Forsaken In My Mind's Past

Chapter 34, "One Fine Wire" ~ Colbie Caillat

Bella pov

**A/N: So, you guys are pretty amazing. I can't say it enough. The reviews I get are out of this world, and I'm crowning a winner this time. *Irish Charm*- you blew me away…literally. The rest of you, absolutely fantastic. I'm stunned each chapter at the love this story is receiving. Of course I'm a greedy bitch and want more…but we all have our little faults, right? I've decided to reward my amazing reviewers this time with an exclusive outtake. You won't want to miss what Bella finds out at the twins' school, so REVIEW!

Big, big love goes out to my betas. Sweetishbubble – you are grammatically fantastical, my dear! I want to welcome back my beautiful and preggers beta, THEsnapcrakklepop! I'm so, so glad you're back, I've missed you bunches! Still sending love out to my previous beta, Love Of Escapism, who I miss dearly. Get better, darlin!

I know Bella's catching some flack here, and believe me, I understand it. But if you all could do me a big favor and just put yourselves in her complicated shoes for a second. It's not that easy to just up and leave…even a complete maniac like Jake. It will happen, and it will happen sooner than even Bella expects it to, but in the mean time, she's got some serious decisions to make and shit to sort through. Mwuah! Love you guys!

Song Link, On Fine Wire- www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=mCpx1I3XqRY *replace the (dot) with a period to hear the song!

Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended and there is no financial gain by myself for this story. Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and its characters…I do not. I simply like to contort them into my sick view of things. Oh, and make them do dirty things to each other. ©2009/2010 WickedCurveBall74/RobsMyEdibleArt, All rights reserved worldwide.

XXXX

"I try so many times, but it's not taking me,

And it seems so long ago, that I used to believe,

And I'm so lost inside of my head, and crazy,

But I can't get out of it, I'm just stumbling,

And I'm juggling all the thoughts in my head,

I'm juggling and my fears on fire,

But I'm listening as it evolved in my head,

I'm balancing on one fine wire,

And I remember the time my balance was fine,

And I was just walking on one fine wire,

I remember the time my balance was fine,

And I was just walking on one fine wire,

But it's frayed at both the ends…and I'm slow unraveling,

Life plays such silly games inside of me,

And I've had some distant cried, following,

And their entwined between, the night and sunbeams,

I wish I were free from this pain in me,

And I'm juggling all the thoughts in my head,

I'm juggling and my fears on fire,

But I'm listening as it evolved in my head,

I'm balancing on one fine wire,

And I remember the time my balance was fine,

And I was just walking on one fine wire,

I remember the time my balance was fine,

And I was just walking on one fine wire,

But it's frayed at both the ends…and I'm slow unraveling…"

XXXX

The rest of the week went by in agonizingly slow motion. Falling asleep in Edward's arms was exactly what I needed and I slept for hours. Of course, it couldn't last. Although I knew this, God I didn't want it to end. We clung to each other that afternoon as if our lives depended on it as we slept until we were forced to leave one another and tend to our obligations. Alice had gone to pick up the twins as she'd promised and when Ben came home, Angela explained everything to him, so he was all the happier to give Edward a ride back to his apartment. Angela then took me to Alice's, where my babies awaited my arrival.

They were none the wiser because their fabulous Auntie Alice had told them we were having a sleep-over at her house. She had surprised me once again after I'd become aware that she had made a stop at my house to pick up some essentials for our overnight stay; school clothes for the kids, clothes for me and toiletries. Not only did she take care of that for me, but she'd pulled out all the stops to keep the twins from asking why they weren't home with their daddy. She had movies, popcorn and ice cream sundaes that we all made in the kitchen together. She really was the best, and I was so grateful to her for taking care of us that night. I showered her with gratitude and apologized a million times for being such a bitch about Edward.

It was difficult for her to take me home after we dropped the twins off at school the next morning – getting the subtle stink eye from cutesy Miss Wolfe – but I knew that I had to take care of things myself. I also knew that Jake wouldn't lay a finger on me again if he valued his life. After my day spent with Edward, my sister and my best friend, my sorrow over the situation had turned to anger. I didn't need for her to remind me of the nine millimeter Glock nineteen she and I had bought and registered for together some time ago…the one I'd kept hidden from Jake at Alice's apartment. I'd left it there mainly because I didn't feel I needed it for protection, until now. Funny how I'd thought my sister would be the one that would need it before I would since she was tiny, single, and lived alone. How ironic that the monster we'd feared would break into her home in the middle of the night and try to do unspeakable things to her was really always sleeping peacefully next to me and I had been oblivious, until now.

Still, she reminded me of the gun and, amazingly enough, had stuffed it in my bag unbeknownst to me. I agreed to take it, needing little convincing from her as I'd already made up my mind. If he tried to touch me again in violence, I would kill him…and then our kids would be without parents as I rotted away in some prison cell. As much as I prayed that would never happen, Alice had always been named as sole guardian of Robby and Krissy should something happen to both Jake and I, so I took cold comfort in that.

Leah started her housekeeping job for me that day, meeting me at the house with a quizzical look on her face when she saw Alice drop me off – which I ignored completely. I hid the small gun case, which I reprogrammed quickly to only be opened by my finger prints, under the bed on my side, and Leah and I went about our business. Jacob was already gone to the office, or wherever his dealings took him – I no longer gave a shit – and for that I was immensely thankful.

Although I dreaded it, I knew I needed to get back into the swing of work, so I prepared myself to make a phone call to my Editor in Chief at the paper, Kate.

Kate Denali was a hard-nosed bitch, but it was a requirement for the position she held at the Tribune, and I liked her as well as respected her completely. The only thing I disliked about her was her relation to Tanya Denali, also known as the perfection that was Edward's ex-love. They were sisters, so I tried not to hold it against her. Luckily, Kate never really mentioned Tanya that much and I didn't think she saw her that much either, since she'd moved out of state. For that, I was thankful, but it made me feel like a jerk that Kate didn't feel like she could mention her family around me. It wasn't as if Tanya had ever done anything to me other than date Edward before me and won over the hearts of his parents. They were high school sweethearts after all. It was only natural that his parents fell in love with her. I guessed I'd never had the chance to win them over. If I had known what Jake had done, things would've been different…maybe.

