Hi! Thank you guys for the great reviews! Hello to new readers of this fic and welcome back to the ones who've already read this one. There is a short mention of a rape - it's not graphic, though. Anything in italics is a flashback. Leave me some love when you're done.

Finding The Way Back – Chapter 2

BellaPOV:

Ian and I had drove to Seattle to pick up Mom and Dad's anniversary present. After we were done, we were hungry, so we stopped at a little diner on the edge of Seattle before heading back home. It was situated on the outskirts, in a deserted strip mall. We'd eaten here before on our trips to Seattle. They had the best veggie burgers and banana milkshakes. The sun was setting as we ate, and it was completely down when we returned to our car.

All of the sudden, two men shoved us up against the car. I didn't even see where they came from. One of them had a knife to my throat while the other had a gun to Ian's temple as they shoved us into the car. Ian was up front driving, and I was in the back.

"Drive," one of them said forcefully. His voice was loud and deep, and from what I could see of his face, he looked young - maybe mid-twenties with sandy blonde hair.

The other, who was in back with me, pulled me down onto the seat and yanked my jeans down to my ankles. This man was just as young as the other. He had dark black hair and pale skin. His muscles were massive for someone so young, and he reminded me of the wrestlers on television that Ian would watch every week.

"Stop!" I screamed. I tried punching and hitting him, anything to make him stop, but he slapped me hard across my face, stunning me. I could feel him holding me down with one hand while he removed his pants with the other. I screamed out as he forcefully entered me over and over again. "Please. Please stop!"

I never thought my virginity would be ripped away from me. I had always pictured it being special, something I would remember and treasure always. I also knew my first time would hurt for a bit, but this was beyond awful. It was overwhelming, consuming, and piercing. The pain rushed through my body and I would give anything to make it stop.

"Please don't hurt her," Ian begged.

"Shut the fuck up and drive."

"Bella, wake up! It's alright. It was just a dream," I heard Charlie say to me. His arms were around me, and he was rocking me back and forth. "Shh. It's okay. It's okay."

It was odd, but I felt safe in his arms, safer than I had been in years. It scared me that being here was all just a dream, that I'd wake up and realize I was in another man's arms, that those kind words and gentle, loving touches were fake. For so many nights I wished, dreamed, and hoped for this; to be with my family again, and so many mornings I had awakened to find it was all just a dream. After a while the dreams started to fade, and I knew I would never see them again. But I knew this wasn't a dream.

My room was bright, so I raised my hand to protect my eyes. I had been stuck in that hell for so long, that I had forgotten how bright it was in Forks. I couldn't even remember the last time I was outside. After I had calmed down, Charlie closed the shades, then handed me a glass of water. My hands shook as I held it, so I ended up dropping it, spilling water everywhere.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" I cried as I tried to wipe up the water with my hands. I was afraid he would get angry that I spilled the water and tell me that I wasn't deserving of his time, just like my captors would say when I did something wrong.

"It's okay. It was just an accident," he said as he took my hands in his. He wasn't angry, which surprised me. He was loving, something I hadn't heard in a long time. "I'll go ask the nurse for a new gown, okay?"

"No, I can wear this," I insisted.

"Bella, it's completely soaked. I'll be right back," he said with a reassuring smile.

I couldn't remember the last time someone was nice to me. Usually when I did something like this, spilling water, I was punished. Harshly. But Charlie returned with a new gown for me to wear. Just changing into it caused me to be tired again. I just wanted to sleep, but I was afraid to do so. I was afraid of the frequent nightmares I had about Ian and about what I had been forced to do for all those years.

"Dr. Cullen wants you to start moving around today. Get you up and walking and eating. We need you to regain your strength."

"Dad, where's Mom?" I asked. "Does she know I'm here? Is she coming?"

"No, honey. She's not coming," he said softly.

CharliePOV

"Why isn't she coming?"

As much as I didn't want to tell her, I knew she needed to know. It was a conversation I knew I would have to have with her now that she was back, but I wasn't looking forward to it.

It was still so raw for me, so fresh. I had made so many mistakes in regards to Renee. If I had known that Bella would return to me, I would have fought harder with Renee. I would have helped her get better. But I failed, and my punishment was to tell my daughter that her mother was never coming home.

"Bella, Mom passed away. She died three years ago." I could barely get the words out and it pained me to say them. I missed Renee so much.

"What? How can that be?" Bella asked, confused. I could see sadness in her face and tears in her eyes after a few moments.

"She was in an accident," I lied.

Bella began to cry. I sat on her bed and pulled her into my arms. I could feel my own tears begin to form in my eyes and felt my guilt begin to consume me. All the "what if's" and "could have's" began filling my head. So many wasted chances to help Renee. So many opportunities to tell her how badly I needed her, how badly I needed to have her tell me it would be alright. God help me for not being able to keep my family together.

"Did she suffer?" Bella managed to ask in between her sobs.

"No," I lied again.

I didn't tell Bella the truth because I didn't think she could handle it. She didn't need to hear the awful truth about Renee; about her drinking, her rages, her depression, her anger, and her blame.

