Disclaimer - Sm owns Twilight

Thanks to everyone! Your encouragement is wonderful and I appreciate it so much! Is anyone curious about my 'Valmont Soundtrack'? If so lemme know and I'll post a list of the songs I listen to while writing.

Thanks to MalloryKnoxx for cleaning up my mess. :)

"Natural law. Sons are put on this earth to trouble their fathers."

~~John Rooney, Road to Perdition

Previously...

"Ex-fucking-cuse me?!" I screeched. "I've lost my mom, have no idea what's happen to my dad, we had a baby practically show up on the doorstep, and your brother just died, and I'm over-fucking-reacting? For the entire first year of our relationship I've sat back and let you take lead on everything and I'm not doing it anymore. We will compromise or-"

"Or what?" Edward interupted standing and stalking across the room to me.

"I won't live like this." I said with as soundly as I could.

"Kid, you're mine." He breathed out inches away from my face.

"I'm not a possession. You don't own me."

"No, you're not, but you are mine and I won't live without you."

I sucked in my breath and took a step back.

"Is that a threat?"

He took a step forward, coming closer than he was a moment before, trailing his fingertips down my cheekbone. His normally vibrant eyes looked as dark as I'd ever seen them.

"No, it's a promise."

Isabella's POV

Two days.

Two whole days was how long it had been since I'd spoken a word to Edward.

I felt hurt, upset, and scared because of his words. I was still in the apartment, and he was still trying to talk to me, but I was giving him the silent treatment. Until today.

Regardless of how I felt about other things, it was Emmett's funeral, and I was going to be there for the family. Also, I had some other things to get off my chest. I was cradling Charly against my chest and buttoning the back of her dress when Edward walked out of the bedroom freshly showered in all black.

"Isabella." He said straightening his tie.

"Edward." I mimicked his icy tone.

"You're speaking to me again?"

"That's what it sounds like doesn't it?"

"Is the baby ready to go?"

"Her name is Charly." I sighed holding her in one arm and packing a few last minute things in the pink diaper bag Mary Alice had bought and had monogrammed.

"Is Charly ready?"

"Yes."

"Okay. Let's go so Ma doesn't have a fit."

"She doesn't have fits... She's just upset."

"Upset is a gross understatement for a grieving Italian mother."

"Nothing seems to upset you, but give everyone else a break." I grumbled standing. Edward took the baby's bag and we headed down to the garage.

The drive to the church was quiet and even though we arrived early it was still packed. Everyone was there to pay their respects to the family. Esme called the night before and explained how things would go through crying jags.

I wasn't as close to their brother as they were, but I still felt the pain from losing him. It did nothing to take my mind off my own family troubles.

We sat in the front row with the Cullens, where Elizabeth and Esme were dabbing their never drying eyes with tissues. Emmettino and Aro sat beside them offering silent comfort with stoic faces. A little further down Rosalie sat in a long sleeved black dress and sunglasses in between her parents. She made no sound or movement. Mary Alice sat next to me. She leaned over and whispered in my ear.

"Her father gave her a couple of valiums. She's been terribly upset."

I nodded and turned my attention back to the front and tried to pay attention to the service. Funerals had always freaked me out. I hadn't been to many and didn't know how to act or how to comfort someone or anything else that goes along with a death. I softly bounced Charly in my arms to keep her content until it was time to go to the cemetery.

Everyone else that was close to the family was sitting in the row behind us, and we all rose to leave first since we would be in the front of the procession. I noticed Anthony sitting in the back row next to a very elderly man in a suit that looked like it belonged in another decade. I smiled and waved and he returned it with a head nod. Everyone was so quiet and serious looking.

Edward wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me along with him after nodding at my brother.

I mouthed 'I'll call you.' as we walked by when his eyes fell on the baby in my arms. I knew I wouldn't be able to keep her a secret forever. Not that I wanted to, I just didn't know how to explain a baby that didn't come from my body.

The rest of the day passed in a hushed blur. Another graveside service was performed and lot of tears were cried from all of the women. Following the funeral everyone went to the Cullen's to eat and console one another.

Esme sat next to me on the couch feeding Charly and smiling through her tears. I felt awkward and didn't know what I could do to make her feel better so I sat quietly and watched.

"She's so beautiful." Esme broke the silence.

"Thanks." I offered her a small smile.

"I-" She opened her mouth to say something, but a deep sob cut her off. Aro was standing a few feet away with a drink talking to someone. His eyes turned towards Esme, and he excused himself and came over sitting down next to her. He put his hand on her shoulder and spoke softly in her ear.

"Why don't you give the baby back to Isabella, and we'll go get you something for your nerves?"

Esme looked between us for a couple of minutes before speaking.

"Bella, I have to tell you something."

"I don't think this is the best time or place, Ma." Aro interjected.

"I need to talk to someone about it!" She pleaded with him.

He looked around the room and nodded at her. "Go upstairs, please."

She quickly stood with the baby and grabbed my hand. I followed her to her bedroom confused.

"What's going on?" I asked as soon as she shut the door.

She kicked off her heels and walked around the room and held Charly on her shoulder burping her.

"I'm very sad about losing my brother, but that's not the only reason I'm upset." She began.

I waited a minute and motioned for her to continue with my hand.

"When I got shot, I was-" She took a deep breath, "pregnant, but I didn't know. The stress from my wound... Made me miscarry."

"Esme!" I said in shock. I went to her and wrapped my arms around her and she cried on my shoulder. I didn't think any words could make her feel better so I just held her and rubbed her back with Charly between us.

"I'm so sorry I didn't know."

