A/N: So, I'm going to try to do a double posting day. These last two chapters are a little bit shorter because we are nearing the end. There are these two chapters and then there will be the epilogue. There are like two future takes that I am playing around with, but I am not sure of them yet, and they are not fully written. I never wrote them before. We will see. This beast is almost done, and if I double post it'll be a few hours between chapters. I want to thank everyone for adding, reviewing, and reading. I love hearing what you have to say. Standard disclaimer applies. Hands and feet inside the vehicle, seatbelts strapped tight, and off we go!

It's been a long time coming And the tables' turned around Cause one of us is goin' One of us is goin' down I'm not running, it's a little different now Cause one of us is going One of us is goin' down- You're going down by Sick Puppies

How could this man I thought I knew Turn out to be unjust so cruel Could only see the good in you Pretend not to know the truth You tried to hide your lies, disguise yourself Through living in denial But in the end you'll see YOU-WONT-STOP-ME I am a fighter and I ain't gonna stop There is no turning back I've had enough- Fighter by Christina Aguilera

Rose POV

I could honestly kick myself, and I wanted to. I saw all the signs that Bella had gone through what I had and still I did nothing. I knew she was scared to approach me to talk, and it hurt. Right now, she was so far removed from the Bella I once knew.

"Bells, you don't need to be afraid. I'm not mad, I'm sad."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys. I wanted to, you most of all."

"I understand. How long did it take me to tell you about Royce? Even when you guys saw the bruises, you didn't push. We were gone when this happened and once we came back, what was the point in going through it again?"

She just nodded, agreeing with me.

"Okay, no bullshit, Bells? What is he after?"

"Me. All he wants is me. He told Ali that no one has to get hurt. All you guys have to do is back off and stop protecting me, and he'll get what he wants."

Now, let me tell you something about me. I was a fairly even-tempered person, but I took no bullshit from anyone. I refused to let people push me around and put me in the blond hair, blue eyes, bimbo role because that was just not me. So, needless to say, when I was mad, I was kind of scary, as Emmett put it. Having Bella say that, as if she'd already given up, made the scary Rosalie emerge. Bella was my sister, blood or not, and I wanted to tear Riley's head off and shove it straight up his ass. This was not the Bella I knew. She was strong, smart, and stubborn as hell.

"You know that'll never happen. Why are you acting like you've given up?"

"Because I have, Rose!" She was very animated so Bella was moving her hands around, and that's when my eyes zeroed in on the huge rock she had on her ring finger. "What's the point of fighting anymore?"

Oh, now I had her because I had seen the ring on her finger. I tried to contain my glee, at least for the moment. "What about Edward? Isn't he important? I sure hope so, seeing as how you're marrying him."

She stared at me speechless for a moment. "How do you even know that? We haven't…"

"It's on your finger, Bells," I said, interrupting her.

She smiled and rolled her eyes. "Oh, right. Not used to it yet. Sorry, we wanted to tell everyone but it didn't really seem like the right time." She looked down at her hands in her lap.

"What the hell is going on? You are one of the strongest people I know. Why are you running scared?

She hesitated. "Alice thinks that Riley is gonna do something physically violent to me."

I suddenly understood everything. Alice had a way of knowing things that were going to happen before they did, whether through dreams or just her intuition. We never questioned it because we had all seen it in action. "Well, you knew it was coming, right? Isn't that why you've had Emmett teaching you to fight?"

"To learn how to protect myself, I guess."

"So, you're going to kick his ass! Bella, you can't run around being scared or freaking out waiting for it. If you do, when he finally catches up with you, you'll be so scared you won't be able to function, and he'll win." She nodded and I stood up. "You ready to go back inside?"

"No, I want to stay out here a few minutes alone. I'll see you inside."

"Okay, just remember what I said." I headed back inside, and I hoped I had done enough.

Bella POV

When Rose went into the house, I broke down. I mostly needed to cry and let it all out. I had a lot of emotional free falls lately, and I just couldn't do it anymore. Since Riley had come back into my life I had dealt with it, but not in the ways I probably should have. All I had reacted with was anger and fear. I hadn't dealt with the grief and mourning of the Riley I thought I knew. Even though Riley said I never loved him, I had still cared about him. We were friends before we had dated. I kept wondering what the hell made him completely snap? I was mad at myself too because I cared and I shouldn't. He had betrayed and violated me. Don't get me wrong, I did not want him and I loved Edward more than anything, but I still felt for Riley. He had been my friend and my boyfriend. You can't just turn off feelings for someone who had been in your life and a part of it for three years before they tore it apart.

