First of all, I want to apologize for there only being one chapter last weekend. A very nasty head cold decided to come and visit and ruin all my plans for the weekend and the week. I'm just now getting over it. But I will absolutely have two chapters for all of you lovely readers next weekend.

Secondly, Charlie's Lullaby isn't a song you can find. I wrote it for the little man. And oddly enough, writing that was the easiest part of the chapter. LOL Guess I'm still just a poet at heart.

Third! I'm so excited about this chapter because it moves us a little forward in time. It's now November, Charlie's about four months old, the holidays are right around the corner (and we know how the Cullens like to do the holidays up right), and Bella is finally starting to come back to the LLC Bella that we all love and have missed. And that Edward has missed most of all. So I really hope you all enjoy this chapter!

DISCLAIMER: The characters do not belong to me…they are all the creation of the wonderful Stephenie Meyer. All are human.

Visiting Daddy

Bella's POV

It was a perfect Friday. The sun was shining, and the temperature was fairly warm for a November day. And Charlie was in a great mood after having a good, long nap.

I'd decided it was time for me to finally venture outside of the house on my own and to show Charlie what his daddy did all day. And I knew it would be an easy day of teaching for Edward with Thanksgiving break so close.

I packed a bag for Charlie, making sure I had all of his essentials. I had probably over-packed it, but I doubted you could every really be over-prepared for a baby. I set the bag on my shoulder and then lifted Charlie out of his playpen. He was dressed and ready to go in his little overalls and jacket, with the baby baseball cap Emmett had gotten him. It was dark blue with a big gold "C" on the front of it. I only put it on him because of the chilly wind. Otherwise, I never would have covered up his bronze hair. It was really starting to come in now and it was going to be exactly like Edward's.

I locked up the house and made my way over to my own Volvo; mine was a sleek black. Edward had bought it for me a few days after we found out I was pregnant. I got the backdoor open, smiling happily when I saw Edward had already setup Charlie's car-seat for me. Edward had insisted on buying one for each car so we would never have to worry about forgetting the seat in the other car. This was one time I was glad I had given into his dazzling powers.

I carefully set Charlie in his seat, being careful of his head and neck. Once I was sure he was comfortable, I strapped him in. I tested the entire seat and then all of the straps, making sure he was perfectly safe and secure. I tucked his blue blanket around his little legs to make sure he wouldn't get cold while the car warmed up, gave a quick kiss to his little forehead, and then got my own self settled behind the wheel.

I made it to the college in thirty minutes, having timed my arrival to be near the end of Edward's last class before his lunch break. It normally would have taken me less time to get here, but I drove just under the speed limit since I couldn't keep from glancing into the rearview mirror to check on Charlie every two seconds. I chuckled at myself, knowing Edward would be laughing his head off if he saw me right now.

Charlie was awake, alert, and making small noises when I opened the back door. I was happy he was in such a good mood, knowing it was going to make Edward's surprise all the better. My little man was normally a very happy baby, but if he was hungry or hadn't got enough sleep during his nap, he was a total bear, reminding me so much of his uncle at those times.

I started unhooking the many safety straps as I talked to Charlie. "Ready to go see Daddy? Look at that smile! Of course you are," I laughed. "You love your daddy."

I lifted Charlie out of his seat and cradled him against my shoulder. Carefully, I slid out of the backseat with him and his diaper bag, pushing the door closed with my shoulder. I managed to settle the bag on my opposite shoulder without jostling Charlie too much—being a mother seemed to mean being a part-time juggler as well. I was just glad I could do it without being clumsy about it. Now that I had my balance back, I hardly ever stumbled around any more.

I walked across the campus, heading for the music building where Edward's classroom was located. I'd been there enough times, I could probably make it there blindfolded if I needed to. I was so excited to actually be doing this, to be well enough to do this.

As I approached the building, I got lucky with the big, heavy doors. A group of students was coming out and held them open for me, all the while telling me how cute my baby was. I smiled, knowing they were right. Charlie was a beautiful baby; not surprising since he looked so much like his father.

