A/N: Thank you to the Fic Lab for inspiring me to continue the prompt of "together"

~Special thanks to Mel Cee for helping me with my summary and betaing :)

Let me know your thoughts...

I don't own Twilight-just my plot.

Prologue:

You know that moment—the moment where you meet someone and realize they are the love of your life. It hits you like a ton of bricks, and there's nothing you can do to stop it. They are now a prisoner to your love, and if you're lucky enough, you're a prisoner to theirs as well.

Bella and Edward were far too young to realize that this moment transpired between the pair, but it did. It was an ordinary Tuesday morning when Edward was sweeping the floor of the old rundown home when the doorbell rang. Mrs. Newton went to answer it, turning back to Edward and giving him a stern look. She made her way to the door, putting her fakest smile on along the way.

A middle-aged woman in a pantsuit and a little girl with pigtails stood outside. The girl had long brown hair and chocolate brown eyes that were doe-eyed and excited. She looked inside the house, spotting Edward, and took off toward him. She tackled Edward and gave him a bear hug.

This had taken Edward aback and he looked up at the girl, puzzled, as she scrunched her nose. Being four years old and painfully shy didn't help his current position, in which a girl was pinning him down. Cooties were real.

Given his background and painfully shy demeanor, Jessica Newton expected him to have one of his classic panic attacks. But instead, she heard a sound that she hadn't heard but once. Edward had been with her three years, and not once had she heard the musical, carefree sound. Laughter. Edward was laughing. Laughing was an understatement; he was hysterical.

Bella, the little girl who tackled Edward, joined in on his laughing fit and plopped off of him, lying next to him on the kitchen floor. The crumbs that Edward was collecting before his ambush were scattered everywhere, making their way into the pair's hair and clothing.

The social worker had Jessica sign some documents before calling Bella over to explain what was going to happen next. She would leave, and Bella would stay there with Mrs. Newton and Edward. The other children were still at school.

Bella looked at Mrs. Cope, her caseworker, intently as only a four-year-old could. "I get to stay here? With him?" She pointed to Edward and screamed, charging after him for another hug. Then, knowing what to expect, Edward started running, thinking of a good hiding spot.

"Mrs. Cope smiled at Jessica, who wasn't thrilled about Edward's newfound playmate. She could foresee many problems with this pair, but a paycheck was a paycheck, so she wasn't one to turn the girl away." She nodded at Mrs. Cope and showed her to the door, grabbing Bella's lone bag with her belongings.

"Bella, there is no other way. I'm sorry, what do you want me to do? Tell my father to go fuck himself?"

Bella rolled her eyes, looking at Edward, whose hands were clutching the steering wheel as though it was a lifeline.

She looked at him for the first time in what felt like forever. Maybe it had been forever since she really saw him, and not just the version of him in her mind she struggled to preserve. But this new and "improved" Edward wasn't recognizable.

His usually wild hair was coiffed. He had a three-piece designer suit that was tailored to his now sculpted body. No more Cheetos for him. He had a watch on his right wrist, which was engraved by his adopted father—a gift from once Edward agreed to join the firm.

To anyone else, he looked like an aspiring businessman. To her, he looked like an asshole. He turned into everything he swore he wouldn't. Everything he hated.

For what? she asked herself. A last name?

She nodded, realizing he was still waiting for a response to his justification.

"What the hell happened to you?" She muttered, taking a deep breath and willing herself to pull it together. This wasn't her. She worked her whole life to protect herself from this very moment.

Edward blew out a breath, hating every minute of this conversation. "My father expects me to accept this internship and then do my charity work for the company. It's what's planned out for me. I owe him this. You know he doesn't approve of—"

"Me," Bella finished his sentence for him. No point hiding the truth. She was the dirty little secret that his family hated. Poor orphan girl, who self-sabotaged herself from a chance at a real family time and time again.

"Cut the crap. Maybe if you stopped the sanctimonious bullshit, you would have been adopted too!" Edward blurted, the words fell from his mouth before he could edit them. "Bella, you wouldn't understand because you don't have parents like this!"

Bella looked as though she had been hit; she couldn't hide any longer. He always had the power to break her. She just never knew he would use it. All those years in foster homes, protecting her—loving her—now meant nothing.

Edward couldn't dare look over at the one he loved most in the world. He protected her for as long as he could remember. Too bad pervy foster dads had been no match for Edward Masen. "Bella—"

"No, you're right—I don't have a family. But guess what? At least I'm still me. I don't play the orphan card, or the fucked-up foster care system card. And I certainly didn't turn into an asshole because of a last name or a fucking a job."

Edward opened his mouth and willed himself to say something, anything, to make this better. "Bella, please." He finally looked over at her and saw her, really saw her this time. Her tough outer shell was cracking and she was more damaged than Edward had even realized. "Baby," he whispered, like a prayer.

"Don't!" Bella said through gritted teeth, intently watching the cars in front of them.

They had been together since they were four years old. Nothing could mean more to Edward than Bella. But what if that wasn't enough to be together … to stay together. Was their fight for one another played out? As Edward just reminded Bella, she sabotaged prospective families like they were a dime a dozen. But what he didn't know was she did it so they wouldn't be separated. Night after night, she prayed that she wouldn't get adopted, just so they could stay with each other a little longer. It took Edward more time to get adopted given his condition, but when he did, he struck a gold mine. Bella just aged out and was more alone than ever.

They sat in uncomfortable silence for the next few minutes. Edward's fingers yearned to grab her hand that was picking her fingernails, but he resisted.

The car lulled and stopped at the next red light. In the dead of night, all you could see were tailights in front of them. Bella took this as her opportunity. She grabbed her bag, which held all her possessions, and jumped out of the car. Running into the night…

Edward called her name but it was no use. The girl he loved was now nothing more than the girl he loved.