I growled to myself at that thought. My high school sweetheart, if you could call Alec that, didn't exactly win over my father's heart. When he'd suggested that we go skiing on Memorial Day weekend at the lake, my dad was less than thrilled. When I injured my ankle because of that suggestion, I thought my father was going to lock him up for life. He did throw him in a jail cell for twenty-four hours for reckless endangerment, and scared the shit out of poor Alec. Our relationship was never the same. Needless to say, it didn't last long after that, but then again, I'd met Edward the day I hurt my ankle. I smiled at the bittersweet memory.

"Kate Denali." Her voice broke me from my reverie as I quickly responded.

"Hey Kate, it's Bella."

"Well, if it isn't the black swan. Nice of you to check in…finally," she retorted sardonically and I cringed at her clever nickname for me.

"I know, I'm sorry. It's uh, it's been a long week."

"You're telling me. Do you know how many phone calls I've received about your column, or absence of, the last two weeks?"

"Kate, we talked about this. I can't really type right now." I huffed.

"Yes, dear, and that's why I need you to get with the intern. She needs to be kept busy. She's getting on my last nerve and it would be the perfect job for her to type up your column for you."

"Ugh," I groaned quietly as she continued relentlessly.

"I need you to get your ass in here and talk to the girl, at least run your ideas by her and get her out of my hair. I want to see you in my office in two hours. You can drive yourself alright, right?"

"Fine," I mumbled, not even addressing the fact that I could drive. It wouldn't have made much of a difference to the Ice Queen.

"Oh, and don't sound so pissy, honey. You know I've missed the hell out of you!" She chuckled and I rolled my eyes. That was a farce. She may have missed the work I did, but I normally worked from home, and set my own hours to go into the office as rarely as possible, so she didn't miss my presence there.

"Oh, hey Kate." I caught her before she hung up on me without saying goodbye, another thing that annoyed the fuck out of me about her.

"Yes, dear Bella?" Ugh. Such sarcasm.

"I need to talk to you anyway when I get there. I want to do something a little, um, different with the column this week."

"Yeah, okay fine," she blurted, "see you soon."

"Okay, b—" I started the usual and customary way to end a phone call until I heard a click and growled to myself.

As much as I knew she would throw a fit and protest, my horrifying experience had sparked an intense curiosity, and I suddenly found myself wanting the subject of my next column to be focused on battered women. I'd already started doing a little research once I'd gotten back home and was overcome by what I'd read about it. I wouldn't consider myself a battered wife, but I recognized symptoms in myself right away from what I'd gone through physically. I also found myself feeling a sense of pride that I had at least talked about it. Still, I was painfully aware that I initially had no intentions of anyone finding out, especially Edward, but I was grateful for the chain of events that had taken place as a result. What I was struck the most by, however, was the information I had delved into regarding the mental and psychological aspect of abuse. I also read a little on psychological abuse alone. I was shocked, horrified, and appalled at what I recognized I had become over the years. I realized that when my family and friends stated they'd seen Jake turn into a dickhead over the years, they had to have noticed a change in me. I noticed subtle changes…not enough for a stranger to take a second look, but I was different than I used to be, and I knew that now.

After the years spent dealing with Jacob's mood swings, the jealousy, possessiveness, the quiet put-downs, I'd become slowly and subtly withdrawn and void of feelings. I never really considered myself a depressed person. In fact, it had always annoyed me when people claimed that as an ailment, but I had been a fucking idiot. I couldn't even recognize what had been happening to my own self. I hardly spent time with my friends anymore; I felt worthless and worst of all, I felt like a terrible mother. I never used to be like that. I blamed it on getting older; I blamed it on the stresses of raising twins, and I always felt like I was being punished for keeping our baby girl's existence from Edward. The last part I still felt, now more than ever. Especially since the only time I felt like a person now was in his presence, and he would most likely remove himself from my life when he found out.

What a pathetic mess I am.

I refused to remain this way, however. I refused to be those women I read about in my brief research. I knew the healing started with me; I had to do this, so I left the house reluctantly in the hands of Leah for a couple hours. She'd seemed like a trustworthy person when I met her briefly, but again, I couldn't even trust my own fucking husband anymore, nor could I trust Leah's "respectable" police detective cousin, so my idea of trustworthy was frankly insignificant. Regardless, I had no choice but to go into the office. If I didn't, Kate would be up my ass relentlessly.

I explained to Leah my need to run to the office, that I truthfully needed to talk with my boss and get back into my work and, finally, that I was trusting her completely with my house. I noticed the recognition in her eyes at the insinuation in my tone and she responded that she would take good care of my home. I gave her some mundane cleaning tasks: laundry, a little dusting, and left the rest up to her. Then I headed out the door.

Driving was still uncomfortable but it was getting easier, so I managed to get myself to the office in one piece. I saw a lot of unfamiliar faces rushing about and buried in their cubicles, either typing furiously or on the phone getting the latest news and gossip from "sources". Working from home kept me out of the loop on new employees, so naturally I received curious glances as I trudged my way to the back, heading directly towards Kate's enormous workspace. Her office was completely surrounded by glass…the perfect metaphor for the Ice Queen that she was. I waved to a couple people I actually recognized and had worked with, when I actually left the fucking house, Peter and Charlotte, but I didn't stop to chat. This was yet another reminder of how anti-social I'd become over the years, and I was suddenly pissed at myself for turning into this…shell of what I used to be.

For a split second, I was pissed that I'd even begun my research earlier, and reconsidered my idea. Did I even what to know what I'd become? Maybe I'd have been better off just burying my head in the sand a little longer. No…no! I squabbled in my head, this stops now. I refuse to be that any longer. This could help me heal, anonymously, of course.

As I rounded a corner, determination back in my head and my mind made up, I was nearly steam-rolled by a stunning young woman – presumably early to mid twenties – that seemed to be on a mission herself. She was dressed in stiletto heels and a pretentious pant suit that was tight enough to hug her every feminine curve, including her ridiculously amazing and robust chest. Her mousy brown hair was pulled up into a loose, messy bun and her face bore a look of frustration. Her eyes were focused on a giant stack of papers she was struggling to carry and I heard her grumbling under her breath, something about a "sarcastic, stone cold bitch." I chuckled to myself, knowing exactly who she was referring to, and tried to maneuver myself out of her way, but the pathway through the cubicles was quite narrow. She lifted her head at the last minute and jumped, seeing that she was dangerously close to me, as the stack of papers in her hands went flying and fluttering to the floor around us.

