A/N: Twilight and all characters associated with it do not belong to me. Some more people have added my story to their alerts & favs..thanks for that! And for the reviews!
I didn't sleep well that night. I barely slept at all actually. Edward and I had been together for four years, the last two we never spent a single night apart. How was I supposed to sleep without him? Hell, how was I supposed to do anything without him? I had to fix this. I had to fix this. We belong together. Period. I knew that Edward knew that, but how could I make him remember that? It wasn't going to be easy that was for sure. With a heavy sigh I forced myself out of bed, and into the bathroom to complete my morning routine. Once I was presentable, I made my way downstairs to the kitchen, and took my medicine. I liked the Zoloft. I felt better than I had with the other one, and I didn't feel loopy.
"Good morning, Bella." Esme greeted with a smile. "Morning." I replied quietly. I poured myself a cup of coffee, and sat at the island. "Edward called a few minutes ago. He'll be over shortly. Said he wanted to talk to you and Carlisle." She stated. I closed the eye that wasn't still swollen, and took a deep breath in and out. I could do this. Maybe. Carlisle walked into the kitchen whistling, with a newspaper folded under one arm. I smiled at him, and he smiled back before coming to inspect my eye. "I think we'll go to the hospital after Edward leaves. I'd like to get an x-ray of your face. Just to make sure there isn't a broken bone." He stated quietly. I nodded in agreement, biting my lip. I hated hospitals, but my face hurt like a bitch. I'd rather be on the safe side than risk a bone healing the wrong way and being in pain for the rest of my life.
"I'm sorry for showing up so late last night, and I'm sorry for dragging you into our mess." I apologized quietly. Esme snorted, and Carlisle waved a hand through the air. "Please, Bella. You're family. You know we'd do absolutely anything for you. I just wish you had let us help you sooner." Esme replied. "Even so, Edward is your son. I hate that this is putting him in a bad light with you both. It isn't his fault." I explained. "Yes, it is." Carlisle answered harshly.
"No, Carlisle. You're wrong. It's entirely my fault, and I intend to make it right. Please don't be angry with Edward. I caused this." I argued. "Bella, please. Edward knows better than to put his hands on a woman for any reason." Esme stated softly. "It wasn't without provocation." I retorted. "Still. He knows better." She replied. I sighed, and fought back tears. I didn't know how to make them understand any of this. I didn't want them to be angry with Edward for something I had done. I took my coffee, and walked out to the front yard to have a smoke before Edward got there. I wanted to try and talk to him before he went inside anyway.
By the time I finished two cigarettes Edward was pulling into the driveway. I sighed again, and stood up, running my hands through my hair nervously. By the time he got out and walked up to me, I was shaking like a leaf. It felt so strange to be nervous around him. I don't recall ever feeling nervous with Edward. Not even the first time I met him. He looked like hell. I imagine he didn't sleep well last night either. He looked me up and down, stopping a moment too long to stare at my eye. I knew he felt guilty, and no matter what I said right now it wouldn't make it any better for him.
"Hey." I greeted with a small smile. He shot me a small smile that didn't reach his eyes, and brushed a stray lock of hair away from my face. "How are you?" He asked after a minute of awkward silence. There was another first for us. Never had a silence been awkward between us. "Not the greatest." I replied honestly. "Been taking your medicine?" He asked. I snorted, and shook my head. "It has nothing to do with my depression." I replied a bit harshly. "Bella." He sighed. He stepped forward, and brushed his lips against mine. I pulled away quickly, and shook my head. "If we aren't together you don't get to do that anymore." I snapped. He grabbed my face in between his hands, and stared into my eyes. "We are very much together, Bella." He said fiercely. I fought against the tears that were threatening to spill over, and tried to pull away to no avail. He wouldn't let go of my face.
"You said last night that you couldn't do this anymore." I mumbled. "I was angry, and hurt, and feeling guilty. I know what I said, but I didn't mean it. I love you, Isabella. I can't be without you." He breathed. "But, I think you should stay with my parents for awhile. I don't think living together is very good idea right now." He explained. I sighed, but nodded in agreement. "You're right. It isn't. But, if this is about Tanya I'll-"
"It's not about Tanya. I don't give a fuck about Tanya. It's about you and me." He stated, cutting me off. "We need to continue therapy, and work on the issues that we have, and obviously we can't do that living together." He explained quickly. "Okay." I whispered. He kissed me fiercely, and pulled me into a tight hug. After several minutes we broke apart and linking hands, headed into the house. We walked into the kitchen where Esme and Carlisle were sitting, waiting for us. Esme smiled when she saw us holding hands, Carlisle grimaced. He wasn't going to make this easy for us, but I couldn't really blame him. Not after everything we'd pulled.
"Bella and I have agreed that living together isn't feasible right now, and if you're alright with it she'd like to stay here. We both understand the seriousness of our situation, and while we know you aren't happy with us, we'd very much appreciate your support." Edward explained calmly. After several minutes of silence, Carlisle finally spoke up. "You have our support under a few conditions. The first being there is to be absolutely no arguments in this house. The second being there are no sleepovers until we all sit down and discuss the pros and cons. And, lastly, Edward, you must go through anger management classes, and Bella, you must continue going to therapy." He stated in a tone of finality. Edward and I thought about it for a few minutes, and we both agreed to their conditions.
I could tell that Edward wasn't very happy about going through anger management, but he didn't disagree which I was very thankful for. Then again, I shouldn't be surprised. He'd always done everything he could for me, and our relationship. Once that conversation was over with, we all sat and talked about trivial things for a few hours before left to head home. I hated seeing him go, but I knew in my heart that we were doing the right thing.
A/N: Song for this chapter-"Breath"-Breaking Benjamin. Reviews please?