A/N: Hello again my lovely readers! Sending my thanks to everyone who has read, reviewed, fav'ed and/or followed my story! Sorry for the delay in posting, crazy week at work…Who would have thought TMNT would do so much business? Not me, that's for sure! It looks horrible! I'll stick to the 90s version thank you.

So we get Edward's POV in this chapter. He wouldn't leave me alone until I let him speak up! Do we like different POVs or should I stick to Bella only?

Special shout-out to cbmorefie who has left me a review for every chapter! I truly appreciate you taking the time to do so!

Twilight is not mine. Surviving is!

BPOV

"I'm worried about her Edward. It's like she just vanished off the face of the Earth." I hear Alice's voice carry through the trees. "Seriously! It's been four days and no word. Do you think her parents were pissed about Port Angeles? Or maybe they think that it was our fault and now they won't let her see us!"

"I don't know Alice…I just don't know." Edward replies, his voice low.

I sit, shivering, under a giant oak tree somewhere on the Cullen's property. I have never been this cold in my life. The forecast wasn't wrong, it's been bitterly cold and the rain has been relentless.

Its part of the reason I haven't gone to see them. I hate that I'm causing them to worry, but I know I look worse for wear.

That first day, I arrived at the Cullen's just moments before I heard a car coming down the driveway. I was soaked from the rain and looked like I had just run a twenty mile marathon…which technically, I guess I had.

I took off into the trees, trying to find a decent place to rest. I really lucked out when I came across this oak tree. It was relatively dry near the trunk and surrounded by bushes, which blocked the majority of the wind.

I changed out of my dripping clothes and sat down, intending to rest for just a few minutes. I was going to go see them, claim my parents had dropped me off at the end of the driveway on their way to work. I fell asleep almost the moment I closed my eyes.

I woke hours later in complete darkness, freezing and hungry. I ate a few of my crackers, pulled a pair of sweatpants over my jeans, and fell back asleep curled in a ball.

The next day when I got up I had no sense of time. I was unsure if Edward was at school or if his parents were at work. I told myself to stay awake. Wait for any type of sign from the house. I awoke to total darkness again.

By the third day I couldn't just walk up to their front door anymore. My cough had started at some point during the night and grew increasingly worse as the day went on. I knew that if I showed up on their doorstep in my current state, Dr. Cullen would insist on taking me to the hospital. Doing that would lead to questions I couldn't answer.

On top of that, I was also afraid to face them now. I knew how I would look to them…a dirty, freezing, hungry, sickly, pathetic, homeless person. I didn't want to see the disgust on their faces. I've seen that look so many times in my life, but coming from them would hurt so much more. They aren't just strangers passing me on the street, they were my friends. They are my friends.

Lost in my thoughts I let out a gasp when I hear a branch break not too far from me. I hug my knees to me trying to make myself as small as possible, trying to blend in to my surroundings. 'Please say they didn't hear me, please say they didn't hear me' I chant over and over in my head.

"Edward did you…" Alice stops mid sentence when a cough erupts from my chest. Damn it Bella! I press my lips together and rest my forehead on my knees, effectively blocking my sight.

'What are you? Two?' I mentally berate myself. The whole 'if I can't see you, you can't see me thing' doesn't work. I keep my head down as I hear them get closer and closer. 'Breathe, just breathe'.

"Are you okay?" Edward asks. "Hello…Can you hear me? Do you need help?" I shake my head, unable to look up. My tears begin to fall. I don't want them to know. I don't want this to be my life.

I feel his hand touch mine and that familiar spark runs through my body. "BELLA!" he nearly shouts. With a deep sigh I lift my head to see both him and Alice are kneeling right in front of me.

"Bella! What…Why…How…?" Alice rushes forward and wraps me in her arms. "What's going on? You're freezing Bella!"

My tears turn into sobs. "Please...Please don't tell your parents! I promise I'll leave. I'm sorry…so very, very sorry."

