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.

"Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak."

― Sun Tzu

Chapter 27

The Wolf

The next day, Bella woke with a splitting headache. It felt as though someone was using a jackhammer against her skull. It didn't help that the early morning rays were streaming through her closed eyelids. Groaning, she tried ro roll over so as to the block the light, but any movement made her head hurt more. She couldn't even remember why her head hurt. She couldn't remember what she'd done the night before. Her memory was foggy. At the realisation that she didn't even know where she was, Bella's eyes snapped open, and she sat up quickly. The movement was too fast, and for a moment she thought she was going to hurl.

Looking around, she was surprised to find herself in Edward's bedroom. She didn't have any recollection of having come there.

"You're up," a voice said softly from the doorway.

Even though it was his house, Bella still felt some surprise at seeing him there.

"What the hell am I doing here?" she asked.

"You don't remember?"

She shook her head slowly as she racked her brain, trying to remember what had happened the night before. She remembered going to Alexis's recital and then going out with Edward. After that it was a little blurry.

"You drank yourself into a stupor last night," Edward said, filling in the details of her patchy memory as he walked into the room, a glass of water in his hand. He sat on the edge of the bed as he watched her.

Very slowly, her memory came back. Not the full memory, just bits and pieces, but it was enough to make her feel horrified at what she'd done.

"I can't believe I did that," Bella groaned as she buried her face in her hands.

"It's not that bad," Edward reassured her.

"Yes it is. I'm a parent. I'm not supposed to be going out and doing shit like that."

"It's not like you go out and get drunk all the time. It was one night. No sense beating yourself up over it."

"Oh shit, speaking of, I have to get home to Alexis," she said, her voice turning frantic as she remembered her reason for leaving those wild high school days behind.

"It's okay," Edward said. "I called Renee already. I told her you were tired and decided to spend the night here. I also talked to Alexis. She's a bit peeved that you spent the night and she didn't, but I promised her I'd take her out for ice cream later to make up for it."

"Thanks for covering for me."

"No problem."

In the silence that followed, Bella tried racking her brain again. She wanted to try and piece together what exactly had happened last night. A thought occurred to her.

"We didn't?" she asked slowly, afraid of the answer. "Did we?"

Edward looked confused for a second before he realised what she meant.

"No. We didn't." He looked hurt when he looked at her . "Do you actually think so poorly of me that you think I would take advantage of you while you were intoxicated?"

She hadn't meant to hurt his feelings, but she could see that she had. "No, I guess not."

He held his hand out with the glass for her. "You're not going to puke are you?" he asked.

"I don't think so," she said as she took it.

"I don't think my room can take another person puking in it," he explained, referring to the time Alexis had been sick and vomited all over his floor.

Now that he had mentioned it, her stomach was starting to feel unsettled.

"Did I say anything noteworthy last night?" Bella asked, trying to distract herself from the uneasy feeling.

Edward was silent long enough for Bella to know that she had. "Oh, no. What did I say?"

"It was nothing bad."

Bella groaned. "That means it was really bad."

"You just said you had feelings for me."

"I said that?"

Edward nodded.

Bella couldn't help but feel disappointed that she'd admitted that to him. It made her feel like they were on even footing. Their relationship always felt like a power struggle. In the beginning, he had the upper hand. Here in Forks, she did. Her admittance made them even. "What else did I say?"

"You didn't say anything else of importance. You did kiss me."

Bella couldn't keep her jaw from dropping open. She'd been so worried about what she'd said, it hadn't occurred to her that she might have done something.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Why are you apologizing?"

"I don't even know." At that moment she just felt tired, overwhelmed and confused with herself. She didn't know how her admittance would affect her and Edward's relationship, and she was too hung over to think of the consequences.

"Do you want something to eat?" Edward offered.

"No, I should probably head home," she replied. As she stood, everything around her seemed to move a bit as she got her bearings, but after a moment the dizziness faded, and she was able to follow Edward down to his car.

Edward didn't say anything as he drove her home, and she hoped he wasn't thinking more about what she'd said or that kiss. She couldn't believe she'd been so stupid as to do something like that. Her fear was that he would now be expecting something more out of their relationship. She wasn't sure she was ready for that.

