A/N: I want to send out a special thank you to all of the courageous women who have been through attacks of their own and are supporting my story. I put my warning at the beginning of Chapter One thinking many of you would want to avoid reading it and, instead, have received such inspiring messages and reviews! I find that I am learning a lot about the resilience of the human soul, both through writing this story and through talking with some of my readers about their own personal tragedies and subsequent triumphs over them. I have teared up more times that I can tell you and I am so impressed with all of you.

Thanks to my beta Ashley (Ms. Skittles) who always supports my writing and has gotten this back to me superfast, even though she is still on a trip out of the country. You rock girlfriend! Ashley and I have been wanting to do some writing together for a while now and she will most likely be taking on Tanya's POV for this story. I'm very excited!

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Chapter Four

~Familial Support~

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Edward's POV

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The darkness of night was fading, the light of the new day just a hint on the horizon. In a few hours, there would be full sun streaming through the window where I stood—where I had been standing, still as a statue, for the past several hours—while Bella slept.

After listening to the angry, pained howls from the wolf pack as they supported Jacob in his time of pain, Bella had all but collapsed. When I mentioned taking her home to Charlie's, she turned into a quivering mess and became hysterical. Alice stepped in and told me to bring Bella to my room; that Bella would be staying with us at the house. I asked her exactly how she planned to pull that off, but she just smirked and told me it was a done deal—that she already saw that Charlie would agree. Shrugging, because the details really didn't matter much to me, I turned to Bella and inquired if this was what she wanted. Did she want to stay with me, sleep in my bed? In answer, she threw herself into my arms and whispered, "Yes, please, Edward."

After Alice left to handle Charlie, I carried Bella up to my room and laid her down gently on the bed as though she was a piece of spun glass. As I stood up, she had grabbed my shirt frantically in her hands. "Don't leave me!"

"I'm not going anywhere, Bella. I will stay by your side for as long as you want me to."

Looking up into my eyes for what seemed like a long time, she finally seemed satisfied with what she saw there. Pulling me down onto the bed, she clung to me as though I was a life preserver. This was rather surprising to me, since it was someone who at first looked like me that had perpetrated her attack. I was happy though—oh so happy—that she would even allow me near her, let alone hold her and touch her.

Once Bella fell asleep, she started to dream. There was already a tendency for her to talk in her sleep, which I normally found endearing, but now it was disturbing. I could not lay with her on the bed and listen to the whimpers, cries and pleas falling from her lips. It made me feel dirty in some way, almost as though I had been the one to hurt her. Tugging my hands through my hair in frustration, I had very carefully extricated myself from Bella's embrace and moved to the window—unwilling to go far from her in case she needed me, but equally unwilling to have her open her eyes to my face in the bed, fearing it would cause her distress.

As I watched the sky lighten, my mind touched upon a thought I had been dancing around, but had been afraid to confront. My face what was Bella saw just before she was raped. Even though intellectually she knew it wasn't really me, would it have lasting impact on our relationship? How was she able to look at me—to touch me? I felt unclean just thinking about it, therefore, I could not begin to fathom how Bella was feeling. Would there come a moment that she realized all this herself, when the other shoe dropped and she was disgusted by the very sight of me? A shudder ran through my body and a soft sob escaped my lips before I could stop it.

"Edward?"

My head whipped around, caught unawares, and I found the soft chocolate pools of Bella's eyes trained on me. I smoothed out my expression quickly, not wanting her to see how anguished I felt. "Good morning, love."

"What's wrong, Edward? Why were you – " Bella halted, sounding anxious. Lifting up on one elbow, she supported her upper body and she sat up to get a better look at me. I left my post at the window and knelt by the bed, looking deeply into her eyes. I saw no disgust there, only love and concern.

"Nothing to worry over. How did you sleep?" I put my hand out very slowly, making sure she saw it coming, and smoothed back her hair.

"Edward, I heard you. Please don't treat me different now. What happened makes me feel broken enough, without you treating me like I am about to break again. Tell me what it was that caused you so much pain that you didn't even know I was awake and watching you—that I was able to startle you."

Bella sat up fully, running her fingers in my hair gently. Always so gentle and loving, no matter what. Sighing, I put my forehead down to the blanket, so she could not see my face. I did not want to look into her eyes as I told her this, because if there was even a flicker of recognition, of confirmation, I would die all over again.

"Bella, I was wondering if one day soon you would find yourself disgusted by me. Because it was my face that you saw before the attack. I don't understand how you can bare to look at me, touch me, kiss me. The thought that your love for me will die on the vine...that you might want to leave me..."

Bella's hands stilled for a moment as she drew in a harsh breath. Perhaps I had done it then? Brought the obvious to her attention? Was she now realizing that my concerns were right on the money? Wondering how she didn't realize it sooner? My chest started to throb with the impending loss.

