Chapter 14 – Fire and Fight

It had only been six days, but things were already shifting.

Bella was mending. She was healing, albeit slowly. The feeding tube had been a huge part of the shift for her. It had allowed her body the nourishment she needed without the difficulty in actually eating. She was slowly regaining strength, though she was still very weak and her condition was still precarious.

Carlisle was more adamant about monitoring her vitals regularly, making charts and keeping track of her progress and noting where she was lagging behind. He was more dedicated and meticulous than ever before.

In part, it was because he blamed himself. He held himself responsible for Bella fainting in the bath tub. He figured he should have never approved of her being up and moving around so soon after such a traumatic incident.

He had taken a temporary leave from his work at the hospital. Most of his time was spent locked away in his office, making phone calls, finding ways to procure supplies and checking in every so often with Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie when he wasn't watching over Bella.

Bella was never alone. I was with her for all of her waking moments, and Carlisle was there when I wasn't. She didn't sleep soundly at all, but Carlisle had managed to convince her to raise her morphine dose to a slightly more comfortable level.

Her pain was excruciating, and managing it appropriately was an important cornerstone of her healing.

It made her quite drowsy, and fairly unresponsive. But it allowed her to rest. The brief moments where she would be awake and alert she would insist that we carry her downstairs and let her lay on the lounge around everyone else.

She'd even managed to make it 1/3 of the way through a documentary about Orcas last night before falling asleep.

Our household was moving in a natural rhythm.

I was planning and strategizing with Jasper and Emmett while Bella slept, and Carlisle was keeping watch while I was away from her.

Jasper was the liaison between our family and the wolves because I wasn't suitable for the role. Not only was I consumed with being as close in proximity to Bella as possible but I couldn't bare to see them without my anger consuming me. I had to stay away, at least for now.

At least until they brought me Paul.

There was still tension about how he would be dealt with once he'd been found, but Jasper assured me that he was working on it, and that he felt there would be some room – that this wouldn't have to come down to a fight. We could negotiate with the wolves, he insisted.

I was less optimistic.

Esme kept herself busy, procuring supplies from local hospitals, caring for each of us and making sure that Bella had all that she needed.

Rosalie kept her distance, and I understood why. It was painful for her to see Bella this way. Her knowledge of Bella's trauma was too intimate, too agonizing a reminder for her to spend very long in the same household.

Jasper was focused, as was Emmett, on ensuring Bella's safety.

And Alice… she was growing obsessed – her every thought consumed with trying to figure out when she would be able to see Bella again. She felt powerless without her sight.

"It'll be today," she said assuredly.

"What makes you think that?" Jasper asked, wrapping his arm around Alice's waist.

I sat across from them, Bella nestled into my side on the lounge, her body swathed in warm blankets as she slept soundly.

Alice blanched slightly and looked at me seriously.

6 days, Edward.

I nodded, catching the growl that was building in my chest.

Jasper looked at me, confusion clouding his thoughts.

"6 days, Jas. That's how long…"

"That's the maximum amount of time sperm can survive in the female body," Carlisle finished as he entered the room, his face pulled into tight lines as he spoke. He sat in the armchair next to the couch Alice and Jasper were on.

I had an immediate physical reaction to his words, and it felt somewhat beyond my control. Venom began pooling in my mouth and all of my defense systems were activated. The thought – the very undeniable reality that we were faced with triggered my anger. It took everything I had inside of me to remain composed.

I was quickly distracted, though, by Carlisle's demeanor. He had been unusually rigid lately, but this was more acute than usual. It was rare to see him leave his office unless he was attending to Bella or liaising with the wolves.

He had a reason for being here, I realized.

"What's wrong?" I questioned, knowing Carlisle well enough to know that his body language was telegraphing something serious.

"Charlie is on his way here. I dropped into the hospital to pick up supplies and he called me as I was on my way back home. I tried to stave him off but he refused. He's quite worried, understandably and is highly suspicious of the circumstances surrounding Bella's incident."

