Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight characters, things you recognize, etc., etc..

Author’s Note: I apologize to you guys entirely too much! But, I AM sorry about the wait. I originally planned to have it up sooner—I was waiting to see how many reviews flowed in at first. ^_^ Then, my computers decided to be idiotic. My laptop (which I use for writing), only displays the ugly blue Microsoft background upon startup. NOTHING ELSE COMES UP. No start buttons, no task menu. So, in order to do anything I’ve gotta ctrl+alt+del, and run tasks from there. Which is a tedious process, ever time I want to open something. I have no clue how to fix it, either. And then the computer in the living room has pop ups galore! And I’m not comfortable writing at it—I like to take my laptop and get comfortable. Anyways, you’ve been waiting long enough so here is the next chapter! Wait…did I mention my internet is gone, too…again? GAH!

Chapter Thirteen

Charlie Swan was the silent, yet frightening protective father. There wasn’t a sound in the car other than the heater at work and my keys clanking together as each movement of my leg on the pedals caused my knee to hit them. We had a decent conversation at first—he complimented the Audi, which I told him I’d originally bought for Bella, but she was settling for the Volvo instead. It all seemed…friendly at the very least. And then, as we neared the condo, I couldn’t keep it from him any longer. I spilled the beans. It was either I told him then or I waited for him to see his pregnant daughter. And, no, he wouldn’t believe she’d just been eating a lot lately. It wasn’t a food baby.

I was beginning to think he wasn’t going to utter another word to me for the rest of his stay as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat, still taking in the news. I imagined it wasn’t something easy to discover, though I left out how everything happened. He would be better off not knowing this all initiated from a one night stand. From my peripherals, I could see his jaw tightening and I took a deep breath, prepared to face whatever. This was, undoubtedly, going to be a very, very intense weekend.

“Talking to Bella about this is one thing…talking to a pregnant Bella will probably be something entirely different—I was not expecting this,” he shook his head.

“I do apologize, sir,” I said, sneaking a quick glance at him. “Not for the pregnancy, it’s truly the best thing that has ever happened for me. I’m sorry for not telling you earlier, but I really needed you to come here. It breaks me up to see Bella so hurt by her past. It’s not something she should fear or run from. Death is a part of life, as is marriage and remarriage. I understand she loved her mother more than words can explain, but she needs to understand that what you did was probably a lot harder on you.”

He was quiet again for a little while before he finally spoke.

“You seem like a nice guy—a true gentleman. If this had happened with anyone else…well, I don’t know how I’d take it. I don’t know how I’m taking it right now, truthfully, but at least I’m here. I have not seen my little girl in four years and that’s heart wrenching itself. Thank you for bringing me out here.”

“You’re most welcome,” I assured him. I parallel parked the car alongside the curb before we got out. We left his bags in the car, as I planned to drive him to his hotel later that night. “I’m sure this will go well if we can at least get you through the threshold.”

Charlie chuckled lightly, following me into the building. As we rode up the elevator, he stuffed his hands in his pocket, his gaze focused on the ground. His mind was probably running a mile a minute. After four years of not seeing his daughter, that was to be expected. He probably wondered what she looked like, how she was fairing, etc., etc.

“You’re sure she’s home?” He asked timidly.

“Yes, she should be here with a friend. I figured we could use someone else on our side,” I told him as I slipped the key into the door and unlocked it before pushing it open. I paused, looking back at him and he nodded, silently urging me to continue.

“Edward?” I heard her voice call.

I felt as if something had kicked me in the stomach—a wave of nausea.

“Yes, Bella?” I tried to sound normal as I answered her.

“Just checking that it was you—Alice is in the bathr—” she trailed off as she walked over to the door. Her eyes weren’t on me; they were locked on the man standing behind me. She blinked slowly, her hands coming to rest on her pregnant belly.

“Bells,” her father whispered, stepping out from behind me to take a cautious step forward.

