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There will be one more chapter each for ODP and OSotD. Then I will post an epilogue under Open Door Policy…since it has more alerts. Thanks so much for sticking with this story. I heart you all!

Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer. I just borrow her characters.

"Bam!" was all I heard, triggering me to pull away from Bella's lips. My eyes were squeezed tightly and my body was stiff, bracing myself for the next blow...which I was fairly certain would strike my face. Surprisingly, nothing came. Slowly I opened each eye to find my brother stepping from foot to foot, clenching and unclenching his fists. He appeared to be in the midst of some sort of internal struggle. He was visibly agitated... he was looking at me...and I was pretty sure I knew what he was agitated about . Again, I was amazed not to be wearing his knuckle prints on my face.

"What the fuck?!" he boomed. His eyes glared form me to Bella and back to me. I continued to brace myself for his next blow.

We stood there, the four of us, in a kind of silence that could only precede a storm; the rhythm of our breathing was the only sound.

Rosalie ended the silence. "Emmett Cullen, if you so much as raise your voice again...let alone your fist, you can leave my home and never ever return."

You should've seen my brother's face as he froze in response to her words.

"I am serious!" she added.

I couldn't believe how his entire persona seemed to change right before our eyes. My eyes darted to Bella who appeared equally as stunned I felt. Seeing her standing there, her mouth slightly agape… her brow sadly furrowed, filled me with a need to beat the hell out of my brother for ever having made her feel that way. Nobody that I knew of had ever had that sort of control over Emmett, other than maybe our mom. So, this was an Emmett very foreign to me.

Reminiscent of a small child, Emmett whined to Rose. "She didn't have to flaunt kissing him in my face. Does she think I've been blind?"

His words hit me like a thunderbolt. Fuck! Emmett knew…or suspected…something. I couldn't believe that my brother assumed there were feelings between me and his wife...yet he left me at the house with her. I was shocked he hadn't tried to kick my ass right there in the street after I'd loaded his car for him. That would have been just Emmett's style.

Unsure how long I'd been lost in thought, I was brought back to reality when Rosalie mentioned my name. I immediately turned to Bella who was watching me intently. "You okay?" I asked. She nodded. Rose grasped my arm and announced that we were going to Starbucks.

What the hell? I didn't want fucking coffee. I needed to stay and protect Bella!

The thought made my heart jump for a number of reasons. I wasn't worried that my brother might hurt her physically. Emmett would never strike a woman. My father had instilled in us a strict code of conduct regarding women from the time we were young boys. But to abuse her verbally or emotionally was another story.

I watched Bella's face for a clue to what she was thinking. I didn't know if it was my place to jump in with my opinion. This really was her situation to deal with. And I still wasn't completely sure what my role might be in her future...or if I'd have one at all. I hoped that the passion I felt in her kiss was really for me and not just about making Emmett jealous.

I looked into Bella's eyes and she squeezed my hand. I wanted to hug her, to tell her I'd be waiting for her when she was done and that everything would be okay. More than anything, I wanted to kiss away the wrinkle from her forehead, nibble away the frown from her lips. But I didn't. I just glared at Emmett. If she came back to me anything less than perfect, he was going to pay.

I glanced back at them repeatedly as Rosalie led me to the elevator. I could not keep my eyes from darting back to Bella…her face… her posture. Her sadness consumed me. Our entire journey down the block, I fought the need to run back…grab her hand and drag her away from him.

I sat in the corner booth at Starbucks wondering what the hell I was doing there. I wasn't exactly in the mood for coffee. I'd gone against every instinct I'd had to stay with Bella. Long ago, I had followed someone else's advice and it allowed him the opportunity to marry the girl I loved.

Digging my fingernails into the fleshy parts of my hands, I second guessed my leaving. I was dying to know what was happening in Rosalie's building.

"Here ya go" Rosalie handed me a tall cup of black coffee and sat on the other side of the booth. She smiled faintly as she sipped something that looked more like a milkshake than a cup of coffee.

"How can you just sit there, so calmly?" I asked.

"I didn't realize I was." She said. "No point in becoming a neurotic mess. What will be, will be."

"What do you think…will be?"

"I really don't know. I do know that if I were in Bella's shoes, I'd never trust my husband again. Anytime he ever left the house, I'd have to wonder where he was going."

I exhaled slowly in an attempt to relax. "You're probably right."

"But that doesn't mean I'd easily give upon the vows I made before God, either."

My fingers dug deeper into my flesh. "That, I didn't need to hear."

"Edward, you and I have waited a long time to be with the people we love. Being patient a little longer is not going to kill either of us."

I watched Rosalie Hale, in her little pink sweater and pearls, sipping her fluffy coffee. She wore a look of serenity I would never understand.

"And what about you? Will you ever trust Emmett?"

