Hey there! So, it's been a while since I've posted anything totally new and not Jackson Bay related. I think I've written myself into a funk by not doing anything else, so I thought, since I have a few chapters of this banked now, I might start posting and see if it kick-starts my mojo.

This one is rated M and will contain my usual—cute kiddos, a flawed love story with equally flawed characters, and a healthy dose of angst. If that's not your cup of tea, there are plenty other stories out there :)

Huge thanks to annaharding, Maplestyle, and hotteaforme for their help making my words pretty and calming me down when I start flailing.


Someone Else's Baby

Almost thirteen years after the night that changed their lives, two perfect strangers discover that they have one life-altering thing in common—they've both been raising someone else's baby.

June 19th 2008

"It was lovely to see you. A surprise, but a very welcome one."

Bella smiles as Sue steps out onto the porch to cup her face in her weathered hands. "Thank you for having us. I really needed this." Resting her hands over the bump jutting out from her midsection, Bella adds, "We needed this."

With her throaty laugh wrapping around Bella like a warm blanket, Sue moves her hands to cover Bella's. "I'm glad we could help, it's been wonderful having you here. I know things are going to get hectic soon when our little soccer player arrives. He's an active soul!"

Huffing a soft laugh through her nose, Bella nods and lightly presses against the foot tapping her palm. The first, fluttery movements had felt odd and made Bella nauseated more than anything else. Some months later, her son's kicks and rolls are her favorite part of any day. Well, except for when they stretch on long into the night. "He likes to practice around midnight," she admits wryly.

Thumping boots on the porch pull the attention of both women up to a broad grin under shaggy black hair. "Don't worry, Bells. Once the little guy is here, I'll take over coaching duties."

Jacob's large hand lands over Bella's as Sue folds and tucks hers under her chin, eyeing the two youngsters with unbridled hope and affection. She's often wondered if they'll ever turn their lifelong friendship into more. Perhaps this baby, due in just four short weeks, will bring them even closer and act as the catalyst.

"I'll be happy to hand him over to you for any and all sports-related activities," Bella agrees readily, turning her fingers over to squeeze Jacob's before dropping her hands back to her sides. "All right, let's head out, shall we? We've got a long drive."

With a flurry of hugs and kisses and see you soon's, Jacob slips a long arm around Bella's back to help her down the sometimes slippery porch steps; more than once, the moss that covers the roof of Sue's small wooden cabin has fallen into the steps and created a hazard for Bella's clumsy feet.

Just as Bella smiles up at Jacob to thank him, her left foot hitting the dirt, she feels a rippling tide of pain washing through her. "Oh." Clutching Jacob's hand hard enough to make him wince, she breathes through the contraction before realizing she's instinctively squeezed her eyes shut.

Sue's beaming grin is right in front of her face when she peels her eyes open again, Jacob wearing a knowing but nervous smile as he strokes a thumb over her hand and asks if she's okay.

"Was that…?"

"Yes, love," Sue says softly. "Why don't you come back inside for a little while, just to see what happens?"

Bella's hands tremble as she lets Jacob and Sue lead her back inside, and just a few short hours later, there's no doubting the truth.

She rises shakily from the sofa after a particularly strong contraction just a few minutes after the last, a sudden rush of liquid soaking into her jeans and dripping from the hems onto the floor.

"Oh God, it's too early for me to be in labor," she pants as Sue and Jacob once again help her, this time leading her out onto the porch, down the steps, and across the dirt driveway to the rusted red truck parked beside Sue's beat-up Rabbit.

"Plenty of babies are born perfectly healthy at thirty-six weeks, Bella love. Now keep taking those deep breaths for me." Sue strokes Bella's hair as she climbs in beside her. Jacob slams the door before rushing around to the driver's seat. "That's it, iiiin, and oooout."

Bella almost smiles at Sue's gentle coaching. "You're much better at this than Jacob."

Jacob snorts. "Yeah, yeah. That's 'cause I missed a couple of the classes."