"I don't think Bella is up to the task of trying to convince Charlie of anything right now," I explained, staring at her peacefully sleeping form nestled into my body.

"It appears we don't have much of a choice in the matter. Charlie was insistent. Denying him access to Bella will certainly raise his suspicions even more." I nodded, trying to digest the information as quickly as possible so as to strategize and create the ideal conditions with the ideal outcome.

My mind was turning over all of the potential possibilities as well as their outcomes and in seconds I had formulated a plan that I was confident would provide us with best possible conclusion.

"We'll have to wake Bella and prepare her as best we can. Alice and Jasper can greet him at the door – Jasper, you'll have to closely monitor his mood and influence as much calmness in him as possible. Alice, Charlie's thoughts toward you have always contained a great deal of admiration, affection, and fondness. Your presence will quell whatever preconceived notions or anxieties he's bringing into this space."

"And Bella?" Alice questioned quietly, telegraphing her frustration in her thoughts and her body language. She was irritated with her inability to see Bella. Occasionally she caught a glimpse of things pertaining to Bella's future through someone else, but this was becoming less and less reliable and it was wholly unpredictable.

I looked down at Bella, noting how terribly fragile she appeared. Charlie, of course, was used to her fragility. Though she had lost a great deal of weight since our arrival, her weight loss preceded our return to Forks, so I was confident Charlie would be less focused on that aspect.

Her face was dreadfully bruised, black, blue and yellow hues decorating the delicate skin of her face, obscuring her features in a very obvious way. There was no real way to distinguish how those marks came to be – they were nondescript enough in their presentation that it wouldn't be too far a stretch to blame them on a fall.

It was likely that Charlie wouldn't see much more than her face, and possibly her hands. The rest of her body would be covered.

"I'll get something for her to change into that'll cover the bruises on her neck. Those ones are really a dead giveaway," Alice offered as though she was predicting my train of thought.

"Yes, please do." Alice whirled out of the room before I could finish my sentence.

"Carlisle, what can we do to normalize this as much as possible? Are you prepared to speak with Charlie?"

Carlisle nodded, standing to his feet as he did.

"I've considered that, and I think it's best if we remain consistent. Ensuring Charlie that her recovery is coming along well, but that there are still great strides to be made will hopefully help him understand that Bella is ok, but still needs to remain with us to be monitored closely."

"Fine, that should work. Esme, Rose and Emmett?" I questioned, wanting to ensure that everyone was on the same page and that nobody would be joining us mid-way through the visit uninformed about our plans.

"Emmett and Rose are guarding the perimeter and Esme is picking up supplies from a hospital in Seattle. They understand that they aren't to return until Charlie has left," I nodded my understanding and watched as Carlisle sped out of the room and up the stairs to his office.

I took the moment of solitude to observe Bella's sleeping form. She appeared to be so frail and slight beneath the mammoth comforters she was covered in. I'd always thought of Bella as frail – not in mind or spirit, but in her stature and demeanor. She was so very human and vulnerable in all of the ways that humans were as the prey of vampires. But despite her vulnerabilities, Bella's presence was strong and enduring. She was alight with fire and fight. And even in these times, where Bella had been subjected to untold horrors, that flame was still flickering, still persevering.

It had changed, yes. Maybe it had even been dulled, but it wasn't fully extinguished. I could see it in the way she refused things she didn't agree with. Or the way she insisted on putting herself in harm's way to do what she thought would offer protection to those she loved.

Or the way she smiled at me yesterday when I made an offhand comment about Emmett's incompetence after he unintentionally insulted Esme's cooking.

Bella was still here.

Still flickering.

Still brightly burning despite the horror of it all.

BPOV

"He's on his way here? Right now?"

"I'm afraid so, Bella. There was nothing I could do to persuade him otherwise. He insisted upon seeing you today – immediately. He's concerned, and understandably so."

