A/N: There's a definite warning for this chapter. I did warn you in the beginning that there's some pretty heavy stuff in this story. I don't want complaints because again, I did warn you guys.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

Whiles Bella was sleeping soundly, he had picked her up and trudged his way back to the house in the early morning frost. It was strictly for Emmett's benefit. Edward knew that Emmett and Charlie had probably already been informed about the break-in. Emmett would probably immediately seek Bella's presence as soon as he had the opportunity.

He stood in the hallway between his room and Bella's, for what seemed like hours when it had in fact only been mere seconds. He couldn't decide on where he should let her continue her rest. He knew that if he put her in his room, Emmett would quite possibly pummel him for not asking his permission first.

Edward shook his head at his thoughts before he turned into Bella's bedroom and set her down on the bed. Her fingers were insistent and unyielding as she clutched the front of his shirt in her fist. He stretched his shirt out as he grasped her wrist lightly and kissed her fingers until she released his hold on him.

Once again, he found himself on her couch. He turned his head to look at where she was restlessly turning in her sleep. He hated watching her writhe around as if she was being tortured by her dreams—nightmares. If he could, he knew that he would fight her nightmares off, no matter how ridiculous or perilous her minds subconscious adventures would be.

His ears perked up in a strangely feline manner when he heard a noise coming from the hallway. He heard quick jerking footsteps before Bella's bedroom door was being shoved open. A large, heavily breathing figure pushed through the doorway to Bella's bedside.

Edward had already stood—his legs spread apart and his shoulder's broad. He resisted the urge to crouch low in front of her in an animalistic, protective way. His mind wandered for a brief moment as he wondered why he would even think of resorting to something so feral in order to protect what was his from her brother.

Emmett kneeled on the floor beside her and flicked on the lamp on the nightstand. The low watt light bulb casted an eerie yellow glow over everything—creating shadows that looked more like monsters than furniture.

Edward maintained his poised position—disbelieving in the fact that he was willing to rabidly attack the armoire for the sake of her safety.

He mentally scoffed at himself. For so long he had prevented anyone from knowing and seeing the lengths he would go to, to keep someone safe. Now, looking at Bella asleep and unaware of her brothers absolute devotion to her, he realized that his overbearing protectiveness might drive her insane.

She was an exceptionally naïve girl. She probably didn't realize that by saying those two words…those one syllable words…a small command with the heaviest of implications…'Kiss me', she had already signed her death certificate with her last name as 'Cullen'.

Unfortunately for Edward, he couldn't really be sure of his assumptions about her naivety. She had already proven more than once that she was an intelligent girl. The only problem was that she had no idea how to use her intelligence to keep herself safe.

When Emmett had told them about the first night…the night Bella's truck's tires were slashed, he could hardly believe that she would be stupid enough to walk through a dark parking lot…at night…alone. A million different scenarios had flooded through his mind at once of all of the varying possibilities that would've only required one or two seconds of changes.

If Emmett had sneaked up on her just a minute later…she probably wouldn't even be alive.

Edward rubbed his eyes tiredly. We are watching way too much 'Law and Order', his subconscious said as it tapped its foot and crossed its arms over its chest.

Edward opened his eyes and watched Emmett lovingly stroke Bella's cheek. From his place by the footboard, he could see that Emmett's hands were shaking almost as if he was having a seizure. After whispering silent words into Bella's ear, he stood up on trembling legs.

"It almost happened again," he said.

He was leaning against the hallway wall with his knees pulled up to his chest. Edward was leaning against the wall opposite him with his arms folded over his chest.

"Emmett…stop," Edward warned tiredly. He didn't want to deal with Emmett's undeserving self-loathing. Emmett was the model brother—almost fatherly in his concerns, although his advice was definitely meant for the younger generation.

Emmett shook his head and buried his face between his knees. Edward turned to look towards the stairs where a small head emerged from the lower steps.

Alice had wiped all of her makeup off and pulled her hair into two loose ponytails situated on either side of her head. Edward smiled at her. She had adopted Bella's habit of wearing her brother's clothes.

The day after laundry day was always the worst. Something would be missing from his closet that he would find Alice wearing or clutching to her chest as she slept.

Again, there was just something about being someone's little sister that made both Bella and Alice feel protected by their older brothers' mere scent. She smiled softly. "She's gonna be fine—"

"No! She's not," Emmett interrupted. He shook his head and spoke in a thick voice. He leaned his head back so that it thumped heavily against the wall. He did it three more times until Edward was yelling for him to stop.

