Chapter - 3 "The Past Among Us"

Four years ago. St. Jude Hospital.

"The baby isn't getting enough oxygen and it won't be getting any if we don't perform a C-section," the nurse spoke in quick, yet loud words so Mr. and Mrs. Cullen wouldn't miss anything. Under dire circumstances, people always blocked out the worst parts. "But it we do this," the nurse continued, "I'm afraid, Miss Cullen, that you will lose too much blood. The alternative is to wait until the baby has stopped receiving oxygen, so your heart rate will slow down and your body will discontinue to work at the hyper speed it is now, just to keep you and your baby alive. We highly recommend that you choose the latter."

Annette laid on the hospital bed as he husband, Edward, sat beside her on a chair. She was drenched in sweat, her eyes were heavy, and her body was numb from painkillers. She grew up in a small, religious family were babies were seen as a blessing. All her life she wanted one, even after hearing her mother tell her of all the complications she had when giving birth to her. That story had actually been very comforting to Annette when she went into labor sooner than she was supposed too. Edward was so worried when the blood trickled down her leg, but Annette was calm, and told him to get the car ready. Her calmness made him relax, but only slightly as he rushed her to the hospital in record time.

It was late in the night, 2 or 3 am, Annette wasn't sure. She had a headache, her feet were hurting, and the contractions were almost too painful. Thankfully, the pain killers and morphine helped a lot, and even with all the uncertainty, she was happy. The first few months of her pregnancy was a feeling unexplainable. She would glow everytime she thought of the miracle she was carrying inside her. It also helped that her husband was just as excited as she was. They had been excited since he moment she took the test and it showed positive. Now, lying in the hospital, the nurse "recommended" to choose her life over her childs.

Annette turned her head to the side to look at her husband, and he brushed her damp hair out of her eyes. His other hand was squeezing hers. "Do you C-section now," said Annette to the nurse, but her eyes never left Edward's.

"Are you sure Miss?" asked the nurse. Her eyes scanned Mr. Cullen's face, hoping that he'd protest that his wife was too unstable for a decisions like this, but he paid no attention to her. He was leaning over his wife's bed, murmuring something.

"You don't have to this. I need you," Edward whispered as tears threatened to fall.

Annette smiled warmly as she cupped his face in her hands. "Its okay dear. Sometimes you have to choose your loved ones over yourself. And I choose our daughter. She will need you."

"If we're going to do this we need to do this now," said another nurse. The procedure was short and the baby came out healthy and crying.

"Welcome to the world, Sarah," whispered Annette. She held her child a few minutes before passing away.

Present Time

Edward carried Sarah back to the truck then called the sheriff. Despite showing up an hour later, the sheriff seemed rather excited about what he saw.

"We ain't never git no drama 'round here. Everything's as boring as a brick. So what's the old dogs name?" said the sheriff. Edward was off-put by his deep country accent, but didn't care enough to ask where he was from.

"Pug," Edward replied dryly.

"Something ate the hell outta him! That's how my wife looks after I eat her," laughed the sheriff as he sent a wink Edward's way. Edward ignored him.

"Can you get him off my porch? I don't want mu daughter having to step over him to get inside the house."

The sheriff glanced over his shoulder at Edward's truck, where Sarah was sitting. "She's just a little one. Must be spooked out of her mind! Ha! What a sight to see at five!"

"She's four," Edward corrected.

The sheriff shrugged as if it didn't matter. "What do you think did this?"

"I don't know."

"Well, don't be listening to them town folk. They as crazy as they stories. Always running new people off and spreading rumors like roaches."

"Can you get Pug off my porch?" Edward asked once again. He was getting more irritated with every word that came from the mans mouth.

"Hell naw! Call the ambulance if ya wanna move ya dog. I just came to get a report and go home," he laughed. "But whatever done ya Pug like this is a nasty beast that I don't want to be around to greet. Bye Mr. Cullen."

Edward seethed as he watched the pathetic sheriff get into his cop car and leave. Edward dug a deep hole in the yard and buried Pug. He was exhausted from that, but continued to scrub the porch clean, soaking it in bleach. Afterwards, he and Sarah held a small ceremony. Sarah didn't eat dinner that night and fell asleep on the couch across Edwards lap. Edward carefully got up, resting her head against the arm of the couch, and looked out of the window. A small bed of flowers that they had picked off the gate glittered in the darkness, marked Pug's grave. Edward glanced back at Sarah sleeping, her long hair hanging over the cushions. He walked back to her and brushed her hair behind her ear and kiss her forehead.

