For six months after the trial, life had become a living hell. There was no other way to describe it. Edward was fighting with whomever was willing to give him the time of day, and nothing seemed to make him happy. This meant that in return, I wasn't happy. Since I was starting to remember things from my past, Edward was acting like he did when we first came to Forks. It made life so hard for me. Nothing was ever enough. I didn't clean anything right, I wasn't a good enough mother, and Edward made it a known fact that I sucked as a wife. If it weren't for Jasper and Alice, I would have lost my mind. Things were even becoming hard with Ava. She was crawling and starting to climb onto everything. She was nine months old and very active. I was grateful that she was the apple of Edward's eye. I didn't know what I would do if he ever snapped at her. I knew he would one day, but I hoped for the best outcome when it happened. She was so little and still learning, and it would break me to hear him yell at her.

Edward was back to spanking me. He was grasping at his own reality, so he was sticking to anything that was normal to him. Esme wasn't helping matters any, either. She was desperately trying to keep things the way they were when Carlisle was around. She always threw her two cents in when Edward and I were getting along, throwing a wrench into the mix. One time Edward and I were messing around playing keep away — you know, just having fun — and she clicked her stupid tongue at us.

"This is not how a married couple should act," she said scolding us.

"Watch your tone with me," Edward said, snapping right back at her. "This house and my family is not your concern."

"Here's your shirt," I said, handing him it. He couldn't find it earlier even though it was right where I told him it was. When I found it, I couldn't help messing with him about it.

"Don't look like you are going to cry. Neither of us were doing anything wrong," he said, putting his shirt on.

"You know better than to act like a child," Esme said to Edward. "I think you need to speak with your father the next time he calls. He will not be pleased to hear that you have been behaving this way." She was being so pushy and I knew Edward was going to flip on her if she didn't stop.

"Quit talking right now!" Edward warned her.

I sighed and rubbed my husband's back soothingly, knowing that he was getting worked up, which is exactly what Esme wanted. She always made sure she brought out the Carlisle side in Edward every time she was around. For me, it was making everything more unbearable.

"Fine, I need to go to the store tomorrow. Is that okay?" she asked him.

"It's fine," he said through a clenched jaw. "You don't have to ask me." I knew he was barely able to keep up with what he needed to do at home. Having to worry about Esme was driving him even crazier.

"I see," she said, collecting her things. "I'm going to go."

"You do that," Edward said before walking away. Once he was out of sight, Esme turned to me.

"You know your place and you better keep it. I will not lose my son over this, as well. I wish Edward had never met you, because then I would still have my family," she said before leaving. I had never heard her be so mean before, but that seemed to be the way she was now.

Her words stuck with me for weeks, and a part of me yearned her approval. Edward noticed the change in me, because he asked me numerous times what was wrong. I always told him it was nothing, but I knew he still worried. Losing myself in my housework seemed to be the only thing to keep me grounded. I kept myself on a strict schedule because that worked for me. I made sure the house was cleaned and our daughter was taken care of. After almost a month, Edward sat me down to talk.

"Ava's down for the night and I want you to tell me what's wrong. I'm thinking the worst here," he said as I brought my knees to my chest.

"I'm just trying to keep us together. You've been better since I went back to the old schedule," I told him as he nodded.

"You barely leave the house, and I've noticed that you haven't spoken to Alice in a week," he commented.

"I just want to us to be okay before I go worrying about other things," I said truthfully.

"The last few weeks have been better. I'm not as stressed, but…I want you happy, too," he said as I nodded.

"As long as you and our daughter are happy, I'm happy," I said as he rolled his eyes.

"You and Alice are going to go shopping. I want you to have some time to yourself. You've definitely earned it," he said as I smiled.

I inched closer to him and pressed my lips to his gently, almost hesitantly, since I wasn't sure how he would react. We hadn't been intimate in a while due to all the stress around here, but I knew that both of us needed each other right now. He kissed me back and pulled me over onto his lap, needing to feel me physically just as much as I needed to feel him. The way his hands felt on my face and neck told me that we were going to be okay. I pressed myself even closer to his chest as our tongues tangled together. His arms wrapped around me like a vice, holding onto me so tightly, it was like he was never going to let me go.