"Shit!" she whispered and bent down to gather them, nearly loosing her footing in her outlandish heels. I followed her and began picking up random sheets of paper, stacking them on the floor as she shook her head and looked at me graciously. "I'm so sorry," she muttered, exasperated. I smiled and handed her some of the papers, now in complete disarray.

"It's okay." I smiled again. "Having a rough day with the stone cold bitch?" I giggled and her deep brown eyes became wide as she suddenly looked aghast.

"Oh crap! You heard that? I didn't mean…please don't…she'll skin me alive if she —"

"Oh please." I interrupted her and rolled my eyes. "Don't worry about it. You must be new. Don't let Kate get to you, she's like that to everyone at first."

"Well, thank you." She grinned half-heartedly. "And I am new, actually."

We both stood once the mess was cleaned up and she proceeded to smooth her clothing with one immaculately manicured hand. She extended that manicured hand, shaking mine eagerly and proceeded to introduce herself. "My name is Nicolette Roseau, but I go by Nicci. That's Nicci with two c's, definitely not the two k's, because I hate that. It's so ordinary, you know?" She tilted her head to the side. I nodded, and then took a breath. I was about to introduce myself, but was cut short as she continued. "Then again, I would always get these people that would see my name, like teachers in school you know, and think it was pronounced with the 'ch' sound…and they would call me Nichie. Nichie! Can you believe that? Like anyone would name their child Nichie. That's just utterly ridiculous!" She laughed and rolled her eyes.

I did as well, but not in response to the same thing she had. Christ, it was the younger version of Jessica Stanley. She was the only other person I knew that could ramble on about something as silly as the spelling of her name.

"My parents never understood when I complained about it. It nearly ruined my childhood." I searched her face for a hint of sarcasm, but saw only sincerity and sadness for her very difficult plight. Was this girl for real? She was beginning to make me twitch with annoyance and I suddenly felt the need to walk away from her before even introducing myself and before I did something rash, like smacking her in her lovely, tanned face. She was irritating me in the first five minutes of meeting her and apparently, she interpreted my dumfounded expression and stare as one of interest, so of course she kept talking.

"Anyway, I'm an intern here…"

My stomach dropped. Please don't be the one. Please don't be the one.

"…and I'm supposed to be meeting with this girl, Bella, today…"

Fucking wonderful.

"…who has this really popular column and I'm, like, really excited to work with her, but I'm so nervous because I, like, want to make a good impression, you know?"

Yeah, I scoffed to myself, too late for that. I instantly knew why this girl had gotten on Kate's nerves. She preferred quiet confidence and unfortunately, so did I.

"Well, don't be nervous." I stated and forced myself to grin at her. "I don't normally bite."

"What?" she said. Her faced blanched slightly. "You're Bella Black?"

I nodded. "Swan-Black, but yes. Pleased to meet you." I held my hand out. She eyed me up and down quickly, obviously noting my overtly casual appearance as opposed to her Maxim's hottest bitches in a suit edition. This irritated me, but I stifled it and widened my grin against my own will. She hesitated briefly before grabbing my hand and proceeding to shake it vigorously.

"Well, I am just so excited to meet you and work with you! Maybe we can hang out sometime, you know? Oh! I like coffee. Do you like coffee? I've found this great place and we can chill out there…I can run my ideas by you. Oh! This is going to be so much fun!" she rambled emphatically. I sighed. Fun? I think not.

"Okay, slow down there, Nicci." I tried to keep the sarcasm to a minimum. I didn't want to kill our makeshift relationship right off the bat.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized. "I tend to talk a lot when I'm excited." Oh you think so?

"Well first of all," I said bluntly, "I usually work alone, so this will be an…adjustment for me."

She smiled and nodded. "Sure thing, Mrs. Black…err…Swan-Black, right?"

"Yes, and secondly, you may have wonderful ideas, but I'm not the one you need to run those by. That's Kate's department." Her face fell and I immediately felt a twinge of guilt for crushing her dream of taking on the column so soon, but that shit was just not going to happen. I assumed she'd probably already attempted that, and Kate had – the way Kate usually does – told her to fuck off in her sweet, round-about way.

"Oh," she whispered.

"And thirdly," I continued, trying to be gentle. "For now, you will be typing for me until I can again." I held up my cast.

"Of course, I—I understand," she replied timidly. "Well, still, it might be fun, huh?" I refrained from rolling my eyes as I responded unenthusiastically that "sure it would be," then excused myself as politely as I could, citing that I needed to get to Kate's office before she had my head on a platter.

XXXX

"Are you serious, Bella?" Kate's sardonic stare was threatening to break my resolve. I nodded, trying to exude some sort of confidence. "You understand that the holidays are approaching. Your readers are going to want some fluffy, warm and cozy, 'chestnuts roasting on an open fire' shit, Bella, and you want to blast them with this crap?"

"Kate," I began as I sighed, but she interrupted, of course.

"Well, my initial reaction is hell no. You know that, right?" She looked at me pointedly.

"Yes, Kate, but —" It wouldn't be a normal conversation with her if she actually let me get a word in edgewise.

"But…" She raised her eyebrows. "I'm just dying to know the reason behind this sudden interest of yours to become some self-help writer. Please enlighten me." This was why she was the editor. Her sarcasm could blast anyone's confidence to smithereens. I stoically held my ground, explaining how I'd had a friend who'd recently gone through a traumatic experience. I explained that I felt compelled to understand more of what she'd gone through. She sat quiet for a split second when I finished my spiel, and I thought maybe she was going to show a bit of compassion. That, however, would have been insanely out of character for her, so I was less than surprised when she rolled her eyes. "Of course, the friend scenario…right," she barked as she eyed my somewhat ragged appearance.

I was sure the dark circles under my eyes and my traitorous nerves that were fighting their way through my façade were a dead give away. I'd barely slept a wink the night before, and I didn't expect that to change any time soon…until I was free of him. I cursed the asshole in my head as I noted her eyes raking over me, again dressed in a fucking turtleneck to disguise myself, and loose fitting jeans – my bruised thighs were still quite uncomfortable.

I tried to think of Edward to hopefully bring some light back into my dead eyes, but it was fruitless. My brain betrayed me by the reminder that I couldn't fully expect him to want me after he knew everything and I clenched my jaw tightly. Suddenly, Kate's eyes became uncharacteristically caring as she muttered, "Is this about you? Bella, I know we're not necessarily…close, but if you needed to talk about anything…" she trailed off and I was beginning to panic. "I mean," she started again as I tried to hide my stunned expression. "You, uh, you can tell me —"

"What? No!" I found my voice quickly and gave a nervous sounding giggle, which made me want to kick myself. "I…just thought I could help, um, somebody." I shrugged, averting my eyes from hers.

