All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer; I just like to play with her characters.

No copyright infringement is intended.

HUGE thanks to my wonderful betas, darcysmom and twimom817 as well as my pre-reader EdwardsMyObsession1971. Without these ladies, this would be completely unreadable.

When You Least Expect It

Chapter Thirty-Five

Countdown

EPOV

I was incredibly happy that Bella had made the trip to spend the weekend with my parents and sisters in Napa. My family enjoyed getting to know the woman who had captured my heart as well as her little boy whom I wholeheartedly adored.

I'd asked Emmett to tag along, knowing how long the drive was and Alice wasn't in any shape to drive. According to Bella, who had gone with Alice to her doctor's appointment a few days before, the doctor was ready to put Alice on bed rest because she refused to slow down. Emmett could drive in the event that Bella grew tired and needed a break. He'd also offer Bella and Alice protection for Jasper's and my peace of mind.

I spoke to Bella every morning and every evening and still felt like I couldn't get enough of her. I listened intently as she told me about her days with my family and her best friend. I even managed to speak with my dad a few times – he was just as enthralled with Bella as I was.

"She's wonderful, Son. Your mother adores her, and Carlie wants to adopt her as one of the family, but I would imagine that given a little time, it will be wholly unnecessary because you'll take care of that yourself." Dad chuckled.

"And Rose?" I asked.

"Rose … you know how she is, Son. She's so protective of you and frankly, she's still a little bitter over the whole … you know."

"Yeah, I know. I don't blame her, but she can't hang on to that anger forever, Dad."

"I know, Son. Rose will figure that out eventually. She's warming up to Bella because she has no other choice."

I had that conversation with him a few hours after Bella had left Napa to head home. She promised that she'd call me as soon as she got home – no matter what time it was.

What I wasn't expecting was a panicked call from Emmett.

"Ed … sorry to wake you man, but we have a problem here."

"What kind of problem?" I asked, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

"Bella's condo has been broken into. The front window has been busted and the door is ajar."

"Oh fuck. Did you let her go in? Did you call the police?"

"No, Ed, of course I didn't let her go in there. I called the LAPD and we're waiting for them to arrive now," Emmett replied calmly.

"Where is she now? Is she there with you? Where's my Little Man?" I asked worriedly.

"No, she's sitting in the backseat with Kaden. He's sound asleep."

I breathed a deep sigh of relief knowing that they weren't in the house when it happened and that Kaden was still oblivious to anything that had occurred.

"After you talk to the police, take Bella and Kaden over to my house. They can stay there as long as they need to. I'd appreciate it if you stay with them. I'm sure Bella is pretty shaken up. You can take the guest room, and I'll get with Jasper and have him sort out some type of security for her condo for the time being. Can you pass the phone to her? I need to talk to Bella."

"Sure, Ed. The LAPD just rolled up anyway."

I could hear the chime of the car door as Emmett softly told Bella that I wanted to talk to her. In reality, I wanted to do so much more than that. I wanted to pack my shit and take the first flight home to her. We were so close to wrapping up the project that I was working on, but we weren't quite there yet.

Bella's voice on the other end of the phone was completely void of emotion. Emmett had texted me when they stopped in Salinas and gave me an estimate of when they'd be home. He said that Bella was exhausted and just wanted to get home. I could imagine that her exhaustion was amplified by the other emotions that had been added into the mix.

I apologized to Bella, and explained that I'd asked Emmett to take her and Kaden to my house and that she'd be safe there. Then came her panic of what could have happened had she been at home when the break in occurred. I tried to soothe her the best I could but from six thousand miles away – it wasn't the easiest task.

"Do you need me to come home? Because if you do, I'll be on the next flight out." I promised.

Bella told me in so many words that she would have loved for me to do that but she wouldn't dare ask it of me. She knew like I did that I was so close to finishing the film I was working on and taking time off to fly home if only for a few days would delay me coming home for good.

When Bella told me that she could go to her dad's – I panicked again. Going back to her dad's was the last thing I wanted her to do. I told her she could stay at my house as long as she wanted to. Hell, if she didn't want to leave, I wasn't going to make her. I would be more than okay if she and Kaden decided to move in indefinitely. Of course, I couldn't tell Bella that at the moment.

We spoke for a few minutes and she promised to call me once she got to my house because she had to go and speak with the officers who'd arrived. I told her I loved her and she quietly returned the sentiment.

"Fuck!" I yelled as I hung up the phone.