His hands fisted my clothes and I kissed, licked, and nibbled his neck as he pressed his hard cock into me. When we broke apart, I leaned back to unbutton his jeans while he pulled the straps of my bra and dress down my arms, freeing my breasts for him. As soon as I had him free of his jeans, he reached under my dress and pulled my panties to the side, and we worked together to get him inside of me. I was soon filled with him as he pressed his forehead to mine. I moved slowly, wanting our connection to last. I needed him so badly. I loved how his hands melded to my head as he cocked it to the side so he could gain full access to my mouth. I whimpered as he sucked on my bottom lip. He kissed me all over my jaw and neck as my movements quickened. He was driving me crazy, but in a very good way. He pulled me away from his body so he could suck on each of my nipples as my orgasm ripped through me. I moaned loudly as he took over by thrusting in and out of me. Being physical was what we needed to reconnect. We needed the connection to reassure one another that we were still very much in love. We needed to know that one thing hadn't changed. After he filled me with his seed, we stayed joined for as long as we could.

Things got better after that night. We seemed to be talking more, and it really seemed to be helping. He was offered his job back on the force, but he declined. He said he didn't want to be a cop anymore. He said it wouldn't feel right going back, and I understood his reasoning. He was now working for the carpenters union and loving his job. He was making new friends and more money. I would have never known that if he didn't tell me. He never talked about our finances with me before, but he was starting to now. I knew him talking to me was probably how he would have talked with his father. He would tell me his thoughts, and I would agree or disagree. We would talk about what he wanted and what he thought was the best. In the end, we would come up the best solution for us as a family. We were changing little by little, and if things changed too much, he would end up taking a few steps back. I knew things may never change fully, but as long as we were where he wanted us to be, I was fine with that.

The worst freak out from Edward came when I got too comfortable with being able to do what I wanted. I had gone out shopping with Alice one day, and told her that I wanted to make a nice dinner for Edward and me. She said that she would watch Ava and then bring her home later on that night. I was excited, and we went and shopped for everything I would need. I didn't want to give my surprise away, so I just told Edward I was going out. I didn't think twice about it because things had been going so well. Our romantic dinner didn't happen; we fought the whole time instead.

"Where the fuck have you been?!" Edward yelled as soon as I walked through the door.

"I told you I was going out," I said as I brought the bags to the kitchen. It threw me for a loop when Edward grabbed a hold of me, pushing me into the wall. With a slam of his hand against the wall behind me, he made his point known. I hadn't seen him so angry in a while.

"Where is my daughter?" he asked harshly.

"With Alice…"

"Why?"

"I wanted alone time with you. I thought we could both use it," I said quickly.

"You thought?! Why would I want alone time with you?" he asked harshly, making me shrink back.

"What happened today?" I asked, trying to hold back my tears.

"You think you're a good mother? You think you're a good wife? Hate to tell you, Babe, but you suck. You do nothing right!" he snapped as tears spilled over onto my cheeks.

"Why are you being so mean?" I whispered.

"Because you piss me off," he said, grabbing my wrist and pulling me behind him. We ended up in the bedroom and my heart was racing. I didn't know what happened during the day, but I knew it was bad.

"You need to stop. You're scaring me," I said as I yanked my wrist away from him. "What happened today?" He lunged at me and I tried to get away, but he was quicker. He wrapped his arms around me, locking my arms at my side.

"Sometimes I really hate my life and everyone in it," he said into my ear. "Sometimes I don't think you understand how much I hurt." I started to fight him when he went for the closet.

"Edward, you promised!" I cried as I wiggled in his arms.

"I should have never promised you anything. Promises are for the weak," he said as he locked one arm around me and then opened the door with his other hand. "I will not be weak!"

