A/N: Second update of the night. Here comes the chapter that changes everything. It's about to get real folks. Check your seatbelts. Here we go.

Edward POV

She's glad for one day of comfort, Only because she has suffered. Fully alive, more than most, Ready to smile, and love life. Fully alive, and she knows how to believe in futures- Fully Alive by Flyleaf

I woke up in the morning feeling better than I had in a week. Bella had text me last night telling me she was ok. I was glad she was doing all right, but I ached to see her. The way she looked the night she left and the glimpse I had of her yesterday was painful to remember because nicely put, she looked horrible. It was a far cry from the Bella I had come to known. As had been happening lately, I was gripped by absolute fury at Riley and what I thought he'd done to her. He took something so beautiful and innocent and messed it all up. It was hard to imagine Bella the way she was last Monday, and her being that way for a year. Em and Ali both told me that had been Bella for a year and a half, but it changed when we started hanging out again. I remember Em telling me a little over a year ago that something had happened to Bella, and I immediately offered to come home. He told me she was ok and it was being handled, he had lied. Bella and I were not extremely close as children, but I had always been very protective of her. I got in several fights at school over her. It was as an adult and how strong and beautiful she had become that had changed my feelings for her. Seeing her at that club almost took my breath away. She looked….well hot. My phone started ringing, bringing me out of my reverie. I looked at my phone and saw Bella's smiling face, showing me she was the one calling. I had gotten that picture with her permission the first day we'd hung out. I answered the phone.

"Walter's Meat Emporium. You tag 'em, we bag 'em. How may I assist you?" All I heard on the other end was Bella giggling.

"You're such a nerd."

"Look who's talking."

"Watch it, Cullen. I know where you live. What're you doing?"

"Lying in bed, waking up."

"Oh, lying in bed. Really? How interesting. You need to get out of bed and come hang out with me lazy bones. You have ten minutes."

"Really, and how do you intend to make me hurry that fast?'

"Because I'm ten minutes away from your house. I don't care if you're half-naked or not, I will pull your ass out of bed."

"I gotta shower."

"The clock is ticking. Btw I'm bringing goodies. Homemade cinnamon rolls."

"Alright! I'm gonna let you go so I can shower."

"Make sure you get behind your ears."

We both laughed. "It's nice to hear you laugh again."

"Thanks… You better hurry."

"K. Bye."

"Later." She said. I hung up the phone, and got out of bed and showered in a hurry. I got out of the shower and heard talking downstairs. I imagined it was Bella and Emmett. I got dressed and was about to head downstairs when there was a knock on my door. I opened the door, and there she was. She looked beautiful. She was almost the exact opposite of yesterday. The purple bruises under her eyes were gone. Her face was lit up and rosy. Her eyes were shining. She was holding a plate of cinnamon rolls and she offered them to me. I took them and set them on the entertainment stand. I gathered her into a hug, and she hugged me back with almost fierceness.

"I'm so sorry." She said, and she sounded so vulnerable.

"It's ok. It's in the past and everything's ok now." She nodded. I pulled away, still hugging her, so I could see her face. She had tears rolling down her cheeks. I wiped them away. "Don't cry Bells."

"I'm happy and sad. Happy cause you're here and I can hug you, and sad because of what I did to you."

"I understand why you did what you did, and I don't hold it against you."

She looked at me with a weary look. "We need to talk. But first, breakfast." She grabbed the cinnamon rolls and we sat on the couch in my room. The cinnamon rolls were delicious and Bella laughed at how fast I was able to shove them in my mouth, while she barely ate.

"Aren't you hungry?"

"No, I had some before I came over, with Ali."

"You two doing ok?"

"Better, now that I'm talking again."

I looked at her confused. I had no idea what she was talking about. "What do you mean?"

She looked down at her hands in her lap. "I stopped talking completely for three days. Not one word."

"Why?"

She sighed. "I really don't wanna upset you anymore, but I was punishing myself. I talked to Dr. Foster about it and she helped a lot. There's a lot that's been going on inside my head all the time. It's just a matter of prioritizing."

"Bella?" I asked.

"Yeah?" She looked up at me.

