Chapter 17 - No Longer Blind

"Who was that?" Eddie asked curiously, as I helped him up my front steps.

"That was Jake. He's sort of like my brother."

"A brother who attacks you," Edward cut in.

"I told you I can handle him, just like I did tonight."

"Did he do something that made him need to be handled?" Edward asked, looking worried.

"I'm not discussing this with you. He's promised to behave better. Now, drop it."

"You can't just dismiss me like that, Bella. He's a threat to you, and as your fiancé, it's my job to protect you. You're being completely unreasonable and reckless with him. I've seen the way he treats you."

"Then you should've noticed that I was able to get him to back off each time. It was only when you didn't give me a chance, did things get out of hand. You can't demand that I stay away from him. I told you, he's Billy son, and I'm not giving Billy up. He's my family, and if you can't accept that, then maybe we shouldn't be getting married." I regretted the words as soon as they'd left my mouth. Edward looked like I'd punched him, and Eddie was quick to grab my hand. I half expected him to take his wife's ring back, but he didn't. He just led me over to the couch and told me to sit.

"Now, I'm not sure what all is going on, but I'm sure there's no need for all this fussing. Edward was all up in a huff, telling me to come talk some sense into you. I didn't catch any of your previous conversations, but the way he was grumping around, I have a feeling it had to do with the fight you had last night?"

"Yes, he doesn't seem to understand that he can't tell me what to do. I've been taking care of my own problems for years, and just because he's my fiancé, it doesn't mean that's going to change or that he can boss me around."

"It's not safe here for you alone!" Edward growled.

"Did you not just see him leave peacefully? He was pretty well behaved all day, too, considering."

"Considering what?" Eddie asked me.

"He's not happy about our engagement, and he's sure he can change my mind to choose him."

"Ah," Eddie sat back with a smile. "Now this whole mess makes sense."

"It does?" I didn't see how it did.

"Edward is jealous and scared he's going to lose you, plain and simple. It has nothing to do with him wanting to force you to do anything, other than stay away from a guy who can possibly steal you away."

"There's no way Jake can steal me away from him."

"Right, just like there's no way Tamara, my nurse, can steal him away from you, but you still don't like the woman being near him."

I huffed and crossed my arms. He was right.

"There's more to it. I'm not jealous," Edward tried to deny it.

"Oh, please, you're greener than a leprechaun," Eddie shot back.

"He's attacked her before."

Eddie looked over at me, and I shook my head. "Edward, I told you, I handled him just-"

I froze, because in that moment, I realized how that almost hadn't been true tonight. If I hadn't been able to shock Jake with my declaration of abstinence, Edward and Eddie would likely have walked in on a very different scene. I would have been happy they had shown up if that had gone down. I felt guilty for not being happier about their presence earlier. They could have ended up being my saviors. I realized that was all Edward had been trying to do, stop something horrible from happening to me. Something that had really almost happened tonight. Jake had come close to raping me. I felt a cold shiver of fear run down my back, as the truth of that realization sank in.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered.

They both seemed confused by my sudden apology, but Edward took advantage of it and pulled me into his arms. I was so glad to be there. It felt like home, and the peace I'd been craving since yesterday finally filled me. I didn't know why I didn't realize that was what I needed all along. I hadn't noticed I was shaking and crying, until Edward pushed me back to look in my eyes. "Bella, honey, are you alright?"

I shook my head no and pulled on his shirt, wanting to be back in his arms. He let me sink back into his chest and held me, while he and Eddie exchanged bewildered looks.

"Can you tell us what happened?" Eddie asked.

I wasn't sure I could pull myself together again. "I was so scared, but I got him to stop. He blocked me, he blocked me so I couldn't stop him, and if I hadn't shocked him…he stopped, but he might not have. I don't want to lose Billy, Edward, please. I don't know what to do. Jake was so close to…"

"What happened, Bella? You have to tell me what happened," he ordered, and I shook my head no.

"He stopped, I got him to stop. I can't tell Billy. He'd be so upset. He was before…the first time. He was so angry with Jake, and he got so upset that he had a mild heart attack while yelling at him. Edward, I can't lose him. I can't be the reason he dies. Please, help me. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," I cried, shaking hard now, as everything sank in.

