AN: This chapter may contain triggers for those who have had experiences of sexual violence... If you feel uncomfortable or upset after reading this, please speak to someone you trust about your feelings #itsnotweaktospeak

When I woke, the sun was high in the sky and Jake was nowhere to be seen. I laid there for a few minutes wondering where he could be. After straining to hear a single sound and failing, I sat up and straightened my hair with my hands. I looked around the room and saw a note pinned on the back of the door. I got up and read the note twice.

Bella, you looked so peaceful so I left you sleeping.
I had to run some errands for Billy.
I'll try not to be too late. Love Jake
.

I looked to Jakes bedside table and saw a pen so I quickly scribbled a note back.

I'm going to head home.
I will see you soon I hope.
Text me.

I hesitated before writing the next bit because I wasn't sure if I was there yet, but quickly decided against over thinking things.

Love Bella

I sat the note on Jakes bed that I had carefully made and gathered my things. I knew I had to head home and take care of a few things. I hadn't been there for any length of time for 3 days and I had work tomorrow.

I went to the bathroom then headed out the door to where my truck stood. I got in and brought the engine to life. It hesitated a bit but soon was purring like its usual self. The trip home didn't take long, mostly because I daydreamed the whole way.

I arrived home to an empty house, which wasn't unexpected. It was Friday and Charlie was at work. When I got inside, I saw that Charlie hadn't exactly been the neat freak I had come to know and love. There was a lot to clean and get done so I got stuck into it straight away.

It was 2pm when I finally considered the house clean and sat down on the sofa with a sandwich. I uncharacteristically turned the TV on and flicked through the channels in search of something interesting. I found a documentary on rainforest plants so I settled in for an afternoon of education.

Before long, there was a knock at the door. I got up and discarded my plate in the kitchen on the roundabout way to the front door. When I opened it, Jacob was standing there, wearing denim cut offs and a black t-shirt. Damn this guy was too attractive for words.

I greeted him with a brief kiss before I dragged him inside by his shirt and shut the door.

"Hey there" I said.

"Hey there yourself" he replied.

"What did you get up to today?" I asked.

"Billy had to do some stuff and it took forever" he said as he wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me towards him. He held me against him for a few moments before leaning back, putting his hands either side of my face and planting a soft kiss on my lips. It was nothing like last night's kiss in Emily's kitchen, but it was full of sweetness and love.

When he released me, I was a bit unsteady on my feet and he held me still for a second until I could stand on my own.

"What have you been doing today?" he asked.

"Cleaning… The place was a mess. I just finished and sat down actually" I said as I wandered back through to the living room. The documentary was still playing so I sat myself down on the lounge, pulling Jake by the hand to sit next to me.

We sat watching tv for most of the afternoon, chatting and laughing about random things.

Before long, the sun had set and it was dark outside and in. I turned the lights on in the house as I went about making dinner. I made sure to make extra after inviting Jake to stay.

I made a simple spaghetti that would ordinarily feed ten, but after I served myself and put some aside for Charlie and Billy, Jake took care of the rest.

After we ate, we watched a movie on the sofa with a blanket over us. The blanket was not entirely necessary but it made it more comfy.

The movie finished at 11pm just as Charlie arrived home. I wondered what he would think of Jake being here.

"Hey Bells, Jake" he said as he walked into the living room.

Hey dad" I said.

"Charlie" Jake said.

"Shouldn't you be getting home Jake? It's pretty late" Charlie said. It was obvious that he wouldn't be ok with Jake staying over.

"Yeah absolutely. I was just about to leave anyway" he said.

We all stood in silence for a few moments before Charlie spoke.

"Well, I think I'll go up and have a shower" he said, as he headed for the stairs, getting the hint.

I followed Jake as he headed for the door. I didn't want to sleep alone tonight but I knew there was no way Charlie would allow Jake to stay. As Jake stood in the doorway, I leant my head into his chest. He wrapped me in one of his custom Jake bear hugs and I reciprocated.

"I don't want you to leave" I said.

"I don't want to go, but Charlie will have a fit if I don't" he said, resting his chin on the top of my head.

"yeah, I know" I said.

We stood like that for a few moments before Jake pulled away. I stared up into his brown eyes and felt immensely grateful for the feelings that had grown to make me love Jake in this way. At that thought, I gasped. Love Jake? I loved Jake. I did. I really did.

"I'm crazy about you Bella" he said.

"I love you Jake" I said back. His return smile was the biggest I had seen on his face since I'd know him.

"I love you too" he said, "So, so much" and he leant down and kissed me a sweet kiss, displaying the words we just exchanged and more.

