HE LEFT ME!!

hell comes home

I busied myself in the kitchen, hurrying to throw together a decent meal in the mere half hour that I had. Edward and Alice stood there, watching me with anxious eyes. Up until this point I hadn't had the strength to tell them to go. Having them here, even silent and as unmoving as statues, they were a great comfort to me. The meat sizzled in the frying pan, cracking loudly several times from the heat. I turned down the flame and turned to face them.

"No," Edward spoke swiftly, his voice stern. I blinked and faltered for a moment.

"I didn't say anything," I began innocently, turning back to the stove to flip the meat.

"I know." I could have sworn that I heard a smile in his voice, but when I turned around to face him I found that his face was still disapproving, "I know what you're going to say."

"You can read my mind now?"

"No," he began, his eyes taking on the frustrated look that I knew too well. Frustration at the fact that I was the one mind he couldn't read, and the one he wanted to the most. A small smile crossed his lips, "But I think I can read you."

"Fine," I sighed, defeated, "What was I going to ask, then?"

"You were going to ask us to leave before Mike gets home," he spoke simply, as though it were obvious. Perhaps it was. Either way, I nodded in earnest. His eyes narrowed, "The answer is no."

"He'll call the police!" I protested loudly. Edward's eyes flickered up to the ceiling for a moment. Allie hadn't woken.

I, of course, had no fear that Mike could hurt Edward. Honestly, the thought of Mike beating Edward was absolutely ludicrous. Edward would have Mike dead on the ground before Mike had even realized he entered the room. It wasn't a physical fight I was worried about. He could still cause plenty of problems for the Cullens. I couldn't allow that. I wouldn't.

"Let them come," Edward snapped. "Then Charlie can see what Mike has done to his daughter."

I flinched at the vicious tone in his voice. His face softened instantly. "I'm sorry, Bella," he whispered, and I was in his arms then. He held me close, his hand running through the strands of my hair, "I just hate him for doing this to you. He deserves pain. He deserves worse than pain."

"He's Allie's father," I whispered against his chest.

"Will you stay then?" His voice held a pain so deep that it cut at me, "Will you stay with him, for Allie?"

"I can't do that now, Edward," my voice was soft, but I knew he heard it. Alice was silent. The room was silent, save for the cracking in the frying pan. "I can't stay with him anymore. I should be strong, but I can't deny myself you."

My eyes turned up to meet his, "Edward, I love you. If you'll have us, then we're yours."

"Then you're mine," he mumbled against my lips as he pressed his to mine. I leaned into the kiss, enjoying the chill against my skin. An embrace that I had missed and yearned for. It had been so long.

"You'll live with us, then?" Alice asked after we broke apart for the sake of air. She danced over to us, a bright smile on her lips. "You and Allie?"

"He'll hurt her," I said, nodding slowly, "One day, I know he will. He's nice to her to hurt me, but I don't doubt for a second that he would harm her. I never had a way out before. Now I have something even better."

"I think you better flip the meat, Bella," Alice said, wary eyes staring past me to the stove, "I don't know food too well, but that smells worse than usual."

"Oh no!" I dashed to the pan, flipping the meat a few times in an attempt to salvage it, "Shoot. Burnt."

I frowned, scrapping the remains off of the pan and onto a plate. There were two good pieces and they would go to Mike. I walked over to the fridge to pulling out various ingredients to try to spice up my charcoal dish. "You do have to go, Edward."