I would like to thank everybody for their patience with this fic. All I can say is sorry I'm so slow and I will do my best to speed up. I really appreciate the few of you that have stuck with me and love every one of your reviews, they really do encourage me.

Big thank you to my lovely friend Sherry.

Also a big thank you to anyone who nominated and is voting for Me as Favorite Newbie in the TwiFic fandom awards and Edward for Favorite Scream fic.

Chapter 8

As I waited for Isabella to arrive at the hospital, I people watch. Today the sun is shining which seems to put everybody in a good mood. People smile and wave to strangers, wishing them a 'good day'. I imagine it's a great feeling when you're part of it. For me, it usually serves to remind me that I am not like other people, that I go through this world by myself, that no matter how much my family tries to convince me otherwise, I am alone.

I see Isabella walking towards me, a small smile touching her lips and I can't help the smile that takes over my face, maybe I'm not so alone after all.

"Hi." Her flat voice is quiet.

"Hi, Isabella." My eyes roam over her face, taking note of the dark circles under her eyes and I frown. "You didn't sleep well?"

She shrugs her shoulders. "It was okay."

"Why didn't you sleep?" I frown.

She waves her hand in a dismissive manner. "I guess I'm used to waiting up for Tyler to get home." She shakes her head. "He didn't come home last night. That's not like him." Her eyes met mine and I can see the question in them. Now I just had to figure out how much to give.

"Strange." Very eloquent Edward.

Her eyes narrow in response and her mouth opens and closes a few times before she bites her lip and tilts her head. Her eyes pierce through me and if I believed I had one I could have sworn she could see into my soul, see the essence of my very being.

See my monster.

"Mmmm…" She nods slowly. "Yeah. Strange." Isabella's voice is quiet… and filled with… suspicion?

I can hear my heart pounding in my chest. Does she know? Does she care? I can't read her and it's a little frustrating. I find being in Isabella's presence exhilarating, but she is anything but predictable. Will she go to the police once she realizes Tyler isn't coming home? Will she miss him? And more importantly, will she stop being my friend?

Dismissing the thoughts of losing Isabella I speak. "My father said he would like to speak to you at his home." Carlisle wasn't too pleased with my offering his services to Isabella but the other alternative was me treating her and that was something he definitely didn't want to see happen. "He just wants to get a feel for your situation." Isabella looks a little unsure. "If you need any medication then he will arrange for you to see him at his practice sometime next week." My hands unconsciously drift to her face, cradling it softly. "It's going to be okay. I promise." She nods slightly and offers me a small, strained smile.

o0o

The drive to my parent's house was quiet. I didn't know what to say to Isabella regarding Tyler. Do I tell her he isn't coming back so she can sleep? What if she wants him back? God. Maybe this friendship thing isn't a good idea.

"What if Tyler doesn't come back?" It was stupid to put this out there. I was basically telling her I had something to do with his disappearance.

I see her shoulders shrug from the corner of my eye. "I don't know."

"Will you miss him?" I frown. I don't want to hurt her.

"I don't think so." She sighs. "Tyler and me. We weren't like other couples. Lauren, on the other hand, is going to lose her shit if he doesn't turn up."

"Lauren?"

"She's Tyler's girlfriend."

What? "I thought you were Tyler's girlfriend?" I'm confused. "I'm confused."

"He was seeing us both." Her flat voice gives nothing away.

"Didn't that bother you?" Didn't most women tend to frown upon their spouse dating other women? Unless they were in an open relationship. I shake that thought from my head. This is Isabella. My friend. She isn't the type of woman to entangle herself in that kind of thing.

She laughs, but it isn't a humorous laugh. It's dark and dry and makes me feel uncomfortable. "You think Tyler cared how I felt? He liked her so I had no say in the matter and he wouldn't allow me to leave him." She turns to face me fully. "It was my fault anyway. If I was a better girlfriend..." Her voice trails off.

"It wasn't your fault," I speak between gritted teeth. "He never deserved you." I stop the car outside of my parent's house and turn to face her. "You believe me, right? You did nothing wrong." My voice was firm. Tyler was a sorry excuse for a man. Her lifeless brown eyes search mine and I hope that beyond the anger and frustration she see's the truth. She deserved to be treated better. She deserved to be cherished. "One day, you will meet someone who will put you first. Treat you how you should be treated." I firmly believe this, because if someone as wonderful as Isabella did not deserve that kind of happiness then nobody does.

