Okay, new story…very close to my life. Kind of. I'm humbled by the reviews and responses that this story has already received. A lot of you are begging to know Bella's back story. You'll find out. In time. It will be alternating point of views.

Also, none of this belongs to me. Never will. I just like to play with the characters created by Stephenie Meyer.

Just an FYI – part of this story is similar to my own. The story that you are about to hear is COMPLETELY made up. I've never been placed in a situation like this. If a guy ever raises his hand to me in violence, I'd be out of there faster than a bat out of hell. I do not condone domestic violence and I'm appalled by it. However, James in my story is a sadistic fucker who tried to control every action that Bella took…This chapter will be filled with violence. If you are offended by this, don't read this chapter.

*ANGST WARNING!*

*TISSUE WARNING!*

Chapter Four

BPOV

"You know what? I need to tell someone about it. God knows I'm not getting any better by bottling it up anymore," I said. "My ex-fiancé beat me nearly to death."

Edward sputtered out his water and looked at me with shock. "Excuse me, what?"

"My ex-fiancé beat me nearly to death," I said as I stared at the wood grain of the table. "It's not a pretty story. But for some strange reason I feel like I can talk to you. If you don't want to listen, I'll…"

"No, Bella. Please, I know I was an asshole when we first met but I want to listen," Edward murmured. He reached across the table and took my hand in his, gently rubbing my palm with his thumb.

I took a breath and flipped my hand in his. I pulled up my sleeve of my sweater, showing Edward one of my first scars that I had gotten from James' hand. I had broken my wrist and I needed surgery to get the bones reset. I had a seven-inch long scar from the surgery. "I met James Hunter when I was seventeen years old," I began. "He was a senior at Forks High School. Big man on campus. I was a junior. I was the resident theater geek. The only guys I hung out with were gay and the girls were catty bitches. But, I fit in with them. Not that I'm a catty bitch."

I smiled bitterly at the memory of how James and I met. The waitress had taken that opportunity to make her presence known. I ordered the first thing I saw and another glass of water. Edward did the same; his emerald green eyes never leaving mine.

"So, James," Edward whispered.

"Right, James," I sneered. "He was the captain of the football team. He already a full-ride scholarship to Stanford University for football. He was gorgeous, of course. Short blonde hair with piercing blue eyes. Built like a god. The guys wanted to be him. The girls wanted to fuck him. And did he fuck them.

"But he got bored with the vapid tramps in his class. He turned his attention to me. At first, I was surprised that James Hunter was flirting with me. Me! I was such a nerd. Frizzy brown hair, plain brown eyes, baby fat, the whole nine yards of being the typical nerd. I pretty much ignored him all of first semester. He was relentless, though. He'd buy me flowers. Escort me to class. Tell me how pretty I was. I still didn't believe it. It wasn't until second semester that I finally buckled and agreed to go out with him."

"I'm guessing that he started out all sweet and loving, right?" Edward asked quietly, his face a somber mask.

"Yeah," I sighed. "We dated all through my senior year of high school. It was a long distance relationship but James was determined to make it work. The first time I noticed that he had a mean streak was when he came home unexpectedly one weekend. It was the final weekend of the spring musical, Oliver! I was playing the part of 'Nancy.' James wanted me to go out with him on Saturday night. But it was closing night of the show. I couldn't miss it. They hadn't double cast the part and I told him no. He flew into a rage. He grabbed my wrist so hard that he crushed my bones. When I screamed in agony, he dropped my hand like it was a white-hot poker and he ran out of my dad's place. I pulled it together and performed the show with a broken wrist. I skipped out of the cast party to go to the hospital. The doctor asked me how I got the break and I said that I fell during the production. My surgery was scheduled a month later and I was in a cast for six weeks.

"James came back for his summer vacation in May and he was all contrite, apologizing for his behavior. He went back to the sweet loving guy that I knew before. He escorted me to my prom and in typical clichéd fashion, I gave myself to him on prom night. He said that he loved me and wanted to be with me forever. He apologized as we had sex for his behavior and promised to never do it again. I believed him. I wanted to be with him. He was every girl's dream."

Our meals were delivered and I just picked at my plate. I wasn't really hungry.

"What happened after your senior year?" Edward asked as he finished chewing a bite of his General Tso's Chicken.