"What's up, Ed?" Jasper asked, concerned.

I quickly relayed to him the events of the evening and when I finished, Jasper didn't look any happier than I felt.

"Fucking paps … I can almost bet you that's who it was."

"I know," I said, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"Do we know if they took anything or the extent of the damage?"

"Not yet. Emmett will surely let us know."

"I'm calling Doug, he needs to be aware of the situation, and I'm sure he can help us get someone over there to watch the house until we can figure something out. All I know is that Bella can't go back there. We can't chance this happening again while she and Kaden are there."

I knew that better than anyone. I wouldn't chance it happening again, but could I really give Bella that ultimatum? We'd only just sorted things out between us and we were in a really good place. Did I really want to tarnish that by telling her that she wasn't under any circumstances going back to the home that she'd worked so hard to provide for herself and her son? I'd feel like I was clipping her wings and taking away her freedom and I loved her far too much to do that.

"I'll talk to her about it, Jazz. She's in no shape to discuss it now. Maybe I can broach the subject with her in a couple days and see what she wants to do. It may help to have a couple of options for her."

Jasper nodded and began to make his calls.

Emmett texted me a short while later to let me know that Bella had done a walkthrough of her condo with the officers and that whoever broke in didn't take anything more than photos from an album. That told me it was paps whom had broken in. They had known for a while where Bella lived, but how they put two and two together that she was the woman from the pictures in the medina to the woman they'd followed from my house, I wasn't sure. They were clearly digging for information.

Doug confirmed my suspicions after Jasper and I had explained everything to him.

"Do you want me to put Emmett on Bella's detail indefinitely, Edward?" Doug asked.

"Yes. She won't like it, but I think that would be best," I agreed, tiredly.

"Ed … I just sent an email over to the agency to let them know. Even if we can't keep Bella's identity a secret, we need to keep Kaden out of the public eye. If we don't – you may lose Bella. She won't allow him to be a spectacle for the media circus," Jasper murmured quietly.

"I won't allow that either. No way … Kaden is off limits. Period. If I could keep Bella off limits too, I would, but I know that's impossible. I want to do whatever I can to minimize her exposure to the media until she's ready. Honestly, I'd like to see if we can hold them off until I get back to L.A. I want to be near her when the shit hits the fan."

"I'm on it, Edward," Jasper said with a nod, his fingers flying across the keyboard of the laptop in front of him.

As I sat in my trailer, my make-up artist attempting to put on my make-up and my hairstylist trying to get my hair just right, I couldn't stop thinking about Bella. I was anxiously awaiting her call, hoping that she'd settle into my house for the night and feel safe enough to rest.

When my phone rang on the table in front of me, Cheryl, my hairstylist, rolled her eyes. I hadn't said a word, but she knew what I was waiting on.

I exhaled sharply and answered Bella's call.

"Hey, beautiful."

"Hey," Bella greeted tiredly. "We're here, safe in your tower."

"Bella …."

"I'm kidding, Edward. But we are here and we're safe. Kaden's tucked into bed beside me and Emmett is just across the hall if I need him."

Something was off in her tone and it went beyond being tired and scared. I'd had given anything at that moment to be there with her so I could see her expression. My heart was aching for her – I missed her beyond comprehension.

"Baby, I'm so sorry that this happened. I wish like hell that I could be there with you. I know you're afraid – I am too."

"What are you afraid of, Edward? It's not like your house was the one that was broken into – it wasn't your memories that were invaded and stolen," Bella gritted out.

I understood that she was angry. I was angry too to be completely honest. I also understood that she needed an outlet for her anger and it just happened to be me at the moment. I didn't begrudge her that – I couldn't.

"I know that, Bella. Please remember that I love you. I'm so afraid that this will all be too much and you'll run from me again. I'm afraid that somehow they'll find a way to exploit Kaden. I've asked Jasper and Doug to do whatever it takes to keep him out of the public eye. I know that I can't shelter you from it completely but he's a minor and I can and will protect him with everything I have."

I could hear her breath catch on the other end of the line.

"Edward … I love you too. I don't mean to snap, I'm just … angry. I shouldn't be angry with you – none of this is your fault. If I hadn't come over here that night to get that sheet music you asked for, the paps wouldn't have followed me home and everything would be fine. It boils down to the fact that I was careless and it cost me. I appreciate everything that you've done and continue to do for Kaden and me. Keeping him safe is the most important thing right now."

"I agree. Baby, I know you're exhausted. Try and get some sleep and we'll talk about it later, okay?"

