Beyond Unreasonable

by Cheriana-1

When Bella is kidnapped and brutally attacked, the face of her attacker is none other than Edward's. But all is not what it seems. Edward said he would protect Bella from anything. But how can he protect her when the face in her nightmares is his own? *trigger warnings inside* New Moon / Eclipse AU. Vampfic.

16. Chapter 16 - Balance

Chapter 16 - Balance

As much as Edward wanted to return to the warm bed in his room that currently held his even warmer mate, pull her back into his arms and hold and kiss her just because he finally felt like he could, there were some other orders of business he first needed to attend to after he got himself together, after he got a lid on the maelstrom of emotion that had led to his meltdown in the woods.

And going near Bella wasn't going to help get his head on straight. Not at the moment, anyway. Not when all he could think about, now that he had vented some of his rage and was back inside — where all he could hear was her heartbeat and all he could breathe was her luscious scent — was the way her body had almost instinctively responded and relaxed into him when he stopped her running from him, when he dropped the last of his human pretenses, stopped fighting his instincts and let himself just be a vampire with her. With his mate.

The implications of it all had his head spinning.

There was no vestige of doubt remaining. She truly was his. His mate. And she always would be — especially if he had anything to say about it, which he intended to.

But even more dizzying, she had proven that he was just as much her mate when she picked up that knife and informed him she didn't intend to live without him either.

That was the harder part to wrap his mind around, that she could possibly need someone like him so very much. She deserved so much better. But she did need and want him, and so he was hers. Her mate. He belonged to Bella — body, heart, and...and maybe even soul. He was willing to consider that maybe he did still have one, because how could it be possible to have that type of intense connection with such a beautiful soul as Bella's if he didn't have one of his own?

Wanted. Loved. Needed. Words he'd never expected to use to describe himself, given the monster he believed he was, given the things he had done — the very existence of Albert being one of the most damning pieces of evidence against him.

Nonetheless, his Bella had passionately declared she couldn't live without him; threatened her own life in a desperate attempt to preserve his.

And he wouldn't forget that feeling for the rest of his existence. He wouldn't forget what it meant.

It meant that for the first time since 1918, it truly mattered if he lived or died.

He'd long known he couldn't live without her. But to have that all-consuming need so utterly and thoroughly reciprocated? It had turned him completely upside down and inside out.

And like the nighttime followed the day, that acknowledgement and the kisses they'd shared began to stoke the fires of other needs he'd pushed to the back of his mind since the day of Alice's vision — other desires, other pleasures he wanted to share with his mate. Pleasures he wanted to give her, to show her how it was supposed to be. What it was supposed to feel like, when her mate touched her.

He'd temporarily satisfied the demon of his fiery rage out in the forest. Bella herself had done battle with his demon of self-doubt and defeated it.

Now, the slower-burning demon of desire set its sights on him. And that was one that would have to be handled delicately.

Very delicately, and not only because Bella was still human. He couldn't just count on her near-instinctive responses to him as her mate to carry them through that one. The things Albert had done to her, the things she had described to him — they didn't just infuriate him. They terrified him, when he thought about the prospect of moving forward physically with his mate.

Therein lay his problem: she was his now, unequivocally and unarguably, and he'd finally really accepted that he actually got to keep her — but he still didn't dare touch her. At least not the way nature dictated.

If it was just his own desire, he'd be content to table the issue indefinitely. He'd wait for Bella forever. What was another century or even two, so long as she was at his side while he waited? He could be unendingly patient. But it wasn't just him. He'd heard her heart race when they kissed, especially that last, gentle kiss he'd been unable to resist giving her just before he hummed her to sleep. She'd been thinking about more too, just as he had. He'd seen it in her eyes, felt it in the way she clutched him to her.

But he'd also seen and felt the uncertainty, kissing him while they lay on that futon that had become, for all intents and purposes, their bed. And so he'd backed off quickly, kept the kiss short and chaste. She'd been simultaneously relieved and disappointed. It was written all over her face.

Bella would surely expect that things between them would slowly begin to move forward now, after the promises made between them. She likely needed them to.

But he didn't have the first clue how to set the pace for that. And that responsibility — and it was his responsibility to find a way to make it as easy as possible for her — was a very sobering one.

He'd tear off his own hand before he'd ever knowingly frighten her with his touch, but it was sort of inevitable that when they got to that point some day, it was going to be difficult. For both of them. Albert had made her say his name when he violated her, look into a face identical to his own. How could either of them forget that?

He sighed heavily. None of that was what he needed to be worrying about at the moment. The sun would be up in less than two hours, and he would then have to take Bella off the secure Cullen property, face the frighteningly uncontrollable variables of a day at school, and then deliver her home to her well-meaning father who was completely incompetent to protect her.

And none of that was happening without a solid plan in place that would protect her.

He drew a calming breath, ran his hands through his severely disheveled hair, and pushed thoughts of eventual intimacy with his mate to the very back of his mind. For the third time in five minutes.

"Esme," he murmured quietly, knowing his mother would hear him across the house. "Would you relieve Alice, please? I need her in Carlisle's office. Jasper, Rose, Emmett...could you join us too?"

Of course. I'd be delighted to sit with Bella, he heard in his mind. Even the tenor of Esme's thoughts was warm and kind.

He stayed in his mother's mind, the soothing and calm place that it was, until she reached his room, until he caught sight of his beloved through her eyes. He didn't dare risk losing his focus by going near Bella, but a peek through Esme's eyes might at least soothe the aching void in his chest.

It had the opposite effect, filling him with even deeper longing.

Bella was curled up in a tight ball without him, her face not nearly so relaxed as it had been when she drifted off earlier — when he'd held her so securely in his arms, humming her lullaby, trying to tamp down the near-embarrassing purr in his chest. He'd given that up when she pressed her ear against the source of his purr and sighed contentedly, unknowingly locking his heart up even tighter in her grip.

It still amazed him, even in that moment. She wanted him, exactly as he was. He didn't have to hide or constrain his true nature anymore. She accepted him, the man and the monster. She loved them both.

He could just be himself with her.

With that thought in mind, the secondhand sight of her through Esme's eyes nearly drove the breath from his lungs. God, how much he loved her. How much he needed her.

And right behind that, a shot of fear pulsed through him.

He'd promised her he would find another way to save her. He'd promised not to take advantage of the only one he had found, despite seven months of trying. And he would keep that promise. He wouldn't seek his own death to remove the target on Bella. He wouldn't do that to her — not now that he knew how it would hurt her to lose him.

But what if he couldn't find another way?

What if he fucking couldn't?

If anything else happened to her...God. He could barely think it.

He'd tear the world down, with his own two hands.

---

Three hours later, Bella sat buckled into the seat beside him in his Volvo, her hand reassuringly warm and solid in his own as he watchfully drove them to school.

It would be his first day back since he left for Brazil on Bella's birthday, nearly eight months earlier now. It would be Bella's first day since Albert attacked her.

And he wasn't sure she truly understood exactly how difficult that might be.

Rosalie and Emmett were in the Jeep directly in front of them, Alice and Jasper driving almost right on his bumper behind them. He figuratively kept one ear on Alice's mind, as she checked Bella's immediate future every few seconds, and his other ear on their surroundings.

He was less agitated than he'd expected, simply because he knew his family had his back — and Bella's.

He'd spent the first half of their strategy meeting during the night, in fact, trying to talk Emmett off the damn ledge, instead of the other way around.

It was a somber group that had met in Carlisle's office, for the most part, aside from Emmett. Despite Edward's family's attempts not to intentionally listen to the details Bella shared with him in the cottage, they'd all heard more than enough. Bella was one of their own now, and someone had hurt her unspeakably. Most of them were quiet and subdued.

But to say Emmett was royally pissed off at what he'd heard would be an understatement. He'd readily accepted Bella as a baby sister from almost day one. Having it driven home that he could have saved her from the worst of it if he had found her just minutes earlier hadn't gone over well with him — nor had it ended well for several pieces of furniture.

Emmett's idea of strategy had been to run straight to Seattle right then and there and kill every fucking newborn vampire they could find — but only after doing whatever it took to drag the whereabouts of Albert and Victoria out of them, through any means necessary. And he couldn't understand why no one else saw the wisdom in that plan. Not even Carlisle had been able to talk him down, at first.

Honestly, if not for the existence of the shield, it had sounded like a pretty damn good idea to Edward too. But the shield, Thomas, complicated matters. Outnumbered was one thing, so long as Edward and Alice maintained the use of their gifts. Outnumbered, blind, and deaf was another thing entirely. And coming back to Bella in one piece wasn't optional — not anymore.

