A/N: I thought we could enjoy a little change in perspective… Just a warning, he loves the word 'fuck'.
Chapter 6
Edward
I forced myself awake seconds before my nightmare took a dramatic turn.
My heart was pounding, my breathing was deep and labored, and my entire body was covered in a thick sheen or sweat.
It wasn't the same nightmare I normally had. I mean, it was, but there was something different about it. For the first time in years, my dream had changed, and I couldn't tell why, I also couldn't pinpoint what it was. I just knew there was a change.
But the more I thought about it, and the more I dissected every miniscule fact, the more I managed to work out what was different.
It felt like I was in a dark, open room. There were no doors or visible exits, and I was stuck in the center as the dream played out around me. Flashing lights came from one side, and loud, uncomfortable noises came from the other. It felt like I was being suffocated by the unpleasant scenes, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't find a way out.
But then the mysterious figure appeared in the distance. They stood there, like an innocent onlooker, and I tried to reach out to touch them. I needed help, but every time I thought I was about to touch them, the figure stepped further backward. Yet the strangest thing about it was that I felt comforted by the figure. I didn't know who they were, but I didn't want them to leave. It was like I needed them beside me, and I wouldn't have been able to survive the trauma if they weren't there.
However, that's when the dream changed.
Just behind the figure appeared two green lights. They looked like car headlights, or maybe traffic lights, but I couldn't work out what it meant.
If they were green traffic lights, then was my dream telling me to go? But… go where?
I stared at the lights in my nightmare, and I tried to get closer, but there was something stopping me.
I felt this desire to be beside the lights, and I wanted to finally reach the mysterious figure, but I couldn't get there. It was like a solid sheet of glass had been placed in front of me.
I remember screaming out, and I pounded against the glass as I tried to break it with my fists. I was stuck inside this abyss, alone and afraid, with nothing but the bright lights and crunching noises playing out all around me.
That was when I tore myself out of my dream, and I sat up in bed as I tried to pull my mind out of that depressive thought.
Why had those green lights appeared?
Why hadn't they been there the entire time?
My nightmare never changed, yet now it had, and it angered me that I couldn't work out why.
I sat in the same position for a handful of minutes, and I tried to sieve through the dream again, but it didn't help. It wasn't like my head came with a fucking handbook. I didn't have instructions or a guide that talked me through everything.
The only guide I really had was Bella Swan, but… something felt off yesterday.
I wouldn't say I enjoyed our sessions, or the one and a half we'd had, because I hated it when people picked away at my brain. But something felt different between Bella and the other shrinks I'd seen over the years. She didn't brush off my nightmares, she sounded genuinely eager to help me through them, and I was comfortable at home. So maybe that's why I was "okay" with her coming back.
But then yesterday didn't go well.
She pulled me from my sleep when she phoned, so I was barely conscious when she asked if Esme could look after her daughter. I think, if I was fully awake, I would have said that I didn't want strange kids in my house. But it wasn't until hours later that I remembered what I'd said, so I knew I couldn't go back on my answer.
I dreaded the session.
I didn't like having strangers in my house, regardless of their age, so I found myself playing my music much louder when I saw Bella's car pull up outside.
Ever since I'd been in the crash, I found myself having constant headaches. Carlisle had kept a close eye on things, and I was constantly having checks, but apparently they're chronic headaches which are a combination of my PTSD and my head injury. So because of that, I didn't often play my music any louder than my usual setting. But as soon as that kid ran into the house, I turned up the volume. A screaming child was going to affect my head more than my music would.
But when the session was about to start, I knew I just had to get it over and fucking done with.
So I stormed downstairs, uninterested in anything apart from getting the damn hour over with.
The kid, Ellie, was drawing a picture. At first it looked like she was drawing a green popsicle, but when she asked me about the color of presents, I realized she was drawing a Christmas tree.
