WOAH! Y'all truly are the best readers around! Thank you to all those reading, reviewing, & reccing!

A HUGE shout out to MsEm & the admin of the Twilight FanFic Addics (TFFA) for recommending Blind Intentions on their facebook page! Go check them out, if you're not following them already! They have tons of awesome stories rec'd as well! Lots of my favorites!

I own nothing, because if I did there would be NO chess playing on a honeymoon!

When Nathan pointed, I was not expecting him to point to the mouth on the Superman doll.

"How did it get hurt, Nathan?" Dr. Banner asked without missing a beat.

"He put a strange smelling cloth over my face. I don't remember anything after that until I got wet."

Hearing Nathan talk about his time away, even just bits and pieces, was like an out-of-body experience for me as his dad. He was Nathan in the flesh, but the way his mind seemed to shift, he almost spoke too nonchalantly. His answers were straight and to the point, not at all what you'd expect to find in the stories of an average eight year old. Their imaginations are still running wild so facts generally can't be trusted.

"Are you going to come back again?" Nathan asked when Dr. Banner stood up to leave.

"Do you want me to come back?" I found this technique interesting since Nathan didn't exactly have a choice in the manner.

Nathan's forehead scrunched for a minute before nodding, "Yeah, you're cool." Then he shifted back to my eight year old son I knew before. Watching his personality shift was very unnerving, and it was just another reminder of the long road we had ahead of us.

Dr. Banner motioned for Bella and me to follow him towards the doorway, but not outside the door.

When Nathan saw we weren't actually leaving the room completely his shoulder's sagged in relief.

"Nathan seems to be handling everything well. I'm just not sure how long his internal defense mechanisms will hold, but I'm going to go back to my office and write up a plan. We'll continue to take things slow and handle each problem as we come to it. Does that sound alright?"

Bella and I both nodded.

"I'd like to come back in three days. If there are any drastic changes I want a call immediately. I need you to pay attention to his actions; anything that seems extremely out of character for him I need written down. Do you have any questions?"

I went on to explain "Jimmy," which Dr. Banner agreed was an imaginary friend formed because of his trauma. He told us to watch how much he was referenced to, and how "life like" Nathan made him seem.

He continued to emphasize that we should not push him to talk unless he prompts us to, and that it would be a good idea to let him know about the household merge sooner rather than later.

We said our goodbyes and walked back towards Nathan's bed together.

Bella looked up at me and I nodded, signaling it was time to let Nathan know about our new living arrangement.

As Bella began explaining that he would be moving into her house permanently and that I would also be there I could see Nathan get anxious. His eyes started darting around the room, his breathe seemed to quicken, and the monitor for his heart alerted me to his elevating pulse.

"I don't understand. Where will you stay?" Nathan snapped towards me. I jumped at his drastic change of body language, but I answered as calmly as I could.

"Well Buddy, your mom told me there is a guest bedroom at the end of the hallway so I'll stay there." I didn't think he needed the details behind me selling my house just yet, so I didn't elaborate.

"Where will Tanya stay?" Bella's face paled at the mention of her name while Nathan's heart rate continued to climb. It finally clicked in my head that she was why his mood had changed so drastically. He assumed if I was moving in, so was she.

"Nathan, Tanya will no longer be living with us. She won't be a part of my life anymore, which means she will no longer have to be a part of yours. You will never have to see her, ever again." I enunciated each word confidently and I could see his breathing begin to normalize. Bella had caught onto the monitor and we both watched his heart rate normalize.

The emotions on his face were unreadable until he finally asked if she did this to him.

I wanted to say no, but I knew I shouldn't lie so I simply nodded.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered to him. I lowered my lips to his forehead as a wave of guilt overtook me. This time I wasn't able to keep a tear from falling.

"Why are you crying?" Nathan yawned. He was still weak and I had been surprised he had stayed up for as long as he had already, so all I wanted to do was tuck him in. However the little voice in the back of my mind reminded me, "No lies".

"I'm just happy you're back and I'm so sorry I brought her into your life."

'Honesty, I could do honesty' I thought to myself.

He yawned again, and his eyelids became too heavy as he drifted off before our eyes.

Once Bella was satisfied that he was truly asleep she stood up and walked over towards me. I continued to sit facing Nathan with his hand on my palm. I could feel a tight squeeze on my shoulders alerting me that Bella was hugging me.

"Thank you," she whispered and I nodded.

