Will You Be My Mommy?

Chapter 16:

"I love you, too. Bella, will you be my mommy?" she asked so softly that I wasn't sure I had heard her right, but as her bright blue eyes stared at me through her lashes, waiting for my answer I knew my ears were not mistaken. I was stunned that she would ask that question. Yes, we acted like mother and daughter but I would never think she would ask something like that. Pill bottles dropping to the floor pulled my attention from her gaze.

I turned towards the doorway and there stood Esme with a shocked expression on her face, which quickly turned into a small smile.

"Sorry to interrupt, but Edward got a phone call and asked me to bring these up to you. He said to take one of each. You should take the vicodin with some food so I'm making you some soup if you want to wait to take that."

"Thank you, Esme." I smiled weakly.

"I'll just leave these right here," she said, placing the bottles on the nightstand before turning around to leave. "And I'll be back."

"Bella? Will you?" Alexis asked once we were alone.

"I'm sorry, what?" I replied, trying to clear my thoughts.

"Will you be my mommy?" Alexis snuggled into my side and wrapped her arm around my stomach.

This moment reminded me of the children's book, Are You My Mother, where the little birdie walks up to various animals, even a Tonka Truck, asking if each was its mother. The difference, though, was I could be Alexis' mother. I wanted to be that for her, especially since Tanya was taken from her long before she'd had a chance to get to know her. It meant so much to me that she saw me in that way, but it was not up to me.

"I...I...Alexis, I think that's up to your dad," I told her morosely.

"No! No!" she shot up, screaming and shaking her head.

"Lexi, calm down, please stop yelling," I pleaded.

"You say, not him, you!" she shouted.

"Alexis! Stop this yelling right now!" Edward exclaimed, running into the room.

"Not fair, it not fair!" she started to cry as she punched the mattress.

"What's not fair?" he asked, confused. "What's going on?"

"Lexi, please," I begged as the moisture pooled in my lids.

"You have to be, Bella! I won a mom! I won you, no one else!"

Edward's eyes widened as he registered what Alexis had said. His features softened as he walked around the bed to sit next to her, running his hand through his hair.

"I won Bella, Daddy. Tell her she be my mom. Tell her!" she sobbed into my chest. Apparently the anger was gone.

I wrapped my arm around her back and tried to calm her down by running my hand through her hair. I looked at Edward who gave me a crooked grin.

"What do I do?" I mouthed to him.

"What you want." He shrugged.

"What?!" I gasped.

"I'm interested in hearing what you have to say."

"Isn't this something you and I should talk about without her?" I asked, astonished by his reaction.

"No." He shook his head.

I bit my lip and tried to figure out what Edward was doing. Did he want me to talk about my hopes for our future together? I mean, he'd done it before...talking about our future kids. It's not like I never thought about that: the three of us at the park, Edward pushing Alexis and I on swings and me rubbing my round tummy carrying our son. And we did talk about our house.

Edward stared at me intently.

"Lex, look at me sweetie," I told her, trying to lift her body up and hurting myself in the process. I hissed, gripping my ribs.

"Did I hurt you?" she asked, worried.

"No, I hurt myself. Can you sit in your daddy's lap for me so I can see you properly?"

She scurried over to him, leaning against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Lexi, you know I love you, right?" She nodded her head.

"I love you, too."

I smiled. "I don't know how to answer your question, but I do think of you as my daughter, Lex, I have for a long time..."

"Bella!"

I giggled at her lack of patience. "Yes, Lex, I'd love to be your mom."

"Hooray!" she shouted, jumping out of Edward's lap and landing on my chest, hard.

"Ah!" I peeped before shutting my mouth so I wouldn't scare Alexis.

The pain medicine had definitely worn off and I was in need of another dose.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she apologized, scooting away quickly.

"Why don't you go see where Nana is with the soup, okay?" Edward suggested.

"Alright," she squeaked, kissing my cheek before climbing off the bed and running out of the room.

Edward lay down next to me and nuzzled his face into my neck. He pressed his lips against my bruises and his touch felt amazing.

"Let it out, baby. She's gone, she won't hear it," he whispered.

I shook my head.

"Bella, you need to stop holding it in. I know you're trying to be strong for my sake, but I can see the pain in your eyes. You shouldn't have to deal with it all alone," he coaxed.

I whimpered as the tears fell down my cheeks.

"I hate that I can't move without the pain shooting throughout my body."

"I know, love. Did you take your meds yet?"

"I haven't had a chance to. Esme brought them in and then Alexis asked me her question and all this happened."

"Okay, let's make you feel comfortable."

I closed my eyes as Edward kissed my jaw then sat up, leaning over me and grabbed the pill bottles off the nightstand. I heard him pop the tops and poured one of each in the palm of his hand just as Esme and Alexis walked in the room. I forced my eyes to open even though my lids fought to stay closed. I was already physically drained and all I had left was the emotional and mental states and both of those were fading quickly. I knew the only thing that would help me recharge was sleep, but I wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully without the vicodin, and I wouldn't take it without eating something first. If I took it on an empty stomach, I'd be sleeping next to the toilet.

I pushed myself up into a seated position with Edward's help, my face scrunching at the pain. This is getting old fast. I sighed. Esme placed the tray over my lap and I smiled a thanks before she left us.

"I assed Nana to put a ice cube in da soup so it not too hot," Alexis mentioned, taking a seat next to me.

"Thank you, sweetheart."

I picked up the spoon to start eating but Alexis took it and fed me instead.

"So you not lean."

I smiled as I took a mouthful of soup and Edward chuckled at his daughter's antics. After a couple bites, I stopped her and took my meds. It didn't take long for the effects to start taking over. I slid back down in the bed and Edward removed the tray. I heard him mumble something to Alexis about keeping me company and then I was out.

Ugh, why is it so hot in here? I felt an arm tighten around my waist and a thumb rub back and forth easily over the exposed slick skin; his cool hands were a nice contrast to my burning flesh. Can you be a little more dramatic? My eyes fluttered open and I turned my head to the right in order to see the most beautiful man asleep, but instead I saw the nightstand. I turned my head to the left and sighed as I found what I was looking for. I wasn't on my side of the bed.

I turned to face Edward and felt something slide off; the heat that was emanating throughout my body was now gone. I turned slightly to pick up what fell and realized Edward had placed a heating pad on my ribs, my bruised ribs which were covered by a shirt when I fell asleep, but now there is nothing covering my top half. When the hell did I get partially naked? Sneaky little shit.

"Mm, I love waking up with you in my arms," Edward mumbled, his eyes still closed. "No more fighting, and if we do because it's inevitable, we will still come back here to regroup."

"I like that idea," I agreed, stretching my legs and tangling them with his.

"And you must be topless," he commented.

His hands skimmed up my side and his thumb brushed over my perk nipple.

I gasped. "Ungh, you're evil."

"How are you feeling?" he asked, opening up one eye to look at me as he continued to tease me.

I tried to concentrate on his question and not on his hand.

"The heat helped, but it was a little too much for the rest of my body."

"I'd say, you're all flushed. Are you sure you weren't having a dream about me?" he smirked.

"Hm, let me think about that..." I pretended to ponder the question. "I don't need to dream when I have the real thing in front of me."

He slid his right hand under my head and pulled me closer to his body. I threw my right leg over his hip and my splint-covered hand moved to the side of his face, the tip of my thumb grazed his scruff.

"I really wish I wasn't in pain right now," I whispered against his lips.

"Me, too, love. Me, too," he added.

His eyes darkened and it didn't help the ache I was feeling. I moved my leg up and down his thigh trying to create some friction. Edward slid his left hand over my arm and pressed his lips to mine, sucking on the top one. We lay like that, just kissing each other, enjoying the warmth and comfort of being in each other's arms again. My hand slid to Edward's hair and my fingertips lost themselves in his silky locks. Edward's free hand caressed my sides in a tantalizing way, but it never moved lower than my hip. Part of me hated him for continuing to toy with my need for him, but the other part of me, the sensible part who remembered I was injured, was happy he didn't make me squirm. There weren't words right now to describe how I felt at this moment being in Edward's arms, in his bed, half naked. Speaking of half naked. My fingers disentangled from his hair and I slowly moved my hand down his neck to his pecs. My nails scratched at the little hairs there and he hissed into my mouth.

"You're playing with fire," he mumbled.

"Just call me a pyro," I commented, pinching his nipple.

He growled and moved his fingers back to my hip, toying with my panty line.

Note to self...don't get hurt the next time you make up with sexy boyfriend whose fingers know how to make you writhe in ecstasy.

His fingers were so close, oh so close, and I really wanted them inside of me. Just to feel the slightest connection with him at this moment. But my thoughts weren't able to progress much further thanks to my stupid phone.

I know my calculus
It says u + me = us
Said I know my calculus
It says u + me = us
We're together forever, c'mon

We both pulled apart; I groaned as Edward laughed, pulling his fingers away.

"Who's ringtone is that?" he snorted.

"Jacob's."

"Why?" he continued.

"It has to do with high school and a talent show with him and some of the guys on the rez."

"I have to hear that story."

"Oh no, mister, not from me. That is a story that Jacob needs to tell you."

Well, I've never been good at history
And I don't give a crap about Robert E. Lee
When it comes to cosines,
I know a thing or two
And I kicked ass on the test about me and you

"Are you going to answer that? I don't think I can hear it anymore; I'm about ready to piss myself. I can't believe you have that song on your phone."

I shoved his chest as I turned slightly to grab my phone.

"Hey, Jake," I answered, putting the phone to my ear.

"You plus me equals calculus," Edward chuckled as he rolled out of bed.

Jacob groaned on the other side of the phone and whined to me about that song being his ringtone. I assured him that I didn't tell Edward the story, that I saved that for him. While Edward was in the bathroom, Jacob and I talked about yesterday's events. He was relieved that I wasn't hurt more and he did his best to not make me feel guilty for my stupidity. This is why I keep him around. He asked to come over and, even though I wasn't up for visitors, I said it was okay because I knew Alexis would love to hang out with him. We ended our conversation with him telling me he'd be over in three hours, just in time for lunch. Shocker!

I had just put my phone down when it started going off again.

And everything went from wrong to right
And the stars came out to fill up the sky
The music you were playing really blew my mind
It was love at first sight

I looked up to see Edward with his phone in his hand and a mischievous look on his face as he walked out of the bathroom.

"What are you doing?" I asked with a scowl.

"I wanted to know if I had a fun ringtone like your dad and Jake or a romantic one. Thank you." He smirked.

"Mmhm," I responded, pursing my lips.

He set his phone on the nightstand before pinning me to the bed under him; he kept his weight off me by bracing his arms on either side of me. His legs nudged mine further apart and he settled into place.

"This is where I love having you. It all comes back to this," I concluded, grabbing his face to look into his eyes.

I thought about the first time we slept together. It was after a disagreement, a miscommunication and to prove it was all about me, every thought and every feeling, he came to my place and showed me love. He proved himself once again yesterday by coming to my place to check on me; even after the way I treated him. I knew in my heart that if he hadn't of showed up, I would've gone to his place. I would've skipped over the hospital and came straight to see my doctor, my love. I doubted him so much in the beginning, I was sure making him question my love for him, my faith in us and look at me now.

"Quite a predicament there. See, I love having you on top of me," he argued with a low growl.

When I didn't respond or react, he put his weight on his right arm and stroked my cheek with his left hand.

"Hey, hey, where are you? Come back to me."

My eyes refocused on his and my face fell. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from crying.

"What's wrong, baby?" he asked, concerned.

"I'm just so sorry, Edward. I don't think I can say that enough to you."

"No...no more apologies, no more sad tears. I know you love me, Bella. I can feel it right here," he explained, taking my hand and placing it against his chest, right over his heart. "Because of your love I knew that you were in trouble and that you needed me."

"I was going to come, as soon as I got away from him, I was gonna come to you," I sniffed.

"I know you were. I just got to you first."

He rested his forehead against mine and just stared at me for a couple of minutes. He twirled the ends of my hair around his fingers, something he always did to calm my thoughts.

