23. Battles

EPOV

“Sweetie pie, just tilt your head back for me, okay?” I persuaded gently.


“Owwie, Edward…” she cried pitifully, tears starting to stream down her cheeks.


Well, at least this time, tears were a good thing and would actually help me in this matter.


I had set up Isabella’s bath for her, bubbles and all, and she had been doing pretty good all by herself for a while. I had been in our bedroom, reading and catching up on what was going on with Claire and Shane in Morganville, while listening to Isabella’s splashes and giggles and singing. About ten minutes or so into my book, I heard Isabella’s whimpers, soon followed by her calling my name.


She had followed my advice and tried to be a big girl by washing her own hair tonight. It was ridiculous how much I loathed the idea of telling her to try and do it by herself, because I wanted to do it. By God, it was a chance to wash and play with her long, silky, mmmmm smell so good locks, but I passed up the golden opportunity to keep myself out of the way of temptation. Bella’s body was just too fucking sexy for her own good and I didn’t know if I would survive keeping Isabella’s bath time G-rated for two nights in a row.


But it proved possible when tears were involved, because I was feeling nothing but anxiety at Isabella’s cries and sympathy for her down right sucky situation. Poor kid got soap in her eyes and they were burning her something fierce, apparently.


So here I was, sitting on the edge of the tub with a cup full of bubble-free water, trying to convince my angel to hold her head back so that I could pour the water over her face and eyes.


“Baby girl, just tilt your head back,” I tried again.


She squeezed her eyes shut. “Edward, the soapies are hurtin me…” she whined as she finally tilted her head back.


“I know, hold your breath,” I told her.


She let out one more cry. “Kay,” she relented, then gasped in a breath of air and held it in, her rosy cheeks puffed out with her effort.


I slowly poured the cup of water over her face, telling her not to squeeze her eyes shut so tight, so that the water could help rinse away the soap that had gotten in there. She listened well, and after three more cups of water, her cries quieted down and she opened her eyes. I closely examined them and saw that they were a bit red due to irritation, but other than that, she was fine.


“Edward?” she sniffled, done crying now.


“Yes, love?”


“Bella said she could buy me some no-cry soapies. When she gonna do that?” she asked, grabbing her forgotten Ariel doll out of the water again, and making it swim around the tub.


“I can get you some from the store tomorrow, okay? That way, the next time you take a bath, you can try to wash your hair on your own again, like a big girl,” I suggested.


“Yah-huh, I’munna try again b’cuz I’m a big girl,” she decided after a minute.


I was going to go back to my book in the bedroom then, to give her and those perky breasts some privacy, but she spoke up, wanting to have a conversation. And who was I to deny my little angel with that creamy, naked and wet skin, some quality talk time?


“Edward?”


“Hmm?” I replied, swallowing back some lust-induced venom.


“When is Mommy coming back from outta town?” she asked, then started to suck on her top lip and twirl her doll’s hair.


“I don’t know, baby…I hear she’s pretty busy, though,” I hedged, not exactly sure how to talk about her neglectful, clueless, stupid mother with her. She was in Florida, and as far as she was concerned, Isabella didn’t exist anymore.


The minute I learned about Marie, I lost all respect for Charlie. And the minute I learned about Isabella, I lost what little respect I had for Renee.


Damn, Bella has shitty excuses for parents.


She smiled at that, taking me off guard. I didn’t think she would be happy about the prospect of not seeing her mother again for a long time, if ever again, but I could tell that she was.


“Good,” she said quietly and turned her attention back to her doll.


“Isabella, do you miss your mommy?” I asked softly, all of a sudden very unsure of her relationship with Renee.


She shook her head delicately. “Nope,” she responded with a smack of her lips. She looked up from her doll then, and said, “Mommy let Daddy hurt me and Bella. And then her and the mean doctor man made Bella forget all ‘bout me. I don’t like her. She is a bitch. And I want a lolly,” she finished with a nod and a hopeful look.