What made it worse was that he thought he loved me and that I'd return the feeling if I wasn't with Edward. I was having a hard time with this new information about Riley. I knew my falling apart affected each of my friends, and I couldn't continue to do this to them or myself.

I stopped crying and wiped my eyes, and went back into the house with my head held high. Edward looked at me and I know he immediately noticed the change because that beautiful crooked smile lit up his face. That relentless need and want I'd had for him lately returned. I walked over to him and whispered in his ear. "Can you talk to me real fast, in private?"

He looked a little confused, but he nodded anyway. I grabbed his hand and led him up to my room. When we were inside I closed the door and turned around to kiss him fiercely. He kissed me back and then stopped for a second. "You okay, love?"

"Yes, I am. Rose and I talked, and I'm good. I've dealt with not dealing. Not skipping through the tulips just yet, but I will be." I smiled at him.

"Okay. I'm glad you're good."

"I'd be better if you stop interrupting my smooch session." I pouted at him. He smiled that crooked smile and started kissing me again. He backed me up against the wall and pressed himself into me. He went to take my shirt off, but I stopped him. "We have about two minutes until the pixie comes looking for me."

"I can be quick."

I laughed. "No, you can't, and I love that. We'll just have to wait until she's preoccupied, but we can kiss until then." Our lips met again and after a minute and a half, right on cue, we heard tiny feet skipping down the hall, followed by a knock on the door. Edward stepped away from me, smiled, and sat on my bed. I opened the door. "What's up, Ali?"

She looked a little concerned. "Is everything alright?"

"Great, Edward and I were just… talking."

She picked up on my normal Bella mood and smiled. "Okay, I was wondering what you wanted for dinner. Should we order out?"

"Are Rose and Em still here?" She nodded. "Well, since everyone knows about Edward and me, I say we celebrate. We should go to the store and buy stuff for the barbecue. We can use the indoor grill."

If Alice loved anything more than fashion, it was a reason to throw a party. She started clapping and bouncing, which made me smile. "Okay, you guys go get stuff to barbecue with Em since he's the grill man, and we'll take care of everything here."

We rounded up Emmett while Alice explained what we were doing to Rose and Jazz. We went to the store, and Em and Edward decided on steak, brats, and beer. I had Rose work on potato salad at home. I got chips, macaroni salad, a cheesecake, and strawberry glaze. We purchased all our goodies and headed home. The potato salad was already in the fridge, and the house was decorated for a party with a "Congratulations" banner hanging in the front room. The boys started the grill, made drinks, and played Scene It until dinner was done. We ate and continued to play the game. Rose and Em were the first to bow out and go home. Ali was going to stay at Jazz's tonight so they left soon after. And then Edward and I were alone.

I could feel the sexual tension in my body like a coiled spring. When we were in Hawaii, we were alone and could be together whenever we wanted. But we were interrupted earlier and had been surrounded by people until now. Edward was sitting on the couch next to me. I had my legs draped across his lap and my head rested on his shoulder. He looked down at me and raised my head for a kiss. His lips met mine, and I kissed him back with just as much passion. He trailed kisses from my mouth down to my neck and along my collarbone. I tried to remember how to breathe evenly when he caught my mouth with his again and started massaging my right breast. I pulled his shirt off and trailed my nails down his chest, causing him to moan. He surprised me by standing up with me in his arms and carrying me to my bedroom. After he put me down, I took my shirt and bra off and started kissing him again. He picked me up by grabbing my ass, I locked my legs around his waist and he kept backing us up until we ran into the wall. When he pushed into me and ground his erection against my sensitive body, I moaned at the friction.