We broke apart and he kissed my forehead before he turned and walked down the steps towards his car. I watched as he hopped in and drove away, desperate that he might get the urge to sneak in my window at some point.

I shut and locked the door before I put Charlie's dinner in the microwave and headed up the stairs to my bedroom. I was now facing another great hurdle and that was sleeping alone. I had had Jake to chase the nightmares away for the last two nights and desperately hoped that it was enough to last tonight.

I showered, changed into sweats and got into bed with one of the books that I borrowed from the library on the Reservation. Before I went to sleep I grabbed my mobile phone from my bedside table and sent a text to Jake.

Goodnight Jake. Sleeping won't be the same without u. Bella xx

I hit send and waited for his reply. My eyes were heavy but I stayed awake until he replied.

Sweet dreams beautiful Bella. I wish I could be there. Jake

I put my phone back on the bedside table, turned off the lamp and closed my eyes. It felt like only minutes until I was back in the forest. Although tonight there was an eerie sense of dread surrounding me. Alice was there and her eyes were gleaming red. Her mouth and chin were covered in blood and she held something black and hairy in her hand.

"Bella, I've been waiting for you, I got you something" she said.

"Alice, what's going on?" I asked.

"Don't be silly Bella, it's time for you to feed" she said as she turned the black mass of hair around. I cried out when I saw that it was a severed head. I looked a little closer and saw that it wasn't just any severed head, it was Jake's! I screamed and screamed but couldn't move to run. Sunlight trickled through the tree canopy above and my eyes burned from the intensity. I noticed something gleaming around me and looked down at my hands to see that they were sparkling. Sparkling in the way that a vampire sparkled in sunlight. Noticing this, I only screamed louder until I was shaken awake by Charlie.

"Bella, Bella, wake up, its ok" he was saying. I sat upright trembling all over, tears streaming down my face. I flung my arms around Charlie to ground myself and he patted me awkwardly on the back.

"I thought the dreams would be gone on account of… recent developments" he said.

"They were gone" I said, sobbing. "I've slept really well the last two nights, I thought it was all over" I said through tears.

We sat in silence for a few minutes and I noticed Charlie's eyes start to close. I took some deep breaths and told him to go to bed.

"Are you sure you're ok?" he asked.

"I'm ok, thanks dad. Just go to bed" I said. He got up and left the room, closing my door behind him. I sat up, too afraid to go back to sleep. I looked at the clock. I had been asleep for three hours, but it felt I hadn't slept at all.

I laid back down and tried to sleep but the rest of my dreams were plagued by mythical creatures and objects of my nightmares. I managed not to scream out but all in all I didn't get much quality sleep.

When the sun rose a few hours later, I dragged myself out of bed and threw on some sweatpants. I thought it might be a good idea to attempt to go for a run. What was that anecdote about endorphins? They're supposed to make you happy. I was definitely in need of something to perk me up. I pulled on my running shoes and headed out the front door. The air was cool and the sun was peeking through the trees. It was still quite early. As I ran, my mind drifted to the dreams I had last night. My nightmares were beginning to creep into my mind in my waking hours and as hard as I tried, I could not shake the images that were now haunting me. With all attempts at running dismissed, I turned and headed home. I had work in a little while and need to get ready. When I got home, Charlie was up, drinking coffee at the kitchen table.

"Hey Bells, you been… exercising?" he asked, eyeing me up and down with a confused look on his face.

"Yeah, it's supposed to help" I said.

"Did it?" he asked.

"Not at all" I said with a half-hearted smile.

"So, you and Jake…" he began.

"Me and Jake" I said, nodding my head.

"How serious is it Bells?" he asked.

"Oh, I don't know dad. Its early days. I mean, we haven't even been official for two days" I said, my honesty astounding me.

"Well, I like Jacob" he said.

"I'm feeling like there is more that you want to say here dad" I said. I sensed he was dancing around what he really wanted to say.

"I just don't know where to go from here Bells. You're 18 now and probably old enough to make your own decisions, but hell… you're still my little girl, and I don't want to… condone… certain behaviour… under my roof" he said, stammering.

"Charlie…" I began.

"But I've spoken to Billy and he says Jake is very respectful. Mature for his age." He said. "And the two of you slept in Jakes room… with the door open" he continued.

"Honestly, dad, the first time it happened was purely by accident. I fell asleep waiting for him to get back from… running an errand, and he sat by me reading and then he fell asleep" I said honestly.