I shook my head. “No, Isabella. And stop asking for one, that’s quite enough, angel,” I scolded her gently.


She had asked for a lollipop six times since we left the dinner table. Her behavior this evening certainly hadn’t called for a reward.


She pouted and looked back down at her doll. I relaxed my ‘stern face’ and smiled softly down at her when she wasn’t looking at me anymore. She was just so fucking beautiful…I couldn’t let her know that though. My five year old definitely wasn’t interested in anything that my Bella and Marie were interested in.


And you better fucking believe that if it was either of them in this tub in front of me right now, in all her naked, wet glory, I wouldn’t hesitate to join her in there and ravish her body…bringing her pleasure to heights she had never even imagined, or thought possible. I may not feel very comfortable with the concept of intercourse with my fragile, human girlfriend, but that didn’t mean I was ever opposed to using my hands and mouth to their full advantage.


God, just from the smell of her when she gets aroused by my very presence drives me mad with lust. It’s like I have an instinctual need to satisfy her desires, simply due to the fact that she is my mate. When my senses pick up her aroused scent, my thoughts always go directly to imagining her divine taste on my tongue, making my fingers want to simultaneously search out and skim her body until they find her warm, tight, wet sex and just play with her for as long as I wish. I have a deep, primal need to keep her at my mercy until her little heart is content and her body is exhausted from the multiple-orgasmic pleasure that only I could bring her to over and over…and over again.


Okay, Cullen change the thought process…


Right.


I had inconspicuously adjusted my pants that had become too tight all of a sudden, just as Isabella lifted her head back up to look at me.


“Edward?”


I cleared my throat to get rid of the huskiness that would no doubt be there, then answered her softly, “Yes, baby?”


“Bella is my bestest friend…” she said, then dunked her doll under water, before whispering confidentially as if in secret, “I love her even more than my Ariel dolly. And lotts more than my baby in the bedroom,” she finished with a nod, then brought her doll back out of the water to twirl it’s hair some more.


I smiled. “Do you?”


“Yes,” she smiled back. “We use’ta play all the time, but she’s all growed up now. Doesn’t wanna play dollies with me anymore. She plays with you and Marie,” she informed me, then she cocked her head to the side and asked curiously, “Do you like playin with Bella and Marie?”


I nodded and said, “Yes, I do,” before lowering my voice to a whisper like she had done a second ago. “I love them,” I told her confidentially.


She nodded, then whispered back, “They love you too…”


“Well, that’s good,” I told her, my voice back to normal now.


“But Edward?”


“Hmm?”


“You’re mine, huh…” she said seriously while intently focusing her gaze on mine.


“Yes, baby,” I softly reassured her, happy with my prediction that she would be the possessive one of the bunch.


She smiled. “Kay…”


“Edward?”


“Yeah?”


“Bella’s not gonna forget me again b’cuz I’m her bestest friend in the whole world and she said she was sorry. We’ll never havta be apart ever again,” she told me with a small smile.


I bit my lip and looked at her skeptically, wondering if that was true or not. Had Bella accepted Isabella again? Had she missed her childhood companion? If that were true, then therapy would be even more challenging than Carlisle had originally thought.


“What did she say, baby?” I asked, trying to get more information and knowing that Carlisle was listening.


She nodded and said, “Bella said that she never stopped lovin me and only did what she was sposta do for the mean doctors to leave us alone,“ she informed me.


She rubbed her irritated eyes before she spoke again. “But I was always here, y'know…only lost and forgotten ‘bout for a lil while. And I always will be here b'cuz I love her and I can keep the hurt away. I remember ‘bout daddy and our owwies so that she don’t have to. I do what she needs me to b’cuz she’s my bestest friend forever. I love her very, very much,” she told me seriously with a nod of her head.


She sighed then, and spoke again. “Mommy tried to keep us apart, but now that bitch is outta town and won’t ruin it for us again,” she said, then picked up the red soap crayon and started to draw on her arm with it.


