A/N: Merry Monday to you fine people!

In Bella's relatively young life, she had known a wide range of agony.

There was the quiet, creeping pain of the injuries her mother inflicted on her. Renee's neglect and verbal abuse had seeped into all the nooks and crannies of Bella's soul, poisoning and mangling her over time. A parent's resentment or worse, their apathy, became part of the definition of a child's identity-a constant reminder to Bella that she was so bad, wrong somehow that she couldn't even retain the love of the one person who should have loved her unconditionally.

James's abuse was so much more than just physical pain, though that was far from negligible. With each harsh blow and every cruel word, her stepfather had cut her self-worth and self-esteem to shreds. He had made her own headspace, her own reality an awful place to exist. His were the wounds that had left permanent scars on her psyche, the kind of healed breaks that ached periodically like broken bones when it rained.

Then, there was the rending anguish that was the loss of a child. Death would have been one thing. Death was closure. What happened to Bella's baby was a constant and persistent torture on her own heart. Bella's lost baby was a jagged, bleeding wound. It was all skinned flesh and raw nerve endings-the kind of wound so unimaginable, trying to grasp the extent of it drove her to the edge of sanity time and time again.

But none of that could have prepared her for what it felt like to listen to her daughter's pain. That was a level of agony Bella had no words for. Katie couldn't be consoled, and Bella had never felt more guilty in her life. She choked on every bad choice she made that had led them here. If only she hadn't been so stupid.

In the end, Edward had pulled Bella out of her room-the paint was still drying in Katie's room-and into his. They had to let her cry, he said. This was an eventuality Marcus had done his best to prepare them for. Edward wrapped his arms around her, and they rocked together, both crying almost as hard as their daughter at the culmination of too much pain and confusion. All three of them cried themselves to sleep that night.

Neither Edward or Bella wanted Katie to wake up alone. They crept into the room in the early morning. Edward tucked himself into the sitting chair Bella had brought from her old living room. Bella lay on the bed, and as much as she wanted to hold Katie, she was careful not to touch her.. She didn't want to make things worse.

It was only about a half hour before Katie woke. Her eyes fluttered open, and she winced.

Bella reached out and caressed her hair with a tentative touch. When Katie didn't protest, she stroked her hair back. "Does your head hurt, sweetie?"

Katie's lower lip trembled, but she took a deep breath and nodded. Bella pressed a thumb behind her ear, massaging. "How about some Tylenol? I know it probably doesn't taste very good, but it'll make your head feel better."

As soon as Katie nodded again, Edward took off. He came back a minute later, Children's Tylenol in one hand and an apple juice box in the other. Bella helped her sit up, and Katie dutifully took the little plastic cup of medicine and sipped at her juice. She didn't look at either of them.

"How are you feeling today, baby?" Edward asked, brushing his fingers down her cheek.

At that, Katie finally looked up. She pressed her lips together as though trying not to cry. "Are you guys mad at me?" she asked in a heartbreakingly broken voice.

"No," Bella said at the same time Edward said, "Of course not."

Bella wrapped her arm around Katie and drew her close. "We talked about all of this, remember? It's okay, Katie. So many things are changing. It's very scary. Sometimes, when things are out of control, we get very upset. Are you upset now?"

"No," Katie said a little too quickly.

"It's okay if you're still upset," Edward said. "Just talk to us."

Katie screwed her mouth up on one side. "Do you think Emmy and Jasper are mad?"

"Not at all. No one is mad at you."

The little girl was quiet, thinking. Bella smoothed her hair back. "It's still early. Do you want to sleep some more?"

Katie nodded. She let Bella curl her closer as they both lay down. Edward started to get up, but before he could get far, Katie rolled onto her back. She reached for him. "You sleep too," she said. "With me and Mommy."

Edward's eyes darted to Bella. She scooted to the edge of the bed. "Yeah. Come on, Daddy. Let's go back to sleep."

With Bella's permission, Edward let Katie pull him into bed. They all wiggled, finding a good position. The vice grip around Bella's heart began to ease, at least enough that she thought she could breathe again. Katie burrowed up against her, and hope, all but extinguished the night before, flickered back to life stronger than ever.

Bella closed her eyes, briefly overwhelmed by the enormity of the moment. Last night had been horrible-among the worst in her life. But here she was, her baby nestled safe in her arms. It was only understandable Katie would have her moments. They all would, but it didn't mean she was unhappy. She'd been happy enough the day before. Well, she'd alternated between uncertainty and excitement. She'd loved choosing her own bed and furniture.

