A/N: Tell me whether you like it or not :D reviews appreciated! Thanks.

Slight child abuse

Chapter one – From Danger to Home

It was her step-father who screwed her up royally. She learned to deal with it though.

He was good for her mother and that was all that really mattered, but her ever did to Renee what he had done to her then she might never forgive herself.

Phil was an alright guy when they had met, but only when they met.

After her mother, Renee, and her new step father, Phil, had moved in together she had been dragged along. Phil was nice for the first month or so, she had even started to see why her mother like him, he treated her as if she was his own daughter, but then when Renee had gone out for a day on one of her new 'spa' days that she loved for the moment.

That was the first time Phil had ever beat her, he was watching his baseball game on the plasma in the lounge she walked in to get a DVD from the rack, he insisted that she got in his way and when she turned around and told him that she couldn't possibly have when she was half way across the room. He had walked over to her then and beat her, til she was on the ground gasping for air.

'You should know better than to disobey me, Isabella Swan.' Was what he had said to her before picking up her barely conscious form and carry her upstairs to her bed.

She hadn't moved at all when her mother got home, but she thought throughout the day about how she would keep this a secret form her mother, til dying on her death bed would this stay with her and Phil.

When her mother rushed in she murmured something about falling down the stairs, she wasn't that clumsy, but enough so that her mother would believe that she had fallen.

'No, mom. I don't need to go to the hospital, I'm fine. It was a miner fall.' She protested.

'Bella, falling down a flight of stairs is no 'minor fall' it is quite serious.' But her mother dropped it, not bothering her again about it.

Phil learned from then, hitting her in places no one would see, the back, the stomach, shoulders. When hitting her wasn't enough he became more eventful, doing things that had left scars.

On her back mostly, but hints on the rest of her body. He was careful, never allowing Renee to know, and he knew she would stay quiet for her mother's sake.

One evening when Phil had taken Renee out to dinner Bella was sprawled out on the couch, relishing the fact that her mother was going to be home all weekend, knowing Phil wouldn't have the chance to get near her, the phone rang. Painfully leaping off the couch she grabbed the phone from the cradle just in time.

'Hello?' her voice more cheery than she felt, ignoring the pain in her left hip, Phil's latest beating, she hobbled over to the kitchen and began pulling out ingredients for a banana milkshake.

'Hello, this in Doctor Carlisle Cullen, I'm here at the Forks Local Hospital. Is Isabella Swan there?' his voice was like music, deep and calm but with a slight ring to it.

Forks? That's where her father lives, 'Yes, this is Bella speaking, is there something I can do for you?' she said, cheery again. She didn't feel it.

What Doctor Carlisle had said froze her in her tracks; the glass she had been holding in her hand now smashed n the floor.

'Okay. Can I call you back?' she cheery voice now shaky with the tears threatening to spill over.

'Sure, honey.' With that she hung up. Numbly walking back to the couch feet cut and bleeding from walking over the glass she broke, she didn't even feel it.

When her mother arrived home she was a blubbering bleeding mess on the floor, tears unrelenting to stop flowing from her eyes.

'What's wrong, dear?' her mother's concerned as it was most days.

'It-It's Charlie.' She blubbered out. Seven years, she thought, in seven year she hadn't heard or contacted Charlie, she would probably never know what had happened between her mother and father, but she hoped it was worth it.

But for five years she had had to put up with Phil, and he had made her feel like less than the dirt on the earth. Bella had been a strong girl, but Phil had broken her, and she didn't know if she would ever be healed again.

'What about Charlie, Bella? Bella?' her mother had been saying but she had been caught up in her own inner musings.

'Doc-doctor Carlisle Cul-' she hiccupped a sob, '-len, called. Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-, ' her mother cradled her closer, stroking her hair in a soothing manner. With a big gulp of air she finished, 'Charlie has cancer. He has 2 months to live.'

Her mother murmured soothing word she didn't understand. She saw the blurred out line of Phil as he stood awkwardly in the doorway, but she still saw the fire to beat her in the back of his eyes.

'Charlie has cancer.' Her voice a little more steady, only stating it again in case her mother hadn't heard.

'I know, darling, it will all be okay,' but she wasn't listen.

After that she was lost in a wave of emotion. Hurt. Anger. Annoyed. Rage. She was mostly annoyed at herself; she had been too selfish to see him, call him. Hell, even email him.

She had no idea what was going on in his life, what he was leaving behind.

When Renee woke her in the morning her eyes felt puffy and swollen, she had been crying in her sleep.

'Hey, I didn't mean to wake you but I made breakfast if you want any?' Renee had her sympathetic voice on today, or really her empathetic, because how would she know what it felt like to have the man you call father dying in 2 months and nothing you can do about it.