"Edward Cullen. How dare you!" Bella whispered fiercely. Wait, what? Her fingers dragged deeper into my hair, pulling hard for a fragile little human, and yanked until I raised my head. Her eyes sparked dangerously. "I love you! I agreed to be your wife. Remember the vows we will be exchanging in a few weeks? For better or worse. There is nothing in this world that could ever taint my love for you, Edward. I know it wasn't you in that room. It was my knowledge of you that caused him to reveal his true self—because I just couldn't accept that you were behaving that way. Please, oh please, don't make this any harder on me by forcing me to carry two burdens. I have to deal with what was taken from me that I can never get back—but don't take you away from me, too." Her voice started out strong and loud, but ended so I could barely hear her as she deflated before me.

Was there no end to my stupidity? It seemed at every turn, I made Bella feel worse. My mouth opened and then slammed shut. I could feel the venom pricking my eyes, although I could not cry in tears. I took her face gently between my hands and leaned forward until our lips hovered just out of reach, her warm breath ghosting over me. Remembering that she didn't want me to treat her like she was broken, I closed the distance and kissed her softly. In the back of my mind, I was ever aware of her reactions, in case this was too much. Bella's heart picked up speed, but no adrenaline was released, there was no fear. Her lips caressed mine and her hands, which were still in my hair, pulled me even closer as she responded to my kiss.

Pulling back slightly, I looked Bella in the eye. "Promise me something, love?" I murmured.

"What?" Her face tightened slightly as though she was afraid of what I would make her promise—or more than likely what promise I might try to break. My mind quickly flitted over the promise I made her to try to make love before changing her and I quickly let the thought go as pain tore through me.

"If I do anything at all that makes you uncomfortable in any way, you must tell me. I will try my best not to treat you different, but you must promise me this in return. Can you do that?"

The first genuine smile since this happened crossed Bella's face. "Yes, I can do that."

I only prayed that I could keep up my end.

There was a knock on the door and Alice entered the room.

"It's time. The family is downstairs in the dining room and they are anxious to know what's happened. Bella, can I stay with you, while Edward speaks to them or do you want to come down?"

"Please, Alice, stay with me. I don't want to discuss what happened," Bella answered in a shaky voice. "What about Charlie? What did you tell him?"

"Well, I reminded him that you would be a married woman in a few weeks and that I needed some help planning the wedding. I explained that it would be ever so much easier if you stayed at the cottage, so you could help me with the wedding, since I was so overwhelmed. He bought it hook, line and sinker. You are free to stay here until the wedding," Alice smirked, clapping her hands together.

Bella got off the bed and hugged Alice tight. "Thank you, Alice. You have no idea what this means to me."

I stood up and gathered my thoughts, not looking forward to the conversation I now needed to have with my family. Turning back to the window, I saw the first rays of the sun peeking over the horizon, like hope rising up.

"Edward?" Bella's voice came from behind my left shoulder. I pressed my forehead to the glass with a sigh. Her hands ghosted up my back, rubbing slow circles. "Are you okay? Can you handle telling your family?"

A sob built up in my chest and I bit it back for Bella's sake. She was so strong, so supportive. It was me that was the weak link right now. I had to pull myself together for what was to come. Any further missteps on my part could affect Bella and my family. Turning towards Bella, I took her in my arms—but it was her that was supporting me, I was under no illusions about that.

"Oh Bella, don't worry about me. I will do whatever is necessary, sweet girl." Kissing her hair, I pulled her in tighter, needing her touch to gather my courage for what I had to do next.

~*~*~

The family was assembled at the dining room table, which we tended to utilize for meetings. Something was different, though. As I stepped into the room, I saw that the head of the table, where Carlisle usually was stationed, was left vacant.

At my confused look, Carlisle spoke, "Son, I understand from Alice that this is a discussion of the utmost seriousness. That it is intensely personal for you, and Bella, and will require action on the part of this family. Whatever it is—it was serious enough to call for a meeting on our turf with some of the wolves. In light of all this, I felt that you should be seated at the head of the table today."

"Thank you, Carlisle," I muttered hoarsely as I took my place at the table.

As I sat down, Esme was to my right, Carlisle to my left, Emmett and Rose to Carlisle's left and Jasper to Esme's right. Alice remained upstairs with Bella, but I knew she could clearly hear what was being discussed. Unsure how to begin, not wanting to break down in front of my family, I swallowed thickly. Esme, ever intuitive, put her hand over mine in a show of support. "Take your time, Edward. Whatever it is, you know we are behind you and Bella."