"Your friend." She sounded unconvinced.

"Yep, mm-hmm." I answered quickly and nodded. Goddamn it, I'm such a bad liar. Feeling completely exposed despite my denials, I decided to back pedal. "You know what, Kate, never mind." I tried to sound nonchalant. "I'll do the holiday stuff with all the fluff and warm fuzzies." Kate quirked an eyebrow at me, then looked away contemplating as I sat silently berating myself for being such a lousy actress. Obviously I hadn't thought my argument through well enough to come up with something better than my friend scenario. Dumbass.

"No, I'm on board," she quipped as she looked back at me, still skeptical but with an underlying tone of concern.

"Oh-kay?" My voice curled up in question as now, I was the skeptical one.

"Really, I think it would be good for you to…" she hesitated, looking me over again and I felt uneasy. "…help out your friend by researching. Who knows, maybe you can help her," she looked at me pointedly, "get way from the asshole once and for all, huh?"

I couldn't speak. My throat had gone dry and I suddenly wanted to get the hell out of the office before I spilled my guts and ended up front page fucking news. I didn't speak much to Kate about my fabulous marriage, but from her brief experience with my husband at last year's Christmas party, she wasn't a huge Jacob Black fan. It wasn't enough that he'd been acting like a pompous prick all night that night, oh no. He then had to proceed to accuse me of sleeping with every man that worked at the paper. He screamed in front of everyone, and I remembered my sarcastic comeback. "Oh yeah, Jacob you're so right. I have so much time on my hands that I've fucked the fifty or so men that work here. Yeah." I remember snorting at his irrationality. "I wish I had that kind of time!" Then I think I called him an idiot or a moron or something and left the party without him. Soon after that was when I really began keeping myself away from the office as much as possible.

Yet another clue as to how I'd changed over the years.

I actually tried to quit, but Kate wouldn't allow it. She told me that the paper wasn't the problem in my life and that it was not what I needed to be quitting. Hindsight's twenty-twenty.

I jumped slightly when there was a light tap on the door. Kate rolled her eyes and muttered, "Prepare yourself," under her breath. "Come in, Nicci," she called as she frowned and I chuckled under my relieved breath. Saved by the ditsy intern. Kate started to introduce us and I stopped her, explaining that we'd already met. I have her a subtle glare, communicating to her that I understood fully what she'd conveyed to me over the phone. "Alright then, ladies." Kate smirked. "Get to work." I glared harder. Bitch.

I spent the next two hours explaining to Nicci the content of my next column and listened to her whine about how that subject was such a buzz kill, and 'couldn't we write about something more fun?' I refrained from clawing her pretty little eyes out and gently, but firmly, reiterated that we weren't writing anything. I was writing and she was typing. We penciled in some time in the near future to meet again so that I could give her my rough drafts and recordings. Can't wait for that.

XXXX

I walked into my home and almost didn't recognize it. Leah had outdone herself and my mood was instantly lighter. She was obviously good at what she did for a living as my house was immaculately cleaned and the delicious smell of pumpkin bread wafted through the air. Unfortunately, when I reached the kitchen and noticed the three dozen red roses sitting on the table, my aggravation returned.

Ugh! It's not going to work, Jake. I hated roses anyway; especially red ones and he knew it. I'd told him time and again that Tiger Lilies were my favorite, yet he continued to insist on red roses…for love. Barf. Maybe he was trying to piss me off, instead of make it up to me. Whatever. I plopped my purse and my keys down on the counter and decided to focus my attention on the two perfectly wrapped loaves of mouthwatering pumpkin bread sitting on the counter. Then I went off to find Leah and thank her…possibly offer her a raise. This was ridiculous work she'd done.

I called her name out a couple times as I trudged through the house, but didn't get a response. When I finally found her, she was in the master bedroom with her back to me, meticulously folding laundry from a wicker basket sitting on our bed. My eyes took in the bed and then darted over to the chaise lounge in the corner of the room. A horrifying image flashed in my mind as I replayed the events of the last time I was in that bed. I drew in a silent breath and shook off the anxiety as quickly as I could.

"Hey," I greeted Leah as cheerfully as possible. I must have startled her because she jumped and whipped around quickly. Her eyes darted to the material she was holding – underwear, Jacob's underwear – and she tossed it hastily onto the bed.

"Uh, hi Mrs. Black," she responded gingerly, and I noticed a slight redness to her eyes as she turned to look at me, a sad glint in her stare. I was alarmed, hoping that nothing bad had happened.

"Please, Leah, it's Bella," I said, trying to hide my annoyance. "Everything okay?" I asked cautiously and she immediately seemed disturbed by my concern.

"Oh…sure," she replied, "I'm just a little tired. Um, Boo-Boo seems to have a cold or something. He's…been keeping me up half the night coughing."

I reminded her of bringing him over with her if she needed to. "I think my kids are immune to everything." I chuckled and rolled my eyes.

"Oh." Her eyes darted to mine, then away. "I wouldn't want to risk it. Not now anyway."

"Well, it's not a problem for me." I smiled warmly. "And, what you've done to the house today, wow. Thank you so much. It hasn't been this clean in I don't know how long." She smiled and nodded in response. I continued, "The pumpkin bread smells ridiculous. You will be taking one of those loaves home with you, understand?" I gave her a wink.

"Well, I just figured J—Jake would eat one all by himself." Her eyes flashed something unreadable and I clenched my teeth at the sound of his name.

"Oh well," I replied curtly. "One loaf is yours, end of discussion." I tried to clear my voice of the acidic undertone that it desperately wanted to spew, as well as the snarl that wanted to take residence on my lips. Still, her face flushed slightly and she nodded once, a sober look adorning her features. It was possible I'd let some of that slip, I supposed.

"Um," she began weakly, "did you see what else was waiting for you in the kitchen?" She smiled, but something in her eyes told me it was less than genuine. Maybe she was jaded by her son's father? Wouldn't be the first time that ever happened. "Beautiful, huh?" she asked.