Carlisle's words were barely registering. Somehow, Charlie coming here – seeing me – it made all of this more real. I wasn't ready to be pulled from this haze. With Edward and his family there was a commitment they each had in protecting me, and preserving my well-being above all else. I felt guilty for it, but I didn't have the strength to insist they stop pestering me with their overprotectiveness and excessive graciousness.

With Charlie on his way here and the knowledge that I would have to flip the script and preserve his personal well-being, I was beginning to long for the safety and comfort of being exposed only to the Cullen's.

I was still unsure about their motivations – was it love, or just a sense of duty and obligation? In any case, in this moment, I was sorely missing their slow, enduring pace.

"I know this is a lot to digest, love. But we have to prepare you for this. I'm sorry to spring all of this on you so suddenly, but unless we conceal the truth from Charlie, we could be putting him at even greater risk," Edward's velvety smooth voice wrapped around me, uplifting me for a moment before I processed the meaning of his words, which then caused me to crash back into reality.

"The risk… that's the… Volturi… right? And they… could hurt Charlie? And all of you?" I struggled to pull the words out of my head, to fetch them from within the darker corners of my mind. But hearing them speak of risk immediately attuned me to what that could mean for them.

I took notice of the four faces in the room. Each of them was painted with confusion and shock. I was puzzled.

Is what I just said not true?

I internally questioned, afraid that I had said something offensive or inappropriate. Or maybe just hearing that name spoken aloud was enough to frighten the Cullen's. And if that were the case… he was right.

Were my deepest fears being confirmed right before my very eyes?

"Bella…" Carlisle started, speaking slowly and with great caution "you needn't worry about the Volturi, they rarely involve themselves in the day to day happenings of vampire covens. What we're suggesting is merely a precaution to ensure that Charlie is as removed from all of this as possible. Carlisle sat across from me, his hands folded in his lap. He was trying to hide it – his shock and horror. And he wasn't doing a very good job of it, either.

He looked absolutely mortified.

They could sense it, I realized. They could tell there was more to what I was saying than what I was letting on. They knew that when I said 'risk' I meant more than just a risk to Charlie.

I thought about telling them, about revealing what I'd been containing inside of me since all of this came to a head. I even started to speak, willing the words to spill from me because at this point it was more important that I warn them than leave them in the dark with no head start or pre-emptive advantage.

But the words stopped before they could spill from my mouth. My throat constricted and my stomach twisted into a thousand tiny, unbearable knots. My hands started quivering involuntarily and I could feel the urge to vomit beginning to build in me.

"Bella, love. Relax. It's ok," Edward placed a gentle arm across my shoulders, pulling me closer into his body as he mimicked the breathing pattern he wanted me to replicate in order to calm myself down. I reluctantly followed his lead, inhaling and exhaling on cue.

"Bella, I know this is very difficult. I know that it must be frightening – to see all of us look so concerned and shocked. But I assure you we're only confused. We can't quite seem to understand why you think they'd pose any risk to us?" Carlisle's thoughts seemed to flow out of him involuntarily. He was pressing.

Because he knew.

Again, I wanted to answer him, but I started sputtering and the words were lodged in my throat again, making it harder and harder for me to breath.

"Paul, please. Get off of me." My voice came out of me far more pleading than I'd intended it to. But given the current circumstances, it was difficult to control my physical reaction.

Paul's body was pressing my own into the wall of my bedroom, his hands holding my arms above my head in what I was sure was a bruising grip. I struggled against his weight, trying to pry my way to freedom.

"You don't get it, do you?" He spat, his nostrils flaring in his rage. I could feel my body rumbling – not shaking, but rumbling. Low vibrations were coursing through me, and I tried my very hardest to tense my muscles to prevent him from seeing. I didn't want him to know how afraid I was.

"No. I really don't. If you're worried I'll tell anyone else about what happened last week… I won't. I promise. Nobody has to know; it was just a stupid misunderstanding." I was begging now, my body beginning to burn at the sensation of being so forcefully compressed between Paul's body and the wall.

"This isn't about last week, sweetheart. It's about right now. It's about the future, the past. All of it. This was a long time coming for you and those bloodsuckers," Paul's eyes were alight with rage now, and the way his eyes locked on to my own confirmed for me that he was here for blood.

