Harlow keeps her eyes on the wooden table between herself and the FBI agents as she tries to figure out where the heck to start. There's so much to say and she's not sure what's most important—or too dangerous to tell them. She's thankful for the small reprieve she had when the agents let her dad drive her to their office, but it wasn't quite long enough to organize her thoughts. Her head already hurts what with the whole, brain surgery thing, and trying to sort all the little details only makes it worse. She scrubs her uninjured hand across her forehead and decides to just start talking, hoping it all makes sense.

"I lived on the ranch my entire life, but I can't tell you where it is. I-I don't know if Mom's still alive, but she was about six months ago when they came for me. She'd made a deal a long time ago, but . . . well, they broke it. She always feared they would, so she told me if I ever had the opportunity, to run and never look back." She glances at her father beside her, shrugging. "I . . . I couldn't do that, though. You were too close."

A part of Edward wonders if that would have been better for her, but he quickly squashes the thought. Absolutely not. After today he plans on never leaving her alone again, so she's safe. Out there, all alone, she'd still be lost and in danger.

He takes her hand, pressing her knuckles to his lips. "I wish you'd never been hurt, but I'm glad you found me, little Lo. I swear I'll never let anyone bad near you again."

She wishes that could be true, but from what she knows of the world, even the guys who should be good are bad. The agents in front of her may be decent people, but right now she doesn't trust them and she's only talking to them because of Esme. She put her grandmother in danger and can't risk anyone else getting hurt because of her.

"Does the name Caius mean anything to you?" Garrett asks, tapping his pen against his notepad.

She nods. "He's Aro's younger brother. I've only met him a few times, but Momma told me not to talk to him unless I had to. He didn't like the deal Aro made with Mom."

Victoria's typing something on the tablet in her hands, but looks up to ask, "What deal?"

"They didn't know Mom was pregnant when they took her. S-She had to make a deal with them . . . for me. Everything was for me. I-I don't know all the details, but the main thing was that she wouldn't t-try to escape. She could keep me, but she belonged to him."

And now Momma's all alone. Maybe even dead, she thinks as tears roll down her cheeks. "S-Sorry," she sniffles as Victoria pulls a small pack of tissues from her jacket pocket and slides them across the table. She can't help but think of what her mom could be going through. Is Caius's threat serious? If so, she can't imagine Aro being okay with that. Aro may be an awful man, but in some disgustingly sick way, he loves Bella. He wouldn't have kept her alive if he didn't.

"Just take your time," Garrett says. Victoria pushes her tablet over to him, letting him read what she found. Her expression gives nothing away while his eyes widen and brows shoot up in surprise. Everyone notices it and Edward can't help himself.

"What did you just find?"

Victoria takes the tablet back, messing around with it for a few moments before speaking. "Can you tell me if this is Aro, Harlow?

Considering the fact that his face is seared into her memory, she quickly nods and Victoria pushes the tablet over to her. The moment she sees those hard-gray eyes, she blurts, "Yes. H-How did you know?" She looks up at the agent, cocking her head. "H-How did you find his picture?"

Victoria tries to hide a smile as she realizes she's just landed the case of her career. This isn't about her, she reminds herself. "He's been suspected of numerous crimes, and with such a unique name, it seemed possible. Are you positive this is him?"

She nods fervently. "He's one of the few people I've known my entire life. Yes, I'm sure."

Edward decides to speak up, asking, "Do you know where he is?"

Garrett shakes his head. "Elusive bastard. He's wanted by Interpol for questioning as well. But if we can find this ranch . . . Harlow, can you tell us about it? What the land looked like—was it hilly, flat, grassy, or sandy?"

"Grassy and kinda hilly, I guess," she says. "We had animals—some horses, cattle, chickens, pigs, and a lot of cats. Momma and I helped take care of them. We lived in a cabin behind the main house."

"Was Aro there a lot?" Garrett asks.

"Almost every weekend. Most of the time he'd just spend time with Momma, but every couple months he'd throw a party or have some kind of important dinner."

She absolutely hated when those happened. She spent the time either confined to the cabin, left alone and scared, or in her later years, dragged out and paraded like a prize. It sickened her to see Aro holding her Mom in his arms and it was gut-wrenching to hear her Mom cry in the middle of the night afterwards. Those parties were horrible—as were the people who attended them.

"Can you tell us about the parties?" Victoria asks.

"The main house would fill with guests and they would always be dressed really fancy. Mom would have to be with Aro at all times. I only started going a year or so ago and Mom tried so hard to change Aro's mind about having me there, but he wouldn't budge. I once overheard him tell her that I wouldn't be a child forever. And . . . well, six months ago, he decided I wasn't anymore and Davis bought me."

"Bought you?" Edward asks as he feels his stomach churn. Images fill his head and pure, unadulterated rage course through him. Someone thought they could own his little girl? "He fu—"

"Dr. Cullen," Victoria says sharply, glaring at him before her eyes cut to his little girl beside him. Her sniffles have turned into soft sobs as she covers her eyes. "Harlow, you don't have to push yourself."

