Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, I just play with them. This story is rated M, and is not suitable for younger readers. Story contains violence, coarse language and sexual "situations". Please do not read if any of these things offends you.

Note: [Beta'ed by: adt216]

Extra note: Special thanks to ericastwilight for helping me out and providing me with information about child protection. Also, I do not own the moral story about the bird, the cow and the cat that is mentioned in this chapter.

Chapter 34 – "Unsafe, part 2"

Edward Cullen POV

Dad's eyes went wide and I couldn't even look at him. Confirming the horrible things that he had always suspected was fucking horrible. Being the one to betray Sparrow's trust was even worse.

"Who did?" he asked.

I shook my head and turned towards the door. "I'm not fucking answering that."

"But you know…?"

"Yeah, I know. She told me everything."

He studied me for a moment, probably contemplating whether or not he should press the issue. Luckily, he didn't. Instead he left the room, and I followed him closely behind. I didn't even glance at my bike when we walked out of the hospital; instead I walked with him to his car. I had to just toughen up and be a damn man; a five-minute drive wouldn't kill me.

The car ride back to the house was awkward and tense at best. I knew he had a million questions he wanted to ask me, but I couldn't answer any of them. I wanted to spill the whole story. I wanted to get it out of my system, but I fucking couldn't, because that wasn't my damn story to tell. I had already betrayed her; I didn't need to rub salt in her wounds too. God knows she was already in enough pain without me adding to it.

When we got back to the house, I stopped Dad before he could open the front door.

"I just want to get something straight, alright?" I said in a quiet voice. He gave me a cautious look but nodded at me to continue. "When you enter my damn room, you will not be a doctor who happens to be my dad… you will be my dad who happens to be a doctor. Okay?"

He pursed his lips into a tight line and frowned. I knew I was asking a lot from him, but I also knew he was asking a hell of a lot from me. For him to take a step away from his role as a doctor was huge, but for him to take a step away under these circumstances was even bigger. Even I knew that.

He had treated Sparrow when she was first admitted after our accident; he had read her file. He knew she was hurt four months ago. He knew her injuries weren't self-inflicted, no matter what her file said. He knew something was off, and he probably wanted nothing more than to solve that puzzle. That was why me asking him to be a dad, and not a doctor, was going to be a difficult task for him. That was also why I wouldn't let him come near her if he said that he couldn't do it. If he entered as a doctor, it wouldn't matter what we said. He would do the "right thing," and that wouldn't end well for us.

I needed him to understand the situation before he did anything stupid. I couldn't do that if he was in doctor-mode. If he was in doctor-mode, I knew shit would end badly, and I would fail her.

I couldn't fail her.

Failing her was not a fucking option.

"Alright," he agreed finally. I nodded once, before letting him open the door and stepping inside. I walked toward the stairs, ascending them before him, and when we reached my room, I turned to him again. "Stay here, I need to talk to her first."

I was surprised when he didn't argue with me. He just nodded and took a step back. I gave him a curious look, before pulling the key out of my pocket and unlocking the door. I stepped inside and closed the door behind me. I couldn't help the smile that formed on my face when I found Sparrow sound asleep in my bed. I carefully stepped over to her and crouched beside the bed, taking her hand in mine. I didn't want to wake her up just yet, because I didn't want to tell her what I had just done. Things had been fine this morning. I didn't want to fucking ruin that. Not yet, but I had to.

She's really going to hate me.

I stroked her cheek and the corner of her lip lifted a little before she opened her eyes. She smiled a genuine smile at me when she spotted me, and I couldn't help but smile back. I had to savor that smile, because it was probably the last one I would get from her in a while.

"Hey, Sparrow, how you feeling?" I asked quietly.

"Like a bulldozer ran me over and took me to Heaven. I'm still flying," she said with her lazy smile and I almost wanted to slam my head into the wall; I had totally forgotten that she was high. How the hell was I going to explain that to my father? He was going to have a fit.

The shit just keeps piling up.

"I… I did something," I said, still with my quiet voice, "and you're gonna hate me for it."

"I very much doubt that," she replied, seriously. "You have my back, I trust you."

