Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Stephenie Meyer does and I thank her for giving us the opportunity to play around with her characters.

AN at the bottom.

Edward's house was impressive. It was a townhouse in the middle of Seattle and yet it felt as though I had stepped into a home that belonged in the suburbs or even a small, quaint town. The thick walls, double-paned windows and the massive oak door shut out the sounds from outside.

It was decorated gorgeously with warm, coffee colored walls and expensive looking dark wooden furnishings. It was also pristine in its tidiness. The living room housed a huge L-shaped leather couch on one side and the opposite wall was completely covered with bookcases and shelves, only broken up by a gap large enough for the TV to be sunk into.

But even as I let my eyes truly absorb Edward's house, while he was off bringing in the endless supply of baby-stuff, I noticed that it was as cold as the coffee-creamer colored walls allowed. There were no pictures anywhere, no memorabilia of his childhood, nothing that made his beautiful house a home.

I also deduced Edward was a certain level of OCD. His music and DVD collection were in a strict order. Band by band, genre by genre. It was disheartening to be honest.

The kitchen wasn't much better. It was gorgeous, of course, but cold and seemingly unused. His stainless steel appliances were perfectly clean, no finger prints or sign of wear by use except for his coffeemaker. As I went through his cupboards, gently rocking the baby on my chest, I noticed his OCD bled into his kitchen as well. I sighed a little.

"Okay," he suddenly doomed up behind me, startling me a little and I turned to him with a smile.

"We got all of it," he said with a beaming smile and I couldn't help the now somewhat familiar clench in my stomach whenever he smiled. His smile was absolute; it absorbed his entire being and lit his beautiful face up to a point where it was almost painful to look at him.

He puffed up his cheeks and grinned. "We have a lot of stuff."

I nodded, eyeing the pile of baby stuff. "Yes, we really do," I couldn't help the small giggle that escaped me as I said it because really, it was such an understatement. We had more than a lot, I dared almost say we had too much.

"Edward, can you hand me the formula and a bottle please?" I asked him, knowing it was about time for Grace to wake up and demand sustenance. The last time she ate was in the hospital and even though it was only a few hours ago, it seemed like a lifetime ago.

"Yeah," he responded, digging into the pile to locate the gold standard of baby formula and a bright pink bottle that was specifically designed to make sure the baby got as little air in her system as possible.

"I'm going to put up the pram," Edward told me as I read how to make a good bottle for little Grace.

"Okay," I said, turning around to the faucet behind me. Edward slid up beside me, plugging a white round piece of equipment into a socket. My confusion must have been evident on my face because he shrugged.

"It's a bottle cooker," he explained. "Apparently it heats up a bottle to the perfect temperature."

"Okay," I said with a smile.

"You just have to put the bottle in and flip the switch."

"Go," I laughed, pushing him away with one hand and returned to filling the bottle with water. When it was full enough, I put it into the cooker, flipping it on and reaching over to the box of formula.

The action however caused a bout of vertigo to hit me in full force and I had to grip onto the counter tightly in order not to fall. My head was swimming, the ground underneath me spinning out of control and I squeezed my eyes shut as the kitchen started pulsating in front of my eyes.

"Oh my god, Edward!"

"Bella! Shit, what's wrong?" I felt his hands land on my shoulders but his voice sounded miles away from me.

"Take the baby," I gasped out, opening my eyes long enough to look into his. Big mistake, the world started spinning further out of control and I squeezed them shut again.

"Fuck, your pupils are blown," I heard him mutter as he swiftly unclipped the carrier from around my shoulders and lifted Grace away from my chest. I heard her fussing as I slid down the cabinets to the floor, putting my head between my knees.

"Have you eaten anything today?" Edward's voice asked.

I started to say I had but I cut myself off. I didn't have time to eat this morning when I left the house. I was late for work... I shook my head in answer to his question.

"Alright," he said. "Come on, let's get you to the couch."

He slid his free arm around me, supporting my weight from beneath my arms as he hoisted me up. I gasped as the sensation caused the floor underneath to explode in waves and swirls. I kept my eyes closed as he gently guided me to the couch. He sat me down on the soft, cool leather and placed Grace next to me on her bag. She was fussing, working up to a cry and I weakly reminded Edward of the bottle.

"Got it," he said, pushing me back until my head was resting on the back of the couch. I put my hand on the baby, distractedly making shushing sounds as her noises gradually grew in volume. I breathed deeply, steadily, in an effort to dispel my head from the dizziness but it hadn't gone away yet when Edward returned with the bottle.