Ellie was fine… She seemed interested in my boots, and she thought it was funny that we both had Doc Martens on, and she wore a weird outfit. But she's five, so I didn't expect much.
However, as soon as Esme took the kid from the room, I couldn't stop thinking about her.
I'd never met Ellie before, but it felt like I knew her.
Had I met her before?
I also realized that she didn't look anything like Bella, so maybe she looked like her dad.
But when I asked Bella about it, she said it was just the two of them at home. Yet I had seen the engagement ring! That fucking thing blinded me whenever it hit the light, so I couldn't exactly miss it. Whoever bought the ring for her clearly spent a shit-load of money.
That's when I started getting pissed. Because if Bella had broken up with this dude, then why was she still wearing the ring? Why was it so fucking important to her?
Not that I really gave a damn, because whatever she did in her own time was none of my business, but it kinda felt like Bella was lying, or avoiding the question. If I had to sit there and answer her questions, then I expected the same fucking thing from her. It wasn't too much to ask.
The stress of that fucking ring, as well as Ellie laughing from the kitchen, was too much for my head to cope with. I needed to get out of there, and I needed to lie in a dark room while I screamed into a pillow.
Bella looked sad that I had ended the session early, but why did she care? She'd finished work early for the night.
My intention had been to storm upstairs and lock myself away, but I knew I needed to take some pills for my head, so I automatically went into the kitchen to get a drink. But I instantly regretted that decision.
Ellie tried to get my attention again.
I knew kids were clingy, but hadn't Bella taught her about stranger danger? She'd never even met me before, yet Ellie acted like I was her best friend.
I wasn't interested in anything anyone said, but then Ellie ran over with a drawing for me, and I just found myself staring at the picture as I tried to process the issues going on within my head.
Did I know this kid?
The only child I knew was my nephew, so I would have remembered if I'd ever met Ellie before.
Yet, I wanted to help her.
I wanted to help her write my fucking name, and I even said I'd keep the drawing she gave me.
Why?
Why did that even matter?
Those same rhetorical, unanswered questions plagued my brain for the rest of the evening and into the morning. I usually woke up in a bad mood, but this time it was even worse. I was already confused, and I already thought that my family was keeping something from me, so adding more confusion on top of that overflowing pile was too much for me.
It was only eight-thirty, hours earlier than when I usually woke up, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't fall back to sleep. My head hurt too much for me to push the pain to one side, and I was in a desperate need of a cigarette.
My parents hated the fact that I smoked, but apart from music, nicotine was the only thing that calmed me after I left the hospital. So as long as I never smoked inside the house, they started to slowly allow me to have a few cigarettes when I needed one.
And this morning, I definitely needed one.
So once I had taken a few more calming breaths, I stepped out of bed and changed into the t-shirt and jeans from yesterday.
Due to how early it was, Esme and Carlisle were still in the kitchen enjoying their breakfast when I walked in.
"Good morning, sweetheart." Esme smiled before she took a sip of coffee. "You're up early."
"Couldn't sleep." I shrugged as I plodded toward the back door.
As soon as I was outside, I took a seat on the stone steps, and then I glanced across the garden as I sparked up. I was privileged to live in such a lovely house, and all of my memories were from this home, but it sometimes felt like a prison. The curtain of nature that surrounded the property were the iron bars of my cell. I couldn't leave without something stopping me, and my PTSD acted like the sour-faced guards.
I remember, as I woke up from my coma, Carlisle was secretly pleased to hear that I suffered from PTSD. He never told me that, but I wasn't stupid. I knew the tone of voice he used, and the glisten of happiness in his eyes. He was pleased that his adopted son was fucked up in the head, but why?
Was it because I could remember a few events? That I remembered driving home, and then I remembered waking up? But surely that wouldn't be anything to celebrate, right?
Oh, well.
More questions to add.
But maybe I could get some answers.
I often put them to one side, because I'd given up trying, but maybe, if I tried again, my parents could give me the information I needed.