He couldn't let himself do something rash, react without thinking things through thoroughly. And he couldn't let Emmett, either — no matter how much it meant to him that his brother cared so much, that he accepted Bella as part of the family so completely.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Edward asked Bella as he drove, and not for the first time that morning. "Just because Charlie expects you home this afternoon, you don't necessarily have to start back to school today. You still have a couple more days left on your doctor's note, and Carlisle could even extend it."

Her voice was resolute enough, but he heard the hitch in her breath, felt the way she squeezed his hand a little more tightly for support. "I'd rather go ahead and get the first day over with. What if Charlie came to the school or something?"

He nodded his acceptance of her wishes, bringing her hand to his lips for just the briefest moment before he had to launch into a topic he'd dreaded. He'd put this off to the last possible moment, but if they were really going through with this, he needed to let Bella in on the plans for her own protection. It was necessary for her to understand the seriousness of following his instructions throughout the day and keeping her guard up.

"We'll take care of you, Bella," he began by assuring her. "Carlisle was able to get me back in all but two of your classes when he re-enrolled me, English and gym. He rearranged Emmett's schedule too, on the pretense of getting him into a different math class, so Emmett has gym with you now. I'll take you there myself, and he'll walk you back to me afterward. None of us will be in the room with you when you're in English, but Alice and I will be in the class right next door."

Her hand gripped his a little more tightly, her expression growing nervous at the idea of being alone. He rushed to reassure her, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb and gentling his voice.

"I don't like it either, but I can be there in less than a second. All you have to do is whisper my name if you need me for anything, Bella, and I'll hear it. I'll come straight through the wall if I have to, and I'll worry about the repercussions later. My eyes will be on you at all times through others in the room."

She nodded, accepting that, though her voice wasn't steady. "Okay. As long as I know you're close, I'll be okay."

His heart felt like it was being squeezed in a vise. After days of having her push him away, to hear her say things like that...God, she truly was going to be the death of him one day. His voice gentled even more, entirely of its own volition.

"Just pay attention to your surroundings. Don't walk away with anyone, no matter who it is, without me. Anything I say, just play along. And if I tell you to do something, I need you to just trust me and do as I ask. It will be for your safety only. Alice and Rose will go with you anytime you need to go to the restroom. Just let me know. And at lunch, you'll sit between me and Emmett, with Jasper across from you. I want one of us between you and the window too."

She was starting to look a little overwhelmed, so he left out the part about how he would personally be validating the identity of every student and teacher in every one of her classes through their thoughts, as well as making sure each one of his family members were who they purported to be when he left her with them — and that they would all be mentally testing him when they returned her to him. Bella may not have thought of that possibility, so he didn't want to scare her. She looked worried enough.

"Okay," she nodded nervously. "What about after school? Charlie?"

"Carlisle and Esme are going to drop by the station unannounced and talk to him today. They're going to let him know I'm back in town and that I just started back to school today, so he shouldn't be overly surprised when I show up and knock on your door after Alice drives you home this afternoon. And beyond that, I'll be there with you every moment, whether you and Charlie can see me or not."

Bella exhaled sharply, a tiny little laugh but not with any humor. "He's not going to just let you in. He was pretty upset with you the last time he mentioned you."

He had no doubt of it. He also had no intentions of beating around the bush with Charlie about the fact that he didn't intend to be kept from Bella.

And that brought up another issue.

"Did you know Carlisle and Esme went and talked to him before?" he asked. "Right after I left?"

It was immediately clear she didn't, based on the look she was giving him. "They did what?"

"Charlie believes I left because of some issue with my birth family. I bring it up because when I show up this afternoon, he'll already know I was at school today. So he would expect you to know that story too."

Bella was staring at him, a look of betrayal in her eyes. "I can't believe he never told me about talking to them. He knew how desperate I was to hear anything. Why wouldn't he tell me that?"

Edward squeezed her hand. She didn't need to feel further alienated from her father. Bella needed all the support she could get, at the moment.

"He had his reasons, I'm sure," he soothed. "They may have implied there was some type of confidentiality issue, or he may have just assumed I told you when I called to say goodbye. But I'm sure he just didn't want to upset you by bringing it up."

Or Charlie hadn't wanted to get her hopes up that Edward might one day be able to return, which Edward had a feeling was the more likely possibility. But Bella had gone quiet, thinking it over, so he just let her process. What he wouldn't give to be able to hear her thoughts, though.

His phone rang right as he activated his blinker to pull into the school lot, breaking him free from his own musings. He scowled, mostly because he had to let go of Bella's hand to answer the call.

"Edward? Can you hear me?"

It was Alice, and she sounded panicked. He swiftly read her thoughts from the car just behind him and saw why — Bella's future had just abruptly disappeared.

"The shield must be close," Alice explained quickly, assuming Edward wouldn't be able to hear it in her thoughts if the shield was nearby. "Bella's future just disappeared."

Just before Edward could begin to panic himself, he scanned all the minds in close proximity — and immediately understood why Alice had just lost her vision while his gift was unaffected.

And then he said a word under his breath that he would never even consider using in front of Bella — at least not loudly enough for her to hear. At least not as a swear word, although there were other contexts where it might one day be acceptable.

"It's not the shield," he said through clenched teeth. "I can still hear you, Alice. You and Jasper get in my car with Bella as soon as I park, and keep her here. I'll deal with this."

This was not what he needed right now, not when things with Bella were finally right.

Jacob fucking Black was waiting for them. And he was about to ruin everything if Edward didn't intercept him first.

---

Slamming his door with a little too much force after he had slid out of the Volvo, with Jasper immediately replacing him in the driver's seat, Edward stalked toward the waiting Quileute boy.

Jacob stood near the school entrance at his full height, with his arms crossed, trying to look intimidating. Typically, that might have made Edward roll his eyes or even have amused him.

Not today.

Not when he'd just left a scared Bella in his car, calling after him and wanting to know what was going on.

Not when he hadn't dared take the time to stop and explain why he'd just instructed his siblings to hold her captive in his car.

Not when he didn't really have a great answer to that question anyway.

And especially not when he'd just heard her ask Alice and Jasper, "Wait, is that Jake? Why can't I just go talk to him?"

Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.

He'd known that his decisions on this particular issue would cause problems between them. He was neither stupidly naive nor ignorant. He simply didn't have a choice, if he wanted to protect his mate from a volatile young werewolf who could shred her into ribbons with one temper tantrum.

Which he most certainly did want to do. Especially knowing, as he did, that that werewolf was in love with her.

What he wasn't entirely certain of was Bella's feelings for Jacob in return. Edward no longer questioned her bond to him, but that didn't necessarily preclude her having feelings for another, either. She was still human, after all. He had no frame of reference for exactly how a bond of this type worked when one half of it was human, and neither did anyone else that he knew of.

Could she possibly bear some attraction to Jacob Black, in addition to her connection to her vampire mate?

Even worse, what if her bond to Edward was a completely involuntary one she had no choice in, while her free will chose Jacob?

It was a horrible thought. But he had listened on the phone, from Brazil, as she'd gone on and on about how much better the dog's mere presence made her feel, believing she was talking to Alice. He'd seen the easy physical interaction between the two of them after her attack, the way she'd clung to his hand, the way she'd allowed him to pick her up from that bathroom floor to carry her back to her bed without flinching — and at a point in time where Edward himself hadn't been able to get close enough to touch her.

There was certainly something between them. He just wasn't sure what yet. It was the unknown, and the unknown was a potential threat.

Threats, to his monster's way of thinking, simply required elimination. Threats of any kind.

And that wasn't a good thing, not when he'd just decided the night before to go full vampire with his mate. He hadn't had a chance yet to adjust, to figure out what that should look like, to achieve some kind of balance for the turbulent but instinctive emotions it brought out in him — especially the fierce possessiveness it entailed.

At the moment, he could scarcely bear the thought of another male looking at her without wanting to do violence. And it would take him some time to readjust, to get a grip on that.

"You shouldn't be here, Jacob," he gritted out quietly, as he approached, mindful of all the innocent children who were already gathering around, staring. His own arrival back at school, especially with Bella in tow and securely attached to his hip, would be enough of a draw for the curious. Add in a confrontation with the boy who was well known to have replaced him as Bella's constant companion after he left, and this was the most interesting thing to happen at Forks High since Edward Cullen broke Bella Swan's heart and vanished into thin air. "I'm only going to say this once: Leave. Now."

Fuck you, leech, he heard in his mind by way of reply.

So the feeling was mutual, apparently.

"I want to talk to Bella," Jacob insisted out loud, standing his ground. "I have orders to confirm she's unharmed."

Edward scoffed, his temper rising. He was reading Jacob's every thought, so he knew that part was true enough — but only because Jacob had whined and carried on until Sam Uley agreed to give him that order just to pacify him and shut him the hell up. His real purpose was to make sure Bella knew Edward had been preventing him from contacting her, hoping to stir up problems between them.

