**I own my plot but S. Meyer owns the characters**

"Baby…"

"Uh-unh."

"Yes, honey, wake up."

With a groan Bella Cullen opened one eye to see the smiling face of her husband peeking over her shoulder. The all night rotation he had in his hospital residency was killing her. This 4am wake up call was first time she had seen her husband in three days. Between her running the kids around town and working in the local school and Edward's intense hospital schedule, they never saw each other.

Bella shivered lightly as she felt his hand run over the curve of her spine to rest lightly on her underwear clad bottom. At the end of the day she was so exhausted she just stripped to her underwear and fell into bed. As she thought of it she started to get annoyed. Everything was on his time, now that HE had a free minute she was expected to just wake up and be ready for sex. What about when she had needs and he was nowhere to be found? Edward was currently kneading the muscles in her lower back and kissing her naked shoulder blade, while it did feel good she was so frustrated by the thoughts running through her head that she flipped over and glared at him. He didn't immediately notice her look of annoyance as his eyes immediately went to her naked breasts.

They had been married for ten years and she enjoyed that he still looked at her the way he did the day they got married when she had turned eighteen. When they had walked down the aisle shortly after graduation she had been three months pregnant with their first son, their second son was born three years later. It hadn't been easy on them between the two of them finishing college and Edward going onto medical school, but somehow they had always made it work. But Edward's schedule had him gone most of the week, often sleeping at the hospital instead of coming home as he only had a few hours of downtime. Bella had begun to feel like a single parent and was getting to her breaking point. Not only that, they hadn't even had sex in months and now Edward was sneaking in in the middle of the night expecting it. While her body was aching for him, she just couldn't turn it on like that without any acknowledgement of the problems they had been having.

When he finally met her eyes his forehead creased in confusion. "What's wrong baby?"

Bella groaned in frustration and slammed her fists against the bed, "You can't just waltz in here and pretend you haven't been MIA Edward. It doesn't work like that. I'm not here for you just to have sex with when you need it and abandon me the rest of the time!"

"Abandon you? What the fuck are you talking about?" Edward looked at her incredulously.

"You're never here Edward. You're gone for days at a time. I'm here by myself, taking care of our kids."

"You knew this is what it would be like Bella. Becoming a doctor is hard work. I'm just trying to give us a better life. I didn't work so hard going to school days AND nights just to half ass it now that I'm finally a real doctor!"

"I knew it would be hard Edward, but I didn't expect to be completely abandoned. You haven't touched me in months and now you just come home in the middle of the night and expect me to DO YOU and then you'll just leave again. Even when you have free time you stay at the hospital!"

"I only have a couple hours off at a time and it's easier just to stay there when I know I'll be going right back there anyway!"

Bella looked at the bedspread and then looked up at him with tears in her eyes, her anger fading away to something much deeper, "I'm not sure I can do this anymore Edward," she said quietly, not meeting his eyes as she said it.

Edward stared at her in shock. His jaw slightly unhinged. Suddenly he jumped of the bed and started pacing the room. His hands went into his already messy auburn hair and began to tug. He was pacing like a caged animal when he suddenly turned to her, "You can't just say that to me."

"Edward I…"

"No."

"What do you mean 'no' Edward?"

"Exactly what I said, no. You aren't leaving me." He said with fire in his eyes.

Bella sputtered, "But…that's not how it works…you just can't, you can't…you just don't get to come home and it's your way or no way Edward. You haven't BEEN HERE."

Edward dropped to his knees by the bed still running his hands through his hair in nervous habit. "Bella this can't be over, it just can't. You and the kids are everything. You can't leave me." All of the fight had seemed to leave his body.

Bella looked at him with sad eyes, "Edward I do love you. I just can't do this alone anymore. I don't want to be angry all the time. It isn't fair to me and it isn't fair to the kids. We both deserve better then to come in second to your work."

Tears had started to form in his eyes, "Baby, I'll do better I promise. Just DON'T leave. I thought I was doing the right thing. I thought if I was successful then we wouldn't have to worry like we did in the beginning. I'm sorry. Please don't leave me."

Bella looked away, not being able to face him any more. "I think you should go back to the hospital Edward. I need time to think and I can't with you here. I love you too much and when you look at me like that I just want to forgive you, and I can't just pretend the past year hasn't happened. I've been alone in the marriage for a long time. Sorry isn't just going to fix this."

"You want me to leave?" Edward asked in a dead voice.

"Yes. I think that's best." Bella said while tugging the covers up over herself tighter.

Edward rose from his knees and looked at her for a long time before running a hand through his ruined hair and turning from her. He grabbed a bag and threw some clothes in it. When he reached the door he looked over his shoulder, "this isn't over. I'll give you time if that's what you want. But I'm not letting you go. You're mine, and I'm yours. That's how it's been since we were sixteen years old, and that's how it will always be." He said fiercely and walked out the door. As it clicked shut Bella collapsed against the pillows and let the tears finally come.

**Please review and let me know what you think! I'm trying my hand at longer stories and need the feed back! Do I continue?**