"How'd the shop do today?" Erin asked curiously, curled up in the corner of the couch with her laptop on her legs, pretending to do her homework.

"Pretty good." Jake mumbled, writing something down in a book. He was doing some accounting work for the shop. "We had about ten cars in today, and a few appointments already booked for tomorrow. I was thinking, this month we've been doing really good. Maybe we could add an extra hundred to this month's payment for the house?"

"Go for it." Erin shrugged, staring at her finished assignment on her computer screen.

It was about 9:00 at night and they were both working on their own things on the couch in their living room. Nick had gone to bed about half an hour ago, after Erin spent a good half hour of the afternoon helping him with homework. Erin was still in college for an estimated four more years, and she was working about four shifts a week at River's Edge. With Jake, Quil, and Embry's shop doing so well, Jake insisted she didn't need to work more than that, as she still needed to focus on school.

"Hey, Jake?"

"Hm?"

"Will you still love me when I'm fat?"

Jake blinked, turning his head to look at her in confusion. She casually looked from her laptop over to him.

"Um,…well, I'll always love you, but…what makes you think you'll get fat? I mean, you, Leah, and Rach go on runs at least once a week." he explained uncertainly.

Erin shrugged, turning back to her laptop to begin closing out of everything. "It's inevitable." she said simply.

"Oh really?" Jake said with a tiny smirk. "And what makes you say that?"

Erin turned off her laptop and placed it on the coffee table in front of her. "That's what happens when you have a human being growing inside you." she said simply, sitting back against the couch and looking at him.

Jake stared blankly at her for a few moments while his brain registered her words.

"What?"

Erin smiled. "I think you know what I mean."

Jake's mouth fell open, his eyes dropping to look at Erin's flat stomach, even though it was covered by her arms being crossed there. She moved her arms so that her left hand rested over her shirt.

"Are you saying," he started, looking back up at her face, "what I think you're saying?"

Erin's smile softened. "I'm pregnant." she whispered.

A huge, beaming smile spread over Jake's face. He dumped his records book on the floor, reached over, and pulled Erin across the couch and into his side. Arms wrapped tightly around her, he cradled her to his chest.

"I love you." he mumbled into her hair, kissing her head over and over.

Erin laughed, relaxing into his embrace. "You're not upset?"

"Of course not! Why would I be upset?" Jake laughed at the absurdity.

"I don't know. We've barely been married two years. We already have a bunch of stuff we need to pay for. A baby will be expensive, remember?"

"I don't care. We'll make it work. This is a good thing." he pulled away to look down into her eyes, brushing her hair back with his hand. "Right?"

Erin smiled up at him. "Yeah. Yeah, it's a good thing." she agreed, nodding.

Jake's smile widened. "I can't wait for you to have our child."

XXX

Erin woke up when her stomach rolled horribly. She groaned, her nose picking up the rancid stench floating on the air from the kitchen just outside the bedroom door.

Throwing the sheets off herself, Erin bolted into the Master bathroom, her knees sliding on the tile floor in front of the toilet. She very quickly lost last night's dinner into the porcelain dish.

After a couple minutes, she sat back and put her hand to her forehead. Now that she'd thrown up, she felt fine. Morning sickness was a strange thing.

There was a quiet knock on the bathroom door and Erin turned her head to look up. Jake was looking worriedly down at her.

"You okay? Sorry, I forgot bacon's not really your friend, but…you know Nick. He likes getting special breakfasts on Saturdays and he really wanted bacon and-"

"Jake, it's fine." Erin laughed quietly. "Chances are, if it wasn't bacon, it would've been something else. Besides, I don't want Nick to feel like he's going to be too effected by this baby."

Jake nodded quietly, stepping inside and closing the door so he could come and kneel at her side. He brushed her hair behind her ear. "When are we going to tell him?"

"Hm…Well, we told your family and the pack a few days ago,…we should probably tell him soon in case one of them slips up and says something around him." Erin admitted. When they'd told the pack and imprints, all the girls squealed and jumped to their feet, all grabbing Erin's hands or arms and bouncing like preteen girls. The kids, who had been in a different room, had peaked in and looked very confused and worried.

"You wanna do it today? None of us have anything going on today until dinner at my dad's. And if you wanna skip that 'cause you're not feeling well, my dad and Rachel would understand."

Erin smiled. "Jake, I already told you. After throwing up, I tend to feel perfectly fine. It passes. I already feel mostly normal."