I nodded, and said, “I’m glad you two are friends again…”


It was the only response I could come up with at the moment. I actually believed her. And I didn’t know if I was happy about that, or not. I mean, my first instinct was happiness. I love Isabella and don’t want her going anywhere…but at the same time, that is the opposite of Bella getting better.


Bella’s healing from this disorder isn’t about her ‘forgetting’ Marie and Isabella, like my poor girls had been freaking out about all goddamn day long. It’s about Bella’s mind fusing them together, in a way…for lack of a better phrase. Marie and Isabella would still be there, just combined together into Bella as one. So that my Bella could be whole, the way it’s supposed to be, instead of her being split into three different people. When she got better, she would be just one; a combination of my three girls.


She smiled brightly up at me. “Me too! Maybe we should celebrate with some lollies…” she suggested slyly, and even fluttered her eyelashes at me a bit.


I had to work really hard to keep from laughing and even harder to compose my face back into the ‘stern look’ I had learned worked fairly well with Isabella.


“What did I say?” I asked in a firm tone.


“That you're happy me and Bella are bestest friends again,” she responded cheekily, turning on her charm with an adorable smile.


I internally smiled at her response, but kept my features composed and replied in the same firm tone, “You know what I’m talking about, young lady. What’s going to happen if you ask me for a lolly one more time?” I asked her.


Her face fell then, and she mumbled sullenly, “Gonna get in trouble…”


“Smart girl.”


She sighed and switched out her red crayon for a blue one. “Edward?”


“Yes, baby?”


“When is bath time gonna be over?”


I raised my eyebrows and asked, “Did you wash everywhere, or did you just do your hair?”


“Everywhere…I’m so fresh and so clean, clean,” she sang lightly with a smile.


“It can be done now, angel. Wait until I’m back in the bedroom to get out of the tub though, and then follow me back in there. I’ll have your jammies laid out for you on the bed. And make sure you squeeze all the water out of your hair, too. Okay?” I said, then stood from the edge of the tub.


She nodded, so I walked out of the bathroom, into our room and towards the dresser. Opening the drawers, I eventually picked out her black bikini style cotton panties and a shorts with camisole top pajama set…it was black and red, with a ‘Good Girl Gone Bad’ logo on it.


How appropriate I thought, thinking of Isabella’s behavior tonight.


When Isabella came out of the bathroom, I smiled at her only slightly damp hair and kissed her forehead, before going into the bathroom to clean up and give her some privacy to get dressed.


Once I had the tub drained and rinsed out, I put the bath toys away under the sink and dried the little water mess on the floor. After I put the wet towel in the hamper, I grabbed her hairbrush off of the counter and headed back to the bedroom.


I saw Isabella over by the closet, standing on her tippy-toes, muttering curses under her breath when she couldn’t reach the tin box on the shelf.


Okay, so it was Marie. Whatever.


“…goddamn stupid shelf, fuck you for being so tall…damn it…” she whispered, even hopping a little in an effort to reach the box, before turning to me. “Edward, my box…” she pleaded with an almost desperate tone of voice.


I nodded. “Okay, love.”


She watched as I walked up beside her and reached for the box with ease. I grabbed it and placed it in her hands. She smiled brightly up at me and gave me a kiss before hopping up onto the bed. I followed after her, intent on brushing out that long, wet hair. I sat down beside her and looked over her shoulder to see what she had stashed in the box so far. I saw that her beading stuff and the leather bracelet that I had bought for her were in there. She slipped the bracelet on her wrist, then hopped back down off the bed, heading for the stereo. I stayed put and watched her ass sway back and forth as she walked in those too short shorts that I had picked out for her to wear tonight.


She stuck a CD in the stereo system, grabbed the remote for it and strolled back over to the bed. She crawled back onto it and came over to me on all fours, smirking at me when she caught me staring at her chest in that tempting, tight shirt. She leaned over and gave me a quick, delicious kiss before sitting down in front of me so that I could brush her hair.


