Black & Blue |C. Cullen|

FOURTEEN

I grabbed one of my teas from the refrigerator and sat on the couch, Carlisle trailed me and attempted to obtain my attention. "I need a minute," I put my hand up and looked over to Emmett who was watching us as though we were some sort of reality television show for his amusement.

I stood and took Carlisle's hand and pulled him up the stairs until we reached his bedroom. I sat him down on the bed and stood in front of him, he waited for me to speak. "I had hope," I started. "I thought, wow, this sounds so ridiculous that it mustn't be true." I paced the space in front of him while motioning with only one hand as the other hand still held my tea.

"So I stood up and left, I thought, he's going to come around. I sat on my couch and waited for hours. I pulled down a blanket and sat in front of the door waiting for it to open, I figured there was still a chance. I fell asleep in front of the door, waiting for you," I stopped in front of him and pointed.

"And then, what, nothing for months? I mean, thank god you showed up when you did, but you can't just do that! You can't run away from your problems without even engaging in communication! I hate to break it to you, but that's not how life works, you of all people should know that," I gestured bigger this time, using my tea can to add emphasis.

I took a deep breath and stopped pacing, "Okay, I'm finished."

"Jessamine, I truly believed that I was doing the best thing for you, I believed that by taking myself out of the equation, you could live a normal life," he explained.

"Did it ever occur to you that normal was never an option for me? I'm the child of two hunters!" I fumed.

"I know that, I know that I was in the wrong, and I am so sorry that I hurt you, that I left you," he stood and grabbed my hand.

I placed my tea on the dresser beside me and took his other hand, "Don't do it again," I rested my head on his chest.

"I will be here for as long as you want me to be," he whispered into my hair.

"Don't count on that being your only escape route, cause I'm never going to want you gone," I replied, leaning against him more.

"Are you tired?" He asked.

"I just ran over a mile as fast as I possibly could in order to get away from my supposed-to-be-dead, werewolf ex-husband, I'm horrified," I admitted.

"I'll keep you safe, darling," he held me close.

"Thank you, although, I feel like such a hassle, honestly," I laughed.

"Why is that?" He questioned.

"I feel like I have so much baggage just following me around," I looked up at him.

"We all have our demons, Jessamine," he soothed.

"Facts," I chuckled and went to grab my tea. "Oh god, Kayla's kid is getting to me."

"Do you want to go get things from your house to bring over here?" Carlisle asked.

"That would probably be a good idea, I should drop my dog off at the clinic, she'll at least have other animals to play with," I thought out loud as I looked at my bruised throat in the mirror.

"You got a dog?"

"Yeah, I needed something to make me happy, so I got Dakota," I tied my hair up into a bun.

"What kind of dog is she?" He asked.

"She's a bomb squad dog, actually. She didn't pass whatever tests, so I picked her up from Charlie, she's the cutest little thing. Alright, I'm ready to go."

Carlisle and I walked out of the house together and he drove us to my home. Aaron was long gone, probably off with another one of his women. I walked into the house and was greeted by my dog, Dakota. She jumped up and licked my face, I pet her in return. She was a massive German Shephard, when she jumped up she was as tall as me.

"Hey, baby," I greeted her and she looked at Carlisle with confusion.

I stood with him and grabbed his hand, I put it next to her nose and she cautiously took in his scent before she accepted him. She followed right next to me as I walked around the house and packed a bag. After finishing the bag, I looked down at her, "Wanna go for a ride?"

She got excited and walked with me out to my car, waiting for me to lock the house up, and then she waited as I opened the passenger door and jumped up, taking her seat. I looked over to Carlisle who was watching the whole ordeal with wonder, "Better than people," I nodded and jumped into my car.

"Are you following me or am I meeting you back at your place?" I asked.

"I'll follow you, we could go for a drink afterwards," he smiled and kissed me.

"Okay, that sounds good," I returned the smile and started my car.

The music that played through my speakers were jazz covers of modern songs, something I had recently gotten into. I pulled the top down to my car for Dakota and drove towards the clinic. I rested my arm outside of the car, letting the wind weave through my fingers and I rested my head on the back of the seat, still able to see.

I managed to hit every red light going through town, I didn't necessarily mind it, however. I enjoyed listening to the music playing through my speakers and I enjoyed the warmer temperatures of the spring. I pulled into the parking lot of the clinic and cut the engine. Dakota waited patiently for me to come around to the other side and then she waited next to me until I got the keys and walked up to the clinic.

I walked in and was surprised by streamers and balloons and a group of people, "Happy anniversary," they cheered for the one year that my clinic had been opened.

"Oh my god, guys," I said with a smile and went up to hug Kayla who was standing with a glass of my favourite mixed drink. "One sec," I jogged outside and waved Carlisle inside.