"Bella," he started, lifting his head. "From the very beginning you knew this, you and me, us were right and you never doubted your feelings for me even when they conflicted with your thoughts. You took a chance on a broken man and brought me back to life. You have taken my daughter under your wing and you have loved her as if she was your own. Not many women would do that, Bella. Believe me, I know. I've heard what some of them have said about Alexis, about the fact that I have quote-unquote baggage, but you don't care. In fact, it turned you on that I'm a ‘DILF'." He smirked before getting serious again. "Because of that, I will never doubt your love for me. And you proved it again last night. I wasn't sure if I'd ever find love again, Bella, but I knew if I did, Lexi would have to love her as well. I was never expecting to find someone as amazing as you so quickly after Tanya's death, but I did. I wasn't sure how Lexi would act around you, but I remember you telling me about her first day. How she wouldn't leave your side and that bond between you two just grew stronger and stronger. Like I told you, I've never seen Lexi take to someone as she has with you. It's because of her that I let my guard down and let you in. For all sense and purpose, you are her mother. You are what she needs when it comes to a motherly figure and you are what I need when it comes to my second half. You complete us, Bella."

I bit my lip, but it wasn't enough to stop the tears from falling.

"No, more tears," he scolded, lightly.

"These are happy tears, my love. You always know what to say to make me feel better. God, I love you."

"And I love you."

He lowered his head and for the second time this morning, I felt his affections for me through those delectable smooth lips and his amazing tongue. My feet caressed his calves and inched higher until they wrapped around his waist, pulling his hips closer. He moaned and ground his semi erection into me, his lips moving from mine but never leaving my skin. They made their way along my jaw and down to my neck where he found that sensitive spot behind my ear. He licked and nipped and I couldn't get enough. I knew he was holding back because of my injuries, but there was no pain. There was only want and need, to show each other that we belonged together.

"I want you so bad right now," he growled into my ear and then sucked on the lobe.

I wiggled against him a little and he bit my shoulder. I gasped from the pleasure it sent down to my core. My heart was racing and my breaths were going in and out quickly, too quickly. I started to feel a twinge in my side and it was uncomfortable, but I just couldn't find it in me to make him stop, my need for him was stronger. I had to push pass it all, my body begged for him. His mouth attacked my pert nipple while his hand paid attention to the other one and I moaned in appreciation.

Through my haze, I thought I heard a soft noise from the door.

"Edward, did you hear that?" I asked, tensing, praying that Edward locked the door.

"Hear what?" he mumbled against my skin.

"Shh, listen, Edward, I think someone is at the door."

He stilled on top of me and waited. There was another soft knock that was barely audible and "Bella, Daddy?"

"Ah, shit," he cursed.

"Hold on, Lex!" I yelled.

I pulled his face up to mine and kissed his lips.

"Remember, this is our future." I smiled.

"That's right, love," he chuckled as he rolled off me and then the bed.

"Where's my top?" I asked, pulling the sheets up to cover me.

"Put this on."

Edward threw me one of his undershirts and I put it on carefully while he pulled on some pajama bottoms over his boxers. I giggled, noticing the bulge and he scowled as he walked to the door, unlocking it and then opening it. He moved out of the way so I could see the little girl standing in her Ariel nightgown, holding her blanket.

"Morning, Daddy," she greeted sheepishly.

"Go on, but be careful."

She ran into the room and jumped onto the bed to snuggle up next to me.

"Hi, Bella." She smiled. "How you feel taday?"

"Better than yesterday, thanks for asking," I told her, kissing the top of her head. "Did you eat breakfast yet?"

"Uh huh, Nana cook for me."

"She did? Did Nana spend the night?" I asked her, but looked at Edward who shook his head.

"Nah, she came dis mowning. Woke me up wit bacon."

"That was nice of her. Hey, guess what? Jakey-Poo is coming to play with you."

"Really?!" she squealed. "Yay!"

"Yes, so you better go get done so he doesn't see you in your nightgown," I said, tickling her with one hand.

She squealed some more and yelled for me to stop as she pushed my hand away.

"Okay, Nana help me and Daddy help you."

"That sounds like a plan. Now go, munchkin."

"I happy you here, Bella."

"Me, too."

I watched her run out of the room and yell for Esme to come help her. Esme came up the stairs with plastic bags, one for Alexis' arm and one for mine. Even with a bath, you could never be too careful. I looked at my phone briefly to check the time and fretted.

"Oh, crap, it's Monday. I'm late for work, really late for work. Edward?"

"Bella, you are in no way capable of going to work today or the rest of the week for that matter. My dad said you needed to take it easy for a little bit and that means no work where you would have to pick up kids. And don't even try to deny that you wouldn't do that," he pointed. "When I called Jacob yesterday, I told him that you wouldn't be into work all week and he agreed, as did Leah, so don't try to fight this decision."

I watched him lecture and pace as I tried to keep a smile off my face. He looked so delectable in just a pair of pajama bottoms, his upper body free of any type of clothing. I would never get tired of him going into doctor mode over me. The best part was...I didn't want to go to work so he technically was wasting his breath. I mean even I'm not that stupid to go to work with bruised ribs when I can't even sit up without cringing. Hell, I plan on milking this for a little bit.

"Why are you hiding a smile? This isn't funny, this is serious," he said, trying to sound angry. He stopped his movements and stood in front of me with his arms across his chest.

"Edward, look at me. Between the bruises and the fracture, I'm more than content to stay here with you. Do you honestly think I'd want to go to work? I just...I was getting myself all in a tizzy because I hadn't called Leah. I was concerned that she didn't know where I was and I didn't want her to worry."

"She knows you're here so no need to worry," he noted before waggling his eyebrows. "Now, I was told to help you get out of your pajamas. Let's go, love."

After a relaxing bath where we didn't get out till the water was making my teeth chatter and we were well past pruning, Edward lifted me out of the tub. He wrapped a warm, fluffy robe around my shoulders and carried me back into the bedroom.

"Do I even have normal clothes here or are they all pajamas?" I asked, watching him pull out drawers.

"I think you have jeans and maybe a tank that you left here. You really should leave more clothes here considering how much time you spend here. And speaking of that...I don't want you going back to your place."

"Edward, I like being here with you, but don't you think that's going to get a bit too much? We both like having our space."

"Bella, James could get bond, I don't want you by yourself," he said, serious. "You know I can't stay with you there, not with Alexis."

"But I don't want him to come here. He knows that you live here."

Edward stood in front of me, placing my clothes on the bed.

"I can protect you," he said, holding my face.

"I know that, I just worry about Alexis."

"I do too, but I can protect both of my girls."

"He isn't right in the head, Edward. I have every faith in your ability to protect us, but I'm worried about what he'll do to you."

"I won't let him come near us. I'll get a restraining order, whatever it takes to keep us safe."

"Thank you," I said, giving him a quick peck. "And, yes, I'll stay with you...for now. I agree, I won't be able to go back to that place, it's tainted with bad memories, but I do want my own place."

"Once everything settles down, we'll go looking, but here's the thing...I don't think Lexi will be as willing to let you go." He smiled mischievously.

"Oh, that is just mean, Edward. Don't pull the daughter card on me," I growled as I attempted to hit him in the stomach, but he blocked me.

"Bella, I know we need to get downstairs, but," he started, taking my injured hand in his, "why did you punch the wall? I know you're not a violent person, what happened?"

I looked down at the ground, not wanting to stare into his eyes at that moment. I tried formulating the right words, but I knew no matter how I said it, he wouldn't be happy.

"You left without seeing me and I was hurt, but the anger was stronger. I went into my room and started throwing things, anything just to get the anger out of me. They all tried to stop me, but I didn't want to hear it so I kicked them out. Once everything was off the dresser, I was still mad and I didn't have anything else to throw, so I punched the wall until it took the pain away."

"Bella, look at me, love," he ordered, crouching down to my level.

I lifted my head to see his emerald eyes level with my own.

"Please don't ever hurt yourself again. I rather you had called me and yelled at me for what I did than for you to have to break things and injure yourself. I'm sorry I caused you so much pain..."

I placed my injured hand over his mouth to stop him.

"Remember what you told me earlier? No more apologizing. I like that we can talk about this, but please let's stop saying sorry. I want to move pass this with you."

"I do, too, love."

We kissed once more and then he helped me get dressed. He carried me downstairs and sat me on the sofa while he made us some sandwiches. Alexis kept me company on the couch until the doorbell rang a couple of minutes later and she jumped up and squealed all the way to the front door.

"Jakey-Poo is here!" she screamed.

"Alexis Grace don't you dare answer that door without a grown up!" I ordered.

"I'm right behind her, Bella," Esme assured, jogging to catch up to the quick four-year-old.

I heard a voice that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. The smugness in it did not appease the bad feeling I suddenly felt as I heard Esme tell Alexis to come see me and then she called for Edward.

"Bella, dere a cop at the door," Alexis told me. "He here to see Daddy."

"What?" I jumped up, trembling from the strain of standing up and commanded. "Lexi, stay there, don't move!"

I clutched my side and walked as quickly as I could to the door just in time to see that evil Officer Caius handcuffing Edward.

"What are you doing?" I asked, completely puzzled.

I couldn't believe this was happening. Edward was being arrested for protecting me and I didn't know what to think. There was nothing I could do; I wanted to save him as he saved me, but I couldn't go against the law. I wanted to call my dad, but what could he do from Forks. This had to be some kind of sick joke.

"Edward Cullen, you're under arrest. You have the right to remain silent..." Caius rambled off.

I stopped listening and stared at Edward, who let Caius arrest him without putting up a fight. He was completely calm.

How could he be so willing to go when he did absolutely nothing wrong? Fucking James.

"It's okay, Bella. James is just trying to get under our skin. Everything will be alright," he said trying to comfort me.

"I can't believe he's doing this. This is ridiculous. I can't believe you're arresting the good guy and you're happy about it. How is this possible?" I sputtered.

"Edward, Jenks will meet you at the station, he's on his way now," Esme mentioned, pulling her cell phone away from her mouth. "I'll be following you there. We'll get you out quickly, son."

"What the hell is going on?" Jacob inquired, coming down the walkway.

"Jacob, stay with my girls," Edward begged.

"No, Edward, I'm going with Esme."

"You can't, Bella, not in your condition. Besides, I need you to be with Lexi, she has to be scared with everyone out here. I need you to keep it together, love, for her."

"I love you," I said.

"I love you, too," he replied as Caius shoved him up the walkway and to the patrol car on the street.

Jacob took the last few strides separating us and wrapped me in his arms.

"It'll be okay, Bella-Bell. He'll be back before you know it."

I wouldn't cry, I couldn't cry. I needed to be strong for Edward and Alexis. I needed to walk back through that door and pretend as if nothing happened.

How am I going to do that? That child is not dumb; she's going to know something is going on.

"Bella, I scared; what is going on?" Alexis peeped through a crack in the door. "Where Daddy?"

"I'll be right there, sweetheart. I just need to talk to Nana. Why don't you go inside with Jake?" I suggested.

He gave me a suspicious eye.

"I promise I'm not going with her. Edward's right, I need to be here with Lex."

Jacob opened the door wider and picked up a jumping Alexis then closed the door behind them. I briefly talked to Esme, who tried to appease my worries. Like Edward, she was completely calm and unnerved by this situation. She promised to bring Edward back to me within the hour and I didn't doubt it; not that I cared about Edward's name, but the Cullens had some pull in this city. She said good-bye, cupping my cheek and offering a smile since a hug was out of the question. I waved to her as she backed out of the driveway.

I went inside to join Jacob and Alexis; they were putting a puzzle together. Alexis gave me a big smile as she ran over to me and wrapped her little arms around my waist.

"Jakey-Poo, Bella is my mommy," she boasted.

Jacob looked at me with a beaming smile and I couldn't resist smiling back. Daughter like father, Alexis knew how to cheer me up in an instant. I took her hand and sat down on the sofa watching the two of them play. I tried to keep my thoughts on the two people in front of me, joking around and teasing each other, but every few minutes my thoughts wandered to Edward. I wondered what he was going through at that police station. Deep down I knew the charge against Edward was bogus, it was self-defense and any judge would agree, but at this moment, it was hard to think rationally.

I just wanted this two-day nightmare to end.

EPOV

I'm never going to hear the end of this once Emmett finds out. He is going to rag on me every chance he gets, which I can handle because I can dish it right back, but I don't want Bella to be constantly reminded of this moment. I know her; she's probably sitting on the sofa feeling guilty. I know she wanted to apologize while this punk ass read me my rights, but after our discussion this morning, she stopped herself. I'm just glad that Jacob came when he did; there's no way I could've left Bella with Alexis. Alexis would've wanted to be held and coddled and Bella can't do that in her condition right now. Ah! I should be at home taking care of her, but instead I'm sitting in the back of a fucking squad car, with my hands behind my back handcuffed together.