She smiled wryly and her eyes wandered the room as she spoke, thinking back. "I've always trusted Emmett. I can't explain it, but I have. I don't understand why he left me for Bella. And I was hurt and angry when it happened. There was even a time that I hated him for the choices he'd made. But I grew to realize it had to be more than what I saw. Emmett's eyes when he looked at me told me that. He always wore a look of longing and sadness that I couldn't understand." She patted the top of my hand on the table. "But I've always believed that this was somehow God's plan for me and someday it'd all make sense. And I can't help but feel that I'm closer to that point now than I've ever been."

I knew exactly what Rosalie was referring to. I'd overheard the story when Emmett had shared the details with Bella. I could have told her, I could have shed light on the whole ugly mess. But it involved her mother, which wouldn't make it easy for her to hear. Plus it wasn't my place or my story to tell. I did feel bad keeping it from her, especially after she'd been so open and honest with me.

Seconds turned to minutes, minutes became hours. I'd long finished my coffee and had been checking my watch every five minutes for the past three hours. I, once again, adjusted the volume on my cell phone and checked my missed calls. I was pacing; my legs numb from sitting so long.

Rosalie was smiling, checking her lipstick in her compact. She'd already balanced her checkbook, filed her nails and read a magazine and had moved on to cleaning out her purse.

I wished I'd had her patience and her optimism. But, I didn't. Not where Bella was concerned, anyway. Not today. I knew I had no right to be impatient or to have any expectations at all, but I'd hit the point where I was beyond reason.

I began picking up the items from Rosalie's purse that were now spread all over the table and tossed them back into her bag.

"Hey, I wasn't done reorganizing." She snapped.

"This is ridiculous! We're going back to your place, and we're going now!"

I grabbed Rose's arm and led her out the door and down the block. She muttered words of objection behind me, but I ignored them. I HAD to know what was happening.

As we approached the building, I noticed Emmett's truck was gone. My heart sank and I became even more concerned for Bella. Perhaps I'd underestimated my brother. Perhaps I didn't know what he was capable of. Perhaps he'd done something to hurt her.

Rosalie was humming as she pressed the button for the elevator. Too impatient to wait, I headed for the stairs. Taking them two at a time I arrived at Rose's floor several moments before she stepped out of the elevator doors.

I was pounding on her door, shouting Bella's name. No answer.

Fumbling in her purse for her keys, Rosalie stepped quickly to open the door. I wasn't sure if Rose was just responding to my desperation, or if she had grown concerned herself. Once inside, we each hurried to different rooms in the house. There was no sign of anyone. Thankfully, there was also no sign of any sort of struggle.

Rosalie took to the phone, making calls and asking for Emmett.

I left her there, angry that I'd ever followed her from that building. Digging the keys from my pocket, I made a dash for Bella's car. I retraced our route from earlier, heading toward her house. There was no sign of Bella or Emmett. Everything was just as we'd left it.

I called Alice but she'd not heard from Bella either. She was meeting Whitlock at the bar for the night and promised to call if Bella made an appearance there. In return, I vowed to let her know as soon as I found her cousin.

I was speeding as I drove the 6 blocks to my parent's house. I figured it was a long shot, but what the hell. I turned onto the street and I spied Emmett's truck in front of the house. 'Bella had better be with him' , I thought as I sprinted up the walk and threw open the front door to the living room. Nobody. Shit!

Slowly, I moved to the dining room. I could hear low, muffled sounds coming from inside. My hand trembled as I pushed open the door. I found my father sitting in his chair at the head of the table, visibly distressed. One hand was palm down, flat on the table. The other had a death grip on the bridge of his nose. His eyes may have been closed, I couldn't tell. Carlisle Cullen was usually a man not easily shaken. Seeing him sitting there like that caused bile to rise up and burn in my throat.

Next to him at the table was Emmett. My brother was straddling the back of the dining room chair, facing away from my father. His head was in his hands, and his whole body was jerking and shaking emphatically. Every now and then he emitted a low, guttural moan.

"Where is she?!" I shouted.

Neither man said a word. My father looked at Emmett.

I stiffened, fear making my body cold, and I started for my brother.

"Tell me where the fuck she is, Emmett!" I demanded.

I heard my mother's voice come from the kitchen. "Edward?"

Oh, please. Please!

I ran past my father, his eyes darting up to meet mine as I passed. But my eyes were focused on the door to the kitchen and what I prayed I'd find there.

My mother stood at the far end of the room with her back to me, staring out the wall of windows that overlooked the backyard. And next to her, an absolute vision, was Bella.

Thank God!

Her hair fell neatly to her shoulders. Her clothes were not so much as rumpled. She looked completely unscathed and…absolutely perfect. I became choked up at the sight of her.

She was standing closely behind my mom, her cheek resting on my mother's back. Bella's arms cradled her shoulders, as my mother reached up to place a hand atop of Bella's. They appeared calm, serene. I'd already made it to the middle of the room by the time they each turned toward me. That's when I discovered my mother's face was red and swollen. She had been crying!

I know this chapter didn't exactly get you where you want to be. (You h00rs just want that illicit LEMON! LOL) Have patience, it's cumming!

Reviewers get to kick the chair right out from under Emmett!