She just has to rub it in, huh.

"I told my dad and-"

"You what!" she shrieked, her voice terrified. She sat up so fast in the bed that I almost toppled over in surprise. Her face contorted in pain, but it was nothing compared to the anger and fear that flashed in her eyes. "How could you do that? You promised me, Edward! You promised me you wouldn't tell!"

"I know, I know, calm down," I said with a sigh. "I promised I would keep you safe, didn't I? And that's exactly what I'm doing. You can't hide here forever, Bella. You're already reported missing."

She took a deep breath, and I could almost see the anger leave her body as she breathed out. The anger was replaced with deep sadness as she looked back at me. "So I'm Bella now, huh?" she asked with a shaky voice.

I smiled crookedly at her as I stood up so I could sit down beside her. I cupped her cheek and she leaned into my hand. Tears were forming in her eyes, just waiting for the right moment to fall over.

"No, you'll always be Sparrow to me."

"You promise?"

My smiled widened and I put my other hand on her other cheek. She felt so fragile in my hands, like all I had to do to ruin her perfect soul was to touch her, but I needed to fucking touch her.

She met my gaze as I leaned forward.

"I fucking promise you, Sparrow, you'll always be my bird," I whispered.

She licked her bottom lip, before biting down on it and I couldn't help but lean forward even more at the sight. Her bottom lip looked absolutely delicious.

I wonder what it tastes like…

I had subconsciously moved forward even more. I didn't even realize how close we were until we were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Edward? Can I come in?" I groaned at Dad's voice, and Sparrow smile sadly at me. I wondered if she was even aware how close I had come to kissing her.

I pulled back quickly and dropped my hands to my lap. "Yeah, fine, come in," I grunted. The door slowly opened and Dad stepped inside.

Even though I wasn't touching Sparrow anymore, I could still feel her tense up. Her tension was my tension. I automatically reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. Dad looked confused when he found her in my bed, in my clothes, holding my hand. He looked even more confused than Jasper had when he found out.

"Hello, Isabella," he said tentatively. "How are you…" He trailed off as he scrunched up his nose a little bit and looked around, then he shot his eyes to me and I could see the familiar irritation in them. "Weed, Edward, really?"

I snorted and rolled my eyes. "Weed fucking relaxes you, alright? She was in motherfucking pain all night and I wanted to help her out, okay? I didn't want to go raiding your damn medicine cabinet, so I gave her the only thing I could. Do you hear her complaining?" I snapped.

Dad sighed and took a few steps closer to the bed, for some reason it put me on edge to have him this close to her.

"Can you please step aside so I can take a look at her leg?" he asked me. I reluctantly left the bed and Dad took my place.

Sparrow reluctantly threw the covers aside and pulled up the pant leg. Dad touched her gingerly around her knee and the lower part of her thigh, which for some reason irritated me. What gave him the right to touch her leg? He was like inches away from doing what I was thinking about doing not too long ago.

He's a doctor, remember? He's not dreaming about finger-fucking young girls, you moron.

I snorted inwardly, watching my Dad's face intently, as if trying to find any sign of him enjoying whatever the hell he was doing. Luckily for him, he wasn't. He had his clinical face on and every time he squeezed her leg in a certain way he looked up to study her face.

"We need to get you to the hospital," he said to her. She shot her eyes to me before looking back at him.

"Why?" she asked, even though we both knew why.

"We need to change your cast, and we will need to take another x-ray. There's swelling around your knee which suggests there has been additional trauma to your leg," he explained, all in a very doctory-voice. Way to be a dad, Dad. "May I ask… what happened?" Sparrow looked at me again before looking down at her lap.

"I don't know," she said quietly.

"What don't you know?" he asked gently. She bit her lip and refused to look at him. She wasn't going to answer either, I could tell. She shook her head infinitesimally, and he sighed. "Please, Isabella, tell me…" But she shook her head again, a little more noticeably this time. "Please…"

"Don't fucking push her!" I snapped, taking a step forward to pull him from the bed. He realized what I was going to do and stood up.

"I'm not pushing her," he said calmly, putting his hands up in front of him in surrender. "I'm just trying to understand."