"I'll always protect you," he whispered.

A loud noise that could only be described as metal scrapping across the floor was heard throughout the house. Sarah jerked awake with tears flowing down her cheeks and Edward guessed she was dreaming about Pug.

"Daddy?"

"I don't know," replied Edward as Sarah stood up and held his hand. The sound seemed to be coming from down the hall, getting closer. It became more detailed that it was chains dragging on the tile. Which was all the more freighting.

"Daddy," Sarah said breathlessly. She was digging her finger nails into his palm. Edward pulled her into the kitchen and grabbed the car keys. Footsteps thundered from the hall.

" I need you to get in the car and locked yourself in there and don't open it for anyone besides me. Okay, Sarah?"

"What about you?"

Around the corner, a pale blurred face with black eyes, dressed in rags and had chains around their ankles emerged. Yellow foam clung to their mouth and their body was riddled with healed scars. Edward ducked behind the kitchen counter and covered Sarah's mouth before a scream could escape. Sarah whimpered against Edwards hand as the man slowly walked into the middle of their living room where they could see him, but his back was towards them. He looked like he was from another century. Suddenly, he threw his head back and let out a shrill yell that sounded like a thousands echoes. The cabinets flew opened and the dishes flung out, crashing all around and into everything. Edward positioned himself so that his body was protecting Sarah's. The windows bursts into tiny pieces as the light bulbs shattered above them. It seemed like the whole house was breaking down until everything stopped all at once. Edward and Sarah slowly stood up. The man was gone. But that was the only good thing. Their living room and kitchen looked like a bomb had went off. Broken glass and dishes covered the floor like a snug blanket. And even though the windows were unwilling opened, the moonlight still didn't seem to find its way inside the house. Edward picked Sarah up and rested her on his hip. He maneuvered out of the house, careful not to step on any glass.

Bare-footed, Edward walked in the front yard and opened the car door. He didn't plan on calling that lame sheriff back over here and he was much too tired to go looking for their intruder.

"What are we doing?" Sarah mumbled into Edward's shoulder.

"Sleeping in the car," replied Edward. He thought he would have to add something extra to make it sound fun, but Sarah complied and climbed into the seat. Edward followed suit, closing and locking the door behind himself.

Tap, tap.

Edward jerked awake, groaning as the morning sun shined in his eyes. and immediately looked at Sarah, who was already awake with her back to the passenger window and her legs curled up to her chest. He was relieved and saddened by the sight of her.

Tap, tap.

He shifted in his seat to see someone tapping on the window. Bella. She waved hesitantly. Edward quickly opened the door, too tired to noticed how close she was, and hit her. Bella gritted her teeth as she held her forearm.

"I'm so sorry," Edward rushed to apologize.

"I'm fine," she dismissed. "Why the hell are you in your car?"

Edward stammered something between an incoherent sentence and more apologies. Sarah walked around the truck with her shoulders slumped and sorrow all over her face. Bella glanced at her then slowly trailed her eyes back to Edward. "What happened?"

"It'd be best if we show you,"

Bella gasped as soon as they opened the front door. "My goodness," she muttered.

"It was the boogie man," said Sarah.

"Someone broke in," Edward explained. "I didn't see any signs of forced entry though. But as long as this is here, down stairs is cut off."

"It doesn't have to be," said Bella. "I seen some boards in the shed and if you guys have trash bags and a broom, we can clean this up pretty soon."

"I wouldn't want you too. You're our guest."

"Then think of me as a friend, because I'm not leaving. I'll get the wood," said Bella as she descended down the porch steps. She stopped and turned around. "Hey. Where's Pug?" Sarah looked at her shoes, suddenly interested in the laces, and Edward frowned.

Sarah paraded in her dads boots as she picked up glass with thick gloves and placed them in a trash bag while Edward and Bella boarded up the windows.

"He was gutted?"

"Yeah," replied Edward. "And Sarah seen the whole thing."

"I'm sorry," Bella murmured.

"She's handling it better than I expected. I guess because we said a few parting words before we buried him."

"You what?"

"What?"