Emmett glared at him. "If you are really thinking about starting a relationship with my sister…there are some…things…you need to know."

Edward swallowed thickly. "What kind of things?" he asked nervously as he slid down the wall to sit across from Emmett. Alice sat down too—not caring in the least that the hardwood floors were freezing cold.

Alice looked on with curious eyes.

Emmett rubbed his eyes and pounded his head with his fist twice before groaning and then sighing. He looked Edward in the eye. "Bad things," he whispered.

Edward nodded and looked down at the cracks on the floor. He clenched his fist and ground his teeth together. "Who hurt her? And how painful should their death be?" He asked.

Emmett scoffed thinking that Edward was joking. But upon seeing the dead serious expression of total devotion and absolute determination on Edward's face…Emmett realized that Edward was making a serious threat.

Emmett weighed his options.

If Edward never found out what had happened, Bella might never get the revenge she deserved. But…Edward was rich. His father owned a prestigious body guard agency in Seattle that had their own private investigator. Edward could very easily find people. Edward had the resources and the money to kill someone and cover it up.

Emmett flicked his head to the side to crack his neck. "Uh…last year…we came to Forks after Renee," he sneered her name, "our mother, kicked Bella out of the house." He ran his hands over his face tiredly.

"Why would she…" Edward trailed off.

Emmett shrugged despite his discomfort. He felt as if he was going behind Bella's back in telling Edward everything. But he also knew that Bella herself would never be able or willing to relive all the details. "Our mom had…gotten married to some…fucking dead-beat." Emmett swiped a hand over his face. His eyes were red rimmed already as he remembered the day his world came crashing down on him. His sense of security had been lost that day. The realization that sick disgusting perverted people were out there…living...had made him vomit on quite a few occasions.

It was a sunny afternoon as Emmett trudge his way down the burning sidewalk to his house. He could see a thick layer of haze that covered the horizon—making cactuses and distant sandy hills fade into one messy blob of heat.

He swiped at his forehead with the back of his hand. The layer of sweat he wiped off was replaced within seconds. He dribbled the basketball—carefully keeping it away from the cracks in the sidewalk so that it wouldn't ricochet onto the street.

The palm trees were perfectly still because of the lack of wind. Somehow, an eerie air crept about him…chilling him to the bone.

As soon as his orange, adobe style house moved into his line of sight, he forgot the bad feeling and he sprinted towards it, knowing that sweet iced tea and air conditioning would be awaiting him.

As soon as he bounded up the porch steps and entered the house, the bad feeling returned full force. The sound of breaking glass called his attention to the second floor of his house. He quickly bounded up the stairs with heavy footsteps.

Upon hearing more indistinct sounds he shoved his way into Bella's bedroom.

He sighed and swallowed thickly. "My step-father is a sick fuck that deserves to die…" Emmett ended his statement with a jutted out chin and eerily calm eyes.

"Oh god," Alice gasped. "He didn't…" she paused before whispering, "rape her…"

"Alice!" Edward snarled.

She flinched and looked back into the murderous gaze of her brother. She looked down. "I had to ask, Edward."

He was already on his feet pacing around like a caged animal. "What did he do?" he demanded Emmett.

"He punished her," Emmett scoffed as he remembered his mother's words.

"Something has to be done about her, Emmett," his mother chastised. "Ever since I found happiness in Phil, her grades have been slipping, she stopped eating…she wants attention." His mother rolled her eyes as he kept the sneer on his face perfectly intact.

Bella was cowering in his room.

After he had pushed into her room a terrifying sight greeted him before blackened rage filled his eyes with blood and he launched himself at the man hovering over his sister.

Phil was in the kitchen sitting with an ice pack to his face.

"She doesn't fucking want attention," Emmett snarled.

Phil stormed into the room. "You will not speak to your mother in that tone," he warned.

"Or what?" Emmett challenged. Phil's face twisted in anger but he stepped back…not wanting a repeat of what had happened upstairs. "Why didn't you tell me about these punishments?" Emmett demanded.

"They were none of your business," his mother stated matter of factly. "She needed to be punished."

"What he did to her…" Emmett trailed off as his voice grew louder and inconceivable anger twisted his insides up painfully. "…that's not fucking punishment…that's abuse."

His mother rolled her eyes. "He only ever hits her when she's too much for me to handle."

"He wasn't hitting her!" Emmett roared as he took deliberate and threatening steps towards his mother. Her eyes widened but she stayed her ground with curiosity.

"Then what was he doing?" she asked—bored.