I had my legs open to a V again, and she positioned herself perfectly to sit in between them, leaning slightly against my chest. When I started the brush strokes, the song ‘Bliss’ by Mariah Carey began flowing through the speakers. Marie kept herself occupied by making a beaded bracelet and casually singing along with this very pretty…very sexual song.


While I was gently brushing out her hair and listening to her soft, alluring voice sing along with the song, I had started to let my thoughts drift to my favorite Bella fantasy, giving me a very prominent, very visible problem. Jasper had caught onto my mood, as I’m sure everyone had, since they had all heard Marie singing that lovely song, in a space that was just inches away from my dick, mind you, and he had begun taming the lust flowing through my body.


Before I could think to object to his interference in this particular instance, Carlisle reminded me in his thoughts that she needed a good night’s rest. I wouldn’t have minded showing Marie a good time, but tonight really wasn’t a good night to pull an all-nighter. Because that’s about how long it would take for me to act out my fantasy of bringing my girl to heights of ecstasy, only to bring her right back down, before I work her body up all over again. It’s a vicious cycle that I can hardly wait to bestow upon my Bella.


I’ll admit that I absolutely fucking love the idea of shamelessly teasing her and bringing her close to the brink of climaxing, before backing off and letting her relax until her skin is ultra sensitive to my cool touch and she is begging for me to let her cum. I want her to beg…God, I fucking love it when she begs for more when I‘m kissing her or marking her skin. All of that begging only serves to fuel my desire for more, but in a more intimate setting. I will make her beg for me. And soon.


I let my mind drift to my favorite thoughts then. I imagine that when the time comes, I’ll love the feeling of her soft folds against my lips, enjoying it when her hips start to instinctually gyrate on their own, seeking out more contact. That’s one of my favorite parts, because that’s when I would put my hands on her slim hips, keeping her still and firmly holding her in place…silently telling her who is in control.


Peeking up from between her soft, warm thighs and watching her beautiful face blush as she gets close to her climax is a fucking amazing sight to behold in my mind. God, I love her blush…it’s fucking breathtaking. I’ll always make sure to back off, and kiss the delicate skin on her belly, and lightly massage her thighs as her body calms down, before I go right back to the task at hand…just so I can watch that glorious blush all over again.


She would be so worked up…her constant whispers of ‘please’ and breathy moans that would fall from her parted lips while I expertly work her body over, would be the most erotic sound I ever heard. When her delicious blush finally extended down past her beautiful face, coloring her soft, supple breasts as well, I would know that it’s time.


The thought always makes me smile in excitement and pride at the aspect of pleasing my woman, and that’s the part when I would lightly breathe a whisper of her name onto her oh, so sensitive little bud, causing a shiver to run up her spine and goosebumps to prickle her creamy skin. Then, just to torture her a little more because I simply can and want to, I would kiss her inner thighs before taking that tasty little bud back into my mouth.


At this point in my fantasy, I wouldn’t be able to stop the content purr that would lightly rumble in my chest, knowing what would be happening next. The soft and subtle purr falling from my lips would send little vibrations into her core while I simultaneously doubled up my efforts with my slick fingers and talented tongue, working to finally allow her the pleasure of her release.


And when she climaxes, I would always be assured that it was most definitely worth all of my efforts. This is the best fucking part because then, the most beautiful moans and whimpers would escape her lips as she arches her back and calls out my name. I would happily watch her fall apart as I eagerly drank in everything that her release gives me. Just knowing that I would control her pleasure and the intensity of it, gives me a high like no other.


I absolutely love her scent…just imagining her fucking taste…ugh, I can’t wait to actually experience it for the first time. I am completely and utterly addicted to the essence of my Bella.


But…she had therapy in the morning, so that meant she had to go to sleep pretty soon.


