A/N: I wish I owned the Twilight Saga, but I don't. I only own my original characters.

Chapter 2

It had been five years since I last came to the Cullen home. Edward and I used to visit them all the time, and Esme loved nothing more than to hold a giant Sunday lunch for the entire family, but there was no reason for me to visit them now. Edward didn't like having pictures of Ellie in the home, so he definitely wouldn't appreciate having a random person in his safety bubble. Although I'd love to bring Ellie here for a Sunday lunch, because it was a wonderful place for a child to run around and be free, I wanted to respect Edward, and the way he thought about having strangers in the house.

The large, three-story, modern home was positioned on the outskirts of Forks, surrounded by a lush forest, and with acres of open land that the Cullens often used to hold outdoor functions. Edward and I often thought about our child's first birthday, and how we were going to use the open land to have a party with the family. In reality, Ellie's first birthday was a quiet event with Charlie, but now wasn't the time to dive back into those memories.

Then, before I could prepare myself, the front door opened to reveal Esme Cullen standing on the other side. Her auburn hair fell in beautiful waves across her shoulders, her green eyes caught the dying sunlight, and she wore a stunning blue dress. My own mother had died of breast cancer when I was five, so Esme felt like a mom to me, and I instantly felt calmer as soon as I spotted the gentle smile on her face.

"Bella," she said as she took a step forward. "Thank you so much for agreeing to do this. I can't tell you how much we appreciate it."

"Well," I snickered. "I've made a promise with Charlie and myself that I'll leave if this is too much for me, but I'll give it my best shot."

"Of course, darling. You know we won't be frustrated or disappointed with you if you decide to turn around."

Esme brought me into a warm embrace, and as I locked my arms around her, I took in the familiar scent of her perfume that she'd worn for as long as I've known her.

I took in the various sights and smells of the grand house as the two of us walked inside, but I also noticed the faint sound of music which came from the floor above. Unless Edward had taken a different bedroom when he moved back in here, then I knew that noise came from his room.

"I see Edward's letting out his frustration?" I asked as I pointed toward the ceiling.

"Oh, yes, that's quite common," Esme laughed. "He'll always play one of his instruments before a session, but we're more than used to the noise now."

It made me really happy when I heard that Edward still loved to play and create music. He learned to play the piano when he was three, and it had been a constant in his life ever since. The retrograde amnesia Edward suffered with meant that he, essentially, lost the last fifteen years of his life. He remembered everything up until his twentieth birthday, but, unfortunately, I didn't enter the picture until we were twenty-six. So any new hobbies, friends, and experiences were also lost within that time frame.

As we both took a seat at the breakfast bar, Esme brought over two glasses of lemonade, and the chilling drink did wonders to the scratchy feeling in my throat.

"So, how do you think you're going to go about this?" Esme asked.

"Whenever I meet a new patient for the first time, I always use that first session to get to know them a bit better," I said. "Parents and loved ones give me a brief insight into the patient's lives, but I like to hear it from the patient in person. I obviously don't need to gather that with Edward, but I think it'll help if I ask him certain questions, just to gauge his reactions, and get a better idea of how this is going to go."

"Yes, absolutely," Esme replied. "In Edward's mind, this is the first time you've met, so he'll see you as just another psychologist. Unless something changes when you talk, and he recognizes you, but, sadly, I don't see that happening."

"No, neither do I," I sighed. "I mean, there have been cases in the past where someone instantly recognized a loved one from their voice alone, and I haven't really had a conversation with Edward since he woke up from the coma… But I feel like something might have happened by now if that was the case."

"This is also the first time he's done this sort of thing in his own home, so that might improve his mental state."

"Fingers crossed," I said with a light laugh. "I also wore my comfiest outfit, with the hope that the casual atmosphere will help him calm down."

I usually wore a smart pants suit, or a skirt and blouse, but this evening I wore blue jeans and a plaid shirt. Not only was it a comforting outfit, but it's what I often wore when I wasn't working, so it might have helped Edward remember our times together, or at least just me as a person.

"You're incredible at your job, Bella," Esme said as she grasped onto my hands. "And even if you can't unlock his memories, I know that you'll still do wonders to his pain and suffering."

0-0

I spoke with Esme for just under an hour, and then I took a seat in the living room, pulled out a pad of paper from my bag, and crossed my legs as I waited for Edward to arrive. The music from upstairs had come to a halt, and I heard someone coming down the stairs, but the footsteps didn't sound like Edward's, so I assumed it was Esme.