The determination stayed within me as I stubbed out the cigarette and threw the butt in its designated trash can. Then I stormed back inside and took a seat at the head of the table. Carlisle was on my left, and Esme was on my right.
"What's up?" Carlisle asked. "We can see that something's bothering you."
"There's always something bothering me," I said as I played with the toast crumbs in front of me.
"But this is different," my adopted father replied. "You ended your session with Bella early yesterday, but the week before you said you felt quite confident with how it went."
"I wasn't feeling it yesterday." I shrugged. "And it felt strange to have the kid in the house."
Carlisle let out a deep sigh as he rubbed his forehead with one hand. He was probably pissed with me, or annoyed that I'd ruined my chances once again, but there was something else about his mannerisms. Was he sad? I couldn't tell.
"Maybe we shouldn't have had Ellie come into the house," Esme mumbled.
"I didn't see any issues with it," Carlisle replied.
"But you weren't there," I groaned. "You didn't see it. You don't even know who we're talking about."
Carlisle opened his mouth to talk, but then he must have changed his mind.
I stared across the table as I tried to think of my first question, but then my eyes landed on the drawings Ellie had created last night.
"Why did you keep them?" I asked as I pointed at the pictures.
"What do you mean?" Esme asked. "Of course I'd keep them. They're adorable."
"But you'll probably never see her again. Why does it matter?"
"Edward," Carlisle said as he cupped my hand with his own. "What's going on? You're not acting the same, and you're awake before midday."
"Did you have another nightmare?" Esme asked.
"Yeah." I nodded. "It freaked me the fuck out, so I'm trying to deal with everything."
"Then that's all you have to say." Carlisle smiled. "What happened in this dream?"
"It's difficult to explain, you won't understand."
"Then I suggest you phone Bella and tell her. I'm sure she'll be able to help you understand."
That was their answer for everything.
Whenever I took a turn, or I was struggling to focus on the world around me, they always told me to phone Bella.
"Hmm… I'll think about it," I said as I stood up from the table.
I didn't want to automatically cross her off my list, but I also didn't want to promise my parents something if I wasn't going to go ahead with it.
So instead of getting stuck with that topic, I wandered toward the coffee machine. There was just enough coffee left in the jug for half a mug, and I felt like I needed more than that, but at least I had something to distract me.
But that distraction didn't last too long.
Because right there on the counter, where I'd left it the night before, was the drawing Ellie made for me. It was like I couldn't walk away from that child, or there was always something that reminded me of her.
I did my best to ignore the picture, but my eyes continuously scanned back to my name written at the top of the page.
EdwARd
It wasn't a masterpiece drawing, and her letters needed a bit of work, but I had to admit, she was pretty talented for a five year old. It even amazed me that she had caught onto the color of my hair and eyes after only seeing me for two minutes. In the drawing, my hair kinda looked like Lisa Simpson's, and my green eyes were…
My green eyes were…
Two green lights appeared behind the mysterious figure.
Holy fuck, were the green lights in my dream a representation of my eyes?
Was I looking in on my own crash?
All of a sudden, a strong, powerful flashback washed over me.
I was standing right beside the fridge, and Ellie stood in front of me. She held out her picture with a large smile on her face. I caught sight of her eyes for a split second, and the way her hair seemed to shine in the kitchen light…
Ellie's eyes were also green, and her hair held the same auburn tint that mine did.
It could have been a coincidence, but now those green lights are appearing in my dreams, and I just had a feeling that the two were connected.
"Who the fuck is this kid?" I asked.
"Edward," Esme sighed.
"Tell me who she is," I said again.
"Son, who are you talking about?" Carlisle asked as he stood up.
"Ellie!" I groaned. "Who the fuck is she, and why is she everywhere I look?"
"Is that what's annoying you?" my father asked.
"Everything's annoying me," I sighed. "But I can't get her out of my head, and I have no idea why. I don't even like children."
