Alright, so this is ANOTHER story I've been working on. I've got a few chapters, but I'm not sure I'll finish it. In fact I doubt I will. What, with all the updates I need to do for 'What Happens in Vegas' and 'Foundations' and 'Edward's Twilight Finale'. God I need to update more. Anywho, maybe this will make up for it, all I know is that it's fun to write for now.

Summary: Edward Cullen's life crashed down as soon as his ex knocks on his door announcing she's ill, and was prego in the ego. Not only does Edward have to take care of this kid who's so called his 'son' but he also has some thorns to pick as soon as that brown-eyed-beauty-she-who-shall-not-be-named comes back into his life when he needs, but doesn't need her. Can he uncode this strange kid? And will him and "she" finally fix their problems and...maybe...fall in love.....again?

Disclaimer: Twilight isn't mine

Chapter one

The scientist by Coldplay: "Nobody said it was easy, It's such a shame for us to part, Nobody said it was easy, No one ever said it would be this hard, Oh take me back to the start"

When I was young, my mother always told me that one day, I would have a moment in my life where I felt everything was collapsing. She warned me about this, telling me that in the end everything would turn out for the best.

Until today, I hadn't remembered her words. Of course why would I? I pretty much had the perfect life. I grew up with great parents, pursued a great career, and had great friends. The only time in my life when I had anything go wrong was with her during high school. But that didn't matter. Besides her, I always ended and began relationships smoothly. Of course, I thought I ended all relationships great.

That's what I thought until two days ago. Rosalie Hale. Former ex-girlfriend. We broke up exactly five years ago when I was getting more serious with my career. I was twenty two at the time. I was starting to go to school full time and with everything I was juggling I couldn't afford a relationship. She was a great kisser, beautiful too. I remember her ecstatic blue eyes, her wavy blonde hair, and the porcelain skin. She was the second most beautiful woman I ever dated.

Up until two days ago I had almost forgotten who Rosalie Hale was. She had taken the break up well, keeping in mind that she was moving that month up to Los Angeles to continue her acting career. She always dreamt of going into the big time, into the big screen. She had a giant ego as well. She was selfish, but brutally honest, and I guess that's what attracted me to her. Plus she was twenty, and young, fresh, full of life.

I had never heard again from Rosalie Hale. Until two days ago.

My mother's words repeated in my head as I stared at the couple before me. When Rosalie had shown up in my apartment, I almost asked her who she was. But when she said my name, almost pleading, I realized exactly who she was. She had been much too thin, pale, her eyes dull, and her hair up in a messy bun. I had never seen her like this. She had always looked well groomed, and gorgeous.

She had began to cry, and I had let her in. She hadn't said anything for a whole hour. But when she did, her words had cut through my chest.

"Edward, you have….you have…you have a…a son." She had whispered. I had laughed.

"I'm serious Edward!" She had yelled with a hoarse voice, desperation lacing through her words.

"A son I haven't heard of Rosalie?" I asked with my eyebrow raised. She had explained then, and after an hour of me sitting frozen in place, she kissed my cheek, and left, saying she would be back in two days with the child and her boyfriend, to explain everything.

His name was Ethan E. Hale. The week before I had broken up with Rosalie we had gotten into a heated fight. There were screams, and spitting, and slapping from her part. I didn't talk to her after that, refusing to make amends with someone like her. She begged me, called me for days until she showed up in my apartment with nothing but a robe, and things got out of hand. I hadn't used protection.

She left, and found out when she had finally settled in LA. She hadn't called me. Too afraid. She had given up acting, and met her boyfriend Emmett. He had helped her with everything. Even Ethan. He was only five.

I didn't eat for two days. I didn't go to work, and I didn't sleep or talk either.

So here I sit, my mother's words in the tip of my tongue and Rosalie Hale, my son, and Emmett McCarty in front of me.

The kid looks like me. A lot.

He has my bronze locks, my green eyes, my lips, chin and jaw. It's a miniature version of myself. He has fluffy cheeks, and a full set of small teeth. He has Rosalie's porcelain skin, and you could see splashes of blue in his eyes.

There's no way to deny he's mine, and I could tell that Emmett certainly doesn't like it.

Emmett is big, and as I look him over quickly, there's something about him that I can't place my finger on but looks familiar. He has brown curly hair, with shades of mahogany, but it's mostly dark brown. You can only see the mahogany in the light when he gets in the right angle. He has a muscular face, but something about the skin color and the shape of his eyes are familiar. When I look into the hazel eyes, there's nothing. But when I look close enough, I can just make out the splashes of chocolate mixed in between. This means that his eyes are either brown or hazel, they'd never turn green. As I think of the chocolate my mind goes to flashbacks, of high school, to those times, but I quickly shrug it off.

I decide that if I would have seen Emmett before I would have remembered because there is no way of missing those big muscles he carries and his great height of 6'7 just two inches taller than me.

"Um, Edward." Rosalie says in a weak voice. "This is Ethan." She says, caressing his locks of hair.