"Yeah, as a doctor or as a dad?" I spat.

"Calm down, Edward. You were the one who brought him here. You're not helping anybody by yelling," Sparrow said with a deep sigh. I looked at her and her tired eyes, as I reluctantly tried to do as she told me. I knew I wasn't helping by getting upset like this, but what the hell was she expecting from me anyway? She kept looking at me until I wasn't shaking in frustration anymore, then she cracked a smile. "See, that wasn't so hard, now was it?"

"Fuck you," I muttered, trying to contain my own smile. She must have known by now what her fucking smile did to me, so of course she was going to take advantage of that. Dad cleared his throat, reminding us that we weren't alone. I sighed and turned around.

"Edward, Isabella… we need to get to the hospital," Dad said.

Sparrow reached for my hand and I took it.

"What will… what will… my parents? Will you… will they know?" she asked, every word punctuating just how scared she was. She couldn't even form a coherent sentence.

Dad nodded slowly. "Yes, we will call them when we get there. You have been reported missing, and we're obligated to tell them." He furrowed his brow, then shaking his head as if he shook a thought away. "Do you have your crutches?" he asked instead, she shook her head and I shrugged.

"We didn't really have time to grab them," I muttered, meeting Sparrow's gaze as her stomach grumbled. "Still hungry, huh?"

"Yogurt and an apple doesn't last long," she replied.

I didn't tear my eyes from hers as I asked my dad. "Do you mind if we stay long enough so she can get some damn food in her?"

I heard him sigh. "Yes, that is quite alright. Let me carry her." He took a step closer and I snorted as I looked back at him.

"You're not fucking touching her," I said matter-of-factly.

"She can't walk without her crutches, Edward. It will put too much strain on her leg," he said with a tired sigh, as if I was stupid. I rolled my eyes at him as I stood up.

"Who says she's walking?" I asked, as I put my arm behind her knees and the other one behind her back. She wrapped her arms around my neck and I lifted her up. I quirked an eyebrow at my dad and he looked even more confused than before. "I'm just saying that you're not fucking touching her."

Dad shook his head as he left the room before us, and Sparrow clung tightly to me as I carried her.

"What will happen now?" she asked quietly, so her voice wouldn't carry to him. "Why did you tell?"

"I broke," I replied with a sigh. "I didn't fucking mean to, I swear to God I didn't. It was just… I sat in that damn room, where I first found out about your iffy scars and… I couldn't fucking take it. He was looking through your file when I came in even though he's not your doctor. I think he might have been doing some off-the-record investigations on his own."

"Why would he do that?" she asked. "Why didn't he just accept what was reported? Why is he suddenly so curious and suspicious?"

I looked at Dad's back as he descended the stairs, and I stopped.

"I don't know, Sparrow. Maybe he wants to do right by you or some shit. Maybe he's trying to make up for what I did to you… just like Emmett is. Maybe he doesn't seriously think something is wrong. Maybe he just wants to make himself feel better by getting involved… suicide attempt or abuse… both are pretty messed up and he probably figures he could help you out either way."

She frowned and I looked back down at her. "How do you feel about that?" she asked quietly, softly stroking my jaw line with her thumb. I chuckled humorlessly and shook my head.

"If you had asked me a couple of weeks ago, I would have said that it pissed me off, that you're not his daughter, and that he shouldn't care," I began and she rolled her eyes.

"I did ask you a couple of weeks ago, and you already told me that when I asked you. That's why I'm asking you now."

"Now? I don't mind," I replied honestly. "As long as you're safe, I don't really give a fuck about who gets involved. I don't give a damn if my dad has to fucking adopt you and make you his daughter to make that happen… as long as your fucking safe, that's all that matters."

"But how can we be so sure we can trust your father with this?" she asked then. "You told me you didn't trust him anymore, so how can we trust him with this? How do you expect me to trust him?"

"Because we have no other choice, Sparrow," I said with a deep sigh. "He's all we got. He's a doctor, he's got connections… he has probably been down this road before, having to testify or shit like that because he has treated kids who were abused… he's all we got."

