A/N: Sorry, guys. I gotta break it before I can fix it. That's why I'm posting on Sunday, coz Mondays shouldn't be weighty. *hugs*

December passed. The time, the agony of it, was slow. Despite Jasper and Emmett's wish that they would never have to let their child go, there was also something nerve-wracking about the lead up. They were in limbo, waiting for the final, terrible break.

Yet, time also flew by too quickly. They lived for the scraps of time they got with their daughter. She spent longer stretches with her parents. Less and less of her belonged to them. There was a countdown that had begun the minute Jasper had printed out the result of all the genetic tests Katie had run on her classmates and found that one, impossible match. Since that minute, Jasper and Emmett's nights as Katie's daddies were numbered. They couldn't stop the onward march of the clock. They couldn't keep their baby safe with them.

The night before New Year's Eve was the last night.

December had been equal parts happy and horrible for Katie. She was torn. She was happy in both her homes. She was worried about Emmett and Jasper, and yet she would have been sad for her mommy and daddy if, by some miracle, they'd been able to keep her. There were days she was miserable with the sense of betrayal she was unable, at such a young age, to articulate.

Their last night, Katie was quiet and clingy. She didn't leave their side. She ate breakfast on Jasper's lap, lunch on the couch squished between them, and dinner on Emmett's lap. They played together. She smiled, but joy never lit her features. It was a somber day, and try as he might, Jasper couldn't make it better. He knew Katie was picking up on their grief, but there was nothing to be done about it. Jasper and Emmett were dying inside.

Katie's bedtime came and went. Jasper knew they should be trying to keep things steady and normal for her, but fuck that. At three o'clock tomorrow afternoon, Katie wouldn't live here anymore.

It was clear to Jasper that Katie wasn't really watching the movie they had on. She stared straight ahead, worrying her lip between her teeth. He shut off the TV and pulled her onto his lap, scooting over so he was pressed to Emmett's side.

"You can talk to us, sugar," Jasper said, stroking her hair back from her eyes.

"I know," she said, her voice quiet. Not sad or angry. Just quiet.

"How do you feel?" Emmett asked.

"I don't know." She didn't look at them but kept staring straight forward.

"What are you thinking?" Jasper tried.

Katie was silent for a moment. Her lower lip jutted out. "I think…" She furrowed her brow and played with the hem of her nightgown. "I think it's no fair that someone took me from Mommy and my daddy when I was a baby, but it's no fair that you have no more babies neither."

Emmett sucked in a sharp breath. The words hurt to hear. Jasper kissed the top of her head.

"Things are supposed to be fair," she said plaintively.

"I know, baby," Jasper said, his voice shaky as he tightened his arms around her. "They teach you that in school, don't they? That things should be fair."

Katie nodded.

"You should always try to be fair," Emmett said, touching his fingertips to her cheek. "But sometimes, Little Bit, that's just not possible."

She hunkered down against Jasper. "I don't understand," she whispered.

Jasper hugged his baby, and looked at his husband, seeing all the things he felt reflected in his conflicted, brown eyes. He was angry at the injustice of it. Angry, devastated, resentful-all the poisons on the emotional spectrum. Jasper closed his eyes tightly, because Katie was already hurting. She didn't need to feel their torment on top of her own.

He leaned his head against Emmett's cheek, the three of them snuggling as close as possible together. "Did you know that everything in the world had to be discovered?" he asked, making his voice as light as he could. "There was a time when no one on Earth knew how things worked."

Katie screwed up her nose and tilted her head to glance up at him. "You mean like scientists figure things out."

"Yes. Scientists and other people. There was a time when no one understood how anything worked, and no one knew how to explain about the things that happened. Like why some people died young or some people were born sick. Things like that. So, before they knew the real reasons for things, they made up stories. Stories are easier to understand sometimes."

"And stories end happily ever after," Katie said. All the stories they told her ended happily ever after.

Jasper smiled though his heart panged. "Yeah, baby. Most times. So I'm going to tell you a story."

Katie wiggled on his lap, settling in to listen, her head on his shoulder. She picked up Emmett's big hand in both of her little ones and began to play with his fingers as she'd done so many times before.

"So there was a princess," Jasper said.

"You have to say 'once upon a time,'" Katie said.

Emmett snickered, and Jasper smiled. "Of course. I'm sorry. Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess named Bella."

