As I said on Islands, I would be posting a new baby Bella story and here it is! It's kind of different from all the others - I've only seen one story that's mildly close to mine - it's got a whole twist. You might figure it out beforehand but hey, if you know then you know. *laugh* Anyway, the chapters for these will be shorter, and not as long as those in Islands, which average 4k. You're looking at 2.5-3k chapters here (long chapters are TIRING), and maybe the occasional 4k chapter. Who knows?

Anyway, I hope you guys like this! It's been something I've been wanting to write for a while and I've finally gotten around to it. Tell me what you think!

Here goes...

Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer. I own nothing, apart from this huge plush thing that my friends won for me at those claw machines.

[Rosalie]

Emmett's loud laughter boomed, and several birds flew away.

'Emmett!' I chided, smacking him on the head. 'You're scaring the wildlife.'

He hooked his arm around my waist. 'Sorry, Rosie.'

'Sure, Em.'

'Come on, Rose, don't be like that,' he pleaded. 'Babe.' His tone turned whining, nestling his head into the crook of my neck. I shivered – his cool breath tickled my neck. Emmett, of course, didn't miss this. 'How about I make it up to you?'

I crossed my arms, looking at him disdainfully. 'How, Emmett?'

'At home,' he said, grinning. 'Come on, Rose,' he repeated. 'I'll race you back!' He barely waited for my reply before he turned to face north and took off. I followed suit, willing my legs to run faster as my mind toyed with the ideas of what we could do at home, in the privacy of our own room. Hmm…

Abruptly, I stopped. Emmett, who I had overtaken a few hundred miles back, slammed into me.

'Aw, Rose, what'd you do that for?'

My senses were sharper now – I smelt blood. My ears pricked, searching for sounds of life. Faintly, I heard a cry. It was a girlish soprano, followed by a lower sound – a masculine tenor.

Emmett's eyes widened in realization, and I knew he smelt what he did. I focused again, and my ears picked up four heartbeats, three weak and erratic, and the last one fast, fierce, panicky. Immediately I was brought back to the sound of the feminine cry – it was a little girl.

I couldn't explain what happened next even if I tried. Something instinctual took over me, as my brain linked the panicked pulse to the girl. I turned, again, in the direction of the sounds and flew down the hill. Vaguely, I heard Emmett call my name in almost-horror. Rosalie! The wind whipped at my ears and I ignored him.

Less than twenty-three seconds later I was at the accident scene. A cobalt blue Honda lay mangled on the road, a large container truck splayed on its side. The cries were coming from the Honda, so I headed there first. By then, Emmett had caught up and was watching over my shoulder.

There were three men in the car, with the girl that I had heard. The men were all goners – their heartbeats were feeble. Blood flowed freely from their wounds and I held my breath tightly. The girl was, miraculously, unharmed. Her face was twisted in shock and horror. Bending down, I reached out my arms for her, asking silently if I could carry her.

'Call an ambulance,' I said to Em, far too low for even the girl to hear. 'Then call Carlisle. We're not too far from the house. Ask him to hurry,' I pleaded, my voice almost breaking as the girl started to cry. Her sobs were quiet, heart-wrenching.

Damn it, I thought, hefting her up anyway, praying she wouldn't retreat upon touching my cold arms. Instead, she snuggled into me and amongst all that was around me, I felt euphoric.

'You'll be okay,' I murmured. 'You'll be okay.' Her cries softened, eventually reducing themselves to whimpers.

Emmett moved over to check on the truck driver as I rocked the girl back and forth in my arms. The driver was fine, apart from a gash on his head. Emmett talked to him quietly about the accident and I found out it had been his fault – he had gone too fast around the corner, and hit the Honda. I had to resist the growl building in my throat – he could've hurt the girl!

I checked her over once more. Nothing any more serious than a few cuts and scrapes on her legs. Her arms were slightly bruised, and I attributed this to the force of the airbags.

Ten minutes later, sirens sounded from further up the road. There were two ambulances and three police cars in total. I heard the faint purr of Carlisle's Mercedes. Emmett returned to sit next to me.

Two officers went to talk to the truck driver, while the paramedics focused on getting the three men untangled from the car. Emmett walked over to the three officers who were busy analyzing the situation. The sixth officer talked furiously into a handset, calling for another ambulance.

A few minutes later, Emmett walked back over. 'You okay, babe?'

I sighed, looking down at the child in my arms. 'Yeah. I'm worried about this little one, though,' I said, nudging the girl in my arms, who yawned adorably. 'Whether or not the people in there were her family or not, she had to witness death at such a young age…'

He pulled me to him and buried his face in my hair. 'Rosie,' he whispered and I understood everything he was trying to say.