"Please, please, please don't do this. I'll be good. I'll do anything you want me to do," I sobbed as he shoved me inside, shutting the door behind me. It only took me a matter of minutes to pass out from hyperventilating.

I woke up in my bed alone. I looked at the clock to see that I had been out for well over an hour. I sat up and blinked when I saw that the door was off the closet. I was so confused. I carefully climbed out of bed and quietly walked through the house. He wasn't in the office, and I couldn't hear any noise in the house. I found Edward in the living room with a half empty bottle of Jack Daniels.

"Edward?" I said in a whisper.

"Don't speak to me right now. Go do something to keep yourself busy," he said to me. He didn't say it in a mean tone, but he almost sounded as if he didn't care.

"Do you need anything?"

"Quiet," was his answer.

"Do you want Ava to stay with Alice?" I asked.

"She already is," he said. "I said to leave me alone." And that was exactly what I did.

I went to the kitchen to keep myself busy. With the way he was drinking, I knew he needed to eat. I made a small pot of beef stew, and when it was done, Edward found his way into the kitchen. I took out the Grands busquits I had made and waited for him to talk.

"You are to tell me your every move from now on. I tried to just go with the flow, but I hate it. I don't care if you are just going to the gas station, I better know," he said as I nodded.

"I understand," I said, looking down at my feet. I couldn't look him in the face. I knew he was drunk and that scared me. Then with him putting me in the closet…I just couldn't do it.

"Are you scared of me now?" he asked as I felt him move closer to me.

"Do you want me to be?"

"Right now I don't care either way," he said as he placed his hand on my face. It took everything inside of me, but I was able to keep myself from flinching.

"I'm sorry for today," I said to our feet. "It won't happen again."

"No, it won't," he said as his grip grew tighter on my jaw. "Look at me." I slowly lifted my head to look at him. I could tell that he was hurting, but I knew there was no talking to him right now. I needed to wait until he came to me, and I was sure he would eventually.

"I'll try harder to be good," I said as my eyes filled with tears.

"I have to be in control. I can't let that go," he admitted.

I nodded, already having figured that out for myself. "I understand."

"You can never leave me. I can't let you."

"I won't leave," I promised.

"I haven't spanked you in a while, have I?" he asked as I swallowed thickly.

"No," I whispered. He hadn't, either.

"I think you need one so you can remember who is in charge," he said. Like I could ever forget.

He spun me around and I grasped the counter. He undid my pants and had them down before I could comprehend anything. The spanking was so weird. He would hit me hard and then squeeze, rubbing the sting out before he would hit me again. He spanked me like that for a while. It was the longest spanking I had ever received. When he was done, he held me where I was. Next thing I knew, he had his cock buried deep inside of me. He slammed himself into me over and over. His hand went to my throat as he pulled my body flush with his.

"You will never leave me no matter what I do because I need you. You are the only person that loves me or cares for me," he said into my ear.

"Okay," I moaned as he pulled back just to plunge into me again.

"Say you love me. That you need me," he almost begged.

"I love you so much. I need you so badly and I can't live without you. I will love you no matter what," I cried and he slammed into me three more times. He let go of my throat and leaned on my back, pinning me to the counter.

"I love you, too," he said. He continued to fuck me, but it was less harsh than when he had started. When he finished, he pulled out of me, and as he was stuffing himself back into his pants, I pulled mine up.

"Are you hungry?" I asked softly.

"No, I want sleep," he said, staggering out of the kitchen. I heard him stomp up the stairs and I let him be. I knew something happened to set him off like that, the only problem was that I didn't know what. And without knowing, there was no way to try to stop it from happening again. That meant I was going to have to walk on egg shells around him once more.

The next morning, I woke up to him sleeping on my back. When I looked at the clock and saw that it was after eight, I knew I needed to get up and check on Ava. I did my best to get out of bed without waking Edward up, but I failed.

"What are you doing?" he asked with his voice thick with sleep.

"I'm going to use the bathroom then call and check on Ava," I said as he nodded.

