SM owns everything and so on...

Now that is out of the way I would like to say sorry for posting so late today. I have had a very long couple of days with pain and a new developing cold. Yes it does get cold in Hawaii in the winter. We don't get any really low tempatures but the chilly air and the heat going back and forth does tend to get people sick. Sad but true. So here is a long chappy for you all. I hope you enjoy! Thank you for all of the amazing reviews and to everyone who is reading. I have not replied, because any time I am not in pain it is to write more of my new story Don't Look Back. Swing by and check it out. Now enough of my babbling and on with the chapter!

Chapter 10

E-POV

A kiss that was stopped before it could even start. In some ways I was grateful for the interruption. It's not that I didn't want to kiss Bella, quite the opposite actually. I would have loved to kiss her! But with the situation at hand and the way things are right now, I would just have to wait for the right time. I still did not know how she felt about me or how she felt about me being a single father. I would hate to kiss her only to find out later that she regretted it or that she wasn't okay with my child. That could make things awkward and we didn't need that seeing as we were going to be in close quarters for the next however many years.

When I heard Bella's sharp intake of air I knew she would have seen our kiss as a mistake. His booming voice and question took not only me off guard, but it seems Bella as well. Whoever this M was, he was important to Bella and I needed to pull my shit together and fast. I was only a small replacement, a novelty, a distraction from the man in her life. When she asked about Emily my heart dropped completely. She had her own child. A daughter named Emily with a man named M. At least now I know that's what I thought was a form of bonding with my Katie was only a mother bear instinct that was misplaced. I quickly moved over to my brother holding my arms out for Katie as a way to protect my heart.

Car cocked an eyebrow at me and I shook my head letting him know that now was not the time to talk about it. I felt like the world's biggest idiot. Who would want me? A single father of a little girl, granted the world's most beautiful little girl, but little girl none the less. I could hear Bella ask questions like 'was Dougie with him' 'were her mom and dad okay' 'who all was with them 'and my favorite was 'were they at the house'? When an excited Bella hung up the phone I couldn't help but feel rejected as she looked at me with a huge smile on her face. She now knew that her perfect boyfriend or whoever he might be to her was alive and well with her baby girl. I felt like I was kicked in the gut by the first woman that I had let my guard down for since Jennifer. Maybe they were both more alike than I thought? After all if this M has Bella's daughter she left her behind just like Jennifer did. Speculation is a crazy thing. Bella came to sit next to me and started to talk all about this M.

"Oh Edward I just know that you and Em are going to get along. You have so much in common."

I wanted to sneer at her. I wanted to call her out on every time she flirted with me when she already had someone. But I didn't! I sucked up my pride and swallowed the lump of hurt in my throat and tried to sound curious.

"Yeah and how is that?"

I did not mean for it to sound as rude as it came out. I was attempting to sound light hearted, but the hurt that crossed her eyes and her smile that looked apprehensive said otherwise. When her eyebrows furrowed in confusion she smiled a little before answering me.

"We'll let me see, you are both single fathers of little girls. Only my cousin Emmett is almost twenty nine."

It was so fast that I almost didn't catch it. The one word that spun the crushing hurt in my chest turning it in to hope. COUSIN. Her cousin Emmett was a twenty eight year old SINGLE father. Her cousin that she possibly thought was dead before today. I exhaled the breath I was holding that threatened to make me pass out and smiled the biggest smile I could manage just for her. Then I focused on finding out more about this Emmett. They had to be close if she was this excited to know he was alive. Assuming that Emily was his daughter I chanced letting her know that I was ease dropping on her conversation.

"Yeah? Where is Emily's mother at?"

Bella smiled brightened. Why... I am not too sure? It could have been because I ease dropped, or it could have been because I wasn't snapping at her anymore now that I knew that they were related.

"None of us know? Emmett is not her real father if you know what I mean?"

I was confused. Emmett was a father and it was not his kid? They didn't know who her mother was? The words tumbled out of my moth before I could stop them.

"How so?"

Bella took a deep breath before starting in on an explanation as to how her cousin became a father.

"Well my cousin Emmett decided to follow my dad's footsteps and became a cop in Phoenix. My Auntie Amy, my dad's sister and her husband Mark, Emmett's dad did not approve. Well Emmett was working the beat in the project area in Phoenix when he got a call about a shooting in the area. When he arrived he saw some guy running away. Em chased him down on foot a few blocks while his partner was right beside him. Em had seen the guy get rid of the weapon in a dumpster. Emmett's partner Peter Baxter chased down the guy while Emmett splintered off and went dumpster diving for the weapon. Emmett found the gun and as he was getting out he heard a noise coming from the side of the dumpster. When he went to investigate he found a box with a baby girl inside.

