Author's Note: Some of you were wondering when the next step of the story was going to happen. I told you less than ten chapters, but let me alter my words a bit. Definitely less than five chapters. At least, that'll be the beginning of the next step. We all good? ;) Good, then let's all enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.


Chapter 23

Bella's Point of View

I was so happy. Despite my frequent mood swings and snappy attitudes due to my hormones, I was the happiest I'd ever been in my entire life. I was happier than when I'd gotten married to Edward.

My appetite and cravings increased every day, and Esme had to keep humoring me by preparing me food that I wanted to eat. Luckily, she didn't mind, and adored taking care of me.

My parents had been thrilled when they'd heard the news about my pregnancy from Esme. They were hoping it would be a boy, while Carlisle and Esme didn't really seem to care, as long as we were both healthy. I personally preferred a girl.

Alice had been thrilled. She nearly got back on a plane to see me, but I managed to convince her to stay there, at least until graduation.

Angela had been pleasantly surprised. Like everyone, she expressed her relief that we would soon be graduating. If we weren't, I would be stumbling around, looking like an idiot with my stomach swollen. They wouldn't allow me to attend school anyway.

In fact, the whole school was buzzing with the news. No, strike that. The whole world knew now, and several businessmen had even called Carlisle and Charlie to offer them congratulations.

I'd decided to forget the whole story that Alice had told me. After all, Edward had called me, hadn't he? He'd sounded distracted, mainly because he was so busy studying. I'd felt so bad for being suspicious of him even for one second. He wouldn't do that to me.

He'd even promised to come to my graduation. I would have told him to stay there and study, but I hadn't, for selfish reasons. His dreams to become a lawyer were important, but I missed him. I wanted to see him.

It was finally the last week of school. Graduation was on Friday, and South View High School was extremely chaotic and busy, getting ready for the big ceremony in Central Park.

I parked my beautiful Audi in my usual parking space on Monday. Then, glancing down at my stomach, I stroked it gently, smiling, imagining my baby in there.

Someone knocked gently on my window, startling me. It was Angela.

"Smiling at your baby again?" she teased when I got out of the car.

I smiled sheepishly. "I can't help it. I wish it would be out already. I wanna see her."

Angela laughed as we walked into the buildings. "How do you know it's a her?"

I shrugged. "It's my preference, of course."

"So," she said as we walked together to English. "When's the gang coming back home?"

"Wednesday," I replied. "They're getting two weeks off for summer, and then, they have to go back to study."

"It must be hard, having a husband who has to study all the time."

I nodded. "True. But still, I'm not alone anymore." I grinned at her, touching my stomach gently.

She rolled her eyes. "I never thought you'd be so happy being pregnant. You're barely eighteen. Don't you have any doubts?"

"Hardly," I said as we entered the classroom and took our place in the back of the room. "I know I can be a good mother to the kid."

At that moment, the bell rang, and everyone sat down. Mr. Berty came in, scowling heavily. I could tell immediately that something had gone wrong with the graduation preparations.

"Looks like he's PMSing again," I heard Jessica whisper to her friend, Lauren Mallory. They giggled silently.

"Be quiet!" Mr. Berty barked at the pair of them. They shut up immediately.

"What's wrong with him?" Angela murmured.

"Alright, listen up," Mr. Berty ordered. "It's the last week of school. But just because you're all graduating on Friday doesn't mean you can go crazy. You're still in school, and we've still got four days together. I expect you all to be on your best behavior. Show those juniors whose boss."

"Yeah!" Mike Newton and Austin Marks slapped each other high five while the rest of the class laughed. Even Mr. Berty cracked a slight smile.

"We'll be taking it easy," he said. "There's nothing new to learn anyway. We'll be watching a movie, and no notes will be collected. Just relax and enjoy it, but no talking. Understand?"

"Yes," we all chorused.

"Alright, then," he said. "I'll start the movie… Oh, wait. I almost forgot."

He turned back around to face the class, and to my surprise, his eyes fixed straight at me.