After I was done with the bathroom, I gave Edward some pain relievers and water; I knew he had to have a headache. I then stepped out of the room and called Alice. She tried to play twenty questions with me, but when I told her I didn't know what was going on, she let it go. She asked if Jasper needed to come over, but I told her no. I didn't think there was anything Jasper could do. When I went back into the bedroom, Edward was on his back with his arm over his eyes, so I went to the dresser to find some clothes to throw on. I thought Edward had gone back to sleep, but I was wrong.

"Come sit down. I want to talk to you," he said before I could leave the room. "Where were you headed just now?"

"I was just going to clean and make breakfast," I said, looking at my hands.

"I'm sorry for putting you in the closet last night. It won't happen again," he said as I stared at my hands. I really couldn't take his word for it anymore. "Hey," he said softly, lifting my chin up. "I mean it, Baby. I was fucked in the head last night and it won't happen again."

"I understand," I said as he sighed. I knew I had to tell him what he wanted to hear.

"I ruined everything last night," he said as I sat there. "We were doing so well with talking to each other, and now you won't even look at me."

"I don't know what you want me to say," I said, kind of looking at him.

"What are you thinking?" he asked, rubbing his thumb across my knuckles.

"I think something happened yesterday," I said quietly.

"Yeah, my dad is bringing me down with him," he told me. "My mom told him I had gotten soft and that I was letting you do whatever you wanted. God, I just didn't know what to do and I took it out on you. An FBI agent showed up at the job site yesterday. Every time I think we are going to be okay, something happens…I want to give up."

"Don't give up, please," I said softly. "What did the agent say? If you don't mind me asking," I said quickly.

"I don't mind," he sighed, "You are the only person I have to talk to. I'm going to have to go see my mother today, as well. I have to do something to help her. I know I have to have some control over her. It's the life she is used to. I think I need to put her on a set schedule or something," he said as I nodded. I knew the whole thing with his mom was bothering him.

"I understand that, and I don't mind if that is how things have to be here. I'm not going anywhere," I said as he nodded. "I won't forget my place again."

"This is where I'm torn. I want you to be able to go to the store and not have me freak out, but I feel this anxiety every time. I don't think I can let go of the control."

"I understand and I'm fine with it," I told him honestly. "So what did the agent have to say?"

"My father told him the truth about everything. He told them that I raped you and forced you to be with me. The agent said nothing was going to come of it because everything has already been laid to rest. I'm scared that I'm going to lose you, and I need to make sure that doesn't happen. I can't lose my family," he told me as I nodded.

"You never raped me or forced me to be with you, so please stop talking about it," I said with a sigh.

"Don't tell me what to do."

"Sorry, I wasn't meaning to," I said, looking back at my hands.