"Thank you, Esme," I answered, staring down at the wood grain of the table, the swirling patterns running one into the other, intertwining and intersecting. And wasn't that how life was in a way? Certain lives, decisions, events...intertwined, intersected, influencing the swirls in the grain of life. If there was a God above us, I wondered what they saw as they looked down upon their people. What did the lines of fate look like? Were they much like the patterns in the grain of wood on this very table? Shaking my head a little, I looked up at my family.

"Jasper? Would you be so kind as to send some calming vibes? This is going to be difficult—and I imagine it will be doubly hard for you to deal with the emotions that are coming. Perhaps keeping things as calm as possible from the beginning..." I drifted off. I didn't know if it was possible to make this any better, to lighten the burden of what I was about to dump on my family. But I knew that they would be behind us one hundred percent—I knew they would be affronted if I didn't share this and allow them to grieve and help, each in their own way.

Jasper's cool exterior belied what was inside him right now. His insides were churning already, but he hid it well. I'll do anything for you guys, you know that, Edward. I know this is bad, I can feel it. But you are supported, never doubt that. I nodded imperceptibly, acknowledging his thoughts. Jasper pushed his blond curls back from his forehead as a wave of calm enveloped the room and the tension ebbed away, everyone visibly relaxing.

As I prepared to tell them the news, I stood. This wasn't something that I intended to say sitting down, I felt it needed to be said while I was on my feet, before my support system. My jaw flexed as I clamped my teeth down on the words that needed to flow forth and I looked up at the ceiling, towards where I knew Bella was safely ensconced in my room upstairs with Alice. This was for her—everything was for her.

"I have something very difficult to discuss with all of you. This is really Bella's story to tell, but she has asked me to speak on her behalf. The one request she has is that none of you discuss this with her directly, at least for now. Bella realizes that the family needs to know about this and that you would want to support us right now—but she is having a hard time with others knowing." I closed my eyes against the visions of Bella broken and crying, insisting that she didn't want to talk about her pain with others. Who could blame her? I felt another calming wave from Jasper.

"My goodness, Edward. This sounds really serious," Esme whispered.

"It is. Is is." Scrubbing my hand over my face, I didn't know how to begin, and so, I decided to just dive in. "Please, whatever I say, just let me finish it before you ask questions. At first, it won't make sense. Yesterday, after Alice and Bella returned from their shopping trip, the door opened and I came into the bedroom. Alice left to give us privacy. Bella was putting away some lingerie she bought for the honeymoon and I grabbed a piece of it and handed it to her to try on— "

Rosalie snorted. Wow, I wasn't expecting THAT. She thought to herself and I glared at her.

Emmett poked her with his elbow. "C'mon, Rosie!" Rosalie crossed her arms and huffed a bit, but remained quiet.

"As I was saying...I gave it to Bella to try on and when she came out of the bathroom, I was waiting for her on the bed. Things got...hot and heavy, going much further than usual—which caused Bella to become suspicious and question me. That's when she found out that I was not me at all, but a shapeshifter posing as me."

There was a collective gasp from everyone—even Rose.

"At this point, Bella knew it wasn't me that had her pinned down and he-he raped her." My voice was down to a raspy whisper at this point. I was barely able to get the word past my lips. I felt dirty telling this story—imaging how Bella felt inside. I felt sick.

There was a chorus of exclamations and expletives around the table. Emmett stood up and banged his fist down, creating a fissure in the top of the table. Rose hissed. Esme put her hand over her mouth, eyes wide. Carlisle looked grim and angry. Jasper's mouth fell open and he shook his head back and forth as though to deny it could have happened—then he was assaulted by everyone else's outrage and he shot to his feet. "Sorry, sorry, Edward. I have to get out— " his voice was strangled as he sped out the front door and bounded across the river. I heard him let out a primal scream and I shoved my fist in my mouth because—God help me—I wanted to join him. To lose myself in my animal nature, to destroy things, to rip things apart—but I didn't have that luxury. There was one very good and important reason upstairs that kept me tethered to the civilized world right now. For her, I would do anything.

"Who. Did. This." A quiet but powerful voice cut through the room as Rose stood up, grinding her teeth together. My eyes slid to hers and what I saw there made me shiver with anticipation. This was the reaction I was hoping for from Rosalie. Knowing her history, knowing that she had been turned frozen in anger and rage over her own rape.

"Ah, now that makes this even worse. We met with Sam and Jacob last night and they will be helping us to track down the shifter. He was sent, though. Sent specifically to hurt me—to defile my Bella."

Again, there were shocked choruses around the table. I waited a moment, hearing the approach of Jasper's thoughts.

