Author's Note: Wow, am I spoiling you guys or what? Two days in a row? Sheesh. That's even surprising for me. But again, please remember that it will not always be like this. I just had nothing to do today and so I had time write. As much as I would love to just stay home and write for this story, I also have a life and I do go out and do crazy teenage shit. Hahaha.

Moving on. Many have raised concerns and questions about Dan's intellect. First of all, I apologize. I had no idea that he was acting smarter than normal five year olds are. I have read a great number of stories here where even three year olds had wider vocabularies than Dan. Again, I was not aware. I'll try to tone it down to to make it seem more realistic, okay? :)

Once again, thank you for all of those who are sticking with this story. I am a newb to long-term stories so I still have a lot to work on. Your guidance on grammar, spelling and facts on my story is very much appreciated.

Questions, critics and reviews are very much welcomed. :)

"I'm in love with you, and I'm not in the business of denying myself the simple pleasure of saying true things. I'm in love with you, and I know that love is just a shout into the void, and that oblivion is inevitable, and that we're all doomed and that there will come a day when all our labor has been returned to dust, and I know the sun will swallow the only earth we'll ever have, and I am in love with you."

- John Green (The Fault In Our Stars)

Bella P.O.V.

"Ed-Edward?" I whispered quietly into the phone, sobs wrecking my whole body.

Silence. "Bella?"

"C-Can we g-go som-somewhere? M-my par-parents are fi-fighting and I can't take it." Behind the doors, I can hear Renee yelling at Charlie, but her words come out too angry for me to understand.

Longer silence. "Sure, Bella. Where do you want to go?"

"T-The m-meadow?"

"I'll be there in ten minutes."

"Thank you."

Pause. "Bella?"

Sniff. "Yes, Edward."

"I'm here for you, okay? I'll always be here for you."

At his words, I couldn't help but smile. I believed him. I really believed him.

I scoffed. I must have been pretty stupid or blinded by love to believe in his lies. But to my defense, the boy was a pretty good actor. Normally, I wouldn't think about that motherfucker. In fact, I would do everything in my power to distract my thoughts with something else. But since I'm flying in the company's private jet to where I'd met him, with his younger version sleeping quietly on me, it was pretty hard not to think about him.

Now, I wouldn't normally have brought Dan along, I could always leave him with Renee for the weekend. But I thought about it and realized that it was unfair for Charlie to have never met his own grandson. So tomorrow, I planned to go give my father a visit. I was six years overdue for one, anyway.

Today was Friday, and right after pulling Dan out from school around eleven, informing the teacher about us leaving for the weekend, the three of us – Rose, Dan and I – went straight to the airport for our five hour flight.

I must have fallen asleep somewhere in my musings because the next thing I know, Dan was tugging on my arm to wake me up.

"We're here! We're here!" My son muttered excitedly, sticking his face by the window to watch the sky as we slowly made our descent. It wasn't his first time on air, but it was the first time he went to Washington. He was pretty much bouncing with excitement.

Once we were safely on ground, the three of us wasted no time to get out and head inside the airport. But not before thanking the pilot and flight attendants.

Quickly, we made our way outside and hailed a cab, heading towards Jasper's apartment. We were supposed to stay in a hotel but once Rose's twin heard about us coming, he offered to let us stay in his place and wouldn't take no for an answer. Well, who were we to deny kindness?

The traffic was killer since it was Friday afternoon, the busiest of Seattle besides Saturday nights. It took us about thirty minutes to arrive in Jasper's place from the airport.

"Rose!" He yelled excitedly, hugging his twin sister tightly after opening the door. Rosalie wasn't normally a touchy-feely girl but I guess she reserved it for people she truly cared about. "I missed you."

Rose chuckled, rolling her eyes a little as she hugged her twin just as tightly. "I missed you, too, little brother."

Jazz blanched. "Only by two minutes."

"And I will never let you forget it."

The blond man was supposed to reply when he noticed the little ball of energy that was my son. He looked a little surprised but nevertheless, grinned at him before looking up at me. "Hey, Bella."

I first met Jasper the same time I met Rose. Though I never really got to know him that well, since he was always away studying here in Seattle, taking a degree in Law, we were still polite around each other. "Hey, Jasper."

He leaned down to look at Dan, who was staring right back at him. "Is this little one yours?"

My hands quickly ruffled Dan's head as I laughed. "Apparently, so."