I was home from collage when it happened. My mother had gotten a call from dad saying that Emmett was in the hospital. I had never seen my mother move so fast. We rushed to the hospital to see my big burly bear of a cousin holding this beautiful little girl. She had tufts of light curly hair and the brightest blue almond shaped eyes you could imagine. After some tests we found out that she was a few hours old and of mixed race, not that it mattered to any of us."

Bella shrugged lightly and smiled looking as if she was far away somewhere else watching some other scene from another time. I adjusted a sleeping Katie in my arms because her body heat was making my arms sweat. After pulling Katie against my chest leaning back as Bella watched she wiped a stray tear off her cheek and continued on with her story.

"Well since Emmett found her he wanted to keep her, like a lost animal. I don't think any of us took him seriously. If you knew Emmett then you would understand why."

Bella noticed the look on my face and I assume that she felt the need to explain and defend her cousin.

"Em is a joker and prankster. I thought he was kidding until I saw him look into the eyes of that baby girl and all of my assumptions went out of the window. That little girl had my bear of a cousin wrapped around her little finger the moment he laid eyes on her."

Her smile was radiant and wistful. The way she spoke of her cousin and the love he had for the abandoned baby warmed my heart. I wanted to hear what happened next. Most hospitals would call DSS to come and take the baby. I wonder how Emmett was able to adopt the girl so quickly.

"So how was he able to take her home without DSS getting involved?"

Bella was quick to answer that question curbing my curiosity and continued on without leaving me to make any more comments or to ask any more questions.

"Oh DSS did get involved, but because Emmett's dad was a well-known lawyer in town he was able to leave the baby at the hospital while he did everything he needed to for her. Emmett asked his dad for help for the first time ever. They had not spoken since Emmett decided to become a cop over attending Harvard and becoming a lawyer like his dad. Emily bridged the gap. Auntie Amy always wanted grandkids and here Emmett was with a brand new baby girl that he wanted to keep. I think that Auntie Amy made Uncle Mark help Emmett, although no one ever said so. Uncle Mark pulled as many strings as he could and called in tons of favors that were owed to him.

Emmett already had his own house. He had mom and I decorate and pick up everything he would need for Emily while he dealt with the legal system. A month later the judge who was a golfing buddy of my Uncles signed the documents stating that Emmett was now a proud father of the bouncing baby girl Emily McCarty. My mom and I would watch her when Emmett worked and when I went back to MIT mom traded off with Auntie Amy. Even my cousin Dougie would watch her when he wasn't doing homework. Dougie was seventeen at the time and did not do dirty diapers!"

Bella chuckled at the end shaking her head and I could not wait to meet her family! Rose called to Bella a moment later asking where the next stop for gas would be. Our luck had run out and now if we didn't stop for gas we would end up stuck on the side of the road with those things waiting for their next meal. Bella told Rose to check the signs on the highway for the next gas station and soon enough Rose was pulling into an abandoned gas station. The building was a taupe color with a faded white trim that was peeling. Only a door and two small windows could be seen. The graying shade of the building made it look depressing instead of what I assumed should look clean and inviting. The white wood and glass of the door helped only a little seeing as we could not see anything or anyone inside.

Everyone loaded up the weapons and kept an eye peeled for any signs of zombies. Rose shut off the engine and opened the doors as Ben and Jasper got out. Rose pushed a credit card that Carlisle handed her seeing as we couldn't get the pump to work any other way. While Jasper pumped the gas into the empty tank and waited for it to fill Alice, Ben, Bella and I went into the empty store to look for any food that would feed us until we reached the house in Forks.

That was where we found a little girl named Sybil. She was wearing dirty dark blue jean shorts, a stained yellow top with a big pink flower on the front and what Alice called 'Jellies' that were sparkly and pink. She was cowering in the corner of the candy isle and wouldn't say more than her own name and that her mommy was scary and she was nine years old. If I had to take a guess without any tests, I would say that she was in shock and extremely lucky to be alive!

Another child came out of the bathroom not even a minute later and we found out that she was thirteen years old and Sybil's older sister. I used the word older loosely. Maria was mentally slower than what would be considered normal. I could tell by her speech patterns and the words she used. Maria was wearing a dirty pair of purple shoes 'jellies', a purple top with a blue flower like her sister and jean shorts. She also told Bella and Alice that Sybil was the 'smartest girl in the world cuz she told Maria that they had to hide from the mean people and that they had to play the quiet game.'

From the stories that she told it seems that Sybil told her that everyone in town was angry and hurting people and they had to run and hide also keeping quiet. Then she talked about rainbows, and horses and how the fairies would come and save them. Then she said that Sybil was right because one of them saved them as she stroked her sister's matted down brown hair. I think she was talking about Alice. If anything I believe that Sybil saved her sister a fate worse than death.