She's terrified. God . . . she looks ashamed, Edward thinks, feeling his heart shatter at the sight before him. His fists are both clenched tightly and he doesn't even recall pulling his hand from hers. "I'm so sorry, Lo," he says, reaching out to touch her before she flinches. Fuck, she's afraid of me. His rage is replaced with guilt as he rushes to apologize. "I'm sorry. I love you, Harlow. Baby girl, I will never hurt you. I am so, so sorry for my reaction. Please, please, don't be afraid of me."

Her soft gasp fills the room as she drops and shakes her head. "N-No, I-I'm not—"

"I understand," he assures her, wrapping an arm cautiously around her shoulders. She doesn't shrug him off and presses deeper into his chest instead. It's awkward with the wheelchair between them, but he doesn't let her go and waits for her to pull away first. When she does, her cries have softened and she sniffles as he wipes away the tears from her red cheeks. "Take your time, baby girl. Do you need some water?"

She nods and Victoria decides it's time for a short break. Garrett says he'll be back shortly, sharing a conspicuous look with his partner before leaving them alone. Edward grabs out the water and small apple juice his mom packed, opening them up for Harlow. They've only been at this for about a half hour, but he can tell she's already getting tired—which is entirely expected after all she's been through.

"Let me know when you're ready to leave, okay?" he asks her and she nods, pulling away the straw from the juice.

"I just . . . wanna say a little more," she tells him, meeting his gaze. "Mom needs me to."

He sighs, nodding as he gently squeezes her shoulder. "Whatever you need to say."

From across the table, Victoria clears her throat and pushes her chair back. "It's all on your time, Harlow. Dr. Cullen, would you mind having a quick word outside? It'll just take a moment, I promise."

He doesn't like the idea of leaving Harlow alone, but he does have a few questions he wants answers to. Kissing his daughter's temple, he swears he'll be right back and follows Victoria out of the small room. Instead of stopping, she leads him into the room next door, which features of clear few of Harlow sipping her drinks.

"Who's been in here?" he asks.

"Just our boss," she says. "Honestly, Dr. Cullen, I can't thank you enough for letting her speak with us. I know it's been rough on her."

He leans against the wall, sighing as he scrubs a hand over his jaw. As if I had a choice. "When you find the son of a bitch who bought her, I want five minutes alone with him."

"You know no one will give you that, but I can assure you he'll pay for it. I know you're enraged and I can't imagine how hard this has been on you—and especially her—but if what we suspect is correct, she's just saved possibly hundreds of lives."

He shakes his head, reeling from everything Harlow said. "She's braver than I am. I . . . I still can't believe all of this. Who the fuck is this Aro guy?"

She crosses her arms over her chest. "Aro Venturi. He's a very bad guy, to say the least. Drugs, women, weapons, he's been into it all. No one has been able to nail him before."

"The mob?" Edward hisses.

She seems to debate it for a moment, but nods. "Organized crime. He's a very smart, rich man with a lot of good friends."

"So, the guy who hit her? Is he involved?"

"We're not sure yet, but with everything she's given us, we'll find a connection if there is one. I'll be honest with you, the more I've talked to him, the less I think it was intentional. He's got a gambling problem, which is where is mob ties come in. That's not exactly Venturi's territory. But again, we're not sure yet."

"Is she going to be safe in Forks?" he asks, wondering if he shouldn't make other plans. Maybe have his parents take her somewhere far away while he figures out how to keep her safe and get Bella back. He has to believe she's alive.

"We'll have someone stationed outside at all times and Garrett or I will be in touch daily," Victoria says. "If you notice anything out of the ordinary whatsoever, call us. Both Forks police and Clallam county are on alert."

"Good. Let's get back in there. She looks like she's about to fall asleep on us." He tilts his head toward the window, feeling a small curl to his lip as he watches her head bob gently and eyes nearly close. She's fucking cute. And just like her mom. Usually he'd find Bella like that with a book in her hand late at night.

Once they get back in and Garrett returns, Edward takes Harlow's hand and they listen as she recounts her early life with Bella. It sounds strangely normal, considering Bella protected and sheltered their daughter for as long as she could. Harlow had no idea anything was even amiss until she was about six or seven and found a box Bella had hidden under a floorboard in their cabin. She had the picture, a lock of Harlow's baby hair, and a newspaper article about her death. Knowing enough to understand what the article was about, she went to Bella who told her some of the truth. Their life wasn't normal and they weren't free to leave.

Still, with the deal she was supposed to be safe. They both were. But then she grew up and Davis came along. Aro had never given any indication that he'd get rid of her. She thought as long as she did everything she was told, she was safe.

"I know this is difficult, but how did your mom react when Aro made the deal with Davis?" Garrett asks.

Looking around the small room and into the mirror behind the agents, Harlow's eyes once again fill with tears as she shakes her head. "I-I didn't get to . . . say goodbye."

It happened so fast. Her mom was in the main house doing something for Aro and she was alone in their little cabin, sitting on the floor reading a book. Caius came in with Felix behind him and they just grabbed her—put an actual hood over her head and tossed her in the back of a car. They drove for hours and it felt like an eternity before their first stop. They took the hood off her to walk her into the hotel and threatened to kill everyone if she so much as tried to flag down someone. The guns on their belts told her not to test them.