I peered up to look into the rearview mirror and the dickhead still had that smug look on his face. Fucking douchebag. He really is fresh out of the academy. About twenty minutes later, the car stopped in front of the precinct. The assface stepped out of the car, then opened the back door and pulled me out a little too roughly. He shuffled me inside and I took a minute to look around the place. There were people handcuffed to chairs, I was assuming they were waiting to be booked, visitors waiting on the other side, and men and women in uniform bustling around. The place smelled like burnt coffee and grease.

Thankfully, I didn't have to sit there with the other suspected criminals; I was taken straight into booking where I was passed onto another officer who processed me. Never thought I'd be fingerprinted. Again, Emmett is going to have a fucking field day when he finds out. I'm sure Mom and Dad thought he'd be the one in this situation, not me. I went through all the motions, finger, ink, roll left to right, finger, ink, roll left to right, finger, ink, roll left to right with each finger and two thumbs. I rambled off some basic information before I was given back to the doofus. Doofus? Really? I think the stench in here is messing with my head.

"You're a lucky son of a bitch, pretty boy. Your mommy pulled some strings and used her money to get you out of here right away. I would've loved to see you sit in there with the criminals, knocking that cockiness down a level. Think you're the shit because you're a fucking doctor and a Cullen," he sneered, uncuffing me.

"What does my last name have to do with anything?" I asked confused.

"Oh, Edward, you're alright," my mom sighed, seeing me round the corner.

"Mom, I've been here for like fifteen minutes, not much can happen besides booking," I explained, rolling my eyes at her over protectiveness.

"Jenks is in the other room right now paying your bail. Ah, and here he comes. Jenks, can we leave?" she asked, turning her attention to him.

"Yes, Esme, Edward is free to go. He'll have to appear before a judge in a couple of weeks, but he is a free man until then. Edward, you just need to stay out of trouble. Please don't go looking for any fights."

"Har, har, Jenks," I mocked laughter.

"I'm sure you want to get home so we can discuss the charges another day. But I'm serious, Edward, stay out of trouble," he pointed.

"I can't believe you, Jenks. You know me better than that," I said defensively.

"Yes, I do. Watching you and Emmett grow up, I'm surprised I haven't been called to bail one of you out of jail before now. In fact, I actually thought it'd be your brother, not you," he pondered.

"Thanks for having so much faith in me, Jenks. I appreciate it and thanks for coming down here," I said, patting him on the shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah, go home to your family."

"My family." I smiled as I thought about Bella and Alexis waiting at home for me. "Let's go, mom."

The ride home was quiet. My mom left me to my thoughts, which were being consumed by Bella and my little girl. I closed my eyes as I thought about holding both of them in my arms.

I still couldn't get over Alexis asking Bella to be her mom last night and the way she reacted to Bella stalling. I also couldn't get over Bella's face, she was white as a ghost, but the color slowly came back once she saw mine. I think my happy reaction helped. To be honest, I wasn't sure how I would have reacted if that conversation ever came up. I actually wasn't expecting it to come so soon. I was amazed my daughter was so forthcoming with her feelings; she didn't get that from me.

She reminded me so much of Tanya. Even though she was gone, I'd always be so grateful to her for giving me Alexis and for bringing me Bella. She had to have had some hand in that, even though I was sure Rose would say otherwise. I had to smile, thinking how lucky I was to have been blessed with two great loves in my short life. Wow! Where'd the sappiness come from? Man up, Cullen.

My mom pulled into the driveway, which was now full of cars, and we both got out looking at each other bewildered.

"Why'd you call everyone, Mom?" I asked, walking down the walkway.

"I didn't, Edward, I only called your father," she replied.

I pushed the button down, opened the door and then closed it in time to turn around to catch a flying munchkin.

"Daddy! You home!" she exclaimed, wrapping her small arms around my neck.

"Hey Lexi, did you miss me?" I asked, looking for Bella in the small crowd of people gathered in my home. I locked eyes with her; she was sitting on the sofa with a heating pad.

"Uh huh, are you okay?" she inquired, looking at me and touching my face with her little hands.

"I'm fine. Everything is going to be fine."

I carried her over to the sofa and sat on the edge next to Bella. I took her face in my hands and looked at her intently.

"Are you okay?" I questioned, softly.

"I'm so much better now that you're here with us," she sighed, biting her lip.

I leaned into her face and pressed my lips firmly against hers. I didn't move, this kiss was my way of reassuring her that everything was going to be fine. I ran the pads of my thumbs over her cheeks when I felt moisture against my skin.

"Oooo, mommy and daddy are kissing," Alexis teased.

I pulled away after one more and chuckled with Bella.

"Mommy?" Rosalie and Alice gasped in unison.

"Yeah, Auntie Rosie, Al, Bella say she be my mom," Alexis beamed.

"But I thought you were going to ask me since I take you shopping so much," Alice joked.

"No, you not kiss daddy, you kiss Jazzy."

"So, only people who kiss your daddy can be your mommy?"

"Uh huh." She nodded.

I looked at Bella, who was turning red during this conversation, but she kept a smile on her face the whole time. I'm sure she was having some naughty thoughts in that pretty head of hers so I winked which only made her blush more, but this time it wasn't on her face. I swallowed a groan and ran my hand through my hair thinking about puppies, kittens, baseball, anything but Bella's flushed skin; she giggled, which wasn't helping the situation.

Everyone's laughter helped pull me back to reality and back to my thoughts outside.

"What are you all doing here?"

"Well, Jazz and I came by to see how Bella was doing and she told us what was going on with you," Alice explained. "I can't believe him. He has just hit a new low."

"And I stopped by after dad called me. Then I called Rosie, who was with the boys and wanted to make sure Bella was okay," Emmett added.

"Thank you everyone for caring, I really appreciate it. There really isn't anything we can do today; it's a waiting game until I go before a judge. Have you eaten?" I asked, turning my attention back to Bella.

"Yes, Jake made me some soup to go with my meds," Bella smiled.

Alexis chose that moment to leave us to go play with her cousins. Everyone else settled in, making themselves at home. We talked briefly about the nightmare that Bella and I were going through, but the sour note didn't last long with both Emmett and Jacob in the same room; they were quick to start with the jokes. I shook my head over most of them, but some of them did have me laughing and Bella, too. However, I did feel some guilt as she clutched her side with each giggle, but she continued laughing through the pain. Amazing. It was good to see her laughing.

Everyone started filtering out after an hour; they all had things that they had to go do. My parents stayed for dinner and even cooked for us while I lay on the sofa with my girls. Bella ended up falling asleep on my chest for a little bit while Alexis lay in the crook of my arm watching Finding Nemo. I ran my fingers through Bella's hair and thought about how perfect this moment was, the three of us lying together like this. I think I really want Bella to move in.

I Will Not Take My Love Away

Chapter 15

I jumped on James' back as he continued to pound into Edward below him. I scratched at his face hoping to get him to back off. He stood up and ran me back into the wall, my head smashing hard enough to cause a dent and I fell off, sliding down to the floor. My eyesight became blurry and that pounding that was pushed away when Edward held me, was now back in the forefront, pulsating behind my eyes. I tried to catch my breath and focus my attention on the monster standing above me sneering. I watched as he pulled his leg back and threw it forward into my ribs. It seemed as if he was moving in slow motion; so slow that if I wanted to, I could stop him, prevent his foot from making impact. But I couldn't move. The adrenaline was fading quickly from my body; too quickly and I was now scared. I opened my mouth to scream in agony and all that came out was a gasp. Where was my voice? It was gone along with the air in my lungs.

I tried not to focus on the pain throbbing throughout various parts of my body. Instead, I turned my attention to my savior, to the man who wouldn't be here now if it weren't for me being so fucking stubborn. I didn't know where Edward was; I didn't know how badly James had hurt him. I could only hope the cops would show up soon. That thought and the image of Edward saving me played in my mind as my lids shut on their own accord.

I heard movement around me and grunting, and then a loud bang that made my body jump and wince. Not long after that, I felt strong arms pull me in to a hard chest. Then I heard what I think was supposed to be talking, but to me it sounded like the teacher in the "Peanuts" cartoons. Wha wha wha wha wha.

Light slaps on my cheek and shaking of my face pulled me up.

"Bella! Wake...up, Bella! No, don't...go to...sleep!" he yelled through labored breaths.

My eyes slowly fluttered, it hurt to open them, all they wanted to do was rest and Edward wouldn't let them.

"I ired, ward," I mumbled. "And y are 'ere more an one of ou ight now?"

"We need to get you checked out."

He pulled me tighter against him, his left hand curling under my thighs and his right circling around my upper back; I whimpered and bit my lip to reel in the pain.

"What? What hurts?" he asked, sitting back down.

He slowly lifted up my shirt and hissed at the shoe size welt already forming on the right side of my ribs.

"I'm sorry, baby. I have to pick you up, but I'm going to be gentle," he commented.

He moved to stand up again, and this time the cops came screaming 'Nobody move' with their guns raised. I whined, grasping onto Edward's neck tighter at the sudden noise in the small space.

Fuck, what's with the fucking screaming?! My fucking head feels like it's going to fucking explode. At this point, I wished it fucking would just to stop the fucking pain. Why am I using the word fuck so much?

Edward placed a soft kiss on my temple. They looked around then settled their eyes on us and lowered their guns.

"Is he dead?" the younger looking one asked.

"No, he hit his head pretty hard on the wall, I think he's just knocked out," Edward explained as he stood up. "His breaths are shallow so he could use some oxygen, but right now I don't have the heart to help him."

Two paramedics came through next toward the older looking officer who was checking James' pulse on his neck. He nodded to the paramedics and they rushed to James' side and started to work.

I slowly moved my head in their direction and immediately regretted it. Even moving in slow motion jostled the brain too much. I forgot that James was even still here. I hoped that they wouldn't be able to save him. In my opinion he deserved to die for all the things he put me through, not only this time around but two years ago as well.

"Do you know this man?" the younger one asked in an official tone.

"He's her ex-boyfriend," Edward answered.

"I didn't ask you. Miss, are you able to tell us what happened?" he asked, looking at me.

"Calm down there, Caius, this young lady looks like she has been through a traumatic experience. Don't treat her like a suspect," the older officer scolded. "I'm Sergeant Marcus. How are you doing?"

I moved my attention to the officer standing in front of me, but like before my mind couldn't comprehend the words that were coming out his mouth. I felt Edward's arms tighten around my legs, being careful to keep a looser hold on my upper body.

"Sergeant, do you mind if we do the questioning down at the hospital?" Edward inquired. "She has quite a bump on her head, some bruising around her neck and ribs and her hand is swollen. I'd liked to get her checked out if you don't mind."

"And you are?" Caius asked in disgust.

"I'm her boyfriend."

"You'll have to excuse Officer Caius, he's fresh from the Academy and a little overzealous to be working," Sergeant Marcus apologized.

"I understand, but would that be okay?"

"Yes, we'll meet you there."

"Northwest," he mentioned.

While they were conversing, my eyes moved back to the paramedics who were working on James. They had just finished taking his blood pressure and they put an oxygen mask over his mouth. I watched as they put a neck brace on him then strapped him to the backboard before putting him on the stretcher. His eyes remained closed as they wheeled him out. Deep down, I had a feeling that he was putting on an act, that he was really okay and that scared me.

"Bella, love, I'm going to take you to get checked out."

Edward kept my body cradled to his chest and I laid my head on his shoulder, closing my eyes as I breathed in the smell of him that wafted around me; the smell of Irish Spring and hint of maple syrup? My brain felt like someone pulled it out and decided to play basketball with it. I tried to focus on the questions swirling around in there, begging to be asked; I didn't know where to start so I said the first thing that came out.

"You were right and I'm sorry," I whispered.

"I didn't want to be right, Bella. Not if it meant you getting hurt like this." He grimaced.

"Thank you for coming," I said, staring into his eyes as he sat me in the passenger seat of his Volvo.

Edward pulled the seat belt over my chest and clicked it. He pressed his lips to my forehead before closing the door and walking around the front to the driver side. He opened the door and slid into the seat, buckling himself in and pulling out.

I watched his forearms flex and his knuckles whiten, his grip tightening around the steering wheel as we hit traffic. I stared at his scruffy face and I frowned seeing the bruises already starting to form around his eye and along his jaw. I slowly stretched my hand out to touch him, wanting to ease his tension.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked softly, trying not to use too much air.