Alice and Bella took the girls to the bus and made sure that they would be alright. After Ben and I packed some plastic bags with the only real food that the store had left of chips, trail mix, soda, water, and a bunch of hot pockets. I also packed a bag of chocolate and the left over ice cream that the girls had yet to eat. Esme had been craving it and we didn't have access before and who knew if we would ever again? After taking another look around we left the store and we boarded the now filled up bus and left for Forks once again. When I took my usual seat after Esme handed over Katie, Maria came and sat on the other side of me and started talking to my baby girl.

"Hi baby, I'm Maria Nicole DeHafran. My sister is sitting by the fairy who found us. Her name is Sybil Kaleen DeHafran. She's nine and I'm thirteen so I'm older than her. What is your name pretty baby?"

Maria cooed to my daughter as Katie looked at Maria with large eyes taking in the new face. She kept a cautious distance from Katie and it made me wonder why? I looked to the pretty brunette and answered her question seeing as Katie wouldn't be able to any time soon.

"Her name is Kathryn Hope Cullen, but I call her Katie and she is four months old. I am her daddy and my name is Edward."

Maria seemed to be debating with herself about something as her brow furrowed and her face scrunched up. Then she peeked at me before launching into one of her stories.

"My mommy and daddy said I should never touch a baby. Mommy said that I would hurt the baby, but I never hurt the baby. Miss Sophia watched lots of babies and she let me touch them. Never hold them, feed them, or change them. I held their hands and tickled there feet and kissed there head and they never got broken. Could I kiss the baby or tickle her feet or hold her hand? I promise not to hold her or change her or feed her. I won't break your baby."

She was such a sweet girl with childlike innocence. I could not imagine anyone not liking Maria. So I told her she could do the same things as Miss Sophia said, but not all the time. Just when I was holding Katie. That seemed to be okay with her as long as she could hold her hand she seemed happy. Then out of the blue she asked what would be a normal question for anyone else.

"If you're Katie's daddy then where is Katie's mommy?"

I took a large gulp of air trying to come up with an answer that would have her not ask me any more of these types of questions any time soon. Just as I was about to answer her she butted in and finished her thought nodding her head of approval.

"I bet she's in heaven like my mommy and daddy. The mean people made them go to heaven, I know, Sybil told me."

So I said the only thing to come to mind neither confirming nor denying her opinion.

"Katie doesn't have a mommy Maria. She just has me and her Uncle Carlisle, Aunt Esme and Cousin Christian. We are her family and we all love her so much that…"

I trailed off as two people spoke at once Bella and Sybil.

"Maria, don't ask too many questions remember? Momma said that we need to be respectful of people's privacy."

"Katie has me and Riley too Maria, she has all of us. We all make up her family now."

It was the most I had heard the little girl Sybil speak since we found the girls, and Maria ducked her head being properly chastised by her younger sister. Bella's word brought a smile to the young girl's face and her eyes lit up like she won the lottery. I caught Bella looking at me and it warmed my heart at the smile she gave me. Maria gently put her finger in Katie's hand and cooed at Katie while stroking her fingers.

"Miss Bella is you're family too, she said we all were. So that means that I'm your family now too and my sister Sybil is too. I wonder who I am."

"What do you mean Maria?"

"Well am I her sister, or her cousin, or Ohhhhhhhh! Since she doesn't have a mom can I be her mom?"

As gently as I could I let Maria down for her wanted role of Katie's mother, but I could tell her she could be a cousin.

"How about you are her newest cousin along with Sybil?"

Maria seemed okay with that after getting a stern look from her sister and a few words about how kids can't be mothers. I chuckled under my breath at how Sybil handled Maria; she did so in a way that didn't hurt Maria's feelings only summing up the logical. It was so easy to see how mature Sybil was in regards to her sister. She acted more like the older sibling instead of the younger. I remember in high school and how my brother convinced me to volunteer at the elementary school since I had the last two hours as free periods. It would look good on my collage applications. I worked with what they called the 'special kids' only I never had any direct contact with any of them. I mainly made copies of work sheets and cut up patterns for future use. However I do remember Linda the lady in charge training a new helper named Chandler and how she said you had to watch everything you said to the kids. Their feelings could get hurt by something anyone else wouldn't think twice about.

As Maria slipped in to a peaceful slumber next to me I felt a bit better. She seemed awfully tired and wound up wanting to play with Katie and hold my attention. The moon rose up in the sky and the sun had set hours earlier. Rose pulled over a half hour later to trade places with Jake. We had all eaten the warm hot pockets that were still cold in the center. Esme was led by Carlisle to the back room that held small beds among a few of the children. She had eaten the ice cream faster than it could melt. As we neared the town of Forks and Bella gave Jake directions I grew nervous. What if it was just like everywhere else in the world? I worried so much I started to feel sick. I gently laid Katie down in the seat next to me. I really wished I had her car seat. The others didn't have a chance in hell carrying it from the ship. There was too much extra baggage.