"What's your name, kid?" He asked Dan kindly.

"Daniel. But I don't know what my mother was thinking when she named me that. I like Dan better." My son replied without missing a bit. I shook my head at the little boy. I don't think he had a single shy bone in his body. It was good sometimes, but there were also days when I just wished he wasn't so expressive, especially to people he just met. Now was one of them.

"Dan then. I'm Jasper." Jazz replied with a laugh. He was about to reach out for my little boy when the light in the hallway cleared up, making our faces clearer than before. At the sight of my son, something in Jazz's violet eyes changed. He stared at Dan for a really long time, which quite frankly, was creeping me out a little bit.

"Um, Jasper? What are you doing?"

He snapped his eyes to meet mine and shook his head, but confusion and wonder were clear in his eyes. "Nothing. He just looked like someone I know." Then he smiled. "Would you like to come in?"

Rose and I smiled gratefully before taking a hold of our bags, getting inside. Jasper offered to do it for us, but we refused, saying it was absolutely no problem. Dan was quietly surveying the room once he stepped foot inside. His green eyes were scanning the place; pictures, paintings, the television, game consoles and stereos took his interest. He went straight to check out Jasper's games. I rolled my eyes. No matter what age, boys will be boys.

"Well, this is my place. I only have one guest room though. I was thinking that Bella and her son can stay there, Rose can stay in my room while I stay in the living room." He told us with a smile.

I shook my head because I didn't want him to be uncomfortable just because of us. Rose seemed to have the same idea. "No, Jazz. It's okay. The three of us can stay in the guest room."

Jasper thought about it for a minute before nodding his head. "I guess that's okay."

I glanced down at my watch and saw it was six fifteen. Rose saw this, looked at her watch and nodded. She opened her mouth to tell her brother about our plans when a loud knock reverberated throughout the apartment before a beautiful pixie-like girl came barging in. It appeared like she was dancing her way to reach Jasper. She was that graceful.

Standing in front of him, she kissed his cheek, a vibrant smile lighting up her face. "Hey, baby."

Jasper had a goofy look on his face as he wrapped an arm around her small waist. I understood. This must be – "Hey, Alice."

They stared into each other's face, having somewhat like a private conversation just by looking. I couldn't help but look away, feeling like I was interrupting something. Rose, on the other hand, didn't have the same line of though with me. She cleared her throat.

The couple snapped back to reality and Alice turned to look at us. She smiled when she caught sight of Rose. "Rosalie! Hi! It's been so long." Alice skipped over to give my best friend a hug. Rosalie seemed to like this woman because she returned the hug with a chuckle.

"Yes, it's been a couple of months." They both pulled away and Rose turned to me, Alice following. "This is my best friend and work partner, Bella. Bella, this is Alice, Jasper's fiancée."

I smiled over at the black-haired girl, offering my hand. "Nice to meet you." Alice laughed a little, rolled her eyes, before pulling me over for a hug. I was startled at first and glanced at Rose. She had a small smirk on her face and shrugged as if saying, 'That's just Alice being Alice.' Slowly, I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her back.

"Jasper? Can we play Call of Duty?" A childish voice spoke, making me and Alice pull away.

Jasper turned to face me, asking for permission, and I shook my head. My son was already destructive as it is. Lord knows what he would be like if he ever saw or played something relating to violence. God forbid it from happening.

"Maybe some other time, kid." Jazz replied, lying smoothly.

Dan sighed before returning the case and going back to my side. He had been distracted by Jazz's games at the corner this whole time and stayed quiet while I was being introduced to Alice. He stood in front of me, grabbed my hand and tugged on it slowly. "Mom, I'm hungry."

Alice took notice of the little boy and turned to face him with a smile. However, once she saw my son, she did a double take. She stared at him for a long time, just like Jasper had earlier. I was getting worried. What is it with them and looking at Dan like that?

After a while, she opened her mouth to say something, but snapped it shut and turned to look at Jasper, her eyes filled with question. He met her stare and shrugged. Alice then turned to look at Dan again before snapping her eyes to meet mine. She looked at me, trying to look for something I didn't understand. It was as if she was trying hard to remember if she's seen me somewhere. I tried thinking about it, too, but came up with nothing. I was pretty sure Alice and I were complete strangers until then.

