she ever wanted to talk.

"Thank you," she said sincerely.

~0~

As the day was coming to a close, Bella leaned up against the wall, removed from the scene for a time. At that moment, she was content to be an outsider as she was witnessing a beautiful sight.

Between the movers and the eight of them, the new house had been well and thoroughly moved into. There were very few boxes lying about, still packed. The excess furniture was tucked away in storage for the time being and everyone was exhausted.

Exhausted, but happy.

The Cullens and their girlfriends were all sprawled over various pieces of furniture. As Bella watched they laughed and joked with each other, looking the picture of a close-knit family. Usually, when he interacted with his brothers, Edward carried a sense of wariness about him, and though their tones were teasing, Emmett and Jasper's jests had been tinged around the corner with bitterness in the past. Now there wasn't even a hint of that - at least not today. Their smiles were all easy and genuine.

And startlingly alike.

Looking at them all at once, Bella noticed for the first time that all three Cullen brothers had their father's lopsided grin. Emmett and Jasper's were wider and broader, but the movement was the same.

Looking at the three boys with their parents, Bella picked out physical characteristics on each of them. Edward had Carlisle's nose and Esme's high cheekbones. Jasper had his father's hair color. Emmett had his mother's eyes.

Would it be obvious - that her daughter didn't belong to this family by blood?

As if responding to Bella's sudden stress, the baby kicked at her.

Edward looked over at her then, seeming to realize she was pressed up against the wall rather than with the rest of them. His eyes drifted down, centering on her middle. Bella realized belatedly that she'd pressed her hands protectively over her bump.

His smirk gentled into an adoring smile, and he extended a hand toward her. Bella pushed off the wall immediately, letting him draw her to the sofa to sit at his side.

"She's moving?" Edward asked quietly, oblivious to the eyes that watched them.

Nodding, Bella took his hand, moving it down to the spot where she felt the fluttering of the baby's kicks. Edward had been able to feel her move for about a week and it delighted him every time.

Sitting on her other side, Emmett looked as curious as a five year old. "Can I feel?" he asked, eying her belly as if he was waiting for it to get up and do a dance.

"Um. Sure," Bella said shyly. She reached out, taking his big, meaty palm, and placed it where Edward's hand had been.

Emmett concentrated, frowning for a moment. Then he must have felt something because his face lit up. "That's... really freaky."

Edward rolled his eyes, tightening his grip around her shoulders. "Real nice, Emmett," he admonished, but there was no heat behind his chastisement.

"Well, it's weird when you think about it." He looked up at Bella. "There's something living in you. Don't you ever have the fear the little monster will go all Alien on you?"

"Don't call my daughter a monster," Edward warned. Again there was no real intent behind his words. They were all still joking.

Emmett grinned and patted Bella's stomach lovingly. "Can't wait to meet you, little chick-a-dee. Just remember. Uncle Emmett is the best."

Bella laughed along with the rest of them as a fight broke out between Emmett and Jasper as to who was going to be the best uncle. She laid her head on Edward's shoulder, letting her worries fade for the time being. Somehow she knew that her daughter's blood wasn't going to matter. She would be welcomed and cherished by this family no matter what.

At least, that was what she fervently hoped.

~0~

"I have good news!" Edward crowed one evening when he came home from work.

Bella stood on her tiptoes to give him a welcoming kiss. Wrapping an arm around her waist, pulling her close, Edward forgot what he was about to say and lost himself in her adoring attention.

He was happy. So happy, it was a little frightening.

Sometimes, he was still afraid to wake up and find it was all a dream.

Pulling back, Edward studied Bella's face, memorizing. He traced the pads of his fingers under her eyes. "You look tired," he observed.

"House hunting with your parents," she explained. "No big deal. I'm fine. You had news?"

"What?" he asked distractedly, busy caressing the fine lines her face, her perfect lips, and the shell of her adorably awkward ears.

Bella's breath stuttered and she caught his wrist, stilling his hand. "You have good news?" she reminded him.