"I suppose." I shrugged and rolled my eyes. "Roses aren't really my favorite…especially when someone's trying to kiss my ass." I turned to meet a doe-eyed Leah with a very puzzled expression, and quirked an eyebrow at her. "You want to take a couple dozen home with you? Be my guest. I suppose I could be gracious enough to keep one bunch. They'll die soon enough anyway." With that, I turned and stalked down the hallway leaving Leah behind me, mouth agape.

"Um, h—he called." She seemed to get her wits about her again and found me in the kitchen as I tried to keep from glaring at the ugly fucking roses. "Wanted me to tell you he was picking up the kids today." It took all the will power I had to refrain from exploding on her and – really she had no fault here, she would just be a convenient punching bag – explaining what he did to me, and revealing that he was no more picking up the kids today than I was going to sprout wings and fly. "Oh, and your mother called." She smiled sweetly this time, the subtle sadness gone. "I think I scared her. She thought you up and moved out and Jake had some new girlfriend living here." She laughed whole-heartedly.

Oh, just give me a few weeks, Renee. Fuck. Now I have to call her and try not to break down…try to sound happy go lucky as she chirped on and on about her fabulous life.

I grit my teeth again and mustered up a weak smile. "Alright, Leah, thanks. You've done such a great job today that I really don't need you anymore." Her eyes instantly filled with the sadness that I'd seen a few minutes prior and I assumed she thought I meant I wouldn't need her again, so I quickly tried to reassure her. "Until tomorrow, that is. Now, go home and spend some time with your sick little boy." I smiled. She returned a weak smile, but a hint of gloom was present as she shrugged her shoulders.

"Okay, but I was just thinking I could make you guys some dinner. Anything you'd like."

For some reason, I felt she actually wanted to stay; maybe she needed the feeling of being with a family based on her reactions to the twins regarding grandparents and the obvious lack of her son's father in their lives. I recalled how she had stated her son only had one grandparent, her father, meaning no grandmother, no grandparents on the boy's father's side, indicating no present father. This is how my fucking brain works. I was compelled to bring a genuine smile to her face, so I offered up a compromise. I told her that I would only be okay with her making dinner if she went home immediately and took care of her boy for a while. She agreed, so I handed her one loaf of pumpkin bread as well as some cash and asked her to please run by the market on her way back. Whatever she wanted to get was fine, I explained, and she responded with a joyous giggle, nodding her head.

"One more thing," I stated with my eyebrows raised. She looked at me curiously, so I continued. "I want you to bring that little man of yours over tonight for dinner. You two should eat with us. The twins would love it, and I'm sure Jake-" the motherfucker, I wanted to say as I cringed inwardly, "wouldn't mind."

Her eyes widened and, for a moment, she looked as if she'd seen a ghost. "I'd rather not," she protested, sounding adamant this time and shook her head. "I just…" she paused a beat, "don't want to risk it." I agreed reluctantly. Their seemed to be more behind her opposition, so I didn't push her. Although, I was starting to get the idea that she simply didn't want to bring her child around us.

XXXX

I sighed as I stared, darting my eyes from my cell, back to my home phone and again to my cell. I hadn't spoken to my mother since the day she informed me that the first child I'd given birth to, Edward's child, was a little girl. I was sure she'd been consumed with what I may or may not have decided to do after that phone call. The truth was, I'd put it out of my mind to call her back, whether consciously or subconsciously. I knew I couldn't bring her into the depravity that was the current situation under any circumstances at this point, so I had to attempt to make my voice as lucid as I could.

"Impossible," I thought aloud, and then my eyes caught sight of my laptop. The clouds parted instantly. "An email. I'll send her an email," I said, brashly unconcerned that I was actually holding a conversation with myself out loud.

Hey Mom! I started the email. An exclamation point was a good way to begin. It showed excitement. Life was grand. She wouldn't read into the sarcasm. Things are going well with us. I lied. I didn't tell Edward. You were right about that. It's better left alone. Jake is doing great…just came back from a business trip, so business is booming! I cringed. I'm healing up just fine and getting excited to make a big Thanksgiving feast, as always. "Healing in more ways than one, Mom," I said as I typed. Krissy and Robby miss their Grammy a lot…and so do I, so maybe we can see you at Christmas? I know they'd love to have you at their birthday party! I shuddered as I thought of the kids and how their lives were going to change so much after all of this. Was I making the right decisions? Was I just being selfish?

I pulled the sleeve of my shirt up enough to expose the still menacing looking bruises and my answer was clear. I had to leave. If I didn't, Edward was right, I would ruin my own life. He would do this again and someday, his rage could end up directed at one of my babies. I could never let that happen.

Gotta go, Mom. I wrapped up my message. Have work to do. I love you! XOXO Bella. I snapped my laptop shut and glanced at the clock, noting that I had only minutes to make it to the school if I was going to beat Jake to the punch. I grabbed my keys and hustled out the door swiftly.

XXXX

Twenty minutes after I'd arrived at the school, I was tearing down the street in my car trying to make it to the house before Jacob and the twins did. My babies were in the backseat of Jake's truck, blissfully unaware of what their perfect daddy had just done. I kept checking the rearview repeatedly, but my vision was blurred by rage at his blatant display with my children nearly on top of them.

At the same time, I felt a sort of wicked satisfaction in what I'd captured. Use it, Bella, I told myself. Don't question yourself anymore.

When I got home, I swiftly put my things away and tore into the bathroom. My stomach felt like a turbulent ocean and I knew that if I didn't calm myself, I would be heaving into my porcelain hell again. The temperature outside felt as if it had dropped immensely since I left the house and I was chilled to the bone, so I drew a steaming bath. I then dropped some soothing jasmine bath oil beads in the water and disrobed.

"Mommy!" the twins called out as they roared through the house. The sound of their voices made my insides turn to jelly and I wanted to jump out of the tub, cradle them in each arm, and shield them from him.

Game time, my inner voice coached, create normalcy for them, Bella, that's what they need right now.

So, I cleared my throat and calmly responded, calling back to them, "Mommy's in the bathtub!" I heard their little footsteps trampling toward my location, so I quickly sat up and hugged my knees to my chest carefully to keep my cast from getting wet, covering myself and my bruises. Once I'd sufficiently greeted them and sent them off to change into play clothes, I slipped back down into the soothing heat of the water and tried to focus my tumultuous mind on getting through this one day at a time.

A light rap on the door tore me from my serenity and I gasped in response.

"Bells? Are you okay?" Fuck. I sat up quickly, wrapping my arms around my bent knees again as my breath quickened. I was hoping we could've refrained from speaking to each other for the next six weeks, but reality was a cold, hard bitch.