"James was perfect all through the summer. Sweet, caring and loving. But, I could see that he was trying to control me. At first, I thought it was sweet. He'd always want to be with me. He never wanted to leave my side. I thought it was because he loved me. Later, I found out that he was just jealous of my friends and relationships outside of ours. My best friend in Forks was a boy named Seth and he was queerer than a three dollar bill. James was jealous of him. He forbade me to spend time with Seth that last month before we left for college. I had gotten my own scholarship to Stanford to get my degree in English. It was torture, not seeing my friend. But, I did it. For James because I loved him.

"The next four years in school were a blur. I was so busy with my studies and being wrapped up with James. My freshman year, I stayed on campus while James had an apartment. By sophomore year, I was moved in with him and we lived in sin, as my dad called it. My father was not happy with my decision to move in with James but I pleaded with him that it was better than the dorms. In a way, it was. In others it wasn't.

"I had to get a part-time job to pay for my portion of the rent. I ended up having to cover a co-worker's shift because she had a sick kid or something. I didn't call James to let him know that I was going to be late. When I got home, James was sitting in a darkened apartment, stewing over my absence. He demanded to know where I was. I told him about my co-worker and he didn't believe me. I rolled my eyes and went into the bathroom. James followed me and slammed me into wall of our apartment. His arm was pressed against my throat and his ice blue eyes were flashing with fire. He was irate." I pushed my plate away and a few tears slipped down my cheeks.

"Bella, do you want to continue?" Edward asked softly.

"I do, but can we go back to my apartment. My medication is making me sleepy and I don't want to run off the road," I murmured. Edward nodded and asked for a few boxes and the check.

"Do you want me to drive you?" Edward questioned.

"No, I should be fine," I whispered. I got up and put on my coat. Edward carried our boxes of food and we walked to our respective cars. "In case you get lost, I live in the Amli Apartments."

"Right," Edward said with a sad grin. "I'll be right behind you, Bella."

I drove on autopilot back to my apartment. I parked my car and waited for Edward to join me at my door. We walked up the three flights of stairs to my place. I let him in, locking the door once we were inside. "Do you want anything to drink?" I asked as I put my coat in the closet, slipping off my shoes.

"Water would be great," Edward replied as he put his coat on the chair in my living room. "Nice apartment."

"Thanks. My dad said that he'd chip in for rent to ensure my safety," I said as I got a couple of glasses of water. "It was way above my price range but he insisted that we get it because of its distance to school and the security." I walked into the living room and sat down on my couch, curling my legs underneath me. Edward sat down on the chair where he put his coat, taking a sip of his water. "Are you sure you want me to continue? You've got to be tired."

"I am but I want to be here for you," he murmured. "This situation with your ex is obviously still weighing heavily on your mind if you can't sleep at night."

"It is," I muttered as I picked at some lint on my pants. "So, James had me pinned against the wall after I got home from work late. I begged him to stop. He pressed further against my neck until I started to black out. He snarled at me that I would never go back to that job again. I needed to be home. For. Him. Cook his meals, clean his home. Be his whore. He said that to me. Then he backhanded me. I fell against the edge of the wall, splitting my forehead open. It's part of the reason why I wear bangs is to cover that scar." I lifted my bags to show the light pink skin near my hairline. "He didn't stop there. He proceeded to punch me in the face until I was unrecognizable. I had to stay at home for nearly two weeks until the bruises faded."

"Why didn't you leave?" Edward asked.

"I did," I murmured. "I moved in with my friend Maggie after James beat the shit out of me. She was in school to be a nurse and could care for my injuries. I stayed with her for the remainder of the school year, ignoring James."

"If he beat the crap out of you, why did you go back?" Edward whispered, his emerald eyes filled with pain.

"Because in my mind, I would never be able to have anyone else," I said in a monotone voice. "James, in addition to hitting me, cut me down. He made me believe that no other guy would want me and I believed him. When I was in front of a classroom or the stage, I was confident and happy. But as soon as I was with James, I became this weak, scared little girl who needed his reassurance.