"He was trying to shove his dick into her mouth!" Emmett snarled as his lips curled over his teeth and his hands clenched into hard fists. "How many times? How long has this been going on?" Emmett demanded.

Renee's eyes had hardened. She shook her head in dismay. "I've raised her well enough…I don't know how she turned into a slut," she said.

Emmett growled and extended a hand out—slapping her so hard across the face she fell to the floor. Phil rushed to her side but Emmett pulled him up by his collar. "What else have you done to her?" He growled as he pushed his fist into his stomach.

Phil merely shook his head. "That was the first time I tried anything, I swear," he cowered.

"If I ask her and she's tells me anything different, I'll fucking end you," Emmett growled. He released Phil.

Renee stood up unsteadily. "I want her out of my house…she's trying to ruin my marriage by seducing my husband," Renee smoothed her hair back only to be sprawled out on the floor once more when Emmett slapped her other cheek.

"What do you mean by…'punished her'?" Alice asked in a shaky voice. She too had risen to her feet and paced in front of Bella's bedroom door.

"He would hit her…" Emmett's voice faltered. "That last day…he was trying to put his…" he gasped and wiped at his eyes. "He tried to make her…" he paused again, unable to think of a way to say it.

"If you fucking say it…I'll kill him myself," Edward warned. Edward didn't want to know. All he needed to know that it was depraved enough for Emmett to be unable to say it out loud.

Emmett looked up at him. "He tried to put his dick in her mouth," Emmett stated.

Edward let out a roar. "And your mother let him?" he growled as he stalked off towards the stairs. "I'll fucking kill them both," he promised as he made his way to his father's study.

He had a few phone calls to make.

"Why'd you tell him?" Alice demanded with tears in her eyes. "You knew he would react this way…" her voice trailed off in realization.

Emmett stood up silently. "And now, two very sick people are going to turn up dead…and my sister will stop having nightmares about him." Emmett stormed down the stairs, ready to follow Edward and help him find Renee and Phil.

Alice watched as he disappeared down the stairs. She huffed and turned to go into Bella's room. When she opened the door Bella was standing right there—having heard everything that just happened.

Her eyes were watery and downcast. "Bella?"

"I don't want them dead Alice," Bella whispered.

Alice bit her lip contemplatively. "They're going to end up that way one way or another, Bella," she said.

Bella looked down at her feet. "I know."

OoO

Emmett paced back and forth as he supplied Edward with all of Renee and Phil's information. The P.I. seemed sketchy…as well as determined to be referred to as Jenks, not Mr. Jenks.

Edward hung up the phone and looked at the large grandfather clock ticking away in the corner of the room. It was already past three in the morning. "We should get some sleep," Edward said.

Emmett nodded but looked distracted. "When will this Jenks guy get back to you?" Emmett asked.

Edward shrugged. "Could be tomorrow or a week…I'm not sure."

They were both distracted. It could've been the anticipation and the need to protect Bella or it could just be the fatigue that came along with the man and woman stalking Bella.

The fact that there was absolutely no sign of them was extremely disconcerting.

They made their way to Bella's room.

She was sitting on the window sill staring out with blank eyes. Alice was leaning against the wall opposite—gnawing on her thumbnail with worried eyes. Alice's eyes held a silent warning when she turned to them to acknowledge their presence.

It was as if a switch had been flipped and before long Bella's eyes were trained on both Edward and Emmett. Her gaze shifted between the two as if she were a trapped animal preparing for an attack it knew it wouldn't survive.

She couldn't fight them and she knew it. She was certain that she would end up burying herself in her brother's chest or falling into Edward's arms to eagerly reach his lips.

Ignoring any sense of self-preservation she kept hidden away for special occasions, her gaze settled on Emmett. It was eerily calm yet fiery and toxic. "You had no right," she forced through her clenched teeth.

Emmett looked down. "He has a right to know," he said, motioning to Edward as he stepped forward.

"I didn't want him to," Bella said as she too looked away.

Edward glared at Bella. "Why would you want to keep something like that from me?" he growled.

Her eyes flashed to his. "It's none of your business," she said.

"It's none of my…It's none of my business?" Edward said incredulously with a jeering undertone to his words.

Bella pressed her lips together but stood her ground. She nodded before enunciating it once more. "None of your business," she reiterated.

"It is my fucking business!" He yelled.

She backed away from him slightly—one meager step backward that showed just how much she was affected by what had happened in Phoenix.

