Vampire Baby

Chapter 1: Crush and Birth

"That's it Bella"

Charlie shouted smacking his fist on the table. Bella looked at him disinterested, she had that faraway look in her eyes a lot since the night the Cullens left, and heft her behind. He knew that look well; it was in his own eyes every time he looked in the mirror the past eighteen years.

A virtual light bulb went on above his head. Without waiting for a reply that would never come he grabbed his daughter's hand and dragged her outside the house and into the cruiser's passenger seat. He got in the driver's seat and sped out of town towards the beach house he rented every summer when he had Bella

"What are you doing?"

The girl asked confused. Good! A new emotion

"Taking initiative"

He replied cryptically. For the first time in a month Bella Swan felt something. Fear.

Sometimes experience can save your life. Charlie had one fifth of the second to see and react to the scene his headlights shed light to but the Ford Crown cruiser's tires got slashed by the glass on the road and he crashed sideways.

To his rescue came the angle in which the sedan hit the other car and the strong build of his cruiser. The right front part of the car bent so much that the car folded inside it, blew the tire and the force shoved the glove compartment and its airbag straight into Bella's chest. She thought it saved her life. In reality it broke a few ribs.

The car swirled on the side, the seatbelt pulling to the maximum level breaking his left shoulder bone before the cruiser tilted sideways and smacked to the other car breaking the passenger window, the glass showering Bella.

"Are you ok baby?"

Charlie stammered, his basic medical training coming out to play. Smelling gas he was quick to open his door with his uninjured hand and used the now torn seatbelt as a makeshift restraint for his injured shoulder. Bella nodded she was as the glass sparkled under the bright sunlight on her face and upper body.

"Can you move?"

"I can try"

Came her small voice and she pushed her seat back as far as it would go and crawled out of the car on his side. She didn't tell him she could hardly breathe.

Charlie took a few steps back and used his cell phone to call for an ambulance and the police station. He didn't tell his daughter that he was in serious pain or that he could not feel his left arm and hand at all.

Bella's mind was far too active for the first time since that night at the woods and she staggered towards the large grey SUV that hit them. In the driver's seat was a very pregnant and unresponsive woman. Bella gasped and opened the driver's door to check the woman's pulse, exhaling in relief when she found it. Then she saw the blood pooling between the older woman's legs.

"DAD!"

She shouted, Charlie ran to her and gasped seeing the woman. Between his broken shoulder and Bella's broken ribs they had the woman on the ground.

They watched in horror as sickening sounds came from her huge stomach. Slowly the sounds became louder and a thing literally clawed its way out of her protruding stomach.

"I'm going to be sick"

Bella muttered and fell to her knees. Charlie was more seasoned though and found it in himself to go closer and pick up the screaming creature. Under all the blood was... a... baby?

Bella was holding the woman's hand tightly so she was able to hear her when she whispered something

"Please, don't let them take her"

The woman's last breath was the baby's name, Joy. Bella's eyes however were set on the side of the woman's neck where a scar, identical to the one on her wrist, was.

Her broken ribs were jolted around with her moves, piercing her lungs and she felt the rusty taste of blood pulling in her mouth. She had seen enough episodes of E.R. to understand what was happening. It looked like she'd die young after all.

"I love you daddy"

She whispered before her eyes closed

Hearing a thumb Charlie whipped around ignoring how lightheaded he's suddenly become.

"Shit Bells"

He stumbled at her side ignoring the searing pain at his shoulder as he tightened his useless arm around the strangely wide eyed baby and dropped onto his knees next to his daughter.

"Bells"

He presses his freezing fingers against the pulse in her throat but there was no pulse.

"No"

He screamed and irrationally began to shake her as if she was deeply sleeping as his eyes water and curses loudly about the damn paramedics. Nothing happened. He closed his eyes and let the pain take him away.

The sirens of ambulances and the police were heard roughly five minutes later.

"Hello cute baby"

Charlie opened his eyes smelling the putrid air full of disinfectant. He was at a hospital. Again.

He took a moment to survey himself. He had a massive headache and his left arm hurt like a bitch. Not on the shoulder though, instead he wore a soft cast on his lower arm. Happy to know how he was his eyes traveled around the room and stopped on Bella who was ogling at the newborn baby in her arms. Her eyes met his and he was happy to note the sparkle in them.

"Daddy"

She let a low whistle and hugged him tightly careful not to jostle him to much.

"What happened?"