Katie's breath evened out after only a few minutes, and Bella raised her eyes to look at Edward. His smile, as he looked back, was a reflection of what she felt-peaceful and, for the moment, serene. He didn't speak. He reached out and caressed Bella's cheek, running the pad of his thumb along the shape of her face.

Their little family. Bella sighed, letting the happiness of the moment lull her back to sleep.

~0~

Late that evening, when Jasper and Emmett arrived for dinner, Edward met them in the driveway. They seemed tense, which was understandable. Edward wasn't surprised to see Emmett's hand was in a cast. The knuckles of his other hand were scraped too. Obviously, he'd beat up another wall somewhere.

"About last night-" Edward started, but Emmett waved his good hand.

"I want to hire a handyman to fix your wall. If that's okay."

"Easier than saying you're sorry, right?" Edward huffed, and continued before either of them could say anything. "I'm sorry. That was antagonistic." He crossed his arms. "Look. She wants you. We all know she wants you. But she's beginning to want us, too. She's beginning to want to be here with us. Please don't make that harder for her."

"You know that's not what we're trying to do," Jasper said. "But hearing her cry like that-"

"Whose fault was it that you were here for that?"

Emmett held his hands up in a placating gesture. "Okay. You're right." His jaw flexed. It was obvious he didn't like having to admit it. "What do you want us to do?"

Before he could speak, the front door opened, and Katie came running out. She launched herself into the air, and Jasper caught her. He wrapped her up in a bear hug. Emmett put a hand to his shoulder and pressed a kiss to Katie's forehead. "Hey, sugar," Jasper said, pulling back.

Katie kissed his cheek and turned to do likewise with Emmett. She gasped and pointed to his hand. "Are you hurt? Oh no."

"It doesn't hurt so bad," he said, holding it up for her inspection.

Katie took his big hand between her small ones and examined it, running her fingers along the ridges of the cast. She leaned in and kissed it. "There."

Emmett's smile was adoring and his voice gruff with emotion when he spoke. "Thank you, beautiful girl. It feels much better now."

Jasper cleared his throat, giving Katie a bounce to draw her attention away from Emmett's watering eyes. "How was today and yesterday?"

Katie looked between him and Emmett, her expression gone cautious. Edward flexed his fists at his sides, instantly on the defensive. At the school where he worked, he'd often seen a child's perspective change instantaneously depending on their parents' reactions. An activity they'd enjoyed all day would suddenly become dull when they saw a parent's disdain. A proud achievement would be shrugged off when a parent didn't express enthusiasm or worse, told the child they could have done better.

"My grandpas are putting together all the things Grandpa Carlisle bought me," she said, testing the waters.

"That's pretty awesome," Emmett said, smiling at her. "You want to tell us about it?"

She brightened. "I got so many cool things. My bed is like a bunk bed with steps instead of a ladder, because I don't like ladders. But instead of a bed on the bottom, there's a desk.

"Sounds fancy."

"You want to see it?"

"Of course," Jasper said, setting her on her feet. She took his hand and Emmett's.

"Come on. I'll show you. Grandma and Aunt Alice put planets and stars on the ceiling. It's so pretty." There was a hop in her step as she dragged them inside. "And I found a fan that has stars on it too. Grandpa Charlie says he'll put it up when he visits next week."

Edward's released his breath in one long gust. He followed the three of them inside. If all went well, they would have dinner together. Then Emmett and Jasper would leave, and Katie would spend one more night with Edward and Bella. Hopefully a better night than the last.

~0~

"Mommy?"

Bella raised her head from where she'd been bent over the sink, brushing her teeth. She spat and wiped her mouth. "What's up, buttercup?"

Katie giggled at that, and the sound of her laughter made Bella smile. She'd been quiet since everyone else left. Bella was just waiting for a repeat of last night's epic fit.

"Why do you have a different room than my daddy?"

Bella almost choked. That was a question she'd been both dreading and not expecting to come so soon. Surely Katie's mind was preoccupied with other things. She covered by hitting her toothbrush on the side of the sink. She cleared her throat. "Umm."

"Are you and my daddy married?"

"No. We're not."

Katie furrowed her brows, trying to figure that one out. "Are you divorced?"