"Are you sad?" I was very serious. I hated that some of the light had left her eyes and she kept looking down.

"Not right now. Sometimes, yes I am very sad. When I'm with you, I'm not sad at all. We talk about some things that upset me, but that's because we talk about important stuff."

"Very true. So, what did you want to talk to me about? You said we need to talk."

"I really like you, Edward. I've always had a little bit of a crush on you. Everyone did, but I am really scared of messing things up. I can't give you a commitment right now."

"How about this? I'm not going anywhere. This week was horrible. I promise to not push and prod. We can be friends, and you can tell me if you want that to change." Bella stared at me and then got a smile on her face. She pinched me on my arm. "Ow, what was that for?"

"Just making sure you're real. You're too good to be true, so just checking."

I laughed. "Oh, Bella." I pulled her into my side, and she wrapped her arms around my waist. I put my arm around her shoulders. We sat there for a moment, just enjoying each other.

"Everything is going so well, it's hard for my brain not to believe something is coming."

"Whatever comes we can handle it, Bells. I'm here for you and we are ok." She smiled at me and I smiled back

A few days later- Bella POV

I woke up to my phone ringing for what had to be the 10th time that morning. It was my dad, again. I gave up on sleep and answered it as I was getting out of bed. I headed downstairs to make breakfast. "Hey, Dad. What's up?"

"Bells?" He didn't sound good and his tone stopped me cold.

"What's wrong, Dad?" Alice was sitting at the kitchen table and looked at me in concern cause of my tone.

"Bella, I have some bad news. I just got a call from the sheriff in Seattle."

I tried to control the dread that spread over me. There was only one thing that they would be talking about and it could not be happening. "O…K..?"

"Apparently Riley's lawyers had a hearing with the parole board. Deals were made…long story short, Bells. He's been released."

My world came to a screeching halt at those words. What happened next seemed like it was happening to someone else, like I was out of my body. I dropped the phone and started crying. Alice came over and took the phone, and I slid down the wall to the floor. She must have talked to Charlie and then called Edward because I heard her say "Get here, now." I was sobbing so hard I was starting to hyperventilate and was rocking back and forth. Alice came over to me and tried to touch me. I recoiled from her as if burned. I was no longer safe. "Stop! Don't touch me."

She sat next to me and took me seriously. She didn't touch me; I just continued to cry. When Edward showed up, I completely freaked out. He saw the panic and fear in my eyes, not knowing where it was coming from. He came towards me. I sobbed "Please don't," as I struggled to get up and far away from him. He stopped immediately. As soon as I was upright my mind went into shutdown, and the blissful blackness engulfed me.

I came to in my bed. I felt like crap! My whole body hurt. The memories came flying back at me. The panic started again, and I was breathing heavy trying to work through the panic. I saw two pills and a glass of water on my bedside table. I swallowed the pills and slammed the water back. I lay back down on the bed; focusing on my breathing. I heard a soft knock on my door. "Come in." It was Alice. I can't believe I yelled at her. I was having an epic meltdown, true, but I still felt bad. She sat on the edge of the bed. "I'm sorry," I said sighing.

"Bella, don't apologize. Charlie told me. You have every right to be freaked. I shouldn't have called Edward."

"Oh god! Is he ok?"

"He's torturing himself naturally."

I groaned. "I hate that he does that. It's not his fault I'm all fucked up."

"Bella…" She said warning.

"I know, I know. I just have 'issues.' Alice, what am I gonna do? I'm not safe anymore. He's gonna come back for me, and he knows exactly how to find me." Just as I finished saying that, the landline phone rang. Alice looked at the phone on my desk. She picked it up.

"Hello…Hello?" She looked at me. "Is anyone there?" She listened for another moment and hung up. I looked at her pointedly as if to say I told you so. "We'll just change the phone number. We have Em, Jazz, and Edward around all the time. He won't try anything with them around." She hesitated. "I hate to say this, Bella. I think it may be fair to tell Edward what happened."

I nodded. I knew she was right. "Ok. I want you and Em there. You don't know the whole story though, Ali. Em was there that night, so he knows everything. It's still a little hard to talk about."

