Authors Note; Hey everyone! Sorry it's been a while but I'm back!
Here's the next chapter and a big thank you to Sunflower Fran, I've been extremely distracted lately, for anyone who follows me on FB you know why, and I made a lot of mistakes that she corrected. Hopefully I do better on the next chapter!
RxR FxF! All mistakes are still my own!
SM is still the rightful owner of all twilight characters!
I've seen pictures of everyone, and I've been told stories to try and trigger a memory, but nothing has worked. Since my breakdown, my mind has gone into protection mode, and that is not good. I've officially been here for two and a half weeks, and I'm dying of boredom.
Last week I talked to my dad.
"Are you sure?" I ask Edward as he holds out a small black phone to me.
He nods, "He should know you're okay."
I take the phone from Edward and before I can start punching in the numbers he grabs the hand that has the phone. "Remember, not a word about where you are, who you're with or any kind of clue of , understand?" he asks me.
I nod, "Edward, I said I'd stay, I meant it." I tell him.
He takes a deep breath and lets go of my hand. "Okay, I'm going to trust you on this."
I want him to trustme, maybe And I want him to, isn't that crazy?
I put the phone to my ear and wait four rings before he finally picks up. "Swan residence." He answers just like always, only this time he sounds exhausted.
I open my mouth to talk, and nothing comes out, "Hello?" he says.
Say something, anything! "Dad, it's me."
He's quiet for all but two seconds, "Bella, baby?" he asks, "Oh my god, how are you, where are you, are you hurt?"
"I can't tell you where I am but I'm okay, I'm not hurt or anything."
"What happened? A witness said they saw someone try to kidnap you, are you being held against your will?" Dad asks.
I look to Edward, who is writing something down, when he holds up the paper he whispers to me, "Read it to him."
"Um, I was almost kidnaped, but I got away, and I'm safe now." I read out loud, telling my dad.
"Okay then, where are you?" he asks, "I'll come and get you."
"You can't Dad, I'm safe here, and I'll come home as soon as this is all over," I tell him.
"Till what's over, Bella; baby, I'll keep you safe." He tells me.
I believe he would try his hardest to do so, but I know that if I stay here, Edward will keep me safe and in doing so, Charlie will also be out of harm's way.
"I know you'd try Dad, but staying here will keep you safe as well. I promise I'll come home." This pains me more than I thought it would, it's not like I'm saying goodbye forever, just for now. "I love you, Dad."
"I love you too, Bells. Please, talk to me."
"Be careful, don't look for me. Goodbye Dad." I tell him as the tears well up; ugh, I'm so sick of crying.
"Bella, don't go! Don't hang up, wait!" Charlie is frantic, and I actually don't have the heart to hang up on him so I pass the phone over to Edward, and he presses the end button.
He brushes my hair back, a tender gesture that I wasn't at all ready for, I sigh. "You did the right thing." He tells me softly.
I shrug, "I hope so."
I shake my head to clear the memory. Edward hasn't been around all that much lately; he seems really busy. Jasper, Alice and Emmett have been around, they keep me company as well as Jake every now and then. Otherwise, it's just Mrs. Goff and I. Right now, Mrs. Goff is busy, so I'm sitting here in my room, wondering what in the world I could do to keep entertained. I wonder if I sent Alice with a list of books, she'd get them for me.
Alice isn't a bad person, she's actually someone I can see being friends with, Emmett and maybe even Jasper too. Being in this house twenty-four-seven you can learn things, for example, I've learned that if you're quiet enough, you can eavesdrop on anyone, even Edward, and so far what I've come up with is that they are … criminals. I think that's what they are. They deal in illegal business. Being the daughter of the chief of police, I'm not too sure how I feel about that, but it interests me, which is a little frightening.
I walk over to my window and look outside. It's a warm day, and that pool is glittering and glistening, it's practically calling to me. I dig out one of the bikinis Alice had brought over for me and slip it on. It still surprises me how everything she bought fits exactly right. I grab a towel from the bathroom and head out of the room. On my way down I run into Emmett.
I hate that I realize his eyes roam over my body but I just brush it off; guys will be guys. "Hey, going swimming?" he asks me.
I smirk, "Nope, just thought I'd parade around in this all day." I tell him.
He smiles, "I don't have any objections to that." He says and I smack his arm playfully. "Mind if I join you?" he asks.
I shrug, "It's your house Emmett. You can do whatever you want." I tell him.
"I know, but I thought it would be nice to ask instead of intruding." He says turning back around to head to his room, "I'll meet you out there."
The second I reach the main floor the front door opens. I never heard anyone knock, and my heart kicks into high gear, and I freeze in place. I see a blonde haired girl pop her head into the house looking around; she goes a bit rigid when she sees me.
