A/N- ***TRIGGER WARNING*** for the entire chapter. Chapter synopsis at the bottom in case you want to skip this one.

Chapter 8-

For once, Bella was in decent spirits as she returned to her cell on Sunday night, just before final count and lights out. For one thing, she knew they were going to rearrange cells in the morning, so hopefully this would be her last night she had to sleep on a mattress on the ground. She would probably get a locker too, and be able to buy (and keep), some items from the commissary, including decent shampoo and shower shoes, which she was desperate for.

She was also happy that she would get to see Edward again the next day, if only for a few minutes. She was a little put off with him when she found out that he told Emmett about her panic attack, but got over it quickly. During his visit the day before, Emmett also told her that Edward said that he loved her. She knew that of course, but hearing Emmett say it and that he approved made it feel more real, and gave her just a modicum of hope for the future.

Now if she could only figure out how to get out of there- a legal way, preferably. That would almost definitely involve Renee changing her story, and there was little hope of that happening. If only she could think of something…

But even with the lingering doubt and uncertainty of her situation, Bella realized that her mind was blissfully clear. The little bit of hope Edward gave her lifted her out of the fog she'd been living in. Just seeing him and speaking to him gave her something to look forward to. There weren't a lot of things to look forward to in this place, so to her, that was everything.

"Who's that?" asked an inmate from the cell next to hers, as she got in line for count. Bella followed her gaze and saw a small group of guards huddling- more than she was used to seeing for count. She recognized James and a few others. James was speaking to a redhead that was unfamiliar to her. She stood out amongst the group, her hair wild and glowing like fire under the harsh fluorescent lights.

"Everyone on the ground, face down!" James yelled authoritatively. The group of guards split into two groups, and half went to the cells upstairs. The redhead stayed with James on the ground floor.

This is new, Bella thought. She followed the example of the more tenured inmates as they lied prone, and laid their heads down onto their crossed arms.

"Tossing cells!" yelled the redhead.

Bella heard a few curses and grumbles from the other women. While it was inconvenient and a little uncomfortable to lay face down on the cold floor, she was mostly unfazed. She had nothing to hide.

It felt like at least a half hour passed before they made their way down to her cell. She heard rustling behind her, the sounds of lockers being opened and mattresses overturned. Then she heard was she certainly did not expect to hear. "Swan- stand up."

She froze in fear, her body unwilling to cooperate with James' demand. The decision was made for her as a hand gripped the back of her uniform and pulled her upright. She coughed and sputtered as the material constricted around her neck. The rush of adrenaline forced her legs to cooperate as she managed to scramble to her feet.

"You want to explain this?" asked the redhead, holding up a tiny bag of pills.

"Those aren't mine," Bella said firmly.

"They were under your mattress," she challenged, stepping forward, her face just centimeters from Bella's.

"I didn't put them there," Bella argued.

"Are you talking back to me?"

"No." Bella could swear that she saw the redhead smirk just before her face contorted in rage and she yelled, "Ugh, this bitch just spat in my face." Without warning, Bella was pushed back face down on the ground. A sharp knee dug into the the small of her back, causing her to yelp. Her arms were pulled roughly behind her and she felt cold steel encircle her wrists.

"You're taking a trip to Seg," James said with a smile and an air of joviality completely inappropriate to the situation.

Bella was half-walked, half-dragged out of the pod, and led down a corridor she had never been before. This can't be happening to me, she thought.

As they reached the Segregation Unit, Bella's heart was beating rapidly in terror.

"Got another little bitch for you," James said to the guard on duty. "Take a break, I'll check her in."

"Sure thing, boss," said the guard emotionlessly.

Don't leave me with him, Bella wanted to scream, but couldn't find her voice.

James pushed her into a small cell, which was barely big enough to hold the mattress and the filthy toilet and sink next to it. The walls were gray cinderblock- cold, thick and bare. There were no sheets or blankets on the bare mattress.

"You got any more drugs on you?" James asked, running his hands down her cuffed arms. Her skin prickled from the feeling on his fingers on her flesh. She shook her head frantically.

"You sure?" he asked, feeling down each leg, his hand brushing her most sensitive area- twice. She began to tremble as her fear rose exponentially.

"I don't have anything," she squeaked out, finally finding her voice.

She was facing away from him, but felt him lean in close to her, his breath right in her ear. "You don't have any hiding in your… holes… do you?" She felt his cold tongue make one long lick from her neck up to her ear.

What the fuck is this?

She shook her head again, trembling from head to toe.

"Well I think I'd better… check."

"I want a female guard!" she demanded loudly, "Now!"

"Fuck what you want. Haven't you figured out yet that you don't get a say?" He pushed her over so that her head was on the edge of the cold metal sink, her ass sticking in the air. Her hands were still cuffed behind her. She squirmed, but he held her down, one hand pressing into her already sore back where the redhead had grinded her knee.