I open my door and step out of the car. Isabella moves slowly, reluctant to see Carlisle no doubt. "Come on. Let's get this over with, then we can have some lunch. Carlisle is impatiently waiting for us no doubt."

She frowns. "Are we late?" I shake my head. "Why do you switch between Carlisle and father when referring to him?"

Her question brings me to a stop. "It's something I've always done. I guess it's expected of me to call him father. He adopted me when I was three." My smile is sarcastic. "And his name is Carlisle."

"I can understand that." Her voice is quiet. "Does he feel parental to you?"

I think over her question. "When I was younger, I had to follow his rules. It wasn't hard, I wasn't very rebellious." Until my teens when the animals started going missing. "But I never felt the love you feel for a parent, the love I'm sure you felt for your father."

"Charlie was the best." Her brief smile was bright. "What about the others? Emmett? His wife?"

I couldn't stop the snort that escaped me. "I thought I made my feelings about Rosalie clear?" She shrugs and smiles a small smile. "I can tolerate Emmett. He means well but he's always so damn happy. I find it unsettling." She laughs and it captivates me. Generally, laughter doesn't do much for me. Truth be told, when most people laugh, it's pretty annoying. But not Isabella. Hers is different. Pure. "Esme wanted to love me from the minute I arrived. Mother me in every sense of the word, but for some strange reason I feel..." I struggle to find the right word.

"It's okay Edward. You don't have to explain it to me."

"I think I remember my mother. My birth mother." She nods, her eyes soft. "For some reason, I don't remember anything from before I arrived at the hospital. I was three years old. Carlisle had treated me and immediately wanted to take care of me." My voice drops. "Sometimes. When I close my eyes, I see her. My mother. Green eyes, hair very much like my own. Her voice soft as she tells me that she loves me. It's like looking through a smudged window, I can't see her very well, but I can hear her." My voice is nothing but a whisper as I speak the words. "The words are clear. 'I love you, Edward. My little prince'."

We both fall silent.

"And Alice?" Her voice is quiet.

I can't help the smile that touches my lips. "Alice. She tries her best with me." Alice is probably the only Cullen I feel any kind of kinship with. "She accepts me. Doesn't push for me to fit in with the family." I snort. "Although her daily phone calls can become a bit much, she's happy for a quick one minute chat." I think she wants me to remember she's there should I ever need her. I'll never need her, but I understand why she does it. "I guess you could say she's my favorite."

"You love her."

I feel I should be honest when I answer Isabella. "No, I don't. I respect her, I guess in some ways I care for her as a sister, but love." I shake my head. "I don't think I'm capable of love. I know I've never felt it."

She frowns at me and I have to restrain myself from touching her turned down lips. I don't like seeing her upset. "Everybody is capable of giving and receiving love Edward. I firmly believe that." Those words spoken in Isabella's usual flat, lifeless tone make me uncomfortable. Will she stop being my friend once she sees what an unfeeling bastard I am? "I need to believe that." Her eyes are almost pleading as she says this.

I don't want to upset her further. "Maybe you're right. What do I know?" My smile probably looks more like a grimace. "Let's go." Again, I offer my hand to her, my eyes watch her small delicate fingers wrap around mine. It's strange but my hand seems to have a mind of its own when it comes to her. I do not hold hands. Even when I was young I refused to hold people's hands. Esme was always on edge thinking that I might get taken or run over when she was out with me, but I freaked-out every time she tried to hold my hand. It was a constant struggle between us. Isabella seems to be the exception, something I didn't consciously choose.

o0o

I was right, Carlisle was practically waiting for us at the door, as soon as we entered he made it clear he wanted to speak to Isabella privately. Something I was not allowing to happen. I had promised her I would be with her and I wasn't about to break that promise.

Carlisle's voice oozed charm. "Isabella, I need to speak with you alone. I need to know as much as possible about your situation and I'm sure you will be uncomfortable with Edward knowing everything. Especially with the fact that your friendship is new, it's a lot to put on a new friendship."

I could see what he was doing. How dare he manipulate her. He knew already that she would agree with him.

"I know enough already Carlisle." I'm angry and he doesn't care.

"No. Your father is right." Isabella had been beaten, I could see it. She was not about to 'burden' me with her issues.

Putting his arm around her, he guided Isabella to his study. "Your brother is in the kitchen, Edward. We won't be long, go visit with him."

I was seething. My monster roaring. How dare he! I think back to the phone conversation I had with him last night. I had explained what I knew about Isabella's situation, with her permission, of course, and had reiterated that Isabella wanted me to be with her when they spoke. He had planned this.