"Here," he said, handing me an apple. "This is all I have right now. I'll feed Grace first, then go out for something to eat okay?"

I nodded, biting into the apple. It was too sour and dry for me to enjoy but my stomach was crying in relief because of it. As I ate, I watched him pick Grace up and sit down with her. He held her perfectly, naturally, as he guided the bottle to her face. She latched on instantly, calming down even though she was still making fussy noises around the nipple of the bottle.

I watched him watching her with such love in his eyes and I was once again enamoured by him. He was a mystery to me. I knew so little about him and yet I felt like I knew him completely. But I didn't and I was well aware of that. I wanted to know what he was thinking, how his inner monologue worked. Was he really as accepting and generous as he seemed?

He must've felt my eyes burning in his temple because he tilted his head towards me with a question in his eyes.

I looked away, suddenly self-conscious. Edward and I didn't know each other. All I knew about him was that he had once dated a junkie supermodel, that he was amazing with babies and didn't blink while spending thousands and thousands of dollars for a baby he didn't even know he was going to get to keep.

"Tell me a bit about yourself?" His soft whisper reached my ears and I looked back to him.

"There's not much to tell," I told him with a shrug. "I'm pretty boring."

"I don't believe that."

"Well, what do you want to know?"

He grinned, and it momentarily took my breath away. "Let's start with the basics."

"Like?" I asked with a smile, taking a bite out of my yucky apple.

"What's your favorite food?"

I laughed. "Well, it sure as hell ain't this apple!"

Edward threw his head back in laughter and I couldn't help but giggle along with him.

"Sorry," he said after calming down and adjusting the baby in his arms. "I don't usually have food in the house."

"Why not?" I asked him.

"Well," he said on an exhale. "I'm not here a lot. I get take-out, eat, work or watch TV, sleep and spend the rest of my time at the office."

I frowned. "Is your job that demanding?" If that was the case, it was gonna be a problem on how he was gonna spend time with Grace.

"No," he sighed. "I just... I don't know. I wouldn't say I like being there but it's better than being here all alone."

"Oh," I whispered, humbled by his generous vulnerability.

He shrugged. "It's a big house. It gets lonely here."

"It doesn't have to be," I told him. "I'm sure you'll be able to find a lot of willing women to fill the silence."

He snorted. "Not really. I mean, there are those that want to be with me, don't get me wrong - but they want to be with me because I'm E. A. Cullen, rich super lawyer. They don't want me for me."

"Well, what do you want?" I blurted out before I could stop myself. He looked down at Grace with a frown and I held my breath, wondering if he was going to be angry with me for hitting too close to the bone.

But he wasn't, instead he answered in a soft voice. "I want something real. Someone that loves me, not my wallet or status."

I slowly released my breath as he continued to gaze at the sweet bundle in his arms. "I want a warm home, with someone I can trust."

I was at a loss for words. Not knowing what to say or do, I reached out and touched his arm.

"You'll find that person," I told him, contributing the sudden fluttering in my stomach to the fact I had barely eaten anything. "I promise."

I was sucked in by his beautiful eyes, that seemed to deepen as I stared. The green in his eyes was almost hypnotic as he pinned me with his look. My head started spinning again and this time, it had nothing to do with lack of food.

He didn't say anything, he just nodded softly.

It was him that broke the connection by looking down at Grace. By the time he looked back up at me, his eyes were different. Less open, less vulnerable.

"How about we order some food in?" he asked.

"Yeah," I rasped, clearing my throat. "Yeah, that sounds like a plan."

Edward gently scooted to the edge of the couch, placing the now empty bottle on the table and stood up. He placed Grace against his shoulder to burp her and I shot up.

"Wait!" I said, doing a half sprint-half skip to the pile of baby stuff and digging through it in search of the spit clothes we had gotten.

He thanked me when I returned to him and placed the cloth over his shoulder. He grinned sheepishly as he started to pad the baby's back and she spit up. I grinned back at him.

"Alright, sit down," he told me. "I'll go order some food."

"Can I have the baby?" I asked with a smile. "I feel like cuddling."

"Oh, I see how it is," he chuckled. "Spit up for me, cuddles for you."

"Exactly," I laughed, taking her from his arms and holding her up to my face to rub my nose against hers.

She cooed adorably, kicking her tiny legs. I went over to the pile with her, crouching down while holding her close to me and dug up the rattle Edward got for her. I held it up for her, laughing when she swatted at it with the cutest little gurgle.

