Synopsis:

After a forced marriage filled with violence, Bella escapes from Edward with their unborn child. Almost four years later, Edward has found her and their daughter and he refuses to let them go.

"As we do at such times I turned on my automatic pilot and went through the motions of normalcy on the outside,

so that I could concentrate all my powers on surviving the near-mortal wound inside"

- Sonia Johnson

Chapter 5

Save Me

The room was quiet as Bella took in the person before her. The shock at seeing him there was too much.

She hoped that it was just a dream- just a nightmare. That at any moment she would wake up. But after several seconds passed and nothing had changed, she knew she had to face the reality of the situation. Edward was really there. After almost four years, he was really standing in the middle of her room.

She couldn't deny that the sight of him made her heart race, and not just in fear.

He was still beautiful.

Still gorgeous.

His hair still stood up on ends from the numerous times he'd put his hand through it. He looked like he hadn't shaved in a while. It was no big surprise that all the girls had fallen for him back in high school. If she had to guess, women probably still fell for him now.

But she knew that that didn't matter. He was like a wolf in sheep's clothing. Tempting on the outside, but a tyrant on the inside.

Suddenly, she was furious that he was there. Furious that he'd broken into her home, but she wasn't surprised. Edward always did what he wanted without regard for others. She guessed he hadn't changed.

His hand was still covering her mouth, so she bit down on it hard.

"Ow!" he yelled, pulling his hand away.

She swung at him, but he caught her arm before it made impact on his face.

"Wait! Just listen," he pleaded, but the sound was lost to her. Also, she didn't want to listen. She didn't want to hear what he had to say. She just wanted him to leave her and her daughter alone.

She tried with the other hand, but he caught that one, too. He held both her arms in his as she struggled against him.

"Just listen!" he begged. "I'm not going to hurt you!"

"Yeah right. I've heard that before." Her voice was frantic.

She kicked out at him and her blow caught him right between his legs. The pain and shock made him let go of her arms. The second he dropped them, she began scrambling away from him towards the door.

"No, wait! Please." He reached out and grabbed her leg.

"Let go of me!" she yelled, sending out another kick at him, but missing. He reached for her arms again, and he pushed against her until he overpowered her. Pinning her to the floor, his body covered hers. He held her arms at the side of her head as Bella continued to struggle. Her survival instinct screamed at her to get away from him. Get away from the person who would hurt her and possibly her daughter.

"Please, just listen," he whispered. Their faces were just inches apart.

Bella's breathing was heavy. She wanted to scream out for help, but at the same time she didn't want Alexis to wake up and see her like that. To see her mother being pinned beneath her father. She would rather face Edward's fist a thousand times, than let Alexis be exposed to that.

"Please! I'm not going to hurt you. Just listen. Give me a moment." His sweet breath brushed over her face. After all those years he was still intoxicating. The scent still made her dizzy.

She hated it. She hated the way her body reacted to him.

Her eyes turned hard. "Fine! Just get off of me."

He pushed off of her. His arms were slightly out, ready to grab her again if she ran. Bella sat up and backed away from him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she demanded. Her voice sounded breathless and she hated it. It made her sound afraid. She was, but he didn't need to know that.

He smiled slightly at her question, but there was no amusement in his eyes. Instead, his eyes roamed over her while he answered. "What? You thought I'd just move on and forget about you?"

He looked up then, meeting her eyes.

Those eyes.

Those eyes she'd fallen in love with when they were high school. Those eyes that turned hard when he was angry at her. Those eyes that she'd stare into as he struck her. Those eyes that looked so similar to her daughter's. Alexis's eyes had been brown, up until she turned eleven months old. After that, her eyes slowly changed to green. To Bella, it was like a constant reminder of the past that she'd tried so hard to leave behind.

"I'd hoped. I assumed I was just another possession to you. Easily replaceable." Her voice dripped with sarcasm.

Bella couldn't understand the sadness that seemed to fill his eyes at her words, or why he grimaced. He didn't respond for a moment, and when he did, his eyes hardened, and he sounded slightly angry.

"So after all this time, you've been here," he said, shaking his head in disbelief. "I couldn't believe it when security told me you'd actually escaped. I should have known that you would find a way to slip away from them."

"Yeah, well I found my reason to run."

Bella was testing him. To see if he knew anything about Alexis. The pain that filled his eyes showed that he did.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he whispered.

"You're seriously asking that question?" she asked in disbelief.

