Foundling

SERIES: Foundling

AUTHOR: Sapphire

RATING: PG13

DISCLAIMER: I would take Edward in a heartbeat, but, alas, he's not mine, neither are any of the other characters in this story.

WARNING: English is not my first language. I do my best, but there still might be some issues. Sorry about this.

THANKS: to my beta Macx

SUMMARY: 17 years ago on a cold night in Chicago Rose and Emmett find something they were not expecting – a human baby. AU

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Chapter 1: Found

17 years ago, Chicago

The night's chill had no impact on the couple slowly walking down the empty streets. Half an hour ago, it had started to snow, and now the boardwalks and streets were covered in a fine dusting of white.

Rose snuggled closer into Emmett's embrace, a happy little smile on her face. They had been to the opera, Aida, and they had decided instead of taking a taxi they would walk, at human like speed, back to the house. It would take a few hours, but they both didn't mind. They had all he time in the world.

"Thank you," she whispered too low for human ears, but Emmett had naturally no trouble hearing her.

"What for?" he asked, placing a gentle kiss on the top of her head.

"For coming with me. I know you don't like opera very much, but it was lovely. I've missed this."

"Who said I don't like opera?" he breathed in her hair. "I did like it."

Rose smiled and stopped walking. She turned around in his arms to look into his eyes.

"I distinctly remember you telling Carlisle once that you don't understand what all that screaming is about. And why they always have to go on singing while they're dying."

"Well, they do. Instead of being sensible and save their breath, they have to belt out a ten minute aria." The corners of his mouth twitched, though, and the twinkle in his eyes showed that he wasn't serious.

"Besides," he went on, his voice turning husky, "if you wear a dress like this, it doesn't really matter what's going on on the stage. I wouldn't notice. You look gorgeous."

Rose's smile widened. She had dressed to kill tonight, a low cut, body fitting, golden gown, enjoying the chance to wear something a little bit more up-scale than what she normally did.

Emmett's hand snug underneath the coat she wore and travelled along her naked spine. Excited shivers ran along her skin, his cold, marble touch felt warm and soft to her. She turned her head, finding his lips with ease.

It was a good thing that neither of them needed to breathe.

"Maybe we should get a cab after all," Emmett breathed into her golden hair once they broke their kiss.

"Yes," she whispered, her mind on their home, their room, their bed.

She would never have enough of him.

Taking his hand, she turned towards the next main street and began to walk more quickly, though not yet with super-human speed. You never knew who was looking from one of the high buildings. It was unlikely anybody would notice, but why take a chance?

Suddenly a strange, unfamiliar sound broke into their concentration - a whimper, high in pitch, followed by a weak cry.

Both stopped, trying to detect where the sound was coming from.

A second cry led them into a narrow alley between two of the tall buildings. Fire escapes wound along the house walls, almost close enough for two of them to touch. On the ground, several dumpsters littered the gap, making finding a path between them difficult. Plastic bags spilled their content next to overflowing trashcans.

"What is it?" Emmett whispered, his eyes darting around alert. The stink in the alley was almost overwhelming their sense of smell and both stopped breathing.

Rosalie worked her way between the trash moving with grace even with her high-heeled shoes.

"I'm not sure," she said slowly. "There is something familiar to it. Like I've heard this before. A long time ago. Like … before."

Before she had been turned into a vampire.

Her brow furrowed. The whimpering and crying had stopped, and no sound could be heard from further down the alley.

No, that was not true. There was a sound. A weak, flattering thump. A pause. Then another thump.

A heartbeat.

Before Emmett could say anything, Rose dove her arms into one of the dumpsters and pulled out a bundle of fabric. With shaking fingers she peeled back part of the cloth to reveal a tiny, pale face.

Impossible large blue eyes looked at her, the tiny mouth open even though no sound came out. The baby's breathing was labored, though opening the cloth that had covered its face seemed to help a little and it sighed softly.

Without conscious thought Rose traced a finger over the baby's soft skin, down to its lips, a smile playing around her own lips. Immediately, the baby's mouth latched onto the finger and began to suck greedily.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, this will not work, little one," he said softly, removing the finger carefully. The baby moved as if to work its swatted arms free, but it was wrapped too tightly and so it only could open and close its mouth again, whimpering softly.

"We need to get something to drink for him," she said, looking up at Emmett who had hovered in the background, keeping his distance to the tiny human in Rose's arms.

Emmett's face was serious. "We need to get it to a hospital. Or an orphanage."

"No!" Rose cried, holding the bundle in her arms more tightly.

Emmett made one step closer, only to find Rose pulling away, maintaining the same distance.

"We cannot keep it," he said softly.

"Why?"

Emmett kept himself from rolling his eyes only at the last second. "It is human," he said, as if this explained everything. And in a way it did.

"Nobody will miss him, Emmett. For Christ's sake, somebody left him in a dumpster. He was thrown away like some kind of trash." She freed one arm to gesture at the alley and the trash it was littered with.

"We don't know this. And even if, it will be better for it to be with others of its kind. Not with a bunch of vampires."

"Emmett," she said pleadingly. If she still had been human, he knew her beautiful eyes would be brimming with tears. "This is something I've wanted forever. Something I thought I had no chance to ever have. But now we are here and God, or fate, or something else, has placed this tiny creature into my arms. We can do it. We don't live off humans. He will not be in any danger from us."

She was right, of course. The baby was in no danger from them. But there were other vampires in their world and it was inevitable that sooner or later one of them would show up and then …

But then he had never been able to deny her anything.

He had always known of her wish to have children, and it had always hurt that he hadn't been able to grant her that one wish. Now she had found a baby, one that obviously wasn't wanted by anybody else. It was her dream finally come true.

"It's weak. It might not make it," he said weakly. He knew he was already beaten, but he had to try anyway. He stepped closer once again and this time Rose didn't retreat. He looked at the tiny bundle in Rose's arms and sighed.

"We better get him to Carlisle fast," he said at last.

The smile spreading over her face was all he had ever wished for.

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