Back at the couch, I lay her down on it and played with her. She was cooing up a storm, swatting at the rattle and even yanking it out of my hand so that she could suckle on it. She didn't seem to like the flavor of it since she scrunched up her perfect face and tossed the rattle aside.

At my sudden laugh, she looked at my face and tilted her head slightly. I rubbed her tummy and was rewarded with a small baby-laugh.

"Oh!" I gasped, having not realized that babies so small could even laugh. "Edward, did you hear her?"

"I did," he said lovingly, interrupting his conversation on the phone. "Isn't she amazing?"

I beamed down at her, falling in love with her deeper and deeper every second that passed by. Edward joined us after he finished placing his order and knelt down on the floor in front of the couch so that he could nuzzle her cheek.

I felt the smile on my face threatening to rip my cheeks but in that moment I was so undeniably happy. I felt warm and welcome. Loved even. It was amazing that Edward and I - strangers really - fell so easily in step together because of this sweet baby.

He only stayed there for a moment longer before he went to put up the pram for Grace.

"I can't wait for the rest of the stuff to arrive," he told me and I smiled at him as he clicked parts together.

"You're still crazy, ya know."

He laughed. "I'm never gonna live that down, am I?"

"Nope," I said with a sweet smile.

"Nice."

I laughed at him, turning back to Grace who was looking around her, taking in her surroundings. It made me remember a question that had been burning in my mind while we were at the store.

"Hey, Edward?"

"Yeah," he grunted, pushing against a stubborn piece of the pram.

"Erm..." I hesitated.

"Out with it, Bella."

"How are we going to do this, exactly?"

"Do what?" he asked, exhaling loudly when he heard the satisfying click of the two parts coming together.

"Grace. Do you want her to live here with you?" I asked in a small voice.

He stopped whatever he was doing with the pram's wheels and came over to us, pushing a hand through his hair.

"I would love that, yeah," he answered honestly.

"Yeah," I whispered, looking at her. "That's best anyway, I live in a small studio that barely has running water. Or electricity for that matter."

"Where is your place?"

When I told him where I lived, he frowned. "That's not the best neighborhood," he rightfully pointed out.

"I know, but it's all I can afford."

"Well," he said, puffing up his cheeks. "You're always welcome here, obviously."

I smiled but it wasn't real. I hated the thought of having to leave and go to my place. I sighed as he got back up and went back to the assembly of the pram.

"There are a bunch of bedrooms upstairs," he said. "Why don't you go pick out a room for Grace?"

"Yeah?" I asked, surprised that he would trust me so in his home.

"Yeah," he smiled.

As I got up, my stomach rumbled loudly and he laughed. "I'm sure the food will be here soon."

I giggled a little, patting my stomach before picking Grace up from the couch.

"Do you want to go pick out a room with me, baby?" I cooed at her, placing her against my shoulder. "Come on, sweetie pie."

Upstairs was a square shaped hallway in which four white painted doors came out. It looked massive, much bigger than a townhouse should logically seem to allow. I opened the door closest to me and stepped into the stunning, luxurious bathroom that was revealed. The tiles were sandy in color and the shower was worked into a corner. The walls of the shower were made out of impeccable transparent glass with a massive shower head and wall-jets. On the other side of the room was a huge, deep tub. The sink consisted out of two gorgeous glass bowls sunk into a granite counter top. It was beautiful and luxurious without being overzealous.

I stepped back out, rocking Grace gently and opened the next door. It revealed a rectangle shaped room that was completely empty apart from a closet and a small queen sized bed. Noting that it must be the guestroom, I chalked it up to a possible room for Grace before moving on to the other rooms on the opposite side of the hallway. One of the doors was opened just a creak and I pushed it to allow myself access. This room was slightly bigger than the guest room I had just seen and it held more.

The king sized bed was a mess, clearly slept in. There was a glass of water on the nightstand, a book and a pair of black framed reading glasses. The window next to the bed was thrown open, the curtains roughly, crookedly brushed aside. The dresser on the opposite wall had clearly been yanked open as several pieces of clothing were strewn haphazardly around. The room was a stark contrast to the rest of the otherwise pristine house.

I walked over to the window. It looked down on an alleyway and I realized with a start that that's how Edward must've found Grace this morning. Subconsciously I clutched her closer to me as I observed the filthy alley. It seemed incomprehensible that less than nine hours ago, Grace was down there cold and alone.

"I heard her crying," Edward said behind me and I twirled around to him with a start.

