CPOV

"How do you find the defendant?" The Judge asked. The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. I watched Bella and Edward closely. Either way the verdict went, they were going to need Esme and I. Bella was clinging to Edward as if he was going to disappear, and Edward and James were having some sort of stare down. I was hoping that they would be glaring at one another, but they were just staring. I wish I could have known what Edward was thinking. He was a hot head who was unpredictable when his tempered flared.

"Not guilty on all counts," the foreman said.

"You're fucking joking right?!" Edward shouted as he stood up. I quickly moved to him and tried to get him to sit.

"Edward, you need to sit down," I told him as he pushed me.

"All of this for nothing?! He is going to stalk us! He will never leave us alone!" Edward yelled. It took all the strength I had, but I was able to get him out of the courtroom and into another room.

"Edward, it is going to be okay," I said as I watched him beat the shit out of a table.

"It's never going to be okay! Bella is never going to feel safe! Her dreams will never go away! She is always going to be looking over her shoulder! What the fuck can I do to protect her?" he asked at the end of his rant.

"I promise nothing is going to happen to either of you; I'll make sure of it."

"Don't make promises you can't keep! He will find a way back into our lives. Mark my fucking word," Edward said pointing his finger into my face.

Then it happened, the moment I had been waiting for. Edward finally broke down and cried. He was frustrated, hurt, and scared. I had a feeling he wouldn't admit it, but I knew he was going to be just as paranoid as Bella. They were both going to be looking over their shoulders for the rest of their lives. I knew there was nothing I could say to make him feel better, so I hugged him. I didn't know what else to do. What I couldn't believe, was that he hugged me back.

BPOV

Why? Why was this happening? I'm never going to feel safe...ever! Edward had to go ape shit and get taken out of the courtroom. I needed him and he couldn't keep himself together. I knew this was going to be hard on him, but I thought we could at least get through all this shit together. I couldn't move. I watched as Aro and James hugged; I wanted to vomit. I felt Esme take my hand. I didn't know if I should stay or go; I couldn't move. I listened as the Judge called for order in the courtroom.

"I need to know how you came to reach a not guilty verdict," the Judge said. I chanced a glance at James and he blew me a kiss; that was my undoing. My tears flowed freely down my face.

"There was no physical evidence of the crimes Mister Hunter was accused of. There were no hospital visit, no reports from the school, nothing from social services. It was a case of he said she said," the foreman explained.

"Thank you," the judge responded as he addressed the jury. "James Randell Hunter, you have been found not guilty by a panel of your peers. You cannot be tried for this crime again, because of the double jeopardy law. You are free to go," the judge said.

"Come on, Bella," I heard Esme say. "We need to find Carlisle and Edward." I couldn't move. The courtroom was where my past was supposed to end so my future could start. Now, I wasn't sure I could ever move forward. James would find us and do anything he could to inject himself into our lives. He would never leave us alone.

"Bella, come on, we need to leave," Esme said again as she tugged on my arm. I stood, but I didn't walk. I was frozen.

"They said not guilty. He gets nothing Esme. I'm never going to be free of him," I said as she hugged me. I felt him before I heard him.

"You need to keep walking," Esme said. If she would have ever used such a tone of voice with me, I wouldn't have talked back.

"I just want to talk to my daughter," I heard James say.

"She is not your daughter, and if you ever try to contact them, I will have you arrested," Esme said as she put her body between me and him.

"What if they want to see me?" James asked.

"Stay away!" Esme said raising her voice.

"Bella, baby, I'm not mad. Look at me, please," James said in the sweetest voice I had ever heard. I don't know why, but I looked at him. "I love you, and my door is always open when you want to come home."

I didn't have time to say anything. Esme wrapped her arm around me and dragged me out of the courtroom. Just as the door closed, James blew me another kiss. He looked so sad. I felt bad, and I know I shouldn't have. Life was so confusing and I didn't know if I was coming or going.

"Carlisle where are you?!" I heard Esme say. She never loosened her grip on my waist. Just as James left the courtroom, I was pulled away again. I had no idea why I would want to go to him. I should have never felt that way. Esme pulled me into a room where I found Edward a blubbering mess, and I didn't even care. He threw a fucking fit and left me when I needed him most. I pushed myself out of Esme's grip and she guarded the door.