"We haven't told anyone. You can't tell Edward! Not yet." She rushed out looking at me with a panicked look. "We got married in Vegas, "She gave me a small smile. "No one knows though. My father would be beyond pissed off. It was last minute and crazy, but I love him. He's it for me, and I'll spend the rest of my life with him."

My heart caught at her words. It was how I felt about her brother. I loved Edward more than anything and despite anything going on I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I wasn't letting him off the hook so easy, but I wasn't going to abandon what we had.

"We'll make it through this." Esme spoke again, trying to comfort me it seemed. She was like that, always wanting to make everyone around her happy. "Things happen. It'll be okay. Just don't tell anyone please. Promise?"

"Of course! I promise." I assured her. "You can always talk to me. I'm here for you no matter what."

"Thank you. Same here. I know this life isn't easy, and it's a whole new ballgame for you."

"Thanks." I smiled at her. "Want me to take her now?" I held my arms out.

"Not just yet." She gave me a sad smile.

"Hold her as long as you want." I told her before we joined everyone back downstairs.

Mary Alice's POV

As happy as I was that my own life was going so smoothly, it hurt my heart for everyone around me to be suffering. I left Mallory with Jane and went looking for Rosalie. She hadn't spoken a word all day. It took a lot for her to feel pain or hurt, but when she did, it was to the extreme.

I found her sitting on the deck wearing her sunglasses in the dark with a glass of amber liquid. I couldn't tell with the shades on, but I was pretty sure she was staring out at nothing.

"Hey, Rose." I greeted her and sat on the lounge chair next to hers.

Silence.

"If you don't want to talk that's fine. I'll just sit here with you."

Nothing.

I was going to offer her support in any way she needed, but silence kills me. I am and have always been a talker. So that's what I did.

"Mallory is getting her first tooth. All the drool is driving me crazy. I try to keep a bib on her all the time so she doesn't ruin her clothes. I like to donate most of the things once she outgrows them."

She didn't look at me as she swirled her drink in her glass before taking a sip. I could tell from the smell it was scotch.

"Would you like another drink? I could go get you one and maybe something small to snack on. I haven't seen you eat all day. Is the Valium taking away your appetite?"

Not a word.

"Would you please say something? Anything at all. Just let me know you're okay."

She turned her face towards mine.

"I don't know if I will ever be okay again."

"I know things are horrible at the moment. Time will make it better. I promise. I won't push you or try to rush you, but I'm going to make sure you get better."

She turned back to stare out in the yard again. I figured I'd gotten as much out of her as I was going to for the night.

I text my husband to let him know I was sitting outside with Rosalie and leaned back against the lounger.

While Rosalie sulked in her silence, I filled the quiet with soft whispers about my daughter, my upcoming wedding, Carlisle's practice, and everything in between.

Edward's POV

I sat in a chair in the corner of the living room detached from it all. People would speak, and I would nod and thank them for their condolences and continue to drink my scotch. My father had the bar stocked with bottle after bottle of it in anticipation of how the night would go. Everyone would make toasts to my dead brother and talk about how great he was.

My family would grieve.

Isabella said that I never was upset by anything. That wasn't true. A lot of things upset me. Losing my

brother was at the top of the list. I just didn't show it. What was the point? I was a man, and men don't cry. Crying solves nothing. Finding out who was responsible and making their final days miserable would fix things for me.

Isabella being upset with me bothered me. I needed to figure out how to fix it. I would make arrangements for however she wanted to handle the baby. It would have to be done immediately with the Feds coming around and her brother seeing Charly at the church.

She wanted to have him over for dinner. I didn't. Regardless of his upbringing or who his grandfather was, I didn't trust him. I had no reason not to, but I didn't have a reason to. Somewhere in there was middle ground that would suit me while making my girl happy. I just had to find it.

I was lost in the middle of my thoughts when my cousin walked up and threw a cigar at me.

"Come outside with me." Blaze said turning on his heel.

I didn't feel like Blaze's bizarre attempt to console me, but it was better than sitting in the house.

Everyone was getting on my nerves. I twirled the cigar around before standing and walking out, grabbing a new bottle of scotch on the way. I found my cousin on the side of the house behind the garage.

He handed me his lighter after he lit his cigar and I lit mine. We passed the bottle back and forth and remained quiet. His plan was working better than I wanted to admit. The peaceful break from all the people who felt they needed to be here was what I needed. He didn't talk shit and cut up like he usually did. He was just there.

"Grazie." I said after a while.

"Figured it would be good to get out for a little while." He smiled.

"Yea." I puffed on my cigar and looked out in the darkness wishing it hadn't taken my brother from me. "Ma hasn't stopped crying and my father is- I don't even know what he is. I've never seen him like this."

The way my father raised Emmett and me was to be hard, tough, unforgiving. I couldn't count the number of men I had killed, yet the death of one man, my brother, bothered me more than anything else.

"When we were kids, Em would steal cigars from papà and we would sneak out here to smoke them. We would hack and cough, but we thought we were big men. I don't know that my father ever noticed them missing."

"Emmett always liked to have a good time." Blaze smirked.

"Yea, unfortunately." I said stubbing my cigar out on the side of a brick.

"Don't look at it that way. Look at it like he enjoyed every moment of the life he got. This life is an unrelenting life. We never know when the end will seek us out. Only God knows. Enjoy it while it lasts."

I found some small amount of comfort in my cousin's words. I believe it was the first time in our lives I'd

seen him be serious.

"I'm going to go check on my girl. She may want to take the baby home."

"Yea, about that." Blaze gave me a wolfish grin as he threw his arm around my shoulders, "Impressive as

hell how quick you two can pop a kid out!"

"Fuck off!" I grinned for the first time in days as I shoved him and went in search of Isabella.