Okay, for all those reading, fanfiction didn't send out reminders of my update yet. Tell your friends if they read. This was written March 20th.

This chapter is named after the amazing song "The Last Thing on Your Mind" by Lights, which I played on loop throughout this chapter. Check it out. I tried to get two chapters done in the March break. Succeeded! W00t! Wow, I'm lame. And so is the following…

Jacob's POV

"P-painkillers?" I asked, a blank tone covering my concern.

"Yes. She… needed them. Quite badly, actually. They knocked her out. Surely, you must have noticed the extent of her injuries. Although she refrained from speaking, the pain was clearly difficult to bear."

Bella stood uncomfortably beside Edward. He was lost. I mean, I was lost, but he looked like he lost his head and couldn't find it; almost like he was in a trance. I didn't bother with him though, still hanging on to Carlisle's words. How bad were her injuries? Could they be that much worse than what I initially saw?

I ran my fingers through my hair, ruffling it in aggravation. I regretted it immediately, realizing I still had a little bit of Embry's blood on my hands. And now it was in my hair. I'd wash it out when everything was sorted out. I sighed loudly.

I didn't know I'd be in for such a long wait.

I shut my eyes tightly and rubbed my temples. Damn, I had a headache, and none of this was helping. It felt like I was hit in the head with a hammer, or even worse- the side that removes nails. Bella asked if I was alright. I lied and nodded my head.

"She's okay, though." I assured myself aloud, but after a long pause, I began to question it. "Right?" I urged, unwilling to settle for any other answer.

"She will be." Carlisle replied, barely emphasizing the future tense.

"But…" I probed.

"Jacob-"

"How bad is it, really?" I snapped involuntarily. I didn't mean to, but at the same time, I wasn't in the mood to hear the sugar coated version of the story. He could see that clearly. I questioned myself, if only for a moment, that if I couldn't handle the sugar coated version, what made me think I could handle the truth? I pushed that thought aside. Again, it wasn't about what I could handle.

"Well," I could see the words 'Where to begin?' lingering in his eyes. That scared me. "She's lost quite a lot of blood. There is a deep laceration in her side, which I stitched up. There is also a small wound on the back of her head." Bella looked down with an expression of slight guilt.

He was leaving things out.

"She has a concussion." Edward said. His eyes, though, would have convinced me otherwise.

"What!?" I snarled.

"Its minor." Carlisle countered (if you can call it that), "It should heal soon, but I would advise that unless it's absolutely necessary, her rest should remain uninterrupted."

"Too late for that." Edward whispered under his breath just as a short but familiar scream was heard.

Edward was there only a few seconds before I was, Nessie already enfolded in his arms. She didn't look up at anyone- her eyes were blank but wide. I could see that through her expressionless shock, there was raw fear. She didn't talk, she didn't move. She stayed completely still, as if moving would end her life. She was pale... too pale. I assumed it was either because she was frightened or because of the loss of blood. My better judgement told me both.

Bella nodded, probably at some gesture Edward made. I didn't pay attention, though.

"Jake, can I talk to you?" she muttered quietly.

Edward's POV

"Yeah. Don't worry, I-I get it. So, yeah, I guess… maybe I'll be back… later this week?" There was a pause. "Or next week… whatever. It's all the same to me. So… yeah. I'll just… yeah. See you soon." Jacob's voice lingered in the doorframe as he stood awkwardly, saying, or trying to, goodbye. I knew his tone, the way he stuttered his way through his sentence; a day, a week or a year- being away from Renesmee would cause the same amount of pain, no matter the length of time. Especially knowing she was in a vulnerable mental state… It would be difficult for him. Very. But he knew that for now, it was what was best for her.

I turned my attention back to Renesmee. She hadn't moved an inch. For a moment, I questioned if she were even breathing. The door shut softly, but Jacob did not phase and take off. He stood at the door for a good fifteen seconds before he made his leave on foot, walking in human form. It had been quite a few minutes of me muttering, telling her it was just a dream, that she was alright. I could have done it forever, though. Whatever made her feel better. The only problem was that she wasn't feeling anything. She was in utter shock of what she had seen.