Jake smiled in relief. "Well, Nick's eating the bacon already, so it should be gone by the time you get in the kitchen."

"And yes, I think telling him today would be a good idea. How do you think he'll handle it?" she asked, mildly worried.

Jake shrugged. "Well, he wasn't too fond of Levi when Emily first had him, but he's grown used to it, and he doesn't mind Lila either. Even if he doesn't like the idea at first, he'll be okay eventually."

Kim and Jared's daughter Lila Cameron was already a few months short of being two years old. A couple months after she was born, Seth had returned home for a break in his second year of college, which he was commuting to, and imprinted on Lila. Jared hadn't been pleased

"Yeah, I guess." Erin agreed with a nod.

They waited until after lunch, when Nick was full and happy.

"Hey, Nick? Can you come in here?" Jake called down the hall toward Nick's bedroom.

"I didn't do it." was Nick's immediate response as he peaked his head out the door.

"You didn't do what?" Jake asked with an amused smile.

"Whatever it is you're about to say I did." Nick answered.

Jake shook his head. "Relax, Nick. You're not in any trouble. We have something to tell you."

Nick left his room and followed Jake into the living room where Erin was already sitting on the couch. Jake sat down next to her and Nick hopped onto the couch on Erin's other side, looking up at them.

"Okay, um, Nick do you remember when Emily had Levi? Or when Kim had Lila?"

"Yeah." Nick answered slowly.

"Well, do you remember…how that happened?" Erin asked slowly, wishing she'd thought this out better.

"What do you mean?" Nick asked in confusion.

"Remember how Emily got kinda...big around her tummy because Levi was growing in there?" Erin asked, using her hands to signal her tummy being rounder.

"Oh, that. Yeah." Nick answered, his expression clearing as he understood.

"Well, that's going to happen to Erin." Jake told him, looking around Erin at Nick and putting his arm around Erin's waist.

Nick's brows and nose scrunched up, as if trying to understand. "You mean,…you have a baby growing in your tummy?" he checked uncertainly, looking up at his sister.

"Yep. There's a baby growing in there." Erin nodded with a soft smile.

"But it's not as big as Emily's." Nick argued, looking down at Erin's tummy.

"Not yet, but the baby's got a lot of growing to do. It'll be a while before the baby's big enough to be out here with us."

Nick was silent for several moments, looking deep in thought. Finally, he spoke in a very quiet voice that Erin almost didn't hear.

"Can you take it back?"

Erin and Jake glanced at each other in confusion. Erin turned back to Nick, placing her hand on his back.

"What do you mean?"

"Why do you want a baby? Am I not good enough?" Nick asked in a small, scared voice.

"Oh, Nicky, no that's not it." Erin assured him, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him onto her lap. "We're not replacing you, Nick, never. This baby may be our child, but you're my little brother. I'll always love you, you're not being replaced."

"You promise?" Nick asked quietly, his head rested on her chest, big eyes looking up at her.

"I promise." Erin whispered, kissing the top of his head.

"Besides, Nick, we'll need your help when the baby gets here." Jake told him, pulling Erin, and in extension Nick, closer to him. "When he or she gets older, they'll look up to you. You'll be both like their big brother and their uncle all at once."

Nick smiled slightly. "Really?"

"Really." Jake and Erin agreed, nodding at him.

"Cool!" Nick grinned.

XXX

"Erin and Jacob Black." a nurse called into the waiting room.

Erin and Jake smiled excitedly at each other as they stood up and followed the Forks General nurse down the hall and into a room before leaving to get the doctor. Jake helped Erin hop up onto the patient table before Jake sat down in a chair near her, still keeping her hand in his.

They answered questions about Erin's symptoms and a few other important topics, such as family history and genetics, Erin's weight, her last period, and how sexually active they were, which was awkward for Erin while Jake looked far too smug.

Finally, the doctor told Erin to lay back on the bed, asking her to pull her shirt up. Erin did so and the doctor pressed her cold fingers to Erin's abdomen, which had a very tiny bump that Erin herself almost didn't notice. The doctor made a few measurements before speaking again.

"Well, based on the information you gave, I'd guess you're about 12 weeks. I'm going to go set up an ultrasound so we can confirm your due date and hopefully see and hear the baby."

With that the doctor left, giving Erin and Jake a few minutes alone.