He rasped and drank the water she offered.

"No idea. The paramedics told me I had a couple bruised ribs and you have a broken arm that may take some time to heal. The other woman is dead. The doctors said we had angels watching over us"

She scoffed.

"I remember my shoulder breaking"

"And I remember tasting blood in my mouth"

She replied serious. She had felt a venom-like burning for a few minutes and soon after that woken up feeling… great actually. Sure, her chest hurt a little but that was it. She remembered Charlie using only his right hand and she had seen a nurse clean up the newborn baby that had blood smeared around its mouth.

In her mind, there was no other explanation, the baby was a vampire.

Only its venom didn't kill you, it saved you.

Chapter 2: Joy Phoenix Swan

Bella and Charlie were released later the same day. They had talked and decided to honor the woman's dying wish and took the baby with them as Charlie claimed it was his.

After a week at the cabin while Charlie's arm healed strangely fast and he didn't need the cast anymore the small family returned to Forks with a new look at life and a brand new birth certificate. Fake of course. The baby was now called "Joy Phoenix Swan" Joy as it was the name its mommy picked and Phoenix because she rose from the ashes. Literal ashes, the car explode and the fire burned its momma beyond recognition and it would now live with its daddy and older sister.

Unsurprisingly no one thought it was strange. Hell the Cullen's' story was far crazier and besides Jessica Stanley everyone was ok with it.

Bella came home from school to find Charlie bouncing Joy in his now healthy arm and prepare her a bottle with another. He had taken a paternity leave, much to his amusement, until they figured out what exactly was up with the baby. When the bottle was done he tested it casually on his arm and let loose a long string of four letter words.

"Shake it a little first dad"

Bella chuckled from the doorway shaking her head. She watched Charlie feeding the baby amused. Gone were the days when she called him 'Charlie'. She only ever called him Charlie now when she was mad or wanted to prove a point. Also gone were her nightmares and she felt like a normal person?

While Joy played in her bouncer Charlie and Bella had dinner and talked.

"Did you find anything about her mother?"

"I ran her plates at work. She was called Stacy Owens, owned a bookstore in Portland. Single and no one reported her missing. Bella what did she tell you before she died?"

Bella drank a sip of water before replying. She had come clean to Charlie about vampires a few days ago and he had taken it pretty well, he was a bit upset that Billy hadn't told him a thing but after a long chat with the man in question, he understood his reasons.

"'Don't let them take her'. I think she meant the baby's father. On her neck was an old bite mark"

"I didn't know vampires can reproduce"

"They can't. According to Emmett at least who made a joke about me not needing condoms"

At Charlie's sudden glare she rolled her eyes

"I'm still a virgin dad!"

Charlie checked to make sure the car seat sitting on the stroller was locked in place before heading into the store. He had taken the baby for a walk and was now at Newton's to pick up Bella before they headed to dinner.

The few customers of the store stared at him carrying the diaper bag slung over his shoulder with pride.

"Hi Nick"

Charlie greeted Mr. Newton, grinning.

"Hey Charlie, hello wittle girl"

The two men spoke about the new fishing equipment and the school's upcoming basketball games with the occasional sigh from the sleeping baby strapped securely in her car seat as the only background noise.

Bella was at the counter with mike finishing up for the day with Tyler near them waiting for mike to finish up. He had made various passes at the girl now that she looked happy again but she had ignored all of them with noncommittal sounds.

"Is there something I can do for you, Tyler?"

"No, Bella. Everything's just fine. You?"

"Never better. Now stop staring at my ass."

She bid goodbye to Mike and his dad and she handed the truck keys to Charlie taking the baby.

Charlie sent a smirk at Tyler pulling away, he was still angry at him for almost killing her in March.

"Where's the little munchkin?"

Harry asked his longtime friend noticing the absence of the little bundle the last two poker games. Charlie and Bella had kept Joy inside as a strange growth spurt had hit her and the three weeks old girl looked more like a three month old baby thee days. They would have to come up with a lie about it or maybe move once Bella applied for colleges

"Girly sleepover with Bella and her friends. I was out the moment they put 'the notebook' on"

Charlie joked. Harry nodded with dismay as the recent absence of vampires in the area had left the pack virtually jobless and Leah was hitting a girly period. Billy was lucky to have his daughters out of the house in general.

"You know I'm still angry we never met Stacy, or that you never even mentioned her"

Billy commented as he checked on his cards. They were playing the good ole poker, five cards no changing.

