A/N Thanks guys for the fab reviews for chapter one, they really are appreciated x

EPOV

"Alice are you absolutely positive?" I am afraid to believe the vision I am seeing in Alice's mind. We have been hunting James for almost two days now and Alice has finally seen where James is hiding Bella.

In her vision James has Bella tied up in an abandoned house, he is looking down at her and she is unconscious. Her body is covered in horrible bruises and other marks, needing to be able to think straight I have to push these images to the back of my mind. Not an easy thing to do but I console myself with the fact that James will pay for what he has done to my Bella, soon.

James is so confident that he has evaded us that he isn't even trying to hide his whereabouts. Thank god he knows nothing of our abilities. The only thing now is, are we going to make it in time to save Bella? Alice said it is touch and go, she is very badly injured.

"Yes, of course, Edward" Alice is starting to lose her temper with me as I keep hounding her for information. "Come on they are close, we need to get there Edward, now."

I register the panic in Alice's thoughts just before I see a vision that would all but kill me if I was human.

In the vision James is hovering over Bella on the floor, she is almost naked. Her eyes glaze over as she loses consciousness. What he does next to Bella causes a roar to erupt from me, I am so furious everything in my vision turns red. I am beyond speech. The only thing I can do is run as fast as I can.

"What, what happened?" Esme panics as we race to save Bella.

Jasper tries in vain to calm me down but I am beyond his formidable abilities right now. The effort he uses starts to drain him mentally and he has to stop.

Alice hesitantly tells everyone what she has seen, causing a chorus of hissing and growling. Rosalie has the strongest reaction "Edward we need to get to her now, please, we can't let this happen" she screams frantically. Of course Rosalie has first-hand experience of this type of situation and the memories that are flying through her brain cause me to visibly flinch.

As I am the fastest of my family I reach our destination first. I don't even hesitate. I smash down the front door and I am up the stairs and in the bathroom before James even has a chance to react. I caught Bella's scent the instant I entered the house and knew exactly where she was.

The scene that greets me is horrific. It is the same as Alice's vision, but is a hundred times worse to see in the flesh. I am beyond relieved to hear her heartbeat, al be it slow and unsteady.

I reach down and tear James from Bella. Thanking God that I made it in time to save Bella from him before he did irreparable damage to her. Emmett is right behind me and pulls a growling James from me and brings him outside the room, his thoughts murderous. I faintly register the noise of James being ripped apart, he starts to scream in protest but is quickly silenced when Jasper tears his head from his body.

When I see Bella's battered body, I fall to my knees. "Oh baby, no!" I pull her towards me, begging her to be alright "Please Bella, please please wake up."

I press my face into her hair, crying tearless broken sobs, begging Bella all the while to wake up. She doesn't move, she just lays, unmoving in my arms. Am I too late? Has James done too much damage for her to recover? "Carlisle please, help her. I…I think she's dying" I can hear the sheer panic in my own words.

Carlisle is instantly at my side, he takes a few seconds to check her over. "Edward we need to get her home, I need to check her over properly there. I don't have the correct equipment with me. I am worried about her head injuries" Carlisle frowns as he says this.

"Head injuries?" I choke "Oh God, no."

I take off my coat to wrap around Bella and carefully carry her from the house. Alice has stolen a car for me to take her home in. once I am inside and Alice turns on the heat we are off. Bella is so cold, I worry that my body temperature is making her worse but I cannot make myself let go of her as Alice tears along the roads.

Everyone but Alice and I ran home so they are already at the house before we arrive and have a room set up for Carlisle to examine Bella. I pace the room as Carlisle does a more thorough examination of Bella's injures. She still hasn't stirred since I found her.

Finally Carlisle is finished, I don't know what to expect as he was hiding his thoughts from me the whole time. I can't breathe as he starts to inform me of her condition.

"Well Edward the good news is she will be ok, eventually. I have run some blood tests just in case and they will take a while to develop, but I expect those to be fine." He runs his hands through his hair before he continues. "She does have multiple injuries however, painful injuries" I wince at the thought "she has a broken finger, and although her ankle is not broken it has been damaged and will be painful to stand on for a few days. Also, she has a nasty burn on her thigh."

