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Her eyes blinked open. She wasn't sure if she was dead, but she was certain Rosalie wouldn't be the first person she would see if she were. "Bella," she heard again as she felt Rosalie's cool hands on her shoulders. "Bella, come on, wake up, talk to me!"

She tried to focus as the fuzzy outline of her sister-in-law finally started to become more clear. "Bella, come on now, please say something."

"Masen…"

"Bella, Emmett has him. Asa tried to…never mind. He's hurt; we have to get to the hospital. Now." The urgency in Rosalie's voice terrified her. She couldn't be concerned for her own self. She couldn't be concerned about anything at all other than her scared little boy.

"Ali?"

Rosalie helped her sit up. "She's upstairs in her room. She's fine, Bella. She didn't even wake up. Are you ok? We need to get you checked out too. I don't know what happened. He must've come in through the back." To even admit that pained her more than she could say.

Something wasn't right about this creature. Never in all her years had she been taken by surprise. If something happened to Bella or Masen, she would never forgive herself. If she and Emmett had reacted one second slower, Masen would most certainly be gone. What terrified her even more was the shock in Alice's voice upon telling her. Rosalie had never before been the first to tell Alice anything.

"Bella! I've called 911," Renee shouted as she reentered the room. Rosalie didn't want to be angry with the woman, but she was slowing them down. Thankfully, Rosalie had gotten to Bella before Renee got downstairs so she could at least see the situation first. "I didn't hear anything until I heard the glass. Baby, are you ok?" The woman continued buzzing around the room in a panic, unsure of what she needed to do. "I've also called your Father."

"Where is he?" Bella suddenly got a burst of energy that she could only contribute to an adrenaline rush. She allowed Rosalie to help her stand. "Where is he, Rosalie?" She could feel the baby moving in her stomach. It was all the comfort she needed to know she was ok and could focus on Masen only.

"Emmett has him, in the car. We have to go."

"I'm going to stay here with Ali," Renee assured her. "The police are on the way, I will answer any questions they need. Alice and Jasper are on their way, right?"

Rosalie nodded quickly. "They will be here in just a bit. We'll call you once we know something."

She had never seen Rosalie in such a panic. She quickly shook the fog she was feeling away as she slipped some shoes on and followed her sister-in-law outside. Her Mom could take care of everything else. She could hear the broken glass crunching and breaking under her feet as she followed Rosalie off the porch. Alice really had been rendered useless; it was obvious she had seen none of what had just transpired. She didn't have to go any further before she heard the piercing cries of her little boy.

She jerked the back door opened, immediately finding Emmett cradling her crying little boy. His hand holding tightly to Masen's little leg, the cloth in his hand soaked in blood. "What happened to him? Where is he hurt?"

"The glass," Emmett said. Bella had no time to think, she jumped in the backseat as Rosalie got in the driver's seat. "Asa had him. Rose and I cornered him. Rather than try to fight both of us off while holding him, he threw him. It's obvious what he wants. He couldn't have Edward…"

Bella wordlessly took Masen from Emmett. She had never seen Emmett so restrained, so gentle. His concern for Masen completely blocking his desire for blood. All he could think about was protecting the small boy in his arms. "It's ok, baby," Bella soothed. "Mommy is so sorry. I am so sorry, baby boy."

Emmett kept a firm hold on his tiny leg. "I've stopped the bleeding, but the cut there is pretty bad. I don't think anything else is broken." She could hear the fear in Emmett's voice. He was the tough one of the family, but he was visibly breaking as he continued to hold onto Masen. "We never heard him, Bella. He came in from the back, we assume. We never heard him." They were dealing with something far beyond what they were familiar with. No one had ever thrown Alice off her track, nor had anyone ever gotten by he and Rose. He had never known fear……until now.

Bella whispered quietly into the little boy's ear as she could see the hospital in the distance. She had no idea how fast Rosalie was driving, and for once, she didn't care. "Does Edward know? Has someone called him?"

"No," Rosalie said quickly. "We didn't have time. It all happened so fast. I got Jasper and Alice on their way as quick as possible so they could be there for your Mom and Ali. Your Mom thinks it was a robbery attempt. I told her Emmett and I were on our way home from an evening out and were trying to see if Edward was home yet when we passed by and saw the commotion. Edward and Dad have been gone for hours dealing with this accident."

Bella knew Renee would never seriously question much of anything. Especially when she was in a panic with worry. Masen was growing quieter. She wasn't sure if she was comforting him, or if he was losing too much blood. She prayed for the first, but feared the second. "It's ok, Masen. I'm right here…"

Rosalie threw the car into park in front of the emergency room entrance and laid on the horn. If the staff wanted to keep their jobs, they had better react quickly. She jumped out of the car and made her way to the back door at vampire speed. She didn't care if anyone saw. Bella saw two nurses approach the car as she stood with Masen still in her arms.