"Miss Swan," Mr. Berty said.

"It's Mrs. Cullen, Mr. Berty," someone in the front said jokingly.

Everyone started laughing again, and I smiled.

"Fine," Mr. Berty retorted, though smiling. "Bella. The teachers have all decided that you should be the senior class's valedictorian this year. You've got the highest grades and test scores in the senior class."

I blinked.

It was silent, then people started clapping and whooping.

"Alright, Bella!" Austin cheered, winking at me from across the room.

"Congratulations, Bella," Ben, Angela's steady boyfriend, said.

"Yay, Bella!" Angela cheered softly. "Good job, girl!"

I sat there, shocked.

Mr. Berty grinned. "I remember Edward was the valedictorian a few years back. He'd be proud of you, no?"

"Like husband, like wife!" Austin joked.

I smiled. "Thank you, Mr. Berty. I'll do my best."

He nodded warmly at me, then turned back to the TV.


"You're the valedictorian?" Esme asked, her eyes wide. "That's wonderful, Bella. Congratulations, honey!"

Carlisle chuckled. "Well done, Bella. I'll be expecting wise words from you." He winked.

I laughed. "Thanks."

"Here, dear, this came for you this afternoon," Esme said, handing me an envelope.

"For me?" I frowned, then glanced at the address. It was from Columbia University. "No way!" I quickly opened the envelope and read the letter. I squealed. "I got accepted! Look!"

Carlisle and Esme didn't look surprised, but merely smiled. They'd known it all along.

"Oh, you must have known it," I said, staring at Carlisle. "Did you bribe them to take me?"

Carlisle laughed. "No, no. That was all you. I didn't say a word. I knew because a colleague of mine came in today and told me."

I beamed down at the letter. "I can't believe it. I got accepted into an Ivy League!" And then, suddenly, my expression soured.

"What is it, Bella?" Carlisle asked, concerned.

"I won't be able to accept it," I said, scowling heavily. "Do you think they'll wait until the baby comes out?"

"Aw, honey," Esme said, taking my hand. "I'm sure they'll love to. With your grades and achievements, they'll love to wait for you."

"I'll talk to my colleague about it," Carlisle promised. "I'm sure they already know. They must have been really impressed if they accepted you right away."

I sighed as I stabbed my red velvet cake with my fork. I loved this baby, but there was little I could do with it inside me.


"Bella!" Alice cried, throwing herself in my arms. "I missed you!"

"Hey, watch it, sis," Emmett snapped, pulling her off of me. "You're going to hurt the baby."

Alice stuck out her tongue. "Nonsense."

"Bella!" Emmett said, grinning widely now and picked me up, and twirled around. "I missed you!"

I laughed joyously. "I'm getting dizzy, Em. Stop it!"

"Hey, you stop it!" Alice snapped back at him. "You'll injure the baby yourself."

Emmett made a face at her, but did set me back down.

"Where's Edward?" I asked him. "And Jasper?"

"Right here, sis."

I looked around Emmett and saw Jasper walking in with his bags.

"Jazzy!" I squealed, running towards him.

He caught me easily and swung me around like Emmett had, laughing. "Hey, Bells. I missed you."

"I missed you too." I perked up. "You cut your hair!"

"Yeah," Jasper said, running his fingers through his blond hair. "It looks awkward, but who cares? It's much more convenient."

I laughed. "It looks nice. Now, where's Edward?"

Jasper snorted. "Right. Just cast away your brother and look for your husband."

"Don't be silly. Didn't he come with you?"

"Of course he did," a familiar, smooth voice behind Jasper said.

I brightened considerably when I saw Edward coming up the stairs with his bags in either hand.

"Edward!" I sang, pushing Jasper out of the way and running out.

Edward laughed and dropped his bags. He caught me and hugged me tightly. It felt nice to be in his arms again.

"Bella," he murmured. "I missed you." He did look incredibly relieved to see me.

"Me too," I whispered. "Welcome home."