I remained in that spot for five minutes, and I started to wonder if Edward was going to back out of the session. He may be thirty-five years old, but if his last memory was fifteen years ago, then part of him still wanted to act like he was twenty again. I knew it must have been an incredibly confusing time in Edward's life, and I got the impression from Esme that nothing had changed in the past few years.

I played with my beautiful engagement ring as I listened to another set of footsteps plod down the stairs. I hadn't taken the ring off since the second Edward slipped it onto my finger, and I knew I'd never remove it. My ring and Ellie were proof that our love was real, and I didn't want anything to take that away from me.

Then, all of a sudden, the living room door opened, and it took a second for my mind to process Edward standing in the doorway. It looked like no time had passed since we last saw each other. His hair was an auburn mess upon his head, his emerald eyes were rimmed in deep, dark bags, and he stared down at the ground with a firm frown between his eyebrows. Edward wore a pair of black jeans, a plain white t-shirt, and scuffed, well-worn, black Doc Marten boots. It was strange, because the Edward I knew never wore anything like that, but I had seen pictures from his teenage years, and it looked as though he was recreating the photos.

In his mind, this is what he still wore.

"Hi," I said as warmly as possible as I stood up from the seat. "You must be Edward."

"Hi," Edward grumbled, and then he began to crack his fingers on both hands. The noise echoed around the room, but I did my best not to flinch.

"My name is Isabella, but you can call me Bella if you'd prefer."

You could also call me 'Smalls', but we'll save that one for later.

"Would you like to take a seat, Edward?" I asked as I returned back to my original chair.

In my office, my patients had two chairs to pick from, but at least Edward had the option to sit wherever he wanted to. He always loved to sit on the right side of the leather couch, and it was like an unwritten rule that the seat was always his.

And just as I thought, that was exactly where Edward chose to sit.

He continued to play with his hands, and he scuffed his feet together as he stared down at the floor. His body language alone told me that he was extremely anxious and uncomfortable in this situation, so I had to try and calm him down as best I could. He wasn't going to answer any of my questions in that state, and I imagined he probably acted the same way in every other session he had to sit through.

"How are you feeling today, Edward?" I asked.

"I'm fine." He shrugged. "But I don't know why you're here."

"I'm here to try and help you," I said with a smile.

"I don't need your help," Edward huffed. "I don't need anyone's fucking help."

Edward never swore around me.

"Edward… your parents are worried about you, and so they've asked me to-"

"They're not my parents."

I knew that, of course, and his paperwork said the same thing, but I needed to hear him explain it in his own words.

"And what do you mean by that?" I asked as I rested my arms against my knees.

"My aunt and uncle adopted me when I was three," Edward's voice was so low that I almost couldn't hear him, but I knew what he was saying. "My dad was a deadbeat, my mom couldn't take care of me. Then she died two years later."

"Do you know what happened to your father?"

"Last I heard, he had another family out there." Edward shrugged. "He didn't give a shit about me. He didn't give a shit about anyone. Just as long as he had a bottle of tequila on the side."

I didn't want to think about the irony that his father had another family out there, and that's exactly what Edward had, too, but I couldn't help myself. However, I'd heard of the stories, so I knew what Edward Senior was like, and I knew my Edward would never stoop that low, as long as I could help it.

"What does the word 'parent' mean to you?" I asked.

I hadn't imagined talking to Edward about parents and family, especially given how raw that topic was for me, but if I wanted to help him, then I had to get to the root of the issue, and explore every pain and struggle he kept locked up in his mind.

"What is this? Kindergarten?" he scoffed.

"We're simply having a conversation, Edward."

There was a long, delayed pause as Edward ran one hand through his hair, and he pulled on a loose thread of a t-shirt with the other. He was frustrated, but sometimes the frustration and anger was what caused the answers to come flowing out.

"A caregiver," he mumbled.

"Exactly." I smiled. "Esme and Carlisle have been your parents for… Since you were three years old. They love you, Alice and Emmett see you as their own brother, and they all just want to help you as much as they can. That's all we want to do."

"Yeah, but what makes you different from the others?" he asked. "I've been taken from place to place for fuck knows how many years, and now, all of a sudden, you arrive with your magic fucking wand? You're going to make this all better?"

"There's no harm in trying. Just because others haven't been able to help in the past, doesn't mean there's no cure. But if you want me to assist you, then you'll need to be open and honest with me. I can't offer my own advice if you close up."