She watched his face carefully, waiting to see how he would react to finding out he was a father. Waiting to see the anger she knew would come. She suspected that guys like Edward, who saw women as a conquest and nothing more, wouldn't want to be tied to any woman by a child.

"You didn't even give me a chance."

"I didn't think you'd care," she answered honestly.

Edward opened his mouth to reply, but a sound stopped them.

From the other room, they could both hear movement as Alexis began to stir. Bella's eyes snapped to Edward's.

"I want to meet her," he whispered.

Bella's eyes widened in fear. She couldn't believe he was serious. She couldn't understand what reason he would have for wanting to meet Alexis. She'd hoped that if he ever knew about Alexis, he wouldn't want anything to do with her. He wouldn't want a barrier in his way as he plowed through women. She didn't know if that was true. She wasn't sure if he'd jumped into bed with the first woman he could pick up after she was gone, but she guessed that he was just like his father. But whereas Esme had sat there and took it all, she refused to.

"Please don't do this. Just let her be," she pleaded. "I promise I won't ask you for anything. I won't ask for money or support. Just please leave her out of this." The desperation in her voice caught him off guard.

"Don't you think I have a right to meet my daughter?"

"No."

They could both hear Alexis making her way across the hall calling, "Mommy!"

Bella jumped up and ran to the door with Edward right on her heels.

When Bella reached out to touch the door handle, Edward stopped her by placing his hand on hers.

"Give me a second. Go wait in the kitchen," she called to Alexis. They could both hear the sound of her footsteps retreating down the hall.

When she was a distance away, Edward spoke. "I want to meet her."

"Well, I don't want you to," Bella hissed, her expression fierce.

Edward was silent for a few seconds, taking in her angry expression. The determined look in her eyes. Bella was ready to do whatever it took to keep Alexis safe. To keep her away from him.

"I don't want to fight you on this. I just want to meet my daughter." Again, sadness filled his eyes. Just for a moment, Bella thought it was real. That his wanting to see Alexis was genuine. But that only lasted a moment.

"And if I don't? Are you going to beat me into submission?" she hissed at him. "Besides, what makes you think she wants to see you? She doesn't even know you exist."

"You never told her about me?"

"What did you expect me to say? That her father is a colossal jackass and a woman beater? You want me to tell her that he pushed her mother down a flight of stairs when she was pregnant?" she spat. "That he probably fucked his way through the whole of Chicago while her mother was gone? Sorry I didn't incorporate that into her bedtime stories." She knew her words were hurting him, but at that moment she didn't care. She wanted to hurt him. She wanted scare him away. To make him feel too ashamed to ever face Alexis.

She also knew she was taking a risk pushing him like that. That was always when he'd attack, but at that moment she didn't care.

He grabbed her arm and swung her till she was pressed against the door. He held both her arms beside her head, pinning her there.

"There we go," she said. "After all these years you haven't changed. Why would I ever let you go anywhere near my daughter?"

"Because she's my daughter too," he hissed. Bella could see the anger on his face, and she braced herself for the blow.

But it didn't come.

Instead, pain filled his eyes, catching her off guard. She was expecting anger. Expecting the fury she was so used to seeing on him. Instead, he just stared back at her, looking defeated. When he spoke, the pain was reflected in his voice as well.

"What happened between you and I has nothing to do with her. You can hate me as much as you want, but at the end of the day she is still my daughter, and I will not let you keep her away from me," he said. His voice was low as he spoke. "I will give you time to tell her I'm here. I'll be back at ten o'clock to see her. Don't bother running. I will keep an eye out."

He didn't wait for her to reply. Instead he crossed the room and went to her window. Before climbing out, he gave her one last fleeting look. It was only for a few seconds. His face was filled with such pain, such devastation, that Bella couldn't even speak. Quietly, he slipped out the window, leaving Bella staring at the spot. When she was sure he was gone, she crossed the room and slammed the window shut, locking it in place.

Taking a few breaths, Bella went out to the kitchen to check on her daughter. Standing in the entryway, she saw Alexis sitting at the table, playing with her bear.

That bear was the first item that Bella had bought for her baby. She hadn't been able to afford much when she first arrived in Forks, but she'd really wanted to get something special for her child. Before 'Maisie Bear' was being used as a comfort item for Alexis, when she'd fallen off the swings, or when she'd fallen ill, the bear was used as a comfort item for Bella. Who at eighteen years old found herself pregnant, in a new town, evading an abusive husband. More than three years later, the bear was shabby and worn. His brown fur was missing patches on its head, and the fur around his neck had been hugged off.

