I'm sure you all hate me after taking so long to update especially with the cliffhanger on our last chapter - SORRY! Work and life has been absolutely bonkers.

Here's the update for you all, let me know what you think in the reviews! I'll be able to send some teasers hopefully this week :)

Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything Twilight.

When I first opened my eyes, I had to blink several times to clear up my slightly blurry vision, then realized that I wasn't in my own house. Rather, in a fairly comfortable bed which also wasn't mine. I squinted against the bright lights which were making the drilling in my head even worse, especially against the sound of loud beeping. Taking in my surroundings, I saw monitors around me taking in my blood pressure and heart rate. So I was in a hospital, but the real question was how the hell I got here.

I tried moving my right hand and felt a sharp pain up my arm, and I looked down at the source of my pain and froze.

Barely a couple of inches away from my fingers was an unconscious Edward, who even in his sleep looked like the most beautiful human being I had ever laid my eyes on. He looked so peaceful, with none of the worry on his face as he had seen me over the last couple of weeks. Before I realized what I was doing, my hand reached over and I ran my fingers through his hair. He looked so exhausted, and even though maybe I was the one who needed someone to protect at that exact moment, I felt this raw urge to actually protect him. He was so genuinely good and kind, I almost felt like I just wasn't going to be good enough. Plus I didn't expect him to ever be by my bedside, maybe my dad, or even Alice – but not him.

He started shifting in his sleep and I heard him sigh my name under his breath, making me gasp. No way he was dreaming of me, especially not in the way I ever dreamt of him. Don't be silly Bella, those feelings are only one sided.

But still… I could still dream. I kept running my fingers through his hair, remembering the night he came over and I had done it for the first time, and he told me how much he loved it. It did make me feel a lot better the night he'd told me that after hearing a rumour about someone catching him in the boys' washroom with Lauren on her knees in front of him. I never told him what I had heard, but it still bothered me. So knowing that I could do something that could make him feel good and that those other sluts couldn't do made me feel much better.

He sighed again before his eyelids started to flutter, taking a brief moment before opening them and looking right at me. His eyes shot open when he saw that I was awake, and he scraped his chair his chair closer to me and pushing away the few strands of hair that were on my face.

"Bells, you're awake?" It was more of a statement than a question, but he frowned as he looked my face over before breaking out into a smile. "You're awake."

His touch always had the strangest feeling to me, making me giddy but giving me this weird shock at the same time. I played it off like I usually did and groggily smiled.

"Yeah," I managed to croak out and licked my dry lips before trying to talk again. "How did – what hap-"

"You don't remember?" He frowned, his jaw tensing and lips forming a straight line as he turned his head away from me. My stomach sank as I played back my memories and tried to remember what I last remembered.

Okay Bella, start from the beginning.

I went shopping with Alice. She drove me home, and I remembered waving bye to her. Charlie wasn't home yet so dinner wouldn't be ready, which meant I had to get to work. I walked in to the house and saw Renee in the family room. The smell of alcohol filled my senses until I realized what happened.

"Mom," I whispered, my heart rate beginning to race as I started to panic. Where was she? Was she looking for me? Oh God, I was in the hospital, so I had to make up an excuse with what happened to me. Would she be waiting outside for me, hearing what I would say? Would it be enough for her, or would she get angry again? My throat tightened even more as I kept freaking out, and I tried to breathe but I couldn't get enough into my lungs. My sight was hazy again, and I could only hear muffled sounds through my ears as if I were underwater.

I felt something on each of my cheeks, the warmth from them spreading throughout my body. It was soothing, and I was able to concentrate on trying to get air into my lungs. A few moments later, after my sight and hearing were slightly back to normal, I was met with Edward's face, and I heard him say my name over and over again.

"Bells, look at me," He said gently, and I brought my eyes up to his, trying to breathe but I could barely even get a breath in. "Bells, I'm here. Look at me; it's going to be okay. I'm here."

