A/N - Thanks to KH for awesome suggestions and catching all the things I can't see! This would be REALLY hard without your help! Also thanks to ETL1901!

Now it's time for a little comedy, and we have only Jake to thank for that :)

I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Frank, husband of one of my bestest, the only male I know, who read the Twilight series. When I'm around, he makes sure the Blu-Ray is running properly and the wine is flowing...

Speaking of wine - I'd like to thank that, too... it helped write a lot of this story.

On with the show...

"Take her home Edward. This will turn out for the best." Carlisle looked me in the eyes, wanting me to trust him. And of course, I did.

He thanked me silently and I nodded to him as I walked toward Bella's room. I could do this. I would be Edward, the vampire that was once a human, who Bella had helped me to remember, not Edward, the monster who she had experienced the first time we met.

Chapter 4

I walked into Bella's room, and I could hear her crying, I saw Charlie's arms around Bella. Oh no, was I too late? She had asked me to be here for this.

They both looked at me as I entered and Bella continued her story.

"They took me up into the forest…" She was gazing wide-eyed at Charlie. Charlie was grabbing her arms as if he didn't want to let her go. It was clear in the grip he had on her; he was trying to stop what had already happened. I had never seen Charlie in such disarray. I shared his pain.

Bella continued on until Frank walked in the door.

"Frank, you're here." Charlie looked relieved.

Frank looked at me, "You must be the fiancée – hi I'm Frank – nice to meet you." I could tell he was a no-nonsense cop and wanted to lock these criminals up, not only because they were on the loose, but to ease Charlie's pain as well.

"Hi Bella, it's been a while, hasn't it?" Frank smiled at Bella. "Hi Frank, yeah it has." Bella managed a weak one back.

"How far did you get?" Frank got down to business.

"Do you think you could start over? Would that be possible?" He asked calmly, compassionately.

Charlie moved away from Bella and shook Frank's hand. I took this opportunity to stand closer to her.

Bella grabbed my hand, as though she had been missing it for the last couple minutes.

"I guess so." She took a deep breath and looked at me.

"It's okay, sweetheart, I will help you where I can." I smiled and cupped my palm around the side of her head.

Bella told her story to both of them. I helped her remember a couple things she forgot to mention that she told me earlier. She seemed to do a little better this time around, not shaking and crying as much. I think the presence of her father and Frank gave her a little more strength.

She identified them as best as she could. One man had brown hair and the other sandy blonde, both in their mid-30s. She recalled what the van looked like which sounded to them, was the description of a vehicle that was reported stolen yesterday.

"I think we have what we need." Frank said.

"I've been doing some investigating and it looks like two men that you arrested two years ago. Do you remember the Buss brothers, Steve and Larry?"

"Oh, yeah, that's right." Charlie confirmed. "I was at their trial. They assaulted two women in a bar about two years ago. I hammered the last nail in their coffin. It was my testimony that put them away. Wait! They got out – for what? Good behavior?"

"Yes and with a vendetta to get back at you." Frank said in a matter-of-fact way. Charlie winced and fell back into a chair near Bella's bed.

"So what does that mean, you know who they are, then? What's stopping you from getting them?" I shouted. Frank's head darted to me with his eyebrows crunched together. Charlie joined him. Bella gripped my hand tighter.

"I'm sorry, I mean no disrespect. I know you are doing your jobs, I just want them found." I said, trying to recall my previous outburst. My cool, calm vampire tendencies had not been working properly for the last 24 hours.

"It's not that easy, son." Frank said. "We have Bella's story, but we might need a little more." Frank added.

"What more do you need?" Bella asked.

"Since you were sexually assaulted a doctor will need to … ahem…" Even Frank had trouble finishing his sentence, maybe it was because Bella's father, also his friend, was in the room.

"A doctor will what?" Bella asked urgently.

"Honey, they'll have to examine you to gather evidence." Charlie delicately stated.

Bella's face fell away from her father's and expressed one of utter distraught.

"Oh.. honey, I believe you, we all believe you, I know you would never make up such a thing. But in a court of law, facts are what put people away." He added.

"Okay, whatever needs to be done. Let's do it." Bella said confidently, bringing her head up to look at both of them, but still managed to choke a bit on her last word.

I kissed her forehead. She was so strong.