And Jacob needed to keep his damn voice down, too. A few people had heard that last statement.

"She's fine," Edward hissed through clenched teeth. "I'm taking care of her now. She doesn't need you."

Jacob sarcastically applauded, giving him the slow clap, playing to the crowd. "Well, good for you. Better late than never, I guess."

Jacob wanted the bystanders to hear, Edward realized through his utter fury. The mutt was putting on a show, trying to gain favor. Edward didn't understand the purpose of that, until he read the minds around them. Anyone who'd noticed Bella Swan slowly withering away seven months ago was thinking about it now, giving him a pretty good idea of what his absence had done to her from multiple perspectives.

The entire group were also all solidly on Jacob's side now, incidentally. That was very much secondary to the pain of seeing a withdrawn, gaunt, haggard Bella through fifteen or so different memories.

Edward pushed a little closer, didn't keep his voice down this time. Jacob wanted a show? Fine. He'd get one. No time like the present to make it very, very clear to the population of Forks High — translation, the male population — that Bella Swan was irrevocably taken.

By him.

He could pull off cocky bastard. He was quite good at it, actually. Didn't even take much effort.

"It doesn't matter what you or anyone else thinks. Bella's made her choice. She made that choice clear last night, in fact." He smiled dangerously, dropped his tone a couple levels, injected a smirk into his voice. "Very clear. So you're going to stay away from her."

There was a buzz of anticipation at that statement and what it implied, although he hadn't meant it to sound quite so overtly sexual in nature as the other students apparently took it. He nearly winced. He certainly hadn't meant to do damage to Bella's reputation, whether she or anyone else in this day and age cared one way or the other.

He cared.

Nonetheless, the general and ridiculously gleeful consensus among their observers was that he had just scored a direct hit — or scored, in general — and that this was about to turn into a fist-fight. He'd earned some respect, at least, albeit by morally questionable means, in his opinion.

Not many of them thought he'd win, based on Jacob's size alone. If only they knew. He could crush Jacob like a bug, especially with the advantage of seeing his every thought.

The group conclusions weren't too far off about his desire for a fight, though. The memory of listening to Jacob in his room with Bella for days on end was a strong one — as was the urge to break his arrogant face.

Jacob stepped closer, nearly nose to nose, and Edward's lip curled — both at his nearness and his odor. The dog had the audacity to grin.

He could be a cocky bastard too, apparently.

"You can't keep her from me forever. She's going to want to see me. And I'll be right there waiting when you slip up. I'll be there to save her when you're not. Again."

That was enough. That was much more than enough. Any patience Edward had started out with was obliterated.

"Get out of my face, Black," he sneered, his hands trembling with the effort it took to restrain himself. "Walk away while I'm still willing to give you the chance."

The gathering had attracted the attention of a couple staff members, by that point, and the crowd was starting to drift away as authority figures drew closer.

"Tell Bella I'll see her soon," Jacob grinned at him. And then he walked away.

---

"What was that about? Why did I have to stay here?"

The questions started the very second Edward opened his car door on Bella's side, at the same time that Jasper quickly slid out of the driver's seat and inhaled some fresh air after being sealed in with Bella. He tried to do it surreptitiously, but Edward noticed.

His family was going to need to hunt soon.

And so was he.

He held his hand out to help Bella from the car. After what she'd put him through for the previous few days, it still flooded him with relief when she put her hand in his immediately and without hesitation. She let him pull her from the car, straight into his arms, where he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

That kiss was to soothe him, honestly, at least as much as it was to soothe her.

"Everything's fine," he murmured into her skin, breathing her in deep. It burned like the fires of hell. It was also unbelievably calming. "We simply had some matters to discuss. The pack is helping keep watch for any sign of Albert or Victoria."

That last part wasn't a lie, exactly, although it wasn't one of the 'matters they discussed', at least not verbally. But he'd seen in Jacob's mind, when he threw that taunt at him about Bella not needing him anymore, that Jacob disagreed. The pack had increased patrols all along the border between Forks and La Push, looking for any sign of Bella's attackers. And a few of them, with Jacob as ringleader, had been kind of generous with that borderline, in the name of protecting Bella and Charlie Swan. They'd extended it almost straight into the backyard of her empty house, in fact. And Sam, while not exactly complicit, had turned a blind eye.

Charlie was pretty popular among many of the Quileute, thanks to his long friendship with Billy Black. Popular enough to merit protection not usually afforded someone outside the tribe. And Bella, apparently, was even more 'popular' with several of the newer wolves — something that didn't sit well with her vampire mate.

It did little to change his decision about keeping her away from them. That was for sure.

"Is that all?" Bella quizzed him, looking up at him intently. "You seemed pretty mad when you left."

Shit.

"I'm sorry," he said sincerely. "I didn't mean to scare you. I just hated the thought of leaving you alone for even a moment."

Her brow furrowed. "It was just Jake, right? You could have taken me with you."

"We should get to class," he changed the topic quickly. "You're still sure you want to do this?"

She held him just a little more tightly for a moment before she pulled away, her focus changing instantly to what lay ahead. "Yeah. I think so."

---

Returning to school had helped Bella once before, right after her ordeal with James. It had helped take her mind off of things, given her a routine, dulled at least part of the worries and insecurities that had plagued her even then — worries that Edward would someday disappear out of her life without warning, as he indeed eventually did. Almost like she had sensed it, had premonitions of it.

But this time, school didn't help. At all.

Everything was too loud, moving too fast, and it all seemed to be coming right at her — especially her friends she had only recently resumed speaking to in the last few weeks before her attack.

Angela, Jessica.

Tyler. Eric.

Mike. Overeager, over-friendly, handsy Mike.

She walked through the front doors, clutching Edward's hand like a lifeline. He felt like the only steady thing in the entire swirling vortex of movement around her. She couldn't watch it all at once, keep track of where everything and everybody was, and it made it hard to think. Hard to breathe.

There were hugs. She lost track of how many and from whom. She only knew they were one-handed hugs on her part, because Edward didn't let go of her other hand the whole time, standing so close she could feel the cold coming off of him as he monitored her reactions closely.

And she was very, very glad about that. The hugs were suffocating, especially Mike's, which to her relief was over with surprising abruptness. It was still all she could do to keep her composure. Edward's touch kept her grounded.

There were questions. They ranged from the well-meaning (Angela), to the curious (Tyler and Eric), to the snide (Jessica), to the skin-crawling (Mike).

Are you okay? Are you still contagious? Did your house really burn down? So are you and Edward, like, back together or something? Are you going to be in gym with me today? Is he going to be there?

She had no idea what she said to most of those. She wasn't sure if her answers even made sense. She only knew that it happened in kind of a blur, and next thing she knew, she was being firmly ushered away toward homeroom with Edward's arm wrapped securely around her waist like a shield.

And she could breathe again.

He touched her as much as he could, even in class — a knee against hers when they shared a two-person table in chemistry, his fingers lightly touching her back when he sat in a desk directly behind her in math, even the frequent smiles and near-physical touch of his gaze to hers when he had to sit across the aisle from her in history, letting her know he was right there and his only focus was her.

It was overwhelmingly reassuring, his touch. For all that she had originally been unsure about it any time they were alone right after her attack, now that she was surrounded on every side with curious onlookers and people staring at her, fighting the irrational fear that danger was coming at her from every direction, she couldn't have survived without being in contact with him. Edward was her safe place. And he seemed to understand that.

That very morning, when she awoke and immediately remembered the things she'd told him earlier in the night, her first impulse had been to turn away out of his arms, hide her blushing face in embarrassment in the harsh light of day. But Edward hadn't let her. He'd meant that promise not to let her run from him anymore, apparently. And moments later, after he firmly pulled her back into his embrace, positioning them so they were lying on their sides, face-to-face, he whispered in her ear that everything was still okay and he loved her more than he ever had. He kissed her cheek adoringly.

When he pulled back to make eye contact, his heart showing in his eyes, her gaze had near immediately dropped to his mouth as her heart skipped a beat.

And then his lips had been on hers.

It was the most heated kiss they'd shared since his return, even their first one just a few hours earlier, when she'd thrown herself at him as a last desperate attempt to avoid talking to him. That kiss he had quickly slowed down. This one he had quickly heated up, tracing her bottom lip with his tongue and boldly seeking entrance. She was fairly certain he'd been hard, especially when she very eagerly responded to his kiss, because his hands firmly around her waist had insistently kept some distance between them.

Her heart had raced at that realization that he was aroused, and she couldn't say it was entirely all in a good way. Nonetheless, she hadn't wanted to stop kissing him. She hadn't wanted him to stop. He had, though, all too soon — though his eyes had been a shade of dark she hadn't seen in a very long time.

