Don't own.

About a week after I got home, I called Caleb.

"Hello?" he answered the phone.

"Hey Caleb."

"Casey? Where've you been? I called like twenty times."

I raised an eyebrow. There had only been five missed calls on my phone when I got home. Erin Zeller, my boss, had called three of those times. "Bella was born." He was silent for a moment.

"Are you serious? Well I missed you. Maybe we could get together today?"

"Yeah I'd like that."

"What do you say you dinner tonight at six? I know a great restaurant."

"I don't know if I should go out. What about Bella? Why don't you just come here?"

"Just get a babysitter or something."

I thought on it for a moment. "Uh…okay sure."

"Great. Be ready at five-thirty."

"I thought you said six?"

"Changed my mind."

"…Okay…see you then."

We hung up and I sighed. Suddenly Bella's cries got my by her side in a second. She was lying in her crib. "Oh baby." I said and picked her up. "Shh…what's wrong?" She wasn't wet so she must have been hungry. I sat down in the chair and pulled the left side of my shirt down. After Bella was fed, I picked up the phone and called Derek.

"Casey? Calling a little soon huh?"

"I need you to look after Bella for a couple hours tonight."

"You've only been home a week. Where could you possibly need to go?

"I have plans. Please Derek. I really need your help."

He sighed. "Okay. What time?"

"Be here at quarter after five."

"I'll be there. See you then."

We hung up and I rocked Bella to sleep. As she slept, I looked over my young daughter. A product of rape. Her eyes were blue like mine and like my father's. From what I could tell, she was going to look more like me. Thank god for that. But there was a certain aura about her. Intelligent. Like her father. She would most likely inherit his only redeeming quality.

I rocked her in the chair for hours into she woke and needed to be fed again. Four o'clock rolled around and I laid Bella down in her crib before changing into something a little more formal. Not long after Derek arrived. I had given him my spare key.

"Hey. Long time no see." He smiled and leaned down to kiss my cheek. I tried to make it seem like this gesture didn't affect me.

"Oh yeah a full six days."

"Where's young Bell?" he asked looking around.

"In her crib in the room."

He disappeared through the bedroom door and came out with a slightly awake baby.

"I need to feed her before I leave." He gently handed her to me and I sat down on the couch. "There's food in the fridge if you want anything. And the number to a great pizza place next to the shopping list."

He walked into the small kitchenette then glanced back at me. "God you're turning into a mother."

"Well I would hope so."

He smiled. "A great mother at that."

I smiled back before turning to my baby. "Are you done? Huh?" I said in a loving voice to her. "There. Milk will help you grow up big and strong."

Derek came back over and sat down next to me as I pulled my shirt back on. "Hey little thing." He said to Bella and touched her hand with his index finger. She wrapped her hand around it and looked up at him. "Hi Bell. I'm Derek. Nice to meet you." He leaned down and gave her a peck on the nose. She just gave him a curious look. He leaned down again and put his arm around my waist for support as he nuzzled her stomach.

I smiled at him he was so great with kids. As he fooled around with Bella, I felt him absentmindedly stroking my side. A shiver ran down the whole left side of my body. Derek took his arm back and picked Bella up in his arms. She stared up at him.

"God you have your mothers eyes." He whispered and very lightly ran his finger down her cheek. "Beautiful." He muttered. We sat there on the couch together with Bella until Caleb came. I buzzed him in and he came up to my apartment.

The moment he stepped into the apartment his eyes fell on Derek. "Who's that?" he asked in a protective voice.

"Calm down. This is Derek my stepbrother." He seemed to calm a little bit but kept a suspicious eye on Derek the whole time he was there. "Would you like to meet Bella?"

"Uh…sure." Caleb said a little uncertainly.

I walked over to Derek to get her. Though he gave her to me, he seemed a little apprehensive to let Caleb hold her. I handed Bella to Caleb and he kind of looked disgusted. Bella started to cry the moment she left my arms. Quickly Caleb handed her back to me. She quieted down almost immediately.

"She just doesn't like strange people holding her." Derek commented and carefully took Bella from my arms. I felt more comfortable seeing Derek holding her than Caleb.

"Well we should get going." Caleb started steering me toward the door.

"Hold on a sec." I ran back over to Derek and Bella. "Bella, you be good for Derek okay? I'll be back in two hours--,"

"Two hours?" Caleb whined.

"Two hours. I love you." I leaned down and kissed her forehead before turning my attention to Derek. "You gonna be okay with her?"

"Don't worry mom. Everything's under control. Go have a good time." He kissed my cheek. I nodded and looked once more at my baby.

Caleb took me to an Italian restaurant about two blocks from my apartment. It was a comfort knowing my baby was close. We sat down to order dinner and Caleb did the most annoying thing ever. He ordered for both of us. Kind of a bold move when he didn't know that much about me. While we were waiting for the waitress to come back we talked about random light-hearted things.

"So did you see that one episode of CSI? The one where the father rapes the daughter and she gets pregnant?" I asked.

"And then she has her boyfriend kill her mother and father?" he replied.

"Yeah."

"I love that one. I love when the little girl tells the police about 'the buffalo'."

"Mhm. Great show."

Not ten minutes later, we got out food and started eating. The stuffed clam wasn't that bad but I still would have preferred the classic spaghetti and meatballs. We ate for about half an hour and chatted in between bites. We ordered dessert and, thankfully, I ordered my own.

After dinner, Caleb took me for a walk in the park. It was a small city park with a pond in the center. Caleb and I wondered to a bench that faced out over the pond. That was where he kissed me. And that's where it all started.

I'm baaaaaaack. Sorry about the late update. I was on an orchestra trip. (Double-bass rocks!!!) Then I had an English paper to finish up.

Review. Tell me what you think.