A/n: Hello lovely souls! I managed to finish this one, a little later than I wanted to, but still! I hope you enjoy it :)

Chapter 11

Epov

As soon as we entered the apartment Bella made for the bathroom, wanting a shower. But not before trying to discreetly inhale my scent. I was momentarily amused at seeing and hearing her attempting to take in as much as she could from me without me noticing. Until I remembered why she was doing it. That was less amusing.

No matter, I had a plan forming in the back of my mind. We had time. Nothing but time actually. Neither I nor Bella was going anywhere so I left her to shower in peace while Alice caught me up on the things I should know.

"They recommended her to take plan B right away at the pharmacy." She informed me as the three of us took place in the living room again. "There might be a few side effects like nausea, abdominal pain, fatigue and headaches." I nodded, carefully filing away the information. I'd keep an eye on Bella. I'd gotten pretty good over the years at recognising when she was in physical pain or discomfort and refused to complain about it. "And we need to make sure she gets her period within the next three weeks. Though the blood sample results should give us some info by next week already." That would also not be a problem. I was very familiar with the scent of Bella's menstrual blood and could smell the hormone changes before she even knew she was about to have her period.

"She's also been prescribed anti-biotics, to treat any STD's she might've gotten." Alice proceeded to show me the medicine and we quickly went over the instructions and possible side effects, which were mostly similar to the side effects of the plan B pill. I hadn't paid that much attention to medication since my medical studies, but I was reminded now of the observation I'd made back then: most medicines seemed to have nausea and head- and stomach-aches as side effects. The body had pretty much one basic reaction to things going wrong: vomiting.

All of this told me Bella wouldn't be in perfect physical condition just yet. I could only hope the side effects were either absent or minimal. At least anything truly harmful to her was taken care of now. She would almost certainly get back to full physical health. I didn't want her to suffer any more than she already had. Which left one more question: how much had she suffered?

"How was her condition, Alice?" I asked carefully, avoiding her gaze so as not to betray the anxiety in my eyes.

My sister caught on quickly and gave my wrist a tight squeeze that would've broken a body builder's bones. "It was good, Edward." She said reassuringly. "There were only minor injuries and it's all practically healed already." Alice's head abruptly filled with a stream of gibberish, some kind of mixture of German, Arabic and Yiddish, interspersed with flashes of Italian and Israeli fashion designer names. She made a great effort to dance around the words she was speaking, so as not to let her mind slip and show me details. "She didn't…really fight. She instinctually protected herself by staying still, though she's feeling guilty and conflicted about her reaction."

I nodded mechanically, making an equal effort to close myself off from Alice's mind, so that I wouldn't see even if she did slip up. I was glad Bella didn't put up a fight. Who knows what could've happened if she had? She could've been physically hurt much worse. Because I wasn't there to protect her. She'd had to fend for herself. How could she blame herself for protecting herself? I started to understand the nurse's mental outburst more. Her frustration at seeing society blaming these women, seeing them blame themselves, for something so natural and instinctual?

"I think it might be time to call Carlisle." Alice added after a while, pulling me back from my thoughts and memories. "You called him yesterday and I can see him and Esme worrying. They should be informed about what's going on."

I inhaled deeply, more to give myself time to think about the conversation I'd have on the phone than by necessity. How would I break this news to my father? How could I explain to him how I'd failed my wife, my love? "I know. You're right." I conceded. "I just don't want to do anything that could make Bella uncomfortable. I know she'd feel embarrassed to have more people know, and even more if they decide to come here."

"She won't be ready to let people know anytime soon." Jasper put in. "She might never want to tell anyone. But the rest of our family needs to know. This would be impossible to hide very long. And it would hurt them to find out later."

"Yeah." I sighed in defeat and let myself go deadly still. It was easier for us to stop moving when stressed than to fidget the way humans did. With two opposing interests, y family on one side and Bella on the other, it was tough to take a decision. I wanted so badly to care for Bella in any way I could, but I didn't really see any way around it. And it would benefit her in the end to have her family know and support her.

"I can call them. Or Jasper can." Alice offered. I thought about this for a bit. It would make more sense for me to call my father and mother, but I wasn't sure I wanted to recount the events, to see them happen in my imagination. Besides, Alice knew more than me. She'd been with Bella at the hospital. Maybe it was better for her to handle that crucial communication.

"I'd appreciate it if you could call." I told Alice. She smiled sympathetically and nodded, before leaving Jasper and me in the living to go check on Bella in the bathroom.

Only then did I become aware of the discomfort Jasper had been subjected to. He was trying not to think about the smells he'd been seduced by within the hospital. Among the very horrible scents of medication, other bodily fluids and cleaning products were a delicious array of all types of blood, and of many different races. Especially the surgical wing had let the most potent fragrances drift our way. Three vampires could have found the OR's with their eyes closed.