He wasn't the only one. She'd experienced the first rush of true arousal she'd really felt since what happened to her. It was gone as quickly as it came, replaced with self-doubt about her ability to carry through, but it had been there. It had happened.

She didn't hear a word the teachers said in any of her classes all morning. Her thoughts were all of Edward. She idly wondered if things would be different, were they both human — if it weren't for that mating bond that she still didn't fully understand. Would she be able to touch him at all? Was it only the gravitational pull of their bond which still drew her to Edward physically, which made her body still want things her mind now shied away from?

Or was it simply Edward himself?

Either way, it was powerful. Powerful enough that sometimes it felt like she was drowning in it, like she might lose herself in him.

But there was no question that drowning in his presence was far preferable to drowning in his absence. She'd experienced both.

---

Mike Newton was in grave danger of losing a limb before the day ended.

It had been painful watching Bella quickly become overwhelmed when her human friends rushed her, most of them well-meaning, although Edward briefly considered snapping Jessica Stanley's neck for her malicious musings on why the 'stupid mono' couldn't have just 'finished Bella off' so that he wouldn't again be 'wasting his time' with someone as 'plain' as her.

He wouldn't have done it, of course. But he'd entertained that satisfying thought a few seconds longer than he really should have.

He'd forgotten all about it, though, when Bella's heart raced in sudden panic — the very moment Mike Newton reached out and yanked her into a too-aggressive hug.

Her eyes had flown to him like she was asking for help. And he'd just reacted. That had been a very brief hug. It'd been all he could do to resist throwing Mike right through the row of lockers behind him. Newton was almost certainly nursing a nasty bruise on his shoulder from where Edward's free hand had automatically shot out and clamped down none too gently to yank him off of Bella. The moron had opened his mouth to protest, but he had backed down to Edward's cold and menacing glare.

Hence Mike's pouting questions about whether or not Bella would be in gym with him, and whether or not Edward would have that class with them.

Jesus. Did the imbecile have a death wish? Edward would be happy to grant it. He just might, if he put another unwanted hand on Bella and made this day any harder for her than it already was.

---

Once classes began, the day went as smoothly as Edward could have realistically expected, right up until Bella's last two classes: English and gym.

The two they didn't have together.

He delivered her to just outside the door of her English class, mentally scanning the room and all the minds around him. No sign of danger. That didn't matter. He wouldn't relax again until he had her back in his arms.

He quickly kissed her on the forehead only, because there was no shortage of eyes on them the entire day — including teaching staff — and whispered in her ear.

"I'll be right next door. So will Alice. If you need me, Bella, just whisper my name and I'll be here. It doesn't matter why. You hear me?"

She nodded against him, her hands bunching up the sides of his t-shirt in her fists. "Okay."

The fear in her eyes gave him pause. He knew it had little to do with Albert.

The last time he dropped her off in a class alone, which had been on her birthday no less, she hadn't seen him for seven months.

He got it now. After last night, he finally got it.

His hand came up to cup her cheek. "I'm coming back, sweetheart. I'll always come back for you."

That earned him a tiny smile that warmed his heart. "You better."

She was trying to sound brave, but he knew better.

To hell with what anyone thought, including faculty. He leaned in and gently kissed her lips for an all-too-brief second. "Count on it."

---

To say he was on edge throughout the entire class period away from Bella was putting it mildly.

It got worse near the end, when Bella's teacher started pairing the students off in twos to work on some questions. And Jessica Stanley made a beeline for Bella to partner with her.

"So?" the girl whispered conspiratorially, the moment she sat down, her voice full of implication.

Edward nearly kept that promise to go right through the wall when he read Jessica's mind and realized exactly what she intended to question Bella about. If not for Alice kicking the back of his chair none too gently, and her stern mental voice advising him to stay put or he'd only make things worse, he might have.

"So, what?" Bella replied, sounding a little put out. Her face, through Jessica's mind, was equally annoyed. She'd had a long day already, and it was clearly wearing on her.

"What was it like?" Jessica whispered, her face friendly enough, but her thoughts full of bitter jealousy.

Bella paled, likely fearing the worst — that people knew. Edward looked on helplessly. After the scene he'd made that morning and his unwitting implication, this was almost bound to happen. But it couldn't happen with a worse person than Jessica Stanley.

He should have warned Bella about what happened with Jacob that morning and how the student body had perceived his possessive statement. His reasons for not doing so were undeniably selfish.

Simply put, he just hadn't wanted her to be mad at him. He'd wanted to delay the inevitable a while longer.

And that decision was now coming back on Bella.

"What was what like?" Bella replied quietly...a little fearfully.

"Are you kidding me right now?" Jessica stage-whispered. "Sex. With Edward Cullen."

Edward's eyes closed, knowing exactly where that misapprehension had come from, but he could still see Bella's shocked face through Jessica's mind. She'd lost all color now.

He had to stop this. Of all topics Bella didn't really need to have thrown in her face on her first day back after what Albert did to her, sex with him was at the very top of that list.

It's going to be okay, Edward, Alice told him when he tensed, making a snap decision to intervene and damn the consequences. Give her some credit. She can handle Jessica Stanley.

"What — what are you talking about?" Bella whispered back.

Jessica scoffed, annoyed. "Oh, please. He already told everybody that you guys did it last night. So spill. Details."

Bella's face was suddenly more confused than frightened. "Edward said that? When?"

"This morning, when he was talking to that kid from La Push. Don't even try to deny it. Everybody heard them."

Edward grit his teeth. Jessica hadn't even been standing anywhere close when it happened, but clearly, the rumor mill was running at full capacity.

Bella's eyes widened dramatically, and Edward was mortified. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, her gaze dropping down to her desk. But then she completely shocked the hell out of him, planting a fake smile on her face. A very fake smile.

"Oh. Right. Yeah. Um, it was great. Really good."

Jessica nearly fell out of her chair at that awkward confirmation. "That's it? Really good? You've got to give me more than that."

Bella's face was the brightest red he'd ever seen. She was extremely uncomfortable, and the fact she knew he was listening to every word probably didn't help, all things considered.

"I — I really shouldn't say anything."

Jessica smirked. "That small, huh?" I knew it. He's just too perfect. There had to be something wrong with him. Serves her right.

Edward paid no attention to Jessica's insipid mind. He was reeling. Why? Why would Bella confirm such a rumor about them? All she had to say was that it wasn't true. Word would have spread throughout the school by the end of the next period that Edward Cullen was a liar. He'd be the one to look bad, and Bella Swan's reputation would be intact.

Fortunately, the teacher chose that moment to remind Bella's class they only had ten minutes left to complete the assignment and that they should focus on their work, sternly glaring at Jessica as he did so, and that put an end to that.

Edward was out of his seat one second before the bell rang, already starting for the door.

---

Bella didn't exactly want to meet his eyes when she encountered him right at the door to her classroom, and it did nothing to make him feel better.

"So I guess you heard that?" she asked him, as he took her hand and pulled her out into the hallway, right into a small alcove by the lockers that afforded them at least a small amount of privacy. She blushed red again when he immediately tipped her chin up so he could see her eyes. And she fidgeted. "I'm sorry. I didn't know what I was supposed to say."

"Why did you go along with her?" he blurted out the question that was consuming him, her words barely registering.

Bella's brows pulled together in confusion. "She said you were the one who said it, that everybody heard it. And you told me to play along with anything you said today. I thought...I just thought it was part of the plan and you'd explain it later."

Edward's eyes closed in painful understanding. She had gone along with it in an attempt to comply with his instructions. Because she trusted him.

He sighed, not opening his eyes, his expression pained. "It was a miscommunication. That wasn't what I said or meant, at all, but a few people heard it that way. I'm so sorry, Bella. I wanted to make this day easier for you, not harder."

Bella's hand on his cheek startled him, brought his eyes back to her. She looked concerned for him, and it was like twisting a knife in his heart because he knew he didn't deserve it.

"It's okay," she said softly. "I don't care what anybody thinks. I was actually kind of relieved. For a minute there, I thought..."

She trailed off, biting her lip and looking away

"You thought she knew what happened to you," he finished quietly. "I know." She looked up at him sharply, and he gave her a small smile, correctly interpreting the question in her eyes. "I still can't read your mind. At least, not the traditional way. But I'm learning."

It was her who stretched up on her tiptoes and kissed him that time, soothing the tight ball of worry in the pit of his stomach. "I need to get to gym," she said regretfully, when she pulled back all too soon.

"Alice has your clothes to dress out," he told her, fighting the urge to pull her back to him and try to kiss the memory of what he'd done right off of his conscience. "She and Rosalie are going to meet us beside the restrooms so you can get changed before I drop you off with Emmett."