Katie gasped. "That's my mommy."

"Hush, sugar. You're getting ahead in the story. First, there was just Princess Bella. Now, the life of a princess should be beautiful, but Princess Bella's life wasn't. There were mean people that made her life sad and hard."

"Oh no."

"Then, one day, Princess Bella met a handsome prince named Edward. They had adventures together. She made him laugh, and he made her happy. They fell in love."

Over Katie's head, Emmett grimaced. It was a point of contention with him. He couldn't quite wrap his head around what Edward and Bella had been to each other, what they were supposed to be now, and how any of this had happened. He was a cop and naturally suspicious about the whole thing. Part of him, despite seeing how desperately Bella wanted her child back, still thought she'd abandoned the baby by a dumpster.

But Katie didn't need to hear any of that. What she needed right now was to hear the simplest version of her story.

Jasper continued. "What Edward and Bella didn't know was that there was a monster after Princess Bella. It came upon her when she was alone, and she had to run away from her kingdom to get away from the monster."

Katie turned her head to hide her eyes against Jasper's neck in mild fright.

"The thing was, the princess was going to have a baby. She ran to protect herself and her child. She found herself far away from home, all alone, with bad people coming after her. She had her baby, a beautiful little princess, but before she could make sure her precious girl was safe, the bad people came."

"Oh no," Katie groaned, clinging to Emmett's hand.

Jasper rubbed her back. "There was a big fight. Princess Bella was hurt, and a bad person stole her pretty baby."

"Oh no. Oh no," Katie chanted.

"It's okay, sugar. See, the bad person, she put the baby princess down and left her alone, which was a very careless thing to do. But bad people don't do the right thing."

"What happened? What happened to the baby princess?"

"Well, it just so happened that a humble peasant and his handsome husband were walking through the woods that day."

Emmett snorted at this, a small smile playing at his lips.

"They found the baby," Jasper said. "Now, this couple had no children of their own and so much love to give. They looked, and when they couldn't find the baby's mother or father, they took her home with them. They named her Katie and made her their very own." He swallowed a thick lump in his throat. "They thought they were the luckiest peasants in the whole wide world."

This was still true. They were all so very lucky. It would have taken a small twist of fate for their story to have a much different outcome. If Bella and Katie had remained connected, they would have likely died together. Or baby Katie, her body so much smaller and frailer than her mother's, would have died while Bella barely survived. If the woman who had taken Bella's baby hadn't overdosed, Katie might have been raised on the street with a mother who was erratic at best. Any number of things could have happened to a helpless baby after Sasha overdosed.

They'd been lucky, even if it didn't feel like it right then.

"For six years, the couple took care of Katie and loved her. They did their best, and the little princess grew up from a tiny baby to a brilliant, gorgeous little girl. And they were happy."

Jasper closed his eyes and took a deep breath. This part of the story was the hardest. "But the thing is, for those same six years, while the two peasants were happy with the little treasure they'd found, Princess Bella and Prince Edward were horribly, horribly sad. They didn't get to see their baby's first smile or hear her first word. They didn't get to see her grow and learn. For six years they were scared, because they thought the bad guys had gotten away with their princess."

This was what he had tried to tell himself over and over every time he lamented how unfair it was he wouldn't get to raise his baby. None of this was fair. It wasn't fair that Bella had suffered tremendously while Jasper and Emmett had been happily raising her lost child.

"That's so sad," Katie said, her tone mournful.

"It is. They were very sad, until one day, against all odds, they found their long lost princess."

Emmett took a shuddering breath, and Jasper looked to him as he finished the story. "Princess Bella and Prince Edward welcomed their daughter home. They were so happy. They would finally get to watch their daughter grow and learn. They get to live happily ever after with their beautiful princess Katie."

"But that's not all the story," Katie said.

"No?"

"What about the peasants?"

It was Emmett who answered her. He pulled Katie into his arms, kissed her, and cuddled her. "The good princess and prince invited the peasants to live in their kingdom," Emmett said with only a hint of sarcasm. "The peasants will be around, honey. Everyone in the kingdom loves the long lost, little princess."

"Hmm." Katie didn't sound quite satisfied with that answer. "You know what I think?"

"What do you think?" Jasper asked.

She twisted her lips. "I think the peasants should find another baby. A baby all their own, so they won't be sad." She turned her head, hiding her face against Emmett's chest. "But I don't think they should forget about Princess Katie."

