Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Edited by Sjdavis84 and StillDreaming85.

WARNING: This story contains mature themes and is intended for mature readers.

EDWARD CULLEN.

Life had a funny way of messing with you. Just when you thought things were starting to go right, life grabs you by the balls and spins you around, laughing in your face saying 'just kidding.'

I always knew my brother would die young. I always expected him to do something careless, something reckless that would see his end.

Anthony was my twin and I loved him, still love him. I was broken, torn over his death because it hurt. I had watched him die. I witnessed him take his last breath. I should have done something, anything.

My mother, she...She handled herself well. She mourned, yes, but she pulled through. Maybe, just like me and my father, she had prepared herself a long time ago for this. She knew how reckless Anthony could be at times. She knew this life and she knew how quickly a life could end, maybe.

No matter what, the pain would subside, over time it would get better. Our family, while it won't ever be the same, it would pull through, because we always did.

Isabella was different though. She wasn't accustomed to death, she was not accustomed to witnessing the horror that she had. She was an innocent person in a dark place. She had witnessed Anthony's death, held onto his bloodied hand. The last words he spoke to her...I wanted so desperately to be able to get inside her head and know exactly what was going on in there.

I didn't know what to expect from her after that night. I didn't know what sort of reaction I deemed appropriate for her to have.

She surprised when she asked if I would take her to Anthony's funeral. At the time that was something that wasn't possible. There was a heavy police presence around. There had been a crowd of over three hundred people that had attended my brother's funeral. That wasn't a chance I willing to take with Isabella.

After everything that my brother had put her through, the last thing I thought she would have wanted was to say goodbye to him. I expected her to be happy that he was dead, joyous even. But she was none of those things, in fact, I don't know how she felt about it, if she felt anything at all.

Every day since the funeral, she had asked me time and time again if I would let her visit his grave, she wouldn't tell me why though. I had refused her, time and time again, I told her no, although I don't know why.

It had been six months and things with Isabella have gotten both better and worse.

She talks to me, that's a good sign, but emotionally, I don't know what to make of her.

I'm trying my best. I'm trying to help her as much as I can, but it's as if she doesn't want to be helped.

She has her days when I finally think I'm breaking through some of her walls, but the moment doesn't last, it's as if she won't let herself be happy. I haven't seen her smile in a long time, not even a fake one. I was hoping I could change that today. I was hoping that if I gave her what she wanted, I could see her smile at least for a brief moment.

I walked into our bedroom to find her still asleep. I didn't want to wake her, but I had business to attend to and I had to leave.

My sister had made a strong case against the state. There had been no warrant for our father's arrest. There had been no warrant to search his premises. Everything they had, every bit of evidence was thrown out the window. Rosalie had presented everything at the hearing. Charles Swan's involvement with my father. Aro, who at the time was also my father's lawyer, feeding information to the DA. Aro even saved evidence of the transactions he had made in the fraud charges against my father. The judge had no choice but to drop the charges against our father and clear his conviction. My sister was very proud of herself, and our father even prouder of her. She had done good. She had worked herself almost to the point of insanity, sometimes going without sleep to put this case together and it had all paid off. Our father will be released today. I had offered to pick him up, but he had refused. He said he had some business to attend to first before he came home.

I sat beside Isabella and brushed the stray hairs off of her face. She shrugged but didn't wake.

"Wake up, dolcezza," I said, kissing her cheek. "Come on, amore." I only told her I loved her in her sleep. I don't think she was prepared to hear the words out of my mouth. I think she would take them as a joke. The truth was, I have fallen in love with her and I hoped that one day she would be prepared to hear the words spoken out loud.

"Isabella," I whispered in her ear. "Come on bambolina, please wake up."

I rubbed my chin against her cheek, hoping that the light stubble I had, would cause her to open her eyes.

Her hand came up and tried to push me away. She looked adorable as she scrunched up her nose and rubbed it against the back of her fingers.

"Why are you waking me up?" She mumbled.

"I have to go," I said.

"Go then," she said, turning her back to me and pulling the covers up over her face.

"Dolcezza, please, I have to tell you something and then you can go back to sleep."

"I'm listening," she mumbled from under the covers.

"Can you please look at me."

She turned on her back and pulled herself up. She pushed the hair out of her face and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"What do you want?" She asked.

"Weather lady said, the snow should hold back for a few more days. It's nice outside, the sun is out."

"You woke me up to tell me about the weather?" She scowled. "Seriously, Edward, who gives a fuck."

She had these moments, these feisty little moments that would come out from time to time if I pushed the right buttons. I guess that had been the real her before she had changed. She had to have been a spitfire, and I wanted so badly to unlock that side of her again or bring it back to life. I think if she were to open that side of her up again, she would give me one hell of a challenge, but it was a challenge I would gladly take.

Time, I kept telling myself, with time she would become better, I hoped.

"I figured since I'll be busy all day and seeing as it's nice outside, I thought Garrett could take you to visit Anthony," I said, watching her closely. Her head snapped up at the mention of my brother's name. She regarded me for a moment, trying to see if maybe I was fooling her, but she had to know me better than that by now.

"Seriously?"

"Yes. I'm sorry that I won't be able to go with you."

"That's fine. I prefer Garrett, I mean," she said, staring at me frightened. Obviously she had let that slip out.

I wasn't mad at her, I know that she had been deeply affected by James's death. Garrett was here to fill his place.

I didn't say anything to her. I leaned over the bed and placed a lingering kiss on her cheek.