"I miss having someone," she said quietly. "I miss my family… or maybe not my family, but a family… just a family."

I hugged her closer as we descended the stairs. I leaned my head forward a little bit so my lips were by her ear.

"Families keep each other safe," I whispered. "So I'll be your family. I won't let those crazy people near you again, I swear."

"You promise?" I could barely hear her asking; her voice was so quiet.

I reached the bottom of the stairs, and I saw Dad waiting for us by the doorway to the kitchen. I met his gaze for a moment before looking down at Sparrow, my eyes fixating on her lips for a moment too long. I looked up at her eyes and nodded.

"I promise. I'll never hurt you again," I replied firmly in a quiet voice. She smiled sadly and nodded, accepting my proclamation of her guaranteed safety.

We walked over to the kitchen, and Dad turned to the fridge.

"What would you like to eat?" he asked her, and she shrugged. "Is a chicken sandwich alright?" She nodded and he grabbed the necessary items from the fridge, as I walked over to the breakfast bar and put her down on one of the high stools. I sat down beside her, bringing my chair close enough that I could rest my arm on the back of hers. I didn't know what that was about; I just needed her to be close.

Dad put the items on the counter and began preparing the meal. Every so often, he would look up at us, frowning in confusion when he noticed my arm on the back of her chair.

"What will happen to me now, Dr. Cullen?" Sparrow asked, breaking the silence with her sad voice.

I looked at Dad, who had stilled his movements. He sighed and looked up to meet her gaze.

"That depends on what has happened to you," he replied.

"Let's say… erm… someone is being abused by one of her parents… what would happen then?" I asked, feeling Sparrow kick my ankle with her good foot. I gave her an annoyed look, which she returned with a vengeance. Dad looked at us for a long while before answering.

"There will be an investigation, of course, and if there are visual signs of abuse, then Isabella… I mean, someone will be removed from her home," he explained as he continued with the sandwich. "But if that's the case with Isabella-"

"Bella," she corrected him. I gave her a weird look, and he smiled softly.

"If that's the case with Bella, it won't be that easy."

"Why the hell not? She's being abused, and she has the motherfucking scars to prove it!" I argued loudly.

Sparrow grabbed my hand in my lap, giving it a squeeze and she didn't need to tell me with words to calm down. Her simple touch did the job for her.

"When she came in three months ago, she was reported as someone who had attempted suicide," Dad explained.

"Yeah? So fucking what?" I argued again, trying to keep myself from raising my voice again.

"Her injuries were reported as self-inflicted, Edward. She is already filed as someone who has attempted suicide, and Child Protective Services won't ignore that. It's not unusual for depressed teens to lash out and accuse their parents of abuse, or relatives of sexual assault… and the CPS will recognize that."

"You wrote in her file that you didn't think her cuts were self-inflicted, right? So why can't you just tell them that they aren't? They should fucking believe you, right? You're a motherfucking doctor, for crying out loud!"

"Because you are my son, Edward. They won't believe that my opinion on the matter is objective. They might believe I'm somehow trying to protect you because of your involvement with Bella. I can't be trusted to be objective," he explained with a tired sigh.

"Where does that leave… me?" she asked quietly.

"Like I said, there will be an investigation because they have to do one if abuse is reported, no matter if the claim is false or not. And they will have a doctor take a look at you and your injuries again," he said before frowning. "I don't see how that will be a problem, however…" he trailed off and stepped around the kitchen island to her. He gently put his hands on her jaw and tilted her head so he could see her throat. His frown deepened. "No doctor in the world would claim that these bruises are self-inflicted or made by accident. The color suggests this happened recently, most likely within the past two days…"

"Yesterday, if you want to be precise," I replied coolly.

Dad let go of her and took a step back. He put a hand on the counter and leaned against his arm. He looked frustrated.

"I'm really trying to understand, and I'm really trying to be patient. But you need to give me some answers. Edward, you asked for my help for a reason, and if you want my help, you have to trust me with details about what's going on," he said.

"They're not my damn details to share," I said as I looked at Sparrow, who sighed deeply. "He's right, you know… the more he knows, the better he can help," I said quietly to her, squeezing her hand.