He wouldn't be satisfied until I'd paid my dues for whatever it is he blamed me for.

"Why?" I whispered, pushing weakly back against his weight, my energy drained. He pressed his full body against mine again, and I could feel his anticipation pressing squarely against my navel.

And that's when I knew what he was about to do to me…

I thought about screaming.

About running.

About fighting.

But there was something about the fiery heat of his massive body that told me it would be useless. His strength was overwhelming. His power was so far beyond my own, or Charlie's… the only match for him, I realized, was hundreds - possibly thousands - of miles away with no hopes of ever returning.

"Take off your shirt," he commanded, his voice heavy with lust and anger, mixing into the most horrifying combination of emotions I'd ever been subjected to.

"No. Paul please. Tell me what I can do. How can I fix this?"

He paused for a moment and stared at me. His fierce, raging brown eyes had captured my own and we exchanged a look for what felt like forever. I tried my very hardest to push out some of the empathy existing inside of me, hoping that if Paul viewed me as a sentient, emotional human being he might be inclined to change his mind.

But again – those eyes, the fire of his body, the rigidity of his muscles – all of it told me that I was fighting a losing battle.

I had never witnessed such an empty rage before in my life. Not even in James. James had been tied to Victoria, and that tether kept him circulating love and empathy, even if it was only extended to her. There was still something I could see in his eyes.

But here, right now – in Paul's eyes there was nothing but emptiness.

And then his hands released my wrists and my body slumped forward onto the ground, my arms aching in protest.

I gasped, relieved to have ended the burning that was overwhelming the joints of my arms.

"You wanna' know how you can fix this?" He questioned, holding my gaze still.

I nodded as I tried, desperately to contain my tears.

"You can . ," his words were fire and rage. Lethal. Final.

My horror was mounting with each passing second as the realization began to settle into the depths of me. I wouldn't make it out of this unscathed.

Paul would have his way with me, whether I wanted him to or not.

In my desperation, I thought of ways to avoid this inevitability.

"Charlie… he'll… he'll be home soon," I lied easily, hoping that it would be enough to deter him.

Paul chuckled.

"That's fine. If you make even the smallest sound, I'll kill him – and I'll make you watch every last second of it. And then I'll kill you." And then he smiled, and pushed me flat onto my back, my head banging loudly off the ground beneath me.

"He'll kill you, you know?"

I didn't believe it. Not even for a second. I didn't believe that Edward would return to Forks, would hear about any of this, would even try to figure out where I was or how I was doing. He'd been gone for so long, and each time I hoped and prayed for him to return, I'd end up disappointed. He had more than proven he was moving on with this life.

But I was so desperate – so terrified – that I'd say anything if I thought it would stop Paul.

He eyes flashed, rage boiling deep inside of him.

"Oh you stupid, stupid girl. I'm counting on him finding out. I'm counting on him coming after me. And when he does, I'll rip all of them to shreds and build a bonfire with their body parts. And all of La Push will celebrate, bowing to me like I'm their Alpha." And with that he lowered himself, fully clothed on top of me, as he roughly began pulling at my shirt before finally ripping it open.

The horror inside of me was unparalleled. I'd never been more sickened and afraid in my life, but I couldn't let him see it. And beneath the fear was my will to fight.

Before I could stop myself I said "you'll never be a match for him. You'd never win. They'd kill you before you even laid a hand on them," my tone was ominous and threatening, even to me. But I'd seen what they were capable of, and I knew it was true.

For a second, Paul looked frightened.

But that emotion faded as quickly as it had risen.

And he laughed.

A deep, menacing, bone-chilling laugh.

"You think I'm alone in this?"

I was stunned. My stomach churned at the suggestion.

"Jake?" I groaned out.

"Nah. He's in love with you, or didn't you know? He'd never have what it takes to do what needed to be done for our people."

"Then who?"

He lowered his mouth to my face and placed a soft kiss on my cheek.