It was Bella's birthday. She would have been fifteen that day and probably standing in line to get her Learner's Permit. Ian would have been seventeen this past March. As usual, I found Renee sitting in the living room with a drink in one hand and the bottle in the other. I couldn't remember how many times I had begged her to stop, telling her that the kids wouldn't like to see her like this. But it was no use.

Around eight that evening, Renee started screaming.

"Charlie! They're home! Look! Just outside!" She pointed out the window, but no one was there. "Don't you see them?"

"No, Renee. You're seeing things." As much as I loved Renee, I was tired of all of this. I knew that she knew the kids were gone and would never come home, yet she constantly gave herself false hope that they had returned to us.

"No. It's Ian and Bella! They've come home!" she exclaimed happily.

She threw open the front door and ran outside. I followed, like usual, to make sure she didn't hurt herself. She was crying and laughing at the same time, and was determined to make me see that they were in front of her.

"Renee, let's go back inside. There's no one there."

"No, I see them. Bella, dear, you're so beautiful. And Ian, handsome like your father. Wait! Come back!"

She started running down the street, saying they were leaving. She couldn't let them leave. I stayed where I was, expecting her to realize they weren't there and come home. She had done this before, usually making it to the end of the street. But she kept going and I could hear her laughing at the top of her lungs. I walked back into the house to get the car keys and take off after her. However, by the time I reached her, she was standing at the top of a steep cliff calling out for them. The hill was known as "Jumpers Cliff." It was covered with rocks, trees, and jagged boulders. About a dozen people had jumped from this site throughout the years, so I knew, seeing Renee standing on the edge, that this would not end well. I needed to get to her quickly. I pulled over and started running to her.

"RENEE! STOP! STOP!"

But I couldn't get to her in time. "BELLA! IAN!" she called as she went over the edge.

Once Bella had calmed down and ate a little bit of food, Carlisle visited and suggested she get out of bed to walk around.

"You need your strength, dear. And I'd like to see you gain a few pounds as well."

"When can I go home?" she asked quietly.

"Tomorrow. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to stop by and check on you at the house."

"Why?" she asked nervously.

"Why what?"

"Why do you care? And why are you so gentle?"

Carlisle seemed surprised. "All doctors should care about their patients and be gentle. We take an oath to do no harm."

"Hmm...maybe he never took it..."

"Who? Were you ever seen by a doctor?" I asked.

"There was one...who would come around and...check us," Bella said hesitantly. She looked uncomfortable as she spoke, and her hands were in tight fists on her lap. "He took Bethany away after I was brought there...she cried out for us, begged us to help her...but the man said she was sick and needed medicine. We never saw her again..."

"Did this doctor ever look at you?" I asked.

"Yes."

"What did he do?" Carlisle asked.

"Lots of things," Bella began. "He said I was his best patient because I never screamed. I wanted too, but I was afraid that if I did, they'd hurt Ian. I couldn't let them hurt him. Ian told me to just do what they asked and that they would let me go...but they kept hitting him and beating him and I tried so hard to help him...but they held me back...Ian said he'd rather take it if it meant that I would be okay, but I could hear him yelling and screaming and begging for them to stop. I begged them to leave him be, to take me instead. Sometimes they would. Sometimes I hurt so bad that I couldn't cry or scream or move. I just wanted them to leave Ian alone..."

"I'm sure you did everything you could," I said. I pulled her into my arms again and cried with her. Bella had always tried to protect Ian, ever since she could walk. She even fought with a girl in Ian's class who kept throwing spitballs in his hair, so it didn't surprise me that she had tried to protect him now.

"I didn't protect him. I wasn't strong enough...I was never strong enough," she cried. Her breathing became erratic, like she was hyperventilating. I felt Bella clinging to me, as if I was her anchor to remind her that it was in the past and that she was safe. "I just didn't want them to hurt Ian." Carlisle gave her a mild sedative to calm her down, and she fell asleep within a few minutes.

"Charlie, why don't you go get something to eat? I can stay with Bella."

"I'm alright," I replied. In all actuality, I was exhausted and wanted a hot shower. But I couldn't leave Bella. I knew she needed me. I didn't want her to wake up and freak out that I wasn't there.

"No really. Get out for a little bit," Carlisle insisted. "I have to look over her chart anyway. She's going to be out for a little while, so go get some real food, rather than the crap they're serving in the cafeteria."

"Yeah, maybe some fresh air would be nice."

I needed to hit something, and hit it hard. Better yet, I would have liked five minutes alone with whoever hurt my kids. Five minutes, a room, and a gun. I just needed some kind of release. Since Bella's return, I had experienced everything from confusion, anger, fear, to extreme happiness. I was exhausted, both mentally and physically, but Bella didn't need to see me unravel at her words. She needed me to be strong.

And Goddamn Renee for drinking! If only she could have known that Bella would return to us. If only she would have gone to support and AA meetings, maybe she'd still be here. Why couldn't she have held on? Why couldn't I have helped her more? Why didn't I help her more?

Later that night, I was able to convince Bella to eat and I helped her walk the halls of the hospital. She didn't speak a word the rest of the night, but she did cry. And so did I. I cried for Renee, who had been hurting so badly that she had killed herself. I cried for Bella, who felt she couldn't protect her brother. I cried for Ian, who tried to protect Bella, and I cried for me, because the only thing I could do was listen.