A/N: DUN DUN DUN... see you at the end...

Thanks to MarchHare5 and twicrack83, I adore you both. *muah*

Thanks to nowforruin!

Warning: adult content and violence. **Mention of physical and sexual assault. ** Language **

Disclaimer: all recognizable characters and Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer, the rest is copyrighted 2010 ElspethGordie

xoxo

Chapter 27: Calumny

Have you ever noticed that the police stations in cop shows are so much more impressive than in real life? All TV shows may not have high tech devices or fancy sets, but there is always the clutter of purpose. The bustle of movement showing our police officers protecting and serving. Forks' police department looked like it was dying to have something interesting happen. The coffee maker even looked like it had been cleaned today, twice out of boredom. It flipping shined.

They were in luck; we were about to bring them the case of a century. A rape, a cover-up, a corrupt politician, and the corrupt enforcement that helped him. I just hoped that we didn't get the corrupt cop.

Charlie and I sat in the metal holding room chairs, the fabric cushions long since worn out. We'd been sitting here for a while and they still hadn't seen us. At least we weren't naked in backless gowns.

I tapped my foot impatiently, shaking the whole table. It wobbled back and forth like one of the legs was too short. Every now and then I would subtly tap my pocket where my flash drive rested. It was my last resort. It wasn't much, but I hoped it would help my case.

Finally, the door swung open. And in walked two officers carrying coffee and a legal pad of paper. The first was a female with mid-length black hair cropped directly at her shoulders. She walked with her shoulders, like being a female on a mostly male police force made her that much more butch. Surprisingly she wore light make-up that brought out the grayish-blue color of her eyes. She pulled out a chair and sat across from me. I watched as she sized me up, taking in my appearance, my... ahem, condition without any judgment. I didn't know whether that was a good or bad assessment.

The other officer wore a suit and tie, but it didn't hide his increasing girth. He looked like he wanted to unbutton the top button of his oxford shirt, but resisted because it hid his double chin. He was balding and couldn't hide it anymore. He gave Charlie a tight-lipped smile with a nod like they knew each other.

Charlie probably knew most of the police officers here. It was where he worked for ten years before he left Forks.

"Pete." Charlie stood and shook the hand of the second officer, confirming my suspicions. I also recognized him as the man Charlie had spoken to on the phone on several occasions.

"Good to see you, Charlie." He pulled out a chair next to the lady officer and flopped unceremoniously down.

"This is my daughter, Isabella," Charlie introduced me. I gave a short nod.

Pete smiled, making his face wrinkle around the eyes and a dimple appear in each cheek. "I'm Peter Greene, and this is my partner Tia Verner." He offered his hand to shake.

I bit my lip and stared awkwardly for a moment at the table. By the time I looked up, his hand had dropped as well as his smile. I tried to explain myself. "Sorry, I can't... uh... touch... uh men," I ended quickly.

Officer Verner's eyes narrowed while Pete's widened in confusion. I could almost hear Charlie grind his teeth. "It's a side effect of the PTSD."

"Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?" Verner's hand started to write quickly on the pad she had brought.

I fiddled with the edge of my shirt. "I was diagnosed by a Dr. Lucy Smith at Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles at the end of June. It's been confirmed by my doctors in Phoenix, too."

Verner twiddled her pen between her fingers and took the moment to tilt her head back. Pete rubbed his chin. I waited while we sat there in silence. I knew that we were the ones bringing the charges, but did they even know what they were doing?

Charlie cleared his throat. "Bells, why don't you tell the officers your story." I nodded, but Verner held up her hand to stop me.

"Isabella—"

I cut her off. "It's Bella."

She looked up from her notepad, and smiled sardonically. "Bella, then, why exactly can't you touch men?"

I sighed deeply. "Every time I touch a man I relive that night. It doesn't matter how or why, a passing touch or purposeful, each time I see Jimmy Crawford and what he did to me."

Verner "hmmed" and continued to write. I could feel Charlie lean back in his chair next to me. I looked over to find one hand over his face and the other crossed protectively over his chest.