The sensation of Bella's arms around me was different then anything I'd felt before. Even when we were dating and had shared a few kisses, I hadn't felt such a...a...overwhelming sense of calm. It wasn't a spark like electricity, but more like a wave of serenity. I finally felt like I could relax, that we'd really get through this stronger than we were before. I still felt guilt for putting us in this situation, and I wanted to go back to really attempt a real chance with Bella, but if we could just get through this intact, like a real family, I would be happy. I only hoped I had the strength to do it and that I wasn't too late.

Charlie walked in shortly thereafter and I asked him if we could get away to talk. It was time for me to man up and finally hear the answers to the questions I had.

Bella told me she'd call Alice to see if she could come sit with Nathan for a while. She needed to go home so she could shower, eat, and get a fresh change of clothes. I offered to stay behind, but she waved me off as she went to the nurse's station to borrow the patients phone.

Walking out with Charlie made me nervous. He offered to eat at the cafeteria with me, but I needed to get away too. Charlie offered to drive us up to the diner. I accepted, although I second guessed myself when I took a seat in his cruiser and spotted his gun.

I was happy to see the diner was relatively dead when we pulled up. Forks was a small town with a lot of gossip-happy women more than willing to listen in, just to share later with the rest of the town.

We took a seat in the booth furthest from the door. Nancy came up to take our orders. She was a nice enough lady who I knew had worked at the diner almost all her life. Her husband had passed a few years back and her children were older and moved away. I often wondered why she stayed, but I imagine it was the security. After a few pleasantries were exchanged I asked for a coke while Charlie ordered the salisbury steak with extra gravy.

"That is horrible for your health you know," I commented absentmindedly on his choice of food.

"So was screwing around with my daughter," he shot back. "Yet you've still seemed to live through it." The second part came out more like a grumble, but he had a point.

I half coughed, half choked over his comment.

"What do you want to know?" Charlie asked after taking a sip of the coffee Nancy had brought him.

"Everything. As much as you know, starting from the beginning."

I sat patiently with my ears open to every word he said. Charlie explained that Garrett's original confession didn't line up with our known time line of events, so when he went back to question him, getting the true confession wasn't hard. He had talked himself into so many lies as soon as Charlie pointed a few outs Garrett started talking. According to Garrett, he had been seeing Tanya for about three months, but they had been talking closer to a year. Charlie said they had the phone records to prove it, but that most of the time, Garrett resided in Alaska.

In the several months leading up to Nathan's disappearance, Garrett was flying in weekly. Charlie had pulled bank statements and found an account Tanya had opened up in her maiden name that showed charges for different restaurants, shopping, and hotels. All of which were mainly in the Seattle area. He said it appeared she never met with him during the times we would have had Nathan, but I continued to wrack my brain at how I had missed this. I knew I was busy at work, but I missed a three month long affair?.

Charlie went on to explain that from there it got a bit sketchy. There wasn't a pay off of any sort and it didn't appear that Tanya had plans to end things with Garrett. He explained that their motives were still unknown. Garrett continued to swear that once Nathan was gone he and Tanya were running away together. Charlie speculated that Tanya just wanted Nathan out of the picture so she no longer had to share my time, but since that theory didn't line up with Garrett's words it all still unknown.

Charlie's food arrived and Nancy offered to bring me something, but I waved her off. At this point I didn't feel like I could eat. My brain was still processing all of the information I had just learned. Between bites, Charlie explained Garrett's second confession to me. Apparently this had taken place after Nathan was found. This one included waiting for Tanya to bring Nathan to the bus stop and nod at him. Then he tackled him and used chloroform to silence him, drove to La Push, threw him off a cliff, and drove off, all the while planning to run away with Tanya. Needless to say, food was the least of my worries.

As Charlie took the last few bites and the haze I had been in started to dissipate, I noticed him looking at me expectantly.

Charlie cleared his throat before asking, "So I hear you're moving in together?"

"Yes, sir," I answered.

"Don't sir me, Edward," Charlie's tone had switched from a cop to a father rather drastically.

"Sorry."

"Yes, you'd better be." Charlie didn't take crap from anyone, but especially me.

I dropped my head down and sighed. I knew I had a lot to make up for at this point, but the constant reminders just continued to kick me down.

"Edward, as I told you last time, I will protect my daughter. Stop walking around like a sad boy who lost his puppy and be the father we all saw you to be when Nathan was younger. You weren't always so stuck up and self centered. Bella may have it in her heart to forgive you, but do you really want to take that chance with Nathan?"

Charlie was right and I knew it.

"I know, it's just..." Before I could get another word out Charlie slammed his mug down. I watched Nancy jump out of the corner of my eye, but Charlie put his hand up.

