A/N: I'm going to address this anon review I got here simply because I feel it is a very important topic. Please feel free to skip on ahead to the good stuff.

Alec's mentality essentially goes like this: Edward is a big fish. For Bella to have caught such a big fish when she is a normal, every day girl, she must have done something really kinky. Ergo, she must be easy. Ergo, Alec thought she was a sure thing. So when she denies him, he feels angry because he felt entitled to that sure piece of ass.

This IS a fairly common mentality among men, whether they are conscious of it or not. We live in a culture that teaches men women's bodies are theirs. We live in a culture that teaches women not to get raped (insinuating that it is their FAULT if they do, if they wear the wrong clothes or, like Bella, DARE to think she can walk back to her hotel alone in the middle of the night) rather than teaching men how not to rape. One in four women will be raped in her lifetime. That is an insane number. Most of those rapes will be committed by friends, people the woman knew and/or trusted. Think about that. It means not only do you know a woman who has been raped, but you know a man who has raped (statistically speaking).

Bella came awake with a gasp. She grasped at the blankets, disoriented as to where she was and what was going on. Bad dream. Hands on her. And cameras flashing. All the images were indistinct, making them all the more frightening.

How she hated this feeling of vulnerability. Even though she'd been able to defend herself against Alec, it had still happened. She'd still been knocked to the ground, had his hands on her when they weren't welcome.

Too restless and anxious to stay in bed, Bella got up. That was the nice thing about being in Edward's house. It was large enough that her nocturnal wanderings wouldn't disturb anyone. She eased out into the hallway, wrapping her arms around her shoulders as she explored.

He had a library Bella happily could have spent the rest of her life in. It reminded her of the one from Beauty and the Beast, and Bella's lips turned up when she imagined teasing him about it. She ran her hands over the spines, noting the wide variety of books he kept. From what she could tell, it appeared as though he collected books unique to the areas he visited, nonfiction and fiction alike. Some of them were in languages he couldn't have have known.

In another room, she found all his instruments. Like he collected more books than he could possibly read, he also collected more instruments than he could ever play. Bella ran her fingers lightly over the keys of a gorgeous baby grand. She remembered a rainy afternoon when she was six or seven and Edward had been visiting. He'd been so patient as he showed her how to play the simple chorus of "Heart and Soul" until they could play together on Rosalie's upright.

The room was insulated for better acoustics, but Bella still didn't dare play. She studied some of the more unusual instruments before she moved on.

Eventually, Bella found herself at the door leading out to his indoor pool. Her breath caught. It was a gorgeous set up, a room made of glass so one could enjoy the water no matter the weather and still enjoy the California sunshine. Edward's backyard overlooked Los Angeles - a beautiful view. The pool itself beckoned to her, its water a clear and pristine blue, the distorted lights along the side throwing silver-tinged ripples along the surface. Bella pushed the door open, finding this room was a more balmy temperature than the rest of the house. She walked to the edge of the pool and stuck a toe in. Heated, of course.

Bella toyed with the edge of her shirt. Well, it was Edward's shirt. He'd offered it to her so she would have something more comfortable to sleep in since they hadn't gone back to the hotel. If she decided to take a swim, and the idea of the warm water soothing her anxiety away was tempting, she wouldn't want to get his shirt wet.

There was a rustle and a chair scraped across concrete. Startled, Bella whirled around too quickly. The movement threw her off balance. Her arms windmilled out as she tried to stay on her feet, but it was a losing battle. Gravity was pulling her down toward the pool.

But then there was a tug at waist level, pulling her further into dry land, up against a firm, warm body. Startled, Bella splayed her hands over a chest, realizing a few seconds later it was a bare man's chest.

Edward's chest, Edward's arms around her, she thought as she looked up into his eyes.

"You scared me," they said at the same time.

It took another couple of seconds before the intimacy of their stance sunk in. Edward pulled her a few more steps away from the lip of the pool before he let her go. Bella wrapped her arms back around her shoulders, shivering despite the warmth in the air.

"I didn't mean to startle you," Edward said. "I was out here before, and I didn't want you to think you were alone. I'm sorry."

Bella remembered she'd been thinking about taking her shirt, his shirt, off, and she blushed. She was suddenly very aware she was standing there in his shirt with his boxers slung low on her hips. "It's your house. You don't have to apologize for being anywhere in your own house." She rubbed her shoulders, feeling self conscious and underdressed.

Edward took a blanket that was folded over the back of the outdoor couch he'd no doubt been sitting at when she came in and wrapped it around her shoulders. Bella was grateful as she pulled the blanket tighter around her. She felt less exposed. "You couldn't sleep?" he asked.

She sighed. "I had a bad dream."

His lips quirked down. "Do you want to tell me about it?"

Bella shook her head. There was nothing to tell, really. The dream hadn't been distinct.

Even in the darkness, Bella could see the hesitation flicker across his features as he sat back on the couch. He blew out a breath, but then he held one arm out. "Come here."

Despite her intense vulnerability, Bella also felt a thrill she couldn't explain run down her spine. At the same time, she was almost giddy with relief. Edward had always been a comfort to her, and she would be lying if she didn't admit that tonight, she needed the comfort, she craved it.

Bella took his offered hand and let him pull her down onto the seat beside him. Their eyes met in a second of hesitation. For so many years, a gesture like this would have been so innocent, second nature for them. It was different now. It felt different now, and Bella didn't know if that should make her uncomfortable. It didn't. Though her thoughts were tangled and befuddled, as Edward draped his arm around her shoulders, her anxiety eased. She rested her head on his chest and listened to his steady heartbeat.

Given the unnamed tension that surrounded them since those stupid pictures, Bella supposed she should have felt more vulnerable around him, but she didn't. Quite the opposite, she felt safe, as she had in the hospital.

"Why are you awake?" she asked around a yawn.

"Couldn't sleep. I don't sleep very well, really. I think my mind is always too full of questions."

"Questions about what?"

"Life. The universe. Everything."

There was a heaviness to his tone that suggested there was more to his thoughts than his flippant words suggested. "The answer is forty-two," she said. She felt his chuckle beneath her cheek.

"Ah, I guess I can sleep well now."

His fingers had begun to stroke the skin behind her ear in an idle motion. It was a delicious sensation. Bella's eyelids were drooping. She yawned. "I should probably head to bed," she mumbled, though it was the last thing she wanted to do. She was warm and content. She feared the anxiety would come back if she were to retreat to her room now.

"I'm okay if you're okay. You don't have to go back yet."

That was all Bella needed to hear. She slung her arm around his waist, snuggling closer, forgetting for the moment that the nature of their relationship was changing. Whatever was happening between them, they didn't need answers that night. Bella couldn't be expected to process the conversation they needed to have when all she wanted was to feel safe. She let her eyes close.

She opened them again in the strong light of early morning when she heard the click of a camera.

A/N: This is not beta'ed at all. No one has looked at it but me, so all mistakes are mine. I'm just in a foul mood and posting things makes me feel better.

SO! Talk to me, kids.