"The second night we both fell asleep watching a movie in his room… Both nights I slept like a log, all night. No nightmares, no screaming. I actually had nice dreams" I said.

"I see" was all Charlie could say.

"Jake's good for me" I said.

"Suppose I let him stay… What then?" he asked.

"Well, I guess it's up to Jacob and Billy" I said, shrugging. I couldn't believe my dad was discussing the possibility of letting my boyfriend stay. I smiled inwardly at the thought of Jake as my boyfriend. It was an abstract idea, still.

"Well, I just want to be kept informed about who is in my house" he said.

"So, you're saying you're ok with Jake staying over… In my room?" I asked, eyebrows raised.

"I'm saying that I want what's best for you Bella and Jacob is good for you… My issues can wait" he said. "Now, don't you have work to go to?" he asked, putting an end to this very strange discussion.

I headed upstairs and grabbed my phone off the bedside table. I typed a text to Jake,

Good morning Jake, hope you slept well. Can't say I did. Just had the strangest conversation with Charlie. Call me when you wake up. Love Bella.

I pressed send and headed for the bathroom. I quickly undressed and showered, trying to wash the nightmares away.

I dressed slowly into my work shirt and jeans and put my hair up into a messy bun before heading back downstairs to grab some breakfast.

Charlie was nowhere to be seen as I made myself some toast and sat down to eat it, along with a cup of tea. When I finished, I glanced up at the clock and saw that I had just enough time to get to work. I picked up my bag and checked my phone as I shoved my shoes on. No reply from Jake yet.

I opened the front door and turned and shut it behind me. When I turned back around, I was surprised to see a familiar figure standing in front of me. Jacob was there.

"Jake! What are you doing here?"

"You sounded like you needed something" he said as he reached his arms around me and enveloped me in one of his warm hugs.

"Ohhh I missed this" I said.

"It's only been one night"

"It was a long night"

Jake pulled back and looked me in the face before kissing me softly on the lips. It sent a shiver through my whole body and any negative feelings that were left over from my nightmares had vanished. When he pulled away, my eyes remained closed. I thought that if I kept my eyes closed, I could hold onto this moment for a little longer.

"Is everything ok?" he asked.

"I had a bad dream… well, a series of bad dreams actually"

"Do you want to tell me about them?"

"It's ok now, you're here" I said as I opened my eyes.

I started walking towards my truck until Jake pulled me towards his car by the hand.

"I'm driving you to work" he said with a smile.

"Surely you have something better to do?" I said.

"Nothing is better than being around you" he said.

We hopped into Jakes car and he headed towards the centre of town.

"You'll never guess what Charlie and I spoke about this morning" I said, playfully.

"Hmm.." he said as he took some time to come up with a response. "How awesome I am?" he said with a slight chuckle.

"Well, not too far off… He has actually given me permission to have you over for a sleep over" I said.

Jake looked slightly confused for a moment before smiling.

"So, what does that mean?" he asked.

"Well, I thought it meant you can stay at my place whenever you wanted… If that's what you want" I said, feeling a bit silly for assuming that he would just want to stay with me. "Never mind, it's silly… Forget I said anything" I said as I wrapped my arms around myself.

Jake reached over, grabbed my hand and kissed the back of it with his soft warm lips. Again, my body tingled all over. I could just about jump him here in the car I thought.

"Bella, I will stay with you as often as you want me to" he said.

"And I will stay with you the rest of the time" I said.

I wasn't sure what had come over me. I had never been this needy girlfriend who asked her very new boyfriend to sleep in her bed with her. Was I rushing things? Jake and I had pretty much been in a relationship for months anyway, so it wasn't exactly that fast. Not only that, Jake chased away the nightmares. As well as being an amazing friend, a great boyfriend, a fantastic kisser and a genuinely thoughtful guy, Jake made everything better.

Jake pulled into the carpark of the Newtons store and, now more than ever, I didn't want to get out. I turned to Jake, desperate for him to take me away from here.

"We're here" he said with a laugh.

"I know" I said, "But I don't want to get out".

Jake hopped out of his side and walked around to my side and opened the door. I got out slowly, helped by Jake. If I didn't know any better I'd swear he wanted me to go to work.

I looked up into his sweet kind eyes, put my hands either side of his face and pulled his face to mine. Our lips met in soft bursts of kisses that built with intensity until our tongues were once again exploring one another's sweet mouth.

As our passion built, the world around us melted away and we were the only two people in the universe. Eventually though, as always, our surroundings started swimming back into my consciousness and we began to slow, until we were motionless. We stood for a few seconds, forehead to forehead, absorbing the thrill of each other. Jake held me by my hips and I ran my hands up his chest, feeling the smooth ridges beneath his shirt.