Rolling her eyes, Bella tips her head back against the headrest, hands over her bump as she feels another contraction getting started. "Oh, God."

Sue's eyebrows are drawn in a frown as she strokes Bella's hair in long, soothing movements. "Another one? Breathe with me, love. That's it, you can do it."

While Bella's eyes are closed, Sue catches Jacob's gaze and mouths for him to step on it. It's been a long time since she delivered a baby, but not long enough that she's naïve to the process. This baby is coming fast. If they don't get to Forks Community Hospital soon, Bella's future soccer player will be arriving on the worn and torn bench of a Chevy truck older than his mother.

Jacob's lead foot gets them there in under twenty minutes. When they pull up outside the entrance and he throws the truck into the first available spot, Bella whimpers. "Couldn't we get closer? This hurts."

Chewing the inside of his cheek, Jacob brushes her sweaty hair out of her eyes. "Sorry, Bells. This was the closest I could get without just ditching the truck." Sliding out of the vehicle, he carefully pulls her over to his side, lifting her off the seat with an arm around her back and one under her legs. "How's this?"

Resting her forehead against his shoulder and clutching the fabric of his tee tight, she grits out that she's having another contraction. "Hurry, please."

Jacob smiles at her use of manners even when she's in excruciating pain, kissing her hair as Sue shuts the truck doors and rushes around to usher them toward the entrance under big neon lights.

No sooner has he carried her through the doors does an orderly run over with a wheelchair for him to deposit her into. "What's going on here?"

"I'm having a baby," Bella grunts, dark eyes snapping with annoyance as she points to the beach ball-esque bump under her shirt. "What does it look like?"

"Uh, I'm sorry, Miss, um, Ma'am."

"Do I look old enough to be a ma'am?" Bella quickly shakes her head. "Don't answer that. Oh, Christ, another one already."

Sue squeezes Bella's shoulder in comfort, aiming a motherly smile at the orderly frozen in place. "Do you think you could help us find our way, please? We're not familiar with this hospital and my daughter is about to have a baby."

"Oh! Of course!"

Bella holds on tight to the sides of her wheelchair as she's sped through corridors with Jacob and Sue hurrying along behind. When they arrive at labor and delivery and Sue starts dealing with getting her checked in, Jacob asks if she wants anything from the vending machine.

"Just ice chips, please," a sympathetic nurse calls over the desk where Sue is filling out paperwork. "Sorry, hon, it's procedure."

Shrugging, Bella asks for some ice chips and rubs soothing circles over her stomach once Jacob has left her alone.

She's not alone for long.

A minute or so later, a man in a rumpled sweater and sweatpants skids into the waiting area before slip-sliding his way over to the desk. He's tall with dark hair smashed under a ball cup and multi-colored Chucks on his feet. They look like a kid took a Sharpie to them, covered in squiggly lines and a mish-mash of shapes.

"Cheney. I'm here for Angela Cheney. She called and said—"

The nurse grins at him and laughs. "She's in room four, Edward. She was only at three centimetres but Dr. Gerandy decided to keep her in. She's waiting for you, so go on in."

Bella smiles at the relief on the father-to-be's face as he rakes a hand through his hair, heaving a big sigh. "Thanks, Michelle."

He shoots Bella a quick smile on his way past her, his eyes dipping to her belly as she winces and sucks in a breath in anticipation of another contraction. "Good luck."

Nodding, Bella manages to murmur "you, too" before the contraction steals her breath. By the time it's passed, the man has gone and Sue is ready to push her into the room where she will soon deliver her son.

oOo

"I can't do this," Bella groans, tears slipping over rosy cheeks as she shakes her head, damp hair sticking to the sides of her face. "I'm so tired, Jacob."

Jacob offers her an encouraging smile, brushing her hair out of her eyes. "You're doing an awesome job, Bells. You're amazing."

The nurse shoots him a bright, approving grin and a thumbs up before turning to Bella. "All right hon, we're going to need another big push from you. You can do this, mama."

