"Come on, Emmy, it's time for your bottle." Seth smiled at the baby, who always cooed and wriggled in response to his voice. He lifted her expertly with his right arm and settled her in his lap, nestled between the stump of his left arm and his shoulder. He carefully tested the temperature of the formula, then relaxed while she sucked hungrily on the bottle. "No wonder you're growing so fast, Emmy," he said in a soothing voice. He knew by now that she didn't really care what he was saying; she just loved the familiar sound of his voice.

Charlie walked in just as Seth flipped her expertly over his shoulder, securing her with the stump while he patted her back with his right hand. He smiled at them. "One of these days she's going to answer you, Seth," he grinned as he carefully locked his gun in the steel safe. "Want me to finish feeding her?"

"Nah, I'm fine thanks," Seth replied quickly. "You go ahead and check on Mom."

Emeline Swan was the best medicine Seth Clearwater ever had. When Sue and Charlie brought her home, Sue was exhausted. She required a lot of rest and Charlie was short-handed at work, so Seth took up the slack. It turned out to be both a blessing and a curse.

As soon as Seth came home from school, he insisted that Sue go to her room and rest. His routine included feeding his little sister, bathing her, and taking her for a walk in her stroller or a sling across his chest. He became adept at dressing her with one hand, and Sue and Charlie marveled at the bond between the tiny baby and her 18-year-old brother. Sue put the time to good use, sometimes reading or watching TV, sometimes sleeping or just relaxing.

"Hey, Sunshine," Charlie greeted her, leaning over the bed to kiss her. "How are you feeling today?"

Sue grinned. "Actually, I'm beginning to feel lazy with all this napping and resting. I think I'm ready to start pulling my weight around here again."

Charlie chuckled. "Good luck getting that baby away from her big brother!" he warned, his eyes twinkling. "They just left for their daily walk, and you know she'll be sound asleep by the time they get home. It's a good thing he has school, or he'd be suing you for full custody!"

Sue glanced at her watch. "Looks like we have time for some cuddling then," she smiled as she patted the bed next to her. He sat beside her and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm grateful for Seth's help, but I can't help noticing the effect it's having on Paris," she mused. "She hasn't said anything, but you can almost see the wheels turning in her head. She's so aware that she can't give him a child, and now she sees what a wonderful father he'd make."

"They'll work it out, honey," Charlie murmured as he held her tenderly against his chest. "Hey, does this mean I won't have to eat Leah's cooking much longer?" he grinned.

"Charlie Swan! Don't you dare make fun of Leah's cooking, after all the time she's spent helping me!" She smiled and added with a sigh, "I suppose it would be nice to have a meal that's not undercooked or tough as shoe leather, though. I don't know how Jacob thrives," she added with a chuckle. She threw the covers back. "I'll start easy – how does fried chicken sound?" She laughed when she saw the excitement on his face, then quickly added, "I promise to let Jake and Leah clean up the kitchen and do the dishes."

Seth came in the back door with Emmy just as Sue was taking the golden brown chicken out of the pan. His face lit up. "Well, if that isn't a sight for sore eyes!" he teased softly, the sleeping baby nestled in his arm. "Looks like I'll have to call Paris and tell her I'll be over a little later – after dinner."

Leah peeked in the screen door. "What is that heavenly smell?"

Sue smiled and motioned her inside. "I figured it was about time I started earning my keep around here," she grinned. She set the platter on the counter, then pulled out a chair and sat down. "I'm starting out slowly, though. Would you mind mashing the potatoes, Leah?"

"No problem, Mom," Leah replied quickly. "Unless Seth needs a hand with the baby."

Seth chuckled. "That never gets old, Leah. And no, we're fine. I'll just put her in her crib and she'll probably sleep for an hour or two."

Dinner was festive, with good food and the whole family present. Seth excused himself afterwards, saying he was going to Forks to see Paris. He emerged from his bathroom in a pale blue button-down shirt and black jeans. Sue whistled as he came down the stairs, and he colored slightly. "Special occasion?" she asked.

Seth reached in his pocket. "I guess there's no danger of anyone spilling the beans now," he smiled. He produced a black velvet ring box and opened it to display a tiny gold claddagh ring.

Sue blinked. "What's the occasion, honey?" she asked quietly.

"It's a promise ring, Mom. I know you have some reservations about her being a vampire, but I don't. We're in love, and we're not in any hurry to get married. But I want her to know that she's the only girl for me, and I thought I'd surprise her before her birthday next week. Do you think she'll like it?"

"It's perfect, Seth," Sue replied softly. "I'm sure she'll love it."

Leah and Jacob cleared the table and washed the dishes, while Sue sat in her rocking chair and held Emmy. As soon as Charlie could see she was getting tired, he took the baby and put her in her infant seat on the living room floor. He stretched out full length on his stomach and let her play with his face, pulling on his mustache and pinching his nose. Sue smiled, shaking her head.

Seth parked his truck and took the steps to Paris's apartment two at a time. He was surprised to find the door locked. When there was no answer to his knock, he went back outside and looked for her car. It wasn't in its usual spot.

He pulled out his cell phone, wondering if she'd misunderstood his message yesterday. He was almost sure he'd said he was coming over after dinner. He sat on the bottom step and dialed her number, stretching his long legs out in front of him. His acute hearing picked up the sound of her phone ringing up in her apartment. Wherever she was, she'd left her phone behind.

Alarms started sounding in Seth's head. This was completely out of character; Paris never went anywhere without that cell phone. He bounded up the steps again, twisting the doorknob with his full strength and breaking it off in his hand. As the door swung open, he gasped. The apartment was completely empty. No furniture, no pictures, not a scrap...wait. There was a scrap of paper taped to the window. He approached it warily, as if it were some poisonous creature lying in wait for him. He read it from a distance, not touching it.

"Dear Seth, Don't worry about the doorknob – they'll take it out of my security deposit. See how well I know you? That's why I can't doom you to a barren, childless existence. Don't try to find me; you won't succeed. I'll call you in a while and we'll talk. Never doubt that I love you. Paris"

Seth backed up blindly until his back connected with the wall. He slid down to a sitting position on the floor. He didn't stir as the shadows lengthened in the empty room, the yellow note casting a sickly reflection as the sun dipped low in the west. He jumped when his cell chirped loudly in the empty room, and he dropped it as he fumbled it out of his pocket. He expertly flipped it open as he scooped it up from the floor. "Paris?"

"No, honey, it's Mom. Where are you? Isn't Paris with you? I wondered if you forgot you and Paris were going to watch Emmy for me tonight. I have an appointment, remember? I can call Leah if you're tied up…"

Seth wiped a shaky hand across his brow. "No, Mom, I'll be right there. I'll explain then." He closed the phone and returned it to his pocket, standing and grabbing the note in one fluid motion, and hurried down the stairs.

Seth walked in the back door, the note and the ring box clutched in his hand along with the keys to his truck. He dropped everything on the table in front of Sue and leaned against the counter as she smoothed out the wrinkled yellow paper.

"Oh, Seth, I'm sorry," Sue whispered. She turned to face him, her features clouded with concern. "Do you want me to stay home tonight? I can…"

"No, Mom, that would be silly," he interrupted her. "I'll be fine. I guess I should have seen this coming. I'll try to talk some sense into her when she calls. I never expected to have children with her, Mom. Why would she think it matters so much?"

Sue's eyes were shining with unshed tears. "She's seen you with Emmy, Seth. And she made the most unselfish gesture I've ever seen. She cares more for your happiness than her own. Personally, I think that's what love is all about."