Before I even have a chance to protest Edward takes his jacket off and throws it around me. "Bella, love, lean into me." He says as he picks me off the ground. "Alice grab her bag." He calls over his shoulder as he starts making his way through the woods.

"Edward, please let me down. I promise to leave right away. Please don't throw me out." I beg my head resting on his shoulder.

"Bella, I have no intention of 'throwing you out.' My only concern is getting you in the warmth." He voice is harsh sounding.

I hear Alice talking behind us. When Edward doesn't respond to her question, I know she's on the phone. "Please Alice, no authorities! Please! I'll do anything…anything!" Edward's grip tightens around me.

"Relax baby. She's just talking to Jasper. We can talk once you're warm."

A few minutes later the house comes into view. "Alice run ahead. Turn up the heat and get something warm for Bella to drink." Alice sprints ahead, leaving the door cracked open for us.

I begin to violently tremble the moment we cross the threshold. I don't know if it's from the shock of the warmth or if I'm sicker than I thought.

"Alice, come quick!" Edward yells down the hall. "What do we do?" he asks as Alice comes into the room carrying a cup of steaming liquid.

"Shit…she must have been outside for longer than I thought. She's burning up!" She says as she places her hand on my forehead. "We need to get her out of those clothes and into a lukewarm bath."

"Alice she needs a hot one…look at her!" Edward says as he begins to climb the stairs.

"Trust me Edward. Hot could send her into shock or even stop her heart. It needs to be cool right now. We don't know how low her body temperature is right now and she clearly has a fever. We need to warm her up gradually." Alice says as she disappears into, what I assume is a bathroom.

Edward follows her in and sets me on the sink, pulling his coat from me. "I've got it from here Edward. Send Rose up as soon as they get here. Go on now. I promise she'll be okay. "

I watch as he leaves the room, pulling at his hair as he goes. "Aaaalicceee….Iiiiii" I start to say but she cuts me off.

"It's okay Bella, we are going to take care of you." The door flies open and Rose strides in.

"Fuck…What happened?" she asks as she helps Alice undress me.

"We'll have time to talk later. Right now we need to get these off and her in the water."

EPOV

"Edward, sit down." Jasper says as he puts his feet up on my coffee table. "You need to chill before the girls come out."

"Chill? How the fuck am I supposed to 'chill' Jasper?" I stop my pacing to glare at him. "It's obvious she hasn't been out there for just a few hours…" I trail off as I pick up my pacing again. I know I shouldn't take it out on Jasper, but my temper is getting the best of me.

"Look we know something is going on with her, but she's never going to feel comfortable talking to us about it if you continue to act like a prick."

I plop down on the couch next to him running my hands through my hair. "I know. Sorry." He just nods and flips the TV on.

"I made her some soup and hot, and I'm taking surface of the sun hot, chocolate." Emmett announces as he strolls into my room. "They done yet?"

"Almost. Alice just grabbed some of my clothes for her. Thanks for getting that for her by the way." I nod towards the tray in his hands.

"Least I could do." He shrugs. "So she didn't say why she was out there?"

"No. But she started freaking out when she thought Alice was calling the authorities." I run my hand through my hair yet again.

"Do you think she ran from her parents or something?" Emmett asks as he leans against the wall, his eyes darting between the bathroom door and me.

Before I get a chance to respond, the bathroom door opens and I'm on my feet heading towards Bella. The moment our eyes locked in the diner I felt an instant connection to her. I can't explain it but it hit me like a ton of bricks. She was so stunning and I could feel myself falling for her before I even knew her name.

Getting to know her better at dinner and during the trip to Port Angeles only strengthen my feelings for her. She wasn't an entitled, self absorb, drama queen like most girls I've met. She is kind, smart, humble, beautiful…perfect.

"How are you feeling?" I ask pulling her into my arms.

"I'm feeling a lot better, thank you." I guide her towards the couch, pulling her towards me as we sit.

"Here Bella, I got you some soup and coco. Careful, it's hot." Emmett hands her the tray.