Scrunching up her face, she summons all her waning strength and surges forward, gripping Jacob's hand as tight as she can as she follows the nurse's instructions, bearing down and giving it her all.

For the next thirty minutes, she alternates between pleading for it to be over and pushing so hard she can't breathe enough to speak. Then, just when Bella thinks her body is going to give up, she feels it. A harsh burning sensation followed by something wet against her leg and the raspy wail of a baby.

Her baby.

"You did it, Bells," Jacob cheers, his voice raspy, pressing a hard kiss against her forehead. "He's here."

"He's here," Bella laughs tearfully, her entire body a mess of emotion and energy as the nurse holds the squirming, gunky newborn over her deflated bump. "Ten fingers and ten toes. Would you like to cut the cord, Dad?"

Jacob blanches as another laugh escapes Bella's lips. She nudges him toward the surgical scissors another nurse holds out, and he offers her a shaky grin when he cuts through the spongy umbilical cord. "That's so gross," Jacob chuckles.

Bella would normally tell him off for calling anything about this 'so gross,' but she's too enamored of her baby, her son. The nurse gently places him on her chest, tucking a towel around him and rubbing his back to coax lusty cries from him. Automatically moving to cradle his body against her, Bella stares at him, seeing past his blood-streaked hair and bright red face. She doesn't see the mess or register the nurse handling the placenta. She barely hears the nurse promise to put an ID bracelet on him in the nursery because she forgot to bring one with her before.

All she sees, all she cares about, is her beautiful baby boy.

oOo

"He's gorgeous, Bella love," Sue gushes as she hurries into the room with a cardboard tray of coffees and a paper bag from the cafeteria downstairs, Jacob not far behind her with Bella's bag from the truck.

Smiling tiredly, Bella shifts to sit more upright, thankful for the painkillers the nurse brought her. For now at least, she's comfortable and free of pain. "Isn't he?" Her eyes dance over to the door the nurse carried her son out of a short while ago. "I miss him."

Sue's black eyes soften. Squeezing Bella's hands, she murmurs, "Of course you do. He'll be back before you know it."

Plonking himself down on the end of her bed, Jacob grins. "So. Do we get to hear the little guy's name now?"

Bella's smile widens. "Please can you grab my purse?"

"Uh, sure?"

Once she has her purse in her lap, Bella heads right to the zip-up pocket on the inside. "I got this from Sarah the other day. She had a stall on the rez and I just thought...well, I thought this was adorable. She embroidered his name into the hem for me."

Both Sue and Jacob agree that the tiny, multi-colored hat is adorable. The earthy tones and thick knit remind Jacob of the hat he keeps tucked in the glove box of his truck, which makes sense considering it was his aunt that made both.

"All right, dear, put us out of our misery," Sue teases lightly, nudging Bella's leg.

Suddenly nervous that the two most important people in her life—well, up until around an hour ago, anyway—won't like the name she's picked out, Bella strokes her thumbs over the embroidery, testing it out in her head before lifting her gaze to Sue. She's like a mother to her, has been a mother to her for more than half her life. Bella desperately hopes she'll like the name of the little boy who'll call her 'Nana.'

Chewing her lip, Bella turns the small hat over and over in her hands before breathing her son's name like a hopeful prayer. "Milo Dakota."

Jacob's eyebrows lift as his mouth curves into a smile. Meanwhile, Sue's expression remains carefully blank for a few long, heart-in-mouth seconds. Bella swallows hard. "Do you...is that okay?"

"Sweet girl…" Sue murmurs, reaching up to cup Bella's face. For all intents and purposes, this sweet young woman is her daughter. She couldn't be more proud of the courageous girl she claimed as her own thirteen years ago. To have Bella use her long-ago lost daughter's name as her newborn son's second… "It's a beautiful name."

Relieved, Bella's breath gusts out of her in a flood. "I'm glad you like it."

