I'd been at Renée and Agent Hotchner's house for some time, at least a few weeks, and for the most part, they left me alone, knowing I'd tell them about what happened when I was comfortable. I must admit, though, that the idea of having my own room and not being confined to it nor having any other sort of restraints or anything was pretty cool.

Marcus only visited me at night, nor did he come through the front door. He snuck in through my window instead. He would check on me, make sure they were treating me right, and also to ask if I had seen anything suspicious. Then he would tell me to go to sleep, and by the time I woke he was gone.

Spencer and Agent Morgan were frequent visitors, however. Spencer would talk to me through sign language, and on occasion he'd translate for Agent Morgan when he wanted to speak to me. At one point he and Spencer were going over signs, so the two would often sign as they spoke with each other to practice their understanding.

Agent Hotchner and I were comfortable being around each other, and on occasion he would join Jack and I in our games, usually as Max the Dog. Renée and I...not so much. She didn't like that I was "so childish", as she put it. I didn't understand what she meant. I made sure to stay out of her way as much as possible to avoid any kind of confrontation or fights, but one was already being brewed.

It started one night at dinner. I was pushing around my food with my fork (who likes peas? bleh!), not very hungry (I still had to get off the barely-any-food schedule I was so used to after six years, and Dr. Cullen's meal plan thing wasn't really working), when Renée spoke.

"Stop playing with your food."

I looked at the faces of Agent Hotchner, Jack, Spencer, and Agent Morgan, then looked back at my plate, forcing myself to eat the mashed potatoes and fish sticks. After a while, though, I started to feel sick, as if I was eating too much, so I stopped eating, resting my fork on my plate. Everyone finished the meal in silence, but Renée wouldn't stop glaring at me.

When Jack and I were excused, he wanted to come with me to my room, so we ended up playing with my stuffed animals - again, Haley the Cat and Olive the Dove. My teddy bear, the one Spencer had given me, remained close by in case I needed him. Our game was going well, with laughter from him and giggles from me. I sort of forgot Renée was annoyed with me.

That is, until Renée, Agent Hotchner, Agent Morgan, and Spencer came in.

I looked at Jack then up at the adults in a "What is it?" manner.

The three FBI agents exchanged nervous glances then crouched down so they could be at my level.

"Bella, we'd like to start asking you questions about what happened in the six years you spent with Caius and Aro. Do you think you could help us and answer whatever you are comfortable with?" Agent Hotchner asked me.

I nodded slowly, absentmindedly rubbing the foot of the teddy bear.

Agent Hotchner smiled. "Thank you, Bella."

I nodded a bit more quickly this time, and Renée sat down next to Jack. I suddenly felt surrounded, the room growing warm.

"Now, let's start simple. Who spent the most time with you?"

Spencer translated my signs. "'Master'. Marcus said 'Master' was Caius."

Agent Hotchner nodded. "Who did you fear the most?"

"'Sir.' Marcus said 'Sir' was Aro."

"You feared him the most, even though you saw Caius more?"

"'Yes.'"

"Was this because he...did more?"

"'Sort of. He seemed to overpower Caius, even though Caius was obviously in control of me. It was as if there was a power struggle between them.'"

"Power struggle... Well, who was the one that hurt the most?"

"'Caius hurt me more frequently, but Aro inflicted more pain than Caius. It's another reason I grew to fear him more.'"

"I see..."

Suddenly his questions blurred together. I couldn't seem to form the signs fast enough, and fear started to seize my ever-hastening heart. I was swallowed by the heat of the room, and suddenly my legs were growing numb as my breathing quickened to match my racing heart. I found myself rubbing the foot of the teddy bear even faster, answering more with shakings of my head than with signs, until I was squeezing the foot, then squeezing my eyes shut as I hugged the teddy bear close.

My eyes snapped open as the teddy bear was ripped from my arms. Renée held its ear, her expression filled with her anger.

"You don't need this! You're not a child! You are eighteen years old, Bella, and you need to grow up and start acting like an eighteen-year-old!" she hollered, throwing the bear behind her. Jack ran to get it, and he held it close for me, signing that he'd keep it safe for me.

My legs regained their feeling as my breathing slowed some, allowing me to finally cry. I stood and ran. I needed to get away from her. I could hear Spencer, Agent Hotchner, and Agent Morgan calling my name, asking for me to come back, but I couldn't be in the same room as Renée. I simply couldn't.

As soon as I closed the back door, I ran to the far corner of the backyard and fell to my knees, crying. I could hear Agent Hotchner, Agent Morgan, Spencer, and Renée yelling at each other, on top of Jack's screaming cries.

There wasn't much left to the sunset when I heard the backdoor open and someone approach me. I didn't dare turn around, not until the hand rested on my shoulder. It was Agent Hotchner. In his left hand was my teddy bear.

Looking down at it, noting my gaze, he held it out for me, a ghost of a smile appearing on his lips when I took it and squeezed it close to my chest. I looked at him with teary eyes and mouthed, 'Thank you.'

He smiled sympathetically. "You're welcome," he whispered. He paused, then sat on the ground next to me. "Renée doesn't understand that you lost your childhood, and are only getting it back now. It's hard for her. She doesn't like being the parent with the child that's, well, in her eyes, slow or...different. She doesn't understand that you'll grow up eventually, and when that happens, you'll probably be more comfortable talking about the last six years, the years you both lost, and will be...closer to normal, I suppose. But that won't be tomorrow, nor will it be next week nor a month from now nor a year from now. Most likely you'll grow up over six years as your mentality develops. You won't be able to grow up instantly, and that's something that she's misunderstanding. So, what I'm trying to tell you is that it's okay that you're uncomfortable with the six years, that it's okay that you seek comfort in a stuffed animal, that it's okay your mentality hasn't matured like your body has. It's okay, and I understand. You lost six years of your life; you're not going to get them back in six weeks. No. That's impossible. So it's okay that you haven't grown up just yet. Take your time. Enjoy the life you have. And remember, I'm here for you."

I looked at him with teary eyes, and before I knew it I was hugging Aaron and crying into his shoulder, silently thanking him for everything. He chuckled and held me close, rubbing my back comfortingly.