"You didn't have to do that." She blushes. It's very becoming on her. "Thank you…all of you for everything. I know you probably have some questions for me..."

"Eat first, love. We have all night to talk" I pull my arm from around her so she can move freely to eat.

We focus on the news while Bella eats; the mood in the room heavy with unspoken questions. "And in national news Phoenix police are still asking for anyone with information pertaining to the extremely brutal murder of a local homeless woman to step forward."

The sound of glass breaking grabs everyone's attention. I turn to Bella, her eyes wide open, swimming with tears as she stares at the TV. The tray of food covers the floor.

She covers her mouth with her hand as a gut wrenching sob overtakes her. I immediately pull her into my lap. "Baby, what's the matter? What happened?" I gently rock her back and forth.

"My…my…mom. I had a feeling…but...but…to know its true..." Her sobs come back full force. I look up at my friends. They looked just as confused as I feel.

A few moments later and she goes silent. "Bella?" I ask looking down at her.

"That was my mom. They were talking about my mom. I had hoped she got away, but she didn't." her voice is eerily calm and her eyes are vacant.

"Are you talking about the woman in Phoenix?" Rose asks moving to sit on the coffee table in front of us, Emmett stands behind her.

She takes a deep breath and begins, her voice still calm and lacking any emotion. "Yes. The man that killed her also killed my father. My mom had him sent to prison for rape when they were in high school. He was the brother of their best friend and she caught him in the act. She got people to come forward and he was sent away for ten years."

"He made it his mission to find her once he got out. He always wanted my mom. He killed his brother before he found us right after my fifth birthday. He shot my dad to death. My mom took me and ran. We moved all over trying to avoid him."

"We became homeless on my seventh birthday. He found us in a motel and we had to run again, most of our things were left behind in our haste to get away. He finally caught up to us in Phoenix a couple weeks ago. She told me too run…to leave her and not come back…no matter what I heard. I shouldn't have left her." Her body starts to shake as fresh tears roll down her cheeks. "He's looking for me now. He told me he would find me."

The room is so quiet after she finishes her story that you could hear a pin drop. I sit there, completely lost for words. Bella stands and excuses herself, saying she wants to wash her face. I just nod and watch her go.

"That motherfucker!" Jasper exclaims as the bathroom doors shuts. We all turn to him, shocked as Jasper is normally the collected one of our group. "That's why she didn't want the police called, and why she refused to press charges on those bastards in Port Angeles. She doesn't want her name out there. She's afraid he'll find her again. He must have connections all over if he was able to find them so many times."

I feel sick to my stomach. Some crazy ass lunatic is out there trying to find her! My girl! She's been through so much, and yet she's still so strong. I don't know if I could have survived all that she's has. For her to be such a caring, wonderful, amazing person after all that…she really is perfection.

I look around my room, really absorbing how truly blessed I've been all my life. My parents made sure I wanted for nothing. They've given me the world and it took a girl with nothing to show me how very lucky I am to have them.

"Poor Bella. I can't even imagine losing one parent, let alone both." Alice is curled up in Jasper's arms, tears streaming down her cheeks. She wipes them away as Bella steps out of the bathroom.

"I'm sorry I lied to you when we first met. I didn't want you to know…to think differently of me. I'm leaving in the morning. I didn't mean to put you in the middle of this. I'm sorry." I feel like my heart has stopped beating. Leaving? NO! She can't!

I take a deep breath, trying to keep cool. "Bella, please come here." I gesture towards the seat next to me. I grab her hands the moment she sits.

"You aren't going anywhere, even if I have to tie your ass to Edward's porch!" Rose says.

"Damn right! We already told you Bells, you're family now." Emmett smiles at her.

"We love you Bella. Please, if only for our sakes, stay." Alice chimes in.

"There's no use fighting. It's five to one. The odds are in our favor." Jasper hugs Alice closer to him.

"I have no money for a motel, and I can't make it on the streets in this cold weather..." Bella begins but I cut her off.

"You're staying here, with me. I'll keep you safe." I look into her deep brown eyes. "Always."