Edward's classroom was really more like an auditorium. There was this door at the bottom front of the room and one at the top of the rows of seating. I peeped through the little window on the door and found Edward looking up, speaking to his students with his back to the door. I opened it quietly and stepped in. A few of the girls started smiling and I lifted a finger to my lips, not wanting Edward to know we were here yet. I stood in the corner, watching my husband share his passion for classical music with these young minds.

"Earlier composers wrote because of their love for music, not fame or glory. It is one of the many reasons why their music has populated over the ages; the passion dictated throughout the composition is rarely found in today's society. They weren't searching for record contracts and big money like many of today's artists. Although, a few in that time were hoping to win the favor of the English royalty. These men still needed to eat and—"

Charlie cooed loudly, stopping Edward mid-sentence. All of the girls awed at the sounds our son was making.

Edward turned, showing off a big goofy smile. "It's my lucky Friday. I have two very special visitors today," he announced, as he quickly walked over to me.

I passed Charlie to him, thrilled he was happy to see us. Edward kissed my cheek, and turned back toward his students with Charlie nestled in the crook of his arm. I moved up beside them and took Charlie's hat off so he would be able to see around the room better.

"This very special little man is Charlie." Edward wrapped his free arm around my waist. "And this is my beautiful wife, Bella."

"He's so cute!" a blonde girl squealed. "How old is he?" I noticed how her eyes were only trained on Edward and our baby.

"He's three months old," I replied, looking around to see how many other students might be entranced with my husband.

"He looks just like you, Professor Cullen," a brown-haired boy commented.

"It's just the hair," Edward said, smoothing down Charlie's hair. "Other than that, he looks like my wife."

I chuckled, leaning my head against Edward's shoulder. He was so blind sometimes.

I was shaking my head slightly at Edward's comment when I noticed a few of the female students glaring at me. They were probably very unhappy to learn Edward was married with a baby. I'm sure they had only taken this class in hopes of finding out more about the handsome Professor Cullen.

"You look too young and too hot to be somebody's mother," a blonde haired boy told me.

I looked up at Edward, smiling at the way he was glaring at his student, and put my hand over his arm to calm him down. It seemed I wasn't the only one getting a little jealous around his students.

"Well, that may be, but I assure you, I am this little man's mommy," I said, taking Charlie's hand into mine.

Edward turned, passing Charlie to me, and whispered in my ear. "Go sit in my chair for a minute. I'll end the class and then we can get some lunch."

I smiled at him and did as he said. I settled Charlie into my lap and we watched as Edward talked to his students.

"It's Friday and I'm feeling rather generous, so class is dismissed. Go ahead and start your weekend early or head off to your next class. I'll see you all again on Monday. Remember that it will be our final class before the break, and your last chance to turn in your term paper. Finals are not too far off and some of you need this extra grade."

Edward walked over to us, smiling goofily once again.

"Professor Cullen," the blonde girl from earlier called out.

Edward's face fell slightly, but he quickly recovered. He turned and addressed his student. "Yes, Jennifer?"

"I was wondering if you could explain exactly what the paper should be about," she said, batting her lashes.

I chuckled softly and shook my head. Edward would never fall for that. I knew for a fact that he hated when a girl batted her lashes at him.

Edward looked like he wanted to scream at the girl, but he kept his voice fairly even as he spoke to her. "It's a twelve page paper and you haven't started it yet. How exactly do you plan to pass this class?"

I whispered into Charlie's ear. "Look at your daddy swat away that fly. And he does it so nicely, too. Mommy probably would have said some naughty words. That's what makes your daddy a gentleman." I looked up to see Edward smiling down at me.

"What were you telling him?" he asked, kneeling in front of Charlie and me.

"Nothing much."

"I assume you were telling him something about me with the way his little arms and legs are pumping. And that smile on his face is a dead giveaway that you said the word 'daddy' at some point," Edward said, with an amused look on his face.

"It was a private conversation between a mother and her son," I teased. "Nothing to worry your pretty little head over."