"I hope I get to hear the baby's heartbeat. It's not fair that you can hear it." Erin pouted, looking over at Jake from her position with her head on the pillow.

Jake chuckled. She'd been jealous from the moment Jake told her he could hear their baby's heartbeat a month ago, thanks to his hearing. "Well, according to Emily and Kim, you'll be able to feel the baby move and kick before me, so we should be even then."

Erin grinned smugly. "True."

A few moments later, the doctor returned, wheeling in a machine and monitor. Jake stood up and moved to stand near Erin's head, taking her hand in his.

"This'll be a little cold." the doctor warned Erin before squirting slimy, cold gel onto her stomach. Erin grimaced in disgust, making Jake chuckle. Both their eyes moved to the monitor as the doctor placed the wand-thing on her belly.

It took a few seconds, but then a beautiful sound filled the room. Erin stared at the fuzzy, gray screen, completely distracted from what she was looking at by the beautiful sound of her child's heartbeat.

Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Thump-thump.

Erin dragged her eyes from the screen to look up at Jake, who was staring at the screen with an amazed smile. Feeling her eyes on him, he turned and smiled down at her, his soft eyes glistening.

"Told you it was the most beautiful sound in the world." he whispered so only she could hear.

"You weren't kidding." she breathed, her eyes moving back to the screen.

"Here we are." the doctor suddenly spoke as she moved the wand around on Erin's belly. Erin and Jake turned back to the screen. The doctor stopped on a spot on her lower abdomen when a picture came up on the screen.

"Alright, it's a little blurry, but right here," the doctor leaned over to point at the screen, "is your baby."

Erin's grip tightened around Jake's hand as her eyes stared unblinkingly at the screen. The doctor's finger had briefly circled a gray shape that was encased in a black blob. It was easy to see that the gray shape was a baby. The head was so formed that it was easy to see the shape of the nose and mouth, and then the curve of the back and a small, plump belly, and Erin could see at least one leg bent up and a tiny foot.

"I wasn't expecting him or her to…already look so much like a baby." Erin mumbled, her bottom lip trembling. "I thought they'd look more like a blob or something."

Jake leaned over and kissed the side of her head, his arm going around her shoulders.

"Well, with you being 12 weeks, you're just finishing the first trimester already." the doctor pointed out. "You're already a third of the way done."

Erin released a breath, the reality finally hitting her. In about six months she'd be pushing out a baby. Her and Jake's first child.

"And just for size reference," the doctor continued, moving the wand around again as she spoke, "your baby looks just over 2 inches long, a little bigger than a Brussels sprout. And he or she already has fingernails and toenails, forming bones, and is covered in a fine layer of hair."

"They're little fingers must be so tiny." Erin whispered, tears forming in her eyes.

Jake chuckled and kissed her hair again, but only Erin could hear the thickness in his voice, hinting that he was getting emotional.

"Would you like any printouts of the ultrasound?"

Jake and Erin both answered an enthusiastic yes.

They discussed a few more things before leaving, such as specific foods to eat or not eat as well as to expect the baby bump to become very obvious in the next week or two.

They were finally dismissed with half a dozen small prints of the ultrasound.

"This is really happening, isn't it?" Erin asked softly, looking up from the picture as they walked down the hospital hallway.

"Yeah. And I can't wait."

XXX

Erin groaned, plopping down on the couch and kicking off her tennis shoes. She'd just finished working a shift at the diner and had dealt with at least two swarms of customers. She was completely exhausted, her feet and back were killing her, and Jake wasn't even home to cuddle with her.

Letting her head drop back against the couch, Erin closed her eyes and relaxed for a moment, almost dozing off.

Her eyes suddenly popped open. A second later, she lifted her head off the couch, otherwise staying completely still.

Then, she felt it again.

Her hand flew to her abdomen, which had a small bump since her baby, just over 20 weeks, was about six inches long, the length of a small banana. She'd had her 20 week appointment just a few days ago and the doctor told her and Jake they were having a baby girl.

She stared down at her bump, her hand still placed on it. Finally, she felt it again. A little fluttering in her belly, like a butterfly's movement.

Her mouth fell open in awe. She'd been waiting for this moment since she saw that positive sign on the pregnancy test. The doctor had told her she herself could feel the baby start moving any time between weeks 16 and 22, while everyone outside could feel the baby as early as week 20, or as late as after week 30. She'd been craving feeling her baby move for ages and now…

Tears filled Erin's eyes as she gently rubbed her belly.