Bella watched as Alexis held the bear's paws in her hands. Then she shook it so the bear looked like he was dancing. It was such a normal morning routine, but it wasn't a normal morning. With the arrival of Edward, everything had changed.

"Noo!" Bella cried out as she woke with a start. Her breathing was heavy as she took in the unfamiliar surroundings.

She was laying on a king-sized bed in an extravagant bedroom. The bed was covered with an ivory satin duvet and had way too many pillows on it. It had all the commodities of a hotel suite. Half of the room looked like a living room, with a brown leather couch and a flat screen television. Off to the left, she could see a door and from her spot, she could see a massive window. The morning sun shone through it.

The memory of all that had happened washed over, and she looked onto the other side of the bed.

It was empty.

Edward was gone. She breathed a sigh of relief at that. She'd been in the room for the past three days, unable to leave. She'd tried the front door already, on the rare moments when Edward was gone, but just like in the basement, no matter how many times she tugged and pulled at the handle, it wouldn't budge. The window was just the same. Locked from the outside. It wouldn't have mattered anyway. The room was several stories up.

Pulling herself out of bed, she made her way to the bathroom. Looking in the mirror, Bella saw that some of the purple marks on her face were almost black. Others were now being formed. The sight was becoming all too familiar. All of them had been left untreated and a few were still swollen. The only thing she was able to put on it was ice. Turning on the faucet, she washed her face, wishing she could wash away the memories as well. Last night had been no different than the last several. She and Edward had had a screaming match, and he had become violent.

Walking back into the bedroom, Bella collapsed backwards onto the bed.

The sound of a key in the lock made her sit up.

She braced herself for Edward's return. But it wasn't Edward.

An elderly woman with gray hair and dressed in a maid's attire walked in pushing a cart. She made sure to close the door behind her. This was the first person other than Edward she had seen since arriving at the hotel. She hoped that this was her chance.

"Good morning, Miss," the woman said, pushing the cart to the dining room table.

Bella didn't respond. Her eyes were guarded as she took in the woman. The woman didn't react to Bella's lack of response. Instead, she began placing dishes onto the dinning table, pulling off the covers as she went. There were pancakes, bacon, scrambled eggs, hash brown and a pitcher of orange juice.

"I'm not going to hurt you," the woman said, as she bent down to retrieve something from below the cart. She pulled out a medical kit and began rummaging through it.

When she looked up and saw Bella still sitting on the bed, she said, "Please come and eat. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm just going to treat your injuries."

After a few moments, Bella made her way slowly to the table and sat down. The woman waited until Bella began eating, then she pulled out a tube, and began rubbing it on Bella's bruised cheek. The gel was cool as the woman made gentle circles on her skin.

It was quiet then. The only sound was of the woman's deep breathing. Bella knew that it was now or never. If she had any chance of getting away from Edward, this woman was it.

"Please help me," she whispered. The woman didn't reply. She didn't even look at her. She just continued to treat the bruise. The she reached into the kit and pulled out a spray.

"This might sting a bit," she said as she pressed the nozzle on the bottle.

It did sting, but Bella was immune to that pain. The woman wasn't going to help her. Bella had to bite her lip hard to stop from crying out in frustration.

"Listen," the woman whispered softly. "Mr. Cullen had this room specially made before you arrived. There are guards posted outside this room and down the hallway. They will be listening. The hotel staff has been given instructions to stay away from this room. Only authorized people are allowed in. The only way to get out of this room is through the door, and security is posted there at all times," the woman whispered quietly in a rush. Her lips barely moved as she spoke. "I would help you if I could, but I can't. I can't sneak you out."

"Maybe you can tell someone," Bella whispered back.

"I'm sorry. The Cullen's have the police wrapped around their fingers. If I go to them that won't help at all. No one can help you. You can't escape him."

The tears fell on their own accord then.

The woman paused then, taking in Bella's tears. She took Bella's chin in her hand, and when she spoke, her voice was still a whisper, but it was filled with sympathy. "My best advice, do what he says. Even if you can't love him, pretend to. It's your only chance of surviving."

"I can't do it. I can't just go along with it so easily," Bella whispered angrily through her tears.