"The Volturi," he whispered.

EPOV

Bella was catatonic. Her eyes had glossed over and she was frozen in place, unmoving.

I knew this all too well, though. She was remembering something, totally preoccupied with her own thoughts, so much so that they were stealing her from the present and pulling her back to a moment that involved Paul.

"Bella, love? Talk to me," I whispered, my mouth inches away from her ear as I smoothed small circles across the small of her back, hoping the tenderness would pull her from whatever horror she was reliving.

Give her a minute. She'll return to us when her mind has retracted whatever danger signals it flared up to send her into this particular panic, Carlisle reassured me from within his thoughts. It wasn't a very comforting thought, knowing that her mind had pulled her from the present and shifted her back into a reality where he could still hurt her.

I desperately wanted to pull her from that reality so that she would know she was safe. But it didn't work like that. I'd learned, rather quickly, that these things had to run their course.

The room had grown quiet. But in the silence I could still hear Alice, Jasper and Carlisle's thoughts raging.

We all knew what was happening to Bella before our very eyes, and we were desperate to help her, but there was nothing we could do. So we sat, helpless, at the mercy of whatever it was that was forcing her through this, ready and waiting to support her back into the present when she returned.

Jasper, with all his strength, was pressing forth with as many soothing, calming, gentle waves of safety and security as he could manage. It seemed to be working as Bella's tensed body was slowly relaxing.

And in the silence, we all had time to process our thoughts. Bella had been concerned about the Volturi's involvement, and surely they weren't involved. But that didn't explain how that monster had known about them and known enough about them to threaten Bella with retribution from the most powerful coven of vampires that had ever existed. No wonder Bella was petrified - no wonder she suffered silently through all of it.

This was unveiling to all of us that there was a strong likelihood that Paul hadn't acted alone, that he had help. Someone that was goading him, perhaps? Someone that was planting information in his mind?

But now wasn't the time to discuss this. We couldn't express our thoughts aloud for fear that Bella might hear. So we all held on to the thoughts, vowing to return to them later.

Ten minutes passed before she returned to us. And when she did her panic persisted. She looked around frantically, her hands reaching up to her throat, resting there as though to convince herself that his hands weren't still wrapped around her neck.

I growled, but it didn't seem to phase Bella as she continued to work to convince herself that she was safe.

"Bella?" I whispered, afraid that speaking too loudly might startle her. Her head snapped in my direction and her eyes searched my own, holding there for a long while before she eyed me up and down.

Tears were pouring from her eyes now as her head whipped in every direction.

"You're safe, Bella."

We allowed her to settle for a few more minutes, and eventually she uncurled herself from me and allowed me to help her sit directly next to me.

"He…" she started her eyes filled with grief and uncertainty. Whatever she was about to say was taking a great deal of strength and courage.

"He promised that he'd…" she exhaled sharply, bowing her head, purposely avoiding eye contact with all of us. "He said he'd kill you. He said that he'd have help…"

And then it clicked. I'd been speculating earlier, but it seemed too ludicrous to be true. Besides, how would Paul know anything about our world? He only recently transformed, certainly not long enough to know about any of our laws or rules. Not to mention that it wasn't something we had ever revealed to the wolves in the past, even when we drew up the terms of our treaty years ago.

"Bella, did he tell you that he would have the Volturi help us?"

Bella looked at me, her eyes filled with so much grief it nearly cracked my composure. Contained within her brilliant, brown eyes was an unparalleled amount of pain and sadness. And within them I found two things that were absolutely clear now:

She blamed herself.

And she believed him.

She nodded, the tears flowing faster and harder now.

I looked at Carlisle now. I wanted to reassure Bella, to cancel out all of her fears, but I needed Carlisle's confirmation first that this was outside the realm of anything the Volturi would ever partake in.

They might be ruthless and cunning, but as far as I knew they would never align themselves with a wolf to achieve personal gains. Other vampires? Yes. But wolves were out of the question. It was beneath the Volturi to consort with anyone or anything they viewed as being less than themselves. And that basically precluded all species but vampires.