"It wasn't a very serious relationship Bill. I didn't even know she was pregnant"

A mustache-less Charlie replied as honestly as he could. He had been forced to shave his beloved 'stach since every time Joy touched it she got scratched and cried. Loudly.

Little Joy loved attention. She was too young to communicate with the people she considered family even though her brain gave her information about them.

She loved the manly smell of daddy. She adored the flowery aroma mommy's hair had when it was wet. She liked to be held and made a fuss every time she was put into her stroller.

She was too little to know what love is but she knew she loved her family. She remembered how she was born after making mommy cry and the first thing she had seen was her mommy and how bad she had felt when the girl fell down. She decided to kiss mommy better.

When daddy fell down too, she kissed him as well.

Carlisle was back in Forks to pack some more personal things he had missed since they had left so abruptly. He had forgotten his father's cross and some other more personal items. On his way through the town he had seen Bella walking casually pushing a stroller.

When they left, Edward told them he had broken thing up with Bella due to her birthday party. She had asked him to leave the small town. Since Bella is Edward's mate, they didn't question him and they left without looking back.

That was five months ago.

Chapter three: Life goes on

Joy had started fussing when they neared the hospital. The five month old baby quieted when Bella lifted it in her arms. Little Joy sure was a smuggler but as she entered the hospital she couldn't help but feel she had done something wrong. Quickly she said 'Hi' to Katie who volunteered there and made a bee line for the third floor where the blood donations office was.

Carlisle followed her taking the stairs. He furrowed his brow wondering why Bella would go there. Didn't she know that her blood was irresistible to vampires?

He watched her handing the baby to a doctor with thick black hair that cooed at it making it laugh.

"Hi Joy"

The thirty year old doctor said bouncing the baby in her arms laughing when it grabbed the stethoscope around her neck.

"How are you? Any more headaches?"

"None at all, told you it was stress from the SAT's"

"Don't remind me!"

The doctor said making Bella laugh happily bouncing the baby.

"Where do you want me?"

"You're here every month, you know the drill"

The doctor said placing a soft kiss on the baby's knuckles stealing the stethoscope away and then wiped the lip-gloss away.

Bella placed the baby back in the stroller and took off her jacket before lifting one sleeve. The doctor then pierced her skin with a needle, attached it to a bag and gave Bella a squishy ball.

"I'll be back in ten minutes, have fun girls"

Bella smiled at made happy noises at the baby playing with a toy dangling off the canopy of the stroller. She stopped when she saw Carlisle standing in the middle of the hallway.

"You"

She whispered, her voice dripping with venom.

"Bella"

"What are you doing here?"

She spoke lowly as to not distract the baby.

"Don't let them take her"

Stacy's dying wish rang to her ears and she moved slowly in front of the stroller.

"I came back to get some things off the house and thought I'd say 'hi'"

"Hi"

Her eyes scanned the corridor. Carlisle's sudden return and their less than civil interaction had attracted the attention of quite a number of people.

"How are you?"

Carlisle asked friendly. Edward had said that Bella didn't want to see them so he wasn't surprised she was cold against him. Although there was something wrong with the baby behind her. Its scent was too sweet for a human and he saw how protectively she stood in front of it.

"Cute baby"

He said when she didn't respond. At that her eyes darkened and narrowed.

"Thank you"

She said coldly smiling in relief when she saw Charlie exiting the elevator behind Carlisle and freeze. Charlie panicked when he saw Carlisle, the theories that the baby's father could be a vampire solidifying in his mind. He couldn't lose Joy and Bella had been doing so well! He walked up to the man and tapped his shoulder.

"What's going on?"

He asked but no one answered me. Bella was still staring angrily at Carlisle whose eyes traveled from Bella to Joy and the baby in question let soft whimpers suddenly scared for mommy.

"Bells, stay with Joy. You, with me"

He said coldly at the blond vampire and without a backwards glance he left the hospital and went to the almost empty parking lot.

"I don't know why you're back, but you're not hurting her"

"I-"

"Shut up"

Charlie shouted. He had been waiting for a Cullen reappearance for a while and he had a few things he wanted to say.

"When you so callously left, you broke her. She spent a week laying there staring at the ceiling. Then she became a zombie, responding to basic commands and that was it. She was a mess because of you"

"Charlie, we-"

"Quiet! Did I say you could speak? Your son left her in the woods leaving behind only a fake note. It was hours before she was found Carlisle! What was he thinking?"