"Is that it?" I ask hopefully.

"Not quite son, she has a concussion caused by a small fracture in her skull. She will be ok but she will have a hell of a headache when she wakes up."

"How long will it be before she is awake?" I go and sit on the chair beside Bella's bed. I take up her hand and lightly stroke her bruised skin.

"That is the difficult part, she has suffered so much trauma, both mentally and physically, I'm afraid her body may have shut down. It could take a number of hours, perhaps days for her to regain consciousness."

Days? I'm not sure I can retain my sanity for that amount of time if she doesn't wake up.

Carlisle clears his throat before continuing "the physical injuries Bella has suffered will heal in time Edward, but the mental scarring is something else entirely. She will need you now more than ever to be there for her. In all likelihood Bella may not be herself again for a long time. But I believe Bella is strong enough to fight through this, with your help." Carlisle lays his hand on my shoulder in reassurance.

I nod "I'll be here Carlisle, I won't leave her side for a moment." I vow.

Everyone comes and goes throughout the day to sit with us for a while as Bella remains unconscious. To stop myself from drowning in despair I constantly remind myself of Carlisle's prognosis. She will be fine, she will be fine I repeat in my head over and over again. And as for the rest, well, I know my Bella can overcome anything. She is strong enough to get past this and put it behind her.

When night falls I climb onto the bed beside Bella, I am reluctant to really touch her as I don't want to aggravate her injuries. I hum softly to her as I stroke her hair. As dawn approaches she stirs for the first time.

My heart leaps, is she waking up? She shifts again and moans in her sleep. I try as best I can to comfort her by speaking softly in her ear "Bella love, its ok, your safe now. I've got you." I kiss her forehead.

Bella stirs for the next half hour, moaning and whimpering in her sleep, each distressful sound piercing my chest painfully.

Then at long last she opens her beautiful brown eyes slowly and looks directly at me.

BPOV

Pain. That is all I can register. Why can I still feel so much pain? Surely death can't be this uncomfortable, if it is I want my money back!

Slowly I become aware that I am in a warm soft bed. I am no longer on that freezing cold floor. I try to move but it hurts.

I am suddenly aware that someone is whispering in my ear but I can't make out the words. Oh no. He whispered in my ear, just as he was about to…I want to scream, to run away but my traitorous body refuses to move. All I can manage are little jerking movement which cause me so much pain.

Eventually I coax my eyes open. Everything is a hazy blur. I blink to clear my vision and the first thing I become aware of is that I am not alone in the bed, but I can't make out his face. I start to panic, my breathing falters. Oh god its James, what is he going to do to me this time, has he already…crap now I feel sick again. I fight the urge to vomit.

He reaches up to touch me and I can't stop myself. I scream and try to get away from him. He catches me just before I fall off the bed, my body screaming in protest at my movements.

"No no no no, please please don't, please" I beg hoarsely, squeezing my eyes shut tightly.

"Bella love, it's me. Stop please, you'll hurt yourself" an anguished voice near to me pleads.

Edward? Is it really him, or has my mind conjured him up to torture me further. I cautiously open my eyes again and look in the direction of Edward's agonised voice. Then I see him, Edward, I sob with relief. "Edward is it really you?" I choke.

"Yes sweetheart, it's me. It's alright, your home, your safe now." Edward reaches out to me slowly and pulls me gently back to the middle of the bed again. But even this small movement causes me to yelp in pain.

"Forgive me love, I didn't mean to hurt you. You need to keep still."

I am vaguely aware of a pinching sensation in my arm when I move, "oh great" I mutter when I look down at my arm.

Edward strokes my face softly, but he looks worried "What? Where does it hurt?"

I lift up my arm in answer to show him the IV "I hate needles" I mutter.