He grabbed my hand and placed a kiss on each finger before intertwining our fingers and placing it in his lap. His grip was a little too tight, but I wasn't about to object.

"How you saved me from killing that guy. I wanted to, Bella. Believe me, I wanted to make him pay for hurting you, for touching you, for causing us to fight," he seethed. "But when I saw you lying there, motionless with your eyes closed, my heart stopped. I knew I had to put my anger aside to take care of you, my love."

He offered a small smile and my eyes started to droop; I didn't fight the need to sleep. My eyes had only closed for what felt like a nanosecond when Edward started yelling my name.

"Bella! Bella, love! Wake up! Don't go to sleep!" he exclaimed, trying to shake me awake.

"Ow, ow," I cried, gripping my ribs thinking that it would help stop the pain.

"I'm sorry. I know you're tired, but I need you to stay awake for me. I've missed those beautiful brown eyes and I want to steal glances to see them," he begged, gently running the back of his fingers along the side of my face.

I grabbed his hand and placed a kiss on the back of it, much like he had just done to me. He ran his thumb over mine as I placed it in my lap and the soothing feeling wasn't helping my need for a little shut eye. Edward's here. Edward saved me. But why is Edward here?

"Bella, hang in there, love. We're almost to the hospital."

Edward floored the gas pedal and within minutes, we pulled into Northwest Hospital. Why did he take me to Northwest? UW Medical Center is closer. He parked the car, ran around the back, and yanked the door open. In those seconds, my body became warm and the beads of sweat seeped through the pores on my forehead. The nausea was taking over and my vision blurred. As the lump came up my throat, I hurled my upper body out the side and threw up, grasping my side as a sharp pang ripped through my ribs. Edward jumped out of the way as the contents of my stomach splattered on the cement.

When nothing else was coming up, Edward maneuvered around the mess and helped me out of the car. He lifted me up as gently as he could and carried me against his chest. I nuzzled my face into his neck not caring that I had just thrown up. The cool air conditioning whooshing across my face felt good as we came through the automatic doors.

"Oh, Edward, look at you all grown up," a woman with beady eyes greeted. She had short blond hair that barely touched her shoulders, a small nose and a round face. Her features made her come across all sweet and warm, but her eyes, I shuddered...her eyes scared me. She reached out to touch Edward's face concerned, "Oh, what happened?"

"It's nothing, Jane. Do you know where my father is?" he asked, brushing her off.

"Again, what happened?" she inquired under her breath.

"We need to see my dad."

Her attention turned from Edward to me. I'm not sure what she saw in my face, but her brows furrowed as she looked me over.

"Why don't you put her down on that bed and I'll go page him," she pointed.

"Thank you, Jane," he sighed.

Edward set me down, tenderly. I tried to get comfortable in the hospital bed, which is a hard thing to do when your ribs felt like a knife had been jabbed into them and left there.

He cupped my face and looked into my eyes. I hoped he could see the love that I had for him and how sorry I was. His green eyes were filled with love, sympathy, concern and was that...guilt? What does he have to feel guilty about?

"Why didwecomehere?" I asked, in one breath.

"My dad is working today. I want him to check you out." He shrugged.

"But he'sthechief andikelybusy. I don't wanttopullhimaway," I argued.

"Bella, first, you need to breathe normally. I know it hurts, but taking breaths the way you are now isn't helping. Second, you most likely have a concussion, you have bruised ribs, a cut near your eye and you're gonna need a splint for that hand of yours. I want you to have the best. Humor me, please," he pouted.

I felt the urge to kiss his pout away, but I knew that movement was not in my best interest.

"Okay," I said, closing my eyes and clutching my chest.

"No, no, love. Stay awake, just a little longer," he ordered, shaking me.

"Here is some ice, Edward," Jane said, handing him a bag. "Your father will be down in a minute. Let me start cleaning up that cut near her eye."

Jane leaned over me, staring into my eyes and I recoiled under her gaze.

"I'm not going to hurt you, sweetheart. I just want to get you cleaned up." She smiled, touching around the cut. "You're going to need some stitches. I'll be right back."

Jane stood up and came back minutes later with some ointment and bandages. She took a seat in a wheelie stool and rolled up close to the bed.

Edward held the ice to my head as Jane cleaned the dry blood that had trickled down the side of my face. She then spread some antibacterial wash over the cut making me hiss. Edward leaned over and blew on it. Now, that is some bedside manner.

"Bella, I'm going to numb the area, so hold still while I'm using the needle," she instructed.

Once the area was numbed, Jane started sewing it up. I stared at Edward, not wanting to see the needle and thread going through my skin. You'd think that I'd be used to this with all my accidents, but it still grossed me out. When she finished sewing, she put a bandage over it to keep it covered.

"This will need to be kept clean and dry," Jane explained. "I'm sure Edward won't have a problem helping you with that."

"Thanks, Jane." Edward smiled.

"I'll wait for your father to come before we do anything else. What is with these bruises on her neck, Edward?" Jane questioned, giving him the eye.

"She was attacked, which is why she's here with the injuries. The cops are supposed to meet us here."

"Edward, son, what are you...what happened to you two?" Carlisle asked, taking in our appearance as he closed the curtain behind him.

"She was attacked, Dad, by her ex. I think she has a concussion. She threw up when we got here. Her ribs are bruised and her hand is pretty swollen, I think she fractured it. Jane just stitched up her face. The cops are supposed to come here to take her statement and get some pictures of her injuries."

"What happened to your face?" he inquired, going into protective dad mode.

"I came at the tail end of the fight and the guy hit me. I'm fine dad, Bella's the one that needs to be looked at," he pointed.

"Hi, Bella." He smiled.

"Hi, Dr. Cullen," I greeted, remembering to take normal breaths as Edward had instructed. I continued to try not to show the pain in my face.

"Just because we are in my place of work does not mean that you need to call me Dr. Cullen. Please, call me Carlisle. I'm going to assess the extent of your injuries, right now," he mentioned, moving to the bedside. "Edward, will you leave us please."

"No! Edward stays!" I exclaimed, reaching for his arm. "Ah!"

Stupid, ribs. Forget the pain, think Edward. I just got him back. Never again will I do something as stupid as to make him walk away from me. He is too important.

"Bella, I do think it'd be best for both..."

"No..."

"Dad, I'm going to be the one taking care of her. I'm going to see it all anyway," Edward told him, running the pad of his thumb along my forehead, calming me.

"Okay, then." He nodded.

Carlisle started with my head; he removed the bag of ice and pressed his fingers on various parts. When I kept my emotions intact, he scolded me.

"Bella, I need you to tell me where it hurts. If you don't want Edward to know, I'll make him leave."

"No, no, sorry," I apologized.

"Okay, tell me where it hurts on a scale of one to ten."

His fingers went back to work, pressing down on the sides of my head and then moving to the back where I knew there was a massive knot from the times my head smacked against the hard surfaces. I hissed under his feather light touch.

"I barely touched that. Jane, she'll need a Head CT. And you're cut near your eye is clean. Jane did a nice job cleaning that up. Bruising along the neck, it looks like someone was holding her." He moved his attention to my right hand. "Her knuckles are swollen; let's get an x-ray for that. Bella, I'm going to lift up your shirt okay?"

I nodded and his cold fingers on my stomach reminded me of James touching me and I tensed, holding in my breath.

"Breathe, Bella. It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you," Carlisle said, trying to ease the discomfort.

I shook my head, trying to get the picture of James touching me out of my thoughts. "No, no, no, no," I repeated quietly, barely moving my lips as the words came out of my mouth. I felt the spot next to me sink and fingers rest on my jaw.

"Bella, come back to me, beautiful." My eyes focused on his as he lifted my chin. "That's right, look at me. Just you and me."

I patted the mattress seeking out his hand, unable to pull my eyes away from his emerald green ones. He slid his hand towards mine and intertwined our fingers. I held onto him tightly, as if he were my lifeline; the only thing keeping me from curling inside myself.

Carlisle lifted my shirt again and he pressed down along my stomach and ribs. I whimpered when he hit the bones on my right side. "We'll need to x-ray her ribs as well, Jane. Bella, do you hurt anywhere else? Did he touch you anywhere else? Do I need to get a rape kit?"

"No, no, he didn't get a chance. He touched my chest but through my clothes. My back is a little sore as are my legs, but that's about it," I reassured him as my cheeks felt warm.

"Okay, Jane and I will be back," Carlisle said, following Jane out and closing the curtain behind him to give us some privacy.

"Bella, did he really not touch you?" Edward whispered.

"No, he tried though. I knew if he had gotten in the door, he would have. I couldn't let that happen. I told him you were coming, I lied and he knew it. I made him mad."

"You didn't lie, I did come," he countered.

"I know, but at the time I didn't. Why did you come? I'm so grateful that you did, but why?" I asked as a tear slipped and I nibbled on my lip.

"I thought about you all night. If I didn't have Lexi, I would've come to you."

"I wanted to come to you too, but I was afraid that you didn't want to see me. You just left and it crushed me, Edward," I cried.

"Bella, my heart was breaking. I wanted to see you, to talk to you, but you weren't thinking clearly and I didn't want to have another fight with you. I knew it would lead to that when Jake told me that you weren't listening to anyone. You had to figure this out on your own, baby. I couldn't make you see reason as much as I wanted to," he explained, pulling me into his chest.

"I needed you so bad. My heart was in so much pain; it hurt more than my ribs. And I have no one to blame for that pain, but myself. How could I have fought with you like that? How could I have been so stupid? I could've ruined everything," I sobbed.

"Shh, it's okay. You weren't even close to ruining anything. It was a fight, Bella. Couples have them all the time. It was just worse for us because it was our first one since we became serious. I understand that you were upset. You weren't thinking clearly, I know that."

His voice was comforting, soothing. He waited until my sobs were hiccoughs before continuing. He lifted my face so that I was looking into his eyes.

"I woke up this morning from the little sleep I did get and I had this really weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. My mom called me to say that dad had to work and there wouldn't be brunch. She could tell in my voice that something was wrong so I told her that we had a fight. She offered to watch Lexi so I could talk to you. I turned her down at first, knowing that you needed your time and space to think, but I couldn't shake the feeling that you needed me. The feeling in my gut moved to my heart and I asked my mom to come right over. I just wish I could've gotten there sooner."

"You came at the perfect time. Edward, I feel free after kicking his ass. I'm no longer the victim. Yes, I have bumps and bruises and cuts, but I wasn't left sitting on the floor this time. He was. I know that I hurt him more than he hurt me. I never really thought he changed, I didn't know how to explain it. I just had this feeling that there was no closure between us and there wasn't. I needed to prove to myself that I was better than he was. That I was stronger. I needed to show him that I was no longer weak. I just wished I'd realized that before our fight."

"When did you have your epiphany?" he inquired.

"This morning when I was replaying the entire day in my head over and over. And Jake told me some things that I didn't know and that helped, but mainly it was you. Knowing that I hurt you, hurt someone I love. God Edward, I'll never forget the way you looked at me when we pulled away yesterday. I hurt you so bad and I'm sorry," I hiccoughed.

"I have some apologizing of my own I should be doing. I'm sorry I said you don't care about Lexi. I know that you love her as if she was your own. I'm also sorry for telling you to go home. I just figured we both could use the space to think and that wasn't possible with you at my place without a car to leave if you needed. I'm sorry I picked up Lexi without seeing you, but like I said, you needed to make the decision on your own. God, my home felt so empty without you there to greet me when I opened the door," he confessed.

"I love you so much, Edward," I told him, looking deep into his eyes, into his soul.

"I love you, too, Bella." He leaned forward, licked his lips and closed his eyes. I covered my mouth realizing he was coming in for a kiss. His lips made contact with the back of my hand and his eyes popped open.

"What?" he asked confused.

"I've row up eath," I mumbled behind my hand.

He pulled my hand away.

"What?" he inquired puzzled.

"I have throw up breath," I said sheepishly.

"I don't care about that. Bella, we just survived our first major fight. I'd be doing something else to you right now if it weren't for the fact that you are injured and in the hospital, so let me have my kiss," he growled.

I snorted, pulling my bottom lip in between my teeth. Edward shook his head as he brought his hand up to my face. He pulled my lip free and traced it with his thumb.