Damn it…fucking cock-blocking therapy schedule.


Tupac’s ‘Ambitions As A Ridah’ came on then, the thumping beat coming out of my state-of-the-art speakers and interrupting me out of my reverie.


Marie turned to me and showed me the finished beaded bracelet. The last traces of lust were just dissipating out of my system as she asked, “Do you think she’ll like it?”


I smiled at her. “Who, sweetheart?”


“Ali. It’s a pretty friendship bracelet, just for her…” she said with a small smile.


I smiled warmly at her, then looked down at her hand-crafted jewelry. There were heart charms on both sides of the lettering that spelled out ‘BESTIES 4 LIFE’ with star charms separating the words.


I nodded and kissed her temple. “She’ll love it, baby.”


“Oh my God! I freakin LOVE it!!” I heard Alice scream at vampire frequency, squealing and squeaking, having already seen the bracelet the second Marie decided to make it for her and obviously overly-excited at the prospect of Marie liking her enough to take the time and make her this present.


I chuckled lightly at my sister’s constant hyperactive energy and Marie smiled, oblivious to Alice’s excitement and satisfied with my assessment of the bracelet, then placed it reverently back in her tin box. I ran the brush through her hair six more times while she closed up her box, then I set the brush down on the nightstand, knowing that her hair was dry now. I always brushed it out until it was dry, because I didn’t want her laying down with wet hair, risking a chance at getting sick.


“I’m going to go downstairs and make your protein shake, ” I informed her, then got up from my spot behind her on the bed.


She nodded and handed me her box. “Can you put this back on that stupid shelf for me? It’s too fucking high…” she told me before she added thoughtfully, “maybe I should just find another spot for my fuckawesome cuppycake box. I need it to be accessible to me at all times…” she trailed off as her eyes started darting all over the room, no doubt trying to locate a different place for her box’s safekeeping.


I nodded and walked over towards the closet. “Well, if you pick out another place for your box, just let me know and I’ll get it back down for you,” I told her while placing the box back up on the too-high shelf.


She got off the bed then, and walked over to the dvd shelf, giving me the opportunity to have her pick one out for the night.


“Pick out a movie for bed, sweetheart…I’ll be right back with your shake,” I told her, as I walked towards the bedroom door.


She nodded, her gaze intent on the dvds in front of her, as I turned the corner, walking out of the room, headed downstairs to the kitchen.


After putting the necessary ingredients into the blender, I hit the button on the weird looking machine, and let it just…um, blend, like I had done last night. As soon as it was done, I poured it into a cup and stuck a plastic straw in it, knowing that while Isabella likes to suck liquid through a straw, Marie likes to chew on her straw. So, the straw was a good idea, no matter who I happened to come back to upstairs.


I headed back to the steps then, nodding at my family on the way, and made my way back up to the bedroom. Marie was on the bed, remote in her hand, and she was hitting the PLAY button to start the movie she had picked, which happened to be Fight Club.


“Here you go, beautiful,” I said when I reached the bed, and handed her the glass full of her chocolate drink.


She smiled and took a sip. “Mmmmm, Edward. So fuckin yummy…” she said, taking another sip.


I watched her throat constrict as she swallowed and was mesmerized by the sight of it momentarily.


…mmm, so delicious. So fucking easy to just bite -


I shook my head and swallowed back the venom that had instantly pooled in my mouth. When I got control of my instincts, I took my position seated behind her again. I would need to hunt soon. I didn’t like that...didn’t like it at all. I hadn’t been away from Bella since my girls started coming around. I didn’t want to leave them for any length of time…no matter how short it was.


She laid back onto my chest and rested her head on my shoulder, keeping that straw in her mouth...sometimes sucking, sometimes chewing.


I stuck my nose in her hair and breathed in, enjoying her scent a little too much, before asking, “Fight Club?”


She giggled and nodded. “I love this fuckawesome movie.”


