Outtake 6

"She's not ready," Bella fretted pacing back and forth. When she heard an audible sigh, she stopped and looked over at her sister. "She's not ready!"

"Yes, she is, honey," Rosie disagreed. "You are the one who isn't ready."

This time, Bella sighed and turned away as she started pacing again. "What if someone like him sees her? What if someone like him . . . wants her, like he did me?"

"They won't," Rosie lied and when Bella scoffed, she added, "Okay, maybe they will, but what would Marcus tell you if he were here?"

Bella stopped pacing once more and looked at Rosie. "That I can't hide her away from the world just because I'm scared someone like Sam Uley will take her away. That we have to let her live and grow up."

"That's right," she said, smiling. "She's ready, Bella. Don't take that away from her just because you're scared."

"I am," she admitted, turning and sitting on the other sofa and leaned forward, closing her eyes as she took a deep breath. "He can't take her from me again. He can't hurt her, hurt me, ever again."

"That's right," she said as someone knocked on the door to their apartment. Rosalie put her hands up in caution before she stood up and walked over to the door, opening it. "Hey, come on in."

"Thanks," Edward said, clearing his throat before he stepped into the apartment, his eyes meeting Bella's and in an instant she felt herself relax. "Hey."

"Hey," she murmured, reaching for the hem on her grey T-shirt. "Is it time?"

"It is," he replied, stretching his hand out to her. "Told Ben and Angela that we would meet them there. Thought it might be easier."

Bella bit the inside of her lip as she nodded. Though she still wasn't sure Vanessa was ready, she found herself walking across the room and placing her hand in the middle of Edward's palm, laughing when he tugged her against him.

"I missed you," he whispered, bringing his other hand up to her face.

"I missed you, too." And she had. Even if they had just seen each other the night before. When she wasn't with him, things felt . . . different, harder. With him, she didn't feel like that little girl from Forks, the one who lived in Hell for eight years. She just felt like Bella Swan. "She's going to be okay, right?"

"Yes."

"Promise."

"Bella," he groaned, shaking his head. "You know I can't promise you that, but we — all of us — will do everything we can to protect Vanessa. She's important to all of us, she's our family."

Bella sighed and nodded. Marcus had told her it wasn't fair for her to ask them to make her promises, knowing she would feel betrayed if they failed to keep that promise. It had almost cost her her pancake man, something that still made her stomach hurt when she thought about it.

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize." Edward kissed her forehead. "Now, are you ready?"

Though she wasn't, she found herself nodding and looking over at Rosie, who was still standing with the door open. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. I have a late class, but I should be home in time for dinner. I have my phone on if you need me, okay?"

"Okay, Rosie," Bella whispered. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

—SfH—

Twenty minutes later, Edward pulled his car up in the back of Clover Elementary. Bella closed her eyes and inhaled a deep breath through her nose, exhaling through her mouth. Three years passed since Sam Uley was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison, and almost that long since he took the cowards way out, and she still expected him to jump out of the shadows, drag her back into Hell.

"He can't hurt me anymore," she whispered before she opened her eyes and tilted her head toward Edward. "I'm ready."

"I love you."

She smiled. "I love you, too."

Edward came around to her side of the car, helping her out and wrapping his arm around her. Though she knew nobody was actually staring at her, she felt like all eyes were on her again, like three years hadn't passes since her picture was thrown all over the news. Though she didn't mean it the way it came off, she was glad nobody cared about her anymore. She didn't want to be the little lost girl from Forks anymore. She just wanted to be Bella. That was enough for her.

"Momma!" Vanessa called out and when Bella looked, she found her daughter standing on the corner that lead around to the front of the school with Ben and Angela on either side of her.

The little dark haired girl had just recently started calling her 'momma', something she worried upset Ben and Angela, but like they had been since the day they found out about her, they had been gracious enough to allow Bella to be a part of her daughter's life.

"Hey, sweetheart," Bella called out releasing Edward's hand and opening her arms for a hug.

Vanessa's smile grew as she released Ben and Angela's hands and hurried over, throwing herself into her arms. It had taken a while, but Bella barely flinched anymore when Vanessa hugged her, something she had worked very hard to master. Marcus told her it was important to control her reactions, especially with Vanessa. She was too little to understand why Bella was scared, he said.

She knelt down in front of her. "Are you excited?"

Vanessa shrugged her shoulders. "I guess. I don't know why I even have to go to school, Momma. Can't I just keep staying with you and Auntie Esme during the day? She could teach us both, couldn't she?"

"She could," Bella said, nodding.

About a year after Sam Uley killed himself, Ben and Angela approached Bella with the idea of allowing her to keep Vanessa a few afternoons a week, with supervision, of course, to help ease the transition. Angela wanted to go back to work part time, so she would bring Vanessa to Carlisle and Esme's, who was helping Bella get her GED. It was harder than Bella wanted to admit and she still had a year before she would be ready to take the test.

"But," Bella added, "just think about all the friends you'll make."

"I don't need friends," she whimpered, wrapping her arms around Bella's neck. "I want to stay with you, Momma!"

"Sweetheart," Bella whispered, standing up with her in her arms. She threw a pleading look at Angela for help. Because if it were up to her, she would put Vanessa in the backseat of the car and take her to Esme's, keep her daughter hidden from the world.

"Vanessa, we talked about this," Angela said, walking up and placing her hand on the little girls back.

"But, Mommy, what if nobody likes me," Vanessa cried, her arms tightening around Bella as her tears seeped down her chest.

"Of course they will like you," Ben said, softly.

"But what if they don't?" Vanessa cried, leaning back and looking over her shoulder at Angela and Ben. "I want to stay with Momma!"

"I'm scared, too," Bella whispered, drawing Vanessa's attention back to her. "I'm really scared, and I wish I could promise you that everyone is going to love you, and want to be your friend, but I'm not going to lie to you, sweetheart, not everyone will. And you know what? That's their loss because you are so amazing and sweet and beautiful. Inside that classroom is someone who is going to become your best friend."

"Like Uncle Carlisle is for you?"

Bella smiled, thinking about her pancake man. "Yeah, just like Uncle Carlisle is for me."

Vanessa nodded. "Will you pick me up after school?"

"Edward and I will, and we will take you to Auntie Esme's until Mommy and Daddy come get you."

Vanessa frowned, but nodded. "Okay, I'll stay."

"That's my brave girl," Bella whispered, her eyes filling with tears as she put her down. She held out her hand. "Now, let's try this again. Are you ready?"

Vanesa slipped her hand into Bella's before reaching over and wrapping her fingers around Angela's. "I'm ready now."

Bella and Angela shared a smile before they, together, led their daughter around the side of the building, through the iron gate, and down D-wing to where Vanessa would be starting kindergarten. As they waited outside of the classroom for the door to open, Bella tried to remember if she was scared when her mother and father took her to school for her first day of kindergarten.

Thank you for all the AMAZING reviews! So, this outtake takes places a couple years before the epilogue. Only one more outtake planned, and it's kind of a big one.