AN: can I interest you in Protective Esme and Carlisle?

Esme's POV

I shook my head and took a breath, willing myself to stay present. The flashback only took a few seconds, long enough for Mark and Sydney to come up to the door, but with danger here, I couldn't afford to lose any time.

Sarah watched them enter with tense shoulders and hands balled into fists. Her face was curiously blank of any of the emotion I saw seconds before. I moved closer to her and touched her elbow, reminding her that she wasn't alone.

Mark was taller and leaner than Charles, but the eyes were the same. He smiled but there was no warmth in it. "Sarah."

"Mark."

"We have a lot to talk about," he said.

"We do," Sarah agreed. Her eyes were on her terrified daughter. "But let Sydney go to her room. Not in front of her, like we agreed."

Mark's mouth thinned, but he nodded. He let go of Sydney's hand and gave her a gentle push forward. "Go on, Syd. I'll see you after."

My mouth went dry, thinking of how he hurt her.

"Mom?" Sydney whispered, reaching for Sarah's hand.

"Everything's fine, peanut. Just go to your room," Sarah told her. She made a valiant effort to smile reassuringly. Sydney glanced at me and I nodded. This was best. Get her out of harm's way.

Once Sydney closed her bedroom door behind her, Sarah turned to me. "Esme, you should go."

I knew she was trying to protect me too, but if I left, who would protect her? What kind of friend would I be? "No, I'm not leaving."

"This is a private family matter," Mark said. "I'm sure you understand."

I understood he wanted no witnesses. "I'm not leaving!" I snapped.

Mark clenched his jaw, eyes flashing with irritation, but he said, "Fine."

"You wanted to talk. So talk," Sarah said in a flat voice.

After a withering glance in my direction, Mark said to Sarah, "You put me through hell these last few months."

"I'm sure I did," Sarah said, faintly sarcastic.

"You're not even sorry? I came home to find you and Sydney gone with no warning and no way to find you. Do you have any idea how terrifying that is?"

It was a stark difference between him and my ex-husband. Charles was all blunt insults, not wasting time with mind games. Mark was silver-tongued, able to twist the truth to suit his own needs and that made him more dangerous.

For her part, Sarah didn't back down. "I did what I had to do."

"You didn't think you should try work it out before leaving me?"

Sarah shook her head. "I've tried for years. You are the one that wouldn't put in the work."

Mark spread his hands. "I'm here now." His face became suddenly pleading. "We can work it out. I don't want to lose you."

How strange that there was still an intimacy behind what they said to each other. I may have been able to empathize with Sarah but I still didn't fully know their relationship, only getting pieces of the years they've spent together. I hadn't had that with Charles, but then I hadn't really loved him to begin with.

Sarah loved Mark and he probably loved her too. She closed her eyes, as if to protect herself from being drawn back in. "That's not possible."

It's said that love covers a multitude of sins but maybe it shouldn't have to. Maybe love did have some boundaries.

"Why?" Mark asked, taking on a hurt and confused tone.

Sarah's eyes snapped open. "You know why. You know what you did." Her voice broke and I squeezed her arm. I knew exactly what she was referring to. There was no "working things out" after that.

Mark blinked and a muscle worked in his jaw. "Okay, you don't want to save our marriage. What about Sydney? You've taken her from everything she knows. I don't think that's fair to her."

I head Sydney's door crack open and I glanced back to see her peeking out. "Stay there," I mouthed at her.

"I couldn't leave her with you." Sarah's voice became hard. "You lied to me."

"About what?" Mark scoffed.

"You're the reason why she broke her arm two years ago. She didn't trip, you pushed her."

Mark let out a disbelieving laugh. "Are you crazy?" He looked at me. "Is this the type of stuff she's been telling you?" He turned back to Sarah, eyes narrowing. "And why is she in a cast now?"

"Don't you dare turn this back on me, you fucking bastard!"

That was when any restraint Mark had disappeared.

Everything seemed to slow down as he stepped forward, mouth twisted in a snarl. Sarah flinched back, automatically raising her arms to fend off whatever was coming. Panic seized me, shocking in its intensity, and I froze. For a split second, all I could see was Charles and I wanted to run.

But then a different memory came to mind. It was from my newborn vampire days when Carlisle got me to test out my new strength on boulders and fallen trees, even on himself. It had taken a lot of coaxing but eventually I shoved him, more out of frustration than anything else because I hadn't understood why he was making me do this.

"You're not powerless anymore," he'd said, looking up at me from where he was sprawled on the ground, golden eyes intense.

You're not powerless.

With Carlisle's voice echoing in my head, I stepped between Mark and Sarah, grabbing his wrist and pushing him back several feet.

I barely restrained a growl in my throat. His scent was all around me and I couldn't help but notice where his carotid pulsed in his neck.

No. I couldn't think about that.

There was such incredulity in Mark's eyes – and an undercurrent of fear – that I could practically read his mind. How could a woman smaller than him be that strong? He pulled against my stone grip but he couldn't break it. "Let go," he said in a low voice.