He still felt guilty, and it must have been written all over his face. Bella wrapped her arms around his waist, pressed her cheek against his chest and squeezed him tightly.

"Stop worrying," she told him sternly. "I'll be okay."

She took his hand to start pulling him toward the bathrooms where they were supposed to meet his sisters, and he honestly couldn't believe his luck. She was letting the whole thing go without further questioning him about what really happened with Jacob.

That should make him feel better. It didn't. Because he knew the only reason she did was that she trusted him implicitly.

And he didn't know if that would change when she inevitably found out about the letters and phone calls he'd hidden from her. And, of course, his firm intention to continue keeping the two of them far apart.

---

His worries about being away from Bella for gym class were somewhat soothed when they turned the corner to find Emmett waiting for them.

He was already dressed out for gym too, standing near the doorway with his arms crossed. He just looked like a bodyguard. Everyone entering and exiting gave him a wide berth, without really understanding why.

But his face split into a welcoming grin when he saw the two of them coming, his entire expression changing instantly to a far less threatening one.

Bella was going to be just fine with Emmett there. He wouldn't let anyone near her, and he'd do his level best not to freak her out in the process. Edward could see in his thoughts that that was the plan.

"Bella! Ready to kick some ass?" Emmett's grin was infectious. Bella couldn't help smiling back at him, shaking her head. Her nervous tension that Edward had felt steadily growing on the entire walk to the gym was now dissipating.

"Definitely not," she answered in a wry tone, but she was still smiling.

Emmett made a show of holding out his arm for her to take like an old-world gentleman, his very best Edward impression. "Too bad. You're on my team, so you don't have a choice. We will kick ass."

Edward rolled his eyes as Bella took Emmett's arm, seeming comfortable enough with him. "Language, Emmett."

"Pussy, Edward," his brother shot back. "Stop being one. You ready, Bella?"

Edward wasn't really sure how he felt about the fact that that had made Bella giggle, but ended up deciding he was just glad to hear it.

Get out of here, bro, Emmett ordered in his mind. I'll take care of her.

Edward hesitated. "Mike Newton..." he cautioned quickly, too low for Bella to hear.

Will have to go through me first. He's a pussy too.

---

Under Emmett's watchful eye and continual amusing antics, gym class actually drew several smiles out of Bella — all of which Edward saw, considering he was camped out in Emmett's mind for the duration of the class period and Emmett always kept her in sight.

His brother never strayed far from her side but managed not to smother her, either. And he didn't let Mike Newton anywhere near her. He even made sure Newton took a volleyball to the side of the head, at one point, just for having the audacity to try. That actually drew a smile from Edward too, one he had to hide in his textbook.

Nonetheless, he was just starting to feel a little perturbed about the fact that Emmett had made her smile and laugh more times in one class period than he'd personally managed on his own in days, when Emmett and Bella came around the corner to the deserted hallway where he was waiting to pick her up.

She was already laughing at Emmett's ridiculous imitation of Newton's volleyball moves, which was exactly why he was doing it.

Her eyes still lit up when she saw Edward.

And everything was right in his world again.

"Edward!" She moved to step away from Emmett and rush over to Edward, but Emmett stuck his arm in front of her waist and blocked her.

"Hang on. Just give me a second."

Bella's smile faded, her eyes going back and forth between them in alarm, so Edward quickly explained in his calmest voice.

"He's just going to make sure I'm me. It's all part of the plan. He's going to ask me a question in his mind. Now that you're aware of what's going on, I'll answer loud enough so you can hear too. Emmett will confirm for you that my answer matches his question."

She relaxed. At least a little. But it was clear she had never considered the need for that, and that it made her nervous.

What's my favorite sexual position...and coincidentally, my favorite number? Emmett thought in his direction, and Edward rolled his eyes. It was definitely not the day for this.

"Dumbass," he muttered, where only Emmett could hear him. "Try again."

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Emmett spoke out loud, cupping his ear like he couldn't hear either, and winked down at Bella so she wouldn't worry. He already knew by that reaction that Edward was Edward. Now he just couldn't resist messing with him a little.

"Just ask me something I can answer in front of Bella," Edward said out loud, with what he felt was near saintly levels of patience.

"Why? What'd he ask you?" Bella asked curiously. And Emmett, to Edward's abject horror, maddeningly opened his mouth to tell her.

"Nothing," Edward growled quickly, glaring at Emmett.

Bella actually looked amused. "Oh. Got it."

Emmett grinned. She's more fun than you are. Maybe she'll help you pull that stick out of your ass one day — if you ever let her touch your ass, that is. What number am I thinking of now?

Oh, for the love of...

"96," Edward gave in and just answered, mostly so he could hurry up and get his mate back.

Exactly. Because you do everything ass-backwards. Emmett was really amused by himself. "Go on, Bella. It's him. Think you can make it the last five steps without tripping over anything?"

She swatted Emmett's arm with the back of her hand. "Don't forget I'll be able to beat you up someday."

Three and a half seconds later, she was back in Edward's arms, with no idea how much his heart had just swelled at that offhanded confirmation that she still wanted to be changed, eventually. It wasn't something they had discussed recently. She hadn't said much about it ever since he returned, and he hadn't pushed. He'd been a little worried about the answer.

He was going to learn one day not to underestimate her. He really was. But at least it looked like he would have eternity to do it.

---

Watching and listening from the woods as Alice pulled into Bella's driveway and walked Bella to her door was torture. Every muscle in Edward's body was tense. Having Bella out in the open with only tiny little Alice at her side to protect her was quickly driving him insane — even if he himself couldn't do better than a tie in any contest with Alice.

Jasper had driven Edward's car home from school for him and would be going hunting, at Edward's insistence. Edward had ridden in Alice's car with Alice and Bella, sitting in the backseat. She dropped him off a few blocks from the house, and he ran the rest of the way, positioning himself outside the Swan home where he could see and hear everything. Emmett would be meeting him there any moment, to take the first shift on the protection detail outside Bella's home.

After returning Bella to Charlie, Alice would take her own car home, and then she would drive Edward's car back and give it to him just down the street. She would join Emmett in the woods, keeping an eye on the house.

And then, at some point during the evening, Edward would knock on the door and try to make amends with Charlie Swan.

That last part wasn't going to be easy.

Edward could hear Charlie's thoughts inside the house, worrying about Bella. The man was agitated and restless after meeting with Carlisle and Esme earlier that day, learning that Edward had arrived back in town just in time for school that morning. He was worried about what kind of Bella he would be getting back if she had been blindsided at school by the unexpected return of her ex-boyfriend.

Would Alice be dropping off the even-keeled Bella who had originally come to live with him, the one who was entirely too much like him? That seemed too much to hope for. He was terrified he would get back the heartbroken, devastated shell of his daughter he had lived with for months after Edward Cullen abruptly deserted her. He would even prefer the still morose but slightly happier Bella she had become after she started spending time with Jacob Black, who he was fairly certain was a saint.

His ruminations about encouraging Bella to spend more time with Jake, hopefully keeping her far away from Edward Cullen, set Edward's teeth on edge. Charlie was even considering a move out to La Push, transferring Bella out of Forks High, as Billy Black had generously suggested and offered to help facilitate. It would be a long commute, but worth it to keep Bella from going through any more pain.

Edward didn't even try to suppress the jealous snarl that ripped out of his throat at that idea. Charlie could make all the plans he wanted to about pushing Jacob and Bella together and/or taking Bella away to La Push and out of Edward's reach. Those plans would come to fruition over his cold, dead ashes. He'd take off with her so fast everybody's heads would spin.

He was not going to mince words with Charlie about that, either. If apologies and amends didn't work, he intended to get very direct, very quickly.

No one was taking his mate from him against her will. Not even her own father. It simply wasn't happening.

Charlie was watching intently out the window as Alice and Bella walked up to the front door arm-in-arm, Alice putting on a good show for Charlie's sake by giggling like a schoolgirl. It did what it was intended to do. Charlie was appeased by it, believing Bella to be having fun with Alice. He thought that although she looked a little thinner than when he last saw her, there was some color in Bella's cheeks. She seemed happy enough. He saw nothing to validate his deepest fears.

He threw the door open, not fully able to suppress the grin on his face as the two girls walked inside.

"Hey, kiddo, welcome home! Alice, good to see you too, kid."

Bella's smile, which Edward could see through both Charlie's and Alice's minds, was genuine. "Hey, Dad. I missed you."

Charlie pulled her into a tight hug, and Edward held his breath outside. He'd worried about this, after seeing her tense reactions to the hugs she'd received at school that morning. And that had been with Edward right by her side, supporting her. Bella wouldn't forgive herself if she reacted badly to her dad's embrace and somehow tipped him off that something had happened to her. Charlie wasn't stupid, after all, and he'd been in law enforcement a long, long time.