Dad pulled up a chair next to hers and sat down.

"Bella, I don't know what has happened to you, but I do know it's something you think is worth dying over. But it doesn't have to be that way," he explained quietly. "How many people know the true story behind your scars?"

Sparrow gazed quickly at me, before looking down at the table.

"Just one, just Edward… I'm not counting the ones who were there when it happened," she admitted quietly.

"Tell him, Sparrow," I told her, nudging her gently. "He'll help."

She took a deep breath, and as she breathed out I could see her eyes being emptied of all emotions. She was detaching herself. She was going to tell him, and I was so fucking proud of her.

"I was sleeping when she woke me up. It was the middle of the night…"

x x x x x

Dad sat quietly, staring at his hands on the counter, and Sparrow picked at the sandwich I had made for her while she told Dad her story. I thought hearing it a second time would be easier, but no such fucking luck. Her story still got to me, and I had to fucking leave the damn room when she got to the part where her mother started cutting her. I couldn't fucking hear it because it left images in my mind that I'd rather live without.

Her voice was the worst part; she was so fucking detached, and it was even more painful to hear that than the words she spoke. When she was done, she disappeared into her own mind, the feeling in her eyes still detached. She wasn't coming out anytime soon.

"And you've only told Edward this?" he asked softly, wanting to clarify. She nodded. "It's been four months, and the only person you've told is my son?" She nodded again. He leaned back; his eyes were pained as he gazed at us. He was quiet for a moment, probably trying to find the right words. I tried to soothe Sparrow by stroking her back, but she just shrugged it away. Yes, that hurt.

"I need to use the bathroom," Sparrow whispered, turning her head to me but keeping her eyes down.

"No problem," I replied with a soft smile, jumping on the chance to help her with something I could handle. I picked her up and she clung desperately to me. We didn't even make it out of the kitchen before her body started shaking violently with sobs. I stepped over to the couch in the living room and sat down on the armrest, hugging her closer to me.

I didn't say anything to soothe her, because my words would mean nothing to her. Words were just that. Words. Words weren't going to change anything. Words wouldn't take away all her pain. Words would not change the fact that her mother almost killed her. Words would not change the fact that I had betrayed her. Words did nothing.

That was why I didn't use them.

I didn't even want to know how painful it must have been for her to relive that story again, and this time without even getting the proper time to prepare. I just threw that shit at her, almost forcing her to tell him without even letting her get used to the idea. At least with me she got some time. She knew I wanted to know and she said she was going to tell me when she was ready. And that, she did.

This time, she wasn't ready. Not even close. She came here last night, thinking that it was over, thinking that she would never have to deal with that shit again, that I would keep her safe from all of it. But instead I did the last thing she wanted – I stabbed her in the back and threw her to the wolves.

"Why couldn't you leave well enough alone?" she asked, but I had a hard time making out the words because she was sobbing so hard. I sighed and squeezed my eyes shut, resting my forehead against her hair.

"When I was a kid, my grandmother used to tell me stories… and one of those stories was about a bird. It was flying south for the winter, but it was so fucking cold that it froze and fell to the ground in a large field. While he was lying there, a big-ass cow came by and took a dump right on him. But as the frozen bird laid there in the pile of shit, he began to feel warm and cozy. The shit was thawing him out. When he realized he could move again in the shit, he began to sing in joy. A passing cat heard him and went over to the pile of crap to investigate… the cat found the bird and dug him out. Then he ate him."

Sparrow's shaking subsided during my story, until she was strong enough to tilt her head up and look at me. I gave her a gentle smile, but she merely looked confused.

"Why would you tell me a story about a bird getting crapped on?" she asked in confusion, her voice still shaky from the sobs.

"Because not everyone who gives you crap is your enemy, and not everyone who gets you out of it is your friend. And when you are in deep shit, it's better to keep your mouth shut," Dad answered for me. We looked up and saw him leaning against the doorframe to the kitchen. "But I'm afraid the moral of the story doesn't really help our situation here."

"Of course it does," I argued indignantly. Dad shook his head, looking amused and sad at the same time. "Of course it does!" I argued again.