I remembered how many times I said that to Charles, for all the good it did me, and I was surprised to feel immense satisfaction that the roles were now reversed. "Don't touch her," I warned.

"Let go!" he yelled. At the same time, I heard a car door slam outside and footsteps rush up to the door.

Carlisle knocked and came inside and relief washed through me. I don't know how my husband knew to come here but I was immensely grateful for his impeccable timing.

Carlisle's eyes darkened when he saw me still holding back Mark. "Is everything okay here?" he asked in a calm voice that belied his fury.

I released Mark and he stopped himself from cradling his wrist. I didn't hear a bone crack so he'd probably be fine. "Who the fuck are you?" he demanded, recognition in his voice. I wondered where they crossed paths.

"I'm Dr. Carlisle Cullen. I work with Sarah at the hospital and Esme is my wife."

"I'm – "

"I know who you are." Carlisle's voice was the deadliest I've heard it. "I know what you've done and you're not welcome here."

Mark shook his head and let out another disbelieving laugh. He turned back to Sarah, who had her hands over her mouth and was visibly shaking. "You finally have the perfect audience to believe your bullshit, don't you?" he sneered. Sarah paled.

"You need to leave. Now," Carlisle said, slightly raising his voice. He pointed out of the open doorway.

"Fine." Mark paused in the door, smiling without humor. "I still know where to find you, Sarah."

While Carlisle watched him get in his car and drive away, Sarah bolted for the bathroom. I heard her be sick into the toilet and I made to follow her but stopped when I saw Sydney. She stood frozen outside her door, wide eyes going between me and the bathroom.

I tried a smile, though it felt brittle. "It's okay, Sydney. He's gone." I reached my hand out to her and she immediately went into my arms. I held her close and listened to Sarah stifle a sob in the bathroom.

I didn't know how to comfort them both at the same time.

As if he sensed my dilemma, Carlisle said, "Hey, Sydney, why don't you come sit with me while Esme checks on your mom?" He smiled and it was more genuine than the one I could manage. Any trace of the anger when Mark was here had vanished.

Sydney peeked up at me, surprisingly dry-eyed, and then at Carlisle, hesitant. "Go on, sweetheart," I coaxed. She reluctantly let go of me and went to Carlisle.

I took a steadying breath and knocked before entering the bathroom. Sarah sat on the floor, leaning against the bathtub with her head in her hands. "Hey," I murmured, sitting next to her and putting an arm around her shoulders.

Sarah sniffed and lifted her head. "This is my fault. I'm so stupid."

"What do you mean?"

"You said not to call him." I remembered that night and shock curled in my stomach. Sarah stared at the tile, not meeting my eyes, and tears poured down her cheeks. "It was a mistake. I was still so angry and I kept staring at his number and I pressed the wrong button."

It took me a moment before I could find the right thing to say. All could think was what I had told her – that calling him would lead exactly to this. I knew it was horribly unfair, I just wished she'd listened to me. But perhaps I was naïve to think that me taking her phone for that one evening would be the end of the issue. "Sarah, don't," I said finally, squeezing her shoulder. "Blaming yourself isn't going to help."

Sarah shook her head. "There isn't anyone else to blame. Now that he knows where to find us, he's not going to give up."

"Listen to me," I said, hoping to snap her out of whatever spiraling thoughts were in her head. "Carlisle and I are your family now. You aren't in this alone. You and Sydney are going to stay with us tonight and then we'll deal with the rest in the morning."

"I don't deserve that."

I pulled her closer to me and let her cry into shoulder. "Shh. Of course you do."

When we emerged, we found Sydney curled into Carlisle's side and drinking a juice box he must have gotten her. He had a faintly bemused expression like he couldn't believe Sydney would want to cuddle up to him.

"Mommy?" Sydney said in a small voice.

Sarah went to her and Sydney threw herself into her mother's arms. It was then that Sydney finally started to cry. While Sarah comforted her and told her the plan of staying at our house, Carlisle came up to me. I could see in his eyes he wanted to talk to me, make sure that I was okay, but that would have to wait until later. For now, he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and kissed my head.

As Sarah and Sydney packed for an overnight stay, Carlisle said, "I texted Emmett. He, Rose, and Jasper are going to make sure that Mark isn't hanging around." At my skeptical eyebrow raise, he added, "Don't worry. I told them not to engage. They're merely keeping watch."

I nodded. "Okay. Good thinking." I didn't want to keep worrying about Mark tonight.

"We're ready," Sarah said. She and Sydney reappeared hand in hand with bags over their shoulders. I recognized the resignation on both of their faces and it hurt to think they were fleeing home a second time. Like I had to do.

But it hopefully wouldn't be permanent. They would return. This time would be different. "Let's go," I said.

AN: After this point, the story does get quite a bit angstier. I just want to bring your attention back to the fact that this fic will deal with suicide. Though I do not plan for it to be graphic, if that's something you can't read, no hard feelings. Take care of yourself. Thank you for reading and reviewing this far!