This was written for the Aussie compilation. Money was raised. Thanks to those who donated. Thanks to Mid for the beta and Annie for the pre-read and Lizzie for the gorgeous banner!

Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight. Original creation, including but not limited to plot and characters, is copyright to the author of this story. No copyright infringement is intended.

xxx

Edward, it's me again, please call me. It's important.

Edward, stop ignoring me, it's childish. It is imperative we speak. Call me.

Edward, don't think I won't just show up at your work or your house. Call me. NOW.

Edward sighed, raking a hand through his hair. He hadn't spoken to his ex, Victoria, for six months. Their breakup had not been mutual and she called him nonstop for two months afterwards. It was at the point where he was about to change his number when she stopped. Now, all of a sudden, she'd been blowing up his phone again at all hours. Texts, calls, and messages all ranging from pleading to downright threatening at times. His mom told him he should get a restraining order, but to be honest, he couldn't be bothered. Eventually, she would stop again when she realized he wouldn't be getting back with her.

xxx

Two weeks had passed, two weeks of constant texts and phone calls that he had ignored. He had no idea what this girl's problem was, but he sure wished she would take a hint.

Sunday was always family dinner night in the Cullen house growing up. It didn't matter what they were doing or what their plans were, everything stopped and you were at the table by the time the last dish was placed on it. That hadn't changed once the kids had become adults. They all still met at their parents' on Sunday at 5:00 p.m. Dinner was served promptly at 6:00 p.m.

In the hour before dinner, Edward's phone must have gone off about thirty times. He was forced to explain that Victoria had been trying to contact him again, but that he was not answering.

He shouldn't have been surprised by the knock on his parents' front door at 6:05 p.m. on Sunday, but to be honest, he kind of was.

"Jesus Christ," he said, pushing back his chair. "I have a feeling I know who this is. I'll go see what she wants and get rid of her."

He stomped to the front door, throwing it open. There she stood in front of him, flaming red hair and green eyes.

"What do you want, Victoria?" He sighed, running his hand through his hair. "I told you already, it's over. I am not getting back with you. Please, for the love of god, stop calling and texting, and don't ever show up here again or I am calling the cops."

She huffed. "Now, Edward, that isn't any way to treat the mother of your son, is it?"

He nearly choked. "My what?"

She bent over to pick up something off the ground that he hadn't noticed until that moment—a car seat. "Your son."

"Please come in, Victoria." His mom suddenly appeared from behind him.

He hadn't even noticed she had come to the door—he was in a state of shock.

xxx

Edward's mom sent everyone home with containers of food, and she and Carlisle retreated upstairs to give Edward and Victoria some privacy. Neither of them had spoken since Victoria had dropped the bomb at the front door.

Edward couldn't take his eyes off the child. He was trying to decide whom he looked like. He couldn't see much of himself in him, but he couldn't see much of Victoria either. Maybe he was just too new. He didn't know enough about babies to tell.

The silence was suddenly split by a piercing wail. It was so loud he literally jumped. Then he realized it was coming from the car seat. Victoria didn't move to take the baby out, so with shaking hands, Edward pulled the car seat closer to him and undid the buckle.

As carefully as he could, he removed the baby out of the car seat and brought him to his chest. He shushed and bounced a little trying to get him to stop, but nothing was working.

"Jesus, Edward, can't you get him to shut up? He's giving me a headache."

"I don't know anything about babies. Is he hungry?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know?" she snapped.

A throat clearing from the doorway had him looking over to see Esme standing there.

"When was the last time you nursed him, Victoria?"

"Gross," she replied. "The only person I want sucking on my nipples is Edward."

His mother scowled. "Well then, when was the last time you gave him a bottle?"

Victoria merely shrugged.

Esme sighed. "Where are his things? I'll fix him a bottle while the two of you talk."

At this, Victoria started crying. "Why are you shaming me as a mother? I've never done anything to you. I have nothing, okay? My parents kicked me out when they realized I was pregnant. I was staying with a friend, but when I went into labor, she said I couldn't bring a crying baby back to her house. I was only released today and the nurses were kind enough to give me that car seat. I have no idea where we are even going to go now. I just wanted Edward to know he was a dad. But he obviously doesn't want us because he hasn't said anything—just yelled at me!"

"Carlisle!" Esme called upstairs. When he came downstairs, she told him to go to the store and get some newborn diapers and formula and a bassinet. Once he left, she turned back to them.

"Tonight you three can stay here. You and Edward can have a chance to talk and work out a plan while Carlisle and I watch the baby. What is his name dear?"

"Oh, um, he doesn't have one yet. I wanted Edward to name him."

"Well, maybe once he's spent some time with him, he will think of something."

xxx

They didn't make any decisions that night. Edward went to his old room and Victoria the guest room. She had tried to insist that she sleep with Edward, but he refused. He wasn't getting back together with her, even if they did have a child together. That was the other odd thing—she refused, flat out, to have the baby with her, insisting Edward take him.

Edward was awoken shortly after falling asleep by the wailing of the baby. Not really knowing what to do with a newborn, he guessed a baby would only cry for two reasons: needing a diaper change and needing to eat. So, he changed the baby and made a bottle.

The problem was that when the baby was finished both, he still didn't stop crying.

"Maybe you need your mom, huh, Little Man?"

He took the baby back upstairs and went into the guest room. Victoria refused to wake up, though, which angered him. He sighed as he took the baby back into his room. He racked his brain trying to think of what soothed him when he couldn't sleep. Spotting his keyboard, he knew what to do.