She then turned her head slightly to face me, but her eyes made no contact for more than three seconds at a time. She took a sharp breath in.

"It was just a dream. Don't worry, we've dealt with him." She froze, if it was possible any further. "And I'll personally see to it that he never lays so much as his gaze on you. Because then… I'll kill him."

Renesmee sighed. She was relieved that we chose not to end his life, but I wasn't. She was never one to wish pain upon anyone, no matter what harm they'd done her, but I didn't want that degenerate breathing in the same continent as my daughter. In fact, I didn't want him breathing at all.

'What would that accomplish? You would still be angry. If you hate him that much, let him sink in his own guilt. It might take longer, but it will be more painful.' she thought. I didn't want to admit that she had a point. I wanted to feel his neck being closed in once again; twice again if I had the chance. It would be the only time I would be okay with the smell of the mutt's blood.

"That may be true, but I'm still not comfortable with him getting away…"

'Could we… stop talking about this?' she asked, "Please?"

It was the same "please" that she would beg of that filthy mutt when she just couldn't take anymore. It was the same "please" that screamed "Stop! Can't you see that this is hell for me!?" And what made it worse was that she said it aloud; the only thing she had decided to physically say, and they were words she had begged to the man who violated her time and time again. Was I doing to her mentally what he had caused physically? By trying to make things better, was it working in reverse? She hadn't spoken in fear that she would be hurt- or at least that was what I assumed. But it wasn't that, and I could see it now. She wanted to try and put this behind her, to live as though it never happened by never talking about it. But I was pushing the event back in her face, almost forcing her to remember, to burn it in her brain and never forget.

I shook my head, moving it barely. Renesmee didn't notice. An old feeling returned to me; a feeling from so many years back. Although it's meaning was far different now than it was before, it held the same message. It made me ask myself a question I thought I had put far behind me: Am I a monster?

Clearly.

I nodded, the action being more notable than the last. "Of course." I replied. I stroked her hair once, sighed, and stood.

"Renesmee?" I asked softly. Her eyes averted from their, again, dilated fixation at the wall, and up in a delicate stare into mine. I gave a weak smile which, regretfully, suggested pity, and sighed again. "Try to get some rest. You need it." She forced the corners of her lips into a false imitation of a smile in reply. It lasted not even a half second, and she tore her eyes away from mine, back to the way they were.

I shut the door quietly behind me to see Bella waiting patiently. We walked into the living room, and in a few minutes, Renesmee had fallen asleep once again under the influence to the painkillers. We spoke quietly, making sure not to wake her.

"Edward…"

"I'm fine." I lied. Although I could not see into Bella's mind, I often knew by the look in her eyes what she was thinking. She nodded, not going further.

Her eyes scanned the floor, then the walls, then my face. She looked to the side, then back to me, deep in thought. "Jake left." she finally said, to make conversation. I nodded. "I could practically see his heart on the floor." Stepped on too, no doubt.

"He'll be fine." I said, "He needs to deal with some other… complications as well." Bella's eyes snapped to mine, a look of suspicion crossing her concerned features. A hint of realization took to her eyes.

"Edward, please don't tell me there's more I haven't been told about."

'Well,' I wanted to say, 'Bella, love, Quil was in on this too.' I didn't, though, because it wasn't necessary to go into detail about. I didn't want to cause more grief than I already had.

"No, of course not." I said after a long pause.

"You're lying."

"It's nothing important, Love. Trust me, I wouldn't lie to you." But I did, which made me even more of a monster. She nodded, foolishly trusting me, and changed the subject.

"So, why did Renesmee wake up screaming?"

Sorry it ended on a boring note. Next chapter will be a little more exciting, I promise. Jacob's still got some issues to deal with. I have a question for you now, reviewers: The rest of the Cullen's & the wolf pack are unaware of what's been going on. Should they know?

Thanks for reading. Review!