At the same time she took one back, shaking her head.

“W-what are you doing here, Charlie?”

“I came to see you, Bells. We need to talk.”

“There’s no talking needed. All of our talking ended when you killed my mother.”

He faltered, his mouth opened and closed as he sought out how to respond to that.

“You know that isn’t what happened, Bella.”

“Wasn’t it, though? Weren’t you the one to sign the papers giving them permission to pull the plug?”

“Yes, but—”

“No buts, Charlie. I don’t know why you came all the way out here. This is ridiculous.”

“Bella, you’re being ridiculous,” I spoke up, walking towards her. Her eyes landed on mine then, and I could see the layer of betrayal lying just behind them. “You can’t stop talking to your father.”

“I’m talking to him right now, aren’t I? I’m asking him politely to leave our home; which is more than he’s ever done for me.”

“Don’t say that Bells,” he disagreed quietly.

Alice came into the room then, coming to stand at Bella’s side.

“Hi Charlie,” she greeted him with a warm smile. “I’m Alice.”

He nodded, more concerned with his daughter than introductions for the time being.

“This is my home too, and I’ve invited him in.”

“Fine, then I’ll leave.” She started to walk to the door but I stood in her path, blocking it. She glared at me. “I know that I’m pregnant, Edward, but I will fight you.”

I grimaced.

“Don’t be silly, Bella,” Alice shook her head, walking to her friend again, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Charlie meant you no harm, nor your mother. He came all the way out here to set things right with you. You at least need to hear him out.”

“You knew about this, didn’t you?” She turned an accusing stare on her friend. “What the hell is with everyone knowing everything before me? Please, will you guys let me know when I go into labor!? Sometime before the baby actually pops out would be nice!”

Alice looked to the ground, obviously not liking Bella’s wrath turned upon her. Their easy arguing wasn’t something she minded as it was just playful banter, but now Bella was truly angry—and yelling at her.

“Bells,” Charlie cut in again, moving to stand closer to her—she didn’t move away this time. “Let me take you out to dinner so we can talk.”

“I already ate dinner,” she said indifferently.

“Well let me take you for ice cream or something,” he offered.

“Ice cream? I’m not five years old anymore, Charlie. Incase you’ve forgotten.” She rolled her eyes. “Ice cream doesn’t fix everything the way it used to.”

“Charlie,” I called his name and waited for him to look before tossing him the keys.

I was mildly afraid for him. His first time in New York and here I was, giving him the keys to my brand new car. I wasn’t worried he’d crash it or anything, that’s what insurance was for; I was more worried at the thought of him getting lost and Bella jumping out of the car to escape from him. In another context, it might have been amusing, but it was just frightening right now.

“Go with him, Bella.” I told her pleadingly.

She looked at me, a confused expression clearly written on her beautiful face.

“How could you do this to me? I confide in you, and you think it best to bring the worst thing from my past back and slap me with it!”

“I’m not slapping you in the face, because this is for the best. You will soon realize that,” I tried. I wanted her to see how easily things could go if she just accepted it rather than putting up a fight to the death.

“One talk. One conversation. That’s all I’m asking of you. If you still decide to have nothing to do with me after that, I will understand.”

Her jaw was tight as Charlie’s had been in the car, making herself resemble him more. They also shared the same hair color and texture—the curls, and their brown eyes.

“Fine.”

It was the response from her we had all been waiting for. If he could talk to her and just not say the wrong thing, he could easily be on his way back into her good graces.

Alice was gone and back in a flash, holding Bella’s coat and gloves in her hands.

As the two Swan’s walked to the door, Bella paused to look back at me.

“I’ll be back in half an hour.”

I only nodded, but I wasn’t holding her to that. I was hoping she wouldn’t return in half an hour. At least that would mean he was doing something to keep the conversation going. Hopefully in all the right ways.

“You can bring her here and drive to the hotel after,” I told Charlie. “We drove by it on the way here, remember? We have the Volvo, too.”