Using the sheet off the bed, he secured the baby to his body after watching a YouTube video of how to strap a kid to you so you have your hands free. It would do for now, but Edward thought he should go and buy a real one tomorrow. Once the baby was secured to him, he turned down the volume on his keyboard and began to play.

He ran through a rendition of Twinkle, Twinkle and one of Mary Had a Little Lamb before he realized the music was the only sound he could hear. The baby was no longer crying, but nor was he asleep. He was gazing up at Edward with his mouth slightly ajar blinking sleepily.

Looking down into the face of his infant son, Edward could almost feel his heart expanding, and finally decided on something.

"I think I really love you already, Seth James Cullen."

xxx

The next morning played out much like the night before. Victoria wanted next to nothing to do with the baby, refusing even to hold him while Edward did everything. It angered Edward; until Carlisle pulled him aside and asked him please not to get too angry with her yet.

"A woman's body goes through something very traumatic when she is pregnant and gives birth. When you add all the stress that Victoria had during her pregnancy, she may have a case of postpartum depression. If you want, I can speak with her and prescribe something."

Edward couldn't help but feel a little guilty. If he had answered the phone after their breakup and learned of the pregnancy, he could have been more help and maybe she would want to hold their son. He decided he would ask his parents if they would mind watching Seth and he would take Victoria with him to buy things for his house for the baby. If they were coming to live with him, then he needed a lot of stuff.

They got to his car and he started the engine, the radio coming to life immediately.

"We have breaking news from Seattle, Washington this morning. A new devel—"

Victoria reached over and changed the channel, huffing. "God, I hate news programs, Eddie. You know I only like to listen to music in the car."

"And you know I despise being called Eddie, Victoria." He leveled her with a glare.

She tried to look contrite, but failed miserably.

They drove to the nearest Walmart where Edward grabbed a cart and headed off to find an employee to assist them with getting everything they would need to bring Seth back to his house.

The employee asked Edward all kinds of questions about Seth that he was ashamed he couldn't answer. Things like how much he weighed and what time he was born. When he asked Victoria, she rolled her eyes and said she didn't pay any attention to that stuff. But Seth had been born two days prior to her showing up at his door, so that meant the baby was four days old now. Edward's mind was still blown that he was a father.

Once Edward had spent a considerable amount of money buying all the things he would need for the baby, he and Victoria left the store and headed back to his parents' house to pick up Seth. They needed to leave right away in order to meet the stuff that Edward had privately arranged to be delivered that afternoon.

xxx

Edward ended up having to pay extra for the delivery men to set up the crib as, once again, Victoria refused even to hold the baby long enough for him to do it. In fact, she didn't even stay at the house, taking the keys to his car and begging him for some money to run an errand. Though he was slightly annoyed, if he was being honest with himself, he was kind of happy he didn't have to put up with her.

He spent the afternoon hanging out with Seth and reading up on newborns. He still didn't feel 100% comfortable with the baby, but he was a fast learner. He knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he would be the best father he could be.

xxx

"Victoria," Edward said, shaking her shoulder to wake her.

"Ugh, what do you want, Edward?"

"I'm leaving now. I have to work today. I made Seth's bottles for the day. I brought the bassinet in here."

"Fine, whatever, see you later." She grunted, rolling back over and tugging the blanket over her head.

Edward felt uneasy leaving Seth, but he had no choice. He had to work.

xxx

Edward could hear the wailing the minute he pulled into the driveway.

"What the fuck?" he muttered to himself, running up the front steps and into the house.

"VICTORIA!" he called out. He didn't receive a response, but figured he might not hear one over the shrill sound of the baby crying.

He took the stairs two at a time in his effort to get to Seth. When he burst into the guest room, it was empty with the exception of his wailing son.

"Hey, hey, hey, shhhh now, it's okay, Daddy's here," Edward soothed as he picked up Seth. He noticed right away that Seth's diaper was completely full and had leaked through his clothes. Not only was he wet, but his clothes were cold.

"Let's change you and go find where your mom went."

Edward cleaned and changed Seth, and though he was now dry, the boy continued to wail at the top of his lungs.

Figuring it might be time for another bottle, Edward decided to forgo trying to find Victoria and heat up a bottle for his son. When he got to the fridge, his anger rose again. He had made enough to sustain Seth throughout the day, based on a two-hour feeding schedule the book had recommended. There was only one bottle missing from the bunch. Victoria had only fed him once in the entire time Edward was gone. He was furious.

Once the bottle was warm, Edward tested it on his wrist before placing the nipple near Seth's lips. The minute it touched the baby's mouth, he opened and sucked it in greedily. Now that his son was pacified, Edward went searching for Victoria. She wasn't anywhere in the house.

xxx

It was another two hours before Victoria arrived back at the house, bags of what appeared to be from clothing stores hanging off her arm and her hair freshly cut and dyed brown.

"Where the fuck have you been?" he asked her.

She glared at him. "Out. I didn't think I answered to you."

"You left him here. All by himself. How could you be so irresponsible? He could have died! You can't just leave a newborn alone! What the hell is wrong with you?"

Once again, she started with the waterworks. "I'm sorry, Edward. I have no idea what I am doing. Maybe I am not good enough for him. I'm a horrible mother. You are right. I shouldn't be around him."

Edward felt bad. He didn't mean to make her cry. Again, he was being too harsh with her. Maybe she did have that depression his dad talked about. He read that mothers did some really weird things, like putting their babies outside so they didn't hear them crying and stuff.

