Not betad. Sorry for any mistakes.

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Prompt: healthy

Alice still looks frightened, but she doesn't move. "I just… I wanted to apologize." She take a step toward me and I lean back slightly, into Edward. His presence gives me the strength I need to hold my ground when everything in me wants to run.

"You want to apologize for fucking my husband?"

She swallows thickly and nods. "It was wrong. We never meant for it to happen. It was a terrible mistake."

"Don't. Don't you talk about you and my husband as a 'we', like you were some sort of couple. I don't want to hear this." Edward's hand tightens on my shoulder and I think maybe it's the only thing holding me up.

"I never wanted to be that woman," she continues as if she didn't hear me at all. "I feel awful ab–"

"So that's what this is about," I interrupt. "You want absolution? You've come to the wrong place. I couldn't care for my dying husband properly because all I could think about was him fucking you. So you'll pardon me if I don't have any forgiveness in my heart. See a priest if that's what you're looking for."

I turn and start walking away with Edward's arm around my shoulder.

"Wait, Bella," she calls.

Before I can respond, Edward turns. I keep my back to her and rest my head on his chest, his arm securely around me. "Look, I don't know who you are, but I've heard just about enough out of you. She's made it clear she doesn't want to speak to you anymore. Back off."

He turns and holds my hand as we walk in silence to the car. He places me in the passenger seat and everything that's just happened catches up with me. I'm gasping for breath and I start to cry. Edward gets behind the wheel and starts the engine. I can feel him looking at me but all I can do is lower my head to my lap and put my arms over my head. I don't want to deal with this. It's not fair. I'm trying to move on with my life and be healthy but I can't seem to escape my past.

The car starts to move and Edward leaves me to my grief. Seeing that woman again has dredged up every bad feeling I've ever had about my marriage. I can't seem to focus on one as I vacillate between sadness and anger, hopelessness and fear, and a million other feelings I can't bother to identify.

I don't know how long we drive but the car eventually stops. I can't find the will to lift my head. That would mean facing Edward and the embarrassment of being a woman who couldn't keep her husband happy. Someone who was cheated on and not worthy of faithfulness. He'll surely not want me now.

"Bella?" he asks softly.

I sniff and lift my head, not wanting to look at him but also knowing I have no choice. He's opened my door and is kneeling next to me, his hand on my back.

"We're home," he says.

I nod and try to slow my breathing, but it's useless. I'm shaking and crying and I'm not sure I can even get out of the car. I must look like such a pathetic mess.

Thinking about Edward pitying me and not wanting to be with me anymore just makes me cry harder, which must make me look even more pathetic. I almost laugh at the absurdity of it all. Almost.

I feel Edward rummaging around in the car and next thing I know I'm being lifted from the car and placed on my feet. He holds me to him as he walks me to my front door.

Edward unlocks the door while still holding me, and he half-carries me straight up to my room. If I could stop crying long enough, I would probably feel like a small child, having to be led around like this.

He places me gently on the edge of the bed and I sit there with my head down, at a loss for what to do.

Edward kneels in front of me and takes my hand. "What can I get for you?" he asks.

I shake my head and grip his hand tightly. I don't want this to be the end, but it will be and then I'll never see him again. He'll never kiss me again or hold me while I sleep and maybe it's for the best. He would probably break my heart eventually anyway when he found someone better and prettier than me. He should he leave us now before Maeve and I are really attached to him and Seth.

"Do you want to talk about what happened?" he asks.

I shake my head again and take some deep breaths to try to gain some semblance of control. I finally look at him and what I see makes me cry again. He looks so sad.

I'm sure it's because he thought I was someone else, someone strong and worth fighting for. He's wasted his time on the likes of me. Now his dreams are crushed too.

"I'll make tea," he says, rising to his feet. I nod and he leaves the room.

I put on my pajamas, not sure if I should go downstairs or wait for Edward here. Part of me doesn't want to face him so I sit on the bed and bide my time. I'm sure he'll tell me that whatever we had, or were going to have, is over, and I'm not in a rush to hear those words.

Edward comes up a few minutes later with two cups. He hands me one and sits on the bed next to me. I sip my tea and wait for him to tell me he doesn't want to wait for me anymore.

"Ready to talk yet?" he asks.

"No," I whisper, shaking my head.

He nods and we continue to sip our tea in silence. Normally I'm comfortable around Edward no matter what we're doing, but now I'm completely unnerved. It's such a change from earlier in the evening, which seems like a lifetime ago.

After I finish my tea, Edward takes my mug and his and places them on the bedside table.

"You ready for bed?" he asks.

I nod and slip under the covers, then watch in some fascination as Edward starts taking his clothes off.

"What are you doing?" I blurt out.

"You didn't honestly think I was leaving you alone tonight, did you?"

I sit there blinking, not wanting to admit that's exactly what I thought. But I can tell from the disappointed and sad look on his face he can see the truth.

He strips down to his boxers and gets into bed next to me. He opens his arms and I practically jump over to him, burying my head in his chest. I'm crying again, but I'm sure this time it's from relief.

"I'm worried about you," Edward says, kissing my head and running a soothing hand up and down my back. "Please tell me how to help you."

"This is enough," I say. "It's everything."

I know I'll have to face this in the morning, but for now I drift off to sleep in Edward's arms, pretending I'm normal and I can have this every night.

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