"This morning," he continued, leaning against the doorpost with his hands in his pockets and his eyes focused solely on the baby I was clutching close. "I woke up to the sound of her crying. I thought it was just a mother on the street passing but the crying wouldn't stop."

I took a deep breath, walking over to him to hand her to him.

"I got out of bed, looked down and saw her," he said, stroking her back as if she was the finest porcelain doll he had ever touched. "I panicked, got dressed, flew out of the house and got her."

He breathed in deeply, digging into his pocket. "This note was with her."

He handed it to me and I briefly wondered why he hadn't shown me before but he must have simply forgotten about it in the hectic mess of today.

The paper was dirty and wrinkled and the writing on it was hard to decipher, as though the person who wrote it had very little education. It was hard to decipher but the message was clear.

"She deserves more. Please take care of her."

"She deserves more. Please take care of her.' Was this written by her mother?" I mused out loud.

"I think so, yes," Edward answered with a sigh. "We need to try and track the mother down, Bella."

"Why?" I asked.

"So that we can show that we've done everything to find Grace's biological mother when the judge gets ready to slaughter us."

His voice was so matter-of-fact, so cold about it, that it made my stomach clench. The implications of Edward's words crashed into me and if it wasn't for his hand that suddenly came down on my shoulder, I would've gone into a wicked panic attack.

"We'll be fine, Bella," he said. "I promise."

"How?" I rasped. "We need so much for her. Social security number, birth certificate. Oh my god."

"We'll be fine," Edward repeated. "We'll worry about it tomorrow, okay?"

I nodded, not entirely convinced.

"Have you picked a room for Grace yet?" he asked, suddenly cheery and I admired his ability to shake off the dread and insecurity.

"Not yet," I muttered.

"Well," he said, guiding me out of his room and opening the door to the room next to it. It was smaller and empty but I could see how this room would fit Grace. We could paint the walls, which were a boring white and hang pretty shelves. "I think this room would suit little miss Grace just fine."

I smiled at him and nodded. "Yeah, it could be perfect."

He smiled back at me. "Alright, come on. Dinner's arrived."

~*SG*~

My apartment building seemed dark and inhospitable in comparison to Edward's townhouse. I stood in front of it, across the street, quietly observing it. My windows weren't visible from this side of the building and all the windows below my floor were either too dark or too bright.

The building seemed poor, even though it wasn't exactly ghetto or even undesirable. The neighborhood was okay, there was just a lot of juvenile crime and a few dealers here and there. It wasn't anything too bad and yet suddenly I felt myself pining to go back to Edward's peaceful place only three streets away.

Leaving Grace was incredibly hard to do and ever since I had heard the soft click of Edward closing the door behind me, I had this depressed feeling growing in my chest. I didn't want to leave but I also didn't want to impose on Edward's personal space. So I had taken a deep breath and right after we had put Grace in the pram that would serve as her bed until the bassinet arrived, I announced that I was leaving.

Edward had offered me his guest room but I couldn't stay there and push myself on him. So I left.

With a sigh, I crossed the dark street to my front door and opened it. The stairs that loomed up behind that door were dark and narrow, going off into corridors that led to the apartments on the lower floors. My studio, at the very top of those stairs, had no corridor. Just a small floor between the steps and my door. I stepped onto it and stuck my key into the lock, listening to the sounds of the building.

The elderly couple, Mr. and Mrs. Cope, that lived right below me were arguing again and I half smiled. They were always arguing, even when they had guests around. They were the kind of couple that used really passionate arguments as their own version of loving bickering. Of course, their fights came with a nasty side effect - even though Mr. Cope was well in his seventies, he evidently had no problems with getting it up because he and his wife regularly had sex loud enough for me to want to rip my ears off and pour undiluted bleach into my brain.

I stepped into my studio and looked around. Somehow it seemed smaller, darker. My lights were back on, meaning that the electricity was back so that was a good thing but the place I was usually so proud of felt different somehow; hollow almost.

I heaved another sigh and dropped my purse on the kitchen counter. I tossed my coat into the corner and took a can of Diet Coke out of the fridge before sitting down on my couch, staring into space.

Fatigue snuck up on me and I lulled my head back, gazing at the ceiling. I woke up in that same position two hours later. The still closed can of Coke was still in my hand and my fingers had cramped painfully around it because of the cold. My neck was aching and my ass was numb. My couch wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world.

I got up, wincing slightly when the pain in my back increased with the movement, and placed the Coke back in the fridge before stumbling onto the raised platform that held my bed. After I got out of my jeans and t-shirt I flopped down onto the bed and wriggled under the blankets. As soon as I was in a comfortable position, my brain was assaulted by images of Edward.