He resolved to help her the best he could, and immediately, he called his boss to let him know what was going on and requested a leave of absence. Given that Edward was a model employee and rarely asked for anything, his boss granted his request. Edward felt better knowing he wouldn't have to leave the baby alone with Victoria for a while. God only knew what she would do to the poor thing.

xxx

The following week tried Edward's patience significantly. He was trying to be understanding regarding the lack of maternal instincts Victoria exhibited. She never wanted to feed or hold their son at all; she screamed at the baby when he cried, and often left for hours at a time. Edward was barely getting any sleep and he was exhausted. He found himself at his parents' house one day, nearly in tears, begging his mother to watch the baby so he could nap for a few hours.

When he woke four hours later, he felt loads better. He ventured downstairs to find his son, amazed he was so quiet for once. He found Seth sleeping peacefully in his grandmother's arms.

"Now, how did you manage to do that?" Edward asked. "I can usually get him to sleep by playing music."

His mother laughed. "Sometimes all it takes is a mother's touch."

Edward sighed. "I wish his mother would touch him."

"She doesn't touch him?"

"No. She won't pick him up. She won't hold him. She won't feed him. Nothing. I have to do everything, and as much as I love him, it's exhausting. Dad told me to go easy on her, that she might have postpartum depression. But I'm at the end of my rope, Mom. All she does is sleep, eat, shop, go out with her friends, and try to get in my bed when she gets home."

"I know your father said to go easy on her, Son, but I don't think that is the best way. Maybe try to force a little interaction. Leave the house, but not for a full day. Perhaps only an hour or two every day, just so she gets used to doing things for herself. You aren't going to be able to be on leave forever."

Edward sighed. He knew his mother was right. It was time for him and Victoria to have a talk. He loaded Seth into his car seat and snapped it into the base. Climbing in the front seat, he turned the key in the ignition just catching the tail end of a news story.

"...it's been two weeks since Charles Jacob was last seen. If anyone knows the whereabouts of this baby boy please contact the hotline."

"Jesus," Edward muttered, looking in the rearview mirror where he could see little Seth's face in the reflection of the mirror attached to the car seat. "I don't know what I would do if I ever lost you, Little Man."

xxx

"You're calling me a bad mother!" Victoria wailed later that night.

"Calm down, Victoria. That's not what I'm saying at all." Edward tried to soothe Victoria, but she was beyond inconsolable.

Edward sighed. "Listen, I know it's hard, this parenting stuff. It can be frustrating and tiring. But you have to do something, Vic. I can't do this all on my own. I want your help. I need your help."

"You… you, want me? You... need me?" Victoria breathed out.

Edward gripped his hair tightly. She was constantly twisting the things he said.

"Jesus Christ, Vic, your son wants and needs you." He growled, frustrated. "I'm going to bed. Your son will be up in two hours for a feeding. See if maybe you can take care of him for once."

Edward stormed up the stairs. Checking on Seth and seeing that he was fine, Edward went into his room and softly closed the door. He clicked on the TV to find something mindless to fall asleep to.

"Sources say the nurse that spoke to the mother was not in fact a nurse at the hospital. Seattle General is still trying to locate CCTV footage of the woman leaving the hospital."

Not wanting to depress himself with news, Edward changed the channel to a new episode of Forensic Files.

xxx

The next week followed the same pattern as previous weeks. Victoria did nothing with the baby, leaving it all up to Edward. This was beneficial in that the bond he and his son were forming was very strong, but a pain in the ass because he was still missing work. He finally broke down and asked Esme if she could watch the baby until he could find someone capable. He couldn't afford to take another week off work, and the three times he had left Victoria with Seth alone, she did absolutely nothing.

He often found her glued to the television, flipping between different news outlets and muttering to herself. As soon as she saw him standing there, she would quickly change the channel. He was a bit unnerved. He kind of wanted to ask her to leave his house. It wasn't as if she had any interest in mothering their son, anyway. But the one time he broached it with her, she had a fit and started throwing things at him while he was holding Seth, threatening that if she left, she was taking her baby with her. He didn't trust her with his son alone, so he backed off.

"This goes beyond postpartum, Dad. There has to be more to it. She's like completely ignoring him. When I've tried leaving her alone with him, she wouldn't pick him up or feed him. Nothing. She has no problem trying to touch me all the time. Always showing up in my room naked, but doesn't want anything to do with her own son."

"I'm not sure what to tell you, Edward. I honestly thought it was simply postpartum depression."

"I know, Dad." He sighed. "I just wish she would get the hint that I don't want her like that. Mother of my child or not, that ship sailed and I don't want it back."

Edward and Seth left his parents' house later that evening, stopping at the grocery store on the way home. While strapping Seth into the car seat attachment of the grocery cart, Edward had the distinct feeling of being watched. He glanced around the store, catching sight of a young-looking woman with stringy brown hair staring at him… No, not at him, at Seth, tears flowing unchecked down her face. Feeling uncomfortable by the stranger's behavior, he stepped in front of his small son, blocking her view.

He quickly did his shopping, wanting to get the hell out of there as fast as possible. The feeling of being watched not going away until Edward and his son were leaving the parking lot a half hour later.

xxx

The day Edward's life changed for the second time started out like any other. He woke to Seth's wails to be fed, and got up to get him from his crib. He changed his diaper and peeked into Victoria's room, surprised to see she hadn't come back to the house the night before after going to visit her friend.

Taking Seth downstairs, Edward warmed up a bottle and settled down onto the couch. He turned on the television, not surprised it was left on CNN. What did surprise him was the woman currently crying on the TV. It was the same woman from the grocery store the previous night. He turned up the volume to hear what she was saying.