"Okay," she yawned.

"I love you, Bella, and I love that little boy sleeping next to you. If you need me, you'll call me, yeah?"

"Yeah. We love you too, Edward."

I began my day not long after speaking to Bella. I hoped that she'd be able to get some rest because my mind was going a thousand miles an hour. Jasper stayed in my trailer taking care of as much as he could from so far away. Doug had a friend at the LAPD who was a detective and put a rush on the finger prints they'd found at Bella's.

When I returned to my trailer for my lunch break, I met with both Jasper and Doug for an update to see if they'd found out anything.

"The prints came back belonging to an Adam Yates. Mr. Yates is a photographer/videographer for a tabloid blog. He's been arrested a handful of times for various offenses: breaking and entering, petty theft, jaywalking and drunk and disorderly in public. The longest time he's served has been sixty days. It's up to Bella if she wants to press charges or not." Doug sighed.

I ran my hands through my hair, wincing at all the crap in it.

"If she chooses to press charges, will that be a double edged sword for her?" I asked.

"That's hard to say, Edward. It may cause her more problems and it may make them disappear. It could go either way. But now we have confirmation that it was a pap."

"Ed …" Jasper murmured looking up from his laptop. "Angela over at the agency just sent me an email. She has a friend that works for an online blog and they have a name and some photos."

"Of Bella?" I asked, walking up behind him to see what was on his screen.

What I saw confirmed my fears. There were three photos, the first was of Bella in her chef jacket the day she graduated from Culinary school, the second was of her on what I assumed was her wedding day – she was wearing an elaborate white dress with a veil in her hair. Bella was smiling and beautiful, but it wasn't the smile she wore when she looked at me. The third was a picture of her and Kaden. He was wearing his little backpack and I assumed it was the first day of preschool because it didn't appear to have been taken that long ago.

"Jazz … what can we do about this photo of Kaden?" I asked quietly.

"I'm already on it, Ed. I'm also doing what I can to make that picture of Bella in her wedding dress disappear. I can already imagine what they want to print."

I groaned and ran my fingers through my hair again.

"Fuck!"

"Calm down, Ed. We're going to do what we can, just give us a little time."

I had trouble focusing for the rest of the afternoon. I struggled with my lines and I found myself snapping at everyone. Finally, the director took pity on me and called it a day.

"Come back in a better mood in the morning, Edward. I know you've got other things going on – get a handle on it before you come back to my set. We're so close to being finished, don't fuck it up for everyone."

I nodded and sullenly headed back to my trailer.

Once back in the villa, I headed straight for the shower. I turned the water on as hot as I could stand it and stood under the spray trying to relax. The water began to run cold before I felt any relief. I washed quickly, running through the motions of drying off and getting dressed before I went to get a beer and call Bella.

I spoke to Emmett on the drive home from the set to the villa. He had been brought up to speed by Doug, but I wanted to check in with him and see how Bella and Kaden were faring.

"Little Man woke up around five a.m. I heard him, so I got up because B won't be worth much today if she doesn't get some sleep, and I don't know what time it was when she finally went to sleep."

"So you got up with him?"

"Yeah. He had to pee and so did I," Emmett chuckled. "It's not a big deal, Ed. He's safe and Bella's resting."

"Thanks, Em. Thanks for everything."

"You're welcome, Ed."

It was almost seven p.m. when I finally called Bella. I wanted to make sure that I'd given her plenty of time to sleep in and do her morning routine before I called. She answered on the second ring.

"Hey, beautiful."

"Hey, handsome."

She still sounded exhausted.

"Edward … God, I'm so sorry for snapping at you last night …."

"Bella, stop. You don't need to apologize. I understand. I hate it, but I understand. How are you, my love? Did you get any sleep?"

"I'm okay. Kind of numb, I guess, but that will go away, right? I got a little sleep, but I kept waking up at every little noise. I feel so silly waking up because the wind is rattling the windows. But really, I haven't had a great night's sleep since I left Morocco. I miss you."

"Fuck …. I miss you too, baby. A couple more weeks and then I'm all yours. Don't feel silly, Bella. You're in an unfamiliar place, but you're safe there. Make yourself comfortable."

"Are you sure you don't mind us staying here?"

"Not at all, baby. In fact, it makes me happy knowing that you're there, in my bed. I hope like hell you'll stay there until I get home. I want to truly come home to you, Bella."

"Yeah? God, Edward that sounds so good."