I was getting uneasy with her stare so I decided to speak up. I gave Alice a nervous smile before turning to face Jasper, who had his eyes on Dan. "It was nice meeting you, Alice and seeing you again, Jazz but Rose and I have an appointment set at seven o' clock. It's a really important deal so is it okay if I leave Dan in your hands for a couple of hours? I'll leave money for his dinner and everything."

Jasper looked up to meet my eyes and let out a snort. "It's fine, Bella. Rose gave me the heads up. Good luck on your meeting."

I smiled at him thankfully before turning to face my son. I could still feel Alice's gaze on us, but I didn't acknowledge it. "Baby, mommy has to go somewhere for a while. You'll be with Uncle Jasper until then, okay?"

Dan looked up at me with wide green eyes. "But I'm hungry."

Alice chimed up. "We can eat out somewhere."

Dan turned to face her for a second and gave her the crooked smile he inherited from Edward. Alice's eyes grew a little bigger, as did Jasper's. I shook it off as my son faced me again. He looked up at me innocently. A little too innocently. "Daniel Isaac, you better behave yourself while I'm gone."

The damn smirk appeared on his face and Alice was practically gaping at my son. I gave her a peculiar look but she paid me no mind, her eyes solely on Dan. She looked like she was trying to solve a really hard equation. "Of course, mommy."

I groaned and kissed his forehead while Rose chuckled somewhere beside me. She was well aware of my son's antics. In fact, she was right by my side whenever I have to try and fix whatever mayhem Dan has started. I turned to face the couple. Alice was still gawking at Dan while Jazz was able to compose himself. "Whatever damage he does, I swear I'll pay for it. Just give me a call if something serious happens to him, okay? Or most likely, to you. This kid's like a magnet to trouble so I advise you to keep an eye on him carefully."

Jazz replied by laughing. "No problem, Bella."

I glanced at my watch again and saw that it was almost six thirty. I turned to Rose and she nodded, saying a quick goodbye to everyone before heading out the door. I kissed Dan's head again and bid everyone goodbye before following Rose.

"Bella, wait!"

I turned around and saw Alice running up to me in the hallway. I stopped and waited for her to catch up with me.

Once she stood in front of me, Alice looked at me nervously, twiddling with her fingers. I turned around to look at Rose by the open elevator and nodded my head, telling her to go first. She shrugged and went inside.

I waited for Alice to speak but I was on a quick schedule and she didn't seem to know what to say. I gave her an encouraging smile and spoke first. "What is it, Alice? I don't want to be rude but Rose and I kind of have to be somewhere and the traffic will probably hold us up. We're already late as it is."

"Right. Sorry, Bella." She muttered, looking at me apologetically. I nodded my head and gave her another smile, telling her to say what she needed to say. "Um, I was just wondering. I noticed that you didn't have a ring and I wondered if you were married?"

I shrugged. "Nope, not married."

Alice looked at me hesitantly before taking a deep breath. "Um, okay. I was also wondering who the father of Dan is?"

Of all the things she could ask, that was most definitely not what I expected. Surprisingly though, I wasn't angry at her obvious nosiness. I was just curious as to what brought out these questions. "It doesn't matter who he is." I started, my voice hard. "He doesn't matter to me anymore. Dan and I have been doing fine on our own and we don't need him."

"But –"

"Let's talk about this another time alright, Alice? I really don't have time for this."

The woman in front of me looked defeated before nodding her head. "I'm sorry for holding you up, Bella."

I gave her a small smile. "It's okay. I'll see you soon. And I meant what I said about Dan. That little monster can be a real troublemaker."

She laughed and gave me a hug. "I can imagine."

We parted ways then. When I arrived at the lobby, Rose and I quickly rode a cab. I glanced at my watch again. Six forty-two. I cursed. Being late was bad business etiquette. I'm just lucky that I had already worked with Carlisle before so at least I wouldn't leave a bad first impression.

The ride took about thirty minutes before we arrived Bella Italia. The traffic only worsened with rush hour, but thankfully we made it, just about ten minutes after seven. I quickly paid the cab, throwing him a larger amount than necessary and in my haste, told him to keep the change.

Rose and I then went to the welcoming waitress and asked for the Cullen reservation. She smiled and led the way.

I followed the waitress toward what resembled a private room, Rose right beside me. The decor was red and gold, with a candle piece in the center since it was pretty dimly lit. There was a shiny chandelier on the ceiling, as well. Two booth couches sat opposite each other with a man seated already in one, his back to us.

I thanked the waitress and she excused herself with a smile.