Without speaking, she handed her little boy over to one of them and followed along with Rosalie as Emmett went to park the car. She had to trust they knew what they were doing.

"Going to Trauma 2 with this one," one of the nurses yelled loudly. "What happened?"

"There was an accident," Rosalie stated simply. They would know what they needed to know and only that. "He was cut with a piece of glass. We aren't sure if anything else is broken."

Bella was scanning the ER for the one person she needed the most, but was not finding him. She was brought back to the situation at hand when Masen started screaming the moment the nurse laid him on the gurney. "I'm here, sweetheart. Mommy isn't going to leave you." She took his tiny hand in her own and fought back tears once again when she felt him cling to her hand in a death grip. He was terrified.

The women worked around her in a blur. One quickly hooked Masen up to a heart monitor, while the other placed clean gauze to the gash on his leg. At that moment, Bella knew adrenaline was her constant companion. She was faced with blood, yet she didn't faint. She couldn't. Masen was more important than her aversion to blood.

The bright lights of the trauma room scared her, as did the frantic pace the women were working on her child. His screaming was agonizing. Every sound coming from him broke her heart a little more.

"How old?" One nurse asked as she continued to work at record speed.

"He's almost 20 months," Bella replied. "Masen Cullen. No allergies, no medical history, he's not on any medications. Dr. Grant is his Pediatrician." As many times as she had to come to the ER in her past, she knew the drill.

"Cullen?!" The nurse asked, obviously shocked.

"Edward is my husband," Bella stated.

"Page Dr. Edward Cullen to Trauma 2, stat! And get Dr. Sanders in here right away."

Rosalie stood nearby and continued to watch the blur around her nephew. She watched as one of the nurses quickly started an IV line on the small boy and how Bella comforted him as he continued to cry. She looked up just as Edward and Dr. Sanders entered the Trauma room, and her eyes met his for the first time. She felt the heart she had once thought cold, break as the realization slammed into her younger brother.

Never before had Edward been as frozen as he was in that instant. He felt the blood rush out of his head as he saw his son lying on the large gurney as his wife stood by and did her best to comfort him. He felt his co-worker give his arm a reassuring squeeze as he flew into action.

Suddenly, he was no longer a doctor. He was a terrified husband and father. "What happened?" he managed, catching Bella's attention the moment his words left him. "Rose! What the hell happened?!"

"Edward," she said quietly. "We will tell you everything. Right now, please just stay calm for them."

"Daddy!" He could hear the pitiful cries over the hustle and bustle and he was at Masen's side immediately.

"I'm here, bud," Edward soothed. "I'm right here." He looked his son over and felt the bile rising in his throat as he took in the scratches, bruises, and hideous gash on his tiny little leg. For the first time, his eyes connected with Bella's and words weren't needed. He knew.

"We've got the bleeding controlled and this bandaged," Dr. Sanders said. "Call CT and tell them we are on our way. We're going to give him some light sedation just to keep him still during the scan. It'll let us see if there is any internal damage," he explained for Bella's benefit. "After we check for more serious issues, we'll clean the glass out of this laceration and stitch him up."

"I want to go with him," Edward said immediately.

Dr. Sanders shook his head. "Edward, the second this situation entered this ER, you were off duty. Your job is to be a Daddy right now. We'll update you just as soon as we look at the scans."

Edward could only nod his head. He didn't have it in him to argue. He had been on the other end of this scene many times, and he knew the best thing was to keep the parents away when needed. He was dealing with more emotions than he could manage. Silently, he walked to Bella and took her in his arms, hugging her as tightly as humanly possible. "I'm so sorry, baby."

"It's not your fault," she promised. She could feel herself slowly starting to break. She couldn't stop the trembling or the sobs that were overtaking her body as she stood wrapped in his arms. She had never felt more vulnerable in her life.

"Ali," he whispered to Rosalie.

"She's with Renee, Edward. Jasper and Alice are also with them. She's fine. Bella, you really should be checked out. She took quite a spill." She knew Bella would refuse, but someone had to look out for her.

Edward pulled back from Bella, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "We should have Dr. Kennedy paged. Just to make sure everything is ok."

"Edward, no. Not until we know how Masen is." Other than still feeling a little fuzzy, she was fine. There was no way she was being pulled away from her son. Not even for a second.

Bella knew he was going to give in when he rested his head on her shoulder as he kept her wrapped firmly in his arms. For a brief second, she let herself believe he was there and everything would be fine. In reality, nothing that had transpired told her they would be fine. If anything, she knew in her heart things could only get worse.