We talked for hours that night. At some point, Kaden crawled into her lap, and I talked to both of them. Ultimately, Bella decided to press charges against the pap who broke into her condo. She had spoken with her dad about it and that was his advice to her. I'd never ask her to go against the advice of her father – especially when he was a retired officer himself.

Somehow, Jasper was able to work a deal to keep Kaden's photo and name away from the online blog and he was able to persuade them not to use the photo of Bella in her wedding dress. I didn't care what he had to do to make that happen. I'd take a deal with the devil himself if it protected Bella and Kaden.

"Don't you want to know how I got them to agree to keep Kaden out of the media and not publish that photo?" Jasper asked a few days later.

"I'd say that I don't care but I have to admit, I am a bit curious."

"As you should be," he grinned. "The deal is that you'll give them exclusive photos and an interview when and if you're ready to come forth with any relationship. I warned them that there won't be a formal announcement – they'll just have to deal with that."

Yep … selling my soul to the devil indeed.

I felt much better after spending that evening on the phone with Bella. I felt that she was in good hands with Emmett, and since she'd gotten her father involved, she had a support system in place. He agreed that it probably wasn't a good idea for her to go back to her condo, and Jasper was able to work out a deal with the landlady. Bella was going to leave Kaden with Alice while her dad and Emmett helped her pack up everything.

Bella wasn't thrilled that she was moving yet again, but I promised her it was only a temporary solution.

A few days before we wrapped filming, Bella told me that she had been contacted by my friend Rob. They had planned to meet over dinner to discuss his business proposition and she worried that I would be upset that she asked him and his girlfriend over for dinner instead of going out somewhere.

"You'll make a better meal anyway, baby. Rob's a good guy – he's fun to hang out with and his girlfriend seems sweet."

"So you don't mind that they're coming over here?" She asked.

I could picture her worrying her bottom lip between her teeth and fidgeting with her shirt.

"No, Bella, not at all. I told you to make yourself at home. But I do hope that you wanted to stay in because you truly wanted to make them something delicious to dazzle them and not because you want to hide away."

"That hadn't even crossed my mind. I thought I could make a few different things for Rob to try and see what he likes. We talked a little bit about it but I thought it was only fair that he get a little taste of my cooking."

"That sounds like a great idea, baby."

Bella called me the morning after her dinner to tell me it was a big hit. Rob and his girlfriend, Kristen, loved everything that Bella put in front of them and he was eager to show her the space that he'd already acquired. He mentioned that he hoped I'd still be interested in buying into it with him, but Bella told him that was something he'd have to talk to me about.

Jasper and I began to count down the days until I was finished filming, and we were free to go home. Alice was forced to go on bed rest because she refused to slow down. Her blood pressure was steadily rising, and the doctor wanted to avoid preeclampsia. Bella and Kaden temporarily moved to Jasper and Alice's loft – much to my dismay. I liked knowing they were at my house.

"It's only temporary, Edward," Bella reminded me. "Alice needs us."

"I know, baby. Just promise me when Jazz and I get back you'll come back to the house. I need to see you and Kaden."

"We need to see you too, baby. Are you sure that we're not wearing out our welcome? Because I can call my old land lady, I'm sure she can find something in my price range."

"Don't be silly, Bella. You could never wear out your welcome. You can stay as long as you want."

It was on the tip of my tongue to tell her that I wanted her to stay forever but I wasn't sure how well received that would be.

"Thank you, Edward. You've been a Godsend for us. I can't even begin to thank you for everything you've done for me and for Kaden."

"You don't have to thank me, beautiful. I do it because I love you – both of you."

We finished filming a full two days early and Jasper managed to get our flight home changed . We went to the wrap party that was held at the same restaurant my cast mates had taken me to for my birthday while Bella was visiting. While it was hard for me to be away from Bella and Kaden, I was thankful to have had the opportunity to work on a film with such a phenomenal director and supporting cast.

"Ready to see your girl?" Jasper asked as we settled into our first class seats from New York to Los Angeles.

"More than ready. After the baby comes, I want to take them somewhere for a few days. I'm not sure where though."

"Bella loves the beach."

"Yeah, she mentioned that once or twice. I just don't know where I could take them that would be semi-private. My friend that lives in Malibu is home for the summer so borrowing his condo for a couple days is out."

"What about Hawaii?"

Hawaii might be nice, but I wasn't sure that Bella was ready for a vacation of that magnitude yet and I still didn't want to push her.

