Good evening and Merry Christmas Eve, eve!

We're turning a corner now...

Mom came back about half an hour later and was hovering by the door to Isabella's room. The bag in her hands wasn't what grabbed my attention. It was how she was looking at me. I knew she wanted to talk to Isabella, but Isabella was ignoring her. I didn't think it was intentional per se, Isabella just didn't know how to react around Mom.

"Isabella, mom wants to talk to you about something," I urged softly.

She turned her head to face mom, but then looked back at me.

"Isabella, I have something that you need. How about we go into the bathroom?" Mom suggested, but Isabella shook her head and went back to watching the film. Looking crestfallen, mom placed the bag on the bedside cabinet and then left.

I felt bad for her, I really did, but I loved that Isabella had looked to me, too. Was it selfish of me?

"You can trust her, you know? She's one of the good guys. There aren't many of those about, not around this family, but she is one of the good guys, I promise," I said with a faint smile.

She shook her head. "There are no good guys in my world," Isabella whispered sadly.

My heart broke.

"Of course there are, Isabella. Your Dad, my family, they're all good guys."

And me. I'm a good guy, too. Can't she see that? What would it take for her to see me as a good thing in her life? Maybe Mom was right, maybe I couldn't help Isabella with everything. Maybe she just didn't need me as much as I thought, no, hoped she did.

Did she need me, or was I hoping against hope? Tell me! Tell me what I can do to help you, to get you through all of this, I pleaded with her in my mind.

She rolled over onto her side so that we were face to face. "What about you, Edward? Are you the good guy, or the bad?" she asked almost too quiet for me to hear. It was like she was worried about the answer.

"I've done bad things, Isabella. I've killed people, bad people, and I will continue to kill people. But, I am a good guy with my family, and I protect what's mine," I finished firmly. I always protected my family and friends, and I would protect her, too, if she'd let me.

"Am I yours? I know you bought me, but am I truly yours?" she asked, her eyes closed so I couldn't tell if she wanted to be mine or not.

I would just be honest with her.

"Isabella, that wasn't real. It was the only way we had to get you away from there. To make you safe again. I love and protect my family and friends, and you come under that title now," I said almost silently.

"I may be damaged, Edward, but I'm not stupid. I know you're around me because you think I'm going to either fall at your feet in love or break down and cling to you. It's that or you think I'll tell the police all about your family. I will never do any of that. I'm stronger than people think. I just have to sort out things in my head. Once that's done, I'll be out of your hair," she said in a resolute tone and rolled over to face away from me.

I broke even further.

She'd made her choice… and it wasn't me.

Can she stick the knife in any deeper? How much more would she twist it in me? No. I needed to do what I'd been telling myself from day one. I needed to distance myself from her. Break ties. Break the feelings I had.

I backed away from her slowly, and then rose from the bed. "I'll, uh, I'll be downstairs if you need me," I muttered, unable to remove the pain from my voice.

After one last look at her, I turned away. The soft click of the door closing sounded more like gunfire. I ignored the family when they called out to me, going to my car. I needed space, she needed space.

…

Being away from the house helped a little. I ended up driving to my club on autopilot. Since I hadn't been there in months, it was about time to drop in and check on things. Eric was a great manager and all, and he never stood for any shit, but it was my place at the end of the day. He knew it would be on his head if anything got fucked up, so he didn't take any chances.

I walked in the door and had barely taken three steps when women walked up to me fawning over my body, asking who I was, my status. Where I'd once reveled in that power, it meant fuck all now. Did these women have no self-preservation at all? Once, I would have jumped at the chance to bed them, but not now.

"Boss! You should have said you were dropping by," Eric said as he poured me a top-shelf whiskey.

"As the boss, that's one of the joys I have. I don't have to tell you fuck all. Keeps you on your toes," I replied with a wicked grin and took the glass from him. Sitting down at the bar, I waved the girls away. I didn't need them near me. Didn't want them near me.

"How was the other side of the pond? Your Granddad said you were looking into buying more clubs," he asked, and I gave a noncommittal nod.

Eric wasn't part of our inner circle, so he didn't know anything more than me being the club owner. Of course, there were rumors, but no one was stupid enough to ask me direct questions about things that didn't concern them.

For nearly an hour I sat there nursing the drink before facing the fact that the place I should be, was at home. What if Isabella needed help? The bathroom, talking to the family? No matter how much I tried to distance myself from her, it wasn't fulfilling my promise to her. Regardless of how much it hurt me, I would be by her side. I had to be.

…

It was dark when a rap on the car window jolted me awake.

Rose was standing outside the car door with a scowl on her face. A few seconds later she stormed around the other side, opened the door, and got in. "You really are a prize prick, aren't you?" she spat.

"What do you mean?" My tone was level, but my insides were squirming to new heights.

"Do you realize how confused and scared she is? She's putting on a front to protect herself. That's why she's pushing you away. She doesn't want to be on her own, nor does she want you to leave her side, but her life is so fucked up, she's acting on instinct. She's been clinging to you, Edward. Out of fear and loneliness, it's been you. But now she's free and she doesn't know how to process this," she said slightly softer.

I was confused. "How do you know this?" I asked after swallowing the lump in my throat.

"Because I've been there, remember?" she replied gently.

I did remember. The day I'd met Rose was the day I put my first bullet in someone's head, right between the eyes. The man pissed himself in front of me, pleading for his life, and then… nothing. He dropped to the floor like a lead weight.

I had been filled with so much rage, I didn't even think. I just pulled the trigger.

Rose had been beaten and raped, left for dead. Jasper had come to me, a near stranger, hell-bent on hunting down the man who'd hurt his sister. He needed my help and knowing he wouldn't stop whether he had it or not, I offered to help him. It hadn't taken long, but at that time, I wouldn't allow him to pull the trigger because he had to focus on his sister. I had the pleasure of firing the gun, ending that worthless man's life. Emmett had made him suffer beforehand. He was good at that. Between the three of us, Rose got a little bit of closure that night. But she also shut herself off from the world. Pushed everyone away. Even once she'd met Emmett properly, and had fallen in love with him, she still pushed him away for a while so she could protect herself.

That's why she worked with us the way she did now. So she could save people like Isabella, like herself.

"What should I do?" I asked desperate to get this right.

"The famous saying is to let her know you'll be there, to support her, to help, but in reality, it's so much more than that."

With a new determination rising in me, I marched through the house and up to Isabella's room. I wasn't going to let her push me away. She would just have to learn that I was going to be there every time she stumbled. I would pick her up, carry her if I had to, but I would be there no matter what.

I opened the door, and there she was. On the bed. Crying. Holding my pillow tightly to her chest. I slowly walked over to the edge of the bed, and then crawled the remaining distance to her. She rolled over then and did something which shocked me.

Isabella wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me into her embrace. She cried softly while murmuring her apologies over and over. I couldn't do anything but hold her body and rock her gently until we both fell asleep.

I can't believe how quickly this is posting! Only 6 chapters to go! See you tomorrow! xxx