"I've gone twenty-four hours without these lips," he mentioned. "I don't want to do that again."

Edward slowly leaned in and pressed his soft, full lips against mine. My eyes fluttered closed and I smiled. Thank you to the powers above for bringing this amazing man to me. It takes a lot for someone to put up with me and he does it as well as challenges me. Not many men would've come back, their egos being too big of a deal for them, but Edward came back. He still wants me, stubbornness and all. His tongue lightly touched my bottom lip before he sucked on it. I grabbed his face and held him close to me; his right hand sliding into my hair and his fingers tangled into the nest, holding me to him as well. We both needed each other, needed more of each other and this; but our lips moving together in such fluid motion was going to have to suffice for now.

The curtain was pulled aside and someone cleared their throat. We both turned our heads to the curtain, but kept our hold on each other.

"Ahem, I don't mean to interrupt this moment," Jane said, with a smile playing on her lips. "But there are two gentlemen who would like to speak to you both."

"Later," he whispered, the glints in his eyes were back. He tucked my hair behind my ear and sat up. "We'll see them, Jane."

"Okay, they're in here gentlemen."

"Bella, this is Sergeant Marcus and Officer Caius. They are here to ask you some questions. Are you up to that?" Edward asked, grabbing my hand.

"Sure," I smiled, weakly.

"Okay, Bella. Do you mind if I call you that?" Sergeant Marcus asked.

"No."

"We came at the end of it all, so can you tell me what happened prior. How did the fight begin?"

"James and I have a history that goes back about three years. We used to date and it ended badly. He hit me and I had him put in jail. I hadn't seen him for about two years, so I didn't know if he was still in jail or not until I saw him working at Edward's house about four months ago. He works for a lawn service company. After that sighting, he approached me to apologize for what he did back in college. I accepted and thought I'd never see him again, but I saw him more and more after that and he'd wave, say hi whenever he saw me. Today, I went to the Starbucks near my apartment and he showed up there. He started talking to me and I felt creeped out so I told him I had to go." I hunched my shoulders and the hairs on my arms stood up remembering the way he ogled me. "He offered to drive me back to my place since I walked, but I turned him down. I didn't want him to know where I lived but when I got back to my place; he was standing outside the building smoking. He told me he lived there," I shuddered.

"I started going up the stairs and he followed me. I swear the hairs stood up on the back of my neck and I knew something bad was going to happen. He asked if he could see my view since I mentioned that mine sucked. I told him that Edward was coming over and it wasn't a good idea. He claimed I was lying, bringing up an incident from our past and started touching me. I pushed him and he slammed me against the door holding me by the neck. He called me a slut and pressed his body against mine. I felt sick, feeling him on me, licking me, and kissing me. Then he told me we were made for each other," I said with distaste as the tears flowed. "He punched me and that's when I fought back. I somehow got him on the ground and I just kicked him over and over again until Edward came in and pulled me away."

I looked up into his eyes when I said his name. There was a mixture of compassion, pride and love looking back at me.

"How did you all end up downstairs?" the sergeant asked, not looking up from his notepad.

"Edward carried me downstairs and called the police. He got off the phone and came towards me..."

"I saw James coming down the stairs about to hit Bella, so I pushed her out of the way and took the punch. He continued hitting me, knocking me to the floor. I threw in a couple of punches, but I couldn't get him off me," Edward explained.

"I jumped on James' back and scratched his face. He stood up and slammed me back into the wall. I slid to the ground and he threw a kick to my ribs. I passed out and when I came to, I heard a scuffle. I didn't see what happened."

"I stood up and ran at James from behind. I slammed his face into the wall. I guess it was hard enough because he just fell to the ground. Then you guys showed up."

"So, you're telling me that it was all self-defense?" Officer Caius asked.

"What else would it have been?" I argued, angry at his unspoken accusation.

"Ignore Officer Caius. So we have your statement. Can we take pictures of your injuries?"

"You can, but I don't want him in here," I replied, feeling uncomfortable.

"Okay. Leave us, Caius."

"But..." he objected.

"I said leave."

Officer Caius stomped away, closing the curtain behind him. Sergeant Marcus pulled a camera out of his pocket and began taking pictures of my injuries. He moved to take a picture of my hand and I stopped him.

"Why?" he inquired.

"I punched a wall. I also punched James which I'm sure doesn't help, but I got the injury before that."

Edward looked at me with his brows furrowed. I gave him a look that said 'I'll explain later.' He nodded his head then lifted up my shirt.

"Alright, Bella, we are ready for you," Carlisle said, joining us. "Oh, excuse me."

"Dad, this is Sergeant Marcus. He came to get Bella's statement and to take pictures of her injuries. Sergeant Marcus, this is my father, chief of surgery, Dr. Carlisle Cullen."

"Nice to meet you. Are you done here? Because I want to get Bella taken care of. How is your head feeling?" he asked, turning his attention back to me.

"I want to take my brain out to stop the pain, but otherwise fine," I replied seriously.

Carlisle chuckled. "Nice to see you still have your humor."

"Here is my card, if you have any questions, give me a call." Sergeant Marcus handed his business card to Edward.

There were questions that I wanted to ask; one in particular being James' condition, but I didn't think now was the right time. I wanted to get all the exams over and done with so that I could go home.

"Thank you, we'll be in touch."

He walked away and Jane joined us.

"We'll get that head of yours checked out first. It's a good sign that you're still awake and talking..."

"Yeah, that's not by choice." I glared at Edward, who chuckled along with Carlisle.

"And then we'll take care of your x-rays. I don't think anything is broken, just fractured or bruised, but I rather be safe than sorry. Edward, son, you'll have to stay out here."

I pouted when Carlisle mentioned that and Edward smiled.

"I'll be right here waiting for you to get back. I'm not going to leave you," he said, standing up. He lifted me up and placed me in the wheelchair.

I bit my bottom lip as they wheeled me away; I held onto his hand until I couldn't reach anymore. Jane made small talk as she pushed me to radiology. She asked how long Edward and I had been dating, how we met, about his family. I gave her short answers, still not comfortable around her. She then told me how she knew Edward. Apparently, he used to intern here when he was home from college and he was a hit with not only the nurses, but also the patients. She told me about one woman who would come to the ER at least three times a week complaining of something just to see Edward. He had the best bedside manner.

Getting the CT Scan was awkward; the table moved through the scanner and Jane asked me to take a deep breath and hold it in until I couldn't. She asked me to do that a couple of times. I grimaced feeling the sharpness shoot through my rib cage each time. She tried to console me, but it just wasn't the same as having Edward do it. I tried to tune out the buzzing, but since I already had a headache, it didn't matter. After a few minutes, the table slid back out and Jane entered the room.

"Okay, the radiologist is going to look at those while we go take some x-rays," she mentioned as I eased myself back into the chair, holding my chest.

In another room, another radiologist took a chest and a hand x-ray. That took about fifteen minutes. I started getting fidgety towards the end, having to sit still for so long. The cold rooms and sitting still didn't help my need for sleep. I found myself drifting a couple of times before Jane yelled at me. Finally, I was able to go back to my little bed in the ER and true to his word, Edward was waiting for me. His face lit up the moment he saw me come through the white curtain.

"How'd it go?"

"I just want to sleep," I whined.

"Soon, beautiful. I promise and I'll sleep with you if that helps," he suggested.

"It does, a little," I grumbled.

Edward scooped me out of the chair and laid me down on the bed. We sat there talking quietly about what Jake told me. Edward's jaw clenched and he was tense the entire time. He said he called Jake and Alice while I was in radiology. They wanted to come see me, but thankfully, Edward talked them out of it. Carlisle finally joined us with my x-rays and a woman in scrubs and a lab coat.

"Bella, this is Dr. Heidi Volturi, she is the radiologist who looked over your x-rays. You CT scan is clean, it's just a minor concussion. Heidi?"

"Thank you, Carlisle. You ribs are just fractured which is good, we didn't want to see displacement. There isn't anything we can do, but give you some pain meds. It will have to heal on its own. As for your hand, you've fractured it and it's dislocated a bit. We'll need to reset your bones then put you in a splint until the swelling goes down."

"You and Lexi will be matching," Edward joked. "She'll be so excited."

"Haha," I feigned laughter.

"Hey, that's what you get for punching walls," he whispered.

I narrowed my eyes at him and he sat there with a smug smile on his face.

"Thank you, Heidi." Carlisle smiled as Heidi left us.

While we waited for the orthopedic doctor, Carlisle numbed my hand. I knew I was getting the extra treatment; I was sure he didn't do this tedious work anymore.

"Carlisle, I hear we have a special patient here," a doctor commented, pulling the curtain aside.

"I really should have asked for a room. That curtain is annoying," Edward mentioned.

"I'm fine. Plus, we're almost done here."

"Ah, Demetri, yes this is Bella. She is part of my family and she needs her bones re-aligned in her hand. Apparently she punched a wall a couple of times and then a guy."

My eyes shot up to Carlisle when he mentioned that I was part of the family and I couldn't stop the smile that formed on my face. My heart felt as if it was going to burst out of my chest, I was so elated. Edward lifted my hand and kissed the back of it

"Well, aren't you a feisty one," Demetri teased. "Is her hand already numbed?"

"Yup, already did that."

"Wow, you have the Chief doing tedious work, impressive. We may need you to come around more often."

"Watch it, Demetri," Carlisle chuckled.

Demetri reset my bones then wrapped it up in a splint.

"Come back in seven days to get a cast. You were an excellent patient." He smiled.

"Thanks. Can we leave now?" I asked, complaining.

"Yeah, Dad. I want to take her home."

Edward wanted to take me home. I smiled. He called his home, my home. Wait, are we going to his home or my home? Now I'm confused. Should I voice my thoughts or just wait? Oh, I really hope he means his home. I don't think I'll feel comfortable going back to my place knowing that James lives there. I definitely need to find a new apartment.

"Yes, you need to fill out some paperwork and then you can leave. I'll leave a prescription for an anti-inflammatory and vicodin for the pain at the desk with Jane. Bella, I want you to take care of yourself. You're going to need a lot of rest, the less movement the better especially when it comes to those ribs. Remember to breathe normally even though it hurts."

"Can I..."

"Yes, you can fall asleep. We didn't see anything in your CT to worry."

"Thank you, Carlisle," I sighed.

"Yes, thank you, dad."

"No problem. Tell your mother that I'll be off around six."

"Will do, dad."

He left Edward and me to ourselves. He commented about how happy he was that there wasn't anything seriously wrong with my head, kissing my temple for reassurance.

"I'm going to get that paperwork for you. I'll be back." Edward stood up and walked away.

While Edward chatted with the staff at the front desk, I closed my eyes for a little rest but it didn't last long.

Bad boys, bad boys whatcha gonna do?
Whatcha gonna do when they come for you?
Bad boys bad boys whatcha gonna do?

I groaned hearing the all too familiar ringtone. Edward approached chuckling as he looked at the screen.

"You really made that your father's ringtone?" he teased.

"Don't laugh; your dad's is the Doogie Howser theme song."

"Touché, here." He handed the phone to me and I accepted the call.

"Hi, Dad," I greeted then grimaced as he went on to berate me about the James situation.

He explained that an old acquaintance called him about today's incident and he is not happy that I didn't tell him that James had basically been stalking me. Edward watched me closely as I spoke to Charlie. He didn't need to ask what was being said on the other line since Charlie was screaming so much; I had to pull the phone away from my ear. I pointed to the paperwork and moved my hand, telling Edward to continue writing so that we could leave. He narrowed his eyes at me and begrudgingly got back to filling out my paperwork.

I tried to explain to my father, during the few moments he let me get a word in, that I didn't want him to worry and that there was nothing he could do from Forks. I quickly learned that that was a mistake because Charlie quickly got quiet, his heavy breathing being the only sign that he was still on the phone. I then apologized for making him feel guilty for not being there for me again, but that I had someone taking care of me, watching over me, who loved me. I gave Edward a small smile, raising my hand to brush his cheek as I talked about him and he gave me a quick wink. Charlie knew I had been dating Edward, but he didn't know it had gotten so serious until my little confession. I hadn't had the chance to update him on my life with everything that had been going on between Edward's schedule and mine lately. Charlie then asked about my injuries and where I'd be staying to heal.

I sat quietly, looking down at the bed sheets, unsure of how to answer that question. Edward grabbed the phone out of my hand and placed the clipboard there instead.

