Bella POV

Three days, three days eight hours and nineteen minutes.

That was how long ago Edward had left, since I made him leave.

My children couldn't understand our fight, there were too many blank patches of the story that I didn't want to fill in by myself. All I knew was that Edward was out there, probably with his father, growing weaker and weaker, unless Aro had given him the antidote, which I could not comprehend.

Even if he was Edward's biological dad, now was hardly the time to start playing the doting parent.

Edward was a grown man, in one way at least. He was a fantastic parent, and I regretted it now more than ever what I said to him.

No one, no matter who they were or who they had wronged deserved to be spoken to like that. Not even spoken to, I had shouted.

Tears poured down my face and I swallowed, taking a stuttering breath and wiping them away. I only had my self to blame, I was not enough of a hypocrite to allow myself to feel bad for Bella Cullen, or was it Bella Swan now.

"Bring him back." I whispered to the sky where I was sat on the windowsill looking up out of the stars in our bedroom.

"Please." I breathed and sniffed, leaning my head back against the frame of it, "Please just bring him back to me."

"Bella." Someone's low voice said form behind me. I caught sight of the reflection in the glass of the window and gasped, spinning to look the person in the eyes.

He seemed perfectly relaxed, stood in front of the now open door, a door I was pretty sure I had locked. But in a way he was tense, his body rigid and unnecessary breathing like stutters, but as my eyes glanced him over again, I realised that maybe his breathing was necessary, his whole body seemed on edge, and I was frightened for him.

"Edward?" I whispered and stood up, my tone telling him that I almost did not beeline he was here.

"Your here." I breathed and he nodded, tears in his eyes. He swallowed and knelt down, holding my hips and pressing his face into my stomach.

"I'm so sorry." He whispered and I hushed him, stroking his hair, tears now coursing down my own face.

"We are both to blame." I breathed and he nodded, standing up and hugging me tight.

His body spoke more words and explanations that even eternity had time for. I knew that he had only considered leaving because he thought it would save me and his children, not because he wanted to.

Edward would always look out for his family before himself, and that was what often caused me to worry about him. I pulled away and cup his cheek as he opened his mouth to speak.

"You don't have to say anything." I whispered and he closed his eyes, leaning his forehead against my own.

"I should never have spoken to you like that." He whispered.

I shook my head and kissed him gently, "its okay, I too am sorry for what I said."

We stood like that for an immeasurable amount of time, me in his arms, both of us repeatedly apologising. We only broke apart when the phone rang and Esme shouted down the phone at Edward for almost giving her an anxiety attack. The sad thing was there was nothing about it that was hypothetical, Esme loved Edward as her son, she probably would have reacted the same way I would had Anthony or Charlie ran away.

Eventually we were holding hands as we walked down stairs, and after everyone had hugged and greeted Edward back again, it was silently decided that we would not over react for Charlie's sake. We would pretend that Edward had gone hunting, Renesmee told the rest of the family the story, so that no one was out of sync.

All of our family were in the living room, couples on each of the arm Chris, me and Edward on the sofa, Charlie on the other side of his father. Ellie was not in the room, she was out, and was missing curfew, not that Edward seemed to have missed that fact, he was clock watching, and in a way I was kind of frightened for her, his anger had been bottled up for a long time, and he would not take kindly to being disobeyed.

I had put Charlie to bed and was saying good night to Renesmee and my tier 'children' when I heard them.

"fine if you're not going to tell me where you were then answer this, whose the boy?" Edward shouted.

"What?" Ellie snapped. I walked to the top of the stairs to see them stood at the bottom, shouting at one another, oblivious to me.
"You're a teenage girl, what guy has you infatuated so deep that you miss curfew?" Edward demanded.

"Its curfew dad, not a firing squad." She growled, "And besides I wasn't thinking..." She trailed off and Edwards eyes narrowed.

"Well you'll have plenty of time to think about it, because until further notice, you are grounded." He said and folded his arms; her eyes went as wide as mine.

"You can't be serious?" She laughed in disbelief and he nodded, his face telling her that there was nothing he was other than serious.

"I'm not a child dad..." She started but her cut her off.

"Stop behaving like one then."

She groaned and he raised one eyebrow. She sighed and folded her arms.
"Well how long am I grounded for then?" She demanded.

Edward shrugged, "Until you can behave." He said and went to walk upstairs.

"Dad that's not fair!" She shouted after him and he flew back down to tower over her.
"No one may have ever said this to you but listen up, life isn't fair." He shouted.

She growled, "Oh I get it, that's what you think every time you hurt mum is it?" She screamed but clamped her hand over her mouth, eyes wide and full of tears. Edward took a step away from her like he'd been slapped.

"Dad..." She started and went to walk nearer but he took equal steps away.

"Dad I'm..."

"Just..." He growled, "Get out of my sight." He said and inched the bridge of his nose between his fire fingers. She nodded and flew past me, closing her bedroom door and crying into her pillow.

I turned back down stairs to see the room below empty.

"Edward?" I called and flew to the bottom, gasping when I heard the garage door open, and the roar of the Volvos engine get quieter.