But Bella hugged her father warmly. And Alice, God bless her, only let it continue for a short moment before she chirped out an enthusiastic, "Do I get one of those too?"

Charlie chuckled, the soft spot he held for Alice evident in his weathered features. He let go of Bella to give Alice an awkward side-armed squeeze. "Of course, kid. How have you been, Alice?"

"So good!" Alice enthused. "Bella and I have had so much fun! I'm so glad you let her come and stay with me."

More of Charlie's suspicions melted. Alice had him wrapped around her little finger. "It was good of you all to take her in. Things were pretty cramped at Billy's, especially when Jacob was there. I really don't know where we would have put her."

Especially when Jacob was there, Charlie repeated in his mind wryly, and Edward bit out a harsh chuckle.

He and Charlie were finally in agreement on something. Jacob Black had no business being under the same roof with Charlie's daughter overnight, no matter how much Charlie adored him.

Alice beamed happily. "Oh, it was no trouble. Bella's family now."

Charlie's eyes narrowed.

"Speaking of family," he began carefully, trying to make it conversational, "I heard your brother was back in town."

He watched both girls carefully, looking for any indication that he'd been lied to and Edward had been in town longer than Carlisle and Esme let on — like maybe living under the same roof as Bella. Or in the same room.

Poor Charlie. He had no idea that Alice could see the future and had been ready for him the moment the decision to ask formed in his mind.

Her eyes lit up happily. "Yes, sir! He just got back this morning. I saw him the first time at school today. We're so glad to have him back. We all really missed him." She dropped her voice, leaning in conspiratorially, like she was letting Charlie in on a juicy secret. "But I think he mostly just missed Bella. I heard he was a big depressive stick in the mud the whole time he was gone."

He couldn't quite bring himself to scowl, not at Alice Cullen. But it surprised Charlie somewhat to hear that Edward might have struggled too. He'd pictured him off somewhere living it up while Bella suffered.

"Is that so?" he asked, rubbing his chin. "Well, I'm happy for you, honey. I know what it's like to miss family when they're gone." His eyes went straight to Bella, his thoughts undeniably sad. Bella had been gone for months on end, the man mused, despite being under the same roof with him. Edward Cullen had all but killed her. And he couldn't let it happen again.

"Yes, sir," Alice replied politely.

"Did you want to stay for dinner, Alice?" Charlie invited warmly. If the girl had worked some kind of magic that made Bella seem relaxed and normal even with Edward Cullen back in town, then the more she was around, the better.

"No sir, but thank you. My mom's expecting me home."

"Well, you're welcome anytime. Don't be a stranger."

Alice gave him her best dazzling smile. "I won't. Bye, Mr. Swan."

"Bye, kid. Bells, why don't you say goodbye to Alice and then meet me in the kitchen? I started dinner so you wouldn't have to, but I thought we could finish it together. You haven't seen the new kitchen yet. I'll show you how everything works."

When Charlie was out of the room, Edward was surprised when Alice suddenly turned Bella to face her, her expression serious.

"Listen. I'm going, but try to keep in mind that every single thing my brother does is only because he loves you and can't bear the thought of losing you. Even the stupid stuff. Okay?"

Edward's brow furrowed at the same time Bella's did, feeling as confused as Bella looked in Alice's mind. What the hell was that about? He'd been so focused on grabbing every thought from Charlie's abnormally difficult-to-read mind that he hadn't been paying much attention to Alice's, other than when his only view of Bella was through her eyes. What had she seen that he missed?

"Alice, what are you talking about?" Bella asked the same question Edward was thinking. "I'm not mad at him for anything. Wait... am I going to be mad at him?"

Alice sighed and then just finished her point. "You're his mate. It's not just that he wants to protect you. If he believes you're in danger, of any kind, he can't not protect you. Keeping you safe is kind of a need. So just...hear him out. He'll be here with you just as soon as he can."

Alice left a bewildered-looking Bella and made a beeline for her car. She sped away, in a rush to retrieve Edward's car and bring it back to him, since he really couldn't knock on Bella's door until she did. At least not without Charlie wondering where the hell he had come from. But Alice did make an attempt at explanation mentally.

I told you it was stupid not to just let her speak to the mutt when he kept calling. I can see she's going to be really upset with you tonight about what you did, but I can't see how she finds out. So that probably means Jacob manages to tell her somehow. It might not be a pleasant night, but I see you working it out. Eventually.

That wasn't completely reassuring, but it could be worse too. It wasn't like he didn't already know there was a disagreement coming over Jacob. He'd known that for quite some time.

---

Until Alice got back, Edward stood beside a recently arrived Emmett as the two of them guarded the house, listening to Charlie and Bella inside.

It was mostly uneventful. Charlie showed her around the new kitchen, helped her cook dinner because he wanted to spend some time with her. He asked questions about school and about her time at the Cullens — didn't they ever feed you, which made Emmett snort and Edward roll his eyes, because Esme had done little else — and he told her all about the pitfalls of living with Billy Black in a tiny house for weeks, which Bella seemed to find amusing.

It was probably the most words Charlie Swan had said at one time in fifteen years. He'd really missed his daughter fiercely. And he'd worried about her even more fiercely. His daily two-minute phone calls with her hadn't been enough.

The topic of Edward didn't come up, other than when Charlie focused on her a little too intently at one point, his mind fixated on Edward being back in town, and asked, "Are you really okay, kid?"

She assured him she was, and Charlie dropped it, for the time being. Out of sight, out of mind, he figured — which was where he sincerely hoped Edward Cullen would stay.

Charlie was going to be in for a disappointment on that one, because Edward had no intentions of going anywhere ever again. Although he did decide, since things seemed to be going smoothly between Bella and her father, that he would text Alice and tell her to wait a few blocks away with his car until after the Swans were finished with dinner. It could only do Bella good to spend some quality time with her dad.

Still, by the time they'd finished eating, Edward could barely stand still with anticipation of seeing her again. Hearing her voice from outside and seeing her through Charlie's sometimes blurry thoughts wasn't nearly enough. He needed her close.

He was on his way to retrieve his car from Alice around the corner, still keeping one mental eye on the Swan kitchen, when Charlie cleared his throat and reached out his hand to stop Bella when she made a grab for his plate to take it to the sink.

"Listen, Bells...I'll make a deal with you. I'll do the dishes if you'll give Jacob a call. Kid's pestered me about 200 times since I got here last night, wanting to get in touch with you. I know you've been busy with Alice, but Jake's really missed you. He's been antsy for better than a week now, worrying about you. I hope you don't plan to forget about him now that...well, now that you're doing better."

Uh-oh, thought Emmett, still stationed outside the house. This isn't good.

Edward sighed impatiently and jumped into the driver's seat the moment Alice vacated it. He didn't need Emmett to tell him what he already knew.

"She's still not a vampire, Edward," Alice cautioned him against any possessive outburst as he slammed the door and cranked up the engine. "She's not going to completely understand how you feel about this."

But his mind was still on what was happening in the Swan kitchen. Specifically, the fact that Bella had very nearly just slipped up and said more than she meant to.

"But Jacob knew exactly where I was. He was there with — I mean...I mean, you told him where I was, right? He could have just called me."

Charlie sighed, not wanting to get into what he still considered to be a ridiculous and unexplained bias the Blacks seemed to have against the Cullens. Even if he personally agreed on the topic of Edward Cullen.

"Just call him, okay? Make some plans with him or something. Go see him in La Push. Invite him over here. I don't know. Just remember he was there for you when you needed him. Don't make him feel...well, the way Edward made you feel."

Bella nodded slowly, a very guilty look on her face, while Edward seethed at watching her be manipulated. He mashed the accelerator down harder.

"You're right, Dad. I'll call him, okay?"

A feeling of satisfaction spread through Charlie. Even if Edward Cullen came sniffing around again, he at least deserved to have some competition, the man felt. And maybe he'd even lose.

"That dishes deal is only good if you call him now," Charlie nudged.

Bella rolled her eyes affectionately, shaking her head. "Fine, Dad. You win. I'll call him right now. You sure you can handle this?"

Charlie waved her off. "Go. I've got it. I actually do know how to take care of myself, you know."

"Not well," Bella shot back, sounding very much like her old self. "Have you eaten even one green thing since I've been gone?"

Despite the disaster getting ready to take place if he didn't get there in time to prevent that phone call, Edward's mood softened somewhat at that. Being home was good for her, it seemed, the normalcy of having someone to look out for — his opinions about Bella always being forced into the parent role notwithstanding.

Charlie scratched sheepishly at his ear. "Does moldy bread count?"

Bella stared at him, mildly amused, and crossed her arms. "Wow. Okay, I'm taking over the cooking again. And the shopping."