I liked the movie too, but I was intrigued as to why she liked it so much. I gave her a kiss behind her ear before speaking softly into it. “How come, baby? What do you like about it?”


She cleared her throat and removed the straw from her mouth. “I can soooo totally relate to it. I mean, come on babe…don’t you see the magical connection that me and my Bell have with this motherfucking brilliant film? The dude has a goddamn split personality. And it happens to be a fuckawesome one…just like me,” she said brightly. “I’m Brad Pitt…all adventurous and violent and shit, while my Bell is Edward Norton…calm and complacent and totally fucking clueless,” she trailed off with a giggle.


I hummed in agreement, the connection was definitely uncanny.


Marie gasped and turned to face me quickly with a devilish grin on her face. She was practically vibrating with excitement all of a sudden, so I just had to ask.


“…What?” I hedged, slightly amused by the expression on her face.


“Do you think I could start my very own fight club?” she asked, squeaking out the word ‘club’ as excited amusement twinkled in her chocolate, expressive eyes.


I hated to crush her dreams that had a life all of 20 seconds long, but I just had to. “No, baby…no fight club,” I said softly, trying to lighten the blow of disappointment for her ridiculous idea.


Her face fell so fast, it almost gave me whiplash.


“But…why?”


She sounded so devastated.


Aw…my feisty little kitten. No fight club for you. Sorry.


“Sweetheart, that stuff isn’t realistic -” I started, but she cut me off.


“Ya-huh Edward, it’s right fucking there,” she said, exasperated while pointing at the tv screen.


She obviously didn’t know the difference between Hollywood and the real world.


I shook my head. “Love, that kind of stuff isn’t real…”


I knew that it really was, but I wasn’t about to tell the most violent girl in Forks that little tidbit of information.


“But…but, that’s just fucking tragic...” she said, crestfallen, and believing my words now.


“I know,” I agreed.


She nodded and turned her focus back to the movie and her protein shake.


While she watched the movie, I went over in my head the possibility of enrolling her in some kind of boxing lessons…or self-defense class. I knew she already had the skills and knowledge of self-defense, but I also knew that she would need a physical outlet for her aggression and it was now my responsibility to somehow safely feed her addiction to violence. It was a tricky subject, but I knew I would come up with something eventually.


The boxing, kick-boxing and wrestling lessons were sounding better and better by the minute. It also helped that I had seen up close and personal her skills, so I wasn’t really all that worried about her getting hurt. Plus, I would always be nearby in case she got into a situation that she couldn’t handle.


Once therapy got underway, and there was some kind of control over when and how Marie and Isabella would come out, I could look more into depth on the matter. As of right now, I can’t risk Marie being at a wrestling match, and all of a sudden my little Isabella comes out. I wasn’t sure if she had any knowledge on fighting, but I’m going to give it a guess, and say…no.


When she was through with her shake, she traded me the cup for her sleeping pill. She popped it in her mouth with ease and sipped some water to help it go down, then settled back against my chest for the rest of the movie. It was just about over by now, so I turned off the lamp on the nightstand and decided to go ahead and lay us down, noticing that it was almost 11pm. I smiled, realizing that she would be going to sleep earlier than she had last night when Isabella was around for bedtime.


“No…” she said, whining slightly when I went to lay us down.


She scooted over to my side, and positioned her body so that it was mostly laying down, but she was still reclined a bit against the headboard with some pillows, so that she could watch the movie comfortably.


When she turned her head to look at me longingly, biting that bottom lip, I mirrored her position with my own. She immediately cuddled close into my side and when I wrapped my arm around her, holding her close to me, I both heard and felt her sigh of contentment.


About ten minutes later, with her eyes still on the screen, she breathed out, “I fucking love you, Edward…”


“I love you too, sweetheart,” I told her and placed a kiss to her temple.


“Goin to see the doc tomorrow?” she mumbled sleepily.