Neither of my parents said a word, but they both slowly walked toward the breakfast bar where I was standing. I couldn't read the expressions on their faces, but their eyes darted back and forth to each other, just like they were having a silent conversation.
"Ellie is Bella Swan's daughter. You know that." Esme replied.
"Well, yeah," I snorted. "But why does she look like me?"
Once again, neither of them replied. It looked like Esme and Carlisle were trying to work out an answer, but surely it wasn't that difficult to just tell me the truth? Why did they have to deliberate so long and hard over it?
"Fuck it," I groaned as I grabbed the drawing and walked away. "If you won't tell me, then I'll have to find a different way to get a fucking answer around here."
0-0
Bella
"Momma, watch me!" Ellie called over from the swing set.
My crazy, daredevil of a daughter had managed to climb up to the top bar of the swing set, and she dangled there as her legs kicked wildly back and forth.
"Please be careful," I said as a serious case of anxiety washed over me.
"You're all good, Bell!" Emmett shouted back. "You know I've got her."
"You'll probably want to save her before we have to go and visit Grandpa," Rosalie chuckled beside me.
It was a few days after my last session with Edward, and I decided to see if Rosalie and Emmett were free to meet us in the park, mainly so I could discuss what had happened. Emmett stood behind Ellie, with his arms out ready to catch her when she wanted to come down. Rosalie and I sat on a bench just beside the playpark, and her ten-year-old son, Parker, was playing with his action figures in the sand.
I remember feeling jealous and selfish whenever I saw the little family of three, and especially Parker. It hurt to know that Edward knew about his nephew, and Parker had always been a constant in Edward's life. But I had slowly started to get over that, and I'd hoped things would change in the future.
But I hadn't felt as positive since I left the Cullen house on Wednesday.
Edward's reaction around Ellie was a positive sign, but I couldn't stop thinking about how he wanted to get away from me.
I'd cried myself to sleep pretty much every night since then, but I always made sure to put on a brave face when Ellie ran into my room every morning.
But I was used to that by now. I knew exactly how to fake the perfect smile.
"Bella," Rosalie said as she placed one hand on my arm. "Talk to me. Tell me what happened."
Tears instantly formed in my eyes, and I let out a deep breath to try and control my nerves.
"I don't know," I mumbled as the first tear fell.
The second, third, and fourth followed on quickly after that.
"It was going so well," I continued. "Edward even interacted with her, Rose! She asked him a question about her drawing, and she mentioned her boots, and he spoke to her!"
"That's a great sign."
"Yeah, but then it changed. As soon as our session started, Edward opened up to me. He told me about his dreams, and I think I'm even featuring in them, but–"
"Wait," Rose cut in. "You're in his dreams?"
"Well, I think I am." I shrugged. "He mentioned a dark figure, who he thinks is a woman by the shape of their body, but that's it. The person doesn't talk, and he can't touch them. But he thinks they're trying to help him."
"Okay…"
Then I continued to tell Rose the whole story, all as I kept a close eye on Ellie being pushed on a swing by Emmett.
I told Rose about how Edward noticed my ring, asked about Ellie's "own dad", and then how he just stormed out. I never went into detail with my other patients, because that confidential, even to other family members. But it was different with Edward.
I then explained to Rose how Ellie reacted when Edward walked into the kitchen, and how I was so proud of her, but I've just felt off since we drove away.
"I think I've messed it up," I sobbed. "I think Edward's had enough of the sessions, and there's no way I can get in contact with him again."
"Hey, hey, hey," Rosalie hushed as she pulled me into her arms. "Don't give up just yet, okay? You've done so well these last five years."
"But it'll break Ellie's heart," I mumbled. "She's seen him once - once! And if Edward doesn't want to continue with the sessions, then I have no idea how I'm going to break the news to her. She thinks she'll be able to see him every time I do, but I don't think that'll be the case anymore."