"Please, just bring him home. I know Charles Jacob is still out there and alive."

"Once again, that was Bella Swan, 23, from Seattle, Washington. Swan's son Charles Jacob was kidnapped a month ago, the day after his birth, from Seattle General hospital by a woman posing as a nurse.

Many of you will remember from previous stories that the boy's father and Swan's own father were killed during a routine traffic stop when Swan was only three months pregnant.

Though police have had to limit the amount of time they search for the boy, Swan insists the baby is still alive and is pleading for his safe return. Seattle General has finally released a photograph of the woman they believe is involved in the boy's kidnapping.

If anyone has any knowledge of this woman or the whereabouts of Charles Jacob Swan please call 1-800-KIDNAP."

Edward couldn't believe what he was seeing on the television.

"Jesus, Victoria. What the hell did you do?"

xxx

"We're sorry, Ms. Swan, the commissioner said we are unable to investigate your case anymore. We will leave it open, but at this point, the chances of your son still being alive are slim, and if he is alive, the chances of him still being in Seattle are slim to none."

The officer was only doing her job. Bella knew that. But she also knew what she saw last night at that grocery store. She knew, without a doubt, that boy was her son. She knew it the minute she heard his little cry of displeasure of being put down.

"You aren't listening! I saw him. I saw my son last night! You have to go check the security cameras. Please." Bella started to cry.

The officer sighed. "Have a seat over there. Let me get the chief."

Bella sat on the hard bench, used to the way it dug into her thighs. She'd been on that bench for thirteen hours a day, every day since her son was stolen from her. She refused to leave, often volunteering to answer the Tip Line phones. They allowed her until they started getting tips of babies' bodies. She knew, though, that her son was still alive. She knew it the same way she knew the exact minute his father left this world. She didn't need the chief to show up at her door then, and she didn't need someone to tell her now. She could still feel him.

Bella tilted her head back, closing her eyes. She was so tired, so bone wearily tired. But her dreams were haunted by her loss. By her own stupidity.

xxx

"Miss Swan?"

Bella opened her eyes, an unknown woman stood before her.

"Yes?"

"I'm here to take baby Charles for his bath now."

Once again, Bella peered at the woman, now recognizable in scrubs, as a nurse. Jesus she was tired. Labor had been harder and longer than she expected. And doing it on her own left her feeling so worn down. She didn't know how she was going to cope. But she would find a way.

"Miss Swan?"

Bella blushed. "I'm sorry. I'm a little out of it still. He's right over here in the bassinet." She winced as she picked up her small son.

She brought the baby up to her nose, giving him a small sniff. She was so in love with him already and couldn't wait to watch him grow. Would he look like her or Jacob? She wondered.

"Jesus, lady, can you just hand over the baby? I have a job to do!" the nurse snapped.

Startled, CJ started to cry, the sound breaking Bella's heart a little. She glared at the nurse.

"Pardon me," the nurse said, looking contrite. "It's just... I am new, and they are always giving me a hard time about how long I take to do things."

Bella felt a little bad for delaying the woman any more than she already had. As much as she didn't want to have CJ out of her sight, she supposed she didn't have much of a choice. Procedure must be followed and she didn't want the nurse to get in trouble on her behalf. She handed over her son to the nurse with the flaming red hair.

And that was the last time she saw him.

xxx

Bella woke with a start. She could feel the sweat on the back of her neck. A telltale sign she had been about to scream in her sleep. Glancing around the police station, she noticed it was a lot more active than it had been when she first arrived.

She looked at her watch, surprised to see she'd been waiting an hour and a half to see the chief. Her body was stiff from falling asleep sitting on the bench; she stood and stretched, glancing around. It seemed as if most of Seattle PD was there at the moment, and she wondered what was going on.

She started to walk up to the counter to ask, when the chief called out from behind her. "Miss Swan, please follow me this way."

xxx

Bella hated the chief's office. It was in this office, just the week prior, when the chief told her they would no longer be actively searching for her son.

"So, Officer Paul tells me you think you saw your son last night?"

Bella's eyes narrowed. "I don't 'think' I saw my son; I know I saw him." She glanced away, eyes flooding with the tears she was so tired of shedding. "Listen, I know I sound crazy. I know it. But I swear to you, on my father's grave, that was my son."

The chief sighed. "Okay, tell me what happened."

So Bella did. She told him how she woke that afternoon from a nap she'd needed because she didn't sleep the night before. How she realized she had run out of food and storage bags for the milk she'd been expressing, not wanting to lose her supply in the chance her son was found, so she went to a supermarket, where she spotted the man with her son. She explained how protective the man seemed, how he blocked her view so she couldn't really get a good look at the baby. But how she felt it; she knew that baby was hers.

The chief's phone rang, cutting her off. He listened intently, face turning pale a little bit. "Right, just give me a minute."

He coughed slightly. "Miss Swan, Bella, can you describe the man for me?"

xxx

Edward had never been handcuffed before. His heart raced and sweat beaded his upper lip. He didn't know if what they were doing was exactly legal. They said he wasn't entitled to a phone call because he hadn't been arrested, but that he had to be handcuffed for "your safety and ours while we conduct our investigation."

Hindsight being 20/20, he thought perhaps he should have gone to his parents for help. Had them call the family lawyer. But the minute he saw Victoria's face on that screen, saw her leaving the hospital with that baby, the baby he loved more than anything, being accused of stealing that baby, he knew the right thing to do would be to bring it to the police immediately. So they could reunite the baby with his mother. Even though the thought of losing what he thought of as his was gutting him.

xxx

Bella noticed the flurry of activity and was annoyed the chief had been gone so long. Realistically, she knew she didn't have anything to go home to, so this should be a minor inconvenience. But it was frustrating that he didn't have the decency to ask her to come back later. To keep her waiting was rude. Well, Bella wasn't going to stand for that.