“Hotel? You’re staying?” Bella was frustrated, that much was obvious. She growled and walked out of the front door.

“Thank you, Edward.” He said, simply, before following after her.

I was lying in our bedroom, in total darkness, wide awake, when I heard the sounds of Bella reentering the condo. She came straight into the room, flipping on the light as she did. I sat up in the bed, expecting for her to say something, but she said nothing. She was probably waiting for the same from me. She smiled at me, briefly, before shrugging out of her coat—removing herself of all clothing before slipping on her favorite pair of “maternal pajamas” as she liked to call them. It really just consisted of various articles of my clothing.

I pushed back the sheets, welcoming her into the bed. She easily slipped in and turned on her side, pushing her back towards me. I immediately turned to spoon her body with my own. I wrapped an arm around her stomach and placed soft kisses on her neck.

“How did it go?” I whispered against her neck, not wanting to keep guessing anymore.

“Okay, I suppose,” she shrugged. “You were right. You were all right. All these years I just thought that what he did was so unfair to me. When all along it was my mother—she put the idea of it in Charlie’s head. She was always such a happy, overjoyed person—kind of like Alice—and I guess even she didn’t want to spend her last days suffering.”

The next kiss to her neck was open mouthed. I was happy to hear she’d given it a chance, and that she really understood all he had to say. Not only did she understand, but she’d taken it to heart and she accepted it.

“That’s good, Bella.”

“I just wish she would have told me herself. He said she didn’t want to tell me, that I’d think she was suicidal or something ridiculous. If she would have explained, I wouldn’t have had to go four years without speaking to my dad. There’s so much I’ve missed out on—he’s getting married for crying out loud,” she shook her head. “I don’t even think I can go to the wedding.”

“Why not?” I asked, concerned. It was obvious that Charlie really wanted her to be there—for support and what not.

“I wouldn’t feel right. I wouldn’t be able to take the sight of him kissing another woman.”

“You could ha—woah!” I stopped mid-sentence, leaning over her to look at the spot where my hand was on her stomach. “You—I mean, the baby, wow, that was really strange.”

“He’s feisty at night,” she informed, turning around so she was facing me now.

“He—I mean, the baby kicks you a lot now?” I furrowed my brow, wondering why she hadn’t told me.

She nodded. “I think he’s doing a combination of punches and kicks sometimes,” she giggled, putting her hand over mine to guide it higher up her stomach—another kick. “He’s either having a blast with himself in there, or he’s frustrated and wants to come out now.”

“Does it hurt you?”

“It’s not painful just…different,” she told me.

Bella was in a better mood already, which was plain to see. I honestly hadn’t been expecting them to settle it after one talk. I figured that maybe Charlie would need the entire weekend to talk to her repeatedly, but apparently there was no need for that. However, the issue of getting her to go to the wedding still needed to be dealt with. That he’d probably need to do a lot more convincing for.

The next morning Charlie was knocking at the door to the condo. I immediately let him in, smiling and welcoming him back. I don’t know why, but I was expecting some kind of gratitude. I didn’t receive it. I furrowed my brow as he walked straight pass me, asking where Bella was.

“She’s in the shower,” I told him, shutting the door and locking it. “Are you hungry? Did you have breakfast yet?”

“I ate at the hotel, thanks.”

He had been friendly last night, but this morning…not so much. Perhaps now that he was over the fact that his daughter didn’t hate him, he could focus on more important things. Like, how some man he didn’t even know had gotten her pregnant. How they were now living together in unholy matrimony. Well, shit. Imagine that. I put up the chance of going through hell and back with his daughter to get him out here to talk to her, and now he seemed put-out with me.

“Alright, make yourself comfortable then.” I said awkwardly before walking down the hall and into the bedroom.

Bella immediately looked at me, shocked.

“Edward, what are you doing in here!?”

“I came to get dressed,” I said, pointing down to the pajama pants and shirt I was so plainly wearing.