"Fine," I responded.

"Well, um, can I come in for a minute?" No, you monstrous asshole, leave me alone for the rest of my life.

I sighed, putting my game face on. "Sure." The door creaked open and he slipped inside, taking note of my position with a caring gleam in his eyes. Guess his game face was on as well.

"Hey honey." He smiled and I closed my eyes, unresponsive as I sighed.

"Oh—kay…" he continued, sounding a bit too much like my father when I was a teenager and being unreasonable, in his opinion . "Well, I just wanted to ask you about dinner tonight." I shot him a glare. "I mean, I just wanted to see if there was anything special you felt like. I can't really cook, but I can…I mean, I'll go and get something. Whatever you want." Oh, he's laying it on thick, taking his 'sorry' to a whole new level of absurdity.

"No need," I replied curtly. When his puzzled expression resurfaced, I elaborated. "Leah's coming back to make dinner for us."

"Oh." He raised his eyebrows. "I was wondering if she started today."

"The house didn't clean itself," I retorted. "She outdid herself today, so I told her to go home early and take care of her sick little boy, but she really wanted to make us dinner, so she'll be back around five."

"Little boy? Leah has a kid?"

I was annoyed by his sudden curiosity given the fact that I didn't want to speak to him at all, so my response was less than amicable. "Yeah, Jake, what do you care? Don't your friends talk to you about their families? I figured you already knew."

"No, I guess they don't." His voice sounded oddly vague. "I mean, it's no big deal. I just didn't know."

I sighed again. "Whatever. Did you need anything else?" The sarcasm was fighting, hissing and clawing to get out, but I kept it as subtle as possible.

"So, you got the flowers," he said expectantly with a half grin.

I laid my head on my knees and averted my eyes. "Yep, I did," I deadpanned. Sarcasm was winning. He continued to stand there, no doubt waiting for the thank you that I refused to give. Finally, he broke the awkward silence.

"That's it? That's all I get?"

I snapped my head up and glared. "What do you want, Jake?" He shook his head and closed his eyes. When he opened them, they were full of hurt. I don't care…I don't care, I repeated in my head.

"Bells," he whispered as he knelt down next to me. "I want you to know how much I love you. I want you to know how sorry I am for this." He dipped his finger under my chin and gently lifted it. I closed my eyes and cringed as my body shivered from both his touch and the cool air on my exposed skin.

"Jake, I'm cold," I stated blandly, my eyes still closed.

"Okay, I'm sorry Bells. Can I ask you something though?"

"What?" I asked with annoyance.

"Alice hates me, doesn't she?" I didn't respond. "Bells, why did you tell her?"

I snapped in an instant, realizing that all he cared about was his precious public reputation. "I didn't fucking tell her, Jacob!" I snarled, feeling as if I should be afraid, but unable to care. "Can you just…leave me alone?"

"Well, I think we need to talk about this." His voice began to get a harder edge to it. "You had to have said something to her; to Angela. My God, they must think I'm a monster." You are, I responded in my head.

"Jake, I told you I can't do this. I—I don't want to talk about it right now."

"When then, Bells? We need to work this out."

"Work it out?" I scoffed. "Work what out, Jake? Our marriage or our story to make you look better?"

"Bells, that's not fair." He brushed his fingers across my face and I pulled away. His eyes reflected sorrow. I was tired and annoyed, and suddenly wanted him to see the extent of what he'd done to me. He couldn't have confronted me about this at a more perfect time, as I sat naked in the bathtub. I unwrapped my arms from my legs and stretched out into the warm water, raising my arms lazily above my head and closed my eyes. I heard him gasp and opened my eyes again to take in his horrified expression.

"Oh my God, Bells!" He choked out as he stumbled backward a couple steps. I felt dead inside as I looked at him. "I'm so…God, I'm so—"

"I don't want to hear it, Jake!" I hissed. His eyes darted to mine quickly and his brow furrowed in torment. "And don't you dare talk to me about what's fair. Now please, leave me the fuck alone!" He exited the bathroom without another word. That was the last conversation we had for days. Luckily, seeing what he'd done to me had rattled him enough that when I informed him the sofa was his new bed, he didn't argue.

Leah showed up promptly at five, groceries in hand, and I gave her free reign of the kitchen as she began to prepare the food to cook. I sat near her and offered my help, which she politely refused. So I settled for making small talk as I shooed the kids away from hovering around her like starving stray animals. Robby, who was quite smitten with her, held a goofy grin on his face as she chit-chatted with me. When I asked how her son was feeling, she looked at me almost quizzically, and then seemed to snap out of whatever it was, responding that he seemed better after a dose of cough medicine. "He's probably bouncing off the walls for my dad right now." She chuckled.

I really wanted to ask her about her family, but just as I was about to, Jake came sauntering into the room with Krissy on his heels. I couldn't stand to look at him, so I pulled the twins' homework out of their bags and instructed them to sit at the table with me. He greeted Leah sweetly – almost too sweetly – and I wanted to slap him. It was a kind of awakening I hadn't known before, like I was actually listening to my own head finally. Although I wasn't jealous – how could I be now – it was a realization that with nearly every female he came in contact, he flirted shamelessly. Leah seemed uncomfortable around him, even as he asked her fairly tame questions at first and I tried to keep from imagining myself hitting him in the back of the head with a cast iron frying pan.

When she timidly answered his question about what…and I quote, "masterpiece she was creating," responding that it was a variation of some Native American dishes, his reaction made the frying pan fantasy that much more attractive. "Sweet!" He almost cheered. "Bella's never made anything like that."

"Because you never asked for it, honey," I retorted over my shoulder as I tried to busy myself with helping the twins color their pilgrims, Indians and turkeys for school. And I'll never make anything else for you again, asshole. Where is that fucking frying pan anyway?

Of course, then he moved on to more prying and personal questions; asking her about her dad and brother, to which she actually replied cheerfully that they were just fine. She never mentioned her mother, so I assumed she was no longer or never in the picture and I wasn't about to ask. I would have to ruefully admit that my ears did perk up a little when Jake asked about her son. "So, I heard you have a kid. I can't believe that jack-leg of a cousin of yours never told me! A boy?"

Still trying to make myself look busy, I turned subtly and noticed her reaction as she stiffened slightly, turned her head toward Jake and nodded once. Jake grinned. "Awesome! Well, how old is he?"