Even without looking at the dashboard, Bella knew it was past noon. Her head was still throbbing when they stopped in front of her house.

"Do you want me to take Alexis out for a few hours so you could rest?" Edward offered, as she opened the door to get out of the car.

"Please?" she asked. She was still hung over, and a few hours rest was what she needed.

When they'd walked into the house, after Bella had retrieved the spare key taped under the windowsill, Alexis was the first one to greet them.

"Mommy, Daddy!" she yelled from the kitchen as she ran towards them. Bella smiled despite the radiating pain through her head from the sudden loud noise.

Edward went forward and swooped Alexis into a hug before she could barrel into Bella.

"Thanks," Bella whispered to him. She was sure that if Alexis had tackled her, she would have vomited right there.

She found Renee in the kitchen clearing up from lunch. Bella collapsed into one of the chairs by the counter, her head in her hands.

"Rough night?" Renee asked.

Bella didn't answer.

"I'll take her out now," Edward said from the kitchen entrance.

"Okay, I'll see you'll later," Bella said.

When she heard the front door close behind him, Bella looked up and saw Renee looking at her. Bella could see the question in her eyes.

"Don't ask," Bella said as she stood up and went into her bedroom.

Three hours later, after she'd showered, ate and taken a pill, she was feeling a lot better. The one downside was that the lack of pain in her head gave her a clearer realisation as to what she'd done. She supposed it wasn't too bad, but her confession made her uneasy. Either way, there wasn't anything that could be done about that. With nothing else to do, Bella figured she'd join Alexis and Edward wherever they were.

It didn't take long to find them. Edward had kept his promise and taken Alexis to an ice cream shop in town.

"Look who finally recovered," Edward said as Bella slid into the booth beside Alexis but opposite to him.

"Ha ha," Bella mocked as she pulled Alexis onto her lap. She felt bad that her action from the night before had made her incapable of taking care of her daughter.

"Look. Daddy bought me a new toy," Alexis said, holding up a box with a picture of a castle on it.

"Wow. Sugar and a new toy? Looks like you had a great afternoon."

"How do you feel?" Edward asked.

"I'll survive. I doubt I'll be doing that again."

"That's good. For a moment I thought I'd lost you last night, and it scared me."

"I'm sorry about that."

"You remember?"

"I'm getting little bits and pieces," Bella admitted.

Edward looked at her as though he was expecting her to say something more about last night, and he seemed a little disappointed when she didn't. She wanted nothing more than to move on and forget it ever happened.

"Do you have any special plans for Christmas?" Bella asked, trying to change the topic.

Edward sighed sadly before he answered. Clearly he'd wanted the conversation to continue along the path they were on.

"No, not really. I haven't really celebrated it for the last few years. What about you?"

"I've never been one much for Christmas cheer, but I try to put as much effort into it as I can for Lexi."

"Last year we saw Santa's reindeer," Alexis piped in.

Bella laughed at the memory. Alexis had been terrified of them and refused to touch even one or take the customary picture.

"Well, this is my first year spending it with her, and my first time in a while spending it with you, so it's bound to be special."

"Always the optimist."

When Edward's phone rang a few minutes later, Bella was helping Alexis finish off her ice cream.

"You took plenty," Alexis said.

"It was one scoop."

"Daddy, Mommy ate my ice cream."

"She did?" Edward asked while he looked at the screen on his phone and answered. "Hello?"

"It was one scoop, Alexis. I doubt it would have made a difference."

"When did that happen?" Edward said to whoever he was speaking to.

Bella watched as Edward's expression changed. First to confusion, then panic before settling on anger.

"I'll be there soon," he said before hanging up.

"Something wrong?" Bella asked.

"I'm not sure." He wasn't looking at her. His eyes were focused on the phone in his hand. "I have to go."

He stood quickly, and without much goodbyes, he gave Alexis a small kiss on the forehead and was out the door before Bella could make sense of what just happened.

"Well that was weird," Bella said to herself when he was gone. His departure was so sudden.

"What was weird?" Alexis asked.

"Never mind that. If you're finished, we should head home."

"So I can play with my castle?"

"Sure, or you can take another nap with me."

"But I'm not tired."

"Well I am, and I could really use a nap buddy."