The only sounds in the room were Edward's heavy breaths and the sticky sound of Emmett clenching and unclenching his sweaty hands. Bella's eyes were trained on the ground and her eyebrows had pulled together like they usually did when she was lost in thought.

"Enough," Alice said softly as she looked between the three of them.

She turned to Emmett. "You had no right to tell Edward, Bella's secret." Emmett opened his mouth to defend his actions but stopped himself when Alice gave him a hard glare.

Alice turned to Edward. "Don't yell," she warned. Edward looked away—ashamed.

Bella had drifted from her reverie and stared into Alice's green eyes as she waited for what Alice would say to her. Alice's gaze was impenetrable. "Stop being afraid," Alice pleaded in the most even voice she could muster.

Alice sniffled and sighed deeply. "We all need sleep," she reasoned before turning to walk out the door.

Emmett stared at his sister before turning and leaving. His footsteps were angry yet his heart was heavy with remorse.

He knew it was wrong to make her think that he was angry with her but he couldn't help it. He had told Edward for Bella's benefit. Or your own, his subconscious whispered deviously.

Emmett paused on the staircase as he pondered that thought. For so long he had felt the constant lump in his throat that even his new found love in Rosalie couldn't get rid of. He knew that the only way the choking feeling would leave him was if the source of his sister's anguish was gone from this earth forever.

Emmett, in his own clumsy and misguided way, thought that if Renee and Phil were gone, his sister would feel relief as well. He didn't realize the shame Bella felt for what Phil had tried to do to her. Emmett was a man who rarely showed feelings except in front of his sister. Rosalie had already grown used to his coldness. She herself wasn't the most heartwarming person.

He wasn't someone that understood emotions or even acknowledged them except when it came to Bella. He had an especially soft spot for her. She was his weakness.

Most people would argue that your soul mate should be the key to your ultimate downfall, but for Emmett, that just couldn't happen. If Rosalie were to be taken away from him, he would fight to the end for her. He would do unspeakable things to make sure she was returned to him unharmed.

But if Bella were to be taken from him…he would crumble. He would break into a million pieces and nothing would fix him until she was back in his arms—burying her face in his chest like she had done thousands of times; making fun of his cumbersome form trying to accomplish the simplest of tasks, like putting his shoes on without sitting down.

He sighed and continued on his way, down to the guest room on the first floor where he would call Rosalie despite the late hour and assure her of Bella's safety.

In the mean time, Bella's room had become thick with tension. Edward's eyes held a steady glare as he looked at her. She stared back with an equally intense glare.

In frustration, he grabbed his hair in his hands and spun around, walking out her door and slamming it behind him heatedly.

She pursed her lips and made her way to her bed. She pushed herself beneath the covers before turning to switch the lamp off. She laid in the darkness and pondered how quickly everything had changed.

Just a few hours earlier, she had shared her first kiss with the beautiful brooding boy that teased her endlessly. Now, he wasn't even speaking to her. She wondered if he felt disgusted by the fact that she had almost been tainted by a perverted old man. She wondered if he was only threatening to kill Renee and Phil for Emmett's benefit.

Emmett was after all, one of Edward's best friends.

Maybe it was all just a cruel joke. Maybe he didn't care for her at all. Maybe he just wanted to know how it would feel to kiss her chapped lips. Would it feel different than the smooth, sticky, glossed lips of all the eager girls that went to their school?

Her breath quickened as her mind ran rampant.

She turned on her side and watched as the numbers on the alarm clock changed. Soon, an hour had passed and she barely even remembered blinking. She heard movement outside her door but ignored it. A soft creaking was heard as her door opened. A dark shadow spread across the floor as someone stood in the doorway. She didn't dare move, wondering if it was her stalker coming to take her.

She didn't care if he did. It wouldn't matter to her as long as she didn't have Edward. Without him, her freedom wasn't even something she cared for.

The door shut softly behind the figure and an electrical field took over the room. Her heart quickened as she felt the figure closing in on her. His muscled body pressed against her as he squirmed beneath the sheets so that he was lying beside her. He turned so that his leg was between hers and his torso was flush against her. He wrapped his arms around her back and lowered his head onto her chest.

He had returned once he thought she was asleep; knowing that he couldn't leave everything like it was. He drifted into sleep easily as he listened to the forced even pacing of her breaths.

As his arms continued to tighten around her, all of her previous thoughts flew away. There was no way she would ever question him again. He did care for her. She tried not to let herself hope. She tried not to agonize over what it could mean. But the thought slid effortlessly into her mind anyways.

Maybe he loves you.

A/N: Review please.