"I'll get a doctor to administer the exam as soon as possible so you won't have to think about it, and we can move on and prosecute these bastards who did this to you." Frank said.

"Now I'm told that your soon-to-be father-in-law was in charge of you, your charts?" Frank asked.

"Yes, Carlisle was the one that brought me in." Bella answered.

"We found her. Do you need anything from me?" I asked, wanting to help more.

"How did you find her?"

I told Frank everything, that Carlisle I'm sure had told Charlie already. I went on to relay that she was visiting Jake in La Push and she wasn't back when she said she'd be. I told them I became worried when she wasn't answering her phone, so my family and I went looking for her. I explained how we found her approximately 100 feet into the forest, from where we spotted her truck parked on the side of the road.

"We might ask you to take us there, so we can gather all possible evidence." Frank stated.

"No problem, I'll be happy to show you. You can also ask my siblings." I said.

After giving him my information, he continued talking about how he would need Bella to adhere to an official medical examination.

"I'll talk to Dr. Cullen and get this going. I'm sure a colleague of his, can administer the exam." Frank said.

"Charlie, Bella, Edward – we will get them I promise you." Frank confidently stated before leaving the room.

"Bella, I'm going to go with him. I want to be as helpful as I can to make that promise come true. Edward, will you please?" Charlie gestured his hand towards Bella, once again asking me to stay with her.

"Of course Charlie." I answered him.

Charlie grabbed her hand and kissed her forehead.

"I love you, don't worry about a thing." Charlie said, looking into her eyes.

"I love you too, Dad, I'm sorry to be such a troublemaker."

"Oh… honey." Charlie went in to grab Bella and give her a careful hug.

"You've never been a troublemaker and you did nothing to deserve this. I promise to make it right."

"Thanks Dad. Go… and do what you do best." Bella said.

And with that Charlie exited the room with more motivation than ever.

Bella let out a deep sigh. I could tell that she was getting tired again.

"Are you in any pain, love? Do you need me to get you something?"

"No, I already have it." She pulled me closer to her, and I leaned in, wrapping my arms around her gently to hold her to me.

Her heartbeat increased.

"A medical exam? I have to go through a medical exam?" Bella asked, while I still held her.

I pulled away from her, keeping contact with her by placing her hands in mine, as I sat down on a chair.

"Yes, love. I'm afraid you do." I had an idea of what the procedure would entail but didn't want to talk to Bella about it now. I didn't want to make her more anxious or nervous then she had to be.

"It's okay Edward, with you here, I feel stronger and I know nothing will happen to me. I feel so safe. Thank you."

"No need to thank me, Bella. I'm just sorry I wasn't there in the first place."

"Stop it. I was driving back from seeing Jake like I've done a million times before."

"Does he know about this?" I asked.

"Probably not." Bella answered.

"We should tell him, as much as I don't want him here, I'm sure he would like retribution as much as I do. At this point, the more people on our side looking for them wouldn't hurt."

"Will you call him for me? I don't think I could bear to tell the story another time. Especially now, I'm getting tired again."

"I'll take care of it, sweetheart, just rest."

After she had a couple sips of water, Bella fell asleep again.

I took the phone out of her purse that was retrieved from her truck and called Jake.

"Bella, hey, what's going on? Did I get lucky? Did the bloodsucker dump you again?"

"Bloodsucker speaking." I said firmly, not in the mood for his humor.

"Oh.. hey Edward, how are ya?" Jake asked, backpedalling.

"I've got bad news, Jacob. After Bella's visit with you yesterday, she was attacked." I got right down to the matter at hand.

"What? Attacked? What do you mean?"

I told him the story and knew my words were hurting him. I knew how hard it was to hear. Bella was, after all, our common ground.

"I'm coming to the hospital to see her. I need to know she's okay."

"She fell asleep about 10 minutes ago. Try not to barrel in and cause a stir. She's finally starting to calm down a bit from this."

"You can't tell me not to come, Edward!"

"I'm not telling you not to come, Jacob. I just need you to be calm when you get here."

"Why am I hearing about this now, why didn't you call me earlier?"

"It's complicated, Jacob. No one was trying to keep it from you. After her finally coming around and being able to tell us what happened, she wanted me to call you and tell you myself."

"Okay, I'll be there in less than an hour. And I'll stay there until I can talk to her."