"But I'm not tired," Alexis repeated. Bella couldn't help but frown a little. Using the "nap buddy" excuse used to work when Alexis was younger.

"Well then what do you want to do?" Bella slightly hoped that whatever it was, it was quiet and didn't involve her too much.

"Can we go to the library for story time?" Alexis asked.

"You are definitely my kid," Bella said with a laugh.

Thankfully there weren't many other children in the room for the story time that the library hosted, so Bella was able to find a seat towards the back while Alexis went up front with the other children. While Alexis was entertained with a story about a dragon that was all alone, Bella was given a chance to be alone with her thoughts.

Whatever was the phone call that took Edward away early, Bella couldn't help but feel slightly grateful. It gave her a little while longer to evade the possible implications of what happened between them.

No matter how much time passed by, or how easy it was to have feelings for him, Bella continuously felt conflicted with regards to her emotions. It was like loving something that was forbidden. She was Eve, and Edward was the fruit. Her biggest fear was that just like Eve, she would pay dearly for her decisions.

"Poor little dragon, all in a muddle. There must be someone who'll give him a cuddle," Bella heard the librarian, who was in charge of the reading, say. Bella knew the story well. It was one that Alexis had requested several times.

The librarian's voice took on a deeper tone to add an effect to the story she was reading. "Everyone seems to think he's too scary."

Bella couldn't help but laugh just a bit. That dragon sounded a bit like Edward. The same way everyone in the story ran from the dragon was the same way everyone kept warning her away from him.

"There must be someone, somewhere out there, who'd cuddle a dragon with love to spare," the librarian read on.

"Is there anything special you want for dinner?" Ann asked as she and Bella strolled through the local supermarket. While Bella pushed the shopping cart, Ann held her baby in her arms.

"Nothing particular," Bella replied. "I'm not picky."

Ann laughed. "That's for sure. The last one who stayed with me refused to eat anything that wasn't low on sugar, had no carbs and was fat free."

"What's left?"

"Water."

Bella laughed.

Oregon, as the last woman who drove Bella explained, was her last stop. It was as far as they could take her, and she would be safest there. Bella didn't share their beliefs. She never felt safe.

Ann was the woman she'd been placed with in Oregon. She'd promise to help Bella for as long as she needed and to help her figure out what it is she wanted to do. Unfortunately, Bella couldn't figure out what she wanted.

"Meatball subs?" Ann asked as they turned down another aisle.

"That's fine."

"Perfect then. It's actually Matt's favourite."

Bella felt her mouth run dry at the reminder of Ann's husband. Whilst the rest of Ann's family, mainly her and her two children, had taken Bella in with open arms, Matt wasn't too happy about Bella staying with them. Ann wasn't aware of it, but Bella could hear them arguing at night about her. He didn't like that Ann was opening up their home to complete strangers. Hearing them just made Bella feel that much more terrible. She didn't run from her marriage to ruin someone else's.

When they were through at the supermarket, Bella accompanied Ann to the local preschool to pick up her son. Then they returned to the house. Bella was glad that Matt wasn't home from work yet.

While Ann busied herself in the kitchen, she refused to let Bella help, Bella sat by the table playing a card game with her son, Camryn.

"Can you hold him for a second?" Ann asked holding the baby out for Bella.

Bella held back the need to squirm. Despite having been around both children during the past few days, Bella was no closer to warming up to the idea of them. While one was always throwing a tantrum over something new, the other one was always leaking out of somewhere.

"Sure," Bella said as she took the squirming child in her arms. The baby cooed a little while Bella sat awkwardly holding him.

"You're not much of a kid person are you?" Ann asked as she stood over the stove stirring a pot.

Bella just shook her head.

"It's alright. I wasn't either until my son was born. Then it just came naturally. Don't worry, it will for you, too."

Bella doubted that very much, but she didn't voice it out loud. Ann knew that Bella was pregnant, but because of Bella's particular circumstance, she hadn't been able to go to a doctor as of yet. She'd arrived in Oregon with no identification of any sort, and Ann had insisted that Bella not do anything that would show up on her social security number, out of fear that Edward was tracking it.