"I don't know. Maybe I'll talk to her about it and see what she thinks. It would be great to spend a few days at the beach with them though – without anyone else around."

"I'm sure they'd both love it."

A little over six hours later, we touched down in L.A. and I was more than ready to see Bella and my Little Man. Doug escorted us through baggage claim where we grabbed my bags and jumped into the SUV Emmett had waiting for us.

"Hey, Ed. Good to see you man. Good to see you too, Jazz. Ready for me to get you to your girls?"

"Fuck yeah," Jasper sighed.

When we arrived at Jasper and Alice's loft, I followed Jasper to the elevator. Neither of the girls knew we were coming home early and we were excited to surprise them. It was early afternoon and while I'm not quite sure what we were expecting – it wasn't what we walked in on.

Alice was holding on to one of the barstools in the kitchen for dear life as she struggled to control her breathing. Bella ran out of the bedroom in a flurry, holding Alice's suitcase while dialing her phone.

"Alice, don't worry … I'll have my dad meet us at the hospital and everything will be fine," Bella said firmly.

When she looked up from her phone and saw Jasper running over to Alice and me standing in the doorway observing the chaos around me, she dropped the bag in her hand as well as her phone. I held out my arms to her and she tiredly made her way over to me.

"Edward," she breathed. "You're here."

"I'm here, beautiful. And not a minute too soon, I see. Looks like you're on your way to the hospital?"

"Yeah … Alice's water broke a few minutes ago."

"Bella!" Alice shrieked. "I'm happy that you and Edward are having a sweet little reunion but hello! I'm having a baby here!"

"Who were you calling, baby?" I asked softly.

"I was trying to call my dad to have him meet us at the hospital so he could watch Kaden but he's not answering." Bella sighed.

"I can watch him, Bella. You go with Jazz and Alice to the hospital and Kaden can come back with me to my place and we can hang out for as long as we need to. Speaking of … where is my Little Man?"

"He's napping. I was just about to go in and wake him up so we could leave."

"Okay … so how about this … I'll stay here until he wakes up. You guys can have Emmett take you over to the hospital and then he can come back here and get me and Little Man when he wakes up from his nap. That way he's not cranky and Alice can get the pain meds that she so obviously needs much faster."

"Are you sure? You don't mind watching him?"

Bella's eyes were so wide, clear and full of hope as she asked me if I'd be okay watching Kaden. I just hoped she'd let me.

"No, not at all, baby."

"God, I love you, Edward. He'll be so excited to see you. I'll leave my cell on so if you have any problems, call me, okay?" She asked, before kissing me sweetly.

"I love you too, beautiful. Now go!" I urged.

Jasper stood at the door, holding Alice's arm while Bella grabbed her purse and Alice's suitcase. Bella waved before stepping into the elevator.

So much for spending time with my girl, but I'd at least have my Little Man to keep me company. I quietly walked to the bedrooms searching for my favorite toddler and when I found him, I couldn't tear my eyes away from him. Curled up on the bed around his little tractor, lost in dreams was one of my favorite people in the world. I carefully lay down beside him if only to watch him dream. Long lashes rested on his cheek as his eyelids fluttered and a smile crossed his lips. A few moments later, he giggled as his lids fluttered again and he softly whispered.

"Daddy."

A/N: Okay, okay … apparently I need to word my a/n's a little differently LOL. There are 5 more chapters left AND an Epi. =) I wouldn't dare end it with Bella's house being rampaged ;) So ... it looks like y'all want to see some Kaden's POV and want to know what happened with Mike. I love Kaden … he's such a loveable little fictional guy. ;) I don't want to leave you hanging and I was thinking about writing Kaden's POV but it doesn't really fit into the story anywhere, SO I'm thinking that Kaden and Mike will become outtakes and will be posted separately. I will let y'all know when and where that's gonna happen.

I know that y'all would love nothing more than to have more than one update in a week, especially since this story is essentially done being written. BUT … my beta's do have other things on their agendas, like RL and that pesky place called work … so I will be sticking to my schedule of posting every Monday. Disappointing, I know, but that's the way it has to be. They need time to look at my chapters and I don't want to put out something that's less than acceptable so thanks for your patience! =)

One last little note … if you request to follow me on Twitter … PLEASE send me a PM on Ffn to let me know … I don't always see them from my phone and I don't see them at all through Tweetdeck. I'm not locked to be snotty, I just don't want to be spammed to death! =)

See you next week! =D