Edward watches her closely as she subduedly tells them a little about meeting Davis and it's obvious it's too much for her. She's been doing so well and he's in absolute awe of her bravery, but she's just begun her long recovery and right now she needs to rest. A huge part of him didn't want to put her through this today, but he just didn't have much of a choice.

"Why don't we pick this up again in a day or two?" he asks, looking between the two agents. "She's exhausted and I need to get her home."

Victoria nods in agreement. "I think we're at a good stopping point," she says. "You've given us a lot, Harlow. We'll come to you in Forks the next time you're ready, all right?"

"Thank you," he says, pushing his chair back and standing up. As he goes to unlock the brakes on Harlow's wheelchair, Garrett decides to ask one more question.

"Riley said, 'She's dead,' before you were taken away from him, right?"

Harlow nods. "Like I said, Caius never agreed with Aro's deal. He's going to kill my mom—if he hasn't already."

The words send a knife through Edward's heart. Bella's been alive this long and now . . . It's like she's drowning and can't even brush her fingertips. She's sinking deeper each second and it's all he can do to keep reaching. He failed her for fifteen years, but he can't fail her now. He knows he has friends from his time in the service who can help him and it's time to call in those favors they promised. He won't give up this time. If the FBI can't get his wife back, he will.

Truthfully, Edward doesn't know how much he believes in the FBI, considering it's taken this long for them to finally start looking for Bella. Maybe if they'd taken into account every single detail of the night Bella went missing, they could have found a connection sooner. Maybe they could have saved her, but instead the powers at be said she was dead and stopped looking. He should have tried harder, searched longer, and investigated more.

But in the end, what he should have done or what they should have done doesn't matter. Everyone failed Bella and Harlow and it's resulted in a lifetime of pain and suffering for his own little girl.

The drive to Forks takes about four hours. It's just the two of them since his parents went home to Port Angeles after Esme spoke to the agents, and Harlow is sleeping somewhat comfortably in the passenger seat with countless pillows stuffed everywhere. The quiet gives him time to think and formulate a plan. He's calling his friend Jake first thing in the morning. After serving together for years—and patching the guy up a few dozen times—they became good friends, and Edward knows that if anyone can help him, it's The Wolf.

The nickname brings a little smile to his lips, remembering some of their good times. And also how if it wasn't Kate getting him into trouble, it was Jake. It's a different world over there and between the long days, the sand, the heat, more sand, the injuries, and the dying, it wasn't easy to keep your spirits up. And Edward found it particularly difficult. He worked. He slept. He exercised. But he didn't live. Jake made him remember how to sometimes.

He'd come back from an assignment usually injured in some way, but he had a hell of a story for each time. Edward would patch him up and they'd have a drink—which wasn't exactly allowed— shoot the shit, and somehow wind up fucking something up. Of course Collin, Brady, and Felix didn't help matters. But it blew off some of the steam. It made hell a little less hot, which they all needed. Every soldier did. In the end, though, The Wolf always got them out of trouble with their superiors. How? He doesn't want to know.

He should have told him about Harlow already, but he just hasn't been up to talking to people about it all. He still can't wrap his head around the fact that his daughter is alive and Bella . . . she could be too. She has to be. Jake will help him figure out what to do and where to start. As he looks over at Harlow, he's sure of it. He has to get her mom back.

Turning onto Spruce drive, Edward sees Charlie's old house down the street and notices the pink balloons on the mailbox—definitely Alice's doing. The last time he was here he said goodbye to Charlie. It was a heart attack, but Edward blames the loss of his daughter more than any clogged artery. She was literally the light of his life. Without her, he extinguished and Edward decided he couldn't let the house go to someone who didn't appreciate it.

It's not as if he planned on living in it, but it's Bella's house. Her height is etched in the kitchen door frame, her handprints are on the sidewalk out front, and their initials are carved into the big tree outside of her window. The memories in its walls belong to Bella and Charlie, and Edward couldn't let that change. As long as he was alive and this house stood, part of them was still here.

And now, what better place to bring his and Bella's daughter home to?

Stopping his truck in the driveway, Edward has to get out to open the garage door since Charlie never got around to updating it. What he finds is a hell of a lot of boxes and no room for his truck. Item one on my list, he sighs and heads up to the front door to unlock it before getting Harlow out of the truck. She's been out cold for the last three hours and spent the hour before that apologizing to him. He pulled over three times just to hold her as she sobbed, and he still feels awful for putting her through such a long drive after the day they had.

"All right, let's see if I can do this," he says to himself, sliding his arms under her small form. The casts make it a little hard to maneuver her, but he manages to get her out and into the house without disturbing her, leaving a pool of pillows behind him on the driveway.

He steps through the door and flips on the lights to find a banner and an abundance of pink balloons. "Welcome home, Little Lo," he whispers, pressing a kiss to her temple.

Yeah, I'm just as shocked that I finished this chapter as you. I'm so sorry for the long wait, I'm a Mrs now and wedding planning was sooo stressful and kind of killed my muse. But, it was the best day of my life and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I am so sorry about that like year long cliff-hanger, by the way. ILY and thank you!