Ann said she would help Bella find a way around that, but until then, Bella couldn't do anything that would draw attention to herself. Matt kept insisting that Bella just "go to the police" if she was that desperate. Neither Ann nor Matt knew the whole story, but Ann understood why it wasn't that simple. If Bella went to the police, and Edward was able to silence them with money and influence, all that time spent trying to get away would have been for nothing.

"It's your turn," Camryn called.

"Oh, sorry." Bella balanced the baby in one arm while drawing another card from the stack in front of her.

Camryn drew another card before declaring, "I win."

Bella wasn't sure how he won, but she was glad the game was over. She focused her attention then on trying not to drop the baby.

When Matt returned from work, Bella did everything she could to avoid him. Even though she would have preferred to eat dinner in the guest room, Ann had insisted she have dinner with them. At the first opportunity she got, she managed to make her escape.

While Ann was in the baby's room rocking him to sleep, Bella stood by the wall beside the crib watching her. Looking at her, Bella couldn't help but wonder about her own child, and if she would ever be a good enough mother. She still hadn't decided whether or not she wanted to keep the baby. Just like everything else in her life, she was undecided, which left her confused and feeling that much more alone.

"You okay?" Ann asked. Bella hadn't noticed Ann watching her.

"I'm okay. I'm just wondering how you can do that."

"Do what?"

"Parent. It seems so complicated."

"It was at first, but after a while you learn." Again Bella doubted that.

Ann looked at Bella sadly when she said, "I know it will be harder for you, if you chose to keep the baby, but it is possible."

"But it seems a little selfish, doesn't it? Keeping a baby in my messed up life."

"You are one person who can never be selfish," Ann said as she placed the now sleeping baby into the crib. "Just the fact that you were selfless enough to get away, all the while knowing what could happen? How could someone who makes such a sacrifice be selfish?"

"I guess." The self doubt was just too large for Bella to see things from Ann's point of view.

"Matt and I are going to watch a movie now. Would you like to join us?"

"That's okay," Bella said quickly. She highly doubted Matt would want her there. "I'm really tired."

"Okay, I'll see you in the morning."

When Ann was gone, Bella went into the guestroom. She collapsed backward onto the bed with a sigh. Soon enough, she could hear Matt and Ann arguing about her. She knew it would go on for a while, and she had no desire to hear them, so still fully dressed she rolled over, shut her eyes and fell asleep.

When Bella woke several hours later, the house was quiet. The clock on the bedside table said it was just after four. Climbing quickly out of bed, Bella went into the guest bathroom to change her clothes. During the time she'd been there, she'd mainly been using Ann's clothes. Now she changed into some new clothes she'd bought a few days before. When she was changed, she left Ann's clothes she'd been wearing in the basket at the foot of the bed. Pulling out a few bills from the amount Eryn had given her, Bella left it in an envelope on the bedside table with a note of thanks to Ann. She didn't want to leave her without some token of thanks for all Ann had done for her.

Just like when she'd arrived, Bella didn't have any possessions so there wasn't anything to pack. Opening the bedroom door, Bella found the house still and quiet. She wasn't sure whether or not Ann would be up with the baby, but she saw all the lights were off indicating she wasn't. Bella hated sneaking out like that, but she knew Ann would never let her leave. Bella didn't want to be the cause anymore for the problems between Ann and Matt.

The original intention was to just get as far away from Chicago as possible. Now that she was, it was time for her to move on. She wasn't sure what she would do, but she knew she could never figure it out there.

Bella made her way quietly down the steps. When she reached the bottom step, she was surprised to see the light on in the kitchen. Whoever it was seemed to have heard Bella because she heard footsteps approaching her. She was taken aback when she was that it was Matt.

"Where are you going?" he asked. Bella breathed a small sigh of relief that it wasn't Ann. Matt wouldn't have a problem with her leaving.

"It's time for me to leave," Bella said simply.

Matt looked at her surprised. "Why? Does Ann know?"

"No. I figured it would be best to leave while she was asleep. You and I both know she won't let me leave if she knew."

Matt looked at her closely for a minute, and when he spoke, Bella thought she could hear sadness in his voice.

"You don't have to leave because of me," Matt said. "I know I've been a jerk these past few days, but…" He trailed off.

Bella sighed. "I'm not leaving because of you. It's just time for me to go. I came here to get away from Chicago. I did. Now it's time for me to move on."