A few minutes later, when one of the day nurses carries baby Milo to his mama for his first attempt at breastfeeding, Jacob's smile turns mischievous. "Bella, sweetums…" he starts, instantly the recipient of Sue's raised eyebrows and a curious but distracted glance from Bella as the nurse shows her how to help Milo latch onto her breast. As she coaxes him to open his mouth, she wonders at how different he looks now he's been cleaned up and dressed in a simple white sleepsuit. The redness of his skin has faded, his now-clean hair more of an auburn than the brown Bella initially thought it to be.

"I hate to bring this up right now, but...are you sure this is my kid? He doesn't even look like me."

The nurse gasps, one hand flying to her mouth while the other covers Milo's head like she can cover his ears. "Oh, my…"

Snorting, Bella shakes her head and lightly grasps the nurse's arm. When she looks down at her, blue eyes wide, Bella smiles, then turns her gaze to her Cheshire-cat-grinning friend. "That's because he's not yours, Jacob Black. Stop being a jackass."

"You wound me, Bells," Jacob exclaims, splaying a large hand over his chest.

"Yeah, yeah." Sue shakes her head and offers the confused nurse a long-suffering smile. "These two have been winding each other up for as long as they've known each other. Ignore them, really."

"Uh, okay…"

Jacob's rich laughter fills the room as he sprawls over the worn couch under the window, wide grin in place and dark eyes crinkled with humor, and that's when they hear it. The muffled cheer of a new father celebrating down the hall.

...a couple of hours earlier

"I know what I said, Mom, but I can't come out when Angie is so close to her due date."

"Tell you what, we'll come out to you. We said we would try to come out when the baby was due, didn't we?"

"Actually, yes," Edward chuckles, tucking the phone between his ear and shoulder so he can fix himself a sandwich. After staying late at the parent-teacher conference last night, he left himself time to sleep in this morning. So far, he's managed to mark off a few things that have been on his to-do list for a while and go for the run he's been promising Maggie all week.

As his mom yammers away in his ear, Edward carries his sandwich out onto the back porch, remembering to grab a carrot from the refrigerator on the way past. As soon as he sets his plate on the top of the porch railing, a shiny black nose is stretching toward it, two dainty paws resting against the wood.

"Down, Mags," he murmurs with a soft chuckle, tossing the carrot to his greedy labrador. Her black tail wags faster as she scoops it off the grass and carries it to her kennel.

"Does Friday work for you?"

"Any day works for me, Mom. I'm on vacation."

As Esme picks up where she left off, her focus floating between her son and her husband as they make travel plans, Edward takes a bite of his lunch and gazes out at the woods, his mind drifting to work.

He wasn't lying when he said that he's on vacation—but he didn't mention the work he still has to do. He still has to pack up his classroom, deliver any work his students left behind to their parents, and start stocking up on supplies ready for September.

And prepare for my new addition, Edward thinks to himself with a familiar rush of excitement and nerves as his eyes wander over to his workshop. The crib he's been working on needs one more lick of varnish, then it's done. It's the finishing touch to the nursery upstairs awaiting its occupant. The walls are a soft, mossy green, the ceiling a deep midnight blue with silver mixed into the paint, and a soft brown rug covers most of the dark hardwood. Opting for earthy tones that represent the forest around their house, Edward is glad it'll work for a boy or a girl; he and Angela are holding off on finding out the gender. This baby was so carefully planned, they decided at least this would be a nice surprise.

It hasn't stopped his friends and family from begging them to find out, though.

Like she knows he's thinking about it, Esme's train of thought shifts.

"And I suppose we still don't know if we're getting a Carlisle or Esme Junior," she teases, Edward picturing her with mischief in the green eyes she passed down to him.

He chuckles as his phone pings, lowering it and swiping the caller screen away so he can read the text while still on the call. "We're not finding out until the birth, Mom…" he trails off, dropping his sandwich over the railing. It hits the grass with a quiet thwack, Maggie loping over to snaffle it as he drops back onto the porch swing.

"Are you still there? I think he's cut us off, Carl"

"I'm here, I'm here," Edward mumbles, running his free hand through his hair. "And it looks like you're going to find out whether the baby is a boy or girl sooner rather than later. Angela just went into labor."