"You don't know that, Bell," Rose said soothingly. "We know what Edward's like, and how he'll cut himself off from the world before he comes crawling back. If he said he'll phone you, then focus on that. Until he says he's done, then there's still the chance that Edwrd will ask to speak to you again."
"Momma?" Ellie's brokenhearted voice spoke up. "Momma, why are you crying?"
Before I could pull myself away from Rose's warm embrace, I felt a force fly into me as Ellie threw herself onto my legs.
Ellie wore her Minnie Mouse onesie with a pair of yellow rain boots. The hood of the onesie had been pulled over her head, and her auburn pigtails fell down her chest. Just her smile alone was enough for my tears to dry up, but it hurt, it hurt really badly that she looked so much like her father.
"Momma's just a bit upset, sweetheart," Rose said as she rubbed Ellie's back. "But I know that your hugs and kisses make it all better."
"Nana Esme said that I give the best hugs and kisses."
And just like that, Ellie climbed onto my lap, and then she gave me a kiss on the cheek before she nestled her head on my shoulder.
"Are you crying about Biggie, Momma?" she asked.
"I am," I said honestly.
"But it's okay, 'cause he's back now! And he said he'd keep my picture, remember?"
"He did," I chuckled. "And… yes, I suppose he is back now."
"Want me to kick his ass for you, Bell?" Emmett asked with a smug look on his face.
"Why would you kick Biggie's ass?" Ellie asked.
"Emmett, I swear to God…" Rosalie muttered.
"Because he made your momma cry," Emmett replied.
Ellie turned around in my lap, and then she stared at her uncle with clear confusion etched on her tiny, little face.
"But does Daddy know that he made Momma cry?" she asked. "'Cause Grandpa Charlie tells me to say sorry if I did something bad. But does Daddy know that he did something bad?"
"You've got me there, kid," Emmett chuckled. "Now, move up. I need to sit down."
Rose and I shuffled across the bench in order for Emmett to squeeze his large, muscular frame beside me. Then he wrapped his arm around my shoulders as he gave them a little squeeze.
"But in all honesty, listen to my wife. She knows more than I do."
"Yes, I do." Rosalie smirked. "And I know that you won't be getting pizza this evening if you keep saying language like that in front of Ellie."
"Hey, but I wanted pizza!" Parker called from the sand.
Kids were always listening.
"And did Uncle Emmett say bad words?" Ellie asked. "He just said 'ass', but Grandpa Charlie says that all the time."
"He does?" I asked in horror.
"Yeah. When he's tired, or he needs to sit down, he always says 'I need to sit on my ass for a minute'. And then he sits down!"
I told my father off for saying that word before, or anything that Ellie shouldn't repeat, and he said he always watched his mouth around her. But now I know differently.
"Well, I don't want you to say it," I said as I snuggled my daughter into my chest. "They're words that only adults can say, okay?"
"Okay…" Ellie huffed. "But I heard Biggie say a bad word?"
"What did he say?" Emmett asked as he muffled back a laugh.
"It doesn't matter what he said." I gave him a stern look. "Remember, Ellie, that Daddy is also an adult. So he is allowed to say those words."
"Okay." Ellie shrugged. "But if I hear him say it again, then I can tell you?"
"No. That's not how it works."
We needed to change the subject.
0-0
"Ellie, dinner's ready!" I called through from the kitchen.
"Are we having dino nuggies?" she asked as she sprinted from the living room. Ellie's tiny little feet had the surprising ability to make a lot of noise throughout the house.
"Is it Saturday?" I joked.
I made sure my daughter had a healthy, well-balanced diet. But on Saturday's, she got to choose what to had for dinner, and it was always the same thing. That girl could eat an unhealthy amount of "dino nuggies", and it always had to be paired with mashed potato and peas.
Well, I added the peas, because I had to include greens somewhere on her plate.
Funnily enough, the child-like meal was not a favorite of mine, and so I cooked off something else for myself.