Edward was so shockingly handsome that it made me feel small and insignificant in comparison. I was plain and he was the exact opposite of that. From his unruly mop of hair, to his impossibly green eyes and right down to his toes, he was amazing.

I briefly wondered what he would be like in bed and was shocked by how easily the images of him between my legs, his body moving over mine.

Would he be a tender lover, in control like he seemed to be in his daily behavior? Or would he lose himself in the passion, become rough and primal?

A fantasy instantly formed in my mind and I didn't have the power of will to stop it. He would pull me into him and bury his face in the side of my neck. His lips on the sensitive skin would send me into a frenzy, just as his hands would travel up my body from my hips to cup my breasts.

A moan bubbled from my chest as my hands mimicked the much larger ones from my fantasies. My thumbs passed over my bra-clad nipples while I imagined how he would kiss a trail of heat from my neck down, stopping to nibble on my collarbones for a mere second and simultaneously pulling down the cups of my bra.

I moaned again at the thought of his tongue caressing my nipples. His lips would close over the flesh, suckle more of me into his mouth and gently bite down. My thighs rubbed together as a startling ache built up between them.

I slipped one hand down, keeping the other up to massage my breast and slipped into my underwear. I was wetter than I had ever been before and my fingers slipped through my folds easily. As they passed my clit, posing as Edward's longer and rougher fingers, another much more gutteral moan escaped me.

My eyes flew open at the sensation, half expecting Edward's intense face to hover over mine. I was met with the sight of a dark ceiling. My fingers twitched down on my clit and I quickly let my eyes flutter closed again, rubbing in circles.

It only took a couple of passages over my clit for my body to start the tense build-up to an orgasm. I breathed heavily, pressing my head down into my pillow and roughly pinching my nipple as I increased pace and pressure around the most sensitive spot of me.

My orgasm came swiftly and it exploded all over me, dragging me down into the depths only to lift me up to incredible heights. I was aware of Edward's name slipping from my lips and I let it come out louder than I had intended.

I crashed back down to earth, shaking and panting in the aftermath of one of the most intense orgasms I had ever given myself. Dragging my hand over my forehead and into my hair, I let a small exhausted laugh escape me.

That was amazing and my body pleasantly shivered at the thoughts of how much more intense it would be if Edward's hands actually were the ones coaching it to an orgasm.

The phone on my nightstand buzzed with an incoming text and I briefly considered ignoring it. But I never ignored texts and so I wasn't about to start now. I grabbed the phone and slid it out of screenlock.

A sudden, furious blush crept up my face when I saw that Edward had texted me.

Grace seems to have decided that sleep is for the weak. I hope you're having sweet dreams. ~ E.

I smiled, a little embarrassed by the fact that I had just had an amazing orgasm by his imaginary hands. I quickly hit reply, my fingers typing out an answer automatically.

Need help? ~ B.

I hit send, looking around for my clothes in case Edward asked me to come back so that I could help him with the baby. His reply came quickly.

Oh no, I wouldn't dream of robbing you of your sleep. You had a long day, you need sleep. ~ E.

I snorted, replying instantly.

So do you. Honestly, I wouldn't mind helping you out. ~ B.

Really? Well, I guess I could use your help but only if you swear that you're not too tired. ~ E.

Strangely enough I wasn't tired at all. The orgasm I had only gave me more energy and so I slipped out of bed and tiptoed across to my closet. I picked out a pair of yoga pants and a sweater that was too big for me. It slipped off my shoulder but it covered my ass and groin perfectly. Nothing was worse than wearing yoga pants with a visible cameltoe.

I pulled my hair together in a sloppy ponytail and slipped into a pair of ballet flats. I grabbed a small bag and went into the bathroom for my toothbrush and the basic make-up necessities. With everything in tow, I slipped on my coat, grabbed my purse and left the studio.

On my way. ~ B.

Special thanks to my superBeta Smmiskimen. The woman is a superhero, I swear to God.

I'm sorry for the late update and I'm afraid the next update won't be swift either. I'm moving from Chicago, USA to Belgium, Europe the 19th of May and it's one big stressful mess. It'll most likely be a couple of weeks before I can update either of my stories. I hope you can understand.

Big thanks to all the amazing reviewers. *kisses to you all* Every single one of you make me smile.

Check out my blog pixiedawnff . blogspot . com (take out the spaces)

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