She stood from the chair, pushing open the door to the chief's office, and started to walk down the hall when she heard it. The wail of a hungry baby. Instantly, her heart clenched, for she would recognize the sound anywhere. She'd heard it the minute he was born.

"Charlie?" she called out frantically. "Where is he? Where is my baby?"

She ran through the halls. Shoving officers out of the way. Searching every open door, screaming for her son.

xxx

"CHARLIE! CJ! WHERE IS MY BABY?"

"Shit!" Chief Roberts exclaimed, jumping out of his chair.

Edward had no idea they were going to call Seth's mother while he was still there. It made him anxious they weren't going to let him go after all. He was really, really starting to regret coming down there without a lawyer.

The chief flung open the door and stepped out into the hallway, reaching out to grab the woman and halt her in her tracks. "Bella, Bella wait. We don't know if that's Charles yet. We think it may be, based on some information we've received, but we still want to do a DNA test to be sure."

The woman started sobbing. "I don't need to have a DNA test. That is my son. My son... I know his cry! Please don't keep him from me any longer. Please."

Edward didn't think his heart could break any further than it was already breaking, after having to give up what he thought was his son. But hearing her sobs was heart-wrenching. He wanted to go to her, to comfort her. But he was still handcuffed in the chair.

He was kicking himself now for not questioning more. There were so many red flags with Victoria's behavior over the past month, and he was upset it had taken him so long to realize. He was heartbroken over the pain she must have gone through.

He leaned back slightly in the chair, trying to see out the door. He gasped when he saw she was staring straight at him.

xxx

It was him, the guy from the grocery store, the guy who'd brought her into the precinct today to begin with. And Bella was angry. Bella was so angry she wrenched herself out of Chief Roberts' hold on her and marched straight up to him, then slapped him across the face.

"You asshole, you complete fucking asshole. You had my son this entire time, and last night, last night you saw me. I know you did. How could you? How could you just stand there and shield my own son from me? How?"

"I… I didn't…" the man stuttered.

"You did! You did shield him from me! Don't you dare sit here and try to deny it. How could you steal my son from me?"

xxx

Chief Roberts finally managed to gather his wits and grabbed Bella from behind, pinning her arms so she would stop striking the man. He still wasn't 100% sure he wasn't partially guilty, but he couldn't allow Bella to keep assaulting him and have his lawyer possibly get him off on that technicality.

He glanced at Edward Cullen, who wasn't even trying to protect himself from her fury, and wondered why that was. Was he feeling guilt he came face-to-face with his victim and finally realized the pain he'd caused? Chief Roberts needed to know the answers to those questions. But he needed to get Bella out of there to get them.

Going against his better judgment, he decided to let her see the baby. Was there really any harm in allowing her to hold the infant? If they found out it really wasn't her baby, there wouldn't be any real harm done, would there?

xxx

Edward was a little relieved when Chief Roberts removed her from the room. While he wanted to apologize to her for how long it took him to realize that Victoria had lied to him, he didn't feel like he deserved her hitting him. He didn't move to restrain her though, because he understood her pain and how she was feeling. He was trying hard to keep it together while in public, but he knew he was going to break down. He was just hoping to make it to his parents' house first.

It wasn't long before Chief Roberts came back in the room, this time with another officer and a tape recorder.

"All right, Mr. Cullen, let's start at the beginning again. We're going to be recording this time for accuracy later."

Edward raked a hand through his hair. It was going to be a long night.

xxx

Bella was in awe. She couldn't stop looking at the tiny precious face of her son. She couldn't stop herself from bringing her face close to his to smell his baby scent. She had been starting to believe she was never going to see him again. That was until last night, but even then, what were the odds of him being returned the very next day?

She felt a little guilty for slapping the stranger who had her son, but she knew she was justified, to a degree. She was only thankful that rather than lock her up for assault, Chief Roberts brought her to her baby boy. She was crying tears of relief and joy.

The baby snuffled in his sleep, little arms moving, hands opening and closing, and made little whimpering sounds.

"I think someone is getting hungry." The female officer who was stationed in the room got up and fetched a bottle from a bag Bella just noticed was on the table.

"Oh, do you think I should nurse him?" Bella asked. "I've been pumping to keep up my supply."

The officer looked at her sadly. "I'm sorry, sweetie, but until we know for sure that he's yours, I can't let you do that. Why don't you let me feed him and you can pump, though. I'm sure that's very painful." She motioned to Bella's chest.

Bella was not surprised to find her breast engorged; it had been a few hours since she'd pumped any milk, and as much as she longed to nurse her son, she had to acquiesce. So, she sat right next to the officer, as the officer fed CJ a bottle and she pumped her milk for what she believed would be the final time.

xxx

Chief Roberts could tell that Edward Cullen was exhausted; they had questioned him for hours and his story never changed. He'd broken up with Victoria six months prior, but didn't question if he was the father of the baby, given that they had been intimate at least nine months prior to her showing up at his parents' house. He told them how she'd been frantically trying to get him to speak to her two weeks after their breakup, but he ignored her, so she stopped, and he reasoned to himself she was possibly trying to tell him back then she was pregnant. He had no idea she could go as far as to kidnap someone's baby from a hospital and try to pass it off as theirs.