She gave me a hug. "We'll all be there, Bella. Everything will be ok." I looked at her and she seemed pretty confident. Being friends with Ali I've always thought maybe she had some kind of sixth sense. She seemed to know how things were gonna turn out before they even happened. You'd never catch me betting against Alice. "I'll text Em, and give Edward some company. Come down when you're ready."

She left my room. I sat there trying to contain my freak out. I don't know how long I sat there but soon I heard tires screeching in the driveway, then someone pounding up the porch steps. I left my room and made it to the hall when I heard Em's voice.

"Where is she? Don't play with me, Alice. Where is Bella?" My anger flared. How could he talk to Alice like that? I ran down the hall and took the stairs two at a time. I was ready to rip Em a new one, but then I saw the look on his face. It was pure terror. He looked at me and ran to me. He gathered me into a hug. "Are you ok?" He looked me in the eyes and kissed my forehead, then hugged me again.

"I'm fine, Em," I said, muffled by his chest. "Hey, have you been replaced by a crazy person?" I asked jokingly. He handed me his phone with a text that said 911 Bella's house. Now! I suddenly had a flashback of that night. I wobbled slightly and Em grabbed my elbow. "How did you get this?" I saw the sender and it was: "Alice! Did you send Em this message?"

"Yeah, I told you I was gonna text him."

"You don't text me 911 when it comes to Bells. Ever." He started to get in her face, and she looked about ready to unleash the wrath I knew we'd all be reeling from. I stepped in between them.

"She doesn't know Em, I never told her about that. You're the only one who knows."

"Sorry, Alice. It just really freaked me out getting that text." Em looked contrite.

She mumbled an acceptance. This is when I noticed Edward. He was standing by the front door looking at me the entire time. His mouth pulled into that crooked smile and I automatically smiled too. We just stared at each other, communicating that all was ok. Alice snapped in my face, breaking me out of my Edward induced trance.

"Bells, you and Edward can stare at each other later. We have business to take care of." She sounded stern but the smile on her face said she thought it was cute.

"Ok, so the reason we're all gathered here is I just received some bad news. None of this will make sense to you, Edward, but an explanation is coming. So, first the bad news. Riley's been released."

Emmett looked at me like I'd grown another head. "He's out? They let him out?" Em looked scary pissed. "What the fuck, Bella?"

"They made some deal with his lawyers, and they let him out."

"I'm guessing that is a bad thing?" We all looked at Edward.

"Riley is the one who made me this way. It's a very bad thing. I think it's time you know what happened."

Edward sighed. "I wanted you to tell me when you were ready, not because you are forced."

"Well, I want to be normal and be able to make out with a cute guy without freaking out. You take what you can get." I smiled and he smiled back. Alice cleared her throat; I rolled my eyes. "A little over a year ago, I was staying at Charlie's house for the summer. My boyfriend, for the last ten months, was Riley. He had family there but lived in Seattle, just like me. He was a great guy at first, but that summer he had been growing impatient about me not sleeping with him, and I didn't want to sleep with him. He had been getting drunk a lot and we were constantly fighting about it." I took a deep breath and let it out. Here came the hard part.

"On July 18th, my dad was working an overnight shift at the police station, and I decided to go to bed early. Riley was out drinking with his friends and I didn't want to deal with him. I was woken up around two by Riley basically breaking into my house. He was drunker than I'd ever seen him." My eyes started to tear up. "He came upstairs and started to make out with me. He started to get a little rough, and was trying to take off my clothes." I saw Edward's fists clench at his sides. The tears spilled over and I wiped them away.

"I tried to tell him to stop, and I tried to push him but I wasn't strong enough. He raped me." I said sobbing. "The more I tried to stop him or asked him to stop, the angrier he got. When he was done, he was very agitated. He started yelling at me and calling me names. I wouldn't fight back or even yell, so he hit me and he continued to hit me. I text Em 911 Bella's house, now! when Riley was distracted. Em got there and pulled him off me. Riley threatened revenge on both of us and ran away. I was stupid and when Em forced me to go to the hospital I refused a rape kit. My dad showed up at the hospital. He saw me and flipped out. Riley was arrested later that morning. All they were able to charge him with was battery, though my dad pushed for attempted manslaughter due to my injuries. They gave him 3 years, and the option for parole at one and a half years. Guess he got it early." I said. My voice had gone emotionless once I had stopped crying. I looked around. Alice was crying, and Emmett just looked at the floor. Edward looked very sad and very angry at the same time. "So, now you know," I said, trying to get someone to say something.

