45

I can do this. I can do this. I can fucking do this.

Edward kept repeating those four little words to himself, trying to convince himself they were doing the right thing. He knew they were, knew it was an essential step toward taking their power back, but he wasn't used to the spotlight like Bella was. He didn't want the attention, need the admiration, or desire anyone's respect.

Other than Bella's, of course.

But while he was terrified, it was important to Bella that they do this together. So he would be brave and strong for her and face the cameras and lights as they tell their story.

Edward was sitting on the couch, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, his head between his hands. Bella was still in his bedroom with Rosalie, who was trying to help her get ready. She said she had an image to protect, so while she was trying to become America's Sweetheart again, Edward was trying not to panic.

A cleared throat drew his attention to the stairs, and when he looked over, he saw Alice standing at the bottom.

"Hey."

"Hey," he murmured, swallowing against the lump in his throat.

"Can I sit?"

He nodded, watching as she walked around the coffee table and sat beside him.

"You look like shit, bro."

He snorted. "Gee, thanks, Al. Don't hold back. Tell me how you really feel."

Alice laughed. "I'm just saying you look like shit." She placed her hand on his arm, ignoring the way he tensed. "Not trying to start anything, just saying you look tired."

He scoffed. "I couldn't sleep last night. Every time I tried, we were back inside that bunker, and . . . I gave up, so . . ."

"You've never given up a day in your life, Edward."

He tried to smile but couldn't quite muster one.

"I almost turned down the meeting," Alice said. "When Rosalie called to set up that first one, I . . . I almost turned them down."

"Why would you do that?"

"Because I knew seeing her in person would be hard for you, Edward. I mean, I saw how you followed her career, the way you needed her, and it scared me to let her get close to you. I was afraid she was going to hurt you."

"Do you regret agreeing to the meeting?"

"Every day," she whispered. "Not because of her. I like her, Edward. I'm even starting to think of her as family, which is weird for me. But I can't help but wonder if you hadn't taken her on as a client if . . . Well, I mean, they weren't looking for you, right? Not until she . . . she brought you to them."

"It would have only been a matter of time before they found me, too. Ben and Angela . . . or others like them . . . I don't know, Al; I think she and I would have had to confront everything sooner or later. And while I wish that how we had to face them would have been different, we survived and refused to let them win — not them or anyone else out there. That's the point of today."

"You amaze me, Edward. You really do." Alice stood and placed her hand on his cheek. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Al."

The sound of a door opening upstairs drew their attention, and a moment later, Rosalie led Bella downstairs. Edward couldn't keep the smile off his lips as he stood. She was beautiful in black and white zebra-striped leather pants, a black turtleneck that hugged her body, and a pair of red high heels. They'd left her hair down but straightened it so it hung perfectly on the side of her face. Her makeup was dark and sexy, not that Edward thought she needed any at all. She was perfect no matter what, he thought.

"Sorry, we took so long. Ro had to brush the tangles out of my hair," Bella murmured, placing her hand on her stomach. "Where's everyone else?"

"They're meeting us there," Alice said, standing. "They thought it might be easier this way, given the circumstances. Jasper's coming with us. He's waiting in the car, though."

Bella nodded, her eyes flickering to Edward. "Are you ready to do this?"

"No," he admitted, but walked over and held his hand out to her. "But we've come this far. Let's keep going."

She smiled and laid her hand in his.

—TB—

When they arrived at Studio Seven, they were ushered into a holding room by the security team for Carmen Santiago, who was known as the best of the best when it came to celebrity interviewers, from what Bella had told him. She was on the same level as Diane Sawyer, Barbara Walters, and Oprah Winfrey. She was the only person, Bella said, who could help them tell their story.

But Edward was terrified.

"I am, too, you know?" Bella whispered, causing him to look at her. "You said that out loud."

"Oh."

"This is the part of the job I've always hated. Talking to reporters, being interviewed. What's my deepest, darkest secret? Until a month and a half ago, I couldn't have answered that honestly."

"Can you now?"

"I can. Not sure I want to, but I can."