It's not possible, Edward. There's no way the Volturi are behind any of this.

I nodded.

"Bella, love. I can assure you that the Volturi had no part in any of this. They weren't and aren't colluding with him." Bella looked at me, dead on, holding me there for a minute before speaking.

"How do you know?" She exhaled, her voice soft and low.

In this moment, she looked so vulnerable and frail that I thought she might disintegrate before my very eyes.

"Carlisle knows the Volturi very well, Bella. And he is absolutely confident this isn't something they would ever partake in. Ruthless though they may be, they are governed by rules as well, and they hold those rules in high esteem. They wouldn't conspire with wolves. It goes against everything they are. It violates their most fundamental laws."

She exhaled, her shoulders dropping, her brow unfurling, her hands untensing. Her entire body had a physical reaction to my words and it was then that I realized how much she'd been holding. There was so much I still didn't know. Things were slowly unfolding, but each and every time Bella uncovered something and allowed me in, it reawakened the anguish I felt in knowing she'd suffered so profoundly.

I reached a hand toward her moving at the slowest possible pace, assessing her reaction before resting my hand against her battered, bruised, swollen cheek, moving at the slowest possible pace, assessing her reaction before resting my hand against her battered, bruised, swollen cheek.

And for the first time she accepted the gesture without jumping away from me, without having her body swing into overdrive as a protective mechanism. Instead, she gently pushed her cheek against my hand and closed her eyes.

I placed a gentle kiss at the apex of her brows, lingering there for a moment, relishing in the physical contact, reveling in the feeling of having her in my arms, untouched by the horrors her mind contained.

She pulled away and looked up at me, her brown eyes filling with tears that were resting on the brim of her eyes lids.

"I'm sorry," she offered, shame filling her once again.

"Shhh," I whispered, catching her tears with my index finger as they fell.

"You have nothing to apologize for, love."

The intimacy of the moment we were sharing was abruptly halted when Carlisle cleared his throat and stood to his feet.

"I'm sorry Bella, but we must discuss your meeting with Charlie. He'll be here shortly, and we think it's best if you change into something that isn't as revealing?"

I was grateful for Carlisle and for his ability to convey very uncomfortable truths with a grace and gentleness that I'd never known in another living creature. Even the worst of news, if delivered by Carlisle, would be manageable.

Bella nodded and Alice jumped up, all of her movements overshadowed by the melancholy that seemed to follow her everywhere these days.

"Are you ok with this, Bella?" Alice asked, a small smile on her lips.

In one hand, Alice held up a beautiful indigo blue turtleneck dress that would probably fall right at Bella's knees. In her other hand, she held a pair of thick, cotton ivory-coloured tights.

"That's fine," Bella replied without enthusiasm, her voice listless and dull.

"Let me help you upstairs, Bella and then we can get you fixed up and chat a bit about how we're going to handle all of this," Alice's voice was so gentle it was almost painful. Her relationship with Bella was clearly marked by everything that had happened. The changes were painfully obvious and I could tell by the look of sadness of Bella's face that she could sense it, too.

Bella looked at me, her eyes conveying her concern.

"I'll be waiting right down here, love. I'm not going anywhere."

I helped Bella to her feet and carried her to Alice's bedroom before returning downstairs to the sitting room.

Carlisle was waiting there, a yellow file folder sitting on his lap.

"I don't think Charlie will be easily convinced, especially when he lays eyes on her," he explained.

"I agree," Jasper said "what's the file folder for? You're not seriously considering allowing him to see Bella's medical notes?"

"No, of course not. That would reveal far more than we'd ever want anyone to know. Those notes are for my personal benefit, so I can chart and document everything to do with Bella's recovery so that if there ever comes a time when she wants to review it, she can do so easily."

Jasper nodded.

"I was wondering why you were documenting Bella's condition."