"Hi, sweetie." she whispered to her belly. Her and Jake had been talking to the baby a lot recently, wanting her to know their voices. Even Nick, who was warming to the idea of being a big brother/uncle, had started talking to her belly when he rested his head on her lap in the evenings. "I can feel you. Are you getting restless in there?" she paused and just stared for several moments before whispering again:

"I love you so much already."

XXX

Erin's leg bounced impatiently, sitting at the dining room table. Her hands were folded by her mouth and her eyes were fixed on the clock in the kitchen. It shouldn't take that long to go to the grocery store…

Finally, she heard the front door creak open in the dark house. Getting up, she hurried into the foyer to meet Jake, dressed in a tight T-shirt and pajama pants and carrying a plastic grocery sack.

"Thank you." she said quickly, snatching the bag from his hand and hurrying back through the dining room and into the kitchen. She ignored Jake chuckling as she sifted through the plastic bag until she found what she was looking for. She pulled out a bag of chocolate chips and a bag of ruffled potato chips.

She ripped open the chocolate chips and dumped some into a bowl and putting the bowl in the microwave. By the time her 'preparations' were done, she had an open bag of chips and a bowl of melted chocolate.

Hopping up on the kitchen counter, she grabbed a chip, dipped it into the chocolate, and ate it.

"Mmmm." she hummed, closing her eyes in bliss at the warm, salty and sweet snack.

"That good, huh?" Jake asked, sounding amused as he approached and leaned against the counter next to her.

Erin blushed, swallowing her mouthful. "Oh,…yes, it's very good. Thanks for going out to get it for me. Sorry, I know you'd rather be sleeping at one in the morning."

Jake chuckled. "Don't worry about it. You're carrying an extra person. I think you're entitled to a treat every now and then."

Erin smiled appreciatively before holding the bowl toward him. "Wanna try it?"

Jake eyed her in amusement for a moment before reaching past her for the potato chips and dipping one in the chocolate. When he plopped it in his mouth, he chewed thoughtfully, his brows rising in mild surprise.

"Wow. Not as weird as I thought."

Erin grinned widely, grabbing another chip from the bag.

XXX

"No, Nick put that back. We already have a bag of cookies." Erin told her brother for the second time as she pushed the grocery cart down the isle. She paused by the fruit, picking out some apples, pears, and oranges. As she was putting them in separate bags, Jake came up beside her, placing some frozen hamburger in the cart.

"Here, I'll push it for a while." he told her, putting his hand on her waist and nudging her out of the way.

"Thanks." Erin smiled at him, standing on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. However, as they made their way down the isles to finish their shopping, she started to wish she was the one pushing the cart.

On the one hand, her growing 27-week-belly kept bumping into the cart, which was annoying. But at least then people didn't always notice her bump. Walking next to Jake and Nick, it seemed everyone they passed stared openly at her stomach, making her feel very fat.

When they finished shopping, they dropped Nick off at Emily's for a couple hours so the six year old could play with three year old Levi and two year old Lila who was starting to run around after people, especially Seth.

Erin helped Jake put the groceries away, staying away from the things she couldn't put away, like the things that went in the bottom shelf of the fridge. She was finding it harder and harder to bend over and get back up again.

When they were done, Erin headed silently to their bedroom, sitting down on the end of the bed. She was staring blankly down at her hands in her lap, eyes sometimes shifting to her bump.

The mattress dipped next to her, and suddenly her arm was pressed against a firm shoulder.

"You okay?" Jake asked quietly, shifting his arm so it was wrapped around her lower back and waist.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" Erin asked, already knowing pretending was pointless.

"Erin." Jake spoke in a quiet, yet stern voice.

Erin sighed, leaning her head against his shoulder. "I just feel fat." she mumbled. "Which I know is stupid. I have a baby inside me, but I feel really fat and like everyone is staring at me."

"If they're staring at you, it's because they can't believe how beautiful you are."

Erin rolled her eyes. "Shut up, that's not it."

"Oh, I disagree." Jake told her earnestly. "You're beautiful, especially because you're pregnant."

"Why? Because my boobs are bigger?" Erin guessed dryly.