"No, baby. We were never married."

"Why? Don't you love my daddy?"

What a question. "Yeah, I love your daddy. But there are a lot of different kinds of love. There's more to marriage than love." She put her arm around Katie's shoulder and drew the little girl into her arms. "But it's okay. We're both here with you, little love. And we're going to be here for you."

Katie said nothing to this. She wrapped her arms around Bella's waist, resting her head against her side.

After a moment, Bella picked Katie up and settled her on the counter. She handed her the singing toothbrush-1D, God help her-and the toothpaste. When Katie's teeth were clean and she was in her nightgown, Bella took her hand to walk with her to Edward's room where he was sitting up in bed, reading.

Rather than say goodnight as she was meant to do, Katie clambered into the bed, under the covers, and settled down, tucked up against Edward's leg. The look of shock on his face would have been priceless if Bella wasn't so surprised herself.

"What are you doing, baby?" Edward asked, peering down at her.

"I want to sleep here tonight."

"O-kay," Edward said, glancing at Bella to check if she thought it was a good idea. She shrugged, offering a small smile, trying to hide her disappointment. She'd been secretly hoping Katie wouldn't want to sleep by herself tonight.

"You and Mommy."

A chill went down Bella's spine, and she stared at her daughter. "Katie, I don't-"

Katie turned big, wide eyes on her. "Please, Mommy. Please."

Oh, hell. The child had a secret weapon. Bella looked at Edward, shy and uncertain. They'd all slept together in the same bed that morning, but it was different somehow. It had been daylight then.

Bella huffed. She felt her cheeks heat, and that was ridiculous. What the hell were they going to get up to with a child between them?

It was a small comfort that Edward's cheeks were glowing about as red as hers felt. He was smiling though, an amused smile. They both knew they were being manipulated. Edward patted the bed beside him. "Come on, Mommy. Come to bed."

Both Edward and Bella turned their attention to Katie for a time, watching. The night before she'd begun to devolve in steps. First was that pensive look-the same she wore now-then the trembling lower lip, and finally she'd begun to beg to go back home until she had driven herself into a frenzy.

Hoping to comfort her before all that started again, Bella scratched along Katie's scalp. She had vague memories of staying over at her Gran Marie's house when she was very little. She remembered how her gran's fingers moving through her hair soothed her.

Edward, likewise picking up on the beginnings of Katie's distress, began to hum quietly. It was a soft song, and it took Bella a few minutes to recognize where it came from. It was a song she'd heard Carlisle singing to himself when he thought no one was listening.

She wondered if it was something that had comforted Edward as a child. What a strange, wonderful thing to think that maybe, many years from now when Katie had a child of her own, she would remember the way both her parents comforted her when she was upset. The melding of a family. Like she could see herself and Edward in Katie's features, would she be able to see both of them in her personality?

Parenthood was a hell of a thing.

Their efforts worked. Katie stayed calm. She yawned, tucked herself tighter against Edward's side-kicking Bella in the shins in the process-and fell asleep.

"Ooof," Edward said a minute later. "The child wiggles."

"Flails, I think is the better word." Bella met Edward's eyes. "I can go back to my bed, if you want. That would give you room. Or I can take her with me."

"Is that what you want?" He reached out as he had that morning, and tucked a strand of hair behind Bella's ear. "I'm not uncomfortable. Are you?"

"No." That was the strange thing. Only a few short months ago, she had moved out on her own, away from her father and her siblings for the first time in six years. It was surreal to be here in this bed with Edward and their daughter. Surreal, and yet this wasn't awkward. She was comfortable with him.

Bella smirked. "Well, I'd hate to think what Katie would say if we tried to get around her order."

"She knows what she wants."

At that, Bella's smile fades. "I think she wants what she had-her parents in the same bed."

"That's understandable," Edward said, and Bella could tell he was choosing his words carefully. "So much has changed. She's searching for familiarity wherever she can get it."

Bella hummed. "That could get interesting."

Edward chuckled-a wry sound. "Yeah." He scratched his fingers briefly along Bella's scalp just like she'd done for Katie not that long before. She closed her eyes against the jolt of electricity his touch kindled, but she sighed, soothed. "Go to sleep, Bella," he said, his voice rough from whispering. "I'm beginning to figure out parents need as much sleep as they can get. You never know what's going to happen tomorrow."

A/N: Shorty chapter.

How are you, my friends?