The woman's eyes were sad as she looked at her. "You have no choice. If Edward is anything like his father, things will just get worse for you if you keep fighting him. Do what you have to do to survive."

"How do you know them?" Bella asked.

"I work at their estate here. Edward didn't trust anyone else. I am bound by contract not to say anything that happens in that house."

She let go of Bella.

"I'll leave the dishes here for you to finish," she said, speaking in her normal voice.

She put the kit back on the cart and then she turned and headed towards the door. Before stepping out, she gave Bella one last look, then she left, closing the door behind her.

The food suddenly tasted like rubber in Bella's mouth. Her appetite was gone, but the memory of what it was like to be hungry was still strong in her mind, so she continued eating. She knew the woman was right. The marks on her body were evident to that. She was trapped. The more she fought Edward on this, the worse things were going to get.

The maid's words ran through her head again. 'Do what you have to do to survive.'

To survive, she would have to love-or at least pretend to love-Edward. She would have to go through the whole thing and maybe, just maybe if she did, she might be able to find a way to get away from him. A way to escape. But it would take a lot of submission. It would mean she would have to go against everything she ever stood for, and actually bend to Edward's will. Just the thought of it made her sick. But she had no choice. She just had to be sure not to lose herself in the process.

Lunch and dinner were brought to the room throughout the day by different housekeepers. Each one said nothing as they unloaded the trays. They were keeping with their order and remaining quiet. It was late evening when Edward finally returned. Bella was standing at the window looking out into the sunset. The hotel they were at had a beach front view. From her spot, she could see the ocean and beach goers, soaking up the last few days of summer vacation.

Had it really just been two weeks ago that she had been getting ready to go to college? Two weeks since she had been as care free as them?

When Edward entered, she didn't turn. It wasn't until he wrapped his arms around her waist, and pressed his lips to her hair, that she acknowledged him.

"What are you looking at?" he asked.

"Just the sunset," she answered quietly. It was taking every ounce of self control for her to not push him away.

Do what you have to do to survive.

Edward seemed taken aback by her response.

"What?" she asked, looking at the confusion on his face.

"Nothing. I just wasn't expecting a normal response like that. I was expecting anger. For you to yell. Say you hate me. You know, the usual."

Oh, how she wished she could do that.

Turning around, she wrapped her arms around his neck. The motion again, caught him off guard.

"Well," she said. "I thought about it, and I decided to give you a chance."

He stared at her in disbelief. "A chance?"

"Yes. I want to be happy with you. I want to give us a chance." Bella had always been a good liar. Edward knew that. So he watched her face carefully to see if she meant it. So to seal the deal, she pressed her lips lightly to his.

That was all the convincing he needed.

The next several days passed in a blur. Edward's whole demeanor changed with that one kiss. They no longer fought, and for once, he was gentle with her. Always wanting to make sure she had everything she wanted.

Or at least, almost everything. She never asked him if she could go home, because she knew that would just give her whole plan away.

Instead of having her cooped up in the room all day, he would take her on walks in the garden around the hotel or along the beach. They would have dinner at restaurants, and he would tell her a thousand times a day that he loved her. In return, she would say the same thing.

Whenever they went, they always went with security. Whether it was for protection or to make sure she didn't run, she didn't know. Either way, Edward was genuinely happy. It practically radiated off of him in waves.

The night before their wedding, they both lay in bed. All the lights were off. The only source of light came from the moon shining through the window.

His body covered hers as he trailed kisses up and down her jaw. His fingers were gentle as he brushed them across her neck and as he cupped her face. Then he would lean in and press his lips to hers. Her arms were wrapped around his body, and her hands buried in his hair.

After a few moments, their lips broke apart. He pressed his forehead against hers as he spoke.

"Security will take you to the estate. Rosalie and Esme will meet you there to help you get ready. Alice was supposed to help but I think it would be best if you stayed away from her," he said.

She laughed, the nerves of it all choking her slightly. "So I don't get to pick out my wedding dress?"

She had meant it as a joke, but he frowned in response. "I'm sorry. I knew you were against the whole thing, so I told them to just go ahead with the arrangements. If you want we can postpone it another day so you could chose one."

"No, no it's alright." Picking out a wedding dress to a forced marriage did not sound like much fun to her.

"Are you sure? I want this to be special for you."

She was being forced to marry someone who spent the last several days using her as a punching bag. She couldn't understand how it could be anymore special.

Out loud she said, "No, it's okay. The dress doesn't matter. Being able to tie myself to you is."