"I doubt that's true," he laughed. He stood up and held his hand out to me. "But I'm starving so I'll let it go for now. Do you have a preference for where we eat?"

"Nope," I said, letting him help me up. "I just wanted us to have lunch together."

"Thank for you coming to see me, Bella. You've really made my day."

"It was all Charlie's idea," I said, handing Edward our son. I loved the way Edward and Charlie's faces both lit up every time Edward held him.

"Well, then …" Edward said, kissing Charlie's forehead "… thank you for wanting to come see your old man, Charlie. Daddy appreciates it."

"As if!" I laughed, as I put Charlie's hat back on him. "You're twenty-four years old, Edward. That's not old at all."

Edward laughed, settling Charlie on his left side, and pulling me against his right as we left the classroom and headed down the hall. "I haven't caught up on all that lost sleep yet," he joked. "Charlie's only been sleeping through the night for a week and a half."

"And you were worried our little man would be nocturnal," I said, leaning a little further into Edward's side.

"He did have me worried there for a bit," Edward chuckled.

We headed out into the teacher parking lot and Edward led me over to his car. He opened my door for me and I smiled happily. This was something I'd missed lately…Getting to enjoy the simple things Edward did for me, like opening doors.

I turned and knelt in my seat, watching Edward as he settled Charlie into the car-seat. I wanted to tell him to watch Charlie's head, but I bit my lip; Edward already knew. He'd had to take Charlie for his check-ups without me because of my stomach. It had pained me to sit up for long periods of time, so riding in a car and then waiting in a doctor's office had not been possible. But now, I hardly ever felt the pain and was feeling more like myself everyday.

Edward checked the straps, just like I had done, and gave Charlie a little kiss on the forehead. Charlie smiled and cooed some more, making me laugh.

By the time I was sitting correctly and buckling my seatbelt, Edward was already pulling out of his parking spot. "How does Panera sound?" he asked, as he turned onto the main road. He knew that an expensive restaurant was no place for Charlie, but I knew if it had been just the two of us, we would have ended up somewhere with valet parking and a three course meal.

"Excellent! I can get some of their broccoli cheddar soup," I replied, smiling at him.

"Panera it is then." Edward glanced at me quickly then looked at the road again. "What made you decide to venture out today?"

I shrugged. "It's a gorgeous day and I felt like enjoying it. And I missed you."

"Are you feeling up to it, though?"

"Yes. As long as I don't bend over too far I don't feel any pain, and even then, it's very light. Besides, with Charlie sleeping through the night now, I'm much more rested."

"Just don't rush it. His idea of sleeping through the night is only about six hours and that's not rested enough for you."

"Edward, you know I'm being very careful. I've listened to everything the doctor and you have told me to do."

He took my hand into his and kissed the back of it. "I just want to make sure you're taking care of yourself, Love."

"After what happened, I wouldn't dream of doing anything less. I'm being very careful, Edward. I plan to be with you and our son for a long time."

Edward glanced over at me and smiled, nodding his head. "I love you, Bella."

"I love you, too, Honey."

We spent the rest of the short drive enjoying the silence and the occasional noises Charlie would make. The café was busy today so Edward had me take Charlie and go find a booth. I found one with a long table top and carefully set the carseat on the table. I slid into the booth and moved Charlie so that he was against the wall of the booth and he would be able to see Edward and me easily. I took Charlie's hat off again and brushed his hair with my fingers.

I sat down and watched my little man as his eyes darted all around the area. I loved to watch him check out his surroundings—he seemed to be analyzing everything. I wondered if babies had thoughts a mind reader could pick up. I'd be interested to know what Charlie thought of Edward and me as parents. It was clear he loved Edward by the way he got all excited at the word "daddy", but so far, Charlie didn't react to "mommy". It made me a little sad, especially since I was the one he spent the majority of his time with.

"What are you thinking about, Love?" Edward asked, as he put down the tray and slid into his side of the booth.

"Nothing."

"Bella, you look ready to cry. What's wrong?"

"I don't think Charlie likes me very much," I whispered, looking down at the table.