"After the whole debacle with the wall, I managed to stay away from James for about a year. I had just finished a production of Thoroughly Modern Millie and James had come to one of my performances. He asked if we could go out for coffee. I was hesitant but agreed to do so. Maggie made me promise her that if anything happened, I'd call the police. We sat down in the coffee shop and James proceeded to tell me that he had enrolled in anger management classes and been seeing a therapist for the past year. His anger had stemmed from his childhood. His father used to smack around his mother and he thought that was appropriate behavior. I listened to him explain his pains from his childhood. I felt sorry for him. No child should see their mother get the shit kicked out her by her father, you know?"

"Definitely not," Edward said as he got up and sat next to me. "I was lucky to have two parents who loved me and my brother very much. Their love for each other is all encompassing. It's rare to see it. Even rarer to find it."

"I came from a broken home. My parents got divorced when I was a little older than Emma. I moved to Phoenix with my mom while my dad stayed in Forks. Eventually, I moved back with my dad when I was a freshman in high school since my mom, the eternal child, found a younger man and wanted to travel the globe with him. It worked out, really. I'm more like my father than her anyway. While my parents' marriage ended, it was never violent. It just fizzled. There was no spark between the two of them. My mom was too flighty and my dad was as solid as a rock, you know? Opposites attract and all that jazz, but they don't stay together. It was amicable split. They're still friends. Charlie, my father, even stood up for my mom's wedding as a groomsman. Talk about weird."

"I don't even have the words," Edward chuckled as he mirrored my stance on the couch, tucking his long leg underneath his body. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes before putting them into his hair. "If Newton asks me to stand up for his wedding to my ex-wife, I'd probably laugh in his face. Loudly. Huge snorting laughs. Then I'd pity him. God knows that Jessica would suck him dry. Bitch."

"Yeah, she is," I said. "What did you ever see in her? You seem so…normal. A bit moody but not like her."

"We met in college. We were both young and into having fun. A semester relationship turned into a broken marriage," Edward shrugged. "I loved her more than she loved me. God knows that she doesn't love Emma."

"How could you not love Emma?" I mused. "She's such a sweet little girl. Very smart, too. Even though she was sick, she prattled on about this book that you and she have been reading, The Hunger Games. I haven't read it but after her rousing review, I'm picking it up."

"She's already begging me to buy the next book in the series so we can continue without interruptions," Edward laughed. "I already have the rest of the series and a few other books for her. She's quite smart, my sweet angel."

"She is an angel, Edward. You're so blessed to have her," I murmured as I ran my hand over my flat belly. Fucking James. I hate him…

"I'm guessing that James did something that…" Edward began, his eyes falling to my couch.

"Yes, he did. Like a fool, I took him back. Maggie pretty much disowned me after that. However, I made it clear to James that I was going to have my own place and we were not living together once we got back together. He seemed okay with the notion. My guess was that he was probably seeing some other girls on the side and he needed his place to have his booty calls. I didn't want to fall back into old habits. He needed to woo me before I would have sex with him again. He needed to regain my trust.

"He was back to the perfectly sweet boyfriend I knew from high school. He graduated from Stanford with a degree in business. He was hired by a lucrative company near Palo Alto. I did my student teaching for my classes and we were the nauseatingly cute couple. I finished my senior year and got a teaching job at a high school about forty-five minutes from the university. By that time, James and I had become intimate again. However, he was insistent that I go on the pill. I didn't understand why. I just asked him if he could just wear a condom but he explained that he wanted to feel all of me. I made an appointment with my gynecologist and was on the pill by Thanksgiving.

"James had moved out of his apartment and had a small townhouse near his job. He had begged me to move back in with him but I was still hesitant to do so. I preferred having my own place. I liked sleeping in my own bed. I also was gun-shy after the last time we lived together, you know? I didn't want a repeat performance.

"For Christmas, James and I traveled back home to Forks to visit our families. I had gotten pretty sick and had to be put on antibiotics while I was home. I was nearly done with my medication on New Year's Eve when James took me the Space Needle for a fancy dinner. Little did I know that while we were at Sky City, James was planning on proposing to me. He got down on one knee saying that he loved me and wanted to be my 'happily ever after.' I squealed and said that I would marry him. Our lips touched when the fireworks over Puget Sound began going off, indicating the new year had passed. James had arranged for a room at the Fairmont Olympic in Seattle. We made love all night long, celebrating our engagement."

I chugged down my water, pulling my legs up to my chest. "That night, the night I got engaged, I got pregnant," I whispered. "The antibiotics rendered my birth control pill ineffective."