He smiled at her response, and leaned down, pressing his lips to hers again. She knew she was fooling him for a reason, but she couldn't help erase the feeling that toying with his emotions was wrong- that fooling him like that was wrong. But she brushed it aside. It was too late to change her mind.

Instead, pulling her lips from his, she changed the subject.

"Who are Rosalie and Alice?" She'd heard Rosalie's name mentioned that one night when they'd first arrived, but at that time she hadn't really cared.

"Rosalie is Emmett's current girlfriend," Edward said. Emphasizing the word current with a roll of his eyes.

"Current?"

He laughed."Yeah, current. He goes through them like clothes. He wears them for a certain time,and then when he gets tired of them, he tosses them."

"Odd," she thought. Why couldn't Edward be like that? Why couldn't he become tired with her and just toss her? Why did he go to such lengths to secure her hand?

"And Alice?"

"Alice is Jasper's girlfriend. A real nutcase. He actually met her through his 'supplier'. The two of them share a common taste for popping pills. She introduced him to the wild side of life, and he introduced her to the power of pain pills. A match made in heaven," he added with a snort.

His words brought an old memory to her. It was the night after they'd broken up, and Jessica had invited her out to a party to help cheer her up. Bella had partied hard that night. Drinking and smoking things that she knew was wrong. When Edward had shown up, as he always did, he'd just seen her with alcohol in hand. He had no idea of what she had been inhaling moments before. The two of them had had a blow out as he dragged her home. It wasn't until she'd sobered up the next night that she realized, had Edward not come and taken her out, she might have done something she would regret for the rest of her life.

She didn't want to dwell on that subject anymore, so again she changed it.

"Will your parents be there?"

"Yes. My whole family. Why?"

She was interrupted from answering by a loud banging on the door.

A loud voice came from the other side of the door. "Let Edward out, or we're breaking down the door!"

Edward groaned in response. "Go away, Emmett!" Edward shouted to him.

"Edward he's serious. He's beginning to back up..." a different male voice said. Bella recognized the voice as Jasper's.

"Fine! Give me five minutes," Edward yelled back, exasperated. Turning back to Bella he said, "It seems my brothers are not going to let me bow out tonight."

He rolled off of her and went into the bathroom.

"What do they want?" Bella called to him.

When he emerged from the bathroom, he was dressed in a casual top and jeans. "They insist on throwing me a bachelor party," he sighed. "I told them I didn't want to do it, but they are relentless."

She chuckled slightly. The three of them shared that common trait.

"I'll see you tomorrow. Security will be here at nine."

Leaning down, he pressed his lips gently to her forehead. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too."

Her words made him smile. With one last peck on her cheek, he left.

When the door closed behind him, Bella collapsed back onto the bed, glad the charade was over for the moment. Tomorrow she knew she would have to dig deep to pull it off. Rolling onto her side, she knew convincing Edward was not the hard part. The hard part was making sure she didn't fall into the belief that it was all real. That he really did love her.

With her back pressed against the wall in the hallway, Bella sank to the ground. Burying her head in her hands, she had to bite her lip to stop from screaming. She feared this. For the past four years she had been fearing this. She'd hoped that he would just let her be, to leave her, leave them alone and have moved on with his life, but she should have known. Edward was not someone to let something go that easily. The despair came in waves. Each one bringing back the horrid memories and with that, she hated him again. The fear and pain receded and the anger returned.

She knew she had to get Alexis away from him.

"Mommy! Are you sleeping again?" she heard Alexis call. Hearing the soft sound of footsteps approaching, Bella pulled herself off the ground and planted a fake smile on her face. She couldn't let Alexis see her like that.

Bella met Alexis as she bent the corner to walk back into the hall.

"Good morning," she said, bending down and giving her a slight squeeze.

"Where were you? Are you still sleepy?"

"Yes. I dozed back to sleep, but I'm okay now."

The morning continued as normal. Alexis sat at the table while Bella served her breakfast. Alexis was her usual chirpy self, talking about purple unicorns and purple elephants. Bella tried to listen to her as she spoke, but her mind kept returning to Edward. She couldn't forget what he had told her. Glancing at the clock on the wall, Bella saw that it was 8:30. She had an hour and a half before Edward returned to meet Alexis. She wanted to run; to grab Alexis and run like she had all those years ago, but she knew Edward's threat had been sincere. He would be watching the house, anticipating that she would try to make a break for it.