"Some things are going to change, but some aren't, and that is the way it has to be," he said as I nodded. I understood what he was saying. I took it as my cue to leave the room when he let go of my hand and rolled to his side. I knew there was nothing I could say or do to make anything better.

~~~~AOMM~~~~

Edward said everything was going to be okay. He told me he had a plan, but I wasn't seeing much of anything happening. I tried to question him, but that ended in a spanking. Just when I thought I was his go-to person to talk to, he would tell me to mind my business. I hated when he wouldn't talk to me. I liked being the person he went to; it made me feel like his equal — that my opinion mattered. I knew things took time to change, but I needed to see something! Esme, I was sure, was going crazy. She was very unstable and I didn't want her around Ava. Edward told me to keep my thoughts to myself. I needed him to see what I had seen. Esme had raised her voice at Ava several times, and I have even caught her slapping Ava's hands. I was her mother; I was the one that should have been disciplining her. When I told Edward, he said I was trying to cause problems. Then with Esme's comments to me, I was falling apart. I needed my husband on my side and he wasn't there.

Edward left the house, telling me to stay put. He said he had some things to take care of. I was grateful for the time alone. I put Ava down for a nap, and went about cleaning the house. When she woke up from her nap, I fed her lunch and then we played. I was shocked when I heard someone knocking. I quickly went to the door, only to find Esme on the other side. I was surprised she didn't use her key.

"Edward's not here," I said to her, keeping the door half closed. I really didn't want her in the house.

"I'm here to see you," she said as the old lady pushed me out of the way.

"I have nothing to say to you," I told her as she shut the door.

"Well, I have plenty to say to you," she snapped as she stalked towards me. "You have done nothing but cause problems for my family. I have lost my husband, my son thinks I'm going crazy and won't even allow me to come over here whenever I want, and it's all because of you!" she said as she pushed me.

"You are going crazy," I said, making her backhand me in the face. I stumbled backward and hit my back on the railing of the stairs. "Why would you do that?!" I yelled as I pushed her away from me.

"I hate you, and I want my husband to be proud of me!" she screamed in my face. She grabbed me by the hair and pulled me down the hall. The woman was strong, and the more I fought her, the more I was fueling her fire. I flung my elbows and fists, but even that didn't stop her. I knew I had gotten in a few good hits, though. I had no idea what had gotten into her. My heart started to race when I saw that she was opening the door to the bathroom under the stairs. I slapped and punched at her, but it didn't stop her crazy ass.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" I yelled as her fist connected with my stomach, knocking all the wind out of me. Using my moment of stillness to her advantage, Esme slammed the door shut behind her, leaving me in the tiny room alone. I gasped for air as I tried to get to the door. When I caught my breath, I tried and tried to get the door open, but it wouldn't budge. I screamed and kicked at it, but I couldn't get it open.

"ESME!" I yelled as loud as I could.

There was no answer, and there was nothing I could do physically to open the door. I yelled for help and for Edward, even though I knew no one was coming to help me. My stomach turned when I heard Ava crying. Her crying was getting louder and louder. I started slamming my body into the door until I was in pain. I didn't care if I broke every bone in my body; I was getting to my baby one way or the other. With the bathroom being so small, I leaned against the sink for leverage, and using my legs, I kicked at the door. With every kick, I could feel it giving way, but it still wasn't opening. I could still hear Ava crying and I swore I was going to kill Esme if I got my hands on her. After what felt like hours, the bathroom door opened and Edward was there looking flustered with a crying Ava in his arms.

"Give her to me," I begged.

I was happy that he didn't fight me. I let my tears fall as I held her to my chest and sat on the floor of the bathroom. I rocked her back and forth and said I was sorry a thousand times. I waited for her to calm down and fall asleep before I relaxed my muscles. The more I relaxed them, the more I felt the pain sink in. I don't know how long I sat on the floor, but I knew if I sat too much longer, I wasn't going to be able to move. With my sleeping baby still in my arms, I carefully got up, ignoring the pain that shot through my body. I walked to the stairs and headed for my room. I know Edward tried to talk with me, but I had no energy to explain things to him right away. I just wanted to sleep with my baby safe in my arms.

EPOV