"I'm sorry Bella, it was necessary, you are quite dehydrated." Edward, at my request, goes on to explain my other injuries. Frankly I am surprised it wasn't much worse. He hesitates when he mentions how he found me.

I look away from him, mortified that he saw me like that. He must have been disgusted. The movement causes me to wince.

"Please stop moving Bella, I can't bear to see you in any more pain." His voice sounds like he is in enough pain for both of us.

"Did…did he, when you found me h…had James already…" I can't even say the words as my eyes fill with tears.

"No he didn't Bella, I got to you before he had a chance to" Edward stops abruptly and looks so furious.

"I'm sorry Edward" I whisper brokenly.

"You! What have you got to be sorry about? James kidnapped you after I left you alone. I promised to always protect you Bella, but I let you down." I know he is angry with himself, but it's not his fault.

"Edward please, you weren't to know. None of us were, don't blame yourself" I plead.

Edward's face is still shadowed with anger and hatred so I decide to change the subject. "I need a human minute." I'm dying to pee.

"Are you sure you can move?" he frets.

"Yes, well, I'll need your help" Edward carefully lifts me from the bed and carries me to the bathroom. I am too weak to even stand so he has to help me in the bathroom. How embarrassing. When I've washed my hands he picks me up and catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror, I gasp.

I am wearing a sleeveless nightdress that barely covers me down to my thighs, this must be one of Alice's purchases. But what I can see of myself is covered in a hideous pattern of marks and bruises. And I am in bad need of a shower. My hair is completely tangled and matted to my head. I look away, horrified "I look disgusting" I exclaim.

Edward quickly makes his way back to the bed "nonsense, your beautiful." I snort as Edward rearranges me on the bed before lying next to me. I notice for the first time that we are not in our own room. "Where are we?" I wonder.

"This is a spare room next to Carlisle's office, we put you in here when Carlisle needed to examine you."

The trip to the bathroom has really worn me out, my head is throbbing. I yawn, wincing yet again. "Sleep love you are tired." Edward soothes me.

I can help the instant, irrational panic that rises in my chest. I look at Edward, wide-eyed with fear. What if something happens to me when I sleep? What if he comes back for me? My body begins to shake in fear.

Seeing this Edward moves closer to me "Don't be afraid baby, I'll be right here while you sleep" I close my eyes as he kisses my forehead softly "I won't leave your side for a second." Edward's gentle voice calms me, allowing my heart rate to slow. "I'll never let anyone hurt you again."

Mollified by Edwards reassurances of my safety I fall into a much needed deep sleep. All the while feeling Edward close to me, protecting me. Making me feel safe.

EPOV

Bella's strength and resilience amaze me. After my earlier discussion with Carlisle I thought she would be an absolute inconsolable mess.

When she woke up at first and was so terrified I thought that this would be the case. She was so frightened until she realised where she was. Then she calmed right down. I know this is only the beginning of a long road to recovery, but it is a positive start.

We have yet to go into the details of how we discovered and rescued Bella, I didn't even tell her James is no more. I worry that she may have some kind of delayed reaction as her recovery progresses. But we will just have to take it one day at a time with this.

I am beyond relieved that Bella allowed me to comfort her. I was so afraid she would reject me after what she has been through. I still blame myself but Bella obviously doesn't and the selfish part of me is rejoicing in that fact. The simple fact of the matter is I have to be with Bella. I literally don't know how I survived before I met her.

Bella is my everything.

The room brightens as the morning wears on but Bella remains asleep. My family, who gave us our privacy when Bella woke up, once again begin to trickle into the room.

Esme is the first to enter, peeping her head around the door "Edward honey, do you mind if I come in?"

"Of course not Esme" I motion for her to enter with my chin.

Esme comes over to the bed and reaches down to brush a stray strand of hair that has fallen across Bella's cheek "the poor dear" she murmurs "I wonder if she is hungry at all" Esme frets, causing me to smile. Esme, the eternal mom, worried that one of her 'kids' may be hungry. She is the same way with us if we haven't fed for a while.