The last things he registers before pre-parental panic starts to set in are his mom's squeal and the fact that his car is still in the shop, so he'll have to either walk to the hospital or take a chance on his brother or sister-in-law being at home across the street.

oOo

"Good luck, bro!" Emmett yells as Edward stumbles out of the car underneath the Forks Community Hospital sign. "I'll be back to keep you company once Rose gets home."

"All right, thanks, Em."

"Bye, Uncle Edward!"

Twisting to shoot his nieces and nephew—Daisy, Lily, Henry, and Vera—a distracted grin, Edward waves. "See you later. I'll send you a picture of your new cousin later, okay?"

"Okay!" They wave madly as he turns, running into the hospital. He doesn't need to wait for somebody to show him the way, having grown up in this small town and spent numerous afternoons here visiting his dad when he was the chief of obstetrics. He and his mom have since moved to her hometown, Chicago, but Edward remained. He likes the smalltown vibe, the woods that surround him, and he loves his job. The kids that attend Forks Kindergarten are the closest thing to his own kids he ever thought he'd have. After a string of failed relationships and even worse dates, he'd resigned himself to being just the fun uncle.

Then Angela came along.

Skidding into labor and delivery, he pants Angela's name, then realizes he didn't need to when he recognizes the nurse behind the desk. "She's in room four, Edward. She's still only at three centimetres but Dr. Gerandy decided to keep her in. She's waiting for you, so go on in."

Michelle has worked here since before Edward's parents left for a bigger city, a busier lifestyle. She often brought baked goods in on the days she knew he'd be sitting in Carlisle's office waiting for a ride home after school. Her crows feet deepen as she points him toward room four.

As he speedwalks past the cluster of chairs in the waiting area, Edward spots an expectant mother hunched alone in a wheelchair. She's a petite thing, her bump almost dwarfing her. She looks nervous, so he flashes her a friendly grin, belatedly noticing that she's really very pretty with her doe eyes and a soft smile. "Good luck."

She barely manages to stammer "you too" before what he guesses is a contraction takes over her. If it weren't for the fact that he can hear Angela's gritty cries coming from the next door on the left, he might have stopped to comfort her.

As it is, he spares her one more quick glance before ducking into room four, just in time to see the woman at the nurse's station step toward her.

"There you are!"

Dr. Gerandy gives Edward a smile as she snaps a glove off her hand, tossing it in the trash. "It's go time. How are you feeling?"

Edward shrugs, rushing to Angela's side. She's smiling, a light sheen of sweat over her forehead as he wraps his hands around hers over the blanket. "I'm fine. How are you?"

"I'm good," she promises. "Dr. Gerandy just checked me. We're at five centimeters."

Five centimeters.

"Halfway…" Edward breathes, shaking his head.

Dr. Gerandy laughs lightly. "It doesn't work exactly like that, but in theory, yes." Turning her gaze to Angela, she promises to come back in a little while to check on her progress. They're short on nursing staff today, but she tells Angela and Edward to ring the bell if they need any assistance.

Sinking into the chair beside Angela as the doctor lets herself out, Edward offers Angela a shaky smile. "I can't believe it's happening."

"Well, believe it, Daddy," she laughs, resting her hands on top of her bump. "This little one is ready to meet his or her dad, and I'm ready to get back into my favorite pants."

Snorting, Edward squeezes her hand before letting go. "I bet. Not long now."

Then all thoughts of pre-pregnancy pants evaporate as her eyes widen and she reaches for his hand again, twisting their fingers together as he coaches her through a contraction.

oOo

"That's it, Angie, you're doing so wonderfully," Edward says, Angela's grip on his fingers tightening and his eyes on the doctor crouched at the foot of the bed between her legs.

For both their sakes, there's a sheet draped up over her knees so only the medical staff can see anything going on down there.

Edward feels sweat beading on his forehead as the doctor tells her it's almost time to go again.