Jasper entered the room, looking paler than normal, eyes haunted. "Sorry, man. I just— "

"It's okay, Jazz." I shook my head. "I was about to tell them the rest of it. As I said, Sam and Jacob will help us to track down the shifter. But someone sent him here to do this. He was given false information about Bella, told that she was a slut, that she slept with vampires and werewolves both. The shifter was asked to do this as-as a favor to someone." My jaw flexed as anger flooded my body and I hesitated before continuing. "When he realized that Bella was...a virgin...he was horrified. He apologized and told her he was mislead— "

"As though that matters! Disgusting slime." Rose spat, hissing. Emmett put his hand on her back.

I continued, "He told her that he fell in love with a vampire and she was the one who had given him the misleading information and asked him to do this for her. For Tanya."

Rosalie went completely ballistic. She jumped up on the table and screamed at the top of her lungs. It was primal, feral, pain filled and a war cry—all wrapped up in one. Turning to glare down at me she pointed a red lacquered fingernail at my chest. "Edward Cullen, if you even think about not going after that bitch, I will never forgive you! This is not the time to be a milquetoast. Strap it on, buddy. Show me what you're made of. Show Bella what you're made of. You only get one chance at this—don't fuck it up."

There was dead silence during the collective jaw drop throughout the room.

I was elated. Rosalie's reaction was much more than I could have hoped for. "Actually, Rose, I was hoping that you and Emmett would do me the honor of tracking the bitch down for me. You see, I am unable to do that myself because I have promised Bella that I would not leave her right now—she needs me. But I also made a promise to Tanya when I called her on the phone. I promised her that I was going to tear her apart and burn the pieces," I growled.

Rosalie's eyes gleamed as she jumped down off the table, hitting the floor next to me, grabbing me in a hug. Probably the first hug I had ever received from this cold woman I called sister. "I will do whatever you need, Edward. That bitch had it coming already, but now—well, let's just say she will rue the day she was born."

Carlisle lifted a hand, "Don't you think we should talk to the Denali clan first? Be sure?" Ever the Pacifist, looking for the good in everyone.

"Sure, Carlisle, feel free to call Denali." I handed him a phone. "I'm sure they will inform you that Tanya has left for parts unknown without giving solid reason as to why. Then will you believe me? Please, don't ask me to be merciful. Nobody was merciful to my Bella. That bitch couldn't stand that I rejected her advances and decided to take away the innocence of the woman I love. So no, there is no chance at all of a peaceful resolution."

"Count me in, bro. Whatever I can do. Rosie and I will hunt her down relentlessly." Emmett, usually so lighthearted, had a hard gleam to his eye. He thought of Bella like a little sister and the thought of someone hurting her was repugnant to him.

"What can I do, Edward?" Jasper asked quietly. Anything. I will do anything.

"We are going to need to work with the wolves and I will need you for emotional support. Bella might need some of your emotional magic, too. She's handling this so well, but I'm afraid that the walls will crumble and I won't know what to do."

Esme, who had remained quiet throughout the meeting spoke, "Edward, you have our full support. Whatever you feel you need to do—we are behind you. I am appalled at what's been done to you and Bella. If there is anything I can do—and I mean anything, Edward—you let me know." Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, but there was also a hardness there. Esme was made of strong stuff and I knew that she could be fierce when necessary.

"Thank you."

Our heads all whipped around to see Bella standing in the doorway of the room. In all the turmoil, not one of us had noticed her approach. Her eyes were filled with tears and she wrapped her arms around herself. "You are the best family anyone could ever ask for. I love all of you, so much."

"Bella, are you okay, love?"

"Yes. I know now that I will be okay. How could I not with such incredible love and support surrounding me?" Bella came over to me and hugged me tight, pushing her face into my shirt.

"Oh no, Bella. I am the lucky one," I said softly as I hugged her tightly to me.

Alice came into the room and put her hand on Jasper's back. He turned lightning fast and drew her into his arms, holding her tight, bowing his light head against the top of her small dark one. "I need you," he whispered hoarsely.

"I know," Alice crooned. Edward, is it okay if we head upstairs now? I nodded. The worst was over and now we had to see how the chips fell.

Picking Bella up in my arms, I carried her back to my room, laying her on the bed. She didn't speak, just looked deeply into my eyes. "Bella...I know I have no right to ask this, but I just need you. Can you hold me?"

Bella smiled, "Yes, Edward, I can hold you. There is nothing I would rather do right now." She dug her fingers into my hair, pulling me closer and I inhaled the unique and beautiful fragrance that was Bella.

There was ugliness past, ugliness coming, but for those moments we just held on tight to our love. We lay for hours, holding each other, caressing each other—and Bella was healing me as much as I was healing her.

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A/N: So...what do we think of the reactions of the family? I'm thinking Tanya is in a boat load of trouble...

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