"This folder," Carlisle started, holding the folder in his hand "is a decoy. I assembled it a few days ago anticipating Charlie's eagerness to see Bella. It contains detailed notes of the incident we claimed to have happened. Alice was helping me with it, so she'll be able to brief Bella on everything that's inside of it. You'll both need to look at it so our stories can remain consistent," Carlisle explained.

"We'll memorize it with ease, but this folder his thick and filled with minute details that Bella couldn't possibly remember after a single conversation."

"You're right Jasper. Which is why I intend to be with Bella at all times. If Charlie begins to press too much I can interject with the relevant information that should hopefully quell him long enough for us to change the subject. Besides, it's not as though he'll expect Bella to be aware of every small detail. You'll see from these notes that Bella lost consciousness with her fall and suffered a concussion, along with some minor short term memory loss. Hopefully, that will provide her with enough of an excuse to explain away her lack of awareness."

"Hopefully," I alleged, jetting across the room, picking up anything that might arouse his suspicions. Any needless medical equipment, anything that might make her condition seem more precarious than we wanted him to believe it to be.

A few minutes later and Alice helped Bella down the stairs.

The turtleneck dress Alice had chosen paired with the ivory tights was perfect. Having Bella dressed in regular clothing was an important facet of helping Charlie feel comfortable with the story we'd given him. We didn't want him to fully understand how badly injured Bella was. If it appeared that she was recovering well he might be less inclined to pry. Of course, with Carlisle's explanation of her head injuries, we hoped Charlie would understand the need for Bella to remain with us.

Bella looked more alive than I'd seen her in days. Alice had changed the bandage on her face, replacing it with a smaller, cleaner bandage that she had neatly taped to her face. Her hair was neatly pulled back into a single braid that fell down to just beneath her waist. The sleeves of the dress were long enough that they seemed to cover her badly bruised hands.

I paused, realizing I wanted to compliment Bella but I was frightened that anything I said might reawaken a memory.

But I took the chance anyway.

"You look stunning, Bella," I said, trying to remove any hesitation from my voice, knowing that if Bella sensed it she would misinterpret it completely.

At to my delight, she smiled. The look of panic that had been painted across her face was momentarily replaced with a genuine smile.

And then the panic returned as Bella asked, "do you think this will work?"

"We'll take care of it. You needn't worry," Carlisle assured her.

In the distance I heard the familiar sound of Charlie's police cruiser rolling across the paved highway, followed by the sound of his car turning onto the gravel road.

"He's here," I explained, looking at Bella, trying to assess her well-being.

She looked resolute. She looked determined. Her eyes were filled with a dim light, but a light all the same.

I knew that when it came to protecting others, Bella made sure she was at her best and nothing less. With her knowing how important this was, she was putting the extra pressure of performing perfectly onto her own shoulders.

"Relax." I placed a hand on her shoulder, rubbing across the tensed muscles of her back. She cringed and then I remembered the physical exam I'd helped Carlisle perform the day of her attack.

Images of her horribly bruised back flashed back into my mind and I pulled my hands from her body as though she were made of molten lava.

"Sorry," she whispered, her eyes catching the floor and holding there.

But before I could say much more I heard the sound of Charlie's car parking, the door creaking open and then slamming shut.

I took Bella's hand and gently led her toward the sitting room, helping her sit on the couch across from the chair she usually occupied. We wanted to avoid, as much as possible, making it appear as though she had any issues with mobility. If Charlie was to know about the pain she felt when walking he would grow even more suspicious and her multiple fracture ribs, we feared, might make him more suspicious than he already was.

Bella inhaled and then exhaled in a rhythmic way. I pulled her hand into my own and ran a gentle finger across the back of her knuckles.

And then we braced ourselves.

A/N: Here it is! This chapter was initially twice as long but I cut the second half into a second chapter in order to get this edited and posted ASAP.

Let me know what you think. A lot was revealed in this chapter and I'm very curious to hear your thoughts.

As always, thank you for your reviews! They were fabulous and kept me floating through the edits of this chapter and the next. They were a really fantastic motivator.

xx

-missmarlee