"Oh, sweetheart." Jasper put his arms around her and Emmett, and they all clung to each other. "That's just not going to happen. Who could ever forget about someone as sweet and special as Princess Katie?"

His voice cracked, and he tilted his head to lean against Emmett's. He wasn't going to cry. Not yet. He'd cried so much and so often these last few months. Tears of anguish, frustration, and helplessness. But this was something altogether different. This was total and utter destruction, and he couldn't afford to let himself feel it yet. Not yet.

He found Emmett's hand and squeezed as hard as he could, trying to ground himself. No, this time, once he started crying, he didn't think he was going to be able to stop. His life, this life, was about to end, and it wouldn't go peacefully. No, this was going to hurt. This was going to rip his guts out of him only to shove them back in shredded and bleeding. Not only that, but there wouldn't be the relief of death. His body would survive, even if his heart didn't.

So no. He couldn't cry yet.

Katie fell asleep soon after that. She fought it, but she couldn't help but succumb. Emmett and Jasper sat in silence. After a time, Emmett huffed. "I can't tell if it's better or worse to know in advance what's going to be the worst day of your life," he muttered.

Jasper had nothing to say to that. There was nothing to say that hadn't been said. They'd raged, cried, begged, and prayed. This wasn't what they wanted for their daughter. How could they help but see what Edward and Bella lacked? They were lax in places Emmett and Jasper were strict and vice versa. They'd celebrated Christmas at midnight on Christmas Eve instead of on Christmas morning. They weren't bad people, nor would they be bad parents, but they weren't the parents Emmett and Jasper thought their daughter deserved.

Of course, by the same token, Edward and Bella were also sure they were better parents for Katie than Jasper and Emmett could be. It was a happily ever after ending, after all. A happy ending was what they called it when kidnapped children were found and reunited with their parents.

In practice, life was never that simple.

Eventually, Jasper and Emmett rose, bringing Katie with them to their bed. They slept fitfully, each waking several times to find the other staring at their sleeping daughter.

When Katie woke, they put on the brave faces they'd been wearing for months now. Emmett combed her hair, and Jasper made them breakfast. They did a puzzle in the living room.

At lunchtime, they all got in the car. Jasper and Emmett had to pretend it didn't feel like they were driving to their own deaths. Edward and Bella's house was filled to the rafters. It was New Years Eve. Charlie and his family were there as well as all the Cullens. Jasper and Emmett watched as Katie was pulled naturally into her new family. She loved them and was loved by them. She grinned happily, and it was both the best and worst thing Jasper had ever seen.

When she was distracted, busy running around with Tyler and Angela, though every step was like a fresh stab wound, Jasper and Emmett walked away. It was impossible and terrible. It was every bad moment, every heartache, every physical pain, every horrible, awful moment either of them had ever had rolled into one heartrending feeling. On top of it all, Jasper was bewildered. He couldn't comprehend how he kept breathing when his lungs were filled with burning hot lead, and his shoulders were stooped under the weight of an agony he had no words for.

Somehow, they got in the car. Somehow, they drove away without their daughter. Somehow they made it up the drive and into the house.

It was quiet. It was far, far too quiet, devoid as it was of the happiness and light Katie had brought with her when they first welcomed her into their home.

Neither of them seemed to be able to move further than the foyer. That was all the strength they had left. They sunk to the floor together, and when it was clear their bodies would keep breathing despite the fact their hearts had stopped, they clung to each other and started to cry.

Life, as they knew it, was over.

~0~

Not so far away, Edward, standing beside Bella, watched out the window as their daughter played. She ran around the backyard, cheeks red from the biting cold, playing with her aunt and uncles as her grandparents watched. Mikey scooped her up, swinging her around as she screeched in pleasure.

Edward looked to Bella and beamed, seeing his happiness reflected in her eyes. Their daughter was home for good, and she was happy. Oh, likely there would be tears and struggle ahead, but she was with them. Edward leaned in and kissed the side of Bella's mouth, nothing but thankful in that moment that she had given him this gift-their gorgeous daughter. He took her hand and tugged, ready to join the rest of their family, a new life about to begin.

A/N: I'm going to work on updating this again in the next couple of days, kids. So many thanks to my girls, Barburella, Packy, MoH, jessypt, songster.

And thanks to you for bearing with me. We're in the home stretch now.