Jasper

"You know I can easily follow you, right?" I call after Bella.

She wasn't happy that we wouldn't leave without her, and weren't allowing her to be left alone. Thankfully, I've been able to keep the attention away from us, which makes everything much easier. After several tense minutes of raised voices, we convince her to leave; however, as soon as we leave the building, she walks away without so much as a fuck off.

"Can you text me the address?" I ask Alice quietly, not taking my eyes off the retreating girl. "I'll meet you there later."

Alice nods sadly. "Will you be alright?"

"It's not me I'm concerned for right now," I reply. No matter how much I long to keep her out of this, it just isn't possible. I worry about how much blame she is taking as I squeeze her hand in goodbye and jog after Bella.

If she notices that I've joined her on her stroll, she doesn't show it.

I walk with her for nearly a mile before I decide the silence is enough. "Are we aiming for anywhere in particular?" I lace my words with a hint of humour hoping to get a rise. It doesn't work. "Come on, we gonna walk in silence the whole way? Will be mighty boring."

"Don't feel you have to join me," she snarls back.

I smile. It's something. "I'm rather enjoying it. Nothing better than a refreshing walk."

The irritation is building on her face, but she doesn't engage, instead going back to ignoring me. Unfortunately for her, chances are that she will run out of steam a lot sooner than me. It just isn't practical to try and outrun a vampire, as she well knows.

She must have a plan of some kind, somewhere she is headed. I briefly check my phone and make a mental note of the address Alice had sent me.

Trying again, I say, "If you don't have a destination in mind, I'd appreciate looping back." She ignores me, choosing to turn down an alley.

I know she is smart enough to know that she can't lose me, not by walking, anyway. I need to think of a way to fix this soon. How can I help her? She's stubborn, we all know that, so trying to force her will only result in her pushing back. I also don't want to manipulate her, if possible. That will only result in an explosion when I lift the changes.

It soon becomes apparent where she is headed. At the end of the alley, barely visible to the human eye, is a group of people. They're all clearly homeless.

I consider dragging her away from the group, not wanting to end up in a difficult situation with witnesses, but I'm curious about what she is planning. Instead, I keep pace with her as we approach, ignoring the shocked emotions. I very obviously stand out amongst the rags and filth. I don't blame their emotions–I know from experience that when you have to fight for everything, anything unusual becomes suspicious.

Bella walks up to a man she seems to recognise. She taps him on the shoulder, saying nothing, and he nods in understanding.

"Excuse me mate," he says, blocking my path with a smirk. "You ain't welcome here."

I eye the man, confused. What did Bella communicate with him? Bella has slipped into a group of other women, hiding her from my view.

"How do you know Bella?" I ask him politely. I can feel the way he, and the others around, care for her, and there's no need to hurt people who may well be her friends.

"How do you know she's Bella?" he snaps, raising a finger towards me in what he thinks is a threatening manner. hers are starting to crowd around me, too.

That confuses me. I haven't been aware that I should have been calling her something different. If it was for her safety, surely, she would have told me?

I send out a small wave of trust. "She's's always been Bella, should I be referring to her as something else?"

"No, it's just, what you mean by always?" His voice stammers slightly. I don't understand why this would catch him off guard.

"I knew her some years ago. I mean no harm." What is it with humans and being difficult? Is he incapable of answering my question also? "Some of my family were in the area on vacation and I bumped into her."

"This true?" The man turns to ask Bella. She is pushed roughly from the small huddle. "You repay our shelter with lies?" She lied to him? I really need to get her away from this group soon. II don't like the way the emotions are turning.

When Bella doesn't respond, he speaks once again to me. "Sorry for being cold, you know what it's like." He eyes me up and down. "Or maybe ya don't. Anyway, we don't tolerate lying in this community, as B well knows. So please feel free to take her." He starts to mumble under his breath, "Good riddance, knew there's something off bout that one."

"No," Bella cries, trying to join back in with the huddle of women, "You don't understand."

"I know that I ain't having a whore falsely accusing men of rape here." His voice has a dangerous tone. I wish I am amazed that she would accuse me of such, but she is desperate to get rid of me, and it must have appeared to be the only option. I brush it off. I've been called much worse in my past.

It's as the man's hand goes towards his belt that I realize there is a reason he is responsible for this group. He has a gun.

"I won't ask you again, missy." His hand grasps a small handle, and Bella pales further.

It is hard to restrain myself from hurting this man for the threats and derogatory words. I just need to get her away from here, fast.

"Let's go, Bella," I say quietly to her as I wrap my cold fingers around her wrist.

She doesn't fight me as I lead her away. She doesn't do anything but walk limply, a pace behind me. The streets are a dangerous place, everyone knows that; had this group been her only safe place? Not that it matters. he won't be going back, but the feeling of losing that security net must be terrifying.

The walk to the address Alice sent is long and silent. I could have called for a cab; it just didn't seem appropriate. Bella needs time to grieve. She needs space to process everything that has happened, and come to terms with it in her own way.

I keep my pace steady, slowing down when I see her steps start to falter

When we reach the apartment block, I press the call bell, and ask Alice to unlock the door. Bella doesn't react to anything; she keeps her eyes trained on her feet, her face dead. She is like a doll, simply following because she must. There is no response as we enter the elevator, or as we walk into the apartment.