Edward was suddenly next to me, holding me. "You're being silly, you know. Charlie not only likes you, he loves you."

"But he never smiles or gets excited for me like he does for you."

"Bella, he only does that because I'm at work five days a week. If things were reversed, you'd be the one he would get all excited for."

"Maybe."

"Are you jealous?" he asked, his voice incredulous.

"So what if I am?" I snapped.

"You want to talk reasons to be jealous? Try knowing that no matter how much I rock him, or sing to him, you are the only one who can get him to go down for the night. Or the fact that you are the only one he doesn't try to soak. Or the way he very rarely ever spits up all over you after you burp him but gets me nearly every time."

I chuckled as I hugged Edward. "Okay, so maybe he likes us both, but in different ways."

"That sounds much more plausible," Edward laughed. He gave me a quick kiss then returned to his side of the booth.

We let that topic go and talked about plans for the weekend instead while Charlie watched us, kicking his little legs every so often. We decided it was time for a family outing and Edward was going to call Emmett later and make plans to go to Emmett and Rose's house for a barbecue tomorrow. I was excited about it—Edward would have the chance to hang out with Emmett and spend the day carefree while Rose and I hung out and took care of Charlie and Lily. We could even take the kids and go walk around the mall a little. I needed to get a few items for Charlie anyway. Or maybe Alice and Jasper would come with the twins, along with Carlisle and Esme and have the whole family together for the day!

We finished our lunch and I dumped the trays while Edward got Charlie buckled into the Volvo. By the time Edward pulled up to my car, Charlie was fast asleep, and I found another great reason for two car-seats. The kind Edward had purchased had a base that stayed in the car and since the seats were the same, they were interchangeable. I took out the empty car-seat and brought it over to Edward's car while he put Charlie into mine. I locked the seat into the base and closed the door, turning to see Edward softly closing the door on my car.

He walked over to me and pressed me up against his car, kissing me passionately. When he let me up for air I saw him smiling goofily once again. "Thank you for coming to see me and bringing Charlie," he whispered, pressing his forehead against mine. "It was without a doubt the best part of my day."

"You're welcome."

"Feel free to do it again anytime you want. I rather enjoyed showing you both off to my students."

"Really? I thought I detected a little hint of jealousy earlier," I teased, pulling at the collar of his shirt.

"Maybe a little," he chuckled, kissing my cheek. "But I know I'm the only one you've got a crush on, so I'm not too concerned."

"I wonder if I should be concerned. That Jennifer girl seemed awfully interested in you. I bet she would just love it if you gave her some private tutoring lessons."

"Too bad for her," he chuckled. "There's only one woman I'll ever tutor."

"And whom might she be?"

"The beautiful goddess standing right in front of me."

"I really wish you wouldn't say things like that right now," I groaned, resting my forehead against his chest.

"Sorry," he chuckled—but we both knew he wasn't the least bit sorry for his comment.

"How many more weeks?" I mumbled, picking at a loose string on his shirt.

"One."

"Really?" I asked, jerking my head up to see his face.

"Really," he laughed, kissing my forehead. "Next Saturday."

"You have to do two things for me, then."

"Name them."

"Convince Emmett and Rosalie, or Carlisle and Esme, to baby-sit Charlie for the night and rent us a hotel room. Alice and Jasper are busy with their newborn twins, so I don't want you asking them."

"Done. But can I ask why you want me to rent a room somewhere?"

"Edward, I haven't had sex with you in almost six months. We have a lot of lost time to make up for and I seriously doubt either one of us will be quiet about it, and I wouldn't want to scare our little man…Or your parents."

Edward threw his head back and laughed, his entire body shaking from the force of it. I smiled, watching him enjoy the moment. He'd had too few days where he could be relaxed like this and just enjoy being with me.

Once he stopped laughing, he kissed me softly. "As pleasurable as this has been, my love, I have another class to teach."

"I know. I have to get Charlie home anyway. What time do you think you'll be home?"

"I shouldn't be any later than five-thirty."

"Okay. We'll see you then."