Edward reached for my hand and took it in his. He gently ran his thumb over my knuckles as he comforted me as much as I would let him. I was still curled in a ball. A few tears fell down my cheeks. "I was feeling lousy around the middle of February. I thought it was the stomach flu. Throwing up all of the time. Lethargic. Emotional. I'm not usually emotional. I tend to keep things to myself. Stew in silence. But, I cried at the drop of a hat. I had also auditioned for the touring company of Legally Blonde when all of this went down. My friend from work, a fellow teacher, suggested that I may be pregnant. I scoffed at the idea, proclaiming that I was on the pill. I had been religiously taking it since I started in November. Then, Tia, my friend, asked if I had been on antibiotics. I paled and nodded. During lunch we went to the drug store and bought one of each test. I peed on all of the sticks and they were all positive.

"James never wanted children. He thinks that they are vermin. Parasites, leeching off their parents. I panicked when I saw the results on the tests. He would flip out. I kept it a secret as long as I could. It was nearly the end of April when James noticed that I was wearing larger clothes and refusing to make love with him."

"Were you living together?" Edward asked as he moved closer to me.

"No. I still had my own apartment. My lease wasn't up until June and it was wicked expensive to get out of it," I answered. "I had just spent the night at James' townhome and he made some comment that I was getting fat. I blushed and plucked at my oversized fleece. Apparently it laid on my belly wrong and James exploded in a roar of expletives. He grabbed me by the hair…

"You fucking bitch! You're pregnant!" James yelled.

"It happened when you proposed. I was on antibiotics and it made my pills ineffective," I sputtered, trying to pull his hand away from my head.

"Can't be mine, you whore," James seethed. "It is not mine and you are going to make that problem go away."

"No!" I screamed. "This is my baby and I'm not going to make it go away. I refuse to have an abortion."

James reared back and punched me in the stomach. Hard. I fell forward onto my hands and knees. "If you won't get an abortion from a doctor than we'll just have to move things along, won't we?" he snarled. He kicked me with his steel-toed boot. Then he picked me up and smacked my face with his hands. "Fucking whore. You're nothing but a worthless cunt. Spread your legs for anybody and now you're carrying some random asshole's child."

"James, stop, please," I sobbed.

"Nope. You made one too many mistakes, Isabella," James said in an eerily calm voice. He moved us to the top of the stairs. "Have a nice fall, Isabella." He pushed me down the stairs and I tumbled down the steep steps of his townhouse. My insides were ripped from the inside and I was in agony. I reached the bottom of the stairs. James ran down the steps and moved over me.

"James…"I whimpered. "Don't…"

He came back in carrying an aluminum baseball bat. I tried in vain to scramble up. James swung the bat with all his might and he hit the wall right above my head. I managed to sit up and I felt warmth between my legs. My baby…I covered my stomach with my hands and prayed that I'd survive long enough for my baby to live.

James used the bat and he hit my belly multiple times. He then smiled sadistically before the bat made contact with my head. I fell against the wall, blackness overwhelming me.

"Holy mother fucking shit," Edward murmured.

I nodded and pulled my hand from his, burying my face in knees. Sobs ripped through my body. I felt Edward's arms wrap around me and he pulled me into his lap as I cried. I clung to his shirt as I finally let go all of those years of repressed anger, sadness and depression.

I don't know how long we sat there but for the first time since all of the bullshit with James, I felt safe.

"I'm so sorry, Bella," Edward whispered against my hair. "When did that happen?"

"Three years ago. I woke up in a hospital four months after it happened with a flat tummy and no real recollection of what had happened," I muttered. "A neighbor found me in the townhouse when James fled the scene. I obviously lost the baby and had some serious injuries. I moved back home to Forks with my father. I had to relearn everything and a year after my attack, I was able to get back into teaching. I was hired on at Forks High School as one of the English teachers. I stayed there for two years but I needed to leave. For two reasons…one, each hallway reminded me of my relationship with James and two, I needed a fresh start."

"What happened to James? Please tell me he's rotting in jail," Edward growled.

"He's rotting in jail," I answered. "But he didn't get the full sentence. There was some loophole that his attorney found and James can get out in four years or so. He killed his unborn child and nearly bludgeoned me to death. He gets out in seven fucking years. What a crock of shit."