I was pretty sure I had everything in place that was needed to take care of my family and my mother. If I talked with my father, I told him what he wanted to hear. Aro said he wasn't getting out of prison any time soon. He took a plea bargain of twenty-five years with the chance of parole. He had given me power of attorney over his money and house, but I going to signing everything over to my mother. I didn't plan on being around for much longer. I needed to get my family and me away from the whole situation. Things had been so stressful with Bella and my mother. Bella thought I wasn't on her side, but there was nothing I could do until I was named power of attorney. Now that everything was said and done, I started to put distance between my mother and my girls. I took Esme's key to my house and told her she wasn't allowed to come by anymore whenever she felt like. The things Bella was telling me were hard to believe. My mother was going through a hard time, and I just couldn't fathom her saying such hateful things to my wife. I thought Bella was exaggerating.

I went to my mom's house because I wanted to see if my dad had saved any of the footage that was being recorded. That, and I wanted to pin point where the cameras were so I could take them down. As I sat at his desk, I was shocked at how easy it was to find what I was looking for. I was sad to see my mother getting into Bella's face every time my back was turned or when I wasn't there. I was even a little ashamed of the way I treated my wife. Doing it and seeing it were two different things. The way I handled her was strange to see. I knew things were getting better between us, but I also knew I would never be normal.

My blood boiled when I saw my mother, more than ten times, hit my daughter. She slapped her numerous times on the hands, and she even spanked her when Bella wasn't in the room. Every time Bella would hear Ava cry, she would come running into the room. That was when my mother seemed to be the most mean to Bella. My mother really needed help, and I needed to be the one to get it for her.

As I sat and wrote down where the cameras could be, I clicked back to the present time. I was making a note to look in a painting that was hanging on the wall when I looked up at the computer to see my mother backhand Bella. I quickly jumped out of my seat and rushed home as fast as I could.

It felt like hours. I felt like no matter how fast I drove, I couldn't get home. It was like a bad dream where you run and run, but can't get away. I knew there was a good chance I would get pulled over, but all I cared about was getting home to my wife and daughter. My mom had gone crazy. My heart raced as my house came into view, but I wasn't prepared for what I saw once I was inside. I heard my daughter screaming her head off. I heard loud banging, and I heard my wife screaming at the top of her lungs.

I found my mother in the living room with my daughter, spanking her bare bottom.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" I screamed. My mother looked at me like she was doing nothing wrong. I moved quickly and yanked my daughter away from her. "What is wrong with you?!" My eyes filled with tears as I looked my little girl over. Her little butt and thighs were so red. I put her diaper back on and held her tightly to my chest. Hearing Bella's screams brought me back to the moment. I rushed to the bathroom door and saw that my mother had tied it shut.

"Help me! Help me, please!" Bella yelled. I hoped she realized I was trying, but I think she was past the point of comprehending.

"I'm trying, Baby!" I half yelled. That only made Ava cry harder. I wasn't meaning to upset her, but I needed Bella to hear me.

As soon as I opened the door, Bella about fell out.

"Give her to me," she demanded. I thought twice before I handed her over. I could see that her knuckles were swollen and bleeding, and could see bruises forming on her arms, as well. I knew then that she fought her damndest to get out. As soon as I placed Ava in her shaky arms, she started to cry as she sank to the bathroom floor.

"It's okay, Baby. I promise nothing like this will happen ever again," I said as she held our child tightly to her chest. "I need to go take care of my mother," I told her. I wasn't even sure if she was listening to me. I kissed her on top of her head, but she didn't react at all. I left her there so she could have her moment with our daughter. I was glad to hear Ava's cries quiet down after a few seconds.

As I headed for the front of the house, I saw my mother heading out the door. The bitch was crazy and everything was going to end, now. I grabbed her by the shirt and pulled her back in the house.

"The only place you're going is to a mental hospital," I said angrily.

"Why are you so mad? Because I could do what you were too weak to do? At least I know your father will be proud of me," she said. She knew that would hurt me. She knew I spent my whole life trying to please that man, and I had come to the conclusion that was never going to happen. I had to worry more about pleasing my wife and child.

I got choked up as I called the police. I couldn't believe it had come to such drastic measures. None of this would have happened if someone hadn't kill Charlie. I would still have my parents, my job, and my perfect family. I wouldn't know about my past, but now I had to live in my reality and I hated it. This wasn't my life plan. This wasn't what my father and I had planned for me. Emmett, Jasper, Chief, and two other officers showed up after my call, along with an ambulance. My mother was so far gone that she admitted everything to them. She was taken away with a smile on her face for the fact that she knew my father would be proud of her. As I stood by the door and talked with my ex-fellow officers, Bella came limping out of the hallway.