"I'm sorry I left you alone, Jazz." I told him, feeling sincerely guilty for having left him to fend for himself, even though I knew him capable of it. They'd made sure to be well fed before coming here. A plane trip was excuse enough for an afternoon of gorging on our favourite animals. "You handled the situation perfectly. I can't thank you enough for having been there for Bella, regardless of your own discomfort."

"Of course." Jasper responded with as much sincerity in his tone. "I can't imagine having this happen to Alice." I could both see the grimace on Jasper's face as feel the intense pain in his thoughts. He quickly ran away from any scenario forming in his head where my sister played the leading role.

"Don't think about that, Jazz." I told him. "Alice is indestructible, not to mention uncatchable." I laughed, trying to lighten the mood. "And we'll never let anything happen to her, or to Bella, or anyone." I was serious again, thinking of my own intentions to never leave Bella carelessly unprotected again.

Alice came back out of the bathroom at that moment, looking a little worried. I immediately picked the reason for it from her mind.

"It's okay, Alice. It's her choice." I assured her before she'd reached us.

"Are you sure?" She whispered, obviously not wanting to risk Bella hearing us. "Won't she regret such a rash decision?"

"What's happening with Bella?" Jasper interjected, still clueless as to what the issue at hand was.

"Bella wants to cut her hair!" Alice squeaked, chagrin obviously clouding her features. "Her hair has grown so long and beautiful!" In my opinion she sounded a little whiny now, as if it was her own hair we were talking about chopping off. Though there wasn't that much to chop off really.

"Oh." Jasper responded, sounding like he wasn't quite sure how to handle this 'grave' situation. "But it grows back pretty quickly, no? She can always have it back?"

My sister pursed her lips in anxiety for a minute. I heard her mind quickly trying out several hairstyle options she'd seen lately on Bella's frame. She ended up sighing more dramatically than any of us really needed to. She even threw her hands up in the air a little. "Fine, fine! I'll do it, I guess. I'll destroy the timeless feminine beauty of Bella's luscious hair." She spoke theatrically as she hopped up and moved to the open kitchen. And my family said I was the dramatic one? "Do you have any good scissors, Edward?" She complained loudly, not bothering to keep her voice down for Bella anymore.

I chuckled under my breath and joined her in the kitchen to find her an unused pair of kitchen scissors. It wasn't exactly a hair grooming tool, but in the hands of my whiny, fashion-obsessed sister it would do perfectly.

"Thanks." She grumbled and went back into the bathroom, dragging her feet as much as was possible for a vampire. Bella always said Alice was the one giving orders, but she might not realise how much Alice was ready to do for her. I felt so incredibly grateful to my sister for taking such care of my love. How had I deserved such a committed family?

I was curious to see it though. And despite my reassurance to Alice that I didn't have the slightest problem with Bella cutting her hair, I was worried about the reasons behind it. I had seen in Alice's mind how Bella had insisted she wanted her hair cut, and had made it clear she wanted it done right now. There was no denying what the cause was for this sudden style change.

Jasper and I remained alone for a good half hour in relative silence. I could hear his thoughts though, and they regularly slipped back to the smells of human blood, making venom flood his mouth at the olfactory memory.

"Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea for you and Alice to go out hunting tonight." I suggested to him, pulling him away from the temptation he was fighting. "There's a heavily forested area about an hour's drive south of the city. There isn't much game around and certainly no large predators, but I've found enough small deer and foxes. If you go even further you might get across a black bear, wolves or an occasional feral pig."

I knew it wasn't even close to what Jasper was craving now. And even in the animal department, it was a pretty long drive to find anything as good as what the Olympic peninsula could bring. Not to mention wolves were a little weird for us now, since our close partnership with the wolves of La Push.

The large forest and it's range of wild animals was one of the great advantages of living in Forks. Luckily Bella hadn't inquired about my closest hunting choices down here, or I would've had to lie. She would've refused to move here if she'd known it was such a dietary stepdown from Forks. But no matter, if I really craved some carnivores my BMW could get me far enough, quickly enough to be back by sunrise.

Jasper did admit a hunting trip would help. He suggested it as soon as Alice was back. She agreed of course, as long as it was okay with Bella.

Speaking of Bella, she finally came out of the bathroom, wearing a different set of clothes. The most striking difference however was her hair. It wasn't as short as Alice's. Her deep brown tresses still had the same fullness and heaviness they'd had before, only now the ends curled along her neck, accentuating the magnificent pale curve of it. Her veins were more exposed and I found my eyes drawn to what was, to my vampire instinct at least, a most undeniable desire. I praised the gods that I'd already defeated that part of me. If I hadn't my struggle would've become just a little harder now.