Pete's eyebrows scrunched together. "Okay, why don't you tell us what happened that night."

I turned to face Charlie. "Are you sure you want to hear this, Dad?"

He lifted his hand from his face, displaying a collected mask. "Yeah. Go ahead."

I placed my hands flat on the table to stop myself from wringing them while I spoke. I took a breath then looked both of the officers in the eye, making sure I had their full attention.

"On May ninth, I went to Mary Jackson's house for an end of the year party..."

OoOoOoOoOo

"Ms. Swan, just to get my facts straight, you arrived at the Jackson home around 8:30 p.m. and you were admitted to the hospital at midnight." Verner's eyes were still cautious, like she didn't know whether she believed me or not, like she viewed it as a matter of pride to stay objective. That was fine with me as long as I wasn't blown off. Not this time.

I nodded at her assessment.

"In the time between, you spent a half hour to forty-five minutes at the party. Before 9:30 you drank from a cup that was not yours." She shook her head in disbelief, but continued, not waiting for my response. "You found your way into an empty room, in an attempt to find the bathroom. You were dizzy, weak, and disoriented, but you hadn't lost any time or memory."

I tersely nodded again.

"You recall a person opening the door and shutting it. Not long after the accused entered the room. He baited you and hit you. You struggled, but ineffectively. After beating you, he forced himself upon you."

"Yes," I hissed, pissed at the unemotional retelling of the most horrible night of my life.

"The accused left you alone and you blacked out. You were brought to the emergency room just before midnight."

"Yes. Are we done?" I asked of both officers and Charlie.

Charlie chose this time to step in. "There are three people unaccounted for. I took the time to track them down. First is the teen who opened the door directly before the assault took place. Second is the person who took Bella to the hospital, and third is the nurse who did the rape kit at the hospital that night." He handed the officers some papers from his folder. "I have also managed to resurrect the original file made that night by police before the mugger confessed." He took out another folder, handing it to the officers. "This is a copy of it. You'll notice that the officer is no longer part of the department, but was transferred to Olympia four months ago."

Pete and Verner looked at each other, some message being passed between.

I bit my lip and tried to interpret what was going on. If they were concerned about their own jobs, would they help me?

Before they could say anything about the information in front of them, Charlie dropped a bomb. "I have been working very closely with the District Attorney in Seattle. He is the one who has helped me obtain information which was mysteriously overlooked last May. Sam Uley assures me that if I brought it to the attention of the local P.D. it would be dealt with in-house. If matters aren't handled properly State Police will step in."

At these words, Pete stood and offered my dad his hand. "We'll do all that we can. Thank you for your help."

Charlie shook it and a "cop" look passed between them. They began to speak quietly between themselves.

Verner finished her notes and capped her pen. She tucked the pad under her left arm and offered her right hand to me. I stood and shook her hand firmly.

She gasped as she looked down at me. I looked down at myself; my green plaid shirt had fallen away revealing the t-shirt underneath, and more importantly my growing belly. I released her hand immediately and closed my over shirt. I'd been sitting the whole time, and they must have not noticed until now.

"Charlie!" Pete's eyes were wide, flitting between me and my father. "Is she?... Is it?..." His words trailed off.

I took a step backwards, trying to protect myself from their prying eyes. Their shock. Their disgust. Their pity.

Charlie stepped in front of me. I watched him try to hold his shoulders steady, but they slumped. "It's his."

Verner hooked on hand on her hip setting the tablet on the metal table, making it wobble and creak. "How do we know that she isn't lying? She's a pregnant eighteen-year-old. I've heard of lesser reasons for this kind of slander."

I glared at her, angry now, confident now. I stepped around Charlie, careful not to touch him, and dug the flash drive out of my pocket. I held the black USB drive inches from her face. "Pictures, time stamped May 10. If the witness testimonies aren't enough, I made sure to document what that bastard did to me."

I slammed it down on the table. "Slander? I'm the one who's been slandered! Driven from my home in fear! Ostracized by my friends, my family!"

"Like I said, if you can't take care of it, the D.A. will be more than happy to do a little... spring cleaning," Charlie threatened.