"Damn it, boy! I don't want to hear I know. I know you know, I also know what you've done to my daughter!" He was yelling now. "When she brought you home I knew she was in trouble. Everything about you breathed mama's boy. Then to find out I was not only right, but you continued to let your mother stomp all over my daughter for months while she was pregnant. Bella has always been independent, a product of her mother. The second you both did what you did she was gone...she's stuck in a life she deserves more out of. So don't you dare make another excuse to me Edward. Truth is, you're rather lucky I believe in following the law or that psychotic woman you call a mother would have been dead long before she had time to write that bogus letter!"

I sighed.

We settled the bill and Charlie dropped me back off at the hospital.

"Thanks for the ride," I nodded at him.

"Fix it," he barked before driving away.

My mind was so gone that when I walked through the hospitals doors I collided with my father.

"Sorry," I apologized.

"It's alright. I'm glad I ran into to you, though. Emmett and Rosalie were asking if they could see Nathan. Do you think you could talk to Bella about that?"

I nodded and we exchanged goodbyes.

When I got back up to Nathan's room Bella was sitting at his side. She was stretched out on a recliner with a book and for the first time in days, she looked almost peaceful. She smiled when I came back in and my body urged me towards her. The feelings were so foreign I shook them away and walked over to Nathan. I placed a lone kiss on his forehead before taking a seat near Bella.

Even though I practically lived at this hospital before, actually having my son here was more exhausting then a double shift. Not only was it physically draining, but also emotionally. At least while I was treating patients my mind didn't have the ability to lull and count the seconds on the clock.

"Bella?" I called out after a while had passed and Nathan hadn't stirred.

"Yeah?" She looked up from her book and I felt all of the air rush out of her lungs. She was dressed in a simple royal blue warm-up suit, her hair laid over her shoulders with absolutely no artificial beauty added, yet she looked breathtaking.

"Edward?" she called out, breaking me from my momentary loss of consciousness.

"Huh?"

"You wanted to ask me something..." She trailed off and my brain caught up to where I had left off.

"Oh yeah, I ran into my dad. He mentioned Emmett and Rosalie wanting to visit, but I needed to ask you first if that was okay?"

"Yeah that's fine." She shrugged and turned back towards her book. I could tell by her flippant response she didn't mean it, but I wasn't sure how to press forward.

"Bella, if you don't want them," I started, but she cut me off.

"I said it was fine, Edward." Bella's tone alerted me that she was now irritated.

When Bella and I first told my family, the reactions were very mixed.

My mom went off, Alice ran out of the room in tears, Emmett didn't say a word, and my father acted with indifference. All in all, not the way I had pictured the reaction of telling my family I was expecting my first child.

"Bella?"

"Yes, Edward?"

"Are you ever going to let me apologize? Like really apologize?"

"Not today. Are you still coming over tomorrow to start moving in?" she asked.

I nodded.

"Then we'll talk then."

"Okay." I wasn't sure what else to say. Part of my brain was busy putting ideas together of ways to make it up to them.

Taking them on a vacation to anywhere they wanted.

Taking Nathan to a baseball game.

Buying Nathan the new PlayStation 3 he was asking about.

However, when I mentally went over that original plan, I realized how insincere the ideas were. Bella had made it clear to me that money was not an issue and she couldn't be bought, so any idea involving money was quickly out. I made a mental note to keep thinking and maybe call Alice in for advice.

Nathan woke up a few more times that day, but never stayed awake long. He was handling the liquids and the IV nutrition so well that we decided we would let Nathan try a few simple foods; jello and a popsicle.

"Mom, really?" Nathan whined when we saw the lack of options.

"Nathan, your father already explained. Your body has to build itself back up before you can have a cheeseburger."

"I promise you, as soon as you're ready, I'll buy you your first burger," I interjected.

"Fine." Nathan rolled his eyes, while Bella hit me on the shoulder. I shrugged and she laughed. It was the first time everyone's guard seemed to be down, and it just served as a subtle reminder of what could have been.

Nathan's primary arm was still in a sling so, after refusing help, he continued getting more of the green jello on himself then in his mouth.

Bella continued to laugh, gaining her a few glares from Nathan, but all in all he ate about half of it.

"You can stop laughing now," Nathan huffed as Bella wiped his chin.

"Sorry, this just reminds me of the time your father gave you green beans for the first time. You absolutely hated them, but he was so determined for you to eat them. I think you spit most of them back at him then he ever got in your mouth."

"You still won't eat them," I added.

"You were there?" Nathan asked, astonished.

"Of course I was," I answered immediately. "Nathan, I was there for all of your firsts, except your first word. You chose to tell your mom 'dada' while I was in class, but I heard it that night."