I have this urge to reach out and grab him, but he looks so content in his mother's lap, and I'm too scared to move.

I say nothing.

"He's just five." She says, the awkward air tense. She looks so weak. Rosalie has never been weak.

"Rosalie why are you telling me this now?" I finally ask. It was a question that had been repeating in my head. What does she want? Money? Clothes? A baby sitter? What?

"Edward…you're going to have to stay with Ethan." She sighs. That snaps me awake.

"What do you mean?" I ask panicking. Rosalie glances at Emmett, and he gives one nod before standing and putting his hand out to Ethan. Ethan looks at his hand before giving me another curious glance, and walking off. Rosalie shifts in her seat, taking a deep breath once the door is shut.

"Edward, I'm dying."

"Yeah, dying because you don't have child support? Rosalie you should have told me before, I would have helped you." I said, my temper getting to me.

"Edward, no. You don't get it. I'm dying." She said more urgently, her eyes pleading with me to understand. I didn't.

"What's that supposed to mean Rose?" I ask, aggravated.

"It means that I'm going to die Edward." She says sternly. "I was diagnosed with lung cancer two years ago. I'm not going to make it." She whispers.

My mother's words repeated in my head again. Everything was falling apart.

I didn't even know this kid, I hadn't heard from Rose in forever, and she just pops up and says, "Hey, I'm dying, take my kid?" And what about the child? Does he have cancer now too? I can't take him in.

"Why doesn't he stay with him?" I ask thoughtlessly. I knew it was rude, I knew it was cold, and I knew it was wrong of me to say. But I just couldn't come up with anything better. My heart would combust at any point.

"Edward you're the father. Are you telling me that you don't want him? He's your son!"

"A son I didn't know about Rose. God!" I threw my hands up to my hair and stood, rubbing my face. "How else do you want me to take this?" I yelled. She winced and cringed back into the couch.

"Edward, I know it's weird, I know it will take time, and I'm sorry." She said. "What was I supposed to do?" She whispered.

She looked so vulnerable, so unsure of herself, so upset. I shook my head.

"What the fuck am I supposed to do Rose? Now I have to sign papers? I have to take him into my home? I have a job Rose. I get night shifts all the time. Who's he going to stay with? Do I look like the type of person that will just leave him astray at home? Or with some foreign nanny?" She hadn't thought of these questions, I could tell by the way her eyes glazed over and her brows furrowed.

"Edward, I'm not going to make it. I'll be gone by next year-"

"You don't know that. Let me help you. Rose I'm a doctor for god's sakes-"

"Let me finish. I'll take him with me, but I want you to spend time with him, because as far as those papers are concerned, if he doesn't have any other relative to stay with he'll be put up for adoption. He deserves his father." She said sternly. "I'm not just going to bring him to you at last minute. I want you to get to know him better, to learn to love him. That's my main concern. It's hard for you to love people, and I understand that. That's why I wanted to give you time before I really have to go."

I shook my head. I didn't understand what she meant by not loving people, but I didn't ask.

"What about Emmett?" I asked. She smiled slightly, her flat eyes sparkling.

"He understands." She said softly.

She was in love. I could tell. And it pained me, not because of envy, no, but because poor Emmett had to watch her leave. He was probably attached to the kid too.

"Rose, you have to give me some time." I whispered. She nodded, hope filling her eyes. "I'd have to talk to the hospital about my hours, there'd have to be a schedule for dropping him off, I'd have to set up a room…" I trailed off, my anger rising with each new task I had to add to my list.

The worst part: I still couldn't believe it.

"Thank you Edward. I honestly didn't expect you to understand…" She said urgently.

"Oh I don't understand. I don't understand how you can just tell me now, I don't understand how this all happened, and I don't understand why you said it was hard for me to fall in love." I snapped, a bit of weight falling off my shoulders.

"Edward, I can't explain the first two because no matter how much I do, you'll never understand, but we both know you've never been in love. You never will be." She said with a sad smile.

"But I have been in love." I wanted to say. "And it was the last time I would let myself be in love. I just ended up hurt."

Instead I kept quiet.

"Thanks again." She said, getting up and gathering her purse. I nodded, frozen on the spot. What else was I supposed to do?

She kissed my cheek, gently, her breath lingering there, before she moved her hand from my chest, and walked away.

"Rose?" I called. I turned on my heel to look at her. She had her hand on the doorknob.

I was hesitating, not sure of what I wanted to say, or how to put it in an accurate sentence.

"Can you bring him over on Saturday? I would like to get to know him…" I said. She smiled softly, and nodded, before ducking her head and walking out the door.

I had collapsed on my bed that day, completely tired, and my lids fell over my eyes, but I couldn't seem to sleep. For the first time in what seemed like nine years, I wanted to cry.

-:-

"Hey, I didn't see you signed up for nightshift today." I felt a warm hand on my back, as it slid down and back up before it disappeared. I knew that voice. I smiled at her.