"I didn't know about the last part Bella, about him hitting you. I always wondered because I saw you at the hospital the day after, but… I'm so sorry." She came over and gave me a hug. I hugged her back and felt some relief, but I knew I was waiting for Edward's response. Alice and Emmett made some excuse and left the room. Edward came and sat by me. I refused to look at him feeling ashamed. I assumed he'd want nothing to do with me now that he knew how damaged I was. I braced myself.

"Bella," he said softly. "Please look at me." I closed my eyes, then slowly opened them and turned my head to look in his eyes. It stunned me. There was love and concern in his eyes, not disgust and pity. He put his hand against the side of my face. "Thank you. I know that was really hard for you, I'm so glad you told me. I will never hurt you, or betray your trust, Bella. I know it's hard, but please believe me."

I looked into his eyes again and saw the sincerity. I believed him. He had never tried to hurt me or push me to be intimate with him; I could try a relationship with him, right? "I believe you. I trust you." His angelic face lit up. "I want to be with you, but if it becomes too much, or I can't handle it I will have to end it. I don't want to lose you."

He nodded. "Absolutely, we can go slowly."

I smiled. "I don't need super slow. We've already kissed. I just want normal. I need you to be patient with me and get ready for more crazy again. Especially after the news I just got."

He looked at me, and I knew he was remembering what had happened earlier. "Is there anything I can do, or anything else I need to know?"

"No, I'll tell you. If I push you away or tell you to stop or whatever, I mean it. I'm not just unsure or need persuasion. Get away or lose a limb." I said with a wry smirk.

He smiled back at me. "Ok. I can do that." He still had his hand on the side of my face, and it felt nice. He stroked my cheekbone and my lips. I kissed his fingers. He put his hand on the back of my head, and just looked at me. I was struck again by a burning desire to kiss him. I leaned forward and kissed him softly. He pulled me into him, and the kiss got more urgent but I didn't feel pushed or threatened. I fisted his hair and was soon out of breath. I pulled my head to the side just to breathe. He started kissing my neck going lower. I started to panic and gently pushed him away. He stopped and smiled at me. "Sorry."

"It's ok, sensory overload."

I put my head against his chest and leaned into him. He leaned back and put his arms around me, holding me. He slowly stroked my hair. This was always a soothing thing. I relaxed and started to fall asleep. I don't remember dreaming but I knew it was bad. I woke up gasping for air and completely freaked out. Edward was still beneath me, asleep. I noticed we were still in the living room, and it was still daytime, maybe early evening. I heard Alice humming in her room. Unable to fall back asleep, I got up from the couch and made my way to Alice's room. I knocked.

"Come in." She sang. I smiled as I opened the door. She turned in her chair to look at me. She sprung up from her chair and hugged me. "Bella!" I hugged her back, and then she sat down. "How's it going?" She said suggestively.

I smiled. "Edward and I fell asleep on the couch. I had a bad dream, but I can't remember it, thank god."

"Yeah, Emmett wanted to say goodbye, but he said you were asleep. He said you looked peaceful, so he didn't wanna wake you though." She frowned.

"Ali, what's wrong?" Alice shook her head. "Alice, come on. I know you, what's up?"

"I don't want to upset you."

"Alice…" I said with warning.

"Ok."

She handed me a piece of cream-colored paper and it was folded in thirds. I opened it and it read:

I see you. Soon

I dropped the piece of paper. It was Riley's handwriting.

A/N: So, that happened. Yeah, Riley's back. By show of hands who saw that coming? All of you, okay. Now is when the story starts to ramp up. Thank you again to everyone who reads and all the awesome peeps who review every chapter. You all rock! Love you all! Till next time.