"I thought I'd be okay. He'd behaved most of the day, when he was fixing the cabinet and doing the laundry. It was only a little bit, just little things. I've always put up with little things, knowing if I appeased him a little, he wouldn't try to do worse, or at least he's never pushed it this far before. It's always seemed like if he thinks that someday he can convince me to give in to him, he wouldn't hurt me. I'm sorry. I know I can't do that anymore. I have to do something different, but I don't know what."

"Bella, please, reconsider living with me."

"It's not that simple. This place is all I have left of my parents. I lost everything my mother and I had when they died. My stepsister sold it all out from under me, before I could do anything to stop her. You know how that feels. That's what happened to me, but I lost everything. There was no one to stand up for me or help me save our things. That's why I was so mad at your family for trying to do the same. I couldn't let that happen to you, to either of you," I said, looking over at Eddie.

Eddie took my hand and kissed it in thanks.

"This is my father's home, and I've worked hard to take care of it. This house is my keepsake. It didn't end well, when it was left vacant before. I can't leave the house empty, Edward. I don't want anything to happen to it again. I told you, it was taken over by vagrants before."

"Well, that's settled," Eddie said with finality.

We both looked at Eddie, wondering what the heck he was talking about.

"What's settled?" Edward asked.

"How is anything settled?" I asked.

"Simple, you have to find someone to stay in your house. Are you opposed to renting it out?"

"No, I guess that'd be fine. It wouldn't hurt to have the extra income. I hate having such a huge loan looming over me for the shop."

Edward looked sad when I said that, but I didn't know why. I didn't like being in debt, but the shop was worth it. Still, it'd be nice to get rid of the loan, sooner rather than later.

"Once you find a renter, would you be willing to move in with us?"

"I…"

"Don't make me play the frail old man card in dire need of a game playing companion, because Edward is horrible at rummy. Besides, our house desperately needs a woman's touch, and we're not sure how to go about it, being men and all."

"I want to, if Edward will still have me."

Edward let out a deep sigh of relief and squeezed me tight. "No more Jake."

I sobbed into his chest and nodded. "I'm sorry," I whispered again. "I thought I could handle him. I thought I could stop him, like I did before." I cried harder, realizing I hadn't really stopped him this time, only distracted him enough to get away.

"What happened, Bella? You're really starting to scare me."

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I fell asleep, that's why he was driving. I was too tired, and Billy knew it. He made Jake stay to bring me home, so I wouldn't fall asleep behind the wheel. I was so tired and upset with you, and you with me, I didn't think staying was an option."

"It's always an option, sweetheart, no matter how upset I am or you are. We have guest beds, if you don't want to stay with me when you're mad like that."

I went back to crying into his chest. I had been so stupid. "I'm sorry."

"Can you tell me what happened?" he pleaded again.

I tried to calm myself enough to speak. "I fell asleep. I couldn't stay awake. I was so tired. I didn't even wake up, when he carried me inside. He was laying me out on the bed, when I woke up to him..."

Edward's grip tightened on me. "He held me down and kissed me. I hit him, trying to get him to stop. I punched his kidney, hoping to get him to move so I could knee him, but it didn't work. He had me pinned, and I couldn't get away. I pinched under his arm. It's tender there. I'm sorry, Edward, I tried. I did, I really did."

"What did he do, Bella? Tell me what he did right now." He was starting to get really worked up.

"When I pinched him, he…he…he…pinned my arm to my side and reached up the back of my shirt and undid my bra, and then he almost got my pants open. I tried to knee him, but he caught my leg and pushed between them. I was trapped. I had no way to fight him off anymore."

Edward was up and across the room in a flash. His fist hit the wall hard, but it was made of old cement plaster and didn't break through. I was sure it would have gone all the way through and into the next room if it had been sheetrock. "I'm gonna kill him. I'm gonna kill that bastard!"

I felt Eddie gently touch my back. "Did he do anything else?" I shook my head no. "How were you able to stop him?" he asked, and Edward spun around and focused on me again.

I looked from Eddie to Edward, not sure if I could handle verbalizing the words that Jake had spoken. Edward sensed my reluctance and came back to me, pulling me onto his lap. I hid my face in his neck.

"Tell me how you stopped him." Edward wasn't going to let it go.

I took a deep breath and then leaned up by his ear, not wanting to say it too loudly. "He said he wanted to show me that he was better than you in bed."

Edward's fingers tightened painfully on my body. "But he stopped?" Edward hissed out.