She steps fully inside; she's tall and wearing killer heels. "Who the hell are you?" she asks looking me up and down.
Maybe it's not my place, but I've never seen this girl before, "Shouldn't I be asking that question since you just came into the house without knocking?" I ask her and why isn't the alarm going off? I bet Emmett forgot to set the thing again; he has a bad habit of not doing so.
She glares at me, "Where's Emmett?" she asks.
"Upstairs, he's getting changed," I tell her just as Emmett comes down in nothing but swim trunks. I knew he had muscles, but I've never seen him shirtless, damn he's actually kind of hot.
I don't think he's seen this chick yet, "Hey kid, ready to get wet?" he asks making it sound all the worse.
"Wet, really Emmett," The blonde screams, "This is what I've been getting blown off for!"
His eyes widen, and he steps closer to me, "Rosalie?" he asks.
"I can't believe Edward is fucking right!" she yells turning almost red. "You get what you want from me, and then you leave to be with her. I thought brunettes weren't even your type!"
"Rose, wait a second," Emmett says, pulling me by my waist to put himself in front of me.
"No!" She screams, "Are you two fucking?" I think that one stuns both of us since neither of us answers; I know my jaw has dropped. "You're having sex with her." This time, it wasn't a question.
I shake my head, "Wait a second, no." I tell her stepping from behind Emmett. Turns out, I made a mistake; Emmett really was protecting me from this crazy chick. Rosalie lunges forward for me and grabs me by the hair, dragging me away from Emmett, before slapping me across the face. I scream from the pain.
I see red, it tints everything and before I know exactly what I'm doing, my left hand ends up in her hair, pulling her down to my level as my right hand closes and my fist goes flying to her face, cracking her square in the nose. She screams but she doesn't let go.
Emmett is yelling at us to stop; he's trying to pull us apart, but we're not letting go of each other. Then I feel a large pair of hands wrap around my waist before I'm being yanked away.
I don't know who has me until he speaks, "Get her in a fucking room, don't let her leave, don't say a word until I get there." Edward says as he walks me into the kitchen. I watch as Emmett pulls Rosalie up the stairs, she fights him the entire way. Her nose is leaking blood, but I don't know what else might be wrong with her, except for the nasty tangle on the top of her hair.
"Let me go, Edward," I tell him, but his grip on me is tight, though he's not hurting me.
He doesn't say anything. He leads us over towards the fridge and suddenly I'm being turned around to face him, and he's lifting me by my waist, setting me down on the countera with ease. I watch as he grabs two clean cloths, one he puts a couple of ice cubes in and the other he runs under warm water. He lifts the wet cloth to my mouth; with all the adrenaline rushing through me, I hadn't realized that I could taste the blood.
"Hold still," Edward demands as he brings up his other hand to hold my chin in place as he dabs at my lower lip. I wince, that hurts, but I don't think it's too bad. "What the hell was that, Isabella?" he asks.
My stomach tightens; he hasn't called me that since I asked him to call me Bella, meaning I'm in trouble.
"She came in here and attacked me," I tell him.
His brows draw together, "Did Emmett let her in?" he asks.
I shake my head, "No, she walked right through the damn door. I think maybe Emmett forgot to reset the alarm." I didn't want to get him into trouble, but I couldn't lie to him.
Edward's fist comes slamming down on the counter beside me, making me flinch. "What the hell is a security system good for if that dumb ass never sets it!" he shouts.
My hand flies to his shoulder, and I run my thumb across his neck, "Calm down, just talk with him, I'm sure it was an honest mistake."
"An honest mistake can get you killed." He says looking down at me. He seems to have calmed down. "Why did she attack you?" Edward asks, going back to lightly dabbing at my lip.
"She thinks Emmett and I are sleeping together," I tell him. "Something about him getting what he wants from her and that she thought brunettes weren't even his type."
Edward sighs; he sets the wet cloth down and then presses the ice to my lip. "That might be my fault. I told Rosalie that's what Emmett does. He chases a girl around for a bit, gets into her panties and then leaves for the next chase; he's never had a real relationship before." He sets the ice down, "Your lip might get a little swollen, but it's not too bad. I think you might have done more damage to her than she did to you. I didn't know you could throw down."
I shrug, "I didn't know I could either."
He laughs, nothing loud but a simple chuckle, really, "Let's not make a habit of it, okay?" He asks.
"I'm sorry, it's disrespectful to do that in someone else's home..." He cuts me off before I can say anything else.
"No, Bella, always defend yourself; that's what you were doing, and I not only understand but respect that." His warm hand rests high on my bare thigh, sending goosebumps everywhere. "I just don't want to see you hurt."