I nodded, knowing by her slightly slurred speech that she was succumbing to the power of the pill. “Yes, Marie…you’re going to see the doctor tomorrow.”


“Don’t wanna, though…” she mumbled.


“I know,” I said quietly, and turned the volume down on the screen.


She pouted and kicked at the covers a bit, so I turned the volume back up a little, and she seemed to calm down a bit.


“Don’t turn off the movie, Edwaaaaaaard…” she slurred and whined.


She seemed agitated all of a sudden. I immediately suspected the side effects of that sleeping pill, but…


Isabella didn’t act like this last night.


No, Isabella didn’t. She had fallen right to sleep, so…what’s going on? It doesn’t make sense that they would have different reactions to it, because it is the same body.


Bella’s body.


So…


Okay, maybe this is just the reaction to that pill and Isabella didn’t display any signs of irritation and restlessness last night because she had just simply fallen right to sleep.


Marie, on the other hand, seems to be fighting it for some reason.


“Shhh…” I shushed her, then kissed her forehead.


I laid us down the rest of the way then, and she laid her head in it's spot at the crook of my shoulder.


“Ed-ward,” she pouted, but her voice hitched, so it sounded almost like she was going to cry.


What’s wrong?


“What is it, baby?” I whispered, trying to calm her and set the silent atmosphere for her to go to sleep.


I started lightly trailing my fingers along her back, like I usually do, in hopes that it would placate her.


“Edward, we don’t want no fucking doctor,” she mumbled indignantly.


“Shhh, go to sleep…” I told her quietly, not willing to have this discussion for the hundredth fucking time today.


“Ed-waaaard…” she whined and hitched her leg over mine, pressing her delicious heat right up against my hip.


Oh, God…so fucking warm.


She wasn’t aroused though, my senses hadn’t picked up on that at all.


She gasped, then breathed out a heavy sigh. “Edward, I’m t-t-tiiiiired…don’t fucking like it.”


“Just go to sleep, baby…” I told her, confused as to what the problem was.


I mean, the solution was fairly easy.


She whined again and rolled off of me. “Nooooo…no, I don’t…can’t…don’t fucking like to sleep, goddamn it!” she said, her voice rising as she spoke.


Umm. Okay.


“Marie, what-” I started, but she interrupted me.


“Fucking SHHHHH, yourself, Edward!“ she yelled, clearly frustrated, as she got off the bed and started for the bathroom, muttering ‘…goddamn sleeping pill, should’a fucking known…’.


Her steps faltered a bit in her sleepy state, so I got up to follow her, just to make sure she didn’t trip and fall, or have some other Bella-like accident.


I honestly didn’t get why she said that she didn’t like to sleep. I had put her to sleep all of three times now. Once, when she had woken up in the middle of the night back in Bella’s old bedroom, and twice after she was through throwing her ridiculous fits, as I was pacing the floor of our bedroom with her in my arms.


When I noticed that she wasn't actually using the bathroom to relieve herself, I risked a peek in there. I saw that she had flipped up the toilet lid and her hand was going for her mouth. No, not her hand…her finger. One, single pointer finger.


Oh, for the love of God...


I darted in and grabbed her up into my arms. “No,” I said firmly.


Had she been doing this for a while?


Making herself vomit?


Is that the reason why she is so underweight?


Was Marie bulimic?


Not on my goddamn watch.


She whined all the way back to our bed. I gently sat her down on the edge of it, her legs dangling off the side, before taking a few steps back, and putting that much needed distance in between us right now. I was suddenly furious and her making that god awful whining noise wasn’t helping matters at all.


“So help me God, Marie - if you don’t stop that incessant fucking whining-” I said curtly before she switched it up and started humming instead.


I closed my eyes, and stopped myself from jumping to conclusions, trying my hardest to reign in my anger at the idea of Marie depriving my Bella’s body of food.


A few seconds later, when I was calm again, I opened my eyes and realized then, that my Bella’s current thin form before me wouldn’t be helping Marie’s case in the matter.


