I do not own Twilight or its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.

April and Gabby, thank you for pre-reading, and Fran, thank you for editing. Any mistakes left are my own.

Ch. 2

I was exhausted by the time the first glimpse of dawn's light filtered through the windows. Collectively, I might have gotten an hour's worth of sleep last night.

I sat up and stretched from my makeshift bed on the couch and gazed down at little E.J. who had been sleeping for more than an hour straight for the first time.

At least I thought E.J. was his name. Looking through his diaper bag, I noticed several of the items had been labeled. I figured it was either his name or his initials. Either way, it was better than calling him, baby.

I had an uneasy feeling, about the little sweetheart. If the woman who fled the cabin had indeed been his mom, I would have thought she would be back by now or that the police from Forks would've been knocking down the door after someone called them in a panic.

Maybe I had watched too many Lifetime specials, but I suspected E.J. was from a rich family and had been kidnapped. What other reason could there be for a seemingly, well-off woman to be alone in the woods with a baby…Then again, maybe she was on the run from an abusive relationship. I couldn't help but notice that all of his belongings were high-end. Hell, his diaper was a Louie Vuitton and his clothes were all pricey labels like Ralph Lauren and Chanel.

E.J. started making whimpering noises and began to move. I picked him up, feeling guilty that he slept in his car seat all night. It had to be uncomfortable, but I didn't know where else to put him. The bear rug was out of the question, the poor kid would probably be traumatized. I was also afraid that he'd roll off the couch if I placed him on it. The bed wasn't an option since Jacob rudely took it for himself.

I tossed him an irritated look. He didn't get up once during the night to help—not that I expected him to. He was also the cause for waking E.J. at one point with his loud snoring that sounded like we were under attack.

E.J. looked up at me with a pout. I nuzzled his cheek and bounced him lightly in my arms.

"All right, let's get you some breakfast then get you to my dad. He'll know what to do. I'm sure you're missing your mommy," I said softly

I changed his diaper quickly and wrinkled my nose at the smell. I wrapped it up and glanced at Jacob again. Giving him a smelly wake-up call was very tempting, but taking the high road instead, I tossed it across the room making a basket.

As the water heated, I looked out the windows to see how the weather and the roads were. I was relieved to see that when it had rained the temperature must have risen—and all the snow was gone.

"Well, at least one thing is going right for us, E.J.," I said to him.

He smiled widely and stuffed his tiny fist in his mouth. I walked over to the bed and pulled the pillow out from underneath Jacob's head then smacked him with it.

"What the fu…"

"Language…little ears, remember?" I cut him off.

"Is he still here?" Jacob looked sleepily at the baby.

"No, Jacob, this is a different baby. I decided to start a collection," I said sarcastically.

"Right. What time is it?" he asked while yawning.

"It's almost seven," I answered.

"Ugh …why did you wake me so bloody early? Wake me in about two hours." He threw his arm over his eyes.

"I don't think so. We need to get out of here and back to town. We've waited long enough. Now get out of the bed and go start the truck—it takes forever to warm up, and we can't let the baby get cold," I ordered, trying hard to keep my temper.

"It's your truck," he grumbled, sitting upright.

"Fine. I'll go start the truck. You can feed the E.J., and I think he just pooped his diaper so you can take care of that too while I…"

"I'll take care of the truck." He shoved his feet into his boots.

"Thank you." I smiled and turned back to the stove.

"Sure…sure." He headed for the door then spun around. "Wait… you named the baby? I don't think you should get too attached."

"E.J. was on several of his things in the diaper bag. It's either his name or his initials." I shrugged.

LS

A half-an-hour and another diaper change later, we were finally on the road. This time Jacob stayed off his phone and braced an arm on the carrier. We strapped it in with the seatbelt, but I was still nervous since we didn't have the proper base to secure it.

"You know, this could give you a glimpse at what our life could be like with a baby." He winked at me.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "Keep dreaming."