"Fill in all the blanks I left while I talk to your dad," he ordered with a smile. "Hi, Chief Swan, this is Edward, your daughter's boyfriend. She will be staying at my place while she recovers. I promise to take excellent care of her, so you don't have to worry about a thing."

I couldn't get rid of the smile that was plastered on my face. I filled out the information that Edward left for me; social and insurance information to name a few. Once done, we swapped again and he took the clipboard back to the desk. I said good-bye to Charlie and promised to call him in a couple of days. I put the phone down next to me and waited for Edward.

"Let's get you home, love." He grinned.

"Yes, please." I smiled.

Edward carried me into the house after parking in the garage. We made one stop at the pharmacy to get my prescriptions filled before heading to his place.

"Bella!" Alexis yelled, nearly falling out of her seat and running over to us. "Wat you do? Did you fall down, too?"

"Not exactly, but I did hurt it. Now, we match," I commented, sticking my hand out as Edward leaned against the island, still holding me.

I saw Esme stand up out of the corner of my eye.

"How are you feeling, Bella? Carlisle called and told me what happened," she confessed. "I hope you don't mind."

"No, that's fine. I'm actually really tired and the meds they gave me at the hospital are starting to wear off."

"Mom, I'm going to take her upstairs so she can sleep," Edward mentioned.

"Okay," she acknowledged, busying herself with the dishes.

Edward headed to the stairs and I saw Alexis following him like a little puppy. When he stopped to adjust his hands at the bottom of the stairs, she ran right into his behind. He wobbled a little from the unexpected hit and I grabbed onto his neck, moving in a way that my bruised ribs and injured hand protested. I bit my lip trying to keep the scream that wanted to escape from being set free and Edward got angry.

"Alexis Grace!"

"I sowwee, Daddy, I didn't mean to hit you. It was ackident," she quickly apologized, a scared look on her face.

"Lexi, sweetie, why don't you come finish coloring that picture for Bella," Esme suggested.

"No, I won to be wit Bella," she stated.

"I know you do, but Bella is going upstairs to sleep."

"I seep wit her. Nap time, nana."

"Oh, so that is why you were holding out earlier. But I'm sorry, sweetie, Bella needs to be by herself."

"But, I won Bella," she pouted, her bottom lip quivering. "I make her happy an she sad."

My heart was breaking as I watched this little girl argue to be with me.

"Edward, can she sit with me for a little bit?" I asked, softly.

He sighed as I ran my good hand through his hair, knowing very well that he would've done it himself if he wasn't holding me. He eyed me so I continued.

"While you get my meds and a glass of water, she can keep me company," I argued on Alexis' behalf.

"Fine. Go ahead of us, Lexi. I have to take the stairs slowly," he told her, moving out of her way.

She wiped her face with her hand then ran up the stairs. Even though, Edward took each step nice and easy, it still hurt.

"We're going to need a downstairs bedroom in the next house," I mentioned, holding in my breath.

"I have a smartass comment I want to say, but after everything we've been through I don't think it's appropriate. So, I'm going to say I agree. I could always convert my office into a bedroom in this house, but that's going to take a couple of days." I watched as his eyes sparkled as we discussed our future. I knew then that we were going to be okay and that we'd get past all this, stronger and more in love.

Alexis wasn't in the room when we entered. Edward closed the door behind him and locked it then sat me on the bed.

"What are you doing?" I asked, confused. "You said she could."

"I wanted to get you changed and out of these clothes. I'd burn them, but you're ass looks too damn good in these pants." He smirked.

I giggled as he helped me up and walked with me to the bathroom. He knew exactly what I needed in that moment, a toothbrush and toothpaste. I didn't even need to ask, that's how well this man knew me. He held onto me while I cleaned my mouth and got rid of the awful taste in my mouth, and then I slowly turned around in his grasp and gripped his shirt, pulling him down to my lips.

"Thank you, for everything," I mumbled against his lips.

"I...love...you," he said in between kisses.

"Mm, I love you too." I licked my lips, tasting Edward on my tongue as I pulled away.



He brought me back out to the bed and had me lean against the footrails as he tenderly took off my shirt, making me move very little. He then gently pulled me up against him to take the capris off. He hooked a thumb on both sides and pushed them down. I heard a groan escape from his chest and he was staring at my underwear.

"Do you always wear lacy panties under your workout clothes?" he gulped.

"No, I need to do laundry," I blushed.

"No wonder your ass looked so fucking good. God, if you weren't injured..."

"What would you do?" I asked, looking up at him through my lashes.

"Bella, you can't tease me like that. I'm already on edge with you against me wearing what you have on."

And he was right, his erection was pressing against his jeans.

"I wish I wasn't injured either. I suddenly have a new ache."

I felt the moisture seeping onto my panties as we stood, pressed against each other. My heart was beating wildly and I wondered if his was too. I lifted my left hand and placed it on his chest; his heart was racing just like mine. Edward placed his hands over mine and lifted it up to his lips. He kissed each fingertip before letting go and my hand fell to my side.

"You're so beautiful."

"And you are hot," I commented, trying to get control of my breaths as each quickened one caused my ribs to expand.

The jiggle of the doorknob pulled us out of our lust-filled state of mind.

"Daddy, you say I coud come," Alexis complained.

"Just a minute, Lex. Bella is changing," he said, pulling my undergarments off.

"Hurry, pwease. I won to come in."

Edward stared at my naked body for a couple of seconds and then sighed as he walked to the dresser to pull out some clothes for me. He pulled out a pair of pink and black polka dot pajama shorts, a black lacy tank and a pair of boy short panties. He came over to me, throwing the items on the bed next to me and quickly dressing me while being careful of all of my injuries. He then pulled back the covers and laid me down, tucking me in. He kissed the tip of my nose and moved to stand back up, but I wanted more. I grabbed onto his face and brought his lips to mine. His arms pressed against the mattress on both sides of my body, holding himself up. I needed to feel his lips against mine; show him that my love was all for him, that I'd never ever take it away no matter how stubborn, stupid, or naive I may be at times.

He bit my bottom lip and pulled away with it between his teeth.

"I want to be the only one to gnaw on that," he said breathlessly.

"These lips only belong to you."

He kissed me once more then stood up and adjusted his pants as he walked to the door. I took a deep breath to calm myself down. My body was on fire and it was aching for him. He unlocked the door and opened it; Alexis fell backwards onto the floor, a pile of stuffed animals falling around her.

"Oh, Lex, are you okay?" he asked, crouching next to her.

She quickly stood up, forgetting about the toys and brushed him off as she ran around the bed to climb in next to me.

"Hi, Bella," she smiled.

"Hi, Lex, how's your arm?"

"It itches."

"I'm sorry, but hey, both of our arms can itch now."

Edward left us to talk.

"Are you okay? You have an owie," she pointed to the cut near my eye.

"I'm better now that I'm home." Alexis leaned over me and kissed the cut.

"I make it better. I don't like it when you not here and Daddy don't either. He miss you, I miss you. The fight ova?"

My face fell when she asked that question. She is too smart.

"Yes, the fight is over and your daddy and I are better. I'm sorry that you had to see that, Lex. You know it had nothing to do with you, right?"

"Yeah, Jakey-Poo tol me."

"Well, he was right. Your daddy and I love you so much."

"I love you too. Bella, will you be my mommy?" she asked so softly that I wasn't sure I had heard her right, but as her bright blue eyes stared at me through her lashes, waiting for my answer I knew my ears were not mistaken. I was stunned that she would ask that question. Yes, we acted like mother and daughter but I would never think she would ask something like that. Pill bottles dropping to the floor pulled my attention from her gaze.

Revelation

Chapter 14

Jacob's POV

It was a typical Saturday morning.

The shop was booked until close with appointments for oil changes, tire rotations, paint jobs and dent repairs. On top of that, I knew we would get the people who dropped off their cars in the morning--'walk ins' that we would have to fit in. However, being the boss, I generally didn't have to deal with that everyday work. I tended to work on my passion-restoring classic cars. And thanks to Rosalie Cullen, I now had the reputation as one of the best classic car restorers in the city; second to her, that is.

Ever since I discovered the joy of working on cars, I had known that I wanted to run my own garage. I wanted to specialize in restoring classics, especially after I restored my first car; a 1986 Black Volkswagen Rabbit. Unfortunately, there was a lot of competition in the Emerald City and I had known I would have to work my way up. With encouragement from Bella, my dad, Alice and Leah, I opened my very own shop: Alpha Auto Body and Repair Shop.

Yes, my Alphina came up with the name.

I had struggled for business in the beginning, but through word of mouth, it started to grow. I was making ends meet, coming out even most months, that would have been fine if my wife was breaking more than even, since she owned her own business as well. In short, times were rough.

Then one day, luck was on my side and I ran into Rosalie at the local coffee shop around the corner; and no it wasn't Starbucks. She was stressing out about a client needing some work done sooner than was possible for her shop. I offered my service, and although she was hesitant at first, seeing as she had never seen my work, I was able to use my charm and persuade her to give me the job. Of course, I kicked ass repairing the 1954 BMW Roadster and Rose paid me kindly. My work relationship with Rose continued to grow and eventually we entered into this silent partnership.

Which brings me back to today.

I had this sweet, cherry red 1965 Mustang in my side garage waiting to be worked on, itching to be touched, but freaking Alec called out sick. So instead, I found myself under a red 2007 mustang.

I finally got the break I needed when Bella texted me in need of a ride from the hospital. She briefly explained that Alexis 'pulled a Bella' and broke her arm while riding her bike. I left the garage in the hands of Embry and drove to see my best girl.

When I pulled into the parking lot, I immediately found a spot at the end of an aisle and once inside, it didn't take me long to find her. She was standing down a hallway talking to her boyfriend, Edward, and I had to smile seeing the two of them together. Ever since she had started dating him, I had never seen Bella happier. In fact, I really hadn't seen much of her at all since she started dating him.

At least he's keeping her satisfied and in a good mood.

As I got closer to them, it felt as if I was interrupting something, but I brushed the feeling off asking about Alexis. After brief pleasantries, Bella excused herself to go get the little squirt.

"Jacob, I need your help," Edward said, quickly. "You know Bella better than anyone, you've been there for her through pretty much everything, she listens to you..."

"Are we talking about the same Bella?" I joked, but mentally smacked myself when Edward's face saddened. "What's wrong?"

"It's James, he's back," he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"What do you mean he's back?" I asked, fisting my hands at my sides.

"He's in Seattle and he knows where Bella works and where I live."

"Has he contacted her?"

"He approached her last month outside work, asked to apologize as part of some twelve step repenting program. She went to lunch with him and didn't tell me about it until after our weekend getaway..."

"Asshole," I muttered under my breath.

"But I don't care about that. Jacob, he's trying to worm his way back into her life and she doesn't even realize it. See, he works for a lawn care company that works in my neighborhood so he sees her whenever she's over and he waves to her, tries to talk to her. She thinks I don't know, but I'm not stupid. And I don't blame Bella for being nice to him, that's who she is. It's one of the many things I love about her, how big her heart is. My issue with the guy really began today; he drove Bella and Lexi to the hospital."

"What the fuck?!"

"Yeah, he just happened to be around when Lexi fell and Bella said he got to her before she could. Anyway, after taking Lexi into a room, I came back out here to check on Bella since she was quite pale when they walked in, and I found them out here sitting face to face. He had one hand on her arm, the other on her face. He tried to start some shit by telling me about his little lunch with Bella, obviously assuming that she hadn't told me about it. He wants her, Jacob, and I bet he's willing to do anything to get her back. I'm scared not only for her, but for my daughter, as well."

"And you have every right to be, I've seen what the shithead can do," I growled.

"I need you to talk to her," Edward pleaded with his eyes.

"I'll knock some sense into that pretty, naive head of hers. I don't want that piece of shit anywhere near her with the temper he has," I promised as I saw Bella approaching with Alexis out of the corner of my eye.

From the look on her face, I could tell she knew Edward was telling me about James. She wasn't happy about that and I knew if I didn't get her out of there soon, she was going to go off on him. Bella did not like when people intruded into her life; be it her dad, her best friend, or Prince William for that matter. She liked her independence and didn't want to be judged on the decisions she made.

But I was just as furious- if not more- after hearing everything Edward had said, but I kept my emotions in check with the little one in front of me with her arm all bandaged up. It wasn't hard to put a smile on my face after hearing Alexis call me 'Jakey Poo.'