___

Esme paced outside the ER exam room as she watched her son and daughter-in-law intently through the window. Masen slept soundly on the bed with Bella, while Edward stood next to them. His hand hadn't left Bella's since she had arrived.

The other members of her family gathered close by, none of them sure what to say. She watched as Rosalie sat in the hard chair next to Emmett, silently beating herself up for not being quicker. Emmett sat next to her doing the same. Only they couldn't have known. If there were any way possible, this wouldn't have happened. Of that, Esme was certain.

Alice and Jasper sat together on the large couch. Alice with a look Esme could only describe as a mixture of anger, sadness, and frustration. Jasper kept a protective arm around Alice, and Esme knew he was doing everything in his power to bring peace to his family.

Esme knew each member of her family blamed themselves in some shape, form, or fashion. They all loved Edward too much not to. She even blamed herself, though she knew it absurd. There was no way any of them could have truly prevented what had taken place. If they could have, none of it would have happened. She kept repeating that to herself. Maybe on the next try she would believe it.

She glanced down the hallway to see Chief Swan on the phone. Next to him stood Renee, holding a sleeping Ali in her arms as she swayed back and forth to sooth the little girl even in her sleep. It was almost as if, subconsciously, they blamed the family as well. They had made no attempts to come down and join the Cullen's. They had kept to themselves, and never let Ali out of their sight. Esme couldn't help but feel like they could sense something.

"Carlisle," Esme said, bringing the others out of their silent trance. "What did the scans show?"

Carlisle looked in on Edward and Bella the same way Esme had been doing for the past hour. "There was no internal damage. Nothing was broken. I've called Dr. Emerson, a plastic surgeon, in to stitch up his leg. It will minimize the scar having him do it."

"Oh thank God," Esme replied.

"We're blessed, Esme." Carlisle said simply. "Had that glass entered his leg any closer, it would have certainly hit his artery. We would have lost him."

Esme covered her mouth in shock. "Carlisle, don't dare even utter that. Please." Her heart couldn't bear the thought. "Will he be going home tonight?" The thought of her grandson being held kept in the hospital any longer scared her.

"No," Carlisle said simply. "He'll need some blood after the surgery to close his leg, so they'll most definitely watch him here for a couple days."

Esme folded her arms in front of her as she turned to look through the window once again. She had never felt sorrier in all her years. Her heart was breaking, but she knew it nothing compared to what her own son and Bella had to be feeling. "This has to stop, Carlisle. I don't care what you have to do, but this has to stop."

For the first time, Carlisle knew he had to admit it to her. "I don't know what we're dealing with, love." Once it was out in the open, he could feel the scared eyes of his five family members. "We'll figure it out, but right now, I don't know."

_____

Edward looked at the brightly colored walls of his son's room in the small pediatric wing of the hospital. Everything was so bright, so cheerful, yet their life was anything but.

He watched the small boy in his arms peacefully sleeping as he continued to rock him back and forth in the rocking chair. He looked at all the lines going to his tiny boy. One delivering fluids, the other blood, which Masen needed after they received his blood counts back from earlier labs. More lines keeping up with his heart rhythm. He wondered what was going through his young mind. Was he scared? Had he already forgotten? Edward prayed this event wouldn't even be a memory after some time had passed.

He had finally gotten the whole story. The rage that coursed through his body upon hearing Asa was trying to take his son was enough to scare him. He had never felt such anger against anyone in his life. He had never felt such anger towards his family.

Masen was lucky. There was no doubt about that. They were all lucky. Bella had agreed to see the Obstetrician on call and was given a clean bill after being forced to take a blood pressure pill. Still, Edward couldn't calm down. He wouldn't calm down. If one thing had gone the other way, his entire life would be gone.

Rosalie had finally convinced Bella to go with her to grab a bite to eat. Rosalie's concern said it all. The situation was bad. If it were anything less, Rosalie wouldn't be trying so hard. She wouldn't let her feelings for his family show so freely. She was much too reserved for that.

Edward kissed Masen on the forehead as he continued to rock the small boy back and forth. The thought of something happening to his children made him physically ill. He couldn't fathom it and he never wanted to feel the way he did when he walked into the room and saw Masen lying helpless on that gurney.

He couldn't help but allow the tears to flow as he thought about that monster ripping Masen from the security of his own bed and home. The terror his little boy had to have felt. He couldn't help but imagine what Bella must have felt when she woke suddenly to the sound of his terrified cries. His family deserved so much more than that.

The sound of knocking pulled him from his thoughts and before he could say a word, whoever wanted to visit was coming in.

He looked up to see the concerned face of his Father. And for the first time, Edward had no idea how to react to the man standing in front of him.