“We can’t get dressed in here together; my dad’s out there,” she shook her head, pushing me out of the room.

“Joking?” I questioned, an eyebrow arched.

“Not in the slightest. I’ll be out in a few seconds.”

Apparently these Swan’s intended on making it very difficult for me to even breathe in my own home. I let out a long breath, putting my head against the wall as I waited for Bella to come out of the room. What was the big deal about me changing in the same room as her? We were dating, we lived together, and she was pregnant. He already knew what getting pregnant entailed, so why would he be shocked that we changed our clothes in front of each other? I’m sure it had a little something to do with respect; I mean, I wouldn’t just openly make-out with her in front of him or anything.

My thoughts ran away from me when the door opened and Bella stepped out.

“I’m going to take him to a couple museums. Just the two of us…”

She held my gaze for a moment, to make sure I got the hint.

“Okay. I’ll see you when you get home,” I placed a kiss to her cheek before slipping by her and going into the bedroom.

And that’s how most of the weekend passed. Charlie and Bella spent time catching up or just spending time together, really. It wasn’t until I was picking him up from his hotel to drive him to the airport that we had an actual conversation.

“This Audi drives pretty smooth, kid,” he said, putting his suitcase into the trunk of the car. He had, after all, driven it around the city the entire weekend.

“Thanks,” I replied, unsure of what else to say as we got in the car.

“You know I was kind of upset with you this weekend. You could have told me about this situation earlier.” I nodded my agreement, but kept silent. “However, I’m glad and very thankful that you even brought me out here. Bella and I…well, things aren’t the way they used to be with us but I think we can get back there.”

“Hopefully you can—she needs you, no matter how independent she wants to claim to be.”

“It’s always nice to hear your little girl still needs you,” he said. “I’m sure you’ll see what I mean in time.”

I chuckled softly. “Bella doesn’t think we’ll be having a girl. I’m afraid she’s getting her heart so set on a boy—what if it turns out the other way?”

“She’ll love the baby regardless. I’m sure she just remembers her early behavior and would much rather put up with a boy,” Charlie informed. “She was a little rebel when she was younger, and her mother always told her that karma would come in the form of her own daughter someday.”

“They really had a powerful relationship, didn’t they?”

He nodded. “Almost as powerful as yours—however they’re seen in different context. I don’t want to get into that very much but what you two have is good, and that’s plain to see. You’ll make good parents—I’m sure of that. She tells me your parents are amazing, and I’ll say Renee and I weren’t too shabby either.”

I pulled over into the passenger drop-off lane at the airport and stopped the car.

“Thank you, that’s actually really good to hear. I’m more nervous than I can tell her,” I told him.

He shook his head and laughed, stepping out of the car. I got out as well, going around to the back to help him with his bags.

“Don’t tell her. It’s just jitters—or something. At least that’s what her mother told me all those years ago.” He sat his bags on the sidewalk before turning to face me again, extending his hand; I shook it. “So, I’ll see you in a week, for the wedding.”

“She agreed?”

“Yeah, so long as she didn’t have to do anything other than sit in the audience and I’m taking what I can get.”

“Okay, sounds good. See you soon, Charlie.”

He inclined his head, hooking his hands into the handles of his suitcase. He started dragging them away and I got back in the car. Bella would be in the beginning of her third trimester for the wedding, and honestly…though I was nervous, I was excited at the same time. That would mean just three more months until we were physical parents. Three more months until I got to hold the little bundle of joy in my arm. I had read some things online, and apparently the third trimester would be the hardest—for the dad. Great.

Fin! So everything is perfect, right? Ha! I like throwing curve balls, we will have to see what happens in the next chapter. Expect a little baby interaction, and a little drama. Plus the wedding! Don’t forget the wedding! Now, let me know what’s running through your beautiful little minds with a review! It’s so easy to do now, so, you know, just do it. Yes, I’m jocking nike.

Chams