I release her wrist. She doesn't move.

Alice looks between us, unsure. "There's three rooms. I've put some stuff in that one for you," she says, pointing towards a white door. Bella doesn't move. "I…m…ell, help yourself."

I send Alice a warm smile of reassurance.

"We'll be just through there," I say, gesturing to another door. I place a finger underneath Bella's chin, and lift her gaze to meet mine. "Feel free to knock if you need anything." I hold her gaze until she reluctantly nods.

Knowing not to push anymore right now, I retreat with Alice into the small room.

The whole apartment is nice, though simpler than we usually get. It's entirely furnished and has a comfortable feel about it.

"Were there problems getting here? You took a while," Alice asks me after she closes the door. Now that Bella is here, I feel comfortable enough to give her some space. Besides, we are all fast enough to stop her from doing anything rash.

"Some," I say, offering no further explanation. "Where are Emmett and Rosalie? Has she cooled off at all?"

"They were here when I arrived, but Rose shot off pretty quick. She's really mad. Emmett followed her, but said he'd try to be back later. I can't see what'll happen, because no one has made any decisions yet." She sounds frustrated.

"You aren't responsible for predicting everything," I say, placing a hand on her shoulder. She is rubbing her head slightly, something she only does when she is putting pressure on herself. "And you are not responsible for this mess."

"No, this is Edward's fault," Alice says darkly.

Outside, I hear Bella shuffle across the room. They're the stunted movements of a terrified creature. I can still only feel the numb void from her, but movement is a good sign, I hope.

"We'll need to go to the store at some point," Alice tells me., "There isn't any food here. It's always been Esme who deals with that part of the human façade. I wondered if Bella would want anything specific."

I smile at her sadly. It's hard enough for a vampire to navigate human food, but having no memories of her human years must make it even harder. "I don't think so this time. Maybe Emmett can pick some stuff up on the way back. I think we should stay for a while."

She nods, pulling out her phone.

Bella has finally made it into the assigned bedroom. As soon as she closes the door, I hear her sink to the floor and start crying. She's trying to keep it quiet, even though she must know we can hear.

"Should we?" Alice asks, moving towards the door.

"Not this time. She just needs space to process, give her time." I give her a sad smile. "Speak to Emmett."

Alice hesitates, clearly torn between wanting to comfort her once friend, and listening to me. Pursing her lips, she returns to the phone.

In the back of my mind I hear her softly talking to Emmett. I tune them out. Bella just continues to sob. They're the utterly broken sobs of someone who has lost everything. They're the sort of sobs I'd felt in the early days, but had been unable to produce. I know the biological process of crying, the collection of hormones into a precious ball of liquid for the body to expel. It's hard to remember such feelings after so long, but we have all wished at some point we can cry.

I sit on the bed next to Alice, and wrap my arms around her. She's finished the call, and we simply sit embracing each other.

"He'll pick stuff up, but he could be a while. Rose is fuming. Apparently, she overheard some stuff at the hospital. Obviously, she's the only one who'd understand any of it, but she hasn't reacted well." I know exactly what she must have overheard, and why she would react this way. It's a well-known fact that children are a touchy subject around Rosalie. She'd give up everything, including Emmett, to be human again. "I won't ask, but is it safe for her to be here? Is Bella safe around her? Should we send them back to the family?"

It isn't a good idea for her to be here? I like to think that if she knew the entire situation her response would be different, but I know it wouldn't be. She is set in her mindset and nothing will change that.

That being said, Emmett and Rosalie are a package deal. Would we need him here for Bella? Rosalie wouldn't hurt Bella, would she? I'm fairly confident that we can protect her from physical harm, but Rose has a sharp tongue. Bella's mental state can't handle an onslaught like that.

Alice senses my turmoil, and must guess the reason. "They're going to stay at the hotel for tonight, since we've still got it for a few days." I nod. This is a reasonable compromise, and it isn't as though money is an issue.

We lapse into silence, embracing each other as we listen.

It's well over an hour before the crying starts to settle. First the sobs stop, and then her breathing evens out. She's fallen asleep.

I release Alice and move out into the communal area. Stopping in front of Bella's door, I hope that it has been well oiled. Thankfully, it glides open silently.

Bella is curled in a tight ball, back against the wall. Even in sleep she doesn't get a reprieve. Her face remains tearstained and is scrunched up in tension. It's amazing she's alive, given everything she's been through.

I know I could ease it, I could so easily send her waves of serenity and peace, but it won't help. It would just put a temporary bandage over the problem, and make it so much worse when she finally feels. No, we can learn to manage seeing her broken. The sadness we feel when looking at her is nothing compared to the pain she's in.

Ever so gently, I place my arm around her back and beneath her legs. She stirs slightly, but a small coo sends her back to sleep; she's too exhausted to wake up properly. Alice has turned the sheets down, allowing me to easily place her on the bed. Stepping back, I watch as Alice unties her shoes and slips them off.

"Should I get her changed? She'd be more comfortable."

"No, let's just let her sleep." I pull the comforter over her body and tuck it gently in around her neck. She lets out a deep breath and buries herself deeper beneath the sheets.