"Edward?"

He had completely ignored mine and Isabella's feelings.

"Edward?"

I would never forgive him for this. Oh God, Isabella looked so uncomfortable. I can't believe-

A hand lands heavily on my shoulder and I react almost instantly. I turn and grab the arm attached to the hand and pull. The rest is a blur until I hear Emmett's voice break through my mind. Shaking the fog I see that I have him pinned to the wall in the hallway. His eyes are wide and I have his arm pinned in front of him in an awkward angle, my forearm is pressed into his throat.

"He took Isabella." He tries to talk and I quickly remove my arm. "Sorry."

I'm not sorry and he knows this. "What the fuck bro?" He rubs his throat. "He will bring her back."

"I promised." I go to walk towards Carlisle's office, but Emmett is quick to stand in my way.

"Listen, Edward. Isabella will be fine. Let's talk." I shake my head. How long had she been alone with Carlisle. I don't know how long I had been standing there before Emmett had approached me.

"I don't want to talk," I speak through gritted teeth. My monster is just below the surface. It would take so little to take Emmett out. Then I could get into the office and be with Isabella.

He can see I'm reaching my limit and raises his hands in a sign of surrender. "We're worried that's all. You can't afford to slip up around this girl." His voice is low. "I don't think she's good for you."

That's it. "I don't care!" I roar and I'm sure both Isabella and Carlisle can hear me. "She's my friend and I'm not giving her up."

Before he can speak Isabella and Carlisle walk into the hallway. Isabella looks even more withdrawn than usual and I hate it. These past few days I have noticed an improvement in her. She smiles more and I sometimes see a light in her eyes that was never present before. When we arrived, she was scared and a little nervous, but I could see the resolve in her eyes. She wanted to get better. Now all I see is a blank void, emptiness. Nothing.

Reaching into my pocket I remove my keys and offer them to Isabella. "Go wait for me in the car," I speak low, angry and I can see Isabella pause. Shit, I don't want to scare her. I make my voice soft, soothing. "Please, Isabella." My eyes meet hers and she nods. I wait for her to close the front door behind her before making my way towards Emmett and Carlisle. "I can't believe you did that."

Carlisle takes a step forward, placing himself next to Emmett. "My job is to protect you Edward and that girl is going to get you caught if you're not careful." He softens his voice, probably trying to seem like he cares. "She needs help and you are not the person to save her. You can't even save yourself."

I laugh, low and dangerous. "I don't want to be saved, father." I spit the words out. "But that woman outside trusted me to help her. I promised to stay with her and you made me break that promise." I take a step closer to him and I hope he see's just what he's done. "You don't want to know what lengths I am willing to go to to protect her. Just ask Tyler." I smile wide. "Oh wait, you can't because he's a little tied up at the moment."

His eyes widen. "Edward, what have you done?"

Emmett stays silent, his eyes transfixed on my face. He's never seen this side of me before, the monster is loose and I have no plan to hide him. "I did what was needed to keep her safe and happy."

"You're going to get yourself caught." That was what worried him. That he and his precious son would go down with me.

"Maybe I should tell her." I made sure they could see how serious I was. "I'm undecided, but know this." I take a step closer to the door, closer to Isabella. "You have to either accept that Isabella is a part of my life or remove yourselves from it." I walk to the door and open it, turning to look at them over my shoulder. "Or I could remove you." I watch Carlisle's face drain of color before I shut the door and head to the car.

Let him think about that.

Starting the engine I turn to face Isabella. "Where would you like to eat?"

"I think I would like to go home." Isabella wrings her hands, her eyes focused in front of her. "I need to think."

"About me?" For the first time ever I feel fear. I'm going to lose her. "I'm sorry if I scared you."

She turns to look at me. "Your father thinks I'm no good for you." I open my mouth to argue, but she stops me with a look. That's new. "He says we're damaged. I just want to think about everything he said."

My hands tighten around the steering wheel. "I'll take you home."

The drive to Isabella's is silent. When she goes to get out of the car I need to make sure she knows. "Isabella." Her brown eyes are firmly on mine and I hope she sees the truth and sincerity in them. "You are not damaged. Just a little bruised." I smile at her and watch as her breath catches.

"And you?" She breathes.

"I'm fucked." My laugh is hollow and she frowns. "Go Isabella. I will call you later. I promise."

I watch her enter her building, then head East. I have a lot of built-up tension I need to work off.

Blowing a deep breath I decide to start my night early. "I'm coming Marcus."

.

Have a killer day.