"Be good. I'll see you later tonight, dolcezza," I said.

I didn't tell her about my father's release and she would not be meeting him, not until I spoke to him. I wanted to know where he stood with her, if I had a reason to fear for her safety. I know what he said when he had been locked away, but that was then and this is now. If I was to still keep his place, how would he see my marriage?

~DINY~

I had called Garrett many times during the day to make sure that Isabella was alright. It still scared me, her being out in public and possibly being recognized. Her hair was still that same dark shade, darker even, almost pitch black. That had been my mother's doing. She said Isabella would look absolutely beautiful with that shade and she was right. But it was only hair color, it wasn't enough to cover her features. But she didn't have any specific features about her either. She had no birthmarks not even a mole or a freckle anywhere on her body. She had also put on some weight and I had a part to play in that as well because I'm not ashamed to admit, I had been force feeding her. She had been way too thin. She hated it at first, but she would always finish everything I put in front of her.

Something felt off. I had called Garrett five times in under two minutes. He would always pick up on the first or second ring. But now, nothing.

"Will you get off your phone, figlio," my father said.

We were all in the dining room. My mother and Sofia had not left my father's side since he had walked through the door.

"I need to get a hold of Garrett," I said, feeling the panic start in the pit of my stomach.

"Whatever business you have with him, it can wait for tonight. I haven't spent time with my family in eighteen months, figlio," he said, moving Sofia from one knee to the other.

"That was a very long trip you went on nonno. Don't leave that long again," Sofia said.

"I promise you, bambolina, I won't," he said, kissing her on the tip of her nose.

I dialed Garrett again, this time my call went straight to voicemail.

"Garrett, she better be okay or you're a dead man. Answer the fucking phone," I yelled.

"Edward, watch your language around Sofia," my mother said, narrowing her eyes.

"What's going on?" Emmett asked.

"I can't get a hold of Garrett. I need to know where Isa...Marie is."

"Your wife is fine and so is Garrett, don't stress yourself, figlio. Eat your food," my father said.

I pushed my chair back and stood up walking to the head of the table where my father sat.

"Sofia, come to nonna," my mother said, holding out her hands. When my niece was off of my father's lap, he stood up. There was a time in my life where I would have feared my father, but I no longer held onto that. The look he was giving me now, it didn't scare me, it didn't move me at all.

"Edward, what the hell are you doing?" My sister said.

"Where are they?" I demanded. What the hell had he done? He wouldn't kill them, not without my knowledge, not unless he wanted me to kill him myself.

"Garrett isn't answering because he is busy. I have him doing an important job for me."

"Where is my wife?" I asked, taking another step towards him. "What the fuck have you done?"

"Your wife is fine, Edward. Sit down now," he demanded, looking at me with cold, hard eyes. He was angry, furious even but he was holding himself back for Sofia. I was at a point where I did not care. I pulled out my gun and put it to my father's head.

I heard Sofia's scream as I aimed my weapon on my father.

"Renta, take Sofia," My mother said.

"Come on figlio, do it, pull the trigger. Without me, you will never know where she is," he said calmly, holding his arms out.

"Edward, calm down," Emmett said.

"Do something," Rosalie yelled.

"What the fuck have you done? Where is she?"

"I have not hurt her, if that is what you want to know," he said, sitting back down. He picked up his knife and fork and cut into his food.

I could feel myself slowly losing what little control I had left. I didn't want to kill my father, but if I had to I would. He put his hands on my wife, he had done something to her. That in itself earned him a bullet.

"Carlisle, just tell him already," my mother said.

"Listen to your wife, Carlisle," I said, pushing the barrel against his temple. He put his knife and fork back down and sighed deeply.

"I have sent her away," he said.

"Away? You sent her away?" I chuckled. "You stupid fuck. Where is she?"

I didn't know what the hell he thought he was playing at. The fact that he had approached my wife, that he had the opportunity to approach my wife. It made me angry with myself that I hadn't taken better precaution to stop it and not give him the opportunity to reach her without my knowledge.

Was this my father's business? Is this why he had insisted I not pick him up today? Is this why he had me running errands for him all day, to keep me away?

"I offered her a way out, Edward. She should not have been involved in any of this figlio and you know that. I gave you an order. I told you to get rid of her and you didn't. She is a child, figlio and she is in a bad mental state," he said. What the hell did he know that I didn't?

"Where is she, father?"

"You will only see her again when I think she is ready, and if she does not want to ever come back, then I will not force her."

"You can't fucking do this," I yelled.

"I can and I did. If it were me, I would have had her taken out," he said.

My hand shook with the gun in it. The mention of Isabella dead was enough to make me sick, to make me lose my self control.

"Is that what you're doing now? You made her a promise, you lied to her and you're sending her to be killed?" I was surprised the words left my mouth as calmly as they did. But that's what happens when the monster in me surfaces. He is calm and he bides his time. My father had made the monster come out and he would not be satisfied until he paid for the wrongs he has done.

"If I wanted to kill her Edward, I would have," he said.

"Carlisle, please," my mother begged with tears in her eyes. "Edward, put the gun down, please."

"She needs a chance at a normal life, Edward, and she cannot have one here with you."

My hand shook and the gun slipped from my fingers firing a shot as it hit the floor.

My legs felt weak, I felt weak as I fell on my knees. She was gone. She was really gone.

She would never come back, deep down inside I knew that, I didn't want to believe it or accept it, but it was the truth. She was gone.