I nod, my eyes stay locked on his hand that touches me. I don't even know what to say to that.
"Go swimming, Emmett will be there in a bit." He says, "I'll take care of Rosalie."
"You won't hurt her?" I ask before I can think about it.
He smirks, "No, I believe you've hurt her enough for today, but ... I'll probably scare her. Make her keep her mouth shut about you."
His hands have a mind of their own it seems. They trace up my legs, over the strings of my bikini bottoms, to rest low on my waist. "I am sorry about the fight," I tell him.
"No apologies, Bella. I am sorry, though, Emmett should be smarter. Rosalie had no right to come here and the way I talked to you earlier, I should have waited for an explanation." He says, "Just like I said, I don't want to see you getting hurt."
I look down at his chest, his green eyes are too much. It really feels as if he cares but he couldn't, shouldn't. I feel him lean in and then the softest touch makes contact with my forehead. He presses his lips there for what seems like forever and then he's turning away from me, swiftly walking away and out of the kitchen.
I hop down and head for the back door. Once I get outside, I head straight for the pool. Sitting down I put my feet in the water to wait. I don't have to wait long until the back door is opening and Alice and Jasper appear. Alice rushes over to me, "Edward called, he told us what happened, are you okay?" Everything rushes out.
I nod, "I'm fine Alice." I tell her.
Jasper laughs, "Edward said you knocked the shit out of Rosalie. She needed a good ass kicking."
"Rosalie is Jasper's sister, well I guess half sister. They don't share the same mother, but their dad is the same." Alice says with a smirk.
"Oh." I look up at Jasper, who is now with a full-on grin. "I'm sorry; I didn't know she was your sister."
He shakes his head, "It's okay, I don't always like her, and hopefully, this will make her realize she can't bully everyone and get away with it. Our dad kind of spoiled her a lot."
"You don't look to badly hurt," Alice says, her eyes scanning over my face.
"I'm fine," I tell her.
The back door opens again, and Emmett comes out. "I'm so fucking sorry, kid." He says, sitting on my other side. "I didn't know she'd follow me home or attack you."
"If I get told sorry one more time I just might go crazy. I'm fine, okay?" I bump Emmett's shoulder.
He nods, "Okay. So you're still up for swimming?" He asks.
"Oh, Jasper has my extra clothes in his room, I have a bikini here!" Alice says jumping up.
I smile, "Sure, I'm up for it still."
"Good," Emmett says before grabbing me by the waist and pulling me into the pool. I barely had enough time to hold my breath before going under.
~oOo~
It's almost sundown. Alice and Jasper went up to his room already, and Emmett just left. I'm already dry since Alice and I decided to sunbath for a while. I grab my towel and walk over to the grassy area, set out my towel and lay back. I watch the colors in the sky change before getting darker. You can spot a few stars, but it's nothing like Forks where the night sky can come to life if the clouds allow it.
"You okay, Bella?" Edward asks from the darkness.
I look to where his voice came from, but I can't see him until he moves.
"I'm good," I tell him lying back again.
He walks over to join me and surprises me by laying down too. "I'm glad you're getting along with everyone, you're more comfortable now."
"I've been here almost three weeks with nothing to do but make friends," I tell him.
"Alice asked if she could take you shopping. I don't know how comfortable I am with letting you out of the house." He says looking at me instead of the sky.
That sounds so good, getting out of the house for a while. "I wouldn't run, Edward. I said I'd stay and help you. I meant it."
"I'm not afraid of you leaving. I'm afraid you'd be caught, followed and killed like my parents." His voice tightens at the word parents.
I reach over and grab his hand, he's stiff at first before relaxing and locking our fingers together. "You could come with us," I tell him. I knew Alice would ask, she said she would earlier today.
He smirks, "I don't know about that, Alice can really shop."
"I think it would make you feel better, and I think it would make me feel better if you were there," I tell him as I rub my thumb along his. "Please, Edward? I need to get out of this house for a while."
He sighs. "I can't stand going on shopping trips with Alice... But okay, we'll go." He says.
I smile up at the stars, and I lean my head against his shoulder. "Thank you."
"But I think I want you to go strapped." He says and I freeze.
"I don't know how to shoot a gun," I tell him.
Now it's his thumb rubbing soothing circles into my hand. "I'll teach you, and I'll have your back. Tomorrow we will start practicing, and depending on how well you do then the next day we'll go shopping."
"You really think I could learn in a day?" I ask relaxing a bit more.
"No, but it's a start, and it'll make me feel better." He says, his grip tightening a little.
"Okay, for you then," I tell him, and we continue to stare up at the sky.