"I can't make you stay, but I wish you would reconsider."

"Why?"

"For one thing, do you know where you're going to go?"

"No, but that hasn't stopped me before."

Bella walked closer to the door. She didn't want to waste any more time and risk Ann finding her.

"Do you want something to eat before you go?" Matt asked.

"No, thanks. I'd better go."

"Okay. Take care of yourself," Matt said.

"Bye."

The night was cold, and Bella was relieved just to be out of the house. For a moment, she'd been afraid that Matt would alert Ann of her departure. She couldn't understand why he cared, but there was no time to sit and figure out Matt's emotions. There was a five thirty train out of Oregon, and Bella didn't want to miss it.

The house wasn't too far from the train station, so Bella arrived to it within minutes. After paying for a ticket, she found a seat on the platform to wait. The train was already there waiting to leave, but Bella wanted a few minutes of fresh air before she got on.

She thought that after all this time, that feeling of loneliness and fear of the unknown would dissipate. She was wrong. It was still there.

When the platform around her began to fill, Bella went on board so she would get a seat. She found one by a window. Aside from the view of people moving about their business, there wasn't much to see.

In Florida, Bella had lived a rather sheltered life. Her father's death and her relationship with Edward were the only sources of turmoil she'd ever experienced. Her move to New York was supposed to be her chance to get out from the nest. It was supposed to be her chance to fly. Now, as she sat in a train station far from home, pregnant and alone, she felt as though she had more been shoved out of the nest. She was expected to learn to fly while pummelling to the ground. It wasn't the best way to learn, but unfortunately for her, it was her only way.

"For Christmas, can I get the purple doll for my castle instead?" Alexis asked from the back seat.

"We'll see," Bella replied. It was her go-to response whenever Alexis asked for something, and she wasn't paying much attention. Her mind was preoccupied with thoughts about Edward. He'd called the night after the visit to the ice cream shop to say he had to leave for a few days. He didn't say why, just that he would be back as soon as he could. That was three days ago.

He still called Alexis every night to talk to her. Bella didn't know how those conversations went, but when she talked to him, he always seemed in a bit of a rush. She never asked him what was wrong figuring he would explain it whenever he was ready. She just hoped whatever it was wasn't too bad.

"Mom," Alexis called loudly from the back seat.

"What?" They'd stopped in front of the house, but Bella hadn't been listening to her at all so she hadn't heard Alexis calling for her from the backseat.

"Look."

Bella turned to see Alexis pointing at someone on the front porch.

It took a moment for Bella to recognize the face, but once she did, this blast from the past left her speechless.

"Jacob?" She couldn't believe her eyes. Out of everyone from her past, he was the last person she expected to see standing on her front porch. She hadn't seen him since the night she'd gone to the dinner party with Edward in Chicago.

Bella was just climbing out of her truck when he came down the steps to meet her. She closed the door so the cold air from outside wouldn't get into the truck.

She didn't know why he was there, but either way, she figured Alexis shouldn't be exposed to whatever the reason was for him coming to see her.

"Bella, how are you?" Jacob asked as if they were old friends just catching up.

"Good," Bella replied as she carefully looked at him.

He looked exhausted, and there were what looked like finger print marks by his neck. Around his wrists, she could make out what looked like healing burns. It looked like restraint marks.

"I haven't seen you in so long. I was surprised to hear when you'd managed to escape. I always felt bad that I couldn't help you. So I was glad that you were still able to get out."

"So was I. If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing here? If it's Edward you're looking for, he's not here."

"I know." Jacob sighed, and Bella saw his eyes trail to where Alexis was still sitting in the backseat. "I'd heard he'd found you. I'm sorry. I know you must have come here to escape him."

Bella just nodded. She still hadn't the slightest clue why Jacob was here.

"I promised myself I would do whatever it took to make sure you were safe. I'd stood by last time and let it happen, this time I swore I wouldn't." He looked at her sadly. "That's why I'm here to warn you. Edward isn't the person you think he is. I know it may seem like he's changed, but he hasn't. He's just playing you."

"What are you talking about?"

"I mean, I know he may seem like he's changed, but he hasn't. I wish I could go into specific details, but I can't. I just want to make sure you're on your guard and that you and Alexis are safe."

