Disclaimer: None of this is mine.

Chapter Six- Nothing Lasts

"I've been in a daze, it seems like days

That I've been waiting for this dream to pass

It goes so fast, it seems nothing lasts

I think I've lost something"

-Airborne Toxic Event- "Numb"

Bella's mom came to visit. Seeing her daughter wasn't doing well, she pulled Charlie aside. "Do you think she needs to be in a mental hospital?"

"No."

"Charlie, there are people who are equipped to deal with these kinds of situations."

"No, I will not let her go again. And besides, she was doing well with Rosalie and Alice."

"Until Jake came," Renee said.

"Well, yes."

"Didn't you say that the Cullen men have gone back to Alaska?"

"Yes," Charlie said. "What are you getting at?"

"Esme is at the house, Rose and Alice are here. Why not let Bella go stay with them so she's not constantly surrounded by men?"

Charlie scoffed. "Let my daughter go stay with the Cullen's? Maybe you're the one who needs a trip to the loony bin."

"Charlie," Renee scolded. "She needs to be in a healthy environment. She's comfortable with you, but you have Billy and Jake coming over and she's not ready for that."

"So I'll tell them to stay away."

"Charlie." She glared. "Either she goes to the hospital or she goes to the Cullens. It's just for a few days or so. It'll get her out of the house, but in a healthy way. She'll get a change of scenery without feeling threatened. Rose and Alice will be with her all the time, Esme will take care of her and you'll go visit her. This will be good for her." Her eyes pleaded with Charlie to understand.

He sighed and thought about it. Finally he relented. "Fine. I'll talk to Esme."

Renee picked up the phone and held it out to him. "Do it now." Ex-wife or not, you didn't argue with that voice.

Rosalie

"Bella, you're gonna come stay with us for a while okay?" Alice said. It had been a month and hardly any change had been made. She was seeing a therapist regularly but she didn't talk. She looked better physically anyway.

I packed a bag for her and took it down to my car. Carlisle had forced the boys to go back to Alaska until Bella was better. Edward was reluctant, but gave in eventually. Esme had her set up in the guest room already.

Bella got in the back seat without a word. When we got to our house, Esme greeted her at the door. Bella smiled silently at my mother. She returned Esme's hug and then went straight to her room.

Alice and I unpacked her clothes for her. Bella lay on the bed watching us. My sister chattered on and on about her clothes. "We have got to get you a new wardrobe." She turned to Bella, holding up a plain blue t-shirt. "Seriously, you have seven of these shirts. Seven plain, blue shirts." She held the shirt in her hand looking baffled. "Why?"

I laughed, putting away Bella's shoes. Alice lurched forward. "This is another thing." She held up Bella's tennis shoe. "I know they're comfy and all but why do you need eleven pairs of the same shoe? Explain this to me, please?" She dropped the shoe back in the closet and shook her head. "I need a break." She stalked dramatically from the room.

Bella was staring at the door wearing an expression of humor, confusion and horror.

"Don't worry about her," I said. Bella looked at me. "She'll be fine after she goes into her closet and makes sweet love to her favorite pair of Jimmy Choos."

Bella snorted and covered her mouth with her hand. Alice cursed at me from her bedroom. I smiled, shaking my head as I opened Bella's last suitcase.

Edward

"Any progress?" I asked Rosalie over the phone.

"I think so, a little. The therapy is helping. She doesn't just stare off into space like she used to. Now when Alice talks to her she actually smiles at some things and rolls her eyes. This morning Alice teased her about dressing her up like a Barbie doll and Bella had the sense to look horrified. So she's responding to us, she just isn't actually talking yet," she told me.

"Is she talking in therapy?"

"No, her therapist mostly talks to her. But it's helping a little. She's more human now. And we know how you loved her humanity," she teased.

"Yeah," I said with a smile. "Let me know if anything changes."

"I will," she promised and we hung up.

I couldn't stay away. I needed to see her. It was a burning ache in my stomach. I had to see for myself that she was okay. To make sure that I hadn't actually damaged her for life.

So I left that night for Forks.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Alice demanded when I walked in the house. She saw me coming of course, she had tried to call me while I was on the road.

"Alice, I had to see her. I need to see she's really okay," I explained.

She glared at me. "Rose is going to kill you."

"Let me worry about Rose."

"Edward." Rosalie's voice came from the top of the stairs. I walked to the stairs and looked up at my sister. Her blue eyes blazing with anger, her arms folded across her chest. "Explain," she demanded.

I repeated what I had said to Alice. Turning on my puppy dog eyes, hoping she would give in and let me see Bella. I could see her soften a little. She turned on her heel and stalked down the hall, I followed eagerly.

Outside Bella's door, she held up a hand telling me to wait. Rosalie went inside and I could hear her speaking to Bella.

"Edward is here. He wants to see you," she said. "Is that okay if he comes in?" There was no response from Bella, so I didn't know if that was good or bad.

Rosalie came out, her thoughts hidden from me and her face unreadable. "She didn't respond in a negative way, so I'll let you see her. But I'll be listening and if I have to I will drag you out screaming. Understand?"

"When did you get so protective over a human?" I teased.

She glared. "Watch it, buddy. I'm the only thing standing between you and Bella right now."

I smiled at her. "I'll be good, Rose."

Rose stepped aside and waved her hand, motioning for me to go inside. Slowly, I stepped inside. Bella was sitting in bed, with the covers over her. She was wearing a plain white t-shirt. She looked better than when we had first seen her. Her bruises were healed and she had some weight on her.

"How are you?" I asked. She just stared at me. I walked until I was at the end of her bed. This was as close as I would allow myself to go. The scent of her blood filled my nostrils, but I ignored it. "I know you don't want to talk about it, but let me apologize." She kept staring at me, a sad look had developed in her eyes. "I never meant for any of this to happen. If I could, I would go back and do it all completely different. You're my world, and I'm sorry that this happened. I hope you can forgive me one day."

Tears welled up in her eyes. I had to tread carefully, if she started crying Rose would throw me out the window. "Nothing means more to me in the world than you. The fact that you're so scared of me right now tears my heart out."

I broke my own rule and took another step toward her. She reacted by jumping away from me. She whimpered. Mentally, Rosalie warned me that she was coming up if Bella made one more sound. I turned and walked back to the door, where I had left a gift bag.

"I brought you a gift," I told Bella. I put the bag on the end of her bed. I smiled at her. "Open it in your own time. And just remember that sometimes, letters aren't meant to be sent." I left the room before I lost my nerve and took the gift back.

When I got downstairs, Rose and Alice were waiting for me. I walked straight past them toward the back door. "Where are you going?" Alice called.

"To hunt." Bella's blood had gotten to me more that I'd like to admit.