Looking at Alexis, Bella didn't know how to tell her. She didn't know how to explain it. How to explain any of it to her. She thought she'd have years before this conversation ever came up. That she would have plenty time, but glancing at the clock again, she saw that she was out of time. She knew she would have to word this carefully and make it sound like a good thing.

She wanted to be vindictive. She knew that Alexis would be taking cues from her on how to react to Edward. She wanted to paint Edward in a bad light so Alexis would never become attached to him and maybe never want to see him. But she knew it was wrong. She knew that in the end, doing that would hurt Alexis above all, and she would not do that to her.

Taking a last bite of bread, Alexis asked, "So what are we doing today?"

"Actually, someone special is coming by today," Bella said, feigning enthusiasm.

"Santa?"

"No. Someone even more special."

There was a brief pause before Bella said, "Your dad."

The pause then was long, as Bella's words sank in. Bella tried to read Alexis's expression, but her face was blank. Then Alexis looked down and began rubbing her bear's fur in between her index finger and thumb. Bella knew the action well. It was what Alexis did when she was thinking something through, or when something was bothering her. Bella gave her a few moments to speak, but when she didn't Bella asked, "What do you think?"

Alexis didn't respond for a moment. When she finally looked up, Bella could see the many questions in her eyes.

"Why?" Alexis asked.

"Why is he coming by?"

Alexis nodded.

Bella took a moment to word her answer very carefully. She had to make it sound like a good thing. "Because he wants to meet you."

"Where was he before?"

Her question was simple, but Bella knew she was asking more than that. Bella knew Alexis meant to ask, 'Why wasn't he here before?'

Bella took a few moments again to weigh her response. She knew she would have to be careful. To not tell her too much.

"Well, your dad was living in Chicago."

Alexis was silent, waiting for Bella to continue. Truthfully, Bella didn't know how to continue. She didn't know how to explain any of it to a three year old. So instead, Bella used the same response her mother would tell her when she was Alexis's age.

"I know you have a lot of questions, but I can't answer them right now. But when you're older I will explain it to you. Okay?"

Alexis was silent for a few moments and then she nodded. "When is he coming by?"

Looking at the clock, Bella saw that it was almost nine.

"In an hour. Why don't you go change out of your pajamas to meet him?"

Alexis nodded but made no motion to get up. "Will you be there?"

"Of course. I'm not going anywhere. I'll be right beside you."

That seemed to reassure her enough.

While Bella got herself and Alexis ready, Alexis asked more about Edward. She wanted to know where he worked. If he had any brothers and sisters, and about his parents. The last two questions, Bella glossed over the answers, not speaking much about them. It was one thing to lie about Edward, it was a whole other thing to lie about his family. She would not portray them as good people, when they were everything but.

Bella tried to act cheerful as she dressed Alexis, but it was hard. It was hard to pretend to be happy, when she was everything but. Her mind raced with ways to get away from Edward.

When they were both dressed, Alexis held Bella's hand tightly in one hand, and Maisie Bear in the other, as they made their way out onto the front porch. The slight drizzle that had started while they were eating breakfast had stopped, but the sky was still overcast.

Bella sat on one of the front steps, and right away Alexis climbed onto her lap. Bella knew her daughter was nervous about meeting her father for the first time. Alexis held her bear tightly in her arms and leaned back against Bella's chest. Bella wrapped her arms around her, trying to make her feel more relaxed.

"Are you okay?" Bella asked.

Alexis just shrugged.

"It will be okay," Bella said reassuringly. But she couldn't know that for sure.

"What if he doesn't like me?" Alexis asked, rubbing the bear's fur again.

"Of course he will," Bella answered. But she wasn't sure that was the right answer. After all, she didn't know what Edward's motives were for wanting to meet Alexis. But to Bella it didn't matter anyway. One way or another, she was determined to get her daughter away from him.

Please remember there is still alot more to come in this story and even more to be revealed about Bella and Edward's past. The flashback in this chapter is evident of that. This story is still very young.

Thanks so much again to everyone who reviewed, favourited and story alerted.

Your reviews really give me the motivation and extra push I need to continue. I also love reading everyone's opinions on each chapter. It's amazing the mixed feelings that everyone has for Edward. So if you've got a minute, don't forget to share your thoughts by reviewing.

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Special thanks to Project Team Beta, Dragonfly336 & SecretlySeverus for proof-reading.