Disclaimer: I don't own.

I couldn't move. Fear struck my core. And I felt like I would die of heartbreak. My eyes shifted to Bella who was looking at me curiously.

"What happened Mama?" she asked and slid out of her seat. She ran over to me. "Why do you look so sad?"

I knelt down beside her and pulled her into a hug. "You know I love you right baby?"

"Yes Mama. And I love you."

I fought back tears and looked into my daughters eyes. "Why don't you go play with Edwin and Lizzie?"

She hesitated and gave me a worried look. "Okay Mama." She ran off and up the stairs.

I turned to my mom. "Caleb is suing for custody of Bella." I said darkly.

"Caleb? Who's Caleb?" my mother asked and took a seat across the island from me.

"He's my ex-husband who thinks I, for some reason, am a bad mother. He said I attacked him last night! He was drunk and tried to hurt Bell!" I sighed and put my head in my arms on the table. "I don't have the money for a lawyer."

"Why don't you ask Derek for help?" she suggested and touched my hand.

"Derek? Why would I…," Pause. "I'm gonna go call him." I grabbed my phone and punched in his cell number.

"Hello."

"Derek? I need your help."

"Casey?" he asked in shock. "Where are you?"

"Parents house."

"I'll be there soon." We hung up and it struck me how weird it was talking to him after all these years. Especially after that not-so-pleasant parting.

"Bella!" I called to my daughter and she came running down the steps.

"Yes Mama?"

"Derek's coming over." I said and smiled when she jumped in the air.

"Yay! When?"

"Soon. I'll call you when he gets here."

"Kay." Then she leaned forward and kissed my cheek before running back up the stairs.

"Bella knows Derek?" Mom asked.

"Yeah. I'm not sure how. I mean she was only eight months old when I moved out of the apartment."

"Wait…you were the girl Derek moved in with when?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Okay." She sighed in relief. "George and I were a little worried about that." I gave her a weird look. Five minutes later Derek came bursting in the door.

"Casey!" he called.

"Kitchen!"

"Derek!" Bella came racing down the steps and jumped into his arms.

"Aw…Bell girl." He smiled and caught her hugging her tightly. "Wow…you got big. How's my girl?"

"Doing great!" she said enthusiastically and hugged his neck.

"That's good." He smiled at her then turned to me. "Hey Casey." His voice was softer.

"Hey." I smiled lightly and walked toward him. He put Bella down and I stepped into his arms. He hugged me tightly and I buried my face in his neck. "I missed you." I mumbled. "So much."

"I missed you too Casey." We pulled back.

"I need your help." I said and led him into the kitchen. "Mom can you take Bella upstairs?"

"Sure honey." She left with Bell.

"So…" Derek started. "It's been two years. You haven't called since you moved in with Caleb."

"Yea Derek. Well I didn't get any calls from you either." I said sharply and we sat down at the island. Okay, so that wasn't how I wanted it to start out.

"I didn't know your number." He defended.

"I had my cell phone! That number didn't change."

He paused with his mouth open like he was planning to say something. Finally he closed his mouth and looked down at the table. I heard a sigh escape his lips. "Look Casey, I know we didn't exactly say good bye in the best way." I scoffed at that. "But maybe we can put it behind us?"

I nodded and looked down at my hands. "I just have to ask one thing."

"Of course."

"Why did you sleep with that her?"

I saw him clench his fist. "Can we talk about this later?"

I narrowed my eyes at him but nodded. "Then I guess we should get down to business."

"Yeah. Uh…why'd you call?"

"Caleb wants Bella."

Derek's jaw clenched in anger. "Bella isn't his daughter." He said trying to calm himself. "He doesn't have the right to take her."

"He said I'm an unfit mother and I attacked him last night." I explained.

"Okay. If he has proof he might be able to get a judge to grant custody." Derek said and pulled out a notepad. "Casey I need you to tell me exactly what happened."

"Bella and I were packing up her toys. The divorce was finalized last week. Caleb got the house so Bella and I had to leave. He came in drunk. He slapped me and called me a bitch. I remember he grabbed my throat and started talking about how he gave me my life or something. I yelled at him and he slapped me again. I guess I hit my head because I only remember him going after my baby. Next thing I remember is being in the car with Bella trying to get away from him."

"Why did you marry him?"

I looked up at him in shock. Kind of a random question. "B-because he reminded me of my father I guess. More then I actually knew at the time." I looked right into his eyes and he looked away.

"Okay has his lawyer given you a date to meet yet?" his tone took a forced professional edge.

"Yeah. Tomorrow six-thirty at the house."

"I'm coming with you. As of now I'm your lawyer." He said and snapped the cap back on his pen. He'd been taking meticulous notes while I was talking. Derek stood up and walked around the island notepad in hand. When he got to me, he leaned down and pressed his lips to my forehead. "I really did miss you." He whispered with his lips still touching my skin. He started to pull back but I gently took his face in my hands and looked in his eyes.

"Believe me." I whispered. "I missed you too." I lightly brushed my lips against his.

I spent the rest of the day with Bella. The thought of loosing her invaded my mind every second. Derek ran off to get some papers but said he'd be back as soon as he could. Bella and I were I'm my room. She found some stuffed animals in my closet.

"I will destroy you!" Bella said in a deep voice for the elephant.

"No!" I whinnied for the horse. "Please spare me."

"Never." She said. "Bloosh!"

"Ah!"

Bella laughed and looked up at me. "Mama where's Derek?"

"He went out to finish something." I said and pulled her on my lap.

"He's your stepbrother." She stated.

"Yes he is."

"You love him."

"Yes I do."

"But not like you should love a brother."

I didn't answer. Maybe I had serious head trauma? She can not know this much.

"You're his stepsister. He loves you. But not like he should love you."

Again I didn't answer.

"You're Juliet and he's your Romeo. You're not s'posed to be in love. But you are."

"I knew I shouldn't have read you Shakespeare." I muttered. Then wondered how on earth she understood it.

"Tell him Mama!"

"I can't baby." I said softly.

"Why? You love each other. You should get married." She insisted.

"Bella we're stepsiblings. It would be looked down upon."

"So would a pregnant teenager."

She shocked me. Her mind far surpassed any other child her age. "That is true."

"Please tell him."

"I can't. I don't think I can take his rejection."

"Mama he loves you."

"How can you tell?"

"It's in his eyes." She pressed her finger to her cheek just before her deep blue eyes. "He doesn't look at you the way he does everyone else. You're special." Then she smiled. "You've seen it too Mama."

"You didn't call him Daddy." I suddenly said to her. "You called him Derek."

"Yeah."

"Why? When you were talking to me you called him Daddy."

She sighed and laid her head on my shoulder. "Cause it's not time yet."

"Oh." I said and wrapped my arms around her small frame. "When will is be time?"

"Iunno." She shrugged and her voice started to sound sleepy.

"You want a nap baby?" I asked and stroked her head.

"Yeah Mama." She nodded. I lifted her and placed her in my bed. Her eyes were already closed. I laid down next to her until she fell asleep. I fell asleep soon after her.

Yay! Derek's back!!

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