I eventually opened my eyes to see Jake smiling, looking back at me.

"I'll pick you up… What time do you finish?" he asked.

"Three" I said.

"I'll be here at two thirty" he said with a wink.

"I better go" I said as I looked to the front of the store and saw Mike standing there gawking at us.

"Bye Bells"

"See ya Jake".

I walked towards the doors of the store where Mike was frantically trying to look busy by putting the awning up.

"Do you want some help?" I asked.

"No" he said abruptly. I ignored his bad mood, remembering that he wasn't always a morning person and went about checking the store for anything that needed doing.

The morning went fast, with customers coming and going often. Mike seemed to be in a bad mood all day so I didn't bother trying to make small talk. I spoke to him about stock and about missing money in the till from last month that mysteriously turned up, but avoided all talk about our personal lives.

When I looked at the clock, I saw that it was 2:15. It had been slow since lunch time and Mike said that he was going to close early. As I went out the back to grab my bag, he went to the front to put the 'closed' sign up.

I checked my phone and saw that I hadn't had a text or a missed call all day. I threw my phone back into the eternal abyss that was my bag and turned to leave the staff room, almost smacking into Mike.

"Sorry" I said as I went to go around him.

"It's ok Bella" he said with a tone that I couldn't quite figure out.

"Well, I guess I'll get going then" I said.

"Didn't you get a lift? What time are you getting picked up?" he asked. I wondered where he was going with this.

"Oh, soon. Jake said he was going to be here around two thirty" I said.

"Well, we have time for a bit of a chat then, don't we?" he asked.

"Yeah, I suppose we do" I said, as I noticed Mike inch a little closer to where I was standing. My attempts to get around him had failed as the back rooms had been narrowed to make space for more storage.

I backed away a fraction, hoping he didn't notice. I was beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable, especially considering I knew he had a crush on me in the past.

"So, how have you been, Mike?" I asked.

"Oh Bella, don't pretend that you care" he said. I gasped.

"What?"

"You don't ever care how I've been. It's always about you. Poor old Bella got her heart broken…"

"Mike…I…" I started.

"But poor little Bella didn't want to move on with the sweet guy she worked with, instead moving on with the strange kid from the reservation" he continued. He was moving closer to me now not bothering to hide it. I stepped back but was stopped by some boxes that were sitting on the floor. I had nowhere to go.

I looked around the room for a way to get out of this situation, but Mike was blocking the only exit.

"Look, Mike, I'm sorry you feel that way, I am. You're a great guy, really" I said.

This must have pushed a button inside him because within seconds I found myself falling backwards onto the boxes with Mike's heavy body over me.

I fought to push him off and pushed with all my strength but he wouldn't budge. I kicked and struggled but it was no use. He was kissing my face now, putting his saliva all over me. He moved to my neck as I struggled more against this attack.

"You want this Bella" he said, his hot breath making me gag. "You just need to experience it and you'll realise" he continued.

"Mike, get off, you're hurting me!" I yelled. "I don't want this! Mike!"

Tears were coming from my eyes in waves as he grabbed the hem of my shirt, yanking it upwards. I struggled but it was no use. He did not stop, instead, he gawked at my lacy bra that I had carefully selected in case thigs got steamy with Jake.

I took his momentary distraction to wriggle my arm free enough to swing a punch that connected with his temple. It didn't have much of an effect, just seemed to make him angrier. He hit me in the face in his anger and held my two hands above my head with his other hand.

With his legs, he was pushing down on the lower half of my body so hard that my toes were going numb. I must have blacked out for a second because when I opened my eyes, I felt him move to unbutton my pants. Oh my god, he is going to rape me. He is going to steal my virginity. I thought.

"Mike, no! Mike! STOP!" I yelled.

"Just relax Bella, you'll like it, trust me, I know what I'm doing" he said.

"You're crazy!" I yelled.

He had unbuttoned my pants and was struggling to try and budge them as I struggled. He lost his grip for a second and I was able to roll away from him and bring my knee to his groin.

He grunted in pain as I heard the back door of the store crash open. Jake was running towards me, shaking from head to toe. Through the tears, I could make out his face, full of rage. His outline was a blur and I couldn't tell whether it was because my eyes were filled with tears or if he was about to phase.

"Bella, get out of here" he yelled to me.

I didn't have to be told twice. I yanked my shirt down and fixed my pants as I grabbed my bag and ran for the door. I didn't think about anything other than how badly I wanted to get out of there and away from Mike.