This isn't happening.

She felt his hand reach down into her pants and dip into her underwear, then felt his fingers at her entrance, feeling around. Without warning, he shoved two fingers deep inside her, and she yelped at the sudden violation. "You're dry as the fucking desert," he sneered into her ear. "What, you don't like me or something?" He pumped his fingers a few times, each intrusion more excruciating than the last. She whimpered.

"You are such a bad girl," he continued, sliding his fingers out and then resting them on her back entrance. "Bringing drugs into my prison. Naughty girl." He pushed roughly inside, and she cried out once more. "You're so tight back here. Don't think you're hiding anything, but I need to make sure." She could feel his fingers digging deeper, stretching. She felt like her insides were being ripped open, and she was completely powerless to stop it.

"Oh the things I could do to you," he murmured, finally pulling his fingers out. His hands then cupped both her breasts, and he squeezed roughly. "If you're thinking about going crying to Cullen, or anyone else for that matter, about your punishment today, you should think twice. It wouldn't take much for me to get his ass booted out of here. I'll even tell the Warden I caught you two fucking- he'll believe me. Did you know that inmates can't give consent? I'll get Eddie's ass thrown in prison for rape- you'll never see his ass again."

"That's bullshit!" Bella cried "Edward didn't do anything!"

"Who do you think they'll believe? Me, or a worthless fucking child killer like you?" Finally, he released her, and she felt the cuffs on her wrists come free. She remained in the same position, shaking, afraid to move an inch.

"You should take your time in here to think about your behavior. I don't want any more problems out of you."

With that, she heard the hard steel door slam behind her, and she screamed gutturally, her cries swallowed by the cold cinderblock walls.

Edward followed James into the men's room after the meeting on Monday morning and shoved him from behind. "What the fuck, Forrester? I know she didn't have drugs on her."

James swelled up and got in Edward's face. "You accusing me of something?"

"You're fucking right I am. Whatever you found in Swan's cell, you put it there!"

"I didn't find it; Victoria did. Then Bella spit in her face. That shit is unacceptable. Hopefully her time in Seg will cool her off."

"You're so full of shit," Edward growled.

"Whoa, what's going on in here?" Mike interrupted. Edward was so blind with rage he hadn't even noticed him enter the room.

James backed away from Edward. "You need to check your new guy, Mikey. I think he's got a little crush on one of the inmates. Now he's questioning my judgement."

Mike's eyes looked from James to Edward and back, assessing the situation. "Cullen, let's discuss this in my office."

Edward shot a glare at James as he followed Mike down the hall, fuming.

"Alright Edward, what's going on here?" Mike asked, sitting behind his desk.

Edward huffed and sat across from him. "One of the residents was having a panic attack the other day. I found her in the library. I tried to take her to medical, and he came in and screamed at her instead. Then he decided that since I stood up for her, there must be something going on between us. I was just looking out for her welfare. Now I swear he threw her in Seg just to fuck with me. He's out of control!"

"Edward, my man, I know I don't need to tell you that getting to close to an inmate is dangerous territory." Mike was playing the condescending, "cool guy" routine that got under Edward's skin the first time they met. "There's a real fine line in our profession between being supportive and getting too close. It's easy for someone in a role like yours to blur those lines. I've seen it happen before."

"That isn't what is happening here. The line is crystal clear."

"I'm glad to hear that. I don't want to catch wind of any other incidents. As far as Forrester, I read the reports he slid under my door this morning. Everything looked legit- all the details were there. It isn't our job to question the rules or the discipline decisions the guards make. I can see why he would get defensive of you questioning his judgement. You're still new here, so let's chalk this up to an educational moment. You let the guards do their jobs, and try not to get too emotionally invested in the inmates. Got it?"

"Yes sir," Edward said coldly.

"Glad to hear it. My door is always open if you need to talk."

Well fuck the both of you, Edward thought as he stormed back to his office.

He blamed himself for challenging James in the library, and he had no proof that Bella's punishment was vindictive. Now she was stuck in isolation and there was absolutely nothing he could do for her.

Apparently, the inmates weren't the only powerless ones in prison.

Bella had no idea how long she had been in Seg. The lights were dim, but they never went out completely. She had no sense of day or night, and nothing to occupy her mind except the memory of James' unwelcome hands all over her… inside her.

She could still feel him, everywhere. The pain was excruciating and a constant reminder of the shame and humiliation she felt.

She heard slat near the bottom of the cell door clink open, and the dull thunk of a tray being set down. This was the second time this happened. Did that make it lunch time? Was she really not even in that room a full day? It felt like at least a week had gone by. How many more trays would there be? How long would they keep her here?

She returned to the dirty sink for at least the tenth time. She ran the water as warm as it would go, and tried once more to scrub the wet, sticky saliva off of her neck, which was red and raw from the effort.