I started walking toward my car, but Edward grabbed my arm and pulled me back to him. He kissed me hard, pushing his tongue into my mouth. I swooned from the desire he put behind the kiss and my legs practically fell out from under me, making Edward chuckle as he held me up.

"What was that?" I gasped, as he helped me into my car.

"A preview of next Saturday," he said in a seductive tone.

I blinked at him, trying to wrap my mind around his words.

"Are you okay to drive home?" he asked, a sly grin on his handsome face.

I nodded my head slowly, eliciting another chuckle from him. He gave me a chaste kiss on the lips then closed my door.

I watched him walk to his car and he gave me a quick wave before getting in and driving off. I had to shake my head, trying to clear out the fog Edward had left behind with that kiss. As I checked on Charlie in the rearview mirror, I caught sight of my flushed face and started laughing softly. That had been one hell of a preview and I couldn't wait for the actual show; maybe Rose hadn't been teasing me after all.

I decided that since I was already out and about, I would drive over to Emmett's college and visit him too. We'd been talking almost every day again and things were finally starting to feel normal with him.

I parked in the lot near the football field, smiling as I heard the clashing of helmets. I could see Emmett running down the sideline, coming my way, with his whistle bouncing up and down against his chest. He was clearly yelling at someone on the field as he ran.

I pulled Charlie's seat from the base, flipping the cover down to keep the sun out of his face and made my way onto the field, careful to stay far to the sides and out of everyone's way. I set Charlie down on one of the benches and then used my hands to shield my eyes so I could watch Em and his players.

"That's it! That's it!" Emmett was yelling. "Now tackle him. Take him down!"

The person he was yelling at seemed to have listened because the two guys on this end of the field fell down in a heap.

"Good job!" Emmett said, rushing toward them. He lifted them up from the ground, patting them on their butts and sending them back up the field.

"Em!" I yelled, waving at him and actually managing to be heard over all of the other noise out here.

Emmett ran right over to me and wrapped his arms around me, lifting me off my feet and swinging me around. "Look at you out and about!"

"Put me down, you big bear," I laughed.

"Hey, I didn't hurt your stomach, did I?" he asked, looking concerned.

"No, I'm okay," I assured him. "I only hurt if I bend over too far."

"Well, then don't do that," he chuckled, pushing my shoulder lightly.

"Thank you for the news flash, big brother," I replied, rolling my eyes at him.

"God, it's good to have you smiling and being a brat," he sighed, hugging me again.

"Shut up and tell me about your team this season," I said, pulling away slightly.

"My defensive line is better than last year, but not as good as the year before. If I can ever get them to listen to me, then they might just get better. But it's like talking to a bunch of yahoos wearing earplugs."

A few of the players ran over to us and a blonde haired one smiled and winked at me—it was hard not to laugh at him. "Who's the hottie, Coach?" he asked, trying his smile once more.

"Davis, I know you aren't talking like that about my baby sister," Emmett replied, crossing his arms and making his muscles flex. I leaned into him, letting his big shoulder muffle my laughter.

The guys around the blonde haired guy starting teasing him about getting called out by Emmett and all the noise woke Charlie, making him whimper. I quickly lifted him out of his seat and bounced him in my arms, getting him to calm right down.

"Boys, say 'hello' to my nephew, Charlie. He's going to be my prize linebacker when he's old enough," Emmett chuckled, letting Charlie hang onto one of his big fingers. "You got my finger! Don't rip it off," Emmett said, pretending to be scared of Charlie. My little man let out a round of baby giggles and then tucked his face against my neck.

"Alright, that kid cannot be related to you, Coach," one of the other players said. "He's way too cute and cuddly."

"Watch your mouth, Tucker. I'll make your a—" Emmett started before I shoved my elbow into his side.

"Watch your own mouth, Em," I warned, glaring a little to show him I was serious.

"Damn, woman! Keep that bony elbow to yourself," Em cried, rubbing his side. "Besides, the little man can't understand yet."

"I don't care if you think he can understand or not. I said no cursing near my baby."