We sat in silence for a while till I spoke again. 'So, what's the deal?'

'They're arresting the truck driver for reckless driving and bringing the bodies back to the morgue to be claimed. I told them we were Carlisle's kids,' he said, just as a black Mercedes pulled up. 'Everything pretty much sorted now, except for this little one…' He gazed down at her adoringly, taking an instant liking to her just as I had. I felt a pang in my chest – as wrong as it was, I wanted to keep her. I wanted to hold her like this for the rest of eternity.

Carlisle walked up, dressed in a dark blue dress shirt and slacks. 'Emmett filled me in. I assume nobody has checked her?' he asked, taking her from my arms gently. I wrapped my arms around me, not wanting to feel the emptiness left behind. Just those minutes alone were enough to make me remember what I could've had if I hadn't been given this life, if I hadn't met Royce that night.

Carlisle's hands moved briskly, running gingerly over her arms and legs, making notes of wherever he touched that caused her to wince. 'I only saw bruises and cuts,' I informed him, and he nodded in acknowledgement.

Two hundred and three seconds later, he was finished. 'You were right, Rose, nothing serious. Here,' he added, passing her back to me. 'I'll go talk to the officers and the paramedics.' He turned to walk away.

'Wait!' I called and he halted in his footsteps. 'Carlisle… can we keep her?' I asked, my voice quiet and hesitant. 'Please.'

His eyes widened minutely. 'Rosalie…'

'Please just ask, Carlisle. I'd hate the idea of her being all alone. It would mean a lot to me if you'd just ask,' I implored.

His lips thinned into a flat line. 'I'll see what I can do,' he replied, strained.

I almost collapsed with relief – the chances of it happening were low, but it was worth a shot. If I hadn't asked, I knew I would regret it later.

'Hey, little one, what's your name?' Emmett cooed. I smiled fondly at him – he would make a great father, if given the chance. I reckoned I'd make a great mother too.

'Bewwa,' she whispered, the words coming out thick.

'Bella? Is that your name, squirt?'

She nodded once. 'I is seven.'

'You're seven?' Emmett clarified. 'You're a big girl, aren't you?'

She merely smiled at him and curled up in my arms, yawning again.

'Go to sleep, Bella,' I whispered. 'It's all okay now,' I said, trying to reassure her, but I knew it wasn't 100% true.

There were two ways this could go. One, the men inside the car hadn't been family, maybe close family friends or something of that sort. She would be traumatized from witnessing them pass on, but hopefully she would heal. Two, the men inside the car were family. If they were extended, then the situation would be similar to the first. But if one of them had been her father… I didn't dare think of consequences.

The second way this could go then split up into a further two ways. One, her mother was still alive and she would return to her. This was the most probable, and realistic. Two, her mother was out of the picture for unknown reasons and thus had nobody to care for her. My heart cracked a bit at this possibility.

The second way could then again split up into another two ways. One, she'd go to a relative's to live with till of legal age, or she'd go to a home, which would be the last thing I wanted for her. Two, she could come home… with us. I was pained – I wanted her to come home with us, so badly. But it would be dangerous. She was a human, and we weren't. Even with impeccable control, if she cut herself and spilt blood, all of us were threats. And Carlisle wouldn't be able to hold down all six of us.

I sighed again. In return for eternity with Emmett, I gave up my humanity and my chance to have children. Truthfully, I would not trade Emmett for anything in this world, but if anything came close, it would be a child.

'Come on, Rosie,' Emmett whispered, obviously knowing what I was thinking. 'Carlisle's coming.'

I straightened up automatically, careful not to wake Bella. Emmett's arm returned to its place around my waist. Being in his arms and a child in mine… there was honestly no better feeling.

Carlisle smiled at me, but it was weary. 'I've talked to the officer…'

'And?' Emmett asked eagerly – I couldn't fault him, seeing as I felt similarly.

'The normal protocol for something like this would be to put her in a home. However, the home here is under renovation and all the children there have all been moved to a temporary holding space. The people who died were her father, his friend and his friend's son. They're still unsure in regards to her mother. I've talked to him and only because I'm one of the senior doctors at the hospital, he has agreed to let us take her home for just this weekend, or at least until they've sorted her future out,' he explained.

I thought I would collapse in joy. I had never been so thankful for Carlisle's job. She was mine – even if just for a weekend, though I'd take whatever I could get. It was only early Thursday night now, so it gave me about three and a half days with her.

'Cool! We've got a new Cullen!' Emmett exclaimed, grinning.