I took her from Bella, asking her what happened. She proceeded to tell me all about it; her bike ride, the bags of wood that made her fall, the fall itself, the car ride with the scary man and the x-ray. She talked the whole way to the truck and I was so consumed in her story that I let Bella fall behind. It wasn't until I was unlocking the door that I realized she wasn't following us. She was standing in the middle of the parking lot having an argument with Edward. They were trying to keep their voices down, but that went down in flames when she walked away and he grabbed her by the elbow. Everyone stopped to stare for a minute or two when she yelled at him to stop grabbing her.

Little did Edward know, that's how James used to grab her; that's how it all started with him grabbing her too hard around the elbow to stop her from leaving or to pull her away from a conversation. I remember the excuses she used to make for the bruises, claiming she 'ran into a wall.' I bought them in the beginning, with Bella being the huge klutz that she always was, but after a while it didn't seem to make sense.

"Why are daddy and Bella yelling?" Alexis asked with a pout.

"They're not happy right now, sweet heart," I placated as I opened the door and buckled her in the built in booster seat.

"Are they fighting cuz of me? Cuz I hurt my arm wit Bella? Daddy mad at Bella cuz my arm."

I could see the moisture pooling in her eyes.

"No, no, no, sweet heart. You did absolutely nothing wrong and this has nothing to do with your arm. This is a grown up thing," I sighed.

"I don't want em to fight," she cried as I wiped away the stray tear that escaped.

"I know, me either. You good?" I asked, giving her a thumbs up.

She nodded her head. I closed the door and walked around the front end to get in, buckling myself and starting the car and then backed out of the spot. I drove over to where Bella and Edward were standing and waited. I tried not to watch, but my heart ached when I saw tears streaming down Bella's face. I could tell that she knew she had hurt Edward and didn't know how to take it back.

Stay mad, Jacob. Don't let her get you all soft. You need to stay firm; she needs to be yelled at about this whole James situation.

"Why Bella crying?"

"I don't know, Lex."

Edward opened the door and Bella got in. The moment she buckled herself, I hit the gas and drove off.

"What the hell are you thinking, Bella?" I asked, hitting the steering wheel.

"Not now, Jake, please. My head hurts, I don't want to fight with you, too," she whined.

"Well, that's too bad, sweetheart because you and I are going to have this talk."

"Just let me have the ride to my place. Please Jacob," she pleaded.

I stole a glance in her direction and mentally kicked myself for doing so. I couldn't yell at her in this state, kick her more when she's already down and out. And it really probably was not the best idea to have this discussion with Alexis in the back seat, who was also in an emotional state right now.

Wait, did she just say her place?

"Why are we going to your place?" I inquired.

"He doesn't want me at his. He said he'd pick up Lex after work," she explained with a sob.

I reached for her hand and slid my fingers in between hers, locking them together.

"Don't cry, Bella," Alexis comforted, her bottom lip quivering.

Bella looked over her shoulder and offered a weak smile.

"I'm fine, Lex, don't worry about me."

The rest of the ride to Bella's apartment was quiet, except for the few hiccoughs that escaped from both of them. I parked the car and Bella got out, grabbing Alexis. We walked up to her place and she let us inside. I led the little one to the sofa and put on Noggin while Bella went in her room to change, her clothes still bloody from the fall.

When she joined us fifteen minutes later, her eyes were red again and very puffy. I stood up and enveloped her in my arms and she buried her face in my chest, crying softly. I could feel the tears soak my shirt and I tried to comfort her by running my hand through her hair and along her back.

When the sobs eased, I pulled us apart and held her face in my hands.

"Have a seat; I'm going to put on some tea."

She nodded and went to sit next to Alexis, who latched onto Bella and started comforting her. I brought a cup over to her a couple of minutes later and sat on the other side of Alexis. I waited to broach the subject of James until Alexis fell asleep. Once she did, I picked her up and took her into Bella's room and closed the door.

"I've given you plenty of time to think, so we're going to talk about this. Now. What are you thinking getting involved with James again?" I asked in a calm voice.

"I'm not 'getting involved with him'. We had lunch, once. Why does everyone keep making a big deal out of this?" she asked, throwing her hands up.

"That's all he needs, Bella. Just one chance to get in your good graces and then it's all over; you won't be able to get rid of him. Don't you remember? That's what he did last time. And from what I've heard, that seems to be the case now as well. I hear he's been waving to you, trying to talk to you..."

"He's not the same person, Jake. I can tell."

"I know you think everyone has good in them, Bella Bell, but there are exceptions. You weren't there, you didn't see the way he came at Quil that day," I told her, cupping her cheek and began recalling that day to her.

I remembered like it was yesterday. She had already left the bowling alley and Quil and I were standing outside after saying goodbye to her, while waiting for Paul and Rachel to finish paying. They were taking so long that I decided to go check on them and when I came back out, Quil and James were nose to nose, seething. James was mumbling something about Quil going after Bella and wanting her back. We all knew that wasn't true; yes Quil still loved her, but knew it wasn't meant to be, that there was someone else out there for him. In fact, he'd even had his eye on this girl, Claire. He had tried to tell James that, we all did; but he wouldn't listen. Finally, we thought he saw reason when he started to walk away so we headed to the car since Rach and Paul joined us. Quil made a comment about Bella and Paul dating at one point, wondering why he always got all the crap.

Within seconds, I heard footsteps coming from behind us quickly, the hair on the back of my neck stood up on end and I tensed. I turned around to see James running at full speed towards Quil, nothing but rage in his eyes, grabbing him around the waist and slamming him to the ground before Paul and I could do anything. Rach screamed as James threw fists at Quil's face and ribs; left and right, left and right. We tried to pull him off, but there was so much adrenaline running through James' body that it took the help of two other men to help us. The minute we got him off, he'd tried taking swipes at us. We dodged his fists and then I think reality set back in and he didn't like his odds so he ran, like a little coward.

I took her hands in mine and gave them a gentle squeeze as she stared at me dumbfounded. "Bella, he left Quil bleeding in the middle of the parking lot. We couldn't even move him; he was in so much pain. Rach called 911 and we spent the night in the ER, waiting for Quil to get cleared. How can you forgive someone for doing that to someone you loved? How can you forgive someone for doing almost the same thing to you?"

I looked at Bella and she looked like she was in a far off place.

She must be thinking of that night.

The tears streamed down her face. I've kept all the details of that night from her, but today she needed to hear the truth, to see James for who he really was.

"Why didn't you ever tell me? Why'd you only tell me it was a black eye?" she asked, hitting me in the stomach. "Why did you sugar coat it?"

"You weren't strong enough to handle that back then. I remember how upset you were thinking it was just a black eye. You felt so much guilt for that one black eye; I'd hate to see what you'd look like if you knew he did so much more. But don't you get it, Bella? You can't change someone like that. The anger...it's still there, just lying dormant. You make one wrong move and that rage comes out. He's hurt you twice, and there is nothing to stop him from hurting you again."

"It's my fault, Jake. He had such a promising future and it's my fault."

"You need to stop with all that guilt bullshit. You did nothing wrong. It's not a sin to be friends with guys or your exes for that matter. You should be damn proud that you're able to keep such a great relationship with Paul and Quil. Would you feel bad for the ass if it was me who he beat up?"

"I would've killed him," she growled.

"My point exactly." I smiled. "Why are you trying to screw up a good thing for a fucker like that? I've never seen you so happy, Bella. You have a good man who loves you so much that he calls you out on your shit. And I know you love him; I can see it in your face whenever he walks into a room. Even tonight, when we drove away, you couldn't take your eyes off of him even though you were mad at him."

"I just wanted to help him, that's all," she sighed, standing up to pace. "I see him out there, working in the hot sun and I know that he could be doing so much more with his life. I want to help him get back on the right track."

"I'm sure you do, but that's not your job. You owe him nothing, Bells. Plus, if he really wants things to change in his life he has to want to do them himself..." I was going to continue lecturing her, but pounding on the door stopped me.

"Isabella Marie Swan, if you don't answer this door right now, I'm going to break it down," the normally cheerful voice said, now riddled with anger.

"Oh no," Bella groaned. "Why'd you call her?"

I smiled as I got up to answer the door.

"I didn't. Why hello, Alice," I greeted, opening the door wider for she and Jasper to walk in. "How nice it is to see you. What up, Jasper?"

"What the fuck is wrong you, Bella?" Alice yelled with her hands on her hip.

"Will you shush," Bella shushed her throwing her hands over Alice's mouth. "Alexis is here sleeping."

"Oh, sorry," Alice aplogized, removing Bella's hand then whispered, "Again, what the fuck is wrong with you?"

"What are you talking about, Alice?"

"Oh, I think you know."

Bella shrugged, not giving into Alice right away.

"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about," she huffed. "Why didn't you tell me about this little lunch you had with your psycho ex-boyfriend? Why are you getting associated with him again?"

"Grrrrrr," Bella growled, pulling at her hair. "He asked if he could apologize, I let him at lunch. I've seen him around Edward's neighborhood, I wave, say hello, do the polite thing, and that's it. I've never initiated a conversation. Today, he drove Lex and me to the hospital when she broke her arm because I didn't have a car..."

"Wait, you let him drive you someplace?" Jasper interrupted. "How could you have been that stupid, Bella? You know I don't butt into your life like these two, but he could've taken you and Lexi anywhere besides the hospital. How could you put both of you in that situation?"

The room fell silent. We all were thinking the same thing, but neither Alice nor I said it out loud; we didn't want Bella to feel that guilt. But we both knew it needed to be said so we nodded our heads in agreement with Jasper and I could see Alice's shoulders relax a bit.

"He's not a kidnapper," she mumbled.

"You don't know that. He's been in jail, you don't know what he is anymore," Jasper argued.

"I want to know why you're defending him," Alice added. "And let me just say I have a bad feeling about this whole situation, B."

"And I have a good feeling, Ali. My body no longer tenses when I see him; he's genuinely a good person again. He's the James I remember from the beginning, not that monster."

"But that monster is just lying dormant," Alice countered.

"See," I pointed.

"Ugh, why are you so fucking stubborn?" Jasper groaned.

"What is it going to take for you to see things clearly?" I asked, walking up to her and grabbing her face, gently. "Do you have to wait for him to hit you again, come after Lexi? What?"

She removed my hands from her face and walked out to the porch.

"I've tried, guys, I really have. I told her the truth about that night with Quil," I said, sitting down and resting my face in my hands.

"And she's still not seeing clear? What is she thinking?" Alice asked, taking a seat next to me.

"She feels like it's her fault, that she ruined his future, but no one is to blame for that but him. I really don't know what's going to get through to her, if we can't and Edward can't," I sighed.

"It's happening all over again, Jake. He's sucking her right in and she's falling for all the bullshit. I tried to warn her the first time. His ex and I had mutual friends and she told me that James had a temper. I told Bella, but she was already gone. I remember how much she cried at the end, asking how she could be so stupid. Why isn't she doing that now?"

"Because we're telling her what to do like she's a child and she doesn't like that. She's being stubborn."

Another knock on the door, this time it was soft, hesistant. Jasper was already standing so he answered it.

"Edward. Hey man, come on in," he ushered him inside, closing the door behind him.

"Hey, guys, I'm just here to pick up Lexi," he offered a weak smile, running a hand through his hair.

The guy looked bad. Obviously this fight with Bella was eating him up inside.

"She's sleeping in the bedroom," I told him. "She still isn't seeing reason, but give it time, let her sleep on it. Right now she's being stubborn."

"Thanks for trying, Jacob," he said, patting my shoulder before walking down the hall to the bedroom.

"Wait, you're not even going to see her? You're just going to get Lexi and go?" Alice questioned.

"What else is there to say? Yes, I want to see her, to hold her in my arms, to kiss her, for things to go back to how they were before I left for work this morning, but I can't. I can't be the one to make it better, she has to. She needs to make the decision, not me and not you guys. The only thing we can do is help her make the right one."

I could see the pain in his eyes and how much it hurt him to not go and see her. His body was tense because he was fighting against it, against what it needed. I really wanted to open that door and tell her to get her ass in here, to make up with him, but Edward was right; we can't make that decision.

He came back out with a sleeping Lexi in his arms and Alice walked to the door and opened it for him. She gave him a weak smile as he quietly said his thanks and good byes. "Oh, and tell her I love her."

And with that, Alice closed the door behind him.