The door opened, and Charlie, Carlisle, and Esme hurried inside with Emmett, Felix, and Tyler following. Behind them was Carmen Santiago. The tall, thin Latino woman with long, silky black hair and dark eyes paused in the doorway, her attention shifting from their family to Edward and Bella, who stood with their hands wrapped around each other's.

"My darling, Isabella, it's lovely to see you again," Carmen cooed, her accent thick. She stepped into the room and allowed the door to close behind her. "How have you been?"

"I've been better," Bella admitted but shifted toward Edward. "Carmen, this is Edward, my . . . Well, this is Edward."

"It's lovely to meet you, Edward." Carmen glanced from him back to her. "I was surprised when my team received the call from Ms. Hale, stating you wanted to set up an interview with me, darling. Especially seeing as the whole world has been asking themselves where you've been for the last few weeks."

"Yes, well, I'm . . . We are willing to explain everything once we're live."

"Yes, a live show. Something I don't normally agree to, but Ms. Hale was rather insistent. I can only assume there is a reason behind it."

Bella nodded.

"You're not going to tell me, are you?"

She shook her head. "It's important, though. I . . . It's really important, though."

Carmen tilted her head to the side, raising an eyebrow. "Okay, Isabella, I'm willing to take this chance. The show starts in five minutes. I'll see you on set."

Turning, she walked out of the holding room, and Bella shifted to face him, placing her hands on his chest. "I love you, and no matter what happens after this, you and I will always have each other."

"Forever, sweetheart," Edward whispered, cupping her face between his hands. "And I love you, too."

—TB—

Less than five minutes later, Edward and Bella had been moved from the holding room and were now standing behind a thick, black curtain on the left side of the stage. Their family had taken seats in the audience. Edward squeezed Bella's hand as the theme music for Carmen's show started to play, and when she looked up at him, he winked and mouthed, "I love you."

She grinned and mouthed the same three words in return, and he believed her.

He had no doubt that Bella Swan loved him.

"Welcome everyone to our show. I am . . . honored and blessed to have a special guest today." There was a pause before Carmen said, "Please help me welcome America's Sweetheart, Isabella Swan, to the show."

Taking a deep breath, Bella glanced back at him before she pulled the curtain back, and the two stepped out onto the stage in front of two hundred men and women who made up the audience. The second they spotted her, they were on their feet cheering and screaming her name, and Edward saw a couple of teenage girls almost to the point of tears. Bella smiled and waved with her free hand before she led Edward to the table, where Carmen thankfully didn't make any effort to hug either of them like he'd seen done on most of these shows. He suspected that was Rosalie's doing, something he would have to thank her for afterward.

"Please, please, have a seat," Carmen said, waving her hand toward the beige sofa while she settled in a matching armchair, crossing her legs.

Bella sat closest to her, with Edward on her other side, his hand resting on the small of her back. "Thank you for such a warm welcome."

"Your fans adore you, Isabella," Carmen cooed, her eyes flickering to Edward. "Now, please introduce us to the man seated next to you."

Bella smiled, her eyes flickering to him before she said, "This is Edward. He's . . . he's my fiancé."

Carmen gasped, and Edward chanced a look at his mom and dad, Charlie, Emmett, Jasper, and Alice, all of whom were staring at them with their mouths open. They hadn't told anyone yet that they were planning on getting married.

"Congratulations, Isabella," Carmen reached for her, but she pulled her hands back when Bella tensed.

"Thank you, but we're not here to discuss our relationship."

"Oh?" Carmen raised an eyebrow. "What are we here to talk about?"

Bella shifted on the couch toward Edward, who wrapped his arm around her and nodded. "We're here to talk about the . . . The Gathering of Twilight."

"Yes, of course. Your manager suggested I might do a little research into The Gathering of Twilight. I have to admit to being . . . I don't know . . . shocked and appalled by what I learned. Those poor children and what they went through is unthinkable." She paused. "I was under the impression that there were no survivors."

"There were two," she said, gesturing from herself to Edward. "And only two."