Bella set the small box of nails down and jogged outside. She pointed at the flower bed that was stuck into the ground. "Was this it? Is this he grave?"

Edward furrowed his brows. "Yes, but Bella I don't see why-" his mouth dropped as he watched her start digging up Pug's grave with her hands.

"Get a shovel," she ordered. "It might not be too late."

Edward ignored her request and grabbed her waist, pulling her away from the dirt.

"Let me go!" Bella yelled, but he was already releasing her.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm being smart!"

"By digging up my daughters dead dog? Do you hear yourself?"

Sighing, Bella ran her finger through her hair. "They come back," she whispered. "Everything that's buried here comes back. Only they're not the same anymore."

Edward frowned. "What are you talking about?"

They heard Sarah's footsteps stop in the doorway of the house.

"Daddy I cut my finger,"

"W-what happened to your your gloves?" Edward asked, but he was staring at Bella.

"They started itching. Can I have a bandage?"

Edward tore his eyes from the mystery known as Bella Swan, and focused on Sarah. "Of course. Come on."

After helping Sarah, the three of them finished cleaning in four hours just as Sarah announced that she was hungry.

"We can order something. All the dishes are broken." said Edward. It seemed like they were falling into their same bad habits before even stopping them.

"There isn't a restaurant for miles. When I was in the shed I seen a few dishes. Maybe I can make something," said Bella.

The kitchen was quiet as they all ate chicken and asparagus. Edward and Sarah hadn't had a home-cooked meal in so long that they barely saved any left overs. Edward wanted Bella to stay forever and cook, but didn't voice it because he knew it would sound sexist out loud. However, he thanked her by washing the dishes, but she insisted on drying them, so they hovered over the kitchen sink washing and drying dishes while Sarah went upstairs to sleep.

"How long have you been living here?" asked Edward.

"Too long."

"Do you...stay with anybody?"

Bella's mouth made a thin line. "I used too," she replied with a finality that stopped Edward from asking anymore. He scrubbed a dish, handed it to her and she wiped it off then put it into the cabinet. "What about you, huh? Do you have any family?"

Edward nodded slowly. "I did. I-I do. I just..." he gripped the counter and hung his head, then began a story he had never told a soul. "My wife died during children birth. It was the worst and best day of my life. But I crashed after that. I was depressed, I drank, I ignored my family and any help they tried to give me. The only thing I did right was feed Sarah, but I wasn't there. Not really."

Bella listened patiently as she observed Edward. He was gazing out the window, but it was all blocked off by the wood they nailed up there earlier, so she knew he was long gone before he continued.

3 and a half Years ago.

Edward stumbled into his small one-bedroom, bug infested apartment. These parts of town was no place to raise a child, but it sure had the best liquor you could find. His head was spinning from his hangover and he intended to fix it with more alcohol. He dragged his feet across the floor, his fingers clumsily hitting his voice messages on his home phone. The first one was from Charlie.

"Don't tell me you're not gonna let me visit my granddaughter? When I said you needed therapy I was trying to help you. I know that you're very capable Edward, but you can't keep living this way."

The second one was from Alice.

"Just checking up on you, bro! Not sure if you noticed, but Jasper and I called you five times today. Don't be a stranger! We really miss you and Sarah. Especially Sarah's chubby little cheels!

Another message was from the hotel manager, telling him to pay rent or be out by next Friday. Edward deleted all of the voice mails and went into the cabinet. A bottle of brandy was calling his name but he barely held it before it slipped out of his hands and crashed to the floor. Edward cured then cured some more when Sarah began crying from the other room. He rubbed his temples, hoping to drain the massive headache. It didn't work.

"Hey, princess. Its okay," Edward cooed as he picked Sarah up and rocked her. She still whined. "What is it that you want?" she cried some more. Edward set her back into her crib and searched the room for a toy. He settled for a stuffed bunny and placed it in her hands. Sarah stared at it, shook it, then threw it to the ground and continued crying.

"I don't know what you want!" Edward impatiently shouted. He rummaged through all the draws, tossing rattle toys, stuffed animals, coloring books, and crayons to the floor. Edward picked up a coloring book and waved it in front of Sarah's face. "Do you want this?" he asked as sweetly as he could. He head was ringing. Sarah wailed. Edward was about to fling the flimsy book to the floor when he realized it wasn't a coloring book at all. It was papers with his late wife's hand writing all over it. When they got a house, Annette had planned on painting Sarah's room yellow and put galaxy wallpaper on the ceiling so every night would be a star filled one. He stared at that paper till his legs became tired and Sarah's whines turned into shrieks. A light bulb went off inside Edwards head.