"We'll investigate, Charlie. No worries," Pete tried to appease us all. He walked to the door and held it open for us.

I snorted internally. No worries, yeah. Charlie better know what he's doing or we're screwed.

OoOoOoOoOo

We were silent the entire ride back to Renee's house; not that it was a long drive, it was just a heavy silence. Charlie had heard more of the story than I'd told him before, and I'd shared my humiliation with two skeptical strangers, yet again. There weren't really words adequate for what we just did. No father should have to experience that. No daughter should either.

It was dark outside, but the evening had become full night. Charlie pulled the car in to park in Renee's drive way. For the second time today we sat staring at the house.

"I didn't know you had pictures."

"Yeah, I felt like I had to." I rested my head on the side door.

"The hospital's were destroyed with everything else." His voice was tired, yet still seeking an unasked question.

"I have another set of copies on another flash in my desk upstairs. You can look at them if you need to... but I made sure to document everything." I closed my eyes, trying not to think about those pictures. I hadn't looked at them since I took them. I stored them on several USB drives and virtually forgot about them, except I couldn't bear to look at myself in a mirror for months after.

Charlie cleared his throat. "That won't be necessary, at least, not yet."

"Okay." I opened the passenger door, closing it behind me. I didn't look to see if Charlie followed me. I didn't hear the car door, so I figured he needed a few minutes. I knew I did. I trudged up the stairs to the front door, bracing myself for Renee. I only hoped she would take me seriously now.

I opened the door and hung up my purse on the coat hook. I stepped into the kitchen to get a drink of water. Turning the sink on, I filled a glass with water and took a drink. I dumped the rest of the water back in the sink.

"Isabella—"

I dropped the glass into the sink, shattering it instantly.

"Isabella, we just need to talk." The source of the voice stepped into the light from the living room.

I scuffled over to the opposite side of the room. My breath started to come quicker, and my chest hurt. I pressed my hands to my chest trying to gather air, as I angled my body away from him, ready for what would happen next.

"Isabella, I don't want to hurt you."

I dropped my hands and I looked in Jimmy Crawford's eyes. They were light blue, the same color they had always been. "What the hell are you doing here?"

He smiled. "Word travels fast."

"Mom!" I yelled. There was no response.

"She's not here. She left before I let myself in."

"How did you get in?" I asked over my shoulder.

He laughed. "Fake rock? I remember, Isabella."

It'd been months since I'd seen him and he hadn't changed much. He was still tall and muscular. His sandy blond hair hung shaggy around his ears, almost too long in the front, but I knew it was his style he since he went to the barber's every two weeks. He had his hands in his pockets, the picture of relaxation. Jimmy looked like his mother dressed him, and knowing his mother, she probably did. Can't have her baby look any less than his best, even for a visit with his ex.

I turned slowly, facing him now, and protectively placed my hand on my belly.

Thump.

I pressed back where she tapped me inside. Comforted by our solidarity.

"Iz," he gasped. Almost involuntarily, he lurched towards me.

I held out a hand to ward him off. "Don't come near me!"

"But, Izzy, you're pregnant! Why didn't you tell me?" His eyes traveled up and down me three times in that question. I wanted to take a shower. Two showers.

"Tell you?" I spat. "You fucking raped me! Why would I tell you?"

He steadied himself on the refrigerator, no longer looking at me, but beyond me. "I'm the father, right? I have to be the father! You were such a prude. Of course, I'm the father."

I shook my head vehemently, holding tightly to the door frame. "You are nothing! This is my baby! Not yours. You will never come near us!"

Where was Charlie? Why hadn't he come inside yet?

"I'm the father, Isabella." His voice was like granite. He no longer needed to rest against the fridge. Standing, he crossed the kitchen in three steps, now only inches from me.

I flinched, biting my bottom lip so hard it started to bleed.

"I'm the father. I have rights."

Shaking my head, slowly at first, then more forcefully. "You have no rights. You are a rapist. You're going to find that the state of Washington doesn't look too kindly on the rape and impregnation of a minor."