I stopped at the only light in town and flipped on the blinker to head for the police station. Jacob seized the opportunity to jump out of the truck. He slammed the door, startling the baby as he began walking down the street in another direction.

"It's okay, trust me. We are better off without him." I soothed E.J. and started to hum Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

The parking lot was near empty except for two cruisers and a blue Honda Civic that belonged to the dispatcher. I parked in the front and got out slowly with E.J. The inside of the office was warm and bright. It looked as if the walls had a fresh coat of paint since I was last here. Multicolored lights were strung along the front desk.

"Isabella, it's been a long time, hun. Apparently a very long time," Claire, the dispatcher, greeted me. She had worked here ever since I could remember. She was a kind, older woman, who had several cats at home.

"Hi, Claire, is my dad in? I really need to talk to him," I asked.

"Sure thing, honey. Go on and take a seat, that carrier looks like it's about to take your arm off. I'll give your dad a buzz." She pressed a button on the intercom. "Chief, you have some visitors and some explaining to do, young man."

I hid my snicker as she scolded him over the intercom. Claire was the only one I knew who reprimanded my father, even if he was her boss.

"Now let me see this little lamb." She rounded the desk and knelt in front of the carrier. "Why he's just precious, Bella. Look at those adorable dimples. Does his daddy have dimples like those?"

"I don't know, you see…"

We were interrupted by my father coming out of his office with Deputy Marks on his heels. Claire stood up and placed one hand on her hip.

"Charles Swan, why didn't you tell me you became a grandpa?"

"A what?" Dad's eyes widened, and his head snapped in my direction.

"Congrats, Chief." Deputy Marks slapped him on the shoulder then nodded to me. "You too, Bella."

"Wait …wait…the baby is not mine," I said quickly.

"Are you telling us you kidnapped a baby?" Marks started laughing. "We can offer you our best suite down the hall if that's the case. Comes complete with your own toilet, sink, and saggy mattress."

"I didn't kidnap him. At least I don't think I did. This has been the craziest twelve hours of my life," I responded quickly before they could assume the worst.

I then explained everything that had happened since I found the baby. E.J. started to fuss, and Claire took him from me without a word and started walking him back and forth. By the time I finished they all looked shocked and bewildered. My father was also pissed at my former friend.

"First things first. We need to find out who this baby belongs to and then I'm calling Billy to have a word about his son. I hope you know I didn't have a hand in that boy's deception," Dad said gruffly.

"I didn't think you did," I told him.

He turned to his staff. "Marks, call Yorkie and Newton. I want them to go to the cabin, collect any evidence, and check for fingerprints. I'll call Harry Clearwater, but I know he won't have a problem since it involves a lost baby, possibly kidnapped. Then search the database for any missing babies that fit the baby description. Claire, can you call DCYF and have them send someone out, please."

"I'll try Chief, but with Christmas Eve two days away, I don't know if that will happen. I'm sure they'll be understaffed this time of year," she told him.

"Try anyway. Who do we have here in town that can take a baby on such short notice?" he asked.

"Well, Shelly Cope is visiting her son in Florida. The Webbers are here in town, but Angela came home, and it's her baby's first Christmas. I'm sure they will take him if no one else is available. However, that does leave one more individual on the list—yourself, sir." She handed E.J. back to me.

"Me…it has…there is no one else?" he asked.

"I don't mind helping ... I have nothing planned for the next few days," I offered, stifling a yawn.

"Well, hopefully, it won't come to that, and we find the parents quickly. You already look worn out." Dad seemed concerned.

"I didn't sleep well, but most of that was due to Jacob snoring and me worrying about E.J. I'm sure the baby wasn't comfortable either, which is why he had a hard time, too. Sleeping in that thing can't be comfortable." I gestured to the carrier.

"I have a porta crib and car seat and base. I keep forgetting to take them the donation place. I'll call the misses and have her drop them by." "Deputy Marks pulled out his phone without waiting for an answer.