'It's not like that, Emmett,' Carlisle tried to explain gently, but upon realizing the futility of it, stopped. 'Why don't we go home now? I'll call Alice on the way, but I'm sure she's seen it already. We'll need to do up the guest room for her to sleep, quickly.'

Three of us, with Bella in my arms, walked briskly to the car, stopping to thank and bid farewell to the officers. The officer was a tall, burly man, and he looked relieved to have one less thing to worry about this week.

Emmett sat in front so Bella and I could take the backseat, and I laid her down on the plush leather, resting her head in my lap. Once again, she snuggled into me and my heart swelled.

The ride home seemed to fly by. Carlisle was going at a decent speed, yet a three-hour trip passed in mere minutes. Bella was miraculously comfortable in my lap and every chance I got I held her close. She was the complete opposite of me: warm, soft, human. She was beautiful, nonetheless, with a heart-shaped face – wide forehead, widow's peak and wide-spaced eyes. Her eyes were my favorite thing about her – a chocolate brown that held a depth, maturity, thoughtfulness far beyond her years. At her age, it was too early to tell how her cheekbones to turn out with the baby fat, but I guessed they would be prominent. They would complement her look beautifully: direct, clear, sharp, no-nonsense. Her jaw was narrow and her chin slightly pointed, and I anticipated it to sharpen as she grew. She was beautiful, almost like what Emmett and I's child would've looked like. No, Rose, my mind scolded, don't go there. So I didn't.

When we pulled up outside the house it was dark, the moonlight casting a soft glow over the wooden detailing of our home. Bella stirred in my arms and woke up. I inhaled deeply, checking to see if her wounds had closed. There was a fair amount of blood, but it had dried up and the scent had weakened. Adding on, she was only seven, so her age alone would've added to the impotency of her scent.

We walked up the porch steps in silence, knowing that the entire family was already in the living room, anxious. I gripped Bella tighter to me – she was now awake and eagerly drinking in her surroundings. She wanted to touch everything, especially my hair. I didn't mind, though. I liked it.

The others had been making small talk nervously in the room, but when we walked in, everything was silent. I kept half an eye on Jasper – he was the newest to our diet and lifestyle, and while her scent was weak, there was still a minute amount of blood present, though dried.

'I'm fine, Rose,' he reassured, sensing my anxiety. 'Who is this?'

Carlisle went to sit by Esme on the loveseat. Emmett, Bella and I arranged ourselves onto one sofa while Alice and Jasper took the smaller one. Edward chose to stand behind Alice and Jasper. Everybody watched us, piqued.

Clearing his throat, Carlisle smiled warmly. 'This is baby Bella. Emmett and Rose had finished their hunt when they came across the accident. Long story short, Bella's father passed on.' Esme stifled a gasp. 'Rosalie pleaded with me to let her stay with us and after all she's been through… who was I to say no? I politely asked Chief Smith and he agreed, though it's just for the weekend.'

'What about her mother?' Esme queried quietly. 'Where would her mother be in a time like this?'

Carlisle smiled, sad. 'They've been trying to get a hold of her, but they're still unsure. Either way, she's ours for the weekend, darling.'

Alice clapped her hands excitedly. 'Oh, this is going to be fun!' She pulled Bella from my arms a bit too roughly for my liking, setting her upright on the floor. 'You'll fit what I bought perfect.'

Bella peered up at her curiously. 'Who are you?'

'I'm Alice, silly. And this is my husband, Jasper,' she said, hugging Jasper to the side.

'Your husband?' Bella's eyes widened.

'Yes, mine,' Alice giggled. 'I'm sure you know Emmett, Rosalie and Carlisle. Carlisle is our father, Esme is our mother.' Alice pointed to Esme, who smiled at Bella. 'And that's Edward, my brother,' she said.

Bella openly gaped at him and I resisted the urge to chuckle. 'He has pretty hair,' she whispered, not knowing that we all could hear.

Edward laughed – something he rarely did. 'Hello, Bella,' he said quietly. She walked over to him and he bent down to receive her.

She reached up to finger his hair. 'It's soft too,' she said in amazement, before yawning, her lips forming a perfect O.

I stood up and hoisted her onto my waist. 'Come on, sweetie, let's get you to bed. Alice, show the way, please?' Alice bounded up the stairs eagerly and I followed. The others all laughed softly, dispersing to continue on with what they were doing before.

However, I didn't miss one single thing – especially Edward's eyes on her.

Edward, what are you doing? I watched him stiffen and I laughed, walking away.

Whew! That's the prologue, folks.

The first chapter is done and the second one is halfway through, while the third already has its plot outline drawn.

As always, leave me a review! I love hearing what you guys thought, even if it's negative (constructive criticism really is appreciated).

Clara