His jaw jutted out and his eyes flashed. Before I could brace myself he slammed his hands on either side of the doorway, the noise resounding through the house. I emitted a scream before I could hold it back.

A growl came from the back of his throat and he turned, taking a few steps away. "You don't mean that, Isabella."

I took a step back into the doorway, shocked at his absolute gall. "What?"

He turned seemingly contrite. "You don't mean that. You need me!" He got down on his knees before me. "Don't you see that this is our chance? We can be a family."

My mouth dropped open. "You're insane."

"It's my baby, too! This is perfect. We can be together again." He smiled at me, almost beaming as if he'd been given the greatest gift. "I love you, Izzy. We're meant to be!"

As forcefully as possible, I spoke slowly, like he was completely psychotic. "No, we're not. We will never be together again, and you will never be a part of my child's life."

His smile dropped, and his eyes narrowed. "You don't seem to understand, Isabella. You're all alone. I'm all you have."

It was my turn to smile. I let a laugh escape through my lips. "That's where you're wrong. You're the one who can't see. I've moved on. I have people around me who love me and support me."

He stood, brushing off his knees. "I don't see anyone, Iz. You're looking rather alone to me."

He reached out and tried to grab my arm. Out of reflex I jerked out of his way, shouting, "Don't you fucking touch me!"

He chided me in return, voice loud and demanding, "Isabella—"

"Bella? Bells? What's going on?" Charlie's voice floated in behind me, the front door clicking behind him.

Jimmy looked surprised, eyes searching the dark front hallway.

"In here, Dad," I called out.

Jimmy's eyebrows raised, but he took a few steps back, using the kitchen table as a buffer between him and me, as if he hadn't just tried to force me. I stepped into the room so I wasn't blocking the doorway.

"Did I just hear you yell? I thought you and Edward made a swearing pact?" Charlie asked, as he walked into the kitchen with a plastered smile on his face.

Jimmy sent a murderous look toward me. "Edward?"

Charlie stopped a foot into the cluttered room, frozen. "Bella? Who is this?"

I stepped in front of Charlie, facing him with my arms out wide, trying to ward him away from what could be a very bad situation. "Dad, calm down."

"I am calm." No inflection gave away his emotions. This was bad.

"Dad, please don't do anything. You can't help me if you're arrested for assault. Please just don't be rash."

"Is this him?"

I took a deep breath. "Yes."

"I'll kill him. I'll make him fucking pay." Charlie roared, taking a step forward. I stepped with him, effectively blocking him from my rapist. It was a rather ironic situation. But what I said before was true. I couldn't use him if he was spending the week in jail.

"Dad! This isn't going to help! Now stop!"

His face didn't change, but he didn't try to move at Jimmy. I took that as an acceptance of my logic.

I turned to find Jimmy with his arms crossed, furious. "Who's Edward, Isabella?"

"It's Bella!" Charlie interjected.

Chewing on the side of my cheek, I closed my eyes for a second, regaining my center. "Dad, can you go call Renee? I haven't seen her since I got in."

"Bella..." his voice warned.

"Please, Dad? I'll be fine." I looked at Jimmy with a sarcastic grin. "Won't I be, Jimmy?"

He didn't respond.

Charlie huffed, "Fine. I'll be just in the next room. If you try anything, you're going to regret it." He said the last part as a benefit for Jimmy. Unfortunately, he didn't even wriggle under Charlie's cop stare.

We watched as Charlie walked out. "Who's Edward?"

"I told you I had friends."

"No, I can tell. He's more than that."

I smiled again. "I've moved on, Jimmy. I did a long time ago."

Jimmy growled, his teenage dream face twisting in anger. "You'll regret this, Isabella!" His fists shook at his sides, knuckles so white they were probably swelling. "You think you have witnesses? Think again. No one will speak for you! You don't have anything against me. I'm the mayor's son. Who do you think a court is going to award custody to? You're going to wish that you had chosen me." He smiled sadly at me. "We would have been perfect."

"You're completely insane." I shook my head at his audacity.

"You're going to regret this, Izzy. Just wait." Jimmy stormed out of the house, punching the wall next to my head as he walked out.