"Put your chin on your chest and bear down hard," Dr. Gerandy suggests gently, smiling when Ben steps back into the room and rounds the bed to drape the cool, damp cloth over Angela's forehead.

"Better, love?"

"Much, thank you," Angela whispers, leaning into his touch as he presses a kiss on her forehead.

Edward feels a pang in his chest. He's given up on finding it, but there's still a part of him that wants that—that easy affection between husband and wife.

Ben's eyes find his over Angela's head, a little nervous but still friendly. "Are you ready?"

Nodding, Edward feels his grin returning. "Yeah."

"Good, because this would suck otherwise," Angela grits out through her teeth, following Dr. Gerandy's suggestion and tucking her chin into her chest as she pushes through another contraction. When the doctor tells her to take a break for a few seconds, her dark eyes find Edward's, a hint of amusement in her murmured, "We already have four kids, our poor house couldn't take another."

Chuckling, Ben and Edward resume their supportive hand-holding roles as Angela rides out three more contractions. By the fourth, the baby's head is out.

If things were different, if Angela were his wife and not Ben's, Edward thinks he might have liked to watch his baby enter the world.

Instead, he's standing by Angela's head, her hand gripping his tight when Dr. Gerandy raises a squirming pink newborn into the air.

A cheer rips its way out of Edward's chest, involuntary and full of emotion.

A boy.

Throat suddenly dry, everything but his baby is swallowed up by his overwhelming pride and love. The nurse helps him cut the squidgy cord, then motions for him to follow her as they clean the baby up a little and get him wrapped in a towel.

"Six pounds, eight ounces," she tells him with a smile as the baby boy stays quiet, staring up at his awestruck dad with big, milky blue eyes.

"Hey, little guy," Edward says, somewhere between a laugh and a cry as the baby reflexively grasps the end of his pinky finger. "I'm your daddy."

Once the nurse has shown him how to swaddle the baby—not that he needed her to, having begged his brother to let him practice on his nine-month-old, Vera—Edward cradles his tiny son and marvels over the instantaneous love he feels for this little being.

A hand landing on his shoulder distracts him momentarily. "Congratulations, man. He's a beaut." Ben's smiling face reminds him that he's not alone, that he's got somebody to introduce his son to.

The woman who made this possible with her selfless offer one otherwise ordinary day a little over a year ago.

Angela's smile is wobbly as he turns, keeping his eyes away from whatever the doctor is doing under the sheet as he heads over to her side. "Congratulations, Edward."

"Thank you," Edward murmurs, eyes flicking to Ben before he kisses Angela's cheek. He sees nothing but pride and love shining in Ben's eyes.

"You're so welcome." Swallowing hard, Angela eyes the blanket-wrapped bundle in Edward's arms. Up until now, she wasn't sure if she would want to see the baby right away, if she could handle seeing him and knowing she wouldn't be taking him home, but there's nothing but relief flowing through her as Edward hesitates for barely a second before crouching a little so she can see more than just the baby's profile.

"Oh, he's cute."

Edward's breath catches in his throat as she reaches up to stroke his son's button nose, her gaze softening.

Throughout this entire process, his biggest worry has always been that she'll change her mind, that she'll take one look at the baby, who, thanks to doctors in a lab, is half him, half her, and say she wants to keep him for herself.

He isn't sure what he'll do if that happens.

oOo

It's nightfall by the time Edward's fears are assuaged.

Angela offers him an exhausted smile as he wraps his arms around her. "I'm so glad I got to help you with this, Edward."

"I am, too." Backing up, he shakes Ben's hand and shoots a smile at the baby in the crib at his side. "I'll never be able to thank you both enough for doing this. It's...it means the world to me. You're incredible people, I wish I could repay you somehow."

Ben smirks. "Just make sure Junior makes it through kindergarten next year and we'll call it even."

Chuckling, Edward nods and pictures Ben and Angela's youngest son. He's a wild one, always getting himself put in the quiet corner because of his temper and hatred of sharing. "You've got it. One kindergarten diploma, coming up."