I pushed away from the wall, and we landed on the bed with me on top. I smiled down at him seductively. I kissed my way down his chest, while his hands found purchase in my hair. I lightly bit his nipples and he pulled my head back up to kiss me. He started rolling my nipples with his fingers. "God, Edward!" I cried out. His hands on me, in combination with his kisses, made me feel like I was on fire. "I need you." He flipped us over so he was on top. He slowly took my pants and underwear off, leaving soft kisses and touches. I was about to hyperventilate. I removed his pants with fervor and grabbed his erection. He hissed and then moaned. I started stroking him until he asked me to stop. He ran his fingers up and down my slit, trying to get me ready for him. He inserted two fingers and I cried out while my eyes rolled back. Once I was wet, he slammed into me. "Holy shit!" It felt so good. He set a steady rhythm, and I had been waiting for him so long today that I felt ready to lose it soon. My breathing accelerated and I lightly scratched his back. As I got closer to my release, my nails dug into his back. He brought his hand between us to rub my tiny nub.

"I know you're close, love. Let go for me." When he said that, I found my release. He followed me, and soon we were lying with each other trying to calm down. I rolled on my side and he spooned with me. "I love you, beautiful. "

"I love you too, handsome."

"Night, love."

I turned to look at him. "Goodnight, my angel. You really have saved me. You came to me in the darkest time of my life and showed me love and light. I can never thank you enough, but I can spend the rest of my life loving you the best way I know how," I said as a few tears fell from my eyes.

Edward's eyes shone with emotion, and a tear slipped down his cheek. I caught it and kissed him right below his eye. He kissed me again, and it was so sweet it almost made me want to cry again. "I think you saved me too from turning into a bitter love jaded fool. I will spend every minute we have together loving you too, Isabella. Never forget that." We embraced and continued to snuggle. We feel asleep in each other's arms, right where we belonged.

Once again it was Saturday night, which meant karaoke. Tonight I wore black slacks and a dressy top. I refused to wear the ridiculous dress Ali had picked out for me. After being in Hawaii, it was too cold here. I was worried about my choice of song tonight. I wondered how my friends would take it and what he would do. I knew Riley was going to be there tonight. It'd been too long since I had heard anything from him, Alice had been super jumpy all day, and I just had this feeling.

We hung out and drank, and I waited until they called my name. I walked up to the stage, and I only needed one sentence for my introduction. "It's obvious who this is for."

No, I can't take one more step towards you 'Cause all that's waiting is regret Don't you know I'm not your ghost anymore You lost the love I loved the most I learned to live, half-alive And now you want me one more time And who do you think you are? Runnin' 'round leaving scars Collecting your jar of hearts And tearing love apart

That's when I saw him off to the side in the shadows. I locked eyes with him for the next line.

You're gonna catch a cold From the ice inside your soul So don't come back for me Who do you think you are?

I looked away but still felt his eyes on me.

I hear you're asking all around If I am anywhere to be found But I have grown too strong To ever fall back in your arms I've learned to live, half-alive And now you want me one more time

I purposefully looked right at Riley and let the pain and passion pour into my next verse.

It took so long just to feel alright Remember how to put back the light in my eyes I wish I had missed the first time that we kissed 'Cause you broke all your promises And now you're back You don't get to get me back

Pain twisted his features and was soon replaced by anger.

By the time I had finished the song silent tears had started running down my cheeks. Cheers and applause erupted, but Riley and I just stared at each other. I felt like a mouse caught in the stare of a snake. I knew I had provoked Riley and I was going to pay for it. I rushed off the stage and ran to the bathroom. I locked myself in a stall and calmed down, instead of sobbing uncontrollably like I wanted to. I rinsed my face in the sink, took a deep breath, and walked out of the bathroom. Suddenly, I felt an arm snake roughly around my waist and I was spun around. Riley was glaring at me, anger twisting his face.

"Well, you've made your feelings clear. It's too bad I'm past giving a shit what you want."

I tried to reason with him. "Riley, you need to stop. I don't want you. I care about you and I don't know what happened to you, but you've clearly lost who you were. It's too late for us." I said gesturing between us.

I saw him look at my finger where my ring sat. "You're marrying him? No! No, if I can't have you, no one will. Get ready lover, cause here comes the end." He spun me around and grabbed me by the throat from behind. He covered my mouth and drug me through the fire exit door into the alley. He flung me away from him, and we just stared at each other. I knew by the look in his eyes that it was on. Well, damn!

A/N: Oh snappity snap! Well, we saw this coming. It has been building up to this. Next chapter is the aftermath and basically the last chapter, then the epi. Thanks again and see you on the flip side.