"Yeah, I can't toady. In fact I'm pretty sure I won't be staying in for weekends anymore." I said with a sheepish grin. In reality, I had talked to Carlisle, explained to him everything, and begged him not to tell mom. I hadn't gotten that deep into the situation yet, and I just wanted to set the foundations up first before I got into the details. So far, Rose was coming over today with Ethan around six. I told my father that I was planning on just taking Ethan in on weekends, and he understood, still dumbfounded by the fact that he was suddenly a grandfather.

I used to love nightshifts, but incase anything happened with Rose, I would need Ethan to sleep at my house, and nightshifts just wouldn't be an option now would they? My job entitled of a lot of injuries. A couple times I've had to deal with diseases but in all reality, as I was one of the youngest physicians other than Jessica, I had to stay away from that. I had learned to love treating injuries back in high school…..that and my father was in medicine, so it just stuck.

"Well, we'll miss you on weekends." Jessica said with a smile. I could see the disappointment in her eyes.

"Don't worry, you'll see me during the week remember?" I laughed. She shrugged.

"Why are you leaving though?" She asked, picking up some files from the desk. I didn't want to tell her. I couldn't. Her blonde curls bounced as her green eyes looked at me expectantly.

"I have some things to take care of." I said, hoping that she would drop it. She did.

"Alright Cullen, but don't just disappear." She warned jokingly. I chuckled, lightly, but it came out strained. My throat felt thick.

"I won't Stanley." I promised. Though the promise was empty. She smiled before walking off.

Jessica Stanley and I always had a flirtatious atmosphere, though I would never actually date her. I was much too busy in life for that. I looked at my watch. 5:30.

I grabbed my keys from my pocket, and went to the main desk down on the lobby. I signed out and made it to my car in no time.

As I threw my coat to the back of the seat, and clutched the steering wheel, I couldn't help but think about Ethan.

My mind started to wander as I thought of how to act, what to say, what to ask. I wondered if he would like me, accept me, if he would hate me. I wondered if he liked Mac & Cheese seeing as it is the only thing I could actually cook.

All these thoughts came to an abrupt stop when I realized I was already parking. The chilly air outside caused me to shiver, but I supposed it was actually nerves that got me shivering. Either way, I made it up to the lobby, up the elevator and into my apartment. I took a deep breath, fiddling with the keys, as I tried to get the door to open up.

I cursed under my breath when I dropped my keys, but after many attempts it opened up.

In my door way, the little boy stood. His head was cocked to the side, and he had his thumb in his mouth. His cheeks were pink and his eyes wide and alert. His hair was sticking in all directions and he was staring at me like if he was….analyzing me. I gulped, taking a deep breath.

I finally kneeled down in front of him. What was he doing here now? How did they get in? Where's Rosalie?

"Hey little man." I said with a smile, hoping not to scare him off. He stared at me a bit longer before taking his thumb out of his mouth.

"Hi." He said, then he put the thumb back in. His voice was like a bunch of little wind chimes. I chuckled nervously.

"You know that's a bad habit…you shouldn't be sucking on your thumb. You're a big boy now." I said, trying to get more comfortable. I glanced around. No signs of Rosalie.

"You look like me." He said suddenly. I stared at him. "Are you my daddy?" He asked. I felt my eyes get wide, and my heart skip faster. Where was Rose?

"Why would you say something like that?" I asked. He took his thumb out of his mouth and started pacing in front of me.

"You look like me, and mommy says Emmett isn't my daddy." He explained. Smart kid. I sighed.

"Where's your mother?"

"She fell asleep." He said walking off. I got up slowly, and closed the door, before following him.

Rosalie was cuddled up like a ball on the arm chair, her hair in her face and her head leaned back. I walked slowly up to her as I saw Ethan get on her lap, his fingers pulling away the strands. She moved under him, her blue eyes opening as she yawned.

"Hey." I said. She jumped with a screech, Ethan almost falling off. "Are you ok?" I asked. She nodded.

"I just didn't see you coming." She explained.

"Yeah, well, how'd you get in here?" I asked. She looked embarrassed.

"I well….I kind of used the key under the doormat." She said. I shook my head.

"How'd you know about that?"

"You're predictable Edward." She laughed.

"Mommy, I'm hungry." Ethan complained. Rosalie kissed his forehead.

"Do you have any crackers I can give him? I'll feed him when we get home." She explained. I almost asked her if she lived around the area, but instead I saved that bit of information for later and shook my head.

"Nonsense I'll cook you something, well the only thing I can cook-"

"Mac & Cheese is perfect Edward." She assured. Of course she'd remember my cooking skills.

"Um…let me just change." I said. She nodded.

As I walked to my bedroom I could feel a pair of eyes behind my back. I didn't have to be a genius to know it was Ethan's curious gaze.

Instead I just kept walking.

Reviews make me happy...and update. lol. Nah, just tell me what ya thought! This is just the beginning...way more to come. =D