"I told him we hadn't done anything, and that I was waiting until I was married. That our dads would take my side if they knew, then he stopped. He let me go, I hurried into the kitchen, and he told me he was sorry."

"Sorry my ass," Eddie snapped. I didn't realize Eddie could hear me. I had tried to be quiet, embarrassed by the stupid mistake that had made me so vulnerable.

"We should call the police and report him," Edward spat.

"I noticed he looked like he might be a native, is he one of the Quileute people from the reservation? If he is, that could pose a problem," Eddie voiced his worry.

"He is, isn't he," Edward confirmed, and I nodded yes.

"Doing anything across the reservation border is hard. We'd have to have the cooperation of their chief," Eddie continued making plans.

"I can look up who the chief is, and we can tell him what's going on," Edward said with determination.

"It's Billy Black, Jacob's dad," I said frowning.

Edward dropped his face into my hair, his fingers flexing as he held me. I could tell he was getting frustrated.

"Maybe your lady friends can pay him a visit," Eddie suggested, and we both looked at him confused. "Tanya and Rose…" he said, like it was obvious. "I can see into their back window from my room. They look pretty deadly the way they jump around. I'm sure they could teach him a lesson, if not put the fear of God and women into him."

I was ashamed by the way I had acted at the shop. I doubted they'd do anything further on my behalf. "They're mad at me. I treated them so badly."

Edward petted my hair. "Let me talk to them. I'm not sure we could get the local police to do anything, even if we did have the cooperation of Billy, given the way you'd been acting with Jake. It might be difficult to prove his advances were unwelcome."

My stomach turned, and I wanted to vomit. I sobbed so hard my stomach flipped, and I barely made it to the bathroom, where I lost my dinner. Edward was right, and it made me sick. I had been so horrible. I couldn't believe he was still talking to me.

I felt Edward come up behind me and rub my back.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. Please, forgive me. I was horrible. I acted so…how can you even talk to me? I treated you so badly, acted so badly."

Edward sat on the bathroom floor and pulled me into his lap. "I knew something was wrong. I just didn't know what. I said some really stupid things, too, Bella, because it hurt me to see you with Jake. I don't want him touching you, ever again."

I hugged him tighter and nodded yes into his chest. "I promise he won't."

"If you want to see Billy, I want to come with you. You're my girl, and I'm not letting you anywhere near Jake unprotected, no matter how well behaved he is around his dad. You need to stay out of arms reach of Jake at all times, okay?" I nodded in agreement. "I want you to come and stay with me tonight."

Those words were music to my ears.

I grabbed a few things...well, actually, a lot of things, since I'd be moving in with him soon. I still couldn't believe he still wanted me after all I had done.

"So…you can put some stuff in here," he said, squishing the clothes in his closet to the side. I sat meekly on the bed, still feeling weepy. "You can…ah…just put your stuff…" he seemed so awkward, standing in his room with me now.

I realized I might have presumed too much by bringing my box into his room. My heart clenched, and I wanted to hide. Edward was a good man. I knew he wouldn't leave me stuck at my house with the threat of Jake looming, but he might have still been upset with me and was being too polite to voice not wanting me in the same room. "I can move to a different room."

"What, why? Is it the closet space? There'll be more room, when we bring your dresser, and I could put some stuff in storage. I don't need my winter clothes right now, I mean…"

I burst into tears at my sweet Edward's reappearance. He rushed to my side, frantic. "What's wrong, honey? Do you not-"

I didn't let him finish his words. I grabbed him and kissed him. "I'm sorry. I love you so much."

He smiled at me and kissed me back. "I love you, too." I pulled him next to me and snuggled close, needing to be in his arms. He let out a sigh and kissed the top of my head. "It's late, why don't we go to bed and finish unpacking tomorrow."

He offered me a shirt, and then he realized I had PJ's, but I took his shirt from him anyways, making him smile. I changed in the bathroom, and he changed in his room. We met at the bed a few minutes later. He climbed into bed and lifted the covers, so I could slip in under them. I did and curled up tightly against him. My body hummed with relief when he held me.

He squeezed me tightly and kissed my head. "Please, don't ever leave me again."

That was all it took. I was a crying, apologizing mess again. I knew I had been in the wrong. It was so glaringly obvious, once I took a step back from the situation and looked at it. I had been horrible, but he still loved me and wanted me. I was never going to hurt him like that again.