Since reaching out to touch me, Edward literally hadn't let go. As I finished the hot chocolate he gripped my left hand. As I climbed the stairs to Carlisle and Esme's apartment and weaved through cardboard boxes, which had increased in number since I'd last been up there, he rested his palm on the small of my back. And as I sat in the centre of their couch he sank down right beside me, so the sides of our bodies were pressed together.

Rosalie had followed us up and taken a place at my other side, though no-one, as far as I'd seen, had invited her. Carlisle sat opposite us, on the floor of his small living area, his face grave.

Esme was on her way, he'd stated softly. When she arrived, we would all talk.

All talk. His exact words. But I knew it was me who owed everyone else an explanation.

I heard her enter downstairs, her footsteps as she came up to join us, and finally saw her smile as she entered.

'Bella! I'm so glad to see you honey!'

I rose and returned her brief hug and offered her the space I'd occupied on her sofa.

'No, you sit there,' she said, scanning me up and down, just as Edward had a little earlier. 'You look dead on your feet.' She crossed one ankle over the other and lowered herself neatly down onto a large cushion, resting her head back against the wall. 'Right this minute, are you injured or in distress?'

I shook my head.

'I'm glad to hear that,' she said simply. 'We've been worried about you.'

'I know,' I said, low and shaky. 'I'm sorry.'

'Where did you go on your birthday Bella? Where have you been?'

'Esme-' Edward began.

I laid my hand on his knee. 'It's okay,' I said, before returning my attention to Esme. 'I ended up in Boise.'

Esme scrunched her face up, and I thought I'd spoken too quietly, until I realised she was displaying confusion. 'Boise, Idaho? Why did you go there?'

'It was where the bus terminated.'

Her face remained scrunched up. 'I'm sorry Bella, I don't understand. I'm going to need more words here.'

'She left Port Angeles in a hurry to escape a shitty situation,' Rosalie said suddenly. 'The destination didn't matter. Right Bella? No, Edward didn't tell me - I put two and two together.'

Carlisle and Esme's eyes were boring into me. 'Is Rosalie correct?' Carlisle asked.

'Kind of. My… the woman I lived with threw me out.'

'But why go so far, rather than moving to live elsewhere in Port Angeles?' Esme asked gently.

I'd had time to think about why I ran, on the more than eight hour long bus journey back here. Expressing it to a group of people, however kindly they were treating me, was another matter, and I swallowed painfully. 'I'd known for ages that she might throw me out, and made a plan. Even, like, persuaded myself that the plan was a great idea, and that I couldn't wait to get out of here. But when it eventually happened, it was a shock. I sort of went into autopilot and followed the shitty plan - hopped on the first bus to Seattle and then the next one heading out of state.'

Everyone's stark gazes moved to Edward. 'How much did you know, before she left?' Carlisle demanded.

'That she was at risk of being abruptly kicked out,' he admitted. 'And that she couldn't see any options between leaving town and continuing to live in that neglectful, sometimes abusive, environment.'

'There's no such thing as sometimes abusive,' Rosalie put in. 'If someone pees in a glass then the whole drink's ruined, even if the rest of the liquid is something really tasty. Same of a relationship, or a home, with abuse happening - even if it only happens a small percentage of the time, it's ruined everything.'

Edward thrust his hands into his hair. 'I knew that. Well, kind of. But I couldn't figure out how to find her someplace else to live without breaking her confidence.' He tilted his head down to meet my eye. 'I was scared that if I told someone, it would be the final straw, and you'd leave town, or never come back to me. But I should have told anyway, should have got you help.'

'You've told us now, between you,' Esme said. 'And we're certainly able to help, Bella. First things first - Edward mentioned abuse. You don't need to share any details, but broadly, was that from this woman you lived with?'

I groped for the words that Edward had used to describe my upbringing after witnessing Renee's behaviour. 'Emotional abuse from her, yes,' I said. My voice sounded stiff. 'There was some... physical stuff - physical abuse - from... from a few different men.' The muscles in Edward's legs tensed. He only knew about one of those incidences - the scar I'd revealed to him, on my scalp. I shifted slightly. 'You know the worst one,' I breathed. 'Don't worry... no other lasting injuries.'

His eyes were damp with tears. He didn't even dash them away, just brought an arm around my shoulders. 'You're never going back there,' he said. It sounded like a vow. 'And we're getting legal advice, on how to report all this.'

My pulse sped up fearfully, but I didn't object. Reporting Renee and the wannabe pimps and low level drug dealers, who'd hurt me while enabling her, was something else I'd thought long and hard about on the way back.

'What I'm gathering,' Carlisle said slowly, 'is that you need somewhere else in Port Angeles to live. Somewhere safe, and secure.'

'That's right,' I said.

'It can't be with me, unfortunately,' Edward said. 'For obvious reasons.'

From the sympathetic looks on all three faces, I gathered that he'd explained the situation with his mom over the past week.

'I have a more suitable suggestion anyway,' Esme said briskly. 'Carlisle and I have bought a house, and Rosalie's taking over this apartment. She's been looking for a roommate Bella, and you'd be perfect.'

'The rent's low,' Carlisle added. 'You can easily afford it if you take pity on me and work some more shifts downstairs - though don't feel you have to. There are other places hiring.'

I felt dazed almost to the point of breathlessness.

'He means you taking over Ben's shifts,' Rosalie said. 'Did you know he's on again-off again with Angela? Well anyway, they're very much on-again, to the point that he's followed her to the coffee-chain-that-shall-not-be-named-in-this-property.'

'There's a reason I've offered you such cheap rent, Rosalie,' Carlisle said approvingly.

'Yeah, only one bathroom,' Rosalie quipped back drily, 'and the only exit going via the coffeehouse.'

Carlisle chuckled but I didn't even spare him a glance, I was so intent on studying Rosalie.

'You wouldn't mind?' I asked her.

'You as a roommate? Hell no, it'll be great. Is that a yes, by the way?'

I bit my lip, still reeling. Could this be so simple? More shifts at the job I enjoy, and living in this cute apartment with formidable but kind Rosalie Hale? It was so unexpectedly wonderful that I half feared I was being punked. So I turned to Edward. 'When did you know that all this was an option?'

'When you did. Right now.' He raised an eyebrow at the other occupants of the room.

'We agreed to keep our arrangement with Rosalie quiet,' Esme said.

'Because Emmett's lease is nearly up. He'd have decided to move in.' Rosalie pulled a face. 'It is way too soon for that level of commitment. Much better for me and Bella to live here together and just have our boyfriends visit.'

Boyfriends.

I glanced up at Edward. That was another conversation for a different time, but from his smile, he liked the sound of it too.

'Come on Bella,' Rosalie urged. 'Say you'll sign the lease with me.'

'And take on some extra shifts,' Carlisle said quickly.

'I think,' I croaked eventually. 'I think I'd like that.'