“Marie?” I called, my voice was hard and clipped.


“Hmmm…” she hummed sleepily, barely keeping her eyes open. “What?” she muttered quietly.


I fought to find the words, trying to make sense of what I had just seen. “What…why…what the fuck were you going to do in the bathroom a second ago?” I asked, putting my hands behind my back and gripping them together to prevent myself from taking this to a physical level.


No. Spanking. Don’t. Fucking. Spank. Her. I kept repeating to myself.


“Gotta get the goddamn pill outta my body, Edward…” she mumbled, but then suddenly let out a short scream through gritted teeth as her eyes finally fell closed. She shot them back open with determination, then looked up at me. “Sleepin’s just not my fuckin thing, ya know…I can’t do it...this is my Bell’s area of motherfucking expertise, not mine…goddamn it,” she mumbled in a worn out, breathy voice as her eyelids started to become too heavy for her again.


“Do you do that a lot?” I insisted, ignoring her barely coherent state right now. “Try to ‘get stuff out of your body’? Hmm?”


She moaned and put her face in her hands, whimpering, “Make it stop…”


“Answer me,” I demanded.


“No…” she muttered.


“What?” I shot back curtly.


“No…” she said a bit more clearly.


“After you eat, do you go to the toilet and stick your finger down your fucking throat?” I asked in a hard voice, glaring down at her frustrated sleepy form.


She lifted her head from her hands then, and squinted open one of her eyes with some great effort. “Why the fuck would I do that? Especially if the food was mmm fucking yummy, I mean come the fuck on, Edward!” she said, moaning and grabbing her head again. “…where do you come up with this shit?” she muttered as an afterthought, actually managing to sound exasperated and indignant with her mumbled answer.


I stood there, staring silently down at her and found that I believed her answer, so I relaxed my demeanor, but not before she yelled out, “Goddamn it, Edward!!”


“What?” I asked, and quickly moved to sit by her side.


“Make…make…the fee…feeling stop,” she slurred with her eyes closed.


I suddenly felt very sorry for her. I remembered the first time, when she had woken up in the middle of the night in my lap back in Bella’s old bedroom, she seemed so confused with her current state of exhaustion, and didn’t quite know why she was being so sluggish in her movements. It was very apparent to me, even then, that she didn’t like this thing called ‘sleep’.


Wow, I can’t believe that had been just a few days ago…


I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and tucked her body into my side. I kissed her head and whispered lightly, “Just give in, sweetheart…just…go to sleep.”


“Nooo…” she moaned, and her breath hitched. “So hard to fight…” she mumbled, her face buried into my chest now.


I leaned back, laying us both down as she continued her battle with sleep for three more minutes. I kept up my lightly trailing fingertips and watched as she sighed and moaned and squirmed, until I heard her speak again.


“Is…a…bella,” she breathed out the name in three syllables and rolled onto her other side, only to roll right back over to me. “Isabella, you do it…” she mumbled, her eyes closed.


Her breath hitched again and she whimpered. I thought that she might cry, like going to sleep was fucking torture for her, or something. I felt helpless, and I was hating every minute of it. I also started to come to the conclusion that my Bella’s recent sleep deprivation could most likely be held accountable by Marie. Watching this display made me realize that she obviously had a problem with sleep, making her absolutely loath it.


“Isabella, goddamn it…just please…” she sighed out.


A split second later, she sat up and turned her head to gaze down at me. Her eyes had a pained expression in them as she let out another whimper and stuck her thumb in her mouth.


Well, hello baby girl…


She didn’t waste any time in straddling my hips and nuzzling her face in my neck. I enveloped her in my arms and started to rock her a bit from side to side, shushing her and humming a bit.


She whimpered and sighed, whispering an occasional “Mine”, before finally giving into sleep four minutes later.


I breathed out a sigh of relief, knowing that my girl’s epic battle with sleep had finally come to an end.