"What happened?" Carlisle asked.

"James talked to Bella." That was all she needed to say. Carlisle spun to look at me and Edward bolted out of his seat.

"What did he say!?" Edward asked as he stood in front of me. When I didn't answer, he started yelling. "What the FUCK did he SAY!?"

"If you would have been in there with me, you would already know," I retorted as I pushed him away from me.

"Don't push me, Isabella!" Edward said pushing me right back.

"I hate you for leaving me," I said as I pushed Edward to the floor. I had no idea how I even had the strength to push him so hard. "Instead of being a man, you break the fuck down and leave me!" I yelled. "This was supposed to end today! We were going to move forward! I can't trust anyone! Every single person in my life is a fucking lair!" I started to cry. "I'm better off with James: he is the only person that has NEVER lied to me." With my little rant over and Esme moving toward me, I turned and walked out of the room.

EPOV

"You have to let me do this my way," I said to Carlisle as he nodded in understanding. I knew he wouldn't understand the way I was about to handle Bella. Shit, shit, shit! Fuck, I had to go after her. As soon as I was out the door, I saw her turn the corner down the hall. I ran as fast as I could. The moment she was in arms reach, I grabbed her up and pulled her into me.

"Leave me alone!" she cried as she pushed out of my arms.

"Knock it the fuck off, right now," I said gripping her arm. She was going to end up with a bruise, because she was fighting me, but I still tightened my grip even more.

"Got her?" Carlisle asked coming up behind us. He didn't like that I was holding her so roughly, but he let me. He was a doctor, so he knew Bella have having some kind of break down. We both knew that we had to get Bella out of the courthouse before something happened. He dropped the blanket over our heads and we headed for the door. Bella fought me tooth and nail; I underestimated her strength. I ended up picking her up off her feet and carrying her. When we finally made it to the car, I about threw Bella in the backseat.

"Calm the fuck down now!" I said to her.

"I hate you," she said with so much anger.

"If you know what is good for you, you will not say another word to me," I said as she turned away from me.

Carlisle and Esme finally got into the vehicle, and we were headed back to the suite. Bella didn't say another word, but I kept my eyes on her the whole time. She silently cried in her seat and my heart broke for her. I didn't know how to fix this. I didn't know how to make her feel better. I needed her to trust me. I felt like I was meeting her for the first time again, and I didn't like that feeling. Once we were back to the hotel, Bella fled to our room and I heard her slam the bathroom door. I turned to Carlisle; he had to have some answers...well, I hoped anyway.

"Get your things together. We are going to head home. We'll leave in an hour," Carlisle said as Esme headed to their room.

"I don't know what to do with Bella," I told him holding back my tears.

"That's why we need to get home. As soon as she can get back to her schedule, she will see that life goes on. I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure James stays away," he said.

I knew I had to believe him, but it was hard. I wanted to trust him, so I was hoping he would be able to follow through. I started packing our clothes because I really didn't want Bella to have to do it. I knew she had her own system of packing, but I just wanted to get back to Forks. I heard Bella talking to someone on the phone, but I didn't know who. I opened the bathroom door and Bella was crying and talking. She had no clue I was in the bathroom.

"I just don't get how it happened. I wanted him out of my life for good. Now, I know he will be around whenever he finds it fit. I wouldn't be surprised if he moved to Forks. Alice, he is the only person that has never lied to me. I thought Edward was going to be my rock," she said. Yeah, I was a dick, and she made me feel two feet tall.

"I never thought about it that way. You're right, but I'm going to stay mad for a while. Not just at him, but...I just need to be mad," she said as I shook my head. I retrieved everything from the bathroom that needed to be packed. I had to laugh at myself, because she had no clue I was in the bathroom.

I didn't really care what Bella said to anyone, for the fact that she would just tell them what they wanted to hear. Only I knew the true Bella, and I knew her mind was fucked up right now. James talked to her, and he obviously said something that got Bella thinking. I was sure he watched every move she made while they were speaking, and if he knew how much his words affected her, he would try, try, and try again. It was going to be a long trip back to Forks. By the time I was done packing all of our things, Bella was off the phone, but still sitting in the bathroom.

"Hey," I said from the doorway. She looked up at me with the saddest eyes I had ever seen. "Come on, we're going home." I was happy to say that she took my hand and we made our way out of the room.