"She's in room 208 at Forks Hospital. Oh... and Jacob, expect to see me sitting by her side when you get here."

"Whatever. I don't care. I just want to see Bella."

The phone call ended and once again I sat in peace with my beautiful fiancée.

As I waited for her to open her big brown eyes again, I was reminded and became troubled with Alice's earlier text: 'a tough road.'

What did that mean? Did that mean that we would have problems? Did it mean that she would leave my side? My mind started to worry. So I grabbed my phone and texted Alice.

A tough road?

Almost immediately the second I hit 'send'. A text came back.

You need to be there for her, Edward and understand what she is going through and everything will fall into place.

I will do that. I would let nothing jeopardize us. Not after I've waited so long for her to enter my world.

My phone buzzed with another text from Alice:

BTW… these guys will not get away with this. It's impossible to slip by us.

Thinking back to what Carlisle had told me before, I tried not to get excited at MY TURN for justice but let Charlie's system do the work.

It was early afternoon when Bella came around. I could tell that her body needed rest, and she was taking it. For this, I was glad.

Coming down the hallway I heard his voice and Bella started to stir, hearing it too.

"Oh my God, Bella..." Jake yelled, hurling into the room.

So much for being calm.

At the sight of Bella, Jake was silenced, and his thoughts turned remorseful. He took on the blame as I did. I was reminded again that Bella's welfare was something that we both shared.

"Why didn't I….? I should have been with you." He breathlessly said.

I could tell that my words over the phone were finally becoming a reality to him.

"Jake…" It was all Bella could make out as a greeting.

"Hey, Bella – how are you?" Jake's voice was soft as he approached her bed. "You've looked… well you've looked better."

Bella's eyes were wide open and she was managing to sit up a bit.

"Thanks Jake, I'm not currently running for Miss Washington, y'know? I guess I'll have to wait until next year."

That remark could only mean one thing: Bella's returning to her old self.

"Good luck with that." Jake said, pulling up a chair on the other side of the bed.

He looked Bella over, wincing, while still surveying her bruises and bandages.

Then he looked at me.

"Edward."

"Jacob."

"How could I have let this happen?" Jacob asked.

"Don't you start, too. I've finally got this one calmed down over here." Bella pointed to me. "Frankly, I don't have the energy right now to talk you off the ledge either." Bella sighed as she finally found a comfortable position in bed.

I got up to pour her some more water and handed it to her.

"Boy, you've got him trained, huh? Like your own personal vampire waiter."

"Shhhh!" Bella and I both hissed simultaneously. We didn't need to be throwing out the v-word for any curious ears to hear.

"Hey, Edward - Don't you have to go to the bathroom?"

It was such a subtle way for a wolf to get rid of a vampire.

"Bella, sweetheart, did you need anything else, before I leave you alone with Fido?"

"No, I'm good."

I stood up and bent down to kiss her on the lips and looked over at Jake.

"I expect to find her how I left her."

Jake rolled his eyes.

"Edward, it's okay. I'll be fine. Just don't be too long." She grabbed me reassuring me, but also letting me know that she'd miss me.

"Hey, stay away from the blood bank, would ya? Leave some for the beating hearts."

"Shh!" Bella and I both said together, again, while I left the room.

I stepped outside in the hallway feeling a little amiss. I guess she was okay with Jake, but at this point, I felt the need to make sure of her safety, and now, I felt I was the only one who could offer it.

I walked towards the bathroom; I guess I would at least pretend to be human.

Even though I couldn't stand the smell or sight of him, I figured it would be good for Bella to see Jake. He did have a way with her that would lift her spirits, as he did once before. I shuttered at that thought of why she needed him a year ago and pushed it out of my mind.

As I stood in the bathroom, unintentionally blocking everything out, not really doing anything, and no one in there to see me staring at the wall. I heard it.

Jake's scream that was born from frustration and anger almost rivaled my own when I found Bella on the forest floor.

She must have shared with Jake the details of her attack.

I rushed out of the bathroom, towards her room at a very fast human pace and walked in and stepped right next to her bed.

Jake was unhinged. He was staring at the floor, shaking.

"But I'm alright, Jake, Edward found me!" Bella was clutching at his arm, trying to get his attention off the floor.