Edward grit his teeth. No, she wasn't, actually. Not the shopping, anyway. Or anything else that took her out in public unnecessarily, until this was over.

And he would get to be the bad guy for that too, he had a feeling. And he would stand his ground on it anyway.

He didn't bother with human speed as he parked in her driveway and near immediately materialized on the front porch, rapping his knuckles against the door with a bit too much force.

Charlie looked up sharply at the aggressive pounding, his mind going back to the reason he'd wanted Bella home to start with — somewhere out there, there was a murderer who'd raped and killed a girl that looked disturbingly like his daughter, just two towns over.

"I'll get it, Bells. Stay here, okay?"

Bella's heartrate sped up frantically, and Edward hoped it was because she knew it was him at the door, and not because she was having similar thoughts as her father — with the full knowledge that there was someone terrifying after her.

Surely she knew he'd been out there protecting her the whole time, that he would never allow trouble to simply walk up and knock on her door.

She did know that, didn't she?

Another one of those times he truly wished he could read her mind.

---

To say Charlie was displeased to see Edward Cullen darkening his doorway didn't fully describe the man's reaction. He opened the door, went still, and stared blankly at Edward for a full three seconds.

"Chief Swan," Edward greeted him politely.

And that snapped Charlie out of it. He looked over his shoulder to make sure Bella wasn't in view, then stuck one of his big hands out and planted it right in the middle of Edward's chest as he stepped forward. Edward let himself be moved backward, and Charlie followed him out onto the porch, closing the door quietly behind himself.

"No," Charlie started firmly, his voice hushed to keep Bella from hearing. "I'm sorry, kid, but I don't want to hear it. I don't care what your reasons were. I don't want you here."

Edward stayed calm. "I'd like the chance to explain, sir."

But Charlie's eyes were furious. "I said no. You have no idea what you put that girl through when you left her and only called one time. I'm not watching her go through that again, not ever. Get off my property and don't come back. Stay away from my daughter."

"I can't do that, Chief Swan," Edward said as respectfully as possible, trying not to visibly react to the heartbreaking images in Charlie's mind of Bella waking up at night, screaming his name, no matter how much of a kick to the gut it was. "I'm actually here to apologize to you, sir. I've already spoken with Bella. She understands why I left, and she's chosen to forgive me. I owe you both every apology there is, and I'm willing to repeat them as many times as it takes. But I love your daughter, and she loves me. I'm not going to stay away from her unless she tells me to."

Charlie didn't lose his temper. He crossed his arms and got quiet. His tone stayed low. "You will stay away from her as long as she's under my roof. Now, I told you you're not welcome here. You can leave right now, or I'll arrest you for trespassing. Your choice."

"Dad?" At some point during all that, Bella had quietly approached the door and cracked it open to see what was going on. Edward had known she was there, of course. Charlie hadn't.

When she threw the door the rest of the way open, the angry hurt in her eyes was concerning — and Edward could see exactly how volatile and close to the edge she was at the moment, something that she had likely been fighting all day at school.

"What are you doing?" she asked Charlie, sounding horrified. "You're threatening to arrest him? He was trying to apologize."

Edward eyed the way she was trembling with wrath, her fists clenched at her sides. Maybe she couldn't fight any of the other forces teamed up against her, and she definitely had disturbingly little control over her own life at the moment. But this was one battle she must have felt she could actually fight for herself, and it was clear to Edward that she was about to unload on Charlie if he couldn't find a way to calm her down. He wished he'd brought Jasper along instead of Emmett.

Charlie sighed, hands going to his hips, glaring at Edward like this was his fault too. "Go inside, Bella."

"No!"

Edward raised an eyebrow. At least he wasn't the only one she didn't listen to.

"I can't believe you would do this," Bella went on, her eyes filling up with angry tears. "You know how much I missed him. You would have told him to leave and not even let me see him? This is what you would have done if he had ever come back when I wasn't home?"

"At first?" Charlie shot back, defensive, turning to face his daughter, his own eyes full of hurt now. "No, Bells, I wouldn't have. I'd have tracked him down for you myself if I could have. But after months of no contact? Yeah, I sure as hell would have shown him the door, because if he loved you like he says he does, he never would have done that to you!"

The man felt legitimately hurt, Edward saw in his mind. He'd done everything he could to protect his daughter, to help her through what Edward Cullen had done to her. And it was him she was mad at? While she defended Edward?

The look of betrayal in Bella's eyes was even more painful to see than the one in Charlie's. And it was the very last thing she needed right then.

"Bella, your father is only trying to protect you," Edward spoke up quietly, trying to defuse the situation. "I certainly can't fault him for that."

But after everything she'd been through that day, everything she'd tolerated and maintained her composure through the entire day at school, this was just the final straw.

"I don't care!" Bella shouted, so mad she was shaking. She turned on Charlie. "If Edward's not welcome under your roof, Dad, then maybe I don't belong here either!"

Charlie looked stunned, his heart breaking. "What are you saying, Bella? You'd just leave home for good? With him?" His angry gaze turned on Edward.

Edward made a quick decision. Bella needed her father, certainly, but she needed her mate more. She needed to feel like somebody was on her side, and she needed it to be him. He could try to help her make amends with Charlie later. But his allegiances lay with Bella, not Charlie Swan. Her leaving home wasn't even close to the plan, but he'd back her up on it — ignoring the fact that having her all to himself was a wildly appealing idea.

"I would prefer your blessing," Edward spoke to Charlie quietly, putting a supportive arm around Bella's shoulders when she moved to his side and wrapped her arms around his waist, glaring at her father defiantly. "But if you choose to keep us apart, then yes, we'll go around you. She's 18 years old. She's legally free to make her own decisions about where she lives, and I'm financially capable of providing comfortably for her if she chooses to make her home with me. I'll ask that she marry me, of course."

He found it truly baffling why all of the Swans seemed so consistently horrified at the mere mention of something so respectable and indicative of devotion as marriage. Shouldn't Charlie prefer that over his daughter 'shacking up' with her boyfriend, to put it in the modern-day vernacular? But it was that final sentence, meant to reassure Charlie of his honorable intentions, that set both of them off.

"She's not getting married at 18!" Charlie exploded at him. At the same time, Bella tensed under his arm, pulling slightly away from him and looking up at him like he'd lost his mind.

"I can't go with you unless I marry you?" Bella went off at nearly the same time, turning that betrayed look on him. "So I just have nowhere to go now?"

Edward's mouth was open, but no words were coming out. How the hell did she get that out of what he said?

You could just start running, Emmett offered from the woods with a hint of amusement, unhelpfully adding to the noise in his brain. You could be deep into Canada in under an hour...

The good news is you guys aren't going to be having that fight about Jacob tonight, after all, was Alice's wry input. Would you like the bad news?

Somehow, his siblings had both known his offer of marriage was the wrong thing to say the moment he said it. Even before Charlie and Bella teamed up on him.

He tuned it all out and focused on finding a way to bring things back down. It wasn't really like Bella to be so overdramatic, leaping to unflattering conclusions like that about him. Conclusions like him trying to strong-arm her into matrimony by holding homelessness over her head, for God's sake.

But still. Nowhere to go? Was she serious with that? Had he not made it abundantly clear by now that he purchased that little cottage from Esme for them, almost the moment he saw it? Did she not understand that it was every bit as much hers as it was his, regardless of the name on the deed? Did she not also understand that if she ever needed a place to stay, with or without him, he'd sign it over to her just as quickly as he bought it, no strings attached?

And honestly, it stung a little bit that the idea of marrying him was evidently so repugnant that she'd sooner live on the streets than consider it.

But he fought back his hurt reaction. Clearly, some of her negative feelings about marriage must come from her father, and likely her mother too. He'd already experienced some of the damage their marriage had done to her, right after she left the hospital following the incident with James, when she'd gone into an insecure tailspin and scared the hell out of him after Renee rejected Charlie again.

They could have a rational discussion about all of that later. For the moment, Bella's lip was trembling, she was close to breaking down, and it wasn't like she hadn't already been through hell for months — a good portion of that being directly his fault for abandoning her. He'd just seen several of Charlie's memories of that time for himself, and they were sobering. If her default mode under pressure was still something short of complete trust in him, he could hardly claim ignorance as to why.

"You already know the answer to that, Bella," he assured her quietly, focusing on her like Charlie wasn't even there. "If you want to leave, I'll take you home with me right now. We can go anywhere you like, in fact. Just tell me what you want to do."

The fight drained out of her as quickly as it had welled up. She just looked tired, her shoulders sagging. "I don't know." Her eyes went to Charlie and then back to him. Her voice was very small. "I don't know what I want to do."

All the fight had gone out of Charlie too, the very second Bella made that statement about having nowhere to go. The man was practically drowning in feelings of guilt, willing himself not to choke up and cry in front of his daughter.