"We used to always go over to my house," Jasper grumbled. "Now that Bella's married, I have to come over to your house. Is that fair?"

"Of course it is," Emmett said. "We've been going over to your house for years. It's time for a change, dude."

"Come on!" Jasper snapped grumpily. "Stop smooching and get inside. It's hot."

Edward and I didn't pay any attention. We were in a separate world again.

"Don't listen to him," Alice advised. "He's just grumpy because he can't really take care of Bella anymore. He's actually jealous of you, Edward."

"Am not!"

"Right," Alice said, patting his arm fondly. "Of course you're not. Now, come on, you big baby. Let's go get settled in our rooms, and maybe I'll give you a big welcome myself."

"Hm," Jasper said, raising his eyebrows. "Tempting." He glanced at us. "Take your time, sis." And he disappeared inside with Emmett.

Alice laughed. "I'll be expecting a big thank you later, you two." And she too, disappeared.

After what seemed like an eternity, we broke apart. Edward stared at me hungrily, stroking my hair. For some reason, I found his behavior slightly strange.

"What is it?" I asked. "Did something happen?"

"No," he replied. "Of course not. I just missed you, that's all."

But his green eyes looked too innocent, and I couldn't bring myself to trust his answer.

But as he was home after a long time, I didn't want to start anything. So I merely let it go.

"Come on," I said, smiling, dragging him up to the front door. "Let's go inside."

We found the three of them munching on Esme's brownies that I'd asked her to make two hours ago. Emmett and Jasper had eaten half of the batch already.

"Hey!" I snapped, abruptly cranky. I let go of Edward's hand and went over to them. "Stop hogging! I want to eat them too, you know!"

Emmett pouted while Jasper chuckled. Alice giggled.

"You're pregnant, alright," she said. "Your hormones are making you cranky."

"Don't antagonize her, you three," Esme chided, emerging from behind the refrigerator. She set down three juice boxes in front of them. "She's very sensitive these days. And don't worry, Bella. I have another batch for you in the oven. I knew they would eat all of it." She winked at me.

I smiled, already over my brief fit of anger. "Thanks, Esme."

Edward chuckled and placed his arm around my shoulders. He glanced down at my belly and touched it gently. "I still can't believe it."

I smiled up at him. "I can't either. I'm still adjusting actually. It kind of sucks to crave sour things. Do you know how sour lemons can be?"

"Let me see!" Emmett said, standing up from his barstool. His face fell. "You can't even see a bump!"

Jasper started laughing while Alice rolled her eyes. "You won't be able to see the bump until at least three months, you idiot."

"Oh," Emmett said. "So another month, then?"

I smiled, but it quickly faded when I smelled something revolting. I gagged, and wheeled for the bathroom.

"Bella!" Edward called in alarm, following me.

I retched once I reached the bathroom. The smell was horrible.

"Bella!" Edward said, leaning over me in concern. "Are you okay?"

"Go away," I moaned. "It's just morning sickness."

"Not likely, Bella," he said anxiously. "Does this happen a lot?"

"Carlisle says it'll fade," I sighed. I felt better now.

"Oh, Bella, I'm so sorry!" Esme said when we reentered the kitchen. "I was frying up some mackerel for dinner, and…"

"It's fine, Esme," I said reassuringly. "It smells good now."

"Weird," Emmett commented as he stuffed another brownie in his mouth. "Pregnancy is dangerous, I see."

I laughed. "You have no idea."

"Really?"

"Can you feel the baby?" Alice asked eagerly.

I shrugged, sitting down on a barstool with Edward. I reached for a brownie. "Flutters, sometimes. It doesn't kick me yet, luckily."

"What does it feel like?" Jasper asked curiously.

"It feels like I have butterflies flying around in my stomach," I answered. "This is good, Esme."

"Oh, thank you, dear."

"So you're graduating, eh?" Edward said, nudging me slightly. "That's big, Bella. Aren't you excited?"

I snorted. "Excited? Sure, I guess. If you think having to work on a speech on the last week of school is exciting."