He explained to them how standoffish she had been with the baby, never interacting with it and flat out neglecting it when he wasn't home to care for the infant. He talked of having to take three weeks off work, and how the fourth week he got his mother to care for the boy, so he didn't have to leave him with Victoria. How she once left the small boy completely alone for god knew how long. The entire time Edward talked, Chief Roberts and Officer Call noted all the charges they would be laying on Victoria when they located her.

xxx

"Sir." Officer Lahote stood at the door to the room. "We have the DNA results."

"Excuse me, Mr. Cullen, I'll be right back."

Chief Roberts could barely make out the bob of his head. He needed to make a decision about him soon. The chief knew he was towing the legal line of how long they had kept him, and the fact that they had questioned him without a lawyer present.

A few seconds later, Chief Roberts came back into the room and looked at Edward Cullen. "It's the Swan baby." He then told Officer Call, "I think it's time we put out an APB for Victoria James."

He left Edward alone in the room again and went to tell Bella the good news. It was no surprise she wept when he told her, clutching the baby closer to her, if that was possible.

"I have to tell you, Ms. Swan, I do believe Mr. Cullen might be telling the truth. I don't believe he had any knowledge this was not his son. He's been taking care of him this entire time, essentially alone."

The chief didn't know if she had heard him or not, but he'd made up his mind about Edward and he knew what he had to do.

He walked back down the hallway and into the room containing Edward Cullen. "I'm going to let you go now, Mr. Cullen. Under the conditions that you don't leave town, and you contact us if you hear from Victoria at all. I trust also that you won't go to the media with this. We don't want to tip Victoria off that we know anything."

"Of course, sir. Do you…" Edward swallowed back his emotions. "Do you think that Seth's… I mean Charlie's mother would let me say goodbye?" Edward asked softly.

Chief Roberts wasn't so sure, but he told Edward what room she was in.

xxx

Bella was shocked to see the man standing in the doorway watching her with her son. She had no idea they were going to let him free. She was confused and angry, but she had her son back, so she was also relieved.

"I ummm..." The man started, but cut himself off, glancing down at the boy in her arms. He sighed. "They said I could go now, but I couldn't leave without letting you know how sorry I am. If I'd had any clue that Victoria could do something so heinous, I never would have believed he was mine and would have brought him here right away."

He walked over and sat down next to her. "My name is Edward, Edward Cullen. This is my number." He handed her a slip of paper. "If you need anything, please feel free to call." He reached out his hand as if he was going to touch CJ's head, but pulled back at the last minute, standing and walking back to the doorway.

He barely glanced over his shoulder, whispering, "Goodbye, Seth, I love you," as he walked out of the room.

xxx

Edward made it as far as his car before the first tear fell. The farther away from his boy he got, the faster they fell. It felt as though his heart was ripping right out of his chest. He couldn't breathe; the weight on his chest was excruciating. He didn't know how, but he'd managed to drive all the way to his parents' house. He shut off the car, breathing in and out heavily, trying to stop the tears from falling.

He opened his door and got out, slamming it behind him and walking up the front steps. His mother opened the door, startled by him showing up so late. "Edward? What are you doing here? Where's Seth?"

At the mention of his son's name, Edward collapsed into his mother's arms sobbing. "It was a lie, Mom, all a lie. He… he wasn't mine. Sh-she stole him, and I had to… I had to give him back. It hurts… it hurts so bad, and I can't… I can't breathe. Help me, please help me."

And then the world went black.

xxx

Victoria was living her best life. She knew it would only be a matter of time before she had Edward back where she wanted him—in her bed. Her plan had worked, somewhat. He was really in love with that baby. Now to make him fall back in love with her. She took another sip of her drink, glancing at her watch. She wanted to wait until the brat was asleep before she left the bar, the damn thing was so fucking whiny she could hardly stand it.

The twelve hours she'd had the kid alone, before bringing him to Sunday dinner at the Cullens', had been the worst of her life. The brat never stopped screaming, and she was not going to be spending any of her own money to feed it and diaper it. She gave it some Benadryl and that shut it up for a good eight hours. She was so happy Edward didn't hesitate to bring her in when she showed up at his parents' house. She didn't know what she would have done if she had to keep the brat on her own. She giggled when she realized she probably would have killed it. She didn't have to worry about much nowadays, except maybe the cops. So far, she hadn't seen anything on the news that gave her too much worry, though.

Victoria glanced at her watch again; it was go time. She stood from the bar, waved to the bartender, hugged her friends, then sashayed her way to the front door. There was a bit of a chill in the air when she walked outside, and she smiled at the thought of asking Edward to warm her up.

She found her car and unlocked the door. She didn't even hear anyone approaching until they were right behind her.

"Victoria James?"

The man sounded handsome, maybe Edward could wait. Victoria adjusted her tits in her bra, turning with a flick of her long red hair, a wide smile in place.

"Yes? Do I know you?" She batted her eyelashes, smiling coquettishly.

"Officer Call, Seattle PD. Turn around and put your hands on top of the car. You are under arrest for the kidnapping of Charles Jacob Swan. You have the right..."

Slowly, she turned back around and placed her shaking hands on the roof of her car. "Fuck."

xxx

Bella was struggling. It had been a week since she had gotten the DNA tests she hadn't needed to know the truth, and taken CJ back home with her where he belonged. Seven days. Seven days that had changed her in ways she didn't know were possible. She loved the tiny human with her entire heart, but she was going a little insane.

He wouldn't latch onto her breasts when she tried to nurse him; the doctor explained that since he was exclusively bottle fed before, it was probably the issue. He encouraged her to attempt to nurse several times a day, but to continue to pump and give him bottles. The problem with that was that CJ didn't seem to like the bottle either. He would only take a little bit at a time, and as a result, Bella felt as if the only thing she ever did was feed him.