I tried to scramble off Edward's lap but he held me to his body. I didn't fight him. I just melted against him. I put my head against his shoulder. Tears fell down my cheeks. "I'm so afraid, Edward. So lonely. So broken," I mumbled sleepily.

"Let me fix you," he said as I faded in and out of conscious.

"Okay," I sighed as sleep overcame me.

xx FLTM xx

I woke up in my bed and I wasn't screaming. I looked at my clock and saw that it was just after six in the morning. Holding me to his body was Edward, protecting me. His grip was like a vice around my waist. I looked up at him and saw his face. It was stained with tears and he looked like he was in as much pain as I felt over the past three years.

"Edward?" I asked, my voice rough from crying and sleep.

His eyes blinked and he looked down at me. "Hi," he smiled crookedly.

"You didn't need to stay," I said, a blush covering my cheeks.

"I kind of did. When I carried you to your bed, you wouldn't let go of my shirt," he teased. "I've been told that I'm a pretty comfy pillow."

"If you think rocks are comfy," I snorted.

"That's me…rock solid," he smirked. "It was the one thing I could control after my marriage spiraled out of control. Working out. I became a tad obsessed."

"You probably need to head back to your place to change and such, right?" I asked.

"I do. I wasn't planning on spending the night but honestly it's the best night's sleep I'd had in awhile," he sighed.

"It was the first night that I haven't woken up screaming," I sniffled, idly playing with the button of his dress shirt. "You're the first person that I've spoken to about this besides my therapist. Or my dad."

"Thank you for trusting me, Bella," Edward said softly. "I don't know what I did to earn that trust but I'm thankful for it. I do have a question for you, though…"

"What?"

"Are you fully healed? I mean, from your injuries?" Edward asked, a blush covering his own pale skin.

"The medication that I take at night is an anti-anxiety pill. It helps me sleep. In the morning, I have to take an anti-seizure medication, just in case. But, I get killer headaches because of the blow to the head. Children might be troublesome because of the damage done to my uterus. I can get pregnant but carrying a child to term might be the challenge. I'm still trying to come to grips with that. I've always wanted a large family since I was an only child of only children."

Edward tightened his gentle hold on me and kissed my forehead softly. "I'm so sorry, Bella," he said against my hair. I hesitantly wrapped my arms around his waist and cuddled into his side. We lay there for some time until Edward's cell phone vibrated. He pulled it out and furrowed his brow. "It's the school district."

My house phone began ringing as well. I reached over and picked up the receiver.

"This is Tom Sanchez, Director of Community Relations of Springview Community School District 101. School has been canceled today due to an ice storm that passed through the city during the night. All school activities, after school activities and activities held at school buildings have been canceled. Further information regarding activities occurring over the weekend will be coming in a separate communiqué. Thank you and have a great day."

"No school," I said.

Edward got up from my bed and he walked to my balcony door. "And this is why," he smirked. "Look at that. It's like a ice wonderland."

"I wouldn't even know how to drive in that," I snickered.

"I do and I don't want to drive in that," Edward snorted.

"Then, stay," I said, looking up at him. "I would hate for you to try and drive home and crash into a tree or something."

"I think I will. I have some clothes in the car," Edward explained. "Workout clothes, but at least I can get out of my clothes from yesterday. We can get to know each other and finalize our plans for Legally Blonde?"

"Edward, you pretty much know my entire life story," I said, arching a brow.

"You're more than what happened with James. Just like I'm more than my relationship with Jessica," Edward explained. "I want to know you, Bella. Please?"

I smiled and nodded, looking up into his green eyes. "Edward, thank you for listening," I said. "And for comforting me."

"I'd do it again in a heartbeat," he said as he gently caressed my cheek with his fingertips.

Please do. I need you, Edward. Fix me. Make me whole…

A/N: I warned you…just saying. Up next will be the Madrigal dinner and Edward possibly getting the balls to ask out our favorite girl. Okay, he will ask her out but will she say yes? Also, just to let you know, James is in jail but won't be in for the whole story. There needs to be some drama. He was sentenced but will come back to wreak havoc on Bella and Edward. Anyhoo…reviews are better than Edward comforting you while you're crying. Leave me some, please!