Carmen turned to the audience, who was shockingly quiet, before turning back to her and Edward. "Why don't you tell everyone about The Gathering of Twilight?"

"They were a cult that preyed on children, such as myself and Edward." Bella shook her head. "They're pedophiles who lured people into believing their doctrine. People like our parents, who escaped when they found out they were pregnant with us. At some point, they were found and murdered, and Edward and I were . . . taken back to The Gathering, where we were kept until twenty years ago when we were liberated, freed from their clutches."

"I'm sorry," Carmen said, putting her hand up. "You're telling us that you were held in a cult until you were five years old, a cult where you were . . . abused?"

"Sexually abused by the founders of the cult. Brothers named Aro, Caius, and Marcus Volturi. They, along with their council," Edward said, his voice wavering with nerves, "abused and tortured Isabella and myself, along with a dozen other children."

Bella placed her hand on his knees, drawing his attention. "When they realized they had been compromised, they . . . they took the coward's way out. They killed themselves and everyone associated with The Gathering. Everyone but Edward and me," she said, looking back at Carmen. "You were told not to touch me, to touch us, weren't you?"

Carmen nodded. "I was."

"I only recently learned that I suffer from a condition called Haphephobia, an intense, overwhelming fear of being touched. You see, I never understood why I reacted to people's touch the way I did. It never made sense because I had no memories of my first years of life. I never grasped why I was afraid all the time."

"You don't remember anything before you were five years old?" Carmen asked.

"I do now, but I didn't for the better part of twenty years. I was injured in the explosion that killed everyone inside The Gathering and spent three months in a coma. When I woke, I didn't have any memories. I was adopted by a wonderful, loving man who raised me as his daughter," she cried, looking over at Charlie, who smiled. "He never gave up on me, not when I would wake up in the middle of the night because . . . because I felt people laying on me, people who weren't there. He loved and helped me as much as he could, but it wasn't easy. I lived in a bubble, one I built around myself to keep me safe because I didn't understand why I was always scared. And I do mean always."

Carmen picked up the box of tissues and handed them to Bella.

"Thank you," she said, sniffing as she pulled one out and wiped the tears off her face. "I felt alone and isolated because I didn't let myself get close to anyone. I was America's Sweetheart, but I felt like a fraud. How could anyone love me when I didn't even know who I was or what my music meant to them."

"Do you still feel that way?"

"Sometimes," she confessed, her head turning toward Edward. "But he helped me recognize that being America's Sweetheart is an honor. I now see how valuable my music is to people . . . how they feel it in their hearts and souls."

"And how did you do that, Edward?"

All eyes shifted to him, and he adjusted his position on the sofa. "Love. I just loved her. See, unlike her, I've always known the horrors we suffered while prisoners of The Gathering of Twilight, and for twenty years, I thought I'd failed her."

"How did you have failed her?" Carmen asked as a tear slid down her face, which she quickly wiped away. "I'm sorry."

"I promised to keep her safe. Every single time they came for us, I promised to protect her, and time after time, it was futile. I spent twenty years grieving over my failure. The night The Brothers realized they had been compromised, I told her to hide in a cabinet with me. I guess, at five years old, I thought it would keep us safe. And it did, kind of, but I lost twenty years with her."

"How?"

Edward frowned. "Like Bella, I was adopted by a wonderful family. They loved me, reminded me every single day I was safe, that I belonged with them. They never lost their patience with me, not even when I . . . believed I wasn't worth loving. But I was never able to let go of the guilt I felt for not keeping her safe. And when I found Bella again, when she released her first album, I thought she'd beat it all — that she made it out of there unscathed. And then she came to me for help."

"Help? What . . . what kind of help?"

Bella looked back at Edward, nodding before she moved closer to him. "Several months ago, I began receiving letters. Threatening letters. At first, I didn't take them seriously. In my line of work, they weren't the first, and I doubted they'd be the last. But there was something . . . different about these, something intimate that scared me, so I sought to employ a bodyguard, and that brought me to Edward, who I hadn't seen since that fateful night."