"They broke up at your house Charlie. She was fine when he left"

Carlisle said confused. Charlie laughed a humorless laughter

"I suggest you update your notes. Edward left her in the woods, you know what lurks in the woods Carlisle"

"I don't... I didn't know"

Carlisle said finding himself at a loss for words. Charlie leaned closer, invading the vampire's personal space

"Leave my daughters alone Carlisle. If you even think of hurting them or even taking Joy with you I will personally feed you to the wolves"

Bella was pacing in the small room drinking orange juice off a paper cup holding Joy. She could have put the baby in her stroller when she had fallen asleep earlier but the sudden fear stopped her. Carlisle was a pacifist but she couldn't forget how easily the family had attacked James in the spring mainly because they didn't agree with his diet choices. Sure he had his eyes set on her but truth be told, they could have asked the La Push wolves to help them getting rid of James.

When Charlie came back alone she breathed a sigh of relief. She had always considered Carlisle somewhat of a father but that was over. Had been over the moment Edward left her and they left without a goodbye.

Two vampires sat perched on a the big tree outside the Swan house watching a very pregnant Renee play with the nine month old baby under her husband's watchful eyes. Bella had just graduated with honors from high school

"I told you we couldn't get the kid back"

Emmett said. His wife smiled sadly and shook her head

"I just wanted to see her, see if she's happy"

Rosalie whispered her eyes locking on Joy's brown ones. The little girl let a loud laughter as she patted Renee's belly to see if the baby in there wanted to come out to play. She was under a year old and could speak but mommy told her to stay quiet in front of strangers.

"Are you angry with me?"

Rosalie asked in a rare moment of sadness. Emmett shook his head even though he had been upset for a while. After the family left Forks she and Emmett traveled around the world. They met a vampire hybrid and the idea was formed in her mind. She persuaded Emmett to have a baby with a human woman who would act as a surrogate mother and give them her baby in the end. They never expected the woman would sneak out. They never expected the woman would get in an accident with Charlie and Bella or that the Swans would take Rosalie's baby.

However they had and for the first time in her life, Rosalie King Cullen realized she wouldn't have it all. Joy growing up with Bella and Charlie was the best for the little girl.

Rosalie stayed for a moment after Emmett left and something hit her on the back of the head. She whipped around angrily to see that Bella was at the kitchen door laughing.

"Sorry, still have terrible aim"

Rosalie's blond eyebrows furrowed and then she saw what she had been hit with. A baby photo album.

"Keep it. Goodbye Rosalie"

Bella walked back inside and Rosalie fingered the album. In it were photos of Joy growing up, some with Charlie or Bella but most were taken when the baby wasn't looking. On the back were a phone number and a note

"Thank you for giving me a reason to live again. Call the next time. -xoxo Bella"

Epilogue

Charlie felt himself tear up as he sat in the old swing of the elementary school. His girls were growing up.

"Daddy, why are you crying?"

Five year old Joy whispered. It was four years since she had come into their lives and three since they moved to Phoenix for Bella's education. Joy's crazy growth spurts had quieted down enough for her to pass for her real age and it was her first day at the school.

"Daddy is sad you're going to school baby girl"

"Where you upset when mommy did?"

"I cried like a baby"

He replied honestly. He had missed many moments of Bella's life as she grew up away from him but he had promised himself he wouldn't do the same mistake with Joy.

"I'll take good care of her dad"

Bella explained patiently for the umpteenth time to Charlie. She had just gotten her degree and her old school had given her first job. She would be Joy's teacher and if Charlie had his way he'd get a job as the school guard to be near them! Ever since Rosalie's visit on graduation night he had gotten scared that he'd lose them. Time after time Bella told him she didn't miss the vampires and it was true. She had done what Edward wanted from her, she had moved on.

"I love you both girls and if you want to come home, all you have to do is call me"

"Love you daddy"

Joy kissed her daddy on both cheeks and then waved to the man behind him leaning against a black car.

"Bye daddy, be careful at work"

"Always am princess"

He stayed where he was and watched his daughters walk hand in hand to school and then nodded at the school guard before turning around and joining his partner in the car

"It's always hard on their first day"

The forty year old man commented to his friend and Charlie chuckled. The two set on for a new day in their police issued car getting their first call immediately.

He loved being a homicide detective and he loved his kids. Life couldn't get any better.

THE END

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