"Oh, right." His smile was sheepish but unapologetic. "We got an offer on the other house."

Her eyes brightened, and she hugged him close with a little, happy noise. "That's great! Was it a good offer?"

"Just about our asking price," Edward confirmed. "There are still a few things to go over, of course, but it all looks good."

"What a relief," she sighed, looking genuinely pleased.

Edward smiled. It was a wonder to him, with all the changes going on in her own life, that his wife could be so caught up and concerned with not only his life but his family's. Bella's primary worry about the house not selling was not for them - they were fine even with just Edward's paycheck - but for his brothers.

She was such a kind soul.

"I have something I want to ask you about," he murmured, taking her hand and leading her to a little nook that was a favorite of theirs. He sat with his back against one wall of a window seat, facing her. "Please try not to think about the money involved when I ask you this, okay?"

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Edward..." she began warningly.

"Just hear me out. This is important to me."

She nodded, looking almost hilariously reluctant.

Edward smirked. "I know better than to think you'd let me get away with having a full on, proper wedding." The surprised and horrified look on her face confirmed his suspicions, and Edward snickered. "That's fine," he assured. "Anyway, I don't want to take away from Emmett and Rosalie anymore than I already have.

"But since their wedding is next month, I was thinking the timing is fortuitous. There's another stockholders' meeting in Vegas two weeks after the wedding." He took her hands, looking her in the eye. "My idea is this: I would love to rewrite the time we had there. Obviously, things were less than ideal. What I want is to take everyone - all eight of us - there for a little vacation. Perhaps for the week. What do you say to that?"

Bella had pressed her lips into a thin line as she thought. The silence stretched on, and Edward was beginning to think it had been a colossally bad idea. What had he been thinking? She'd been at her most desperate and devastated in Vegas. What on earth made him think she would want to go back there?

But before he could take it back, Bella exhaled slowly. "Rewrite the bad stuff," she echoed, thinking it over. She looked up at him. "I'll be huge."

"You'll be 33 weeks, which is still safe to fly. We'll have to get a note from your doctor confirming your due date, but it shouldn't be a problem. And we'll be in touch with a great doctor in Vegas just in case."

She laughed. "You've thought this out to the letter, haven't you?"

"Maybe it sounds silly." He sighed, feeling wistful. "Vegas can be a very romantic city if you look at it the right way. I went there for so many years alone, watching some of the others take their spouses or lovers to shows, indulge in suites and the like." He squeezed her hands. "I would love to share that with you. And I would love to celebrate us with my family."

Bella looked off, nibbling her bottom lip. "And Alec?" she asked after a moment, her voice nothing but a whisper.

At the sound of the other man's name, Edward's blood ran cold - a stark contrast to the anger that sent fire-hot flames through the center of his chest. He shifted so he could put his arms around her, hoping she felt safe.

"We'll find a permanent solution to Alec. I promise," he said fervently. She didn't know it, but he'd hired a private investigator, trying to find something - anything - he could use.

But until then...

"The reason you ended up in Vegas still works in our favor," he reminded gently. "If Alec is watching, he won't be able to get to you there. There are too many people. It's very crowded." He kissed her forehead. "He's never going to touch you, Bella. I promise."

She was trembling slightly but laid her head trustingly against his shoulder. "I hate that he's hanging over us, still." She took a deep breath. "And I can't live my life in fear, waiting for him to strike."

When she looked up at him, her expression was determined. "Yes. I would love to go to Vegas with you, with all of you."

A/N: Huge thanks to TwilightMundi, and as usual barburella and GinnyW for all their help. Mwah!

For those of you who have donated for classrooms, thank you! I think I've settled on an outtake for my story And Yet So Far that will show Edward finding out about Elsie as well as the birth of Edward and Bella's first child. But I'm open to suggestions!

Remember, if you have five spare bucks, and want an outtake from me, hit up ptb and donate today! bit . ly/ptblkris