The moment the door slammed behind him, and I slid down the wall to the ground. I covered my face, hiding tears of anger, frustration, fear, and the wrenching sob I released.

I don't know how long I sat there. Charlie came to check on me once, but I was too caught up to acknowledge him. If he could have touched me, he would have shaken some sense into me, but I wasn't budging.

Renee came home, carrying several bags of groceries. I barely looked up to see her come in. I'd moved from consciously sobbing to silent tears flowing down my face.

"Isabella! Snap out of it! Pull yourself together!" Renee clapped her hands in front of my face. She might have asked Charlie if she could slap me, but I was pretty sure it didn't go over well.

He sighed, a muffled sigh, like he was rubbing his hand over his face. I couldn't tell. My sight was obscured. "Leave her be. She needs to cry herself out."

"Charlie, I'm her mother!"

"Leave her alone, Renee. And if you're her mother, why don't you start acting like one?"

I rested my head against the wall. I wished that I could pull up my legs and hide from the world, but it was no longer a possible sitting position for me. I closed my eyes. My grief continued to rain down my cheeks. I didn't feel in control anymore; it was like my body had decided this was what it needed, and it was going to get it, with or without my participation.

My parents moved around me like little satellites, sometimes interacting, but mostly ignoring each other focusing on their own orbit.

"Ali, how long until you guys get here?... Okay, yeah." He paused, and the hair on the back of my neck stood up. "She's not doing so well... See you soon."

It felt hours later when the front door slammed, but it must have been minutes. I winced at the sound, wrapping my arms tighter around me and the baby. Feet shuffled along the wood floor of the hallway. Several things dropped to the ground with individual thuds.

"Bella?" Hands touched my hair, along my arms, and wrapped around my shoulders. A body cradled mine, shielding me. "Bella, it's all right."

Edward.

Another hand, smaller this time, gripped my hand. "We're here, Bells. We got you." Her body was crouched on the floor, close and familiar.

Alice.

A voice a few feet from my face spoke. "Hey, darlin', we missed you today. These two couldn't stand another day without you, so I had to break 'em free."

Jasper.

I cracked a smile, which for some reason only made me cry harder. Edward kissed my forehead. Alice squeezed my hand three times, telling me she loved me. Jasper was just there.

"It's okay, just cry. We got you. You don't have anything to worry about anymore," Edward said with his head propped on top of mine.

I snuggled into the crook of his neck, soaking his shirt with my tears.

OoOoOoOoOo

I woke up with the dawn, my bladder protesting the length of time between visits to the restroom. I sat in bed, finding a very asleep Alice tucked in next to me. Edward was dead to the world on the floor beside my bed. I stepped over him carefully trying not to trip on his limbs splayed everywhere. Jasper was on the floor as well, only on Alice's side of the bed. He looked like he'd lain down on his back when he went to sleep and hadn't moved yet.

Relieving my pathetically small bladder, I reemerged to find a very sleepy Edward sitting up on the floor balancing against the side of the bed. He sloppily rubbed his eyes then his hair, making it stand up everywhere.

"Hey," I whispered.

He smiled his lopsided smile, "Hey beautiful. How are you feeling?"

My face colored, remembering the emotional wreck I'd been last night. "Fine. Embarrassed."

He reached his hand up to me. I took it with no hesitation. Gently, he pulled me to the floor with him, his legs straddling me. I settled my head against his shoulder.

"You know this means you're gonna have to help me up? Now that I'm on the floor, I'll never be able to pull myself up," I mumbled into his neck.

He chuckled softly, not to wake Ali or Jazz. "Taking on turtle-like qualities?"

I punched his shoulder, laughing. "Not funny."

Edward smirked. "I don't know. I think it's pretty funny."

"Ha ha, you're a riot." I leaned back on his chest, laughing lightly, unable to help myself. It felt good to laugh.

We sat quietly for a while, enjoying each other's company until Alice began to snore slightly, interrupting herself with hiccuping noises. We both looked at each other and pressed our lips tightly together. There was no way that we'd be able to keep quiet if we stayed here any longer.