Carmen smiled. "You fell in love with your bodyguard?"

"Technically, I supposed, though it didn't take long for me to realize he's almost been more than just my bodyguard from the beginning." Bella exhaled a deep breath. "He and his father figured out that the letters were coming from someone connected to The Gathering of Twilight, and when my stalker realized Edward was with me, they began targeting him, too. We fled the area after they managed to bypass my security system and approach my house, and while I tried to deal with the realization of why I reacted the way I did, our family and friends were trying to find out who my . . . our stalker was. Or, in this case, stalkers were."

"As in more than one?" Carmen asked.

Bella nodded. "A month and a half ago, Edward and I were kidnapped and held captive by two people obsessed with The Gathering and their teaching. We fought to survive, fought to make it out alive. It wasn't . . . easy, and we won't go into detail about what we went through, but we're alive because we fought them together."

Silence surrounded them as Carmen leaned back in her chair, her eyes shifting continuously between them. Other than the occasional sniffle from the studio audience, no one spoke, and no one moved.

Bella finally ended the silence when she said, "I know what you're thinking."

"And what is that?"

"That it's too unbelievable to be true. I thought the same thing when they first told me, but then it started making sense, you know? As a little girl, I had nightmares so . . . so vivid and intense that I'd wake up unable to move, barely able to breathe. And I never knew why. I tried to be brave and strong and pretend I had my life together, but I didn't. I was scarcely able to make it through one show without drowning in unbelievable panic. And learning to trust my family, my friends." She paused, looking at him. "Learning to trust Edward wasn't easy, but he saved me."

"Saved you from what?" Carmen asked, her tone soft and soothing.

"From myself."

She smiled, her eyes flickering to Edward. "And you, young sir, did she save you, as well?"

"More than she'll ever know," he said quietly. "But I always felt guilty for not keeping her safe."

"You were a little boy, Edward. Just a little boy," Carmen said.

"I know, and believe me, my family told me that a million times over the years, but it wasn't until I saw her in person again that I . . . I saw this . . . fragility I'd never seen in someone other than myself, I guess. And, while I was scared to get too close to her, I couldn't let her go. Not again. Never again."

Bella reached over and covered his hand with hers, drawing his attention to her. "I'm never letting you go, either, love. Ever."

Edward smiled and brought her hand up to his lips, placing a kiss on her palm, causing the studio audience to ripple with murmured, "Awes," almost reminding him that they were in front of two hundred people, sharing their deepest, darkest, most humiliating secrets.

Bella cleared her throat before saying, "We're not here to go into detail about what we went through. That's not why we're here."

"What is your reason for this interview?" Carmen asked.

"We have a message to pass along to . . . to others like the people who kidnapped us, others who think along the same lines as the members of The Gathering did."

"And what is that message?"

Once more, Bella looked at Edward, who gave her a slight nod. She then looked back at their host and said, "Don't fuck with us."

The audience gasped, and Carmen looked downright scandalous, her eyes flickering around the studio before landing on the pair of them again. "I'm sorry, but did you just say . . . what I thought you said?"

"Yes," they replied together.

Bella added, "We're not victims anymore. We're survivors, fucking survivors, and we won't let anyone try to take us away from our family again. You see, we've lost friends because of them. Kate Denali and Michael Newton were murdered inside my house because the people who kidnapped us thought they were dispensable, but they weren't. They had families, people who miss them dearly every single day, and they shouldn't be forgotten because Ben Cheney and Angela Weber thought they weren't important."

"If other members of The Gathering of Twilight are still lingering, just know that we will find you, and make you pay for every single thing you did to all of us," Edward said, his eyes flickering to Felix, who was seated next to Tyler. "And all of Twilight's children."

Then, tightening their grip on each other's hand, Edward and Bella stood, thanked Carmen, and walked off the stage, knowing their family would be right behind them, where they had been since day one.

Thank you for all the AMAZING reviews! Big shout out to Sunflower Fran for being such an amazing Beta and always talking me off the ledge! See you next Saturday!