It wouldn't come off.

"Miss Hale, you have no idea how relieved I am to hear from you," Edward said as soon as he pressed to accept the call.

"Call me Rose. You got my contact from Esme Cullen?"

"I did; she's my mother."

"She's done a lot of work for battered women. She is a good lady."

"The best," Edward agreed. "She was a little unclear about the details of the charity you run. Could you tell me more about it?"

"It's called Breaking Dawn- an homage to the promise of a new day. It's a fairly small charity. We specialize in cases in which women, and occasionally men, who are victims of abuse, are in legal trouble, because they were forced to participate in criminal activities out of fear of violence from an abusive partner. We are based out of Seattle. I work with one other lawyer and a small team of volunteers. Does this sound like the service you need?"

"Not exactly, but I'd like you to hear me out. Maybe you can point me in the right direction." Edward ensured the door was shut tightly in his office before continuing. He told Rose everything, starting with when he met Bella in high school. He spoke about Bella's tenuous relationship with her mother, how he believed she tried too hard to seek her approval. How good and pure-hearted she was. He told her everything Charlie explained to her. He even told her about their encounters in the rec yard, the library, and the supply closet, and ended with James revenge this morning.

"That's some story," Rosalie said. Her tone was professional. "It's not my typical case…"

"I was hoping maybe you knew somebody," Edward interrupted. "According to Charlie, Bella's father, he's been getting a real runaround with different law practices."

"What I was going to say," Rose said, clearly annoyed at the interruption, "is that it's not my typical case, but there are some definite parallels. For one, if your story is true, it sounds like there was a horrible miscarriage of justice. Second, in a way, Bella is a victim of abuse, just not from a partner."

"Will you help her?" Edward asked anxiously. Rose sounded very passionate, and he wondered what circumstances brought her into this line of work.

"I'd like to talk to her at least. I'll try to get down there this week."

"Thank you. This means a lot. The longer she's in here, the more I worry…"

"You have every reason to worry," she said darkly. "You know as well as I do how dangerous prisons can be, especially for women. I'll do what I can, and I'll call you by the end of the week."

Tray number nine came. Bella left it untouched, just as she had the other eight. If she was counting correctly, she hadn't eaten in three days. She didn't care.

She wanted to die. She couldn't think of anything else for the last several hours. She started thinking very seriously about it around tray number seven.

She could try to drown herself in the toilet, but she couldn't stomach the thought of leaving the earth that way. Plus, there wasn't much water in the bowl. She could maybe fill it with water from the sink. It would take a long time, but time she had. It would be pointless to try, though. Her reflexes would make her come up for air. The only way it would work is if somebody held her down or she could figure out a way to tie herself down.

She could try banging her head against the wall. But that would probably just make her pass out. She would just end up with a bump on her head and a massive headache.

Strangulation? She could fashion her bra or her pants into a noose, but she had nothing to affix it to. There was no bedframe or doorknob on the inside. There were no exposed pipes on the toilet or sink. She could try to just wrap her bra strap around her neck and hold it tight, but as soon as she passed out her grip would loosen. It would never work.

She went through every scenario, multiple times, failing to come up with a solution.

It was like the people who designed prisons suspected inmates might try to kill themselves in solitary and designed these rooms to prevent such a thing.

But they couldn't make her eat. That was the only thing she had control over.

In what she believed to be three days, she had multiple mood swings. Anger. Shame. Depression. Guilt. How could she consider suicide? Her father and brother would be devastated. Edward would blame himself. But just when she thought the guilt would consume her, then fear would creep in, and then resolve. She would rather die then let James near her again.

The emotions cycled constantly. She hardly slept. She tried to sleep, but the constant light and confined space were so disorienting that her mind wouldn't shut down. The few times her body gave up and she succumbed to sleep, she woke up feeling him on her again, his fingers inside her again.

She stopped vomiting two days ago. There was nothing left but the tiny bits of water she allowed herself. She went back to the sink and took a small sip from the tap, then went back to scrubbing her neck.

She still couldn't get the feeling of his disgusting tongue off her skin.

A/N- Chapter Summary: On Sunday night, Bella takes note of a new guard, Victoria. Cells are searched for contraband. Victoria "finds" drugs in Bella's cell. She is sent to solitary ("Seg") as a punishment. James puts her in the cell and assaults her. He threatens to get Edward fired or even arrested if she tells anyone. She contemplates ways to commit suicide, but is struggling with what that would do to Charlie, Emmett and Edward.

Edward confronts James and Mike interrupts them. Edward is warned about getting too close to inmates, but doesn't get in trouble. He talks to Rosalie- she agrees to meet Bella that week.

Please review if you're still with me. Next chapter Bella meets Rosalie and gets a new cell mate.