"We know who wears the pants in their family," one of the players said, getting the rest to laugh.

"Don't you boys have some laps to run for me?" Emmett asked, taking the time to stare down each of his players. The players mumbled things I couldn't quite understand and then took off running.

"You should be nice to them," I told him. "They think Charlie's a cutie," I cooed, tickling my little man's chin and getting him to giggle.

"Give me my nephew and I'll think about it," Emmett said, holding his arms out. I passed Charlie to him and immediately regretted it, wincing as Emmett tossed Charlie up and then caught him.

"I can't stand when you do that," I said, resisting the urge to take my baby back.

"Stop being a wimp. Dad used to do this with both of us when we were little, and I did it with Lily all the time," Emmett replied.

"Really?"

"Yeah," Emmett chuckled as Charlie squealed in his arms. "You loved it so much that you would run up to Dad and launch yourself at him. With as clumsy as you were, I was always shocked to see you make it to him without wiping out."

"Hey, I haven't tripped in weeks," I fussed. "Charlie's good for my balance."

"And your smile," Emmett chuckled, passing my baby to me and laughing as Charlie dove toward me. "Dive, dive, dive," he yelled, tickling Charlie's side and getting even more giggles out of my little man.

"He's going to need another nap just to recuperate from you," I said, getting Charlie settled against my shoulder.

"So what are the two of you doing out anyway?" Emmett asked as we moved over and sat down on the bench together.

I moved Charlie so that he was sitting on my knees and started to bounce him a little—one of his new favorite things to do. "We went to have lunch with Daddy," I said, talking more to Charlie than Emmett.

"Look at that smile on his face," Emmett chuckled. "Does he do that every time you mention Edward?"

"Yep. And you'd already know that if you wouldn't have spent so long avoiding me."

"And I've already apologized like four times, so take a cue from the All American Rejects and 'Move Along'," Emmett told me.

"Nope," I chuckled.

"Why not, Squirt? Don't you love your brother bear anymore?"

"Of course I love you. But I like reminding you because it 'Gives You Hell', another excellent A.A.R. song."

"Touché, baby sister."

"Look at you with a big word!"

"Alice taught me that one," he said, winking at me. "So when's Lily's next play-date with her little cousin here?" he asked, taking Charlie's hand into his own and making a goofy face at my baby.

"If you love me, it'll be next weekend. I need a babysitter for Friday night, all day Saturday, and part of Sunday morning."

"Uh oh. Sounds like somebody got cleared for some s-e-x-y time."

"I'm shocked you would say it so casually, brother bear," I chuckled. "That time you mistook a massage for the deed is still a night I laugh about from time to time."

"Yeah, well, you're a mom now, Bells. There's no denying that you know how it works."

"What else?" I pressed, nudging his arm with mine. "Charlie alone wouldn't change your tune that much."

"What can I say, Bells? I finally learned how to be happy you're happy without worrying about what got you there. But that only applies so long as whatever is making you happy isn't bad for your health. If you ever leave me alone around here, I'm so going to whip your ass when I see you again."

"I love you, too," I chuckled, leaning up and kissing his cheek. "Oh! Before I forget, Edward's going to call you later to see about arranging a barbecue for tomorrow. Think you might want to spend some time with your little sister?"

Emmett grinned and put his arm around me, pulling me into his side. "I think you and I are long overdue for spending a whole day together."

I spent a few more minutes chatting with my big brother and then I headed home with my little man. Esme met us at the door and while she changed Charlie for me, I told her all about our afternoon in the city. We talked for a bit about how I was dealing with all of my anger and grief, and then we went downstairs to fix dinner together. Charlie had a great time banging his rattle against his highchair and talking to Esme and me, although we had no idea what he was saying since it was mostly just noises. Laughing with my mother-in-law and enjoying the sight of my smiling baby, my heart felt lighter than it had in a very long time. By all accounts, it was one of the best days I'd had since giving birth and it made me hopeful that there would be plenty more to come.

Super huge thanks to George for her Beta skills, and to Lizbre and CMC for being my pre-readers!