"We both want the same thing," he mumbled. He left the room and came back with baby formula and water. His drunk hands sloppily poured the powder in the water and mixed it about till it dissolved. He took Sarah out of her crib again, sitting down, and resting her in the crook of her arm. She instantly quieted down and drank. Edward sighed of relief. He looked at his baby girl then at the mess he made in this room that very much mirror his life.

"I'm never letting you go," Edward whispered.

Present time

Edward snapped out of his trance and looked at Bella. She was touching his forearm in a comforting manner. He only seen worry in her eyes -not pity- unlike everyone else had when he was going through his hardship. That was the main reason why he never let them in. Even though their intentions were good, they carried bags of pity with them disguised as help.

"Don't let go of the past," Bella finally broke the silence. "It lets go when it wants too."

"How do you know?" he asked. Bella's eyes were a lovely shade of brown that were so easy to get lost in, and at the moment, Edward was. Bella edged closer, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I would know."

Edward didn't really understand what she meant and he didn't really care. He studied her face and was relieved and surprised when her expression mirrored his; unsure happiness. He brushed his lips against hers, the corners of their mouths tilting upwards. They were teetering on the edge of a cliff, afraid to jump into the unknown depths of falling in love again. Their eyes eyes met and they both unmistakably knew that they would hold hands and leap off as far as possible. Edward closed the little space between them and captured her mouth with his, creating a soft moan from Bella. She rose onto her toes and effortlessly slid her tongue into his mouth, settling into a slow, indulgent kiss.

Without separating, Edward gripped her hips and lifted her onto the counter, nibbling and sucking her bottom lip as he savored the silky delicious the taste of her mouth.

"Daddy?" Sarah's voice broke the enchantment and Edward reluctantly pulled away from Bella and she hopped off the counter top.

"Yes, Sarah?" his voice was still deep and husky with lust. He cleared his throat and averted eyes from his grief-stricken daughter. A wave of guilt hit him, but surprisingly, Sarah was smiling. And the glint of crazy he seen in her eyes told him it wasn't about anything she just seen.

"Ruth brought Pug back."

Edward clenched his fist. Someone was playing a cruel trick on his daughter. "Where are they?" Edward asked.

"Outside," Sarah replied cheerfully. "I heard him from my window. Ruth was playing with him."

Edward went to the closet and grabbed a baseball bat.

"Stay here."

"Edward, I don't think this is a good idea," said Bella.

"Someone is messing with us. They have been since day one." he kept his voice really low so Sarah couldn't hear.

Bella smiled sadly.

"That's just how it is here," she replied as she squeezed the hand he wasn't holding the bat in. "Get some sleep," she added and walked out the door. Edward wondered how she was getting home and would have went after her, but he didn't want to leave Sarah in this place alone.

The next morning was a fast paced one, starting with Edward and Sarah getting up early to get dressed. Alice and Jasper had drove over to take Sarah for the weekend.

"Thank you for coming down here. I know it was a long drive."

"No worries," replied Jasper.

Alice buckled Sarah in.

"All set darling," said Alice. Sarah nodded slightly. "I'm sorry about Pug."

Sarah shrugged. "Its okay. He's still alive."

"She's not taking his death well." Edward corrected.

"He's not dead," Sarah protested. She crossed her arms and frowned just like how she seen people on Tv do when they got mad. She hated the fact that her dad didn't believe her. "Daddy's got a girlfriend!" Sarah announced.

"Oh?" Alice and Jasper said unison.

Edward ignored them.

"I'll see you on Monday. Be good Sarah."

They dove away and Edward locked up the gate, the creaking much more bearable now that he was use to it. He made the long walk back to to front yard. He was already feeling lonely just looking at that big empty house stare down at him and he thought of Bella. His thoughts were interrupted by a noise.

A bark.

Pug's familiar bark. Edward held his breathe as he glanced around the yard. The wind was blowing dust around, but he seen nothing.

"Stop it," Edward muttered to himself. He walked up the porch steps, chanting; "He's dead. He's dead," until he slammed the door shut.