"Well, if you're going to point that out, I'm not going to argue." Jake agreed with a roguish smirk. Erin tried to backhand his chest, but he caught her hand in his and kissed her fingers. "But I was more referring to the fact that you are carrying our child. You're not fat, you're expecting. There's a big difference. You're still maintaining a healthy lifestyle for the baby, and none of that," he pointed at her belly, "is fat. It's muscle, amniotic fluid, and a baby. Our daughter is growing in there, she's getting bigger and stronger, because of you."

Erin leaned her head on his shoulder again, turning and hiding her face in his trap muscle. A few tears slipped from her eyes and dripped onto the collar of Jake's T-shirt.

"Thanks." she whispered.

"No problem." Jake whispered in return, kissing her forehead and releasing her hand so he could rest his large palm on her bump. He ran his thumb over the thin shirt she was wearing.

"Was that-?" Jake started, his head lifting slightly as he stared down at the belly.

Erin smiled up at him. "Did you feel her?"

"Did she just kick me?" Jake asked, a grin spreading over his lips.

"Mhm." Erin nodded, snuggling closer into his side. "She's been moving around for a while, but she's been actually kicking for about a week now. I didn't want to say anything until you could feel it yourself."

Jake was staring down at her belly in awe, an amazed smile stretched over his face.

"This is amazing." he whispered. He carefully moved off the bed and knelt down on the floor in front of his wife, his hands framing her belly. "Hi, baby." he spoke quietly near the bump. "I'm your daddy. Can you kick for me again?"

They waited a second before a quick little thump happened right under Jake's palm. Jake laughed joyfully and Erin chuckled, tears filling her eyes again. Jake glanced up at her and noticed her glassy eyes.

"Hormones?" he guessed with a smile.

"Shut up."

XXX

Erin shifted uncomfortably in the lawn chair, resting her hand on her large bump.

"You look very uncomfortable." Kim told her, turning around in the row in front of her.

Erin grinned, but it was more of a grimace. "A little bit. She won't stop moving around. And she keeps kicking my ribs, spine, and bladder. I peed half an hour ago and I still feel like I could pee again if I found a bathroom."

Kim laughed. "I feel your pain. I think I'm going to wait a couple years before I agree to having another kid. Lila's a handful as it is."

"How've her and Seth been doing with him being at school? She's probably glad he's back for the summer."

"Oh, yes, she's very happy he's back for the summer. Jared and I helped them talk on the phone and video chat a lot." Kim answered.

Erin winced again, resting her hand on her ribs. "That one's going to bruise." she whined.

"She kicking again?" Jake asked, appearing and sitting next to her.

Erin almost wished he hadn't come over, because the second he spoke the baby started wiggling and kicking more than ever. But then he rubbed his hand over her belly and the baby settled down.

"Yes, thanks. She's been going crazy lately." Erin answered.

"How far are you again?" Kim asked.

"31 weeks and three days." Jake answered promptly before smiling sheepishly when both girls turned to look at him.

"Yeah, what he said." Erin said with a wide smile.

"Well, at least you're almost done. Is the nursery finished?" Kim asked.

"Almost. Jake's almost finished making a rocking chair, so Rachel can keep Sarah's and then we have one to pass down to our kids later." Erin explained.

"That sounds nice. So, how's Nick doing at the thought of having a baby around?" Kim asked.

"He's actually looking forward to it. The other day we went into Port Angeles for something and he saw a teddy bear. He pretty much begged me if we could get it for the baby."

"Aw, that's precious." Kim grinned.

Embry and Maya came over with Nick and sat on Erin's other side, but when Sam came over to sit next to Jake, Nick climbed down from his chair and asked to sit on Sam's lap.

With summer came Erin graduating with her Master's degree in Psychology, so she would be securing a job as a school Psychologist in the La Push school, but she would be continuing to take online classes to get her Doctorate Degree.

They didn't have to wait much longer, but it felt like forever with a baby kicking at Erin's bladder. But soon, girls started walking down the makeshift isle of the Clearwaters' backyard. First Emily, as the maid of honor walked down and stopped across from the guys; Grayson and his groomsmen Seth, Jared, and Paul.

After Emily came a girl Erin didn't know personally, but she knew it was Grayson's sister. Finally, Rachel, who'd married Paul over a year ago, walked down the isle and everyone stood up to wait for the bride.

First, Levi and Lila walked down the isle, Lila tossing flower petals from a basket. Following a few feet behind them, was Leah in a white dress.

Within an hour, Grayson was officially married into the pack and Quileute tribe.