"Carlisle, I apologize for the delay. You know how busy the streets of Seattle are ..." I trailed off when the man stood up and turned around to face me. He was most definitely not Carlisle.

When I imagined seeing Edward Masen again for the first time after I left his home years ago, I always pictured it to involve fists and cursing. Me throwing whatever my hands could grasp. Him looking terrified as lots and lots of yelling ensued, mostly from me.

However, none of those could be done now. The last thing I thought was for him to be someone I would meet in my career.

I was completely caught off guard by his presence, and I was pretty sure it showed. My eyes were completely wide with shock and I was pretty much frozen, my feet planted firmly on the floor.

God? Buddha? Luther? Hell, Mahatma Ghandi? Whoever is of higher power up there, I know that I am not a religious person, but please don't let this idiot recognize me. I'm begging you. If you listen to me just this once, I will offer my life to you.

Looks like whoever was in charge up there knew I was full of complete bullshit because the moment his green eyes landed on me, a spark of recognition immediately flashed through his eyes.

I cursed inwardly.

"Bella?"

From the corner of my eye, I saw Rosalie's blonde head whip to face me. I glanced at her and saw her questioning violet eyes. If you'd meet Edward and Dan, you'd be a complete tool not to realize they were related. Since I obviously didn't kidnap Dan from an older brother who he was a carbon copy of, there was only one other assumption left.

Sighing, I gave a curt nod, letting her know that yes, the man in front of us was the father of my son. Rose wasted no time as she turned her head slowly to face him again, this time a murderous glare fixated on her flawless face. I fought off a smirk as I saw him squirm at her look. Trust Rose to go all protective over me and Dan.

Momentarily, I cursed Bella Italia for giving us this room. Because of how dark it was, I didn't even recognize the odd color of his copper hair. That would have tipped me off the moment I saw it, and no doubt I'd bolt without a second thought.

Too late for that now, I thought sardonically.

My barely there nod seemed to have acknowledged him calling my name because he spoke again, letting out a nervous chuckle. "Oh, wow. This is definitely unexpected."

I snapped out of my thoughts and came back to Earth. Time to act like an adult. I can always curse this idiot later at the hotel with Rose. "Edward." I greeted, albeit a little cold. A smirk tempted to break out of my face as I saw him flinch at my tone. "Yes, indeed it is. When my partner here told me that Cullen Corporations wanted to agree on a deal, I assumed I would be meeting Carlisle." I pursed my lips, raising a brow. "This is for Cullen Corporations, right?"

Edward cleared his throat as Rose and I made our way to sit on the opposite booth from him. Once we were seated comfortably, Edward tentatively sat down, watching us with a peculiar look on his face.

"Yes, this is. Carlisle Cullen, my step-father, had retired last year. I have taken over the company since then."

Hmmm. I heard about Carlisle remarrying. However, never in my life would I have imagined his new wife to be Esme. What happened to Edward Sr.? But before I could reply to him, Rose beat me with her tinkling voice, hardened incredibly due to the person she was talking to. "What about Emmett?"

Despite the situation, I couldn't stop the smirk from my face. I was well aware of what went on behind closed doors when it came to Rosalie and Emmett. They met at a gala a few months ago and had a pretty simple yet complicated relationship.

Namely, Friends With Benefits. And everyone knows how well that turns out.

"He had no interest in the family business and instead went to proceed traveling and exploring." Edward replied in a strained voice.

As I looked at him, I realized how much he's changed. Of course, he was still sinfully handsome. Unfortunately for my womanly hormones, that little detail did not change. However, from our brief interaction, it seems that he thinks I would blow off in front of him. He looked... nervous. Something I never saw Edward Masen become. He seemed older, mature. It was highly disturbing. I never thought the likes of him would ever grow up. I pegged him to be the type to waste his life with booze, parties and sex.

I had the sudden urge to runaway. To leave and never look back. I went back to being that eighteen year old who stood at his doorstep and told him she was pregnant with his child, while another woman was in his house, waiting to be his lover. I wanted to scream. To cry. To hurt him. But that would be what the old Bella would do.

I realized that I was different now, too. I was no longer a push over. I knew how to fight back and I knew how to intimidate. I was tougher and stronger now. My tongue was as sharp as knives and could cut deep. I knew how to manipulate and play games. And I had one thing of his that he knew nothing about - our son.

And I would do everything in my power to keep it that way.