"A speech?" he repeated. "What for?"

"Bella's the valedictorian this year," Esme said proudly. "Isn't it wonderful?"

"Seriously?" Alice shrieked, startling me. I scowled at her.

"Wow, Bella," Jasper said, smiling proudly. "Congrats. That's great."

"Gee, that's scary," Emmett muttered. "First, Edward. Now you."

"Congratulations, Bella," Edward said, looking impressed. "I'm proud of you."

"Thank you." Then, I frowned. "Carlisle should be home by now…"

"And he is." Carlisle walked up to us, looking happy. "Welcome back, all of you. Ah, brownies." He reached for one.

"Hi, Carlisle," I said, grinning at him. "How was work?"

"Dead slow," he answered. "How was school?"

"Dead slow," I echoed his words. "But on the bright side, we finished editing my speech for graduation. I'm glad that's over."

"Let's hear it!" Alice said, perking up.

"Let's not," I snapped. "You'll hear it on Friday."

"But…" She shut up when she saw my expression.

"Wow," Emmett said, amazed. "I wish you were pregnant all the time. No one can make Alice shut up like that."

"I'll make it all up once the baby's out," Alice promised, pouting.

Edward chuckled. He turned to Carlisle. "When can we know the gender of the baby, Dad?"

"Usually at four or five months," Carlisle replied, reaching for a second brownie. "So in Bella's case, soon."

"I wish it was a boy," Emmett said wistfully. "I'd teach him to play football and how to act cool. Seduce girls, you know?"

"Boy," Jasper agreed.

"Girl," Alice said dreamily. "I'd love to dress her up."

I hadn't thought of that.

Shuddering, I said, "I think I change my mind about wanting a girl. I wouldn't want to stress her out with the fashion."

Alice stuck her tongue out at me. "Hey, I learned tons of new stuff during the last few weeks. I want to try it out!"

"Not on my daughter, you won't," I said, narrowing my eyes.

She smirked. "Try me."

"Alright, you two," Edward said, laughing. Everyone glanced at him.

"Well, what about you, Edward?" Emmett asked. "What do you want, a boy or a girl?"

"I don't care," he answered. "As long it's healthy, I'm fine."

"Dinner's almost ready," Esme said, snatching a third brownie from Carlisle's hand. "No more brownies. Shoo!"

"One more, Mom," Emmett pleaded. "Please?"

"Go humor your sister-in-law. She's been awfully cranky lately."

I smiled sheepishly. "Sorry." I felt another flutter in my stomach. "Hey, I felt it again."

"The flutter?" Emmett asked, distracted. "Seriously?"

Esme winked at me. "Why don't you go ask her how she's been doing? She got several acceptances from colleges, you know."

"Really?" Alice asked as we left the kitchen. "Anywhere good?"

"I got an acceptance letter from Columbia on Monday," I said mildly. "Johns Hopkins and NYU on Tuesday. Harvard today."

Edward perked up. "Harvard. It'd be nice to go to school together again."

I sighed. "I don't know if they'd wait for me or not. I obviously can't go to school for about a year."

Edward's expression flickered slightly. I wondered what he was thinking about.

"Johns Hopkins," Jasper disagreed. "Bella should be with her brother, not with her husband. He's a bad influence on her." He smirked when Edward frowned at him.

"She should come with me to Paris."

"Paris?" the three boys chorused.

"We've already been there," Edward said, scowling.

"You barely saw anything," Alice countered. "Besides, maybe if she studied fashion, she would appreciate it more."

I shook my head vigorously. "I'm definitely not going there."

As we all laughed and talked, I felt like we were going back in time. It all felt normal, like none of us were a couple. There were no pregnancy involved, or any lovey-dovey situations.

It felt nice to just relax and enjoy the moment.


AN: Will Bella be able to enjoy her life freely? Not for long. I'm the author, I call the shots. :) Hee. Look forward to the next few chapters! I had fun writing it, though I know I shouldn't.