"No, it doesn't, Edward," Sparrow said softly. "Because that means you're not my friend, because you're the one getting me out of trouble, right? And since I am deep in crap, I should have just kept quiet. Not telling anyone."

I looked at her, trying to make sense of her logic and realized soon that she was right. I just made myself into the bad guy. I groaned and rested my forehead against her head again. She smiled weakly and stroked my cheek.

"It's okay," she whispered. "Consider me the bird that got crapped on… just try not to eat me, and we'll be fine."

"Are you sure, Sparrow?" I asked quietly. "I didn't fucking mean to push you like that."

"Do I have any choice? Without you, I have no one," she said, and the eternal sadness had returned to her voice. "Can you please take me to the bathroom now?"

"Yes, of course," I replied, standing up and carrying her to the downstairs bathroom. I put her down gingerly on the floor and gave her a crooked smile. "Just call me when you're done."

I closed the door and went back to the living room where Dad was still standing.

"Bella has hid behind the truth for four months, trust doesn't come easily to her," he began and I narrowed my eyes at him as he continued. "She's been hiding because it's been easier for her than to deal with it, so when we force her to deal, she reverts back into her mind and hides. And you can't help someone who hides from her past. She's been through a horrific trauma and she doesn't know how to deal with what she experienced. There is no doubt that she does want our help, but she's also afraid of getting hurt… by keeping quiet while being covered in crap, like your metaphorical bird, she won't get hurt, but she doesn't get better either. She'll still be covered in crap, but she's used to the smell, so to speak. She'd rather live with the pain that she's used to than risk feeling something worse."

"You think you know her just because I forced her to tell you her story? Fuck you! You don't know anything about her!" I spat angrily. "Where do you get off analyzing her like that?"

"It's a textbook reac-"

"SHE'S NOT A TEXTBOOK CASE!" I yelled. "She's a fucking human being who's been to hell and back and then back to hell. She's not someone you can analyze because of some stupid examples in some stupid book! And if that's the way you're gonna handle this, then I really fucking regret that I pushed her into telling you. She's not a fucking textbook case, so don't you fucking dare treat her like one!"

Dad didn't even flinch when I yelled, he just kept looking at me with that stupid calm and collected gaze of his.

"Are you done?" he asked, and I rolled my eyes. "I know she's not a textbook case, Edward. If you had let me finish I would have told you that she had a textbook reaction to a trauma. Nothing else."

"Fuck you," I spat.

He sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Why do you call her Sparrow?" he asked, ignoring my comment.

"None of your fucking business," I muttered, leaving the living room to see how Sparrow was doing.

"Edward," Dad said. Something in his voice made me stop and turn my head to look at him. I quirked an eyebrow at him, silently telling him to continue. "Please, don't go breaking the poor girl's heart. She's been through enough, don't you think?"

I narrowed my eyes at him, feeling pretty damn offended at what he was implying.

"She's my friend!" I clarified angrily.

He smiled knowingly and shook his head.

"But is that all she is to you?" he asked.

I didn't even dignify that with a response; instead I left the room without looking back.

x x x x x

I sat in Dad's office at the hospital, my leg bouncing restlessly on the floor. Dad had told me to wait there while he got everything sorted out. I didn't want to leave her. I wanted to be by her side at all times, but he wasn't having it. He said that either I wait in his office or I could go home. That was a damn easy decision to make.

It had been over an hour since we got here and the last time I had seen her. To say that I was beginning to get paranoid would have put it mildly. I was on the verge of freaking out. It had been an hour, which meant that her parents must have been here by now. Maybe they had taken her home already? What about the CPS?

I heard a familiar sound from the hallway, and my leg stopped bouncing immediately.

The familiar sound was from someone walking with crutches. Even though I was at a damn hospital, and there were probably more people walking with crutches there, I still knew it was her.

I knew her sound.

I looked up from my lap just as she pushed the door, which was already ajar, open with her crutch. I slowly stood up, not tearing my eyes of her. It was as if she would disappear if I did. She pushed the door behind her with her crutch, and it clicked shut.

Her leg was now sporting a new, bright white cast.

A new, clean canvas for me to draw on.

