HAPPY BIRTHDAY KASI! Here is the start of you story and we hope you love it!

Thanks to carrielg and lapumckl for the help getting us readable!

Also happy birthday to Canadiantwilight who made us the awesome banner!

Chapter one

I switch off the headlights as the sun finally rises over the horizon. I pull down my visor blocking out the blinding, but welcomed sun. The road I'm on is empty, so I feel safe enough to turn my head to the sleeping girl next to me.

She's still mumbling a little as she sleeps. I remove my right hand and gently stroke her head and run my hand down her brown hair. I start to sing softly in hopes to help keep her nightmares at bay. I smile lightly when a small smile appears on her face and her mumbling stops. It's four songs later when her eyes flutter open.

"Morning," I say as she sits up.

"Morning, Edward," she replies in sign language to me as she looks out to the open road.

She taps my arm making me look at her. "Where are we? There is nothing around," she quickly signs before turning her head back to the open road. I chuckle because she gently looks so shocked and a little worried.

"This is the country," I say knowing she can hear me. I move my eyes to the corner to look at her. "We are about six hours out. I'll stop so we can get out and stretch our legs, and get a bite to eat." Jennifer's face pales a little and I move my hand to cover hers. "You're safe with me, honey. This is our new start, remember?" She looks to me giving me a little nod.

Jennifer is the reason I am moving back to my home town, a town I have only visited a handful of times since I left when I was eighteen. I moved to the city at first to go to the police academy. I was only able to come home for holidays. As soon as I was able, I took the detective test and became one at twenty-one. The visits became less and less. Now being twenty-six, it has been three years since I was home last.

I know my family was stunned when I told them I was moving, giving up my well paid job and taking a job at the local police station, but I didn't really have a choice. It was clear Jennifer was not going to heal while living in the city. There were just too many people in the big city. She needed stability with not so many people coming in and out of her life.

I met Jennifer during one of my cases eight months ago. Her parents were both addicted to drugs and they got tangled with the wrong people, resulting in them being killed in front of Jennifer. I still remember being called to the house, it should have been secure. The CSI had even been in and secured the scene. I was walking around the one bedroom apartment, trying to get a feel of what went down.

The house was disgustingly filthy. There were syringes, ash trays full of cigarette butts and joints, broken bottles, rank garbage, and moldy food lying all around the place. There was no electricity and very little food in the cupboards.

I heard a noise coming from a wall. At first I thought I was hearing things, but when I was closer, I heard something moving. I bent down to remove the small panel with one hand as my other hand held my gun out. When I looked inside, I found a small bundle. As I looked at the pile of what I thought was blankets, it turned out to be a young child. I placed my gun away, and tried to reach for her. That was a mistake because she started screaming. Her screams were so loud, and filled with so much fear, every cop that was nearby ran in and looked down at me with shock clearly written on their faces.

I removed my hand to sit down, and started to talk to her. She stopped screaming, but she never said a word. After three hours, we called in the fire department so they could safely her get her out. Even that took over two hours.

As soon as there was enough room, I moved slowly inside and hugged her shaking body to mine, telling her over and over that she was safe and no one was going to hurt her. I was so grateful that she let me hold her. We spent the rest of the night with me reassuring her she was safe, and I would keep her save.

After Jennifer was looked over, it was clear she had been abused over the years, and was in need of some food and a bath, but other than that she was not hurt.

I managed to talk my captain into allowing her to stay with me under protective custody. She was after all the only witness to a double homicide. She was with me only for two weeks when I was able to find the two people who killed her parents. I was tracking their movements and making sure I had all the evidence to put them away for life.

While we collected evidence, we made sure Jenny was who we thought she was. Her parents were in fact her parents and her only family. I also learned that she was, at that time, seven years old. Where she was registered at a school, she was never there. She had a definite quantity of visits to the doctor and hospital, yet no one had reported what was clear signs of abuse. There was no social work involvement in her life what so ever. Maybe if there had been, she wouldn't have seen her parents' murder.

She had been with me for three months when I was able to arrest her parents' killers. I was grateful we had enough evidence on them so Jennifer wouldn't need to testify. The most we needed from her was to point at their pictures. The trial took place one month later, but a week later, the both of them got a double life sentence.