Edward mumbled a few words under his breath, but I couldn't work out what he said. So far, he'd answered my questions, but without knowing what happened during his other sessions, I wasn't sure whether he always acted like this. According to Carlisle, there have been times where Edward sat for the entire hour without saying a word, but had things changed since then? Or maybe, just maybe, a part of Edward's brain told him that he could trust me. He may not remember who I am, but if he knew to be scared of the road he crashed on, then maybe he knew I was one of the good guys. I wanted the best for Edward, and deep down he knew that.

Five minutes went by without Edward saying a word. He pulled on the thread, he scuffed his feet, and he not once did he look up from the floor. It was incredibly painful to watch him suffer in silence, and I had to do my best to keep my own tears at bay. He was an incredibly strong person, but he'd dropped his walls, and he allowed me to see that he was struggling.

"They don't like my anger," he said into a clenched fist. "Alice and Emmett, even Jasper and Rosalie. They all act differently around me, and I know it's because of my anger."

Jasper and Rosalie were married to Edward's brother and sister. The six of us always hung out together, and they were all going to have important roles to play in our wedding. Bridesmaids, groomsmen… Emmett and Rosalie's son was going to be the ring bearer, and our child was going to be with Edward as I walked down the aisle.

Edward thought they acted differently around him, but it wasn't because they were angry at him, it's because they were sad. They were heartbroken. We all were.

"Can you tell me why you're angry?"

"Because I…" he sighed. "It doesn't matter."

"It does, Edward. It does matter," I urged. "But in order for me to understand why you're angry, I need you to give me something to work with here."

"Is that what the other shrinks have told you?" Edward looked up at me with the dirtiest, darkest snarl on his face. "That I don't let anyone in? That I refuse to get help from anyone? It's bullshit! All of this is bullshit!"

I didn't know where any of this was coming from, but I had to act like that look didn't chill me to the bone, and that it didn't affect me in the slightest.

"I haven't spoken to anyone, Edward," I said as calmly as possible. "I don't even know the names of the psychologists you've seen. And do you know why? Because none of that matters. It's none of my business what you say to them, I'm only concerned about what you say to me."

"Yeah, and why do you care?" Edward scoffed as he stood from the couch. "Why do you give a fuck what I do and how I act?"

Because I love you, Ellie loves you, and I'd do anything if it meant I could bring you home to her.

"Because that's my job. I don't do this for the money - I never have. I do this because I care, and I know what it's like to have the need to talk to someone. I could sit here for hours if that's what it took. Whatever you have to say, or want to say, I'll be here to listen to you."

There was another brief pause, and Edward simply walked rings around the leather couch as he grabbed and pulled at his hair. I glanced at my watch as Edward continued to walk and I noticed I had been here for almost thirty minutes. I had another thirty minutes left before our session ended, but part of me didn't want to end the conversation. If Edward started to talk, and I had to end it there, then there was no way of knowing whether he would carry it on in the next session. Ellie was safe with Charlie, and I knew she'd love to have a sleepover if that was necessary.

"But what if I don't have anything to say?" Edward asked as he came to a halt.

"Everyone has something they need to get off their chest."

"Yeah, but no one's given a damn until now. They get the money from Carlisle, tell me everything will be better, and that's it. No one cares. No one gives a fuck."

A shiver ran down my spine as Edward let out his heart, and pulled at mine at the same time. What he didn't know was that Esme and Carlisle weren't paying me for this, but did I tell him that? We'd kept so much from Edward, and there were days where I wondered if we'd even done the right thing. And if he found out that I was doing this for free, without me being the one to tell him, it was only going to make him back off more. I needed him to trust me, despite how ironic that sounded.

"I'm not getting paid for this."

"What?" Edward frowned. "You expect me to believe that bullshit? There's a couple hundred dollars waving you in the face and you don't take it?"

"Yes." I nodded.

"I don't believe you."

"You can ask your parents if you want to, but I'm not getting any money from this."

Edward paused again, and then he slumped back down on the couch. "Why? Why are they not paying you?"

"Because I care." I smiled. "Things didn't work out with the other psychologists, but I want to show you that I care, and that I want to listen. I want to share whatever weight you have on your shoulders, and I want to prove to you that there are people out there who want to help. All you have to do is talk to me. It won't happen overnight, and it might take a few sessions, but one day soon, you'll see that things can be different."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"It might not make any sense now, but I promise you, in time, you'll understand. You'll understand everything."

The frown on Edward's face slowly started to vanish, and it almost felt like I'd finally gotten through to him. It made me feel guilty that I hadn't tried this sooner, but I knew it wouldn't have worked back then, because I wouldn't have been able to cope with it. This session was hard enough, and there had been a number of times where I wanted to break down crying, and I wanted to confess everything to him.