She was wearing my mom's jeans. Dad had offered them to her before we left the house, since my sweatpants had been too long for her, and she would have tripped if she had tried to walk in them. But she kept my long-sleeved shirt, even though Dad had offered her a whole outfit from Mom's closet.

"How are you feeling?" I asked, stepping closer to her.

"Good, Dr. Carrot gave me a miracle pill, so I'm fine… have you seen my parents yet?" she asked, I shook my head. "Good, so can we leave now?"

"We can't… we can't run, Sparrow. We need to stay and fight," I argued reluctantly. "Things will only get shittier if we run. And not just for us."

"But you promised me, Edward. You promised me I would never have to go back there… you promised I would be safe. You promised me!" she said, her voice cracking as her strong exterior began to crumble again. I frowned and pulled her to me. She buried her face in my chest, and I hugged her tightly, resting my chin on top of her head.

"You will be safe," I whispered. "There will be an investigation. People will find out. You'll be safe."

"But you promised me I would never have to go back," she sniffled against my shirt. "I will die if I have to go back there. I can't… I can't go back there, Edward… I can't survive anymore… I just can't…"

"I didn't know," I whispered. "I thought… I thought this would be it. That you would be taken into protective custody or some shit. How was I supposed to know that they were gonna…" I squeezed my eyes shut, not able to even finish the damn sentence. "I'm so sorry."

She pulled back from my arms. I opened my eyes slowly as she looked at me steadily, her eyes brimming with tears. A single tear fell, and I wiped it away with my thumb. She smiled sadly through her tears, and I was once again overcome with the feeling of wanting to comfort her.

Fix her.

Kiss her.

A real fucking kiss. Not some pansy-ass knuckles kiss either.

A real one.

On the mouth.

On her full lips.

Real.

The sudden urge freaked me out, considering I didn't kiss girls on the lips. It was too intimate. Too personal. Too fucking close.

But with Sparrow I didn't mind that shit. I wanted to kiss her and tell her that everything would be all right even if it didn't seem like it right now. I wanted her fucking close. The whole day had been about me wanting – no needing – her close. I didn't know what the fuck that was about; a few weeks ago, I couldn't get away far enough from her, but now I needed her so close it was as if we were molded together. Even hugging her to me wasn't enough anymore, and I couldn't make sense of it.

What changed?

"I'm sorry," I said again, but it was nothing more than a breath. I leaned in before I had time to think it over.

I had to fucking do this.

I kept my eyes open, gazing intently into her eyes, prepared to stop as soon as she showed any sign of being uncomfortable. But right now, all I could see in her eyes were fear, confusion and sadness.

I wanted to remove all of those things.

My lips touched hers gingerly, her bottom lip fitting between mine like a missing piece of a puzzle.

She shuddered in my arms and I pressed my lips more firmly against hers; I could tell she wasn't breathing anymore. But even though I was acutely aware of how tense and afraid she was, I still couldn't get over the fact of how soft her lips felt against mine. I wanted her to open her mouth so I could taste her… just for a little bit…

But I didn't get to enjoy the feeling long enough, because she pulled back with a gasp. I frowned and immediately felt bad – I knew she wasn't fucking ready. Hell, I wasn't fucking ready.

Then I realized she hadn't pulled back because of me. She had turned to the side to look at the door. I slowly turned my head and followed her gaze to see what caught her attention.

Or who.

"Bella, your parents are here," Dad said, his voice tight. "They have come to take you home."

I pulled Sparrow to me, her back flush against my chest, and put an arm around her protectively. She held on to my arm, and I narrowed my eyes as I stared back at my father.

"No," I said it firmly, leaving no room for any fucking argument. I thought I was fine with the development of things. I thought it would be fine having her leave with her parents, because she wouldn't last there long enough for her mom to hurt her again. The investigation would prove that her parents were unfit to take care of her, and she would be fine.

But now, standing there with my Sparrow in my arms, I couldn't fucking let her go. I didn't fucking care how "fine" I was with it. I knew I had crapped in my bed, and now I had to lay in it. But that didn't mean I was going to lay in it willingly. I wasn't going to let her go.