It was only days later that the social worker arrived at my home to take Jenny away. She didn't want to leave, she was afraid and her life was starting to become better to where she had begun to relax around me. I fought to keep her. She was already a part of my life and I had this connection with her. She may not be my child by blood, but what I felt in my heart for her, seemed to be what a father feels for their child. Jennifer thankfully was allowed to stay with me. I was rewarded temporary custody when the case was appointed to family court. We had gone through a home inspection and I had to prove I had a set plan for her. The Judge was worried over the fact she was still not talking, as was I, but he was happy to see I had been taking her to see a child physiologist.

Nothing seemed to have worked, though. We all know she can talk, I have heard her when she's been asleep. It was her therapist that suggested a change of scenery may do her some good. It only took a few seconds to make my mind up, and I went to my Captain asking for a transfer. It was a month later the job in my home town opened up, and I applied immediately, getting it thankfully. The judge assigned to our case agreed this would do her a world of good.

We had one month before I was due to start. I went online and with the help of my parents, already bought a house. I talked to Jenny about what she would like her room to look like. At first she looked at me like she didn't understand. I told her she could have anything she wanted and she quietly said a bed. I told my mom to just get a bed and a, not overly, pink bed set. I knew my mom would decorate the rest of the house before we arrived.

Just last week, Jenny and I celebrated her eighth birthday. It was quiet with just the two of us, but I think it was better that way. Three days ago I sent most of our belongs off, leaving just us, and a small bag of clothes each that we had to bring.

I pull off on the side of the road and hit the button to roll back my roof. I jump over the top of my car door to get out. I open the trunk getting in the cooler, taking out some sandwiches and drinks. I grab the bag of snacks and jump back into the car.

"Here you go, Jenny," I say handing her one.

"Thanks," she signs as she smiles at me. She slowly unwraps her food and begins to eat it, but just nibbles at it.

"My mom texted when you were sleeping," I say slowly. Right away she starts to shift in her seat. "She knows we aren't going to get there till dinner time, so she invited us for dinner." Jennifer stops eating and looks to the side.

"Who-will-be-there?" She signs each word as if it belongs on its own.

I swallow and pull at my hair. "Normally it would only be them and Alice, but my little brother Emmett came back this weekend from college." I stop talking and take a breath to let that information sink in. "He also brought a girl home with him." Jennifer just nods a little.

"Do they know?" she signs as she gives me a pleadingly look. I know she wants me to say no they don't, but I don't want to lie to her.

"My parents know. My dad's a doctor, I sort of asked for his advice with how to care for you. And as for my mom, I needed her advice because she's my mom and she has raised three kids. However, Alice and Emmett know that your parents have passed on and that I am adopting you, and that's all."

"Why don't they know?" Jennifer signs looking confused.

"Alice is only eighteen, she just started her senior year of high school. Anything that doesn't have to do with clothes or her friends, she's not really interested in. Emmett, while he's twenty-one and in college, football and chicks are it for him," I chuckle trying to lighten the mood.

"Do you want to go?" I ask after a few minutes of silence.

Jennifer shrugs. "I'm don't know. What if they don't like me?" As soon as she starts to sign, she drops her head. I hate that this barely eight year old girl has such low self-esteem. I know it has been because of the years of verbal abuse she's received, but I am trying to change it, trying to change her thoughts about how she looks.

"Why would they not like you? You are a beautiful, sweet, caring young girl," Jenny just nods, but I know she doesn't believe me.

She hands me back half her sandwich and I look at her. "You're done?" She bobs her head in confirmation. Where I know she hasn't eaten enough, but she is eating more than what she did when she first came to stay with me.

Jennifer may be eight, but going by her check-up, her height and weight are closer to someone who is five. The doctor and therapist believe that her not eating is due to her not being allowed to eat much growing up. They said I shouldn't make eating an issue, but times like this have me wanting to drop to my knees and beg her to eat just a little more.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" Jennifer bobs her head at me, and she takes hold of my hand as we walk along the desert road.

We will see you next Friday! Leave us a review so we know who is going to stick around until the end!