"Um," she responded quietly, "well, he's four, but he has a birthday coming up. So, he'll be five next week, on the twentieth."

Jacob and I talked over one another as I gasped, stating I couldn't believe she hadn't told me this, and he erupted in laughter. He stated through his chortles that since our kids were so close in age, it would be a sin not to get them together. The twins overheard as well, both of them howling that they wanted to meet him. Krissy added, in her angelic voice, "I want to make Boo-Boo a birthday card with turkeys on it!" She then turned to me, "Mommy, can I?" I laughed and so did Leah as she turned to look at my daughter.

"Well, I don't know, baby. You'll have to ask Miss Leah."

Leah's smile widened as Krissy looked at her expectantly. "I think that would be just fine," she said and Krissy squealed in delight.

"Boo-Boo?" Jake asked, looking perplexed.

Leah rolled her eyes at him and I liked her a little more. "It's a nickname," she replied almost briskly. "His name is Seth. We just call him 'Boo-Boo' because of his clumsiness."

"Well, he and Bells have something in common." He smirked and I glared blatantly. With that, I hated him even more. He suddenly looked apologetically at me before returning his attention to Leah, naturally. "So, who's the lucky guy? I mean, you know, Boo-Boo's dad?" Her face fell instantly and she turned abruptly back to preparing the food and sighed. She turned her head toward me and the twins, who were back to coloring feverishly, scanning us quickly with her eyes. She then glanced at Jake before tilting her head downward and averting her gaze.

"He's…never been around," she murmured softly, "Seth doesn't even know him."

"Oh man," the idiot retorted. "Well hey; he's missing out, huh?" She didn't respond.

"Who's missing out, Daddy?" It was Krissy. Why wouldn't it be? Jesus, he has a big fucking mouth.

"Krissy, color." I tapped on her paper and she shot me a pouty grimace before returning to her work. Jake ignored his daughter and continued to be an insensitive dick.

"I can't believe some guys. What a jacka—"

"Jake!" I interrupted him for obvious reasons as I noticed how uncomfortable and tense Leah had become.

He snapped his head toward me. "Yeah?"

"Um, I think the kids need your assistance. Could you come help them and I'll help Leah finish up?" I gave him a pointed stare, but my tone was giving me a cavity.

"Oh sure, sure," he responded.

XXXX

Leah opted not to eat with us, no big surprise there. So I sent her home with a very large dish of her own Native American Tacos, made with Navajo frying bread, Winter Salad and Navajo Peach Pudding. It was all incredibly delicious.

We'd eaten in silence after she left as the atmosphere had changed drastically. The kids even seemed to notice that something was off and I realized when they eyed us warily as they ate that life as we all knew it really was over.

For the next several days, my mind was all over the place. Alice called me what seemed like hundreds of times and although she was still in protective big sister mode, I managed to deflect our conversations from the seriously heavy. She did, however, inform me that she'd printed the pictures of my bruises from her digital camera and had put them in her safe.

"Whenever you decide you need them, baby sis, they're ready for you." She gave me the strength and resolve to keep my decisions focused on myself and the kids. She was more than livid when I told her about the pictures I'd taken at the school and demanded that I message them to her. "If anything happens to your phone, the fuckhead is still busted," she said matter-of-factly. I agreed and sent them to her promptly. On one of our many phone conversations we talked, or argued rather, about Thanksgiving the following week. She, of course, didn't want Jacob to be there and I countered my point of trying to keep things as normal as I could for the kids until after the holidays and their birthday, which was the end of December.

"I think you're taking a big risk, Bella," she warned in a motherly tone that came out of nowhere.

"Alice, we'll be fine," I stated my rebuttal.

"What if he snaps again? What if it's worse this time, Bella? I can't —"

"Hey! Al, listen to me. I know what he's capable of now. I didn't before and he caught me off guard. I have the gun now and you better believe I'll be ready if he wants to try and fuck with me." She reluctantly let it go and I made plans with her and Angela – who'd also been calling me relentlessly, God love her – to have lunch on Thursday. I wanted to make them both see that I refused to crumble because of what the monster did to me. Leah and I had agreed on her coming over on Tuesdays and Thursdays until my hand healed, so Thursday was a perfect day for me to get out of the house and let her work. I realized that there was no reason not to trust her in my home after she'd left Tuesday evening. Besides that, I needed to hammer down plans and the menu for Thanksgiving.

My sister and I did the cooking, alright well I did most of it, while she kept me company almost every year when she wasn't in Florida with Renee. I also needed to convince her somehow that for the twins' sixth birthday party, which would be after the first of the year, I wanted a simple get-together and not the lavish affair she would want to throw. I needed to reduce my stress level as much as possible and I hoped she would understand. I could always use Ang as moral support, or leverage, however you looked at it. The twins' actual birthday was on December 29th, however, we celebrated after the first of the year so that we didn't disrupt New Year's celebrations. This year would be no different, but the thought of how my life and my babies' lives were going to change after that both excited and terrified me. What if I couldn't handle being a single parent?

I really needed to stop fucking questioning myself. I had more than enough reason to leave the bastard and I knew it, but I jut really wished everyone would understand why I wanted to wait until after the insanity of the holiday season passed.

To top my anxious mind off, I hadn't heard from Edward for a few days and I missed him. I missed his touch, his soothing voice, his gentle caresses and his extraordinary kisses. Despite his declaration that he would wait for me forever, I felt – no, knew – that that I'd upset him by coming back home. Although I also knew that he was trying to give me space to figure it all out, I called him.

"Hey my beautiful girl," he answered smoothly, and I instantly felt a jolt of love and desire.

I sighed. "I miss you," I muttered, my voice laced with sentiment.

"Are you okay? Did something else happen?" My protector was instantly present and accounted for.

"No," I lied by omission, not wanting to tell him about what I witnessed at the school. "You know my appointment is tomorrow with Carlisle." I reminded him.

"How could I forget," he replied huskily.

"Will I see you?" I asked.

"I think Carlisle might be upset if I took his patient from him." He chuckled, teasing me. I could picture the dazzling crooked grin that always turned me into goo.

"You know what I mean, Edward." I wasn't much in the mood for teasing.

"I'll be back on rounds, but I'll try to work you in." He sounded nonchalant, distant, and I suddenly became unsure if he was teasing me anymore. "Are you sure that's what you want?" he continued, sounding genuinely concerned.