Edward pulled himself up with the help of the edge of the bed, and then grasped my elbows and forearms and hauled me off the ground. I felt like we needed a forklift. We scurried out of my room and shut the door quietly to hear a snore-hiccup as it clicked. I held my hand over my mouth while I hurried down the stairs. At the bottom, I rested my back against the wall, letting the giggles loose.

"That was the most awful sound ever!" I said between breaths.

Edward was smiling. "Yeah, it's a new one. She does the weirdest things in her sleep."

It took me a while to calm down; each time I thought I was done laughing I would look at Edward and it would start all over again. I blamed him. Darn sarcastic smile.

"You need a drink of water, Bella?" He smirked.

I socked him in the shoulder for the second time this morning. "Thanks."

We made our way into the surprisingly empty kitchen; in fact I hadn't seen hide nor hair of my parents since we woke, and you'd think that all the hysterical laughter would have woken them if they were still asleep. As Edward filled up a glass of water for me, I walked down the hall to my mom's bedroom. Peeking in, her bed was slept in, but she wasn't there. I checked the living room on my way back to Edward to find a pillow and sheet on the couch, but Charlie was missing as well.

I bit my lip and shared my findings, or lack thereof, with Edward. He tapped his chin in thought. "I don't know what to tell ya, but I'm sure they'll be back soon. Charlie hovered last night until Ali told him to get some rest."

I nodded. A question popped into my head making me wonder why I hadn't asked sooner. "How did that happen anyway? The whole sleeping in my room?"

Edward ran a hand through his hair. "Well, you were kinda inconsolable last night, and you wouldn't let go of me. Ali finally pried you off, but whenever I tried to leave the room, you'd start crying all over again. Charlie didn't like it, but he gave in eventually."

I rolled my eyes. "Like anything would have happened."

I blushed at my own comment, realizing what I'd said. I risked a glance at Edward to find him a little red in the ears as well.

Changing topics, I asked him about his trip. "How'd you get here?"

"Plane, then car."

I harrumphed. "Other than the obvious."

Edward shrugged his shoulders and broke eye contact. "I'd had this terrible feeling all day yesterday. I guess I was acting really agitated, too. Ali thought it was because you were traveling, and everyone else thought it was because of separation anxiety. But there was something more. I couldn't shake it." He took a sip of my half empty glass.

"You arrived just in time." I traced the pattern of the wood in the table.

He shook his head. "I should have gotten here sooner. Even after we got on the flight it didn't get any better. I just had this sense of dread."

I placed my hand on his. "You got here as soon as you could."

"Actually, I could have taken an earlier flight, but they convinced me to finish the school day and make an appearance at home. Dad had a conference in L.A. and Mom went with him. They think I'm staying with Emmett and Ali is with Rose. That's why they stayed behind, to cover for us."

I squeezed his hand in understanding. "You did the only thing you could have done."

I watched as Edward's body went rigid and his face grew tight. "No. I should have been here. You shouldn't have had to face him alone."

I sighed. It would have been nice, but everything would have gone differently. "No, Edward. I needed to do that alone. I needed him to see how serious I am, not Charlie, not the police, not you, but me." I placed my hands on my stomach, feeling her kicks from the inside and out. "If he thought that I might stay quiet like last time, he would have already won."

Edward stayed rigid, eyebrows narrowed. I could tell he still wanted to be there, but it was too late, and if wishes were fishes he would have already filled a lake. I waited until he relaxed. One part of him at a time lost the tension that he was trying to hold onto.

Eventually he sighed. "Do you feel up to talking about what he said?"

I rolled my eyes. "The question you're asking is if I'm emotionally stable enough to rehash my conversation with my psycho ex-slash-rapist." He winced at my bluntness. "I'm fine. I was just a little overwhelmed last night. I had to talk to the police and then he showed up out of the blue." I shook my head. "I don't even know how he knew I was here."

I looked up at Edward, and he answered for me. "Renee."

I swore under my breath and eyed Edward, giving him the I'm-allowed-to-swear-when-my-mom-rats-me-out-to-my-ex-who-is-also-crazy look. He shrugged, amused. It was I who had imposed the cursing embargo. He was just humoring me.