"Thanks, Chip," Dad said. "I'm going to make my calls. When Denise gets here with the baby things, I'll take you to the hospital so Dr. Gerandy can check out the little one."

I settled in with E.J. and Claire brought over a paper cup with steam rising from it.

"You look like you could use this, dear." She handed it to me.

"I don't drink coffee, but thank you." I tried to hand it back to her.

She winked at me. "I didn't forget. I always keep a few packets of hot cocoa on hand for you, just like when you were little, and you came to visit your daddy. Have you eaten?"

"Not since my apple from last night," I told her.

"That's not a proper meal. I have some blueberry bran muffins to tide you over. Make sure you eat, you're going to need your energy with a baby around." She walked over to her desk, grabbed one off a plate, and brought it back to me.

"Thank you, Claire." I took a small bite.

Just as I was finishing, Marks came back and knelt in front of me with a sheet of paper and a small ink pad.

"All right, bud, let's get a good print from your foot to enter into the database. Hopefully, we can find your family in time for Santa to come." He winked at E.J. and took off his bootie and sock.

"Were there any reported missing babies?" I asked.

"There are no Amber Alerts in Washington or the surrounding states. I sent out an alert to all precincts in the Pacific Northwest. Over the border into Vancouver and Victoria too," he answered me.

"If we don't hear back soon we'll widen the alert coast to coast." Dad came back into the room. "I spoke to Harry, he told me Leah offered the cabin to a woman who was supposedly escaping an abusive husband. Leah met the woman at the gas station just off the Res. Blonde hair and blue eyes, about five-ten, no distinguishing marks or visible signs of physical abuse."

"What if the father tries to claim E.J. and he's abusive?" I worried for him, holding him closer.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. But don't fret, Bells, I won't just let him go with anyone without crossing all my 't's and dotting my 'i's," he promised.

(? POV)

The ice cubes clinked against my glass as I stared out at the city below. Behind me, a door opened and closed. The heavy shuffle of my brother's feet sounded exceedingly loud in the quiet room now that my sister-in-law's wails had subsided.

"How is she?" Da asked.

"Not good. Felix had to sedate her. Ma is staying by her side. I wished I could do more. If I ever I find the bastard that took my boy, he will be swimming with the fishes, I promise you that." My brother sounded tormented.

"I swear to you, son, we will find him. And they will pay for messing with our family," Da assured him. "Is there any word on the streets?"

"The streets are silent; both the North and South End. It seems like it was an inside job. The toxicology report came back, Carmen was drugged. She's lucky she's not dead," I reported.

"Not good enough. I want surveillance cameras checked at every station…bus, T, train, and the airport. Someone had to see something."

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out, annoyed to see an unwanted text message.

The skiing is great. Wish you were here. XOXO

I rolled my eyes and shoved my phone back into my pants. She was going to be handled when she got back, but right now, there were more pressing matters at hand.

"Son, did you hear me?" I glanced at him to see him giving me an annoyed look. My father didn't relish repeating himself.

"Sorry, Da, I was hoping the message would be important information. But it was nothing," I apologized.

"I said I want everyone to move back into the house, effective immediately. If someone is targeting our family, we all need to stand together," he said.

I slugged back the rest of my whiskey as I mulled over his order. There would be no use arguing. As much as I hated to give up the freedom of my own penthouse, he was right for the time being.

Whoever took Junior was going to pay for messing with the Cullens.

A/N: I was blown away with number of reviews I received for the first chapter. So many of you don't like Jacob, and I don't blame you one bit. Bella took the high road since she knew they were trapped there for the night. She could have left but was more concerned about making sure the baby seat was secure.

A brief look into the baby's family. A lot of guesses on who he is and who his parents are. Some of you are dead on.

Thank you, Tarbecca, for recommending my story on Different Forest.

Thank you everyone for all the love and reviews you have given my story.