When I got out into the fresh air, I stopped and caught my breath. I stood there for a moment before I realised how dangerous this could be. I looked to the door that was hanging off its hinges and I was trying to decide whether I should go back in and make sure Jake didn't phase. If he did, he would kill Mike in an instant.

I walked back to the door and peered in. It was quiet.

"Jake!" I called.

There was no response.

"Jake?" … Again nothing.

I took two steps inside the door before I heard lowered voices.

"If you so much as look at her again, I will come to you, wherever you are, and I will rip you to shreds" I heard Jake say.

"She asked for it mate, she wanted it" Mikes voice said. At this, I was furious. I stormed into the room I had just run from.

"You fucking liar Mike, you were about to rape me!" I yelled. "Come on Jake, I'm going to report this asshole to my dad!". With that, I grabbed Jake's hand and pulled him from the room. He was still shaking as we got out into the fresh air. He stopped and held me in front of him as he looked me over.

"I'm ok Jake" I said.

"Are you sure?" he said.

"I am ok Jake, please, let's just go" I said.

We hurried to Jakes waiting car and when he opened the door for me I got in. Jake drove directly to the police station where, for the next three hours, I gave a statement about what happened. I had photos taken of my face, which now had a purple bruise underneath my left eye and dried blood that had come from a split lip. My wrists were also bruised as well as my legs and hips where Mike had pushed down with his legs.

By the time I left the police station, I was exhausted. Working all day, plus trying to fight off that monster and then giving a statement for three hours had really taken it out of me.

Jake drove me to my house and took me up to my room. He helped me change out of my clothes and into my pyjamas. I didn't care at this point that he was seeing me in my carefully selected underwear. I was just too tired to function. I collapsed into bed and pulled Jake down next to me. I curled up next to him and was asleep within minutes.

When I woke, Jake was not next to me. I glanced at the time and it was just after 11:30pm. My stomach growled in anger as I swung my legs out of bed. When I headed down the stairs, I heard Jakes voice.

"I would have killed him myself Charlie" he said.

"I wouldn't have charged you if you did" Charlie said.

"How do we tell her?" Jake said to Charlie.

"I think we just tell her as straight up as we can" I heard Jake say.

At this, I coughed loudly and stepped off the bottom of the stairs where I had been listening in.

"Hey Bella" Jake said as he stood up and kissed my forehead.

"Hey" I said as I looked from Jake to Charlie. Something had happened.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Look Bella, something had happened and I don't know if you will take it well" Charlie said.

"What is it dad? Just tell me straight" I said.

"Mike is dead" Jake said abruptly. "He killed himself" he continued.

I was shocked. I didn't expect that to happen. I walked over to the table where Charlie was still sitting and sat in the chair Jake had been sitting in.

I put my head in my hands and exhaled a long breath. Tears pricked my eyes, sad for the loss of someone who was once my friend. I had no idea how this would impact on the school.

"Well, what now?" I asked Charlie.

"There was a note… for you" he said. "Technically I wasn't supposed to tell you but I'm the sheriff and I can pretty much do what I want" he continued.

"What… What did it say?" I asked.

"He was crazy, Bella, legit crazy" Jake said.

"I guess… I don't want to know then" I said. When I thought about it, it wouldn't make a difference to me if I knew what he wanted to tell me. He attacked me. If it wasn't for Jake, he might have raped me. He didn't deserve to die this way and get out of receiving his punishment.

"Is there any food?" I asked, realising my stomach growls were getting louder. I hadn't eaten since breakfast and it was almost tomorrow.

"Just left overs from yesterday" Charlie said as he got up and pulled a container out of the fridge.

I got up and took it from him, putting it in the microwave. Within 10 minutes I had eaten and was ready to curl up back in my bed with my boyfriend.

"Will you come lay with me Jake?" I asked.

Jake looked to Charlie who just nodded. Jake took my hand and led me upstairs to my bedroom. He laid down and patted the bed next to him. I curled up under his arm, in my favourite spot and my breathing slowed as I felt my body relax.

"You saw me almost naked" I said.

"I promise I didn't look" he said.

I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Well, maybe just a peak" he said.

I crawled up so I could kiss him before I got comfy again and closed my eyes.

AN: Pretty intense chapter. If you struggled with it, it means you're human. Speak to someone you trust if you feel like it might have triggered something for you. On a positive note, things will get better for Bella. Back to school in the next chapter. I wonder how that will go... Stay tuned.

Once again, please review. I'm still figuring this story out and am completely shit at writing sexy scenes, but I'll give anything a crack.