I sighed into the phone, and then replied, "Edward, I wish you knew how much I always want that." There was a long pause that made my anxiety increase unbearably before he replied.

"Okay, baby. I really will try to find you, but if I get caught up with a patient, I'll call you. I promise. We'll see each other. I'll…figure something out."

"I'll take that," I replied, feeling an insecurity that shook me, but I trusted him. Still, I hoped I hadn't scared him away with all of my constant drama.

The text I received after we ended the call, however, made me smile.

Without you, Bella Swan, my life is like a moonless night. I miss you too. ~E

XXXX

"Well, young lady, it looks like you're healing quite nicely." Carlisle smiled as he scribbled his doctor notes on my chart. He was a breath of fresh air. He hadn't even greeted me like a doctor to a patient when he came into the tiny room where I was sitting on the exam table. During the moments I sat there waiting, I was agonizingly anxious. The crinkling of the paper underneath me with my every move only added to my anxiety. I hated going to the doctor. I especially hated going to a doctor who happened to be the father of the man my married ass was currently having a torrid affair with, sort of. Okay, yes, full-on affair, I guess. Adding yet again to my anxiety was the fact that I'd yet to see Edward and I was fearful that he'd decided I was no longer worth his sanity.

I'd even gotten to the damned hospital early for my appointment, hoping he'd be waiting for me discretely and we could at least spend a few moments together privately. I gave up looking around for him when I was almost late for my appointment. Nevertheless, I had to smile genuinely when the charismatic Doctor Carlisle came into the room and greeted me with a dazzling grin of his own and a sideways hug.

As he was checking my casted hand, wriggling my fingers, taking the pulse in my thumb and looking into the cast with a flashlight, there was a light knock on the door. A nurse, the beautiful Irina, peeked her head in. "Doctor Cullen, your son's here." She grinned and I felt the heat rise in my cheeks immediately.

"Does my son understand that I'm with a patient?" Carlisle asked while still checking my hand.

"Yes, but he came bearing gifts that you might not want to refuse." She giggled. "Coffee and bagels."

"Well, in that case, send him in. He's acquainted with Bella here anyway, and I'm sure he's wondering how you're doing." He winked at me.

I tried to remain calm, but my body, of course, chose not to comply and my face suddenly felt as if it had caught fire. He either didn't notice, or was kind enough to pretend he didn't notice and before I could fully prepare myself, Edward was in the room. When he saw me, his eyes sparkled as they raked subtly over my body, a small hint of a smile played at the corners of his mouth. Honestly, I was aroused and annoyed at the same time. Was it coincidence that he just happened to come in here at my exact appointment time? Given the fact that he knew what time I'd be here, I'd have to say no. Then, for him to come in here looking sexy as hell in his lab coat, knowing full well I could do nothing to satisfy my desire…if this was his idea of seeing me today, I was going to be royally pissed.

"What's going on here, Dad?" He looked at me and winked, flashing a devious crooked grin. Carlisle, paying the two of us no attention, took the brown paper bag and large, steaming paper cup from him. He sat them on the counter before proceeding to dig through the bag of bagels, thanking his son respectfully. Edward licked his lips and blew me a kiss. I smirked. Fucker. Carlisle then looked up and Edward's face completely changed to that of an innocent angelic child. I wanted to smack him…after I let him ravage me, of course.

"Well, I was just assessing how well the fair Bella is healing," Carlisle replied. Edward's eyes flashed and his brow furrowed minutely. I suddenly found myself wanting to jump off the table and hug him.

"Alright," Edward responded quietly but professionally, keeping the emotion I could see in his emerald eyes at bay. "Keep me posted. I've…got to run. Patients are waiting." He averted his gaze from me and spoke quickly. "Nice to see you again, Bella."

Before I had the chance to respond, he was gone and I felt like I'd been slapped in the face. I understood, though, that he couldn't just wrap his arms around me and profess his love for me in front of his father. I hated the situation with every cell in my being.

My mood brightened a little when Carlisle informed me that I should only need two more weeks with the cast. Then he would x-ray it again, but I should only need to wrap it tightly with an ace bandage after that for a while. He chuckled, telling me to inform my children that their artwork was as beautiful as their mother, which made me blush again, before he sent me on my merry way.

I scanned the halls as I left, but saw no sign of Edward. I felt defeated and disappointed when I reached the elevators, and I pressed the down button with a sigh. I stood back and averted my gaze to the ceiling, wondering why the predicament I found myself in had to be so fucking painful…and also wondering why Edward had decided against actually seeing me today. Maybe he really is busy. Maybe he had patients waiting like he said. You knew this could happen today. I tried to think reasonably, but I still felt the prickle of disappointed tears and tried to stifle them. I wanted to just fast forward through the holidays when, hopefully, my life would cease to be so complicated. I could be with Edward then, if he still wanted me. Please let him still want me.

I hate elevators. Why is it taking so long? Hurry up! Although I hadn't seen him and didn't know if he was working or not, I wanted the fucking elevator to hurry up before I ran into James. That would be the highlight of my damned morning. I really wanted it to hurry up before I let myself go and burst into tears right then and there. That would've been just perfect.

Suddenly, I felt something snake around my waist. A hand wrapped forcefully around my mouth, muffling my shocked squeal as I was dragged backward into an obscure hallway. My mind was racing as I tried to remember the self defense techniques my father had taught me in my younger years. I opened my mouth as much as I could and bit down, sinking my teeth into the flesh of the hand around my mouth.

"Ow, fuck!" the voice exclaimed, and without a doubt, I knew immediately who it was.

XXXX

Chapter End Notes: *A/N- Queue the "Psycho" music, bahaha! Oh, I can't wait to hear just who you guys think it is! Please enlighten me, as Kate would say. *smirk* Once again, I know my fabulous readers and I know you won't disappoint me by not telling me your theories! What did you think of the 'Leah' situation? What's up with Edward? How 'bout Nicci? (She was fun to write) Yes, there is a significance with her…she will show up later on as well. Oh, I can see your little wheels turning! Up next, you'll hear from Edward and find out just where his head is at. Until then…

Check out this fabulous story from a dear reader of mine, Dinx. It's called "Always Leads Back to You" and it's an under-reviewed treasure, so give her some love!

*DON'T FORGET, if you want to know what Bella witnessed and took pictures of at the school (and I know you're dying to know) then you MUST review! I might give reviewers a chance to punch Jacob in the face as well! *wink*