I imagined for a second how our first meeting in biology at Forks High School would've gone if her hair hadn't hidden her delicate, vulnerable neck from my sight. It might've changed the entire course of our futures. The sudden anxiety of maybe having lost her right from the start almost made my body convulse in pain. I stepped forward on impulse and took my most precious Bella in my arms, letting my lips trail light kisses on the exposed skin beneath her curls. I had vowed before, and I vowed to myself again, to protect with my life what I had once almost taken from her that first day.

My gesture surprised Bella somewhat, and she stumbled over her words when she asked me: "Is this you think… I mean is this alright? You think it's okay?" Her body tensed, waiting for my answer.

"You look so lovely I might never stop what I'm doing." I declared as I kept my lips in contact with her neck. The tenseness was replaced with a warm flush and I felt the blood flow beneath my lips, up to her face and ears. I had to pull back, not wanting to miss the lively blush on her cheeks.

Alice cleared her throat somewhat loudly behind me. I turned to look at her and Jasper.

"When you are finished with uhm…your petting, Jasper and I are thinking of going out hunting for the night." She announced, more to Bella, since I was already informed. "Unless you'd like me to stay." She gave a pointed look towards the woman in my arms.

"No!" Bella hastily replied, just as I expected. "No, you go have fun! It must be really annoying for you being stuck in a city apartment building." She grimaced guiltily at Jasper. Of course she felt responsible for his discomfort.

"Don't worry, Bella." He assured her with an easy smile. "I don't mind at all. It's just safer for me to hunt regularly." It was Jasper's turn to feel guilty. I could hear his angry thoughts turned against himself, feeling like he should have more control over his cravings. But I left Alice to deal with Jasper's insecurities. My focus tonight was on Bella and nothing else.

"Oh!" Alice suddenly gasped, her tiny mouth making a round O-shape to fit the sound. Her eyes focused somewhere far away for too short a time to be noticeable to humans, then flitted back to Bella with a truly happy smile. "You should check your phone in about ten minutes." She declared. And before any of us could even inquire into the reason behind it she continued in unchecked exuberance. "Angela is going to send you a message saying she's really sorry she didn't contact you earlier, that she's been very sick and that she worries about you and whether you're…well."

We all neatly avoided the elephant in the room and Jasper soon came to the rescue with some comedic relief. "She usually just answers me before I even ask her a question." He chuckled, his eyes sparkling at his mate. "Annoying, isn't it." His tone indicated the opposite. But Alice went along and rolled her eyes at him.

"You should answer though," she insisted to Bella, "I believe she might have intentions to come all the way here if she doesn't hear from you by the end of the weekend. I can't be a 100% sure with humans though, and of course with your side of the interactions lacking my visions are flawed enough that I might as well just sign up to be a weatherwoman." Alice ended in a grumble.

Bella nodded absently, seemingly more preoccupied with her thoughts than with answering Alice. And of course I could never get anything from Bella's side. This one human was always dark and silent to me. But it was intriguing that she seemed to be even darker and more silent than usual.

I busied myself with preparing some cream coffee, as I had promised to do upon our return, while Bella retrieved her phone and charger. It had been left in her bag untouched since I came back and the battery had long died. By the time it returned from the dead Angela's message arrived and the hot creamy beverage I was getting very proficient at making was ready. I handed her the steaming mug so she could sip while she composed her response.

I left my car to my siblings and they soon left, so as to reach as far as possible and not alarm anyone in the area of missing bears or unusual things going on in the forest. Again, it was just a precaution. I'd managed over a month without even so much as a squeak on the news or social media about the decreasing deer population, or mysteriously drained animals.

"Don't you need to hunt?" Bella looked up into my eyes from her spot on the couch next to me, her fingertips lightly touching the dark area underneath them. I hadn't looked in the mirror yet, so I didn't know what she was seeing. But I'd hunted on my way back from the airport just the day before so they must still have had their usual golden colour. Maybe the waning light outside was casting a shadow upon my face.

"I went yesterday. I'm perfectly good for now, my love." I replied and tucked a freshly cut strand of hair that had been brushing against her collarbone back behind her ear. It curled around it so beautifully, hugging every curve like the tightest of Rosalie's dresses. The dark colour against Bella's pale skin was entrancing. I was going to have a hard time keeping my eyes away from her neck.

She looked away at me calling her 'my love'. I knew why, but it didn't stop me from feeling a pang of sorrow and pain. She leaned a little further away from me, unconsciously closing herself off from me. It was time for me to put my plan into action.

I took Bella's hand in mine to regain her attention. "How do you feel? Any nausea or pain?" I knew I had to ask about it specifically or she would never even mention it.