"Bells...you'll always have somewhere to go. Always. Just...just stay here. Please. I just got you back." His eyes flicked across Edward, his tone becoming more gruff and grudging. "I'm sure Edward and I can...work something out."

"I'd like that, sir," Edward answered softly, immediately, looking him directly in the eye. "For Bella's sake."

Maybe the kid really does love her. It was probably the clearest thought Edward had ever got from Charlie Swan.

---

Charlie wanted some time to speak with Bella alone about his conditions for allowing Edward into the house, conditions which Edward could see already forming in his mind — time spent with other friends, including Jacob; limited hours spent together every day. Charlie didn't want her in too deep. He wanted her to have other things in her life, aside from Edward, if the relationship imploded again.

But when Charlie invited him to leave for the night so he could discuss it with Bella — a request he made far more civilly this time — Edward still felt Bella panic at the prospect of him going. Her arms constricted around his waist, her body pressing into his side more deeply. Her heart raced wildly.

And he just couldn't do it to her — he couldn't pry her off of him and walk out on her when she was clinging to him, no matter what Charlie Swan wanted. Not even if he would have just quickly moved his car out of sight and have been back in her room waiting for her, almost by the time she and her father made it back to the kitchen —something she really should have known.

So he risked pushing Charlie just a bit farther.

"I'll be happy to wait in Bella's room while you talk. But I'm not leaving without a chance to speak with her too."

Charlie's temper flared, but he clamped down on it. He had seen Bella's reaction to the idea of Edward leaving too, and he knew when he was beat. There was very little he wasn't willing to agree to, if it kept his daughter under his roof. It having been made clear to him that he either accept Edward's presence or Bella would likely just move out to be with him, Charlie decided to pick his battles more carefully — battles like keeping his 18-year-old daughter far, far away from a marriage altar. So he waved a noncommittal hand in the direction of the stairs, with a longsuffering sigh and his eyes rolled upward, and just moved aside.

---

Twenty minutes of worried pacing later, during which Edward listened to Charlie's hushed voice trying to explain his reasoning and Bella digging her heels in and refusing to give an inch, the pair of stubborn, hotheaded Swans finally called a truce for the night.

Moments later, a very exhausted Bella appeared in her bedroom and softly closed the door behind her.

Edward had expected her to come straight to him, but she froze just inside when she saw her room for the first time, leaning heavily back against the door as her breath came out in a sharp burst. Her gaze swept around the room like she barely recognized it, lingering a moment on the bed, then on him with an expression he couldn't decipher. Then her eyes quickly flicked away and went to the chair pulled in front of the window, one that hadn't been there seven months before. He'd seen enough in Charlie's thoughts about those months to know she'd sat in it for hours on end, staring out the window like a zombie, much as he'd done in Brazil. And he knew who she'd been watching for, too.

That must have been where she sat when he spoke to her on the phone from Brazil, that moment she looked out her window and saw Albert in her yard, believing it to be him. The moment she thought all of her watching had finally paid off.

The moment her real nightmare started.

She looked haunted. Like she felt completely out of place in her own space. Ready to bolt any moment.

"Bella?" he asked gently, slowly approaching her. He didn't want to scare her or trigger a flashback, and at the moment, she seemed wound pretty tight.

She jumped slightly at the sound of his voice, pulling her out of her thoughts and bringing her startled eyes to his face.

"He said we have ten minutes," she told him flatly, going back to looking across the room at the chair. "Then he said he's coming to 'see you out'."

"And I'll be back here with you less than a minute after he does," he vowed. "No one's going to keep us apart, Bella. You don't have to worry about that."

"Okay." She still wouldn't make eye contact with him.

He sighed, stopping a foot from her. He didn't feel like getting stern with her at the moment. He really just wanted to pick her up, cuddle her into his chest and purr until that haunted look left her face — the one he understood all too well that his own months-long absence had caused. But she was refusing to even look at him, there in that room surrounded by memories of his abandonment, and he had to do something to get through to her. So he injected a note of firmness into his voice.

"When I said I'm not letting you do this anymore, I meant it. Talk to me, love. Tell me what's going on."

Her lip trembled, and it took a few seconds, but she finally looked at him and gave in. And it all came pouring out.

"It's...it's everything, okay? It's this room, and this house, and...and even my yard. Everywhere I look, I only remember you being gone, and I know that's not fair to you. But what's even worse is that he's here everywhere. He was never even inside the house, but it's like...it's like he's in every room now. He's in that stupid new kitchen I don't want and can't stop thinking about why it even exists. And then it's Charlie hating you, and me lying to him. It's school and...and Mike and Jessica and...and even you, with the whole marriage thing. It's Alice stressing me out about some fight we're supposed to have tonight, when I'm just trying to get through the next five minutes and I can't handle having a fight with you right now. I just don't want to, Edward. I'm too tired to even take a shower tonight."

And there it was. The reason she hadn't wanted to even look at him. Thanks to Alice, she was scared to death of getting into a fight with him, to have there be problems between them.

Just like he was.

She was still pressed up against her bedroom door like she wished she could go right through it, so when he closed the distance and took her into his arms, he just hauled her away from it and turned his body so he didn't have her trapped between him and it. His hand cupped the back of her head, pulling her securely against him. "Shhhh...Bella. Nobody's having a fight tonight. And even if we did, I'm not going anywhere. Not ever again. I'm so sorry, love. I'm so very sorry for all the hurt I caused you."

"I think something's wrong with me," she whispered into his shoulder hopelessly, and he tightened his hold.

"There's nothing wrong with you, sweetheart," he soothed. "You're just overwhelmed. This was too much in one day, and I should have known better. I should never have agreed to you starting school the same day you had to come back here for the first time. That's on me."

"No, it's not that!" she insisted, pulling back to look at him, her eyes worried and scared. Her fingers gripped his biceps desperately. "I nearly lost it with Charlie tonight. I know I messed up your whole plan, and I'm sorry. I was just going to listen. But when he threatened to arrest you, I couldn't take it. I just wanted to hit him. I've never been so...so furious. If he had touched you, I think I might have actually punched him. My own dad. What's wrong with me, Edward?"

He had gone completely still halfway through that, lips parting. He needed to answer her, but he was in the middle of an epiphany, as something about what she had said triggered a memory of Alice's earlier words to Bella about him.

You're his mate...he can't not protect you.

And he was hers too. That had been driven home to him less than 24 hours before.

Suddenly, her outburst on the porch made perfect sense, when he looked at it from his vampire's perspective.

Bella had been instinctively protecting her mate. Him. Because she couldn't not, any more than he could stand by and not protect her.

It floored him all over again, the depth of their bond while she was still human, the way she reacted more like a mated female vampire with each passing day. It made his heart swell. It scared the life out of him at the idea of Bella ever trying to put herself between him and danger, even after she was changed.

It also made him want to push her up against that door and try to kiss the wits right out of her, because the thought of a growling, golden-eyed Bella snarling at anything that dared threaten him — from somewhere safely behind him, of course — was the sexiest goddamn thing he'd dreamed up in his entire existence.

"You just couldn't not protect me," he murmured, wrapping his arms low around her waist and pulling her closer. "Do you remember what Alice told you tonight, about me? About how I have an innate need to keep you safe?"

She nodded, her brow wrinkling up with worry at that reminder of Alice's prediction of a fight. "Yes. What does that have to do with this?"

"It means there's nothing wrong with you. The opposite, actually. You were just defending your mate. That was our bond compelling you to protect me, just like I protect you."

Her eyes widened as she took that in. "So that's what you feel like all the time?" she asked after a moment, and then immediately tried to clarify. "Like...like you can't hold it in? Like you just want to rip apart anything that might hurt me?"

Anything that might hurt her...or take her away from him...or even look at her the wrong damn way...

But he couldn't even answer her question. He couldn't stop the dazzled way he was looking at her, couldn't quite keep the awe out of his voice when the one coherent thought in his head came streaming out of his mouth, unfiltered.

"You're going to be spectacular, Bella. When I change you...God, I can't wait."

She shivered in his arms, at the longing in his voice, her eyes going dark. And he suddenly flattened his hand against the middle of her back and pulled her flush against him, a tiny growl breaking free of his chest and finding its way into his words. "What you're not going to do is put yourself in harm's way for me. Ever. We're going to get that straight right now."

She was looking at him with the same amount of awe he regarded her, her heart pounding fast. "No promises. So how do you control it, this...this intensity? How do you..." she shook her head looking for the words.

"Find balance?" he asked, and she nodded, searching his eyes seriously.

He ducked his head, the corners of his lips pulling up as he pressed them into her hair to hide his smile.

"When I figure that out, I'll let you know."

TO BE CONTINUED...