"Bella, you are going to lay there and tell me that these monsters not only attacked you but they… they…"

"I know, Jacob, I have a hard time saying it too." I said placing my hand on the side of her head.

This was now the second man in Bella's life with whom I shared this pain.

The room was silent. Jacob was still looking at the ground; Bella was looking at him, trying to get him to come around; and I was looking at Bella.

Bella looked over at me with worry on her face.

"He had to know sooner or later, sweetheart. It was good you told him now."

"Jake! Look at me!" Bella shouted. "Like I said, I don't have the energy to talk you off the ledge too; you have to snap out of it!" Bella's IV'd-hand was still trying to grasp at Jacob.

She was getting upset that he was upset. I had to do something.

"Shh… Bella it's okay. Don't worry about Jake, he's a big boy." I said looking sternly and directly towards him.

He glanced at me and I shot back at him, telling him with my eyes, he needed to calm down for Bella's sake.

Catching my not-so-subtle gesture, Jacob looked at Bella, came to, and grabbed her hand.

"It'll be okay, Bella, we'll catch them, and I'll…" Jake's sentiment was lost due to his lingering anger.

"I have a feeling these guys will get what's coming, between you two, my soon-to-be in-laws, and my father and his team. I feel pretty good about the outcome."

"I get the first punch!" Jacob declared.

"You'll have to get in line behind me." I topped him.

"Oh.. really?"

"Yes!"

"GUYS!" Bella yelled, her heartbeat starting to speed up. "Please." She whispered bringing us down from our flared-tempers that were getting re-directed at each other.

"Please?" She took both of our hands at once on both sides of her, looking back and forth at us, pleading for us to relax.

"You're right, love, I'm sorry. I'm going to have a hard time not picturing me ripping off their legs, pummeling them in the head with them before I shove them down their throat." I said unexpectedly calm, basking in the visual.

"Yeah, and I'd like to pounce on them, push their heads into their stomachs while I scratch their faces off with my claws before I shove their feet up their-"

"Shoes?" Bella interrupted.

Then out of the clear blue, bright as day, Bella started to laugh.

Jacob and I looked at each other, stunned with wide eyes, and looked back to her.

She was still laughing.

"Bella, what is so funny?" Jake asked, smiling, starting to laugh himself.

"You two, first you want to kill each other, and then kill them, and top each other on killing them and then move back to just killing them. I just find it funny or maybe the painkillers do."

Jacob and I both snickered along with her. It was good to hear her laugh, even though her reasoning made no sense to me.

"Yeah, painkillers, definitely." Jacob said through an amused smile.

He stayed with us for a while more, and then said his good-byes to her, asking her to tell him when she'd be out of the hospital, reassuring her that he would be back to see her again soon.

"The pack won't like this, and we won't let it happen to you or anyone else on our turf again. And I promise we will make this right." Jake gazed at me when he said this, unspeakably telling me that he wanted a piece too.

I understood his reasoning. After all, Bella was our common ground.

After the tornado that was Jacob left, I had to ensure Bella's comfort.

"I think dinner is coming soon." I said, smelling and hearing it come down the hallway.

"I have to eat again?"

"Yes." She wasn't going to argue with me.

Dinner was served in front of Bella. A chicken breast, green beans and some sliced peaches waited for her.

"Ugh, I don't think I can-"

"Would you at least eat the chicken? You could probably use the extra protein and some beans?"

"Charlie? Are you here?" Bella asked, looking around the room, pretending to search for her dad.

"Ha. Ha." I said dryly, cocking an eyebrow at her. "Please?" I begged.

"Okay, but I'm not touching those peaches."

"Deal." I could settle on a good compromise when I heard one.

Bella cleared the chicken and the beans from her plate and rested her fork on the tray with a tired sigh.

"Sleep, love. I'll be right here when you wake up."

"Promise?" She asked, while I helped her settle back into bed.

"I'll be the first thing you see. Promising you that is too easy."

I sat on the edge of my chair, close to her bed and began to caress her shoulder with one hand while I held hers in the other.

The gaze she held on me was fighting a war with her body. She was trying to stay awake.

My fingers continued to message any part of her arm I could reach and I started to hum her lullaby, knowing the sound of it, she would succumb to slumber.

Next up - Bella gets to go home... with Edward! If only we were that lucky...

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