As we came to the town of Port Angles Bella nudged me in the arm knocking me out of my worry filled stupor. A few other cars were on the road here. A lot of businesses were boarded up and Jake was able to pull into a gas station and fill up like he could anywhere in the world before zombies attacked. It seemed that this part of Washington had yet to be touched by the growing number of corpses taking over the planet. I handed him my credit card and he pushed it away smirking and saying that this one was on him. Bella watched everyone around the bus and how people seemed in a great hurry. I guess it would only be a matter of time before Zombies reached here too?

I figured I would find out any news while people were still here, I guessed that while Jake was filling the tank I could make myself useful and find out if any outbreaks had happened here yet? So after informing Car and Jake I headed in the store while Bella watched Katie for me. An old woman with long grey hair and a present top and hippy looking skirt was behind the counter.

"Will the gas be it?"

The old woman looked me up and down and not in the way I was used to. She looked at me like I was hiding something.

"I think he is paying at the pump. Can I ask you a question ma'am?"

She blew out a breath before lighting incense that smelled overpowering like jasmine and musky vanilla. After blowing the flame out, she put the stick with thick purple smoke billowing upward in a long wooden plank of flat wood. Then she toyed with the crystal around her neck and eyed me once again before speaking.

"Sure, what would you like to know son?"

I wasn't sure if I was shaking or not, I was trying not to cough because of the stink in the air or if I was waiting for a zombie to jump out. I was just waiting for something to happen, because frankly I hadn't had any kind of regular human interaction like this in almost a month. Shaking my head to clear it I asked her the only question running through my head since he pulled into this small town.

"Have there been any attacks around here yet?"

The woman scoffed and leaned on the counter in front of her and fiddled with the lighter display in front of her. Then she shook her head and opened her eyes real wide giving me a head nod to come closer to her. She looked both ways before speaking.

"Oh those things on the news? Nah. I think those things are just rubbish. The government is just trying to scare us into thinking that people are dying and trying to eat other people. I tell ya if the government wanted the people to be scared they should just tell them about the abductions! I was abducted back in nineteen seventy and I would have known what to expect if the government would have told its people all about that crash in Roswell New Mexico! I tell you what, my days as a free spirit and an advocate for human…."

Honestly I zoned out after a minute. How could this woman not believe in these things? They were in Seattle and most likely on their way here! I am sure this woman was abducted, but not by aliens! I half expected her to start making a hat out of aluminum foil. She had to have taken the brown acid at Woodstock. She was crazier than some of the people I checked out for the psych ward in Hayward. I tried to tell her that it wasn't a government conspiracy, but all that managed to do was get me kicked out of her store. So I guess we were on our own when it came to the news? I walked back to the bus dejected after not learning anything new. However I still kept a watchful eye for anything moving around me on the twenty foot walk from the store to the bus. I should have not bothered and just stayed in my seat! After settling into the bus Bella looked at me in amusement.

"I take it you talked to flower child and she kicked you out of her store?"

I eyed Bella with a speculative look. Did she follow me? How in the hell did she know?

"How did you know?"

Bella smirked at me and raised her eyebrows in a challenging way.

"Edward she is the local nut case. Her family opened the store and she runs it. She's harmless, but completely convinced those aliens are coming to rule the planet and the government gave some sort of permission to do so. The only reason why she has any customers at all is because she has one of the only gas stations around here that sells diesel. The truckers at the saw mill need to fuel up somewhere."

Bella gave a shrug and rolled her eyes at the old woman's logic. The stress of not knowing what was coming next was getting to me and so I asked Bella to distract me from my thoughts.

"I sometimes dream in black and white, and most of the time a giant Twinkie is chasing me and I'm naked."

Bella said in a matter fact tone. I laughed and I could see her smiling at me when I wiped the tears out of my eyes. Then her face became serious.

"You know earlier when Maria asked about Katie's mom?"

I took a deep breath and looked at Bella full in the face and hoped that this wasn't going where I thought it was.

"Yea."

Bella looked around at all of the sleeping people and fidgeted with her fingers and lowered her voice.

"Will you tell me about her and what happened? I know that I have no right to ask…"

I cut Bella off with a condition of my own. If she wanted to know something about my life I would tell her, but she had to give something in return.

"I'll tell you Bella, but you have to tell me something in return."

Before I could tell her what I wanted to know she agreed.

"Okay."