Bella didn't know how to respond to that. "What do you mean by he's playing me?"

"I mean that regardless of what he tries to portray, he's still a Cullen. They are known for their deception. Carlisle did it. Emmett and Jasper did it. Now Edward's doing it."

"Doing what?" Bella was growing frustrated with Jacob's cryptic language.

"Fooling people," Jacob replied, a slight anger in his voice. "He's fooling you into thinking he's this changed person, but he's not." Bella saw his hands open and close as if he was trying to calm himself.

"I don't want to see you get hurt again because of him," Jacob said, softer this time. "Especially seeing as now it isn't just about you." His eyes went to Alexis again before returning to Bella's face.

Bella was left speechless. It was her greatest fear. That Edward's change was just a ruse, but it didn't make sense.

"Why would Edward pretend to be good? What could he possibly gain from pretending?"

"You of course. Even when he was screwing other women when you were gone, he still kept up his obsession for you. Not to mention, Esme..." Then he stopped.

"What about Esme?"

Jacob sighed sadly. "Esme wants Alexis. She's been goading Edward to take Alexis from you since she found out about her."

Bella stepped back in disbelief. "You're lying."

"I'm not. I was there the day Edward's investigator said he'd found you. Esme has been in contact with Edward since he left Chicago. He lied when he told you he'd cut off all ties with her. They'd both just been waiting for the opportunity to take her."

"He wouldn't do that," Bella said softly, but even as she said it, she wasn't certain. "How do I know you're not lying?" she asked, a hard edge in her voice.

"Unlike Edward, I've never hurt you. I have no reason to. I've seen what the Cullens are like, and it's always killed me that because of money and power they get away with it. I don't want to see you get hurt again."

Bella still didn't understand it. She couldn't fathom as to why Jacob would care about her.

"Thanks for telling me then," she said. "I'll have to be on my guard."

"You're welcome." Jacob walked forward and gave Bella a brief hug. It was so unexpected that it took Bella a few moments to respond. "Stay safe," he whispered in her ear before he pulled away from her. With a last wave at Alexis, he turned and headed towards his car which was parked not far from Bella's house. He didn't look back as he got in and drove off.

Once he was out of sight, Bella went back to the driver's side of her truck and turned off the engine. She was surprised that Alexis had actually remained quietly in her seat and not started gnawing at the straps on her car seat.

"Who was that?" she asked as she jumped out of the truck.

"No one important," Bella said.

Renee was not at home, and Bella was too busy with Alexis to think more about what Jacob had said. She tried to keep herself preoccupied. It was easier to just push the problem away than to face it head on. When night eventually came, Edward called as he usually did. Surprisingly, Alexis didn't mention to him having seen someone different. Unfortunately, despite her best efforts to make it seem like nothing was wrong, Edward seemed to pick up something different.

"Are you okay?" he asked. Bella could hear the worry in his voice, and she berated herself for it. She didn't want him to become suspicious. She wasn't sure whether or not what Jacob had said was true, but either way, she knew she needed to figure it out on her own.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired I guess. Alexis and I have been missing you a lot," she admitted. It was true. Prior to meeting Jacob, she had been missing him.

"I miss you both as well. I'm trying to clear this up as quickly as possible so I can return."

"And you're not going to tell me what the problem is?"

"Not yet. Besides, it's nothing you have to worry about."

It seemed she wasn't the only one dealing with a tough situation. She heard Edward speak briefly to someone, his voice muffled by his hand which Bella assumed was covering the mouthpiece.

"I have to go," he said. He sounded a bit sad when he said it.

"Okay. I'll talk to you tomorrow then."

There was a brief silence. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too," she replied before she could stop herself. It was an involuntary response.

Then she hung up, not wanting to dwell too much on what she'd just said. She did love him, that was true, but whether that love was right or wrong remained to be seen.

The story mentioned is Who wants a dragon by James Mayhew. It's a really sweet children's story, and I highly recommend it.

I'm curious to know how all of you managed to find this story. If you chose to review, can you mention where it is you first found out about this story? It is much appreciated.

You can find me on Twitter XxMementoMorix

Much thanks to kitchmill.