She was silent for a second, thinking over her answer and, infuriatingly, probably editing it. "Just a bit of pressure in my head. It's probably just my clogged sinuses." She shrugged. What Bella characterized as a bit of pressure would probably be seen as quite a bad headache by any other human. And considering the state of her puffy eyes, witnesses of what she'd gone through not only today, but since Tuesday, it really wasn't surprising, even without taking the side effects of her medication into account.

"I would like to take you out to dinner tonight. Maybe Italian?" I proposed.

"A restaurant?" She repeated, looking at me incredulously. "Why?"

Her reticence was probably due to the fact that going out to eat was an extremely rare activity for the Cullens. But her initial rejection still stung more than I'd expected.

"It's been a while." I simply stated. In fact, we hadn't really gone to a restaurant by ourselves since I found her that night in Port Angeles. Well, I mean when I followed her. I refrained from shaking my head at my foolish carelessness that had almost cost her dearly, even back then.

I could see in her eyes that she was thinking back to that night as well. A small smile played around her lips as her gaze fixed on something far away. This was going the way I wanted.

"Come on, I've got an idea where to go." I stood up and offered her my hand. She took it, a little wary and guarded of what was going on. I hoped she wasn't thinking I was taking her out to end our relationship. It was a ridiculous thing to think, and thus she was very much capable of thinking it.

As soon as her hand was in mine I lifted her up and caught her waist with my other hand, setting her down on my other side but keeping her close to my body. She snaked her own arm around me and squeezed, breathing deeply. To breathe in my scent I presumed. I felt like melting at the thought.

I swiftly put on a jacket and picked up a thick blanket before taking her down to her car. It was much smaller and very much too slow for my own taste. Not to mention that is was green. And not the flashy Lamborghini green. No, the old sickly green that only people my age liked. Though Bella liked it for some reason. I suspected the low price and the fact that she'd chosen it by herself had something to do with it.

However dreadful the car was, it would have to do for tonight. Bella didn't protest when I lead her to the passenger seat and opened the door. She looked too sad and weary to be as stubborn as she usually was. I hoped to change that tonight, if only a little.

The drive was short, considering the low speed limit in this thing. It was still an upgrade from the old truck though, so I refrained from complaining. If Bella loved her car, I guess I could find a place for it in my heart, somewhere, maybe.

The restaurant was a little busier than I would've liked. It was Friday evening unfortunately. But I had chosen the place because I knew from some online research that they had the same kind of booths that I'd shared with Bella in Port Angeles. And the same kind of food, which Bella appreciated.

I lead Bella inside, not quite clasping her to my side but letting my hand rest loosely at the small of her back. A female hostess greeted us and I asked for a booth. This time I made a point of observing Bella while we made our way to our seats, remembering how she'd told me I 'dazzled' people, females in particular. She'd later admitted she hadn't liked it very much.

The same scenario played out here. Of course the friendly hostess was taken aback by my appearance, and thoughts of close physical contact with me swirled into her mind. I was much too absorbed in my observation of Bella's features to pay much attention to it though.

I wasn't quite sure, but I thought Bella's eyes were colder than usual when she looked at the hostess leaving us. The most striking emotion on her face was nervousness. Her body was restless and she couldn't quite settle on her side of the booth. I was saddened to see how uncomfortable she was. I hoped this first hurdle would prove to her she didn't need to be scared and that this would pass with time. And I would always be with her.

It was the waiter's turn to show up at our booth. A male in his early twenties, most probably a student worker, he looked rather shy and reserved. He didn't quite make eye contact as he handed us the menu's, but I noticed his eyes darting sideways to Bella when she wasn't looking. He thought she was pretty. But he was intimidated by me. This made me happier than I should be. My father and mother had tried to raise me better than that, I berated myself.

"My name is Shawn, I'll be your server tonight. I'll be back for your orders, but is there anything you'd like to drink in the meantime?" He spoke a little unsteadily.

"Coke?" I raised my eyebrows at Bella.

"Yes, please." She answered quietly, turning to Shawn the waiter, who immediately averted his gaze to fumble with his notepad.

"Two cokes." I adjusted, and Shawn scribbled the word 'coke' twice on his notepad in deep concentration. Either he really didn't want to look at us or he was on his first day on the job. It was probably a mix of both.

Bella visibly relaxed when the waiter was gone. But she still looked around the space, taking in all the different people present. There was a group of loud middle-aged ladies at the opposite side of the dining area, seemingly celebrating a birthday or some sort. She was so busy staring at everyone she forgot the menu lying in front of her.

A/n: All Edward's point of view this time! I hope you liked it. I know progression is slow, but I really like the details, so sorry! There will be some Bella again later, I might switch a little more regularly now. The story will also probably stretch longer than I'd thought it would, but as long as we're in it together we can make it work! Thank you, everyone!

I love you guys!

Aoiika