The tiny boy wailed constantly. She herself was in tears currently, trying to rock him and hush him. Hoping he would fall asleep soon because she was so, so very tired. She hadn't slept, had barely eaten, and hadn't even showered in a week. She was at the end of her rope, and the sad thing was, she was alone. She had no one to help her. Needing just two minutes of silence, Bella laid CJ in his crib, making sure it was empty of blankets or things he could potentially smother himself with, and closed his door. She slid down to the floor, sobbing into her trembling hands.

She could feel something digging into her leg, something hard in her pants pocket. She pulled it out, seeing a crumpled piece of paper, and unfolding it, she took in a lungful of air. She recognized it as the piece of paper Edward Cullen had given her at the police station. The one with his number. But to call him for help would be cruel, wouldn't it? But then it struck her—this man had taken good care of her son day and night for an entire month, if Chief Roberts was to be believed. And then, suddenly, what he thought was his son was cruelly ripped from his arms, and Bella felt terrible. She had been on the receiving end of that; she knew what he was surely going through, and that was when she decided to give him a call.

xxx

Edward found himself, once again, in what had been Seth's room after work. He would have liked to have taken some time off to deal with the emotions of losing what he thought had been his son, but he had used up all the personal leave he could take, and though his boss was sympathetic to his plight, Edward's skill was needed.

His ritual was the same—get up, go to work, come home, and sit in Seth's old room and cry until he fell asleep, then get up and do it all over again. Now that it was Friday, he didn't know what he was going to do with himself all weekend. Maybe he should go to his parents' house. It would be better than being alone in his home, thinking about things he couldn't possibly change.

He got up off the floor and went into his room to shower and change. While he was packing a bag to take to his parents', his cell phone rang. He didn't recognize the number, but decided to answer it anyway.

"Hello?"

"Hi, umm… Is this Edward? Edward Cullen?"

"Yes, who is this?"

"It's, uh… Bella, Bella Swan, Charlie's mom?"

Edward could make out the sound of the baby wailing in the background.

"Edward? Are you there? Please, don't hang up. I need you. I need your help."

Edward's heart broke at the sound of her distress. He would do anything, anything to help her and the boy.

"What do you need, Bella?"

"Can you come over? I'll text you my address."

"I'll be there as soon as I can. Just let me grab some things."

xxx

Victoria never was one to chew on her fingernails, but right about now, she wished her hands weren't handcuffed to the table. She had been read her rights, booked, strip-searched, and taken to jail. She had made her one phone call to her friend Jane who refused to bail her out, but agreed to arrange a lawyer to come see her.

Now, sitting across from Jay Jenks, and seeing the look on his face as he read the list of her charges, she was nervous. She thought she would be able to talk her way out of the situation. She was starting to think she was terribly wrong.

The man across from her sighed. "They have you on kidnapping charges, Ms. James. My recommendation would be to take a plea for this charge in exchange for them dropping all the endangerment charges against you."

"But his mother gave him to me! Doesn't that count for something?"

He leveled her with a glare. "She gave her newborn to a woman claiming to be a nurse taking him for a bath. How was she to know you weren't a nurse? You wore a uniform, for goodness sake. Take it or leave it, Ms. James. I get paid either way. But, regardless, you will be going to jail for something. How long depends entirely on you."

"Well, what am I Iooking at in terms of time, since you're too incompetent to make it so I go free?" she snapped.

"Minimum? Five years. Maximum, twenty-seven."

Victoria gasped. No, she was never one to chew on her fingernails, but right about now, she wished she could chew something.

xxx

Edward's hands were shaking when he knocked on the door. He could hear the wailing of the baby coming closer to the door, until finally, at last, he was face-to-face with Bella Swan for the third time.

If possible, she looked more exhausted than she did a week ago at the police station. The reason held securely in her arms. Edward longed to reach out and grab the boy, hold him close and breathe in his baby scent again. But he would make no move until Bella offered.

"Hey, um, please come in." She moved to the side to allow him to pass.

He walked by her, gazing longingly at Seth, no… not Seth, Charles. He would have to get used to that.

They walked into the living room, sitting beside each other on the couch. It was a little awkward, and Edward didn't know where to start. He kept glancing at Bella and the baby, waiting for her to tell him why she called.

xxx

Bella didn't know how to begin to ask this stranger for help, but he knew her son better than she did at this point, so she knew she needed to ask.

They sat there in awkward silence, even Charlie seemed to sense something different, for he had stopped his wailing and was turning his head, almost looking for something. Bella settled him into the shoulder closest to Edward and looked up at his sharp intake of air.

"What? What's wrong?" she asked, noticing the tears in the man's eyes.

"He..." Edward could barely contain his sob. "He's smiling at me."

Bella peeked around to her son's face to see that he was right. CJ was staring right at Edward and smiling. She couldn't contain her own tears. Her son hated her. She started to cry, tears flowing down her face that she couldn't be bothered to wipe away.

"Hey, Bella? I don't want you to be upset. Maybe I should just go. This was a bad idea."

He got up to leave, but she knew she couldn't let him.

"Edward, please don't go. I'm sorry. It's not your fault. Here, hold CJ for a second."

She wasn't prepared for how he looked holding her son.

xxx

Edward wasn't prepared for the feelings that washed over him when he held the tiny boy in his arms for the first time in a week. Love, relief, grief, anger, the sense of being home, all of it there. He couldn't stop himself from kissing the boy's tiny head and breathing in his scent; it had started fading from his house already and he hated it.