We sat in the quiet room waiting for Bella to join us again. About fifteen minutes after Edward left, she did, but didn't sit down, instead walking down the hall to her bedroom. When we heard a loud crash, we knew she realized Alexis was gone and he didn't stop to see her. All three of us stood up and ran to the bedroom when the crashing didn't stop. Bella was picking up books, deodorant, lotion bottles, picture frames, trinkets, anything she could get a hold of and throwing them against the wall.

"That asshole, stupid fucker, can't even be man enough to see me before taking her!" she yelled, throwing a picture of the two of them at the wall; narrowly missing Jasper's face.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Calm down there, killer," I said, holding my hands up in surrender. "Stop throwing shit."

"And, you," she growled, prodding me in the chest with her finger. "You let him leave without saying anything, without coming to get me?! What kind of friend are you?! I thought you wanted us together, to work this out, but obviously you don't! None of you do!"

"You have to fix this, Bella," Alice commented, walking towards Bella and grabbing her hands. "Not Jake, not Jazz, not me. You. You need to show him that he is the one you want, that you choose him over that fucker. It isn't a difficult thing, but you're making it seem harder than it really is."

"Just get out."

"But, Bella," we said in unison.

"No, just get out! Leave, now!" she yelled, grabbing something else to throw but we scurried out of the room.

She didn't follow us because she knew we wouldn't stay. Before I left I told her, "He loves you, Bella. He told me to tell you that before he left. He loves you."

Bella's POV

After I ran them out of my apartment, I continued to throw things off my dresser until it was bare and I hit the wall a couple of times causing my knuckles to bleed. Smart, Bella. After I got all the anger out, I cried. I took my bloody hand, wrapped it in a towel then curled up in bed and continued to let the tears pour. Looking at the cuts, it made me think of Edward and how much I wanted him here to clean up the blood, to take care of me. I wanted to hold him and kiss him in bed like we did this morning, to hit the rewind button and start this day all over again; there's so much I would change.

I awoke with a fright from a horrible nightmare; I dreamt that Edward and I got into a fight. I looked around my room, seeing the various items on the floor and I realized it wasn't a nightmare; it was all real. My heart was aching, my knees stung and my hand was throbbing. Eventually, I sat up slowly and placed my feet on the floor and checked the clock. It was a little after nine. I stood up and my joints popped from the weight I placed on them. I stretched my arms, forgetting about my hand and winced, clutching it to my chest; my knuckles were swollen to the size of grapes and it hurt to touch them. I extended my fingers then tried to curl them, but I could only do it to a certain extent.

I shuffled my feet to the kitchen and grabbed a fistful of ice cubes out of the freezer with my good hand. I dropped them onto a clean towel, gathered the ends together and placed it on the top of my hand. It did little to ease the pain, but I kept it there hoping the swelling would go down. I took a seat on the sofa, curling my legs underneath me and staring at a blank TV screen. I wanted to turn it on, to watch something mindless, to see anything else beside Edward's distress filled green eyes in my head; but I knew it wouldn't help. I thought about going to see him, to apologize, but I knew that wasn't enough.

Edward was right, Jake was right; they were all right. James was bad news, my head knows that, but for some unknown reason, I couldn't walk away.

I wasn't able to fall back asleep; I tried lying down, but all I did was stare at my ceiling fan. I watched it go round and round, shaking. I tried to read, but nothing kept my attention. My mind kept replaying my fight with Edward. Yes, he had the right to butt into my life. Whether I liked it or not; he had every right to look out for Alexis. It goes back to what Jacob said before Edward and I started dating...Alexis comes first; she comes before him and I, and I wouldn't have it any other way. If only I could've seen reason yesterday. I also thought about everything Jacob said to me. I remember that night.

I told James I was going to see Alice, but on my way to her place something came up and she cancelled on me. I didn't want to spend the rest of the night waiting on James to get done at work, so I called Jacob. He invited me to go bowling with him and the group, mentioning that he needed a partner since Leah couldn't come. It was another one of our funtabulous nights full of drinking, joking, teasing and laughing.

I can't believe that night took a complete 180 degrees after I left, I thought as I shook my head. How could I have been so blind? What would I have done if I'd known the truth? Would I have done things differently? Would I still I have ended up beaten on the floor after confronting him? Yes, I'd still be a victim because I was weak back then and he'd still be a monster. A monster; that's how Jacob described James. I'd say he was more like a volcano, lying dormant just waiting for the moment to explode; even giving you a preview of what is going to come before unleashing it all. That's it, it's been right in front of me the whole time; it's not that I think he's changed. I just have something I need to prove to him and most importantly, to myself.

When the sun started to rise, I walked out to my balcony to watch it; the entire time I wished Edward was standing behind me, my back leaning against his strong chest and his arms wrapped around me.

It was Sunday, we were supposed to go to the Cullen's house today for brunch like we did most Sundays, but this Sunday I wouldn't be going. I thought about that as I let the warm water wash over my body in the shower, let it wash away everything that happened the day before. It trickled down my back releasing the tension in my muscles. I did my best to wash my hair and my body with one hand. When the water turned cold, I shut it off and stepped out, wrapping the towel around my body.

I dressed casually for a trip to Starbucks. I thought about driving, but I figured the fresh air and exercise would do me some good. Fifteen minutes later and a little sweaty, I opened the door and took a deep breath through my nose and sighed at the smell of coffee beans. I stepped in line and waited for my turn; I ordered a strawberry/banana smoothie and when it was ready, I took a seat enjoying the calm of the coffee house.

"Isabella, what a surprise," James greeted with a smile. "Do you mind if I join you?"

"James, hi," I smiled weakly.

My heart beat started to race at the sight of him standing over me and not in a good way.

Seattle is big, how do we keep running into each other?

"What's the matter, gorgeous?" he asked, taking a seat without my invitation.

"Nothing, I didn't sleep too well," I lied.

"I'm sorry to hear that. How are your knees?"

"They sting a little bit, but otherwise I'm fine. Thanks for asking. So, what are you up to today?" I asked, making pleasantries.

"Relaxing. I try to start my day off with a cup of coffee and this morning I felt the need to come to Starbucks."

"Oh, do you live around here?"

"I do. I live in the apartment building a couple blocks from here."

Well, that explains it.

"Really, how long have you lived there?" I inquired, squirming a little bit in my seat.

"Not long. It's definitely a step up from the rat hole I used to live in."

"Well, that's good," I commented, glancing at my watch. "I don't mean to cut this visit short, but I have to go."

James saw my swollen hand and grabbed it. My hair stood on end from his touch.

"What did you do?" he asked, concerned.

"Oh, you know, punched a werewolf," I answered nonchalantly, standing up and pulling my hand out of his and wincing.

"This looks really bad, Isabella. You should get it checked out."

"Don't worry I will. Edward's coming over and he'll take care of it. That's why I have to go."

"Let me walk you out," he offered, gesturing for me to go in front of him.

I lead the way outside.

"Well, it was nice seeing you. Bye." I waved.

"Wait, are you walking? Let me give you a ride?"

"No, thank you. I like the fresh air." With that, I left James standing in front of Starbucks.

I took my time walking back to my place. My brief conversation with James scared me. I thought about the creepy way he looked at me and I couldn't rid myself of the feeling that he was close by. That feeling was confirmed when I approached my building and I saw him standing there, leaning against the wall, smoking a cigarette.

"Wow, how did I get to be so lucky, seeing you twice in one day and in a span of twenty minutes?" I smiled, pretending to be happy to see him.

"I live here," he replied, taking a drag.

"Oh, this is the new place. I'm glad you like it; it really is a great neighborhood. What's you favorite part?" I tried to be friendly even though I wanted to gauge his eyes out.

"Well, I have a fantastic view," he commented, eyeing me.

"You're lucky, my view pretty much sucks. Well, enjoy your cigarette," I waved, walking up the steps.

I heard footsteps following me and my body tensed. I moved to unlock my door, but he called my name.

"Isabella..."

"Yes?" I said, turning around to face him but keeping my hand on the door.

He was closer to me than I expected. I could smell the cigarette on his breath as he spoke and I scrunched my nose up in disgust.

"Do you mind if I see that view?" he purred.

Did he just fucking purr? Blech!

"Actually, I don't think that'd be very smart. I know that Edward wouldn't want you in my place."

"He'll never have to know." He smirked, placing his hand on my cheek.

His hand was rough, his fingers caloused. I turned my face away from it, my jaw clenching.

"He'll be here shortly," I continued to lie.

"You're lying. Why are you lying to me?" he questioned, the anger darkening his normally sky blue eyes.

I could feel the fear run throughout my body, but I tried not to let it show.

"I'm not; Edward is coming to pick me up. We have a date," I told him, looking him straight in the eyes.

"God, do you think I didn't learn anything about you in our time together? You always drop your eyes at the end of your lies. It's like that night you said you were going to see Alice and I followed you because you did that. And I was right, you weren't with her. You were at the fucking bowling alley with those guys, whoring yourself out. I watched you flirt with them. Do you know how that made me look? My girl, slutting it up with her two exes and another fucker." He shook his head.

"Really? Really, you're bringing that up now?" I questioned, anger evident in my voice.

"What? You can't handle the truth that you're a slut," he commented, running his hand down my chest.

I slapped it away and he slammed me against the door, his fingers grasping my neck.

"Uh," I grimaced, feeling the pain in the back of my head.

That's definitely going to leave a mark.

I tried to push him off but he just chuckled, tightening his grip.

"You can't get away from me. I'm stronger than you, I overpower you," he whispered in my ear.

His body was pressed so tightly against mine, holding me against the door. I wanted to vomit feeling his erection against my stomach. James turned his face and ran his tongue from my jaw up my cheek and ended with his lips on my temple. I dry heaved from just the smell of his breath on my skin.

"Oh, come now, Isabella, that used to turn you on."

"You make me sick," I seethed.

He threw his head back in a hearty laugh.

I could feel the moisture in my eyes, but I would not give him the satisfaction. I was stronger than this, I could fight him off. I just needed to find the strength. I would not be the victim again.

You can do this, Bella. Remember all those self defense classes and kickboxing.

He backed away a little bit to look me in the eye.

"Your hair smells so wonderful," he commented, grabbing a handful and sniffing it. "You're so fucking gorgeous and perfect in every way. I love that you see the real me, you get me. Isabella, you still see good in me. When everyone else abandons me, you're still there. We were made for each other."

"You're fucking delusional," I spat.

He chuckled then his face turned serious.

"I wish you weren't lying. I would love to see your fucking boyfriend see you like this...writhing for me."

He ground his erection against me and I whimpered. I tried to kick him, but he was pressed against me too hard.

"Get off me, psycho!" I hissed.

That's when I saw it, his left hand coming towards my face in a fist out of the corner of my eye. I shut my eyes and prepared myself for the impact.

I didn't even wait for the prickling to start before I made my move; that punch was all I needed to get the strength to hurt him. I grabbed onto his wrist with my left hand and threw the palm of my right up his chin, pushing his face away from me. He loosened his grip on my neck and I knocked it away. Free from his grasp, I kneed him in the groin, knocking him to the floor. I kicked him over and over again in the stomach putting all the nightmares I endured, the pain, the hate I had for him into each blow. And I didn't stop there, I kicked him in the face and stomped on his sides remembering what he did to Quil. My vision was becoming blurry as the tears flooded my eyes.

"I'm not the victim; I'm not scared of you. I am stronger than you, you fucking asshole!" I yelled with each kick.

"Bella! Bella, stop!" a familiar voice yelled, wrapping their arms around my upper body and lifting me up.

"No, I'm not done, I'm not done. He hasn't paid," I cried, wiggling to get out of their grasp.

"Bella, baby, you've done enough," he said, carrying me down the stairs and away from my prey. He set me back on my feet when we hit the bottom floor, turning me around to face him. "You have to let the police handle this."

"I did last time, E-Edward, and he-he-he got out, he found m-m-me. What's g-g-gonna keep him from finding me a-a-again? I have to make s-sure he never comes back," I explained through my sobs.

"No, love. The cops are going to handle it; we just have to call them."

Edward pulled his phone out and dialed 911. He quickly told dispatch where we were, what happened and what we needed, all in one breath. Edward ended the call and turned to look at me. I had my back to the stairs, holding myself as I tried to calm down. I looked up at Edward and his eyes went wide; before I could process anything, he was pulling me out of harms way as he took a fist to the face.

"Edward!" I yelled.