"Oh." His face looked hurt. I realized I may have snapped at him, but I was angry. How could he question whether I was there? But then it hit me; he couldn't remember those times.

I thought I heard him mutter that I wasn't there for his first baseball game and I sighed.

I sat down next to him and looked into his eyes. "I will never miss another first again." I had hoped I conveyed the message I wanted him to hear, but I couldn't be sure.

He ended up falling asleep shortly thereafter.

Bella dipped out shortly before sunrise to grab breakfast while I stayed with Nathan. I hadn't slept much the night before, his face was on repeat and my brain wouldn't shut down.

Emmett walked through the door shortly after Nathan woke up the next morning.

"Uncle Emmett!" Nathan cheered. His response was a better reaction than I had gotten as of late.

"Where's Rosalie?" I asked.

"In the hallway with Bella, we saw her while we were walking in," he answered before walking over to Nathan.

"Nathan, I'm gonna go get your mom." He waved me off and it felt more like a dismissal.

When I rounded the corner I heard Bella hiccup, it was obvious she was crying. I could hear them talking, so instead of storming over to them to figure out what Rosalie had said to upset her, I listened.

"What am I suppose to say, Rose? I'm sorry the doctor suggested this, but I can't have you living in my house. That's selfish," Bella sobbed.

"You have to keep yourself sane, Bella. What are you most scared of?" Rosalie asked.

"Everything. I know Edward is trying to be a better father, but what do I do when he decides Nathan isn't important anymore? I mean, the first few years he was great, and then she came along and he just disappeared. The shift was slow, but what happens when that happens again? How do I explain that to Nathan?" My heart was breaking after hearing Bella confess this. Not only because she hadn't said this to me, but also because I knew she believed it.

"I'd kill him for hurting that little boy like this. And that evil mother in law of mine, I've never liked her," Rosalie sneered.

Bella scoffed, "I hate her! And I don't hate anyone!"

"Are you scared...I mean of falling for him?" Rosalie's ask, her voice barely a whisper.

I wasn't sure I was prepared to hear the answer to this question, but I stayed and continued to listen.

"What? No! I haven't thought about Edward like that in years, and I'm talking like eight years," Bella brushed off Rosalie's question quite quickly. I knew I shouldn't feel hurt by her words, but I felt like my heart had been ripped out and jumped on.

"But you've thought about it before?" Rosalie pushed.

"Sure I did. When we first met, I really liked him and our relationship was building until he brought me home. We could have been perfect; well maybe not perfect, but we could have lasted. I wanted to make it work with him and it didn't take much effort. At the time he held all the characteristics I wanted. That was until I realized who he really was." Bella didn't know how true her words were...we could have been perfect.

"But now?" Rosalie question.

"I don't even know him anymore, Rose." I was numb and decided I couldn't listen anymore.

I exaggerated my presence so they would know I was there.

"Nathan's awake." It was all I needed to say to bring Bella to her feet and running for the doors.

Rosalie lingered behind.

"I knew you were listening."

I didn't answer.

"You really fucked up."

That was all Rosalie said before she left me in the hallway.

Yet another person reminding me how fucked up I really was.

A/N~

As always, update in a week, no later than Friday

On twitter I am SammieLynnsMom, I recently had to make it private, but I will accept requests as long as I can tell you're from the fandom

Review replies this week are a teaser for Chapter 13, which may or may not be a HUGE talk between Edward & Bella ;)

Weekly Rec: A Room With A View by ShrtHappyLife I really don't understand why this story doesn't have more reviews since it's brilliant! http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net /s/6326472/1/A_Room_With_a_View

I recently wrote a one-shot for The Cherry Exchange called Breaking Faith, check it out! http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net /s/6463280/1/Breaking_Faith

Polling for Outtakes is now closed! 87 people were polled and survey says: 1. A Tanya POV on Bella & Nathan, 2. The One-Night Stand, & 3. The Break-Up Thank you to everyone who took the time to vote! If your choice wasn't top 3, don't fret. Top 3 are guarantees, but it doesn't mean I've ruled all of the choices out in the future! Please feel free to put me on author alert as these outtakes will post as it's own separate story! I don't have a date set yet, but around Christmas is a good guess :)

Submissions for my contest Baby it's Cold Outside are still open until November 30th! http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/~babyitscoldoutsidecontest

Blind Intentions is currently up for 4 Avant Garde Awards! Best Must Read, Saddest/Most Crying, Best Shock Value, & Best Kid for Nathan! Thank you to all those who nominated this story! Check out all the details at: http:/twilightfb-awards(dot)blogspot(dot)com/