"How could she?" I continued to shake my head in shock. I didn't know why I was surprised; it was just like her. "Do you think she told him about the witnesses?" I asked Edward.

"What witnesses?" Edward cocked his head.

I waved my hand back tracking. Of course he didn't know; I hadn't known until yesterday. "Charlie told me yesterday that there are three witnesses willing to testify against Jimmy."

He nodded his understanding.

"But when I refused to get back together with Jimmy—"

Edward banged his hands on the table. "He wanted what?"

"I told you he was psychotic. He found out about the baby." I pointed at my budging middle. "And assumed it was his. He wanted us to be a 'family.'" I used air quotes around the word family. It made me want to gag.

"Who is this guy? Was he serious?"

"Yeah, he was serious. But when I turned him down," I gave Edward the duh-look, "he started
threatening me. His last one was about the witnesses... saying they'd never come forward."

I stood up, needing to feel busy. I moved around the kitchen, cleaning up the mess that my mom had left to sit. I wiped up crumbs, cleaned dishes, and put away all her school supplies, as I continued to voice my thoughts aloud.

"Charlie gave Renee a copy of the file. I think he was trying to get her on our side. She never believed me because everything had already been solved in her mind. Her version of the events made more sense to her. He probably thought that showing her proof would make her believe me. Do you think she told him? Has she ruined everything?"

Edward's eyes followed me around the kitchen. "I don't know. I don't want to think the worst of her because she's your mom. But from what she's already done? Probably."

I wanted to scream. "How could we be so stupid?" I threw the dish towel at the sink and turned to Edward.

"He wants custody." My eyes began to pool. "That's what he said right before he left. He wants her."

Edward stood and placed me directly between his legs. He bent down, touching his forehead to mine. "We'll never let that happen. We'll leave, run. Nobody will be able to find us."

"Is that even possible? We could just leave?"

"I have some contacts that could help us out. And nobody would touch her."

I sniffled. "Promise."

"I promise, Bella. He won't touch either of you ever again."

I licked my lips, gazing into his eyes. I could see a thousand things. His past was there, but not in the forefront as it had once been. His kindness and compassion shone. I could see his need to protect and provide, knowing that it was for me and this baby, for now and the future. His hope and determination flowed. And his love.

We never talked about that word. There was too much going on. I didn't know if either of us was ready, but I could see it. Just like I could see his battered but beautiful soul.

I tilted my head up for a kiss and he smiled, accepting my lips. His mouth was soft and slow, like every other kiss had been a practice for now.

The tears from before escaped, and he gently wiped them from my cheek. I opened my eyes to find I wasn't the only one with runaway tears. I took my thumb and brushed one away. He smiled sadly, one I knew I returned.

"If anything goes wrong, I'll take care of it. You give me the word and we're gone," he whispered.

"What about your family? School? Friends?" I said, just as hushed.

He tucked a stray hair behind my ears. "They'll understand. I'll have you and that's all that matters."

I nodded. If he wanted to be with me, I wasn't going to argue.

Sooo... what do you think? Give me the magic ;)

Recs: Some oldies but goodies

Wide Awake by AngstGoddess003 Epic. Trendsetter. I just started rereading and remembered why I love FF so much. You can probably see her influence on my work.
Summary: Edward and Bella have dark pasts that leave them severely emotionally scarred, with nightmares that force them to stay awake. They meet and begin to form a bond during the night hours. AH, Highly OOC, Rated M for dark themes. No rape, no cutting. BxE

The Tutor by ItzMegan73 One of the first I read after Wide Awake. Amazing.
Summary: New student Bella Swan needs to break out of her shy exterior and her guidance counselor has the answer: tutoring. And Bella is too new to know she shouldn't want to tutor Edward Cullen.

Mr. Horrible by algonquinrt Too funny. If you need a laugh, read this one.
Summary:They meet at a gallery, from two different worlds. Watch as they learn... oh, who am I kidding here? They meet. They are opposites. They attract.