I've decided that I will continue on with this story! Thank you for your reviews and support. To answer a question that I got asked several times, yes Kate will appear in the story eventually, but I'm not sure about how the relationship between her and Derek will turn out. Any suggestions? What would you like to see in this story?

Also, PLEASE check out my original Derek Fanfiction called REDEMPTION. You will see some similarities between this story and Redemption. Thanks everyone (: Read, review, and enjoy!

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"Mr. Hale?" I heard a muffled voice call out as I stared down at the little green eyed girl before me. I was pretty sure that my heart had stopped beating. Everything blurred around me, my head swirled, my ears rung, and my breathing stopped as I continued to lock eyes with her as she did with me. "Mr. Hale, are you okay?" I faintly heard the woman repeat, louder this time with concern soaking her voice. "Derek?"

The little girl's eyebrows pulled together slightly. "Dewik?" her high-pitched voice spoke in a thick baby-like accent that left her unable to pronounce her R's. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Suddenly I snapped out of my trance as I realized who she was talking to.

I blinked a few times before looking up at the lady who was peering at me with a heavy look of concern on her face. "What did you say?" my voice creaked.

The woman tilted her head. "Mr. Hale, I think you should sit down. You're looking a little faint," she suggested. "Do you mind if we come in?" she nodded past me into the house. But before I could answer, the little girl pushed past my legs and ran inside.

"Kayleigh, come back here!" the woman hollered towards the girl.

"Why is it so dark in here?" she gazed around the old house.

Though I was more than annoyed whenever somebody walked into my house unannounced, I didn't bother fighting this time – my mind was somewhere else completely. I robotically walked over to the burned out dining table on the other side of the room and planted myself down on one of the chairs at the head of the table. My ears still rung slightly and my breathing was faint.

"Just sit down here and don't move or else I will take away Willow away from you tonight," the woman warned the girl somewhere off to the side.

"Okay, I'll be quiet," I heard the little girl agree, sadly. Suddenly the woman appeared in front of me, taking a seat in the closest chair. I kept my eyes on straight ahead on the table as she studied my expression for a moment.

"Mr. Hale, I know this is a lot to take in," she began. Her voice was low as to make sure the girl didn't hear. "So I will go about this by allowing you to ask me questions rather than me telling you everything."

My mind was so lost to the point where I thought I was dreaming. "Daughter," I whispered to myself, however the woman thought I was talking to her.

"Yes," she responded. "I believe that she is your daughter."

I blinked a few times. "No, that's not possible."

"Are you sure?" the woman tested. I looked up at her for the first time. The woman took a deep breath before talking again. "Mr. Hale, three years ago a woman came to my house in the middle of the night and literally put a baby in my arms." She scowled down at the table as she remembered the story. "I had once been a foster mother in the past, but could not continue on due to my health – and I think she knew that. However, I had never met the woman in my life." She shook her head slightly, deep in thought. "I remember her face that night. She had so much pain in her eyes and she kept repeating, 'I can't. I can't.' while she looked down at the baby in her arms." The woman's voice started to crack as her eyes began to glisten with water. "I figured she was just another scared mother who just needed some direction. And after countless offers of me inviting her inside, she said something that caught me off guard. Something that I had never heard before in all my years of working with parents and children. Before she left she had one request from me, though she was very adamant about it." The woman finally looked up at me, taking in a deep breath to try to keep her composure. "The woman told me, 'please find her father. She needs to be with him.' She handed me a piece of paper that said your name and Beacon Hills on it. And before I could even respond, she was gone."

It took me a while to process her story. We were both quiet for a long time as she waited for me patiently. I studied the woman in front of me, searching for any unusual body language that detected dishonesty or anything close – however the woman showed nothing.

She continued, "I tried finding you for the first couple two years, however my health always stopped me from getting anywhere close. It wasn't until I found out a few months ago from my doctor that-" the woman's voice cracked. I looked up at her softened eyes and pained expression. "I don't have much time left. And though I love Kayleigh with all my heart, I know that I cannot care for her properly anymore, so I made it a mission to find you, Derek." The woman's eyes were so sincere.

I turned my head slightly to peak over at the little girl, sitting on the small wooden crate in the living room. Her familiar green eyes wandered around the room in curiosity as she swing her tiny legs beneath her impatiently. The girl's recognizable wavy, blond hair fluttered down her pink peacoat in a way that reminded me of no one other than her. However, the girl's hair was the only thing that belonged to her mother, the rest of her features were mine – there was no denying that the little girl was a spitting image of me.

"By the look on your face, I'm guessing that you have an idea of the woman I am referring to," the lady said. "If I may, when was the last time you saw her?"

I thought about this for a moment. The fire. It had been almost four years since the fire – yet it felt like a lifetime.

"A little under four years ago," I answered.

Both of us were quiet once again as we started putting a timeline together in our heads. Shit, I thought as it all came together perfectly. From the last time me and her were together to a month later when the fire occurred, and a couple days after the fire when she disappeared – that left just enough time. I shook my head on disbelief as it I were trying to shake away the truth. Eight months and three years. It made sense.

I hesitated with my next question – I knew the answer, however I needed confirmation. I took a deep breath as I turned towards the woman before me again. "What was the woman's name?" I asked, mentally wincing as I thought about the answering that I knew she was about to say.

Without taking a moment to think, the woman answered. "Her name was Kate."