"She will be fine for now Esme dear" Carlisle reassures her as he enters the room behind her. "The drip I gave her will give her all the nutrients she needs for now. Carlisle checks Bella over quickly to make sure all is well with her.

"I am impressed by how Bella is handling the situation Edward. She is one tough little cookie." We all smile at Carlisle's obvious affection for Bella.

Alice is the next one into the room, closely followed by the rest of my siblings. Alice assures us that Bella will be awake by noon. Esme is delighted and plans to make Bella something special to eat. Emmett is unusually sombre as he watches Bella sleeping.

"What's wrong Emmett?" I ask.

"It's just…are you sure she's going to be alright, I mean, look at her. She's so tiny and he hurt her so much" Emmett clenches his fist as he recalls himself and Jasper tearing James to shreds. He regrets his rashness now and wishes he took his time and made James truly suffer.

"She'll be fine Emmett" Rosalie soothes him, rubbing her hand up and down his arm "you heard Carlisle, she has no…permanent injuries." Rosalie's face darkens and I know without reading her thoughts that she is thinking of her own painful past. She is so grateful that Bella hasn't suffered the same fate as herself that she has completely forgotten that she decided not to like Bella. I for one am not going to point it out.

Emmett, seeing the shift in her mood and guessing at its cause, wraps Rosalie in a tight embrace whispering words of love and adoration in her ear while she buries her face in his broad chest. It's not often we see this soft side of Rosalie. Part of the reason she behaves the way she does is because she has demons of her own.

We stay talking quietly for another while until it comes close to the time Alice said Bella would wake up again. Then they all leave so as not to startle Bella. They want to give her some peace and quiet while she recovers, not wanting to overwhelm her when she is still feeling so weak. They decide to take turns visiting her this afternoon.

I chuckle as I hear Alice and Emmett bickering as to who is going to come see Bella first while they make their way downstairs.

BPOV

This time when I awake I at least know where I am. I open my eyes to see Edward staring straight back at me adoringly. I am still in a lot of pain but it's not as bad as before, there must be a painkiller in the IV.

"Hello love, how are you feeling" Edward brushes his fingers down my cheek softly.

"I'm okay" my voice still sounds hoarse and my throat is dry and scratchy, realising this Edward reaches over to the bedside table and hands me a cool glass of water, he helps bring it to my lips and I sip it gratefully. The cool water feels so good in my parched throat.

"Thank you" I don't know why but I'm feeling quite emotional. I'm trying to hide it though, I don't want to be a constant blubbering mess.

Putting down the glass Edward turns back to me "Sweetheart how are you really? You can trust me, don't ever be afraid to tell me how you are feeling." His eyes are pleading as they assess my face, Edward can read me like an open book.

"I…I don't know Edward I just feel so…so sad" my voice breaks on the last word as the tears begin to flow.

Edward wraps his arms around me so gently it doesn't even hurt "Oh baby, its okay to cry." Edward stays silent for a few minutes while I sob. "Are you in a lot of pain?" he finally asks when my crying eases.

"Not really" I sniffle. My head is tucked under Edwards chin and he is rubbing my back soothingly "I'm s…sorry."

"Bella please stop apologising, I don't think I can take it. You have every right to be upset or angry, or whatever other feelings you may be experiencing right now. Don't hold any of it back" Edward pulls back to look me in the eye "I love you Bella, don't ever be afraid to show you true feelings in front of me."

"Sorry" I whisper again without thinking making Edward smile.

I have been having another feeling since I woke up "Well I am feeling really hungry right now."

Edward smiles "Good because I think Esme is downstairs cooking everything in the kitchen." He gives me a quick kiss on the nose as we hear a knock on the door.

"Come on in" Edward says without taking his eyes off me.

Esme pops her head in "Bella honey, I heard you say you were hungry, is there anything in particular you would like to eat."

I contemplate for a second before I answer "Eggs please."

A/ N Wow I've got my first hater (previous story) Woohoo go me! I have to say it took longer than I thought it would. Really REALLY wish they would log in so I could defend my story, but oh well ;)