"Baby," I said as I rushed to her. "I want to take the two of you to the hospital." She didn't even glance at me as she made her way up the stairs. I tried to follow her but Jasper and Emmett stopped me.

"Let her come out of her shock and then try to talk to her," Em said as my eyes filled with tears. I was at my breaking point.

"I don't know what to do," I said as I started to cry like a little bitch.

"I can call Ally…" Jasper started to say.

"No, she needs me, not someone else!" I snapped as more tears came. "I have to be the one that is there. I'm such a failure."

"Do what you need to do, but I'm not leaving this house for the rest of the day," Emmett said as I covered my face. Jasper agreed with him, and they stayed and tried to get me to talk. I couldn't talk, though; I had no idea what to say.

"I need to check on Bella," I said after a while. Emmett said he was going to make some coffee, though I really didn't care what he was going to do.

I headed up the stairs and to my room. I found my girls asleep on my bed. Ava was lying against Bella's chest, gripping her shirt with her little hands. My tears came back at such a sight. I had done this. I had allowed so much to happen to my girls and I didn't think I was ever going to be able to make them feel safe again. Well, maybe Ava, but I doubted Bella would ever feel safe. As I took in the way Bella looked, I let more tears fall. She had big bruises up and down her arms, cuts all over her entire body, and there was large bruise across her cheek. I was afraid to touch her for the fact that I didn't want to hurt her even more. I carefully lay next to her and formed my body to hers. I closed my eyes and I allowed myself to break down one last time before I picked up the pieces that were left of my family.

BPOV

Ava's cries woke me up from my sleep. I knew we had slept for a while because it was dark out. I leaned back in the bed, only to feel Edward next to me. If I hadn't cried out all of my energy, I probably would have broken down again. I tried to move, but my body was in pain and stiff. Ava quieted down as I rubbed her back. I was trying to figure out how to get out of bed, but I didn't think I could without help.

"Edward," I said as I felt him flinch. "Edward, I need you," I said, knowing he always responded to that. I almost smiled when I felt him move.

"Are you okay?" he asked. His voice was more harsh than normal when he first woke up.

"I can't move. Can you take Ava?" I asked as he got off the bed. He leaned down and kissed her head as he brought her to his shoulder.

"Bella, what hurts?"

"Everything," I said as I moaned in pain.

"We should go have you checked out," he said worried.

"I'm just a little stiff. Plus…I really don't want anyone to see me like this," I said as tears filled my eyes. "She's hungry. Please go feed her and I'll be down in a minute."

"But you need me," he said, sounding almost desperate.

"Ava needs you more," I said as he nodded.

When he left the room, I allowed myself to cry one last time over the fact that I couldn't protect my daughter. Who would have thought I would have to protect her from her grandmother? This whole situation was so messed up, and I didn't know how we were going to get over it. As I stretched out my muscles and cried, I heard the door open. I looked over to see that Edward was back without our baby.

"Where is Ava?" I demanded as I flung myself out of the bed. When my legs hit the floor I almost fell. They felt like jelly. "Please tell me she isn't with your mother…please!"

"Bella, please calm down. My mother is gone," he said as I clung to him.

"She can never be around Ava ever again. Please? I know you hate it when I tell you what to do, but she just can't be around her. I know she hurt her; I heard her cries and there was nothing I could do," I cried as Edward held me tightly to him.

"No one is ever going to hurt her again, I promise," he said as he sat on the bed with me. "Ava is with Alice."

"Alice will protect her," I said.

"She will, Baby," he said as he smoothed out my hair. "I'm sorry."

"I don't know what to do," I admitted as I cried into his shirt.

"I don't know either," he said as he lifted my face. "Tell me what you want to do and we'll do it as long as we stay together."

"I never want to see your parents again. I don't want you to see them or talk to them, either. I know that's a crappy thing to ask, but you are a much better person when they don't come around," I said as his eyes filled with tears.

"Okay," he whispered. "As long as you don't leave me, I will cut all ties with them."

There was nothing left for me to say. I knew there was no way for him to cut ties completely, but as long as Ava and I never had to see them again, that would be okay. We needed to be okay. We needed to stick together, because all we had left was each other…

Um…yeah I don't know what to say about that. The next chapter is the epi. I'll see you next Monday. If you need something to read until then check out my new story that is posting every day, and Bases Loaded that I'm co-writing with teamalltwilight. You can find that story under the name jessandtat.