After a semi-awkward pause, Angela sucks in a deep breath and takes one last look at the sleeping newborn. "All right, we'll leave you to it—"

"Oh, wait." Edward rakes a hand through his hair, unsure. "Do you, I mean...did you want to know what I decided to name him?"

Curiosity spurs Angela to nod as she wraps her arm around Ben's waist. "Definitely. What did you go with in the end?"

"Lucas," he murmurs, reaching for the envelope he tucked into the end of his son's temporary crib. "Lucas Masen Cullen."

For a moment, he thinks Angela is going to cry when he hands her the envelope containing a card with the baby's hands and footprints on it and the letter he wrote with one hand while his son slept in his other arm.

Without another word, Angela turns and walks quickly away, her husband giving Edward a quick grin before leaving with her. As the door swings shut behind them, an enormous sigh of relief rushes from Edward's lungs.

His eyes drift over to his son, the baby's eyes open now. He's been cleaned up and dressed in the soft gray sleepsuit Edward's brother brought over when he and his brood came to meet the newest member of the family. It's something of a tradition for any new baby to wear the 'Hello, I'm new here' sleepsuit for a picture; all of Emmett and Rosalie's four children have worn it.

When Lucas was carried back to him after a short stint in the nursery while Edward, Angela, and Ben handled the last of the legalities, Edward almost didn't recognize him without the gunk matting his hair and a coating of fluids he was trying to pretend weren't there. A quick bath and a wardrobe change can work wonders, the nurse had joked before rushing off to answer the call of a buzzer down the hall.

"Well, little man," Edward breathes, trailing a finger over his son's cheek, a smile spreading over his own face. "Looks like it's just you and me now."

June 20th 2008

Blowing out a big breath, Edward continues making laps of the delivery unit, Lucas occasionally whimpering and startling himself awake every time he's about to fall asleep. He's swaddled up tight with a soft hat on his head, just his face visible between it and the blanket. It's nearing two in the morning, but Lucas is in no rush to let his dad off lightly.

Testing him, Edward slows his pace until they're stationary. Seconds later, Lucas's eyes fly open and his whimpers turn into squeaky cries.

"Sh, sh, you're okay, little man," he says quickly, picking up his pace again. A few strides later, as they round the corner, Lucas quiets.

Only to bump into a baby just as unhappy with being stationary as Lucas is.

Stopping to let her past with her own hospital bassinet, Edward offers the young woman from yesterday a tired grin. Like him, she's visibly exhausted. "Hi again."

It takes a second, then recognition lights her eyes. "Oh, hey. You were the guy who almost stacked it yesterday."

Huffing a chuckle, Edward nods. "That's me."

Lucas protests being still, so Edward continues walking, but slowly. He briefly glances at the baby wrapped in a blue blanket, his head encased in a blue hat, knowing how some parents can be when it comes to strangers and their children. He works in a kindergarten, after all. "Congratulations. A little boy?"

Her face lights with a genuine smile then. She shifts slightly, twisting the crib side-to-side, keeping it moving. "Uh-huh. You, too?"

"Yeah," Edward nods, wincing when Lucas's whimpers raise in volume. "I'd better keep going or we're going to wake up the whole hospital."

The woman nods, her laugh light and lilting, as her own son starts to fuss. "Same here. We'll probably pass you."

Edward nods, murmuring that he probably will, before they both continue their laps. They do pass each other a few more times, but by the time Edward is too tired to keep walking, the young woman and her son with the same birthday as his have vanished, presumably to catch some sleep in whichever room is theirs.

As their babies steal their hearts, Bella and Edward sleep fitfully between diaper changes, feedings, and nurses poking their heads in to check on the new parents.

They don't know anything about each other except that they have sons who share a birthday. They don't know each other's names, they don't know where the other is from, and they don't know that their lives are forever entwined.

When Bella Swan and Edward Cullen leave the hospital later that day, they have no idea that they're not carrying their own sons.

They're carrying each other's.