But she could do one thing. 'Mom, I know what I want to do,' she struggled out of her bed, limbs and joints sore and stiff.

'What's that honey?' her mother's eyes were wide with alarm.

'I want to go spend Charlies last 2 months with him in Forks,' her voice gravelly, but firm enough to convince her mother.

'Of course, I'm sure he would love to have you,' her face was open and kind.

'I will call him today.'

After Bella eat breakfast slept for a few more hours and ate lunch she decided it was time to call.

'Hello? Chief Swan.' A man's voice answered, weak yet full of authority.

'Hey, Dad. It's Bella.' Her voice a little weak herself.

'Bella! How are you?' he sounded genuinely happy, but why wouldn't he?

'Listen, Dad. Doctor Cullen me last night, he told me what's going. I was thinking, would it be alright if I came to stay with you? I can help out,' she didn't really leave room for question.

'Oh.' His voice sobered, 'I'd love to have you, but I don't want you coming here if it's just because of... because of what's going on at the moment.'

She sighed, 'I'm willing to admit that is part of the reason, but it is also because of the fact that I don't know my Dad and I'm about to lose him.' She let out a few sobs.

'It's alright dear,' she knew her father was never good with emotional scenes.

They said goodbye and hung up. Telling her mother she had been accepting, accepting of her decision, and accepting of her choices.

'I can enrol in school there,' she told her mother whilst shoving clothes into her bag, everything she owned.

'It's okay, dear. You know I love you? You are welcome back anytime,' they hugged for a few minutes before her mother left to book her a flight, leaving Bella to pack.

After packing she found her mother in the study on the phone. Two. Days. That how long she had left in Phoenix.

They passed quickly, the two days, flying by, she slept mostly. Her mother home so she had no 'good-bye' beating from Phil. She was packed and already ticket paid for, map planned out of how she would jump to train from Port Angeles down to Fork.

Next thing she knew her mother was hugging her saying 'good-byes', she looked at Phil mutedly for a second before walking off to board the plane.

She doesn't remember the plane flight, and she doesn't remember switching to train, she doesn't remember the train trip either.

She numbly stumble off the train, almost forgetting her stop, and made her way out front where she was met by a black Volkswagen Rabbit, a russet skin coloured boy sitting inside, smiling like the cat who ate the canary.

'Jakey!' she squealed, but it wasn't the happiness she usual carried with her, no, this time there was an under tone of sadness.

'Bells!' he jumped out from the car and ran to hug her, lifting her off the ground and spinning her around. He had always been her sun, made her happy when no one else could, made her smile, she remembered that much.

'You have grown so much,' she said surprised, he really had.

'Yeah, that's because the last time we saw each other when we were like what, six? Seven?'

She laughed; it felt unnatural, almost alien to her. She hadn't laughed in a while.

She did a good cover of her emotions and pain; she had had five years practice with Renee. Luckily Jacob grabbed her luggage and put it in the boot while she slid into the front seat. Pain had become a constant for her, always there, always hurting, always a constant reminder of what a failure her life had become. Phil had limited her from doing anything, with the slightest trigger she might start crying, just thinking now she could feel the glaze over her eyes as she stared out the window, not seeing anything.

It all became too much and when Jacob had pulled up out front of her father, or rather her house, her emotion tore out of control, she couldn't control the sobs ripping her apart, her chest convulsing.

Jacob pulled her close to his side; he had always been warm, his comforting smell washing over her as her wrapped his arms around her. She gripped his shirt drawing him closer to her, she whimpered when his hand rested on one of the black and blue bruises she knew she had on her back.

She was free. He thought she was crying with grief for Charlie, but not only that but she was free of Phil, she didn't have to go back. She staying in forks wouldn't be the greatest but she could get a job, save, move away. Far away.

The relief and joy washed over her like a breath of fresh air. When she stopped crying Jacob helped her inside, watched her silently as she unpacked in her room from when she was a baby, same rocking chair in the corner, new double bed where her single bed room child hood had been.

She stowed her toiletries in the bathroom and walked down stair where Jake had gone to make them sandwiches.

They ate in silence, which was followed by silently walking to the couch and falling asleep Bella's arms wrapped securely around Jake waist, one of his hands playing with her hair the other resting on the small of her back. Jacob Black had always been good to her like this, always reliant to keep her up right, maybe if she could open her heart it, maybe it could be him. Phil had done significant damage to her, that is why she couldn't open her heart, because what if she did and then person she let in broken her more than Phil did, what if they didn't cause her physical damage but mental too.

Charlie was in the hospital, and that never left her mind. Tomorrow, tomorrow she would go and see him.

A/N: Review is like love.

Already half way through the second chapter so be proud.