"I'll understand why my head's fucked?" he asked.

"It isn't, and you're not," I replied.

Edward slumped down so that his head was practically touching his knees. His shoulders and back rose and fell as he took deep, even breaths, and I wished I could have seen the expression on his face. But I wondered if maybe that would have been too much for me, to know that I couldn't throw my arms around him and tell him that everything would be okay.

"I have strange dreams," he mumbled a moment later. "They freak me out and leave me covered in a sheen of sweat. I can't make any sense of them, and every time I've mentioned them in the past I've been told it's my mind's way of coping with things."

That was a big thing for him to admit. He was letting me in. He trusted me.

"And what do these dreams involve?"

For the first time since the hour started, I opened up my pad of paper and readied my pen in my right hand.

"I dunno, they change." Edward shrugged. "Sometimes it's a blur of lights and sounds, but I know it's something negative, y'know? Then other times I'm screaming out in pain, but no one's there to rescue me. I never know what I'm screaming about, but I wake up feeling angry, freaked out, and my head is always pounding."

Edward was having nightmares about the car crash, and I hated the thought of him screaming while all alone. He didn't remember the crash at all, but the nightmares were a part of his PTSD, and I hoped it could have been a way for his memories to return.

I wasn't sure if Esme and Carlisle had told Edward about the crash, but that was something I needed to ask them, because I didn't want to mention anything if Edward had been left in the dark.

"How often do these dreams occur, would you say?"

"Er… a couple times a week at most." He shrugged. "Sometimes I go a full week without having one, but that's seldom now."

"Have you told your family about these dreams?" I asked.

"I did at first… but then I told the shrinks and they made me feel differently about them, so I gave up mentioning them."

Tears formed in my eyes, but I forced them away before Edward could notice.

"Thank you for telling me, I know that must have been extremely hard for you. I promise to help you understand the dreams better, and I won't make you regret saying anything to me."

"So… do you know what they mean?"

I took a deep breath as I prepared the answer in my head. I had to choose my words wisely.

"There are a number of things that could cause something like that, but I wouldn't want to make a sudden decision without knowing more information. What I would advise, is if you could note down every dream that you have, or remember, and then I could take a look at them during each session? Especially if they change on a nightly basis, that would paint a bigger picture for me."

I had set up the question - whether Edward wanted to see me again or not. But I just had to wait to see what would happen next.

"When will my next session be?"

"Whenever you want," I said. "It could be once a week, maybe twice a week. But that's your decision to make."

"Do I… Do I need to make that decision now?" Edward asked as he slowly sat up to look at me. His eyes were red-rimmed, and I knew he had been holding back his own tears.

"Of course not." I smiled. "If you would like to do this again, then you can let your parents know, and then they'll inform me. I could also give you my cell phone number, and then you could phone me if you ever have any issues, or one of your dreams is harder to cope with."

I didn't often give my number to my patients, but it was different with Edward. It could have also helped with his amnesia, seeing as I hadn't changed my number in years.

"Okay," he sighed. "I'll… I'll think about it."

"That's all I needed to hear."

0-0

I spent the weekend playing with Ellie in the park, and we made some cupcakes to take to Charlie's. At first, I thought it was going to be hard to spend a happy weekend with my daughter after my session with Edward, but I felt much better than I thought I would. He still hadn't made a decision about having another session or not, but the fact that Edward opened up to me, and he'd told me about his dreams, told me that he trusted me.

As Monday morning came around, I dropped Ellie off at school, and then I headed off to work. I had three patients scheduled, and it was, by far, my easiest day of the week. Tuesdays were much harder.

I was in the middle of eating my lunch when my cell phone rang, and at first I thought it might have been Carlisle or Esme, or maybe even Edward calling me, but then I caught sight of the name on the screen.

Forks Elementary School.

My blood went cold, and my breathing hitched.

"He-hello?" I asked as the fear slowly started to subside.

"Isabella?" the sweet voice replied. "This is Angela Weber, Ellie's teacher."

"Y-yes, Angela, hi," I stuttered. "How can I help you?"

"I've become slightly concerned about Ellie's behavior recently. I was wondering if we could meet to have a quick discussion about it?"

A/N: So… how do you think the session went with Edward? And what do you think Angela wants to talk about?

If you enjoyed the chapter and would like to read more, then please leave me a review. I genuinely write so much faster with the added motivation.