Ellie clambered onto her seat as I cut up her nuggets, but I always made sure to leave one dinosaur intact, otherwise Ellie would have had a tantrum. Then once the meal was ready, I placed it onto the table along with some water in her Iron Man cup.
"Did you have fun in the park today?" I asked as I scooped up some mash on my fork.
"Uh-huh." Ellie nodded. "It was really nice to see Uncle Emmett and Auntie Rose. And Parker, of course."
"It was, wasn't it? I saw how high you went on the swing!"
"Yeah!" Ellie giggled before she slurped down some water. "I told Uncle Emmett that I wanted to go to the moon, so he took me as far as he could!"
"Wow!" I laughed. "How incredible!"
Ellie then continued to tell me a story about how she went backward down the slide, but also how she's so fast that Emmett struggled to catch her. Every time Ellie told me a story that excited her, she did a little dance, and she would jiggle around on the seat as she attempted to eat at the same time. It was the same with everything - whether it was a dream she'd had, or something funny a classmate said in school that day. Whatever Ellie had to say, she always did it with a dance.
"Momma, can we watch Marvel tonight?" she asked a few minutes later.
"Maybe…" I said as I checked the time on my watch. "It's five-thirty, so as long as you've had a bath and you're ready for bed by seven, then you can watch ten minutes, okay?"
"Maybe fifteen minutes?" she asked with a pouty lip.
"No, ten. If you're a good girl going to bed, then we can watch the rest tomorrow, but–"
"I have to be a good girl first," Ellie said in a monotone voice. "I know…"
It took a long time for me to get over that adorable little face, because Ellie knew exactly how to charm someone. But she needed to realize that I was in charge, and just because Grandpa Charlie allowed her to watch fifteen minutes before bed, didn't mean that I was as easy to push over.
Ellie was extremely well behaved, and I didn't often have to tell her off, but she was still only five, so she tried her luck whenever she could.
"Momma, I think–"
The sudden knock on the front door halted Ellie's sentence, and we both stared at each other with a frown as someone continued to knock.
Everyone knew that five-thirty was dinner time, so unless it was an emergency, then they'd always phone me first if they needed to come by the house.
"Stay where you are, okay?" I said as I stood up.
"Who is it?" Ellie asked, and then she tried to climb down from her seat.
"I don't know. But enjoy your dino nuggies and I'll be back in a minute."
Whoever was at the door was banging away furiously, to the point where I had started to get slightly freaked out by it. Fortunately, I had my phone in my pocket, so at least I could call someone if I had to.
Before I could reach the door, Ellie zoomed past me toward the little window that looked out onto the front yard.
"Ellie, what did I tell you?" I sighed as I took a hold of my daughter's arm.
"It's okay, Momma! It's Biggie!"
"What?"
Edward was outside the house? At this time?
He always had to be home by six o'clock otherwise he would have had a mental breakdown, so why was he at my front door at five-thirty?
"Did he come to have dino nuggies with me?" Ellie asked.
"I…"
"Bella?" a friendly voice asked from the other side of the door.
Carlisle was there, too?
What was going on?
Due to the minor freakout and the confusion that circled through my brain, I automatically lifted Ellie up and held her on my hip as I unlocked the door. Even though I knew she was safe, I just had to hold on and protect her as much as I could.
But as I opened the door, the need to hold someone else quickly overpowered me.
Edward had his hands on either side of the frame, and his back was arched over like he was trying to calm himself down.
"What's going on?" I asked.
"I'm sorry, I didn't have time to call you," Carlisle said as he placed one hand on his son's back. "Are you okay, son?"
"I-I… Uh… Fuck!" Edward slammed one hand against the frame which caused me to jump, but his deep breaths almost made me cry.
He was seriously struggling for some reason, and either he or Carlisle had thought to bring him to me.
"Edward?" Ellie asked as she wriggled down from my hold. "Why are you angry?"
My daughter took a tentative step forward, but she kept her hands locked together at her chest.