I promised to keep her safe. I promised her she would never have to go back there.

I fucking promised her.

"Edward, don't worry. She will be fine. No harm will come to her. The social worker is on her way to Forks from Port Angeles right now," Dad said, then looked at Sparrow. "You have nothing to worry about, Bella. They won't hurt you."

Sparrow turned her head, and I met her frightened gaze. "Don't make me go," she pleaded.

I was just about to agree with her when Dad took a step forward and touched my shoulder.

"By not letting her go you are making things more complicated than they have to be," he said to me quietly. "Let her go, Edward. It's the right thing to do here." He sighed deeply and took a step back towards the door. "They're in the waiting room. Let's go."

Sparrow stepped away from my embrace, and my arms fell to my side as if they were nothing. I had no fucking strength left. She steadied herself on her crutches and bit her lip.

"You promised me, Edward," she said quietly, her voice hollow and empty, as if she didn't care what the hell she was saying. As if the words meant nothing to her. As if I meant nothing to her.

I followed her out. I tried to reach out to stroke her arm, but she just jerked away from me.

And it hurt.

It fucking hurt like hell.

We reached the waiting room, and there they were.

The vampire herself and her idiotic husband. I almost wanted to growl at them.

Sparrow must have sensed this, because she turned her head to me and shook her head softly without looking at me, silently telling me to give it a rest, that it wasn't worth it because she wasn't worth it.

But of course she was. She was worth it all.

I put my hand on Sparrow's shoulder, trying without words to tell her I was sorry. I didn't fucking mean to fail.

"Don't touch my daughter, if you know what's good for you," the crazy bitch said with a scarily calm voice. She made the word daughter sound like an insult to Sparrow. The crazy bitch had another thing coming if she thought I was going to let Sparrow go without a fight. "Let go of my daughter! It's your fault she's here!" She started towards us and I stepped in front of Sparrow, blocking her from view.

"Fuck you, bitch!" I spat. She stopped in her tracks and looked at me incredulously, before turning to look at her husband.

"Are you going to let him talk to me like that?" she asked and the Chief sighed with a frown. I quirked an eyebrow at him, wondering what the hell his deal was. Why wasn't he fighting me? Why hadn't he taken Sparrow from me already? Why was he just standing there like a fucking donut-machine?

"Calm down, Renée, fighting won't solve anything," he replied with a sigh, almost sounding bored or some shit. He grabbed his crazy wife's hand, pulling her back, and I met his gaze. "Now, let my daughter go so we can go home… it's been a long day… and night. I'm sure she's tired as well… Come on, Bella. It's okay." He held out his free hand to her, and I looked at it like it was fucking diseased.

Which it fucking was.

Diseased with the inability to take proper care of his daughter.

I turned my head and looked down at Sparrow, who had stepped up beside me. She shook her head again as she met my gaze. Once again telling me she wasn't worth it. Her eyes were so empty…

What am I supposed to do?

I had stared at her for so long that I didn't notice that her mom had moved until Sparrow was suddenly pulled away. I watched as her mom dragged her away to the Chief. Sparrow's eyes were emotionless and empty as she stared back at me. It was as if she wasn't even there anymore.

She fucking gave up!

I didn't know what the hell I was supposed to do. I couldn't just grab her. Could I? What would happen if I did?

I didn't fucking care.

I took a step forward, but felt myself being held back. I turned my head in confusion, just to find my dad holding me back by gripping my shoulder.

"There's no reason to make it more complicated," he said quietly to me again. "Let her go."

I looked at Sparrow, and she looked back at me over her shoulder. She was trying to walk and balance with her crutches as her mom pulled her away with a steady grip on her arm. Her mom showed no consideration for her leg. Her mother didn't fucking care.

As Sparrow stared back at me, it was clear that she didn't either. She didn't fucking care anymore. I failed her in the one area where I promised her over and over again that I would never fail her. But I did, and she wasn't going to keep up her side of the bargain anymore.

I failed her, so she was going to fail me.

"I'm sorry," I mouthed to her.

Her eyes were empty, her face clean of all emotions as she mouthed back.

"Good bye."