"Edward, I…" he attempted. He had been in surgery when Masen was brought in, and every attempt he had made to reach out to his son had failed in the hours that had passed.

"There must be a difference." Edward simply stated. He couldn't believe he was about to do this, but he had to. For his own peace of mind, he had to say what had been weighing so heavily on his mind all afternoon.

Carlisle looked confused. "A difference?"

"Do you see this little boy, Dad?"

"Of course, I do."

Edward fought back more tears as he continued to cradle Masen. "This is my flesh and blood. He is a direct result of the love I have for Bella. I saw him take his very first breath. I saw his very first smile. I even saw his first, wobbly steps."

Carlisle took a seat across from Edward, listening intently as his son continued speaking.

"I cannot imagine keeping something from him that would hurt him. The pain I feel right now," Edward paused. "The pain I feel right now, looking at him and knowing that he was hurt as a result of something in my life, it kills me. Absolutely kills me."

"Is it different for you because I'm not your real son?" Edward questioned tearfully. "Was it easy for you because we obviously don't have that connection?" He had to know. In his mind, he already knew the answer, but he had to know.

Carlisle tried to speak, but words failed him as his son, his life, continued.

"Answer me, Dad." Edward said angrily. "Because I could never do that to him. Ever. Seeing him like this is literally ripping my heart out of my chest, and it could have been prevented." He was irrational and he knew that. He knew that his parents loved him, but he could not and would not let this go.

Carlisle was stunned. "Edward, son, I don't know what I can possibly say to you to rectify the pain you are feeling. I wish I could take it from you. I wish I could take it from him. From the first moment I laid eyes on you, you were my heart. You are everything in this world to Esme and I."

Edward refused to get caught up in words. It had cost him too much already. "Then why didn't you love me enough to tell me the truth?"

Carlisle had no other answer but the one he had already given Edward. It was because it was the honest truth from the bottom of his heart. "Because we thought it was for the best. Edward, we were so wrong, and I am so very sorry."

"We're moving," Edward said suddenly. It was like ripping a band-aid off, it had to be done quickly.

"Moving? Edward, why?"

"I cannot have my family in this kind of danger, Dad. I know you say Emmett and Jasper are looking for him and will take care of this. But it is too late. Emmett admitted to me that he and Rose never saw this coming. Even Alice, Dad! This should have been taken care of ages ago. I will not leave my family in harms way. As soon as possible, we're moving to Jacksonville. Somewhere closer to Renee. She's going home as soon as we're out of the hospital to help us start the house hunting process."

Carlisle had thought his heart couldn't break anymore. He had been wrong. "Does Bella want this?"

"Bella is in no position to know what she wants," Edward replied. "She just had to watch our son almost get kidnapped by some psychotic creature from YOUR past. She is 8 months pregnant with our baby and having complications. God knows what this is doing to her. She is in no position. I am doing what is best for our family."

"What about your work?" Carlisle was wracking his brain to think of reasons to give Edward. It might be selfish, but he knew his family would not survive without Edward.

"I've had offers there before," Edward said simply. "I see no problem finding a great hospital close."

"This will kill your Mother, Edward." Carlisle had nothing else to offer him, nothing else to tell him. The truth was, he knew they would not get past this. Especially Esme.

"I'm sorry." He never wanted to hurt his Mother, but at the end of the road, his family is what mattered. Bella and their children. Everyone else would just have to understand.

"At least come stay with us after Masen is released, Edward." Carlisle couldn't bear the thought of his family being unprotected in a home Asa had already dared to enter.

"We're staying with Charlie. It's already been settled. Renee is returning to Florida to start helping us out, and we'll be with Charlie."

"Charlie?! Edward! He has no idea what is going on. He has no way to protect you!"

"Well your plan didn't work, did it?" Edward felt his blood boil once again. He had trusted his family and someone innocent had still paid the price. He would take his chances with Charlie. "Charlie and his department are busy looking for the intruder that did this. Obviously, we know they will come up empty handed, but he knows what he needs to know."

Carlisle nodded. He had to leave before he broke down in front of his son. "Just remember, Edward. No matter if you want to believe it or not…just as you love that little one in your arms, I love you. No matter the distance or if you ever wish to speak with me again, I love you."

Edward sat still, unable to move or breathe. He waited until he heard the door shut before he allowed the tears to fall once again. He had never allowed himself to feel so open to pain. He had never allowed himself to admit that, in many ways, he was a broken man.

He leaned down to place a kiss on a sleeping Masen's forehead. The beautiful little boy in his arms slept as if he hadn't a care in the world. He slept as if he had never felt more protected there in his father's arms. Edward knew what that felt like….and now he knew what not having that felt like.

This would pass. It had to pass.