"Sweetheart, let's leave him for a minute, okay?"
At least Ellie remembered to call him Edward, and not Daddy or Biggie.
"But Momma," she urged as she turned around to look at me. "Remember when you were really sad and crying in the park earlier?"
"Yes, but this is different," I replied.
An expression crossed her face, like she was thinking about something, and then before she said anything, Ellie ran forward and threw her arms around Edward's legs.
"Ellie," I said, and reached forward to unhook her.
"But my hugs make everything better, Momma. Remember?"
"And your dino nuggies are getting cold. Please, go back into the kitchen. I don't want to have to tell you again."
Ellie knew from my tone of voice that I meant business, and as she slowly pulled herself away from her father, she shot me the saddest look I'd ever seen. Her glistening eyes pooled with tears, her bottom lip wobbled, and she dropped her head to hide her face.
I knew that I was doing the right thing, and Edward clearly wasn't in the mood to have some small child run up and grab him, but Ellie didn't understand that. She had helped her mother earlier in the park, and now she wanted to help her father. It was a natural reaction.
"Edward," I said carefully once I had controlled my own emotions. "Do you want to come inside?"
He remained in that same position, but I knew from his quick breathing, and the way his shoulders hunched and dropped, that he desperately needed someone to help him.
"How about this," Carlisle said. "I'll keep an eye on Ellie and I'll make sure she finishes her dinner, and you can take Edward into the living room."
"Would you like that?" I asked the struggling man in front of me. "Would you like to talk privately with me?"
Nothing happened for at least thirty seconds, but then Edward slowly pulled himself away from the door. His cheeks were bright red, his auburn hair was a mess, and the red stain in his eyes told me that he had either been crying, or he was about to start sobbing.
"I don't remember coming here," he muttered. "I remember throwing something, and then the next thing I know we're parked outside."
"What did you throw?" I asked.
"I don't know." Edward shrugged.
"A mug of coffee," Carlisle filled in the blanks. "And then you stormed out of the house muttering something about needing to talk to Bella."
"So that's why you're here?" I asked.
"I… I need answers. Serious fucking answers."
"I can do my best to help you with your questions." I smiled. "Now, why don't we go into the living room, and if you really need that coffee, then I can make you a fresh cup."
"It was mine." Carlisle smirked. "Do you mind if I help myself in the kitchen?"
"Be my guest." I smiled. "C'mon, Edward, let's go through here."
A sudden flash of movement caught the corner of my eye, and I turned around to see Ellie peering around the kitchen door. She didn't appear to be crying anymore, but the guilty expression told me that she knew she wasn't meant to be standing there.
"I heard dino nuggies were on the menu?" Carlisle asked, and then he rubbed his hands together with greed. "They're my favorite! I hope there are some left over!"
As Carlisle traveled through to the kitchen to keep watch on Ellie, I closed the door, placed my hand on Edward's back, and then took him in the opposite direction toward the living room. His muscles were tense against my arm, and I had to stop myself from thinking it was the first time I'd held him like that in so, so long.
"Can you tell me what happened this evening, Edward?"
The man in question slumped onto the couch, and he stared up at the shelves on the wall opposite him.
The shelves were covered in photos of Ellie and I, as well as some with Grandpa Charlie, and I was glad I hadn't placed new photos on that wall. It had been my plan to put up more pictures of family members, as well as one of Edward, but fortunately, I hadn't had the time to do it this week.
"I found something," he grumbled, and then he dropped his head once again. "I found it in Dad's office, and I… I flipped out."
"Okay, and what did you find?" I asked.
There was another pause, but then Edward reached into the back pocket of his jeans.
"This," he spat as he held out a picture.
But it wasn't just any picture.
It was an old picture of Edward and I together.
0-0
A/N: Is it too soon for Edward to find out, or do you think it's the right time? I'd be interested to know what you're thinking, and also if you enjoyed Edward's POV?