"How do you do that?" Bella asked in awe.

"How do I do what?"

"Hold him so naturally like that? I always think I'm hurting him, or squishing him."

He huffed a laugh. "It wasn't easy for me, either. I'd never even held a baby before this little guy was dropped in my lap. Given that Victoria wanted nothing to do with him, I had to learn fast. You'll get it eventually."

He noticed Bella's tears, but didn't want to draw attention to them. Instead, he walked her through how best CJ liked to be held. Once she was holding him and he wasn't crying, Edward pulled the bag he brought closer to his feet.

"So, you mentioned on the phone that he wasn't really eating? He's a picky little kid, I'll tell you. It took my mom and me days to find a nipple he likes... I brought them all here for you." Edward shrugged. "Since, you know, I won't need them anymore."

He didn't want to let the tears gathering in his eyes fall, so he distracted himself by pulling something else out of the bag and handing it to Bella. "This is a CD I made of his favorite songs. He often wouldn't fall asleep unless I played music."

He placed the CD beside him on the couch, and was about to pull his hand back to grab something out of the bag, when warmth covered it, causing his breath to catch.

He looked up, getting lost in Bella's teary gaze. "Thank you, so much, Edward, for looking after my son, and for doing this now. I know it can't be easy."

He shrugged. "It never should have happened in the first place. Victoria was so selfish for what she did... and crazy!" He huffed in disgust.

"Well, still, I mean it. I'm glad he went to someone who would love him as much as his father would have if he were still alive."

They were silent until the baby grunted and filled his diaper, then they laughed.

"Want to change a diaper for nostalgia's sake?" Bella teased.

"Hand him over." Edward grinned.

She giggled and gladly passed him the stinky baby.

xxx

Bella ended up inviting Edward to stay for dinner. She rather enjoyed his company, on top of the way he loved her son. They were both in a really shitty situation. Bella knew what it was like to have her child taken, and in a way, Edward was going through the same thing. After all, she had only known her son a few hours before he was taken, while Edward had an entire month with him.

At the end of the night, once CJ was bathed, fed, and tucked into his crib, Bella knew exactly what she was going to do.

xxx

Edward was slowly pulling on his coat, as he really didn't want to walk out the door. He knew once he did that would be the last time he would ever see the sweet little boy who had owned him from day one. He felt like he couldn't breathe again; the pressure on his chest was getting heavier. He needed to leave before he fell to pieces. He didn't want Bella to have to witness that.

"Thanks for calling me today," he said, turning to her. "I really appreciated getting to say goodbye to him today." He didn't know what else to say, so he turned to walk out the front door, when he felt her hand on his arm.

"Edward, wait. I don't want you not to come back."

Edward didn't think he heard her correctly, so he shook his head from side to side and said, "Pardon?"

"I want you to come over, any time. Well, maybe call first so I can make sure the house isn't a total disaster. But I don't want you to lose your relationship with CJ. Victoria was very selfish, you were right when you said that earlier. She didn't think about the consequences for you. She only thought about herself. Well, I don't want you to lose CJ any more than I lost him. Feel free to come over as often as you want." She smiled. "I know he loves you, too."

Intense relief washed over Edward as he pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly. 'Thank you, Bella. You won't regret this. I promise!"

xxx

Bella was nervous walking into the courtroom. From what she understood, Victoria had taken a plea and the maximum sentence she could get was twenty-seven years in prison for stealing her son. The prosecutor had forewarned her that given the fact that Victoria had a spotless record, the judge would probably be more lenient on her, though. Bella felt Victoria deserved the maximum—not only had she forever changed Bella's life, but Edward's too, not to mention his family's as well.

Bella smiled to herself. To say Esme had been shocked the first time Edward and Bella showed up at her house with CJ, after he had been returned to Bella, would be an understatement. She and Edward explained that the bond between him and CJ was irrevocable and Bella would not even consider trying to break that. Esme wept as she hugged Bella tightly before snatching CJ from Edward and kissing him all over his precious little face and telling him that Grandma would always be right there for him. Bella wished her own mother could be so happy to be a grandmother, and was thankful that, once again, Edward had such a loving family.

Now Esme held Bella's hand as she sat waiting to give her victim impact statement. Edward was waiting in the hallway with CJ, and when it was his turn, Bella would wait outside.

The bailiff called Bella's name and she exhaled a breath. Standing and moving to the podium.

xxx

Over the next few months, Bella and Edward created a routine. Edward would go to work and then come to her house afterwards. Sometimes, he would bring groceries to make dinner and sometimes she would have it already prepared. After dinner, Edward would spend time with CJ while she got some work in—being a web designer gave her the freedom to choose her own hours—then they would both bathe CJ and put him to sleep. Edward would go home and Bella would work for a few more hours before going to bed herself.

It worked for them. They grew closer, really taking the time to get to know each other. Edward held her while she told him of her dad's and Jacob's passing. He understood that Jacob would always have a piece of her heart, and he didn't begrudge her that. And she commiserated with him when he told her all about what happened with Victoria from the day he broke up with her.

It wasn't long before their friendship turned to love—their bond strengthening and cementing them more as a family. Edward sold his house and moved in with Bella and CJ, and on the day CJ called Edward "Dada" for the first time, he proposed to Bella that they make it official and become a real family.

They married in a small ceremony at his parents' house, and Edward signed CJ's adoption paperwork at the same time he signed their marriage license. And when their daughter was born thirteen months after their wedding, neither of them let her out of their sight.