I listened to his comforting voice and felt my eyes well up with tears, but I wasn't upset. In fact, I didn't seem sad at all, especially after what I had just gone through. In that exact moment, I knew – I was hopelessly in love with Edward. He was my person.. And when my body started relaxing and I could breathe properly again, I didn't stop slipping into his stunning, green eyes. For a moment, I thought that he must've felt the same way.

"Don't go Edward, please," I begged quietly. "Please, don't leave me."

He shifted over and moved off the chair and sat on the side of my bed, cradling both my hands and staring at me with a look I had never seen before.

"I would never leave you, Bella. Ever."

Everyone was in complete awe when they walked into the Cullen household, amazed at how beautifully the designers had decorated the place for Emmett's birthday. I wished I could've seen everything, but I was confined to the couch in the living room. Edward's rules.

I guess it was only fair, considering I had only been let out of the hospital for a few hours. But it didn't matter what had happened, I wasn't going to miss Emmett's birthday. Over the years of living in Forks, he pretty much became like the big brother I never had. The best part was, even when his friends were making fun of Alice and I, he wouldn't have it. He was never embarrassed for standing up for us, even with us being four years younger than him. Emmett Cullen was different, but in an entirely good way.

And plus, he came down from university to come to his birthday party organized by his family and friends. He could've partied away in Washington, but he let his U Dub friends wait another day instead. He definitely needed some R&R time though, especially with all his medical studying. At first look, anyone would've thought that the big, handsome guy in front of them was just a typical jock, but that wasn't Emmett. Not only was he totally model material, but he had some wicked brains to go with it. He took following in Carlisle's footsteps seriously, and that's why he went into also following his career path. We were all beyond proud of him, and I for one was excited to see him again

Problem was, he was on his way and I was completely terrified. I knew everyone had now found out what Renee had done, and also that it was going on for years. Although there were some slight suspicions during periods of times, no one had expected that it was actually physical abuse. I suppose the combination of my playing it off due to being a clumsy kid and hiding it well, I was the classic textbook case. When I had gotten home, Charlie's cruiser wasn't in the driveway again. I was absolutely terrified, wondering if Renee was still in the house. But when Edward brought me inside, he told me that she was gone. And that Charlie was out taking care of something, which I assumed was related to Renee, and that he would be at the party tonight.

I didn't want everyone to know. I was embarrassed, to say the least. Look at poor, pathetic Bella, who couldn't even protect herself against her own mother. Except no one looked at me weird, and no one had questions on why I was all taped up. Or where the stitches on my head came from. Or why my lip was busted.

God, I looked like a fucking mess.

But Edward assured me that I looked beautiful when I walked out of my bedroom, wearing the new dress Alice and I had gone out to buy. It was strapless, fitted until just above my waist and then flowed out to right above my knees. Edward had always complimented me on how much he liked blue on me, so that's what colour I chose. It was simple, the lace along the fitted part the only thing that kept it from being too plain. But I liked it, and blushed when Edward had agreed before helping me down the stairs.

However, according to Edward, if I were to go to the party I would have to abide by his own rules.

Rule number one: I don't move from the couch. If I need anything, I'm to ask him and he'll get it for me. He'd only leave the living room if he was to get something, but he would stay with me other than that.

Rule number two: I was not to answer anyone's questions, if they brought it up, about what happened to me. According to him, "it's none of their fucking business". I told him I obviously couldn't say that, so he said to just ignore them or make a witty comeback. Yeah, I was good at those, so that was fine.

Rule number three: Do NOT move from the couch.

Yeah, that rule he made really clear. And after what he'd done for me, I wouldn't have denied him. He didn't go into how I got to the hospital. Hell, he'd changed the subject more times than I could count when I would bring it up, but I knew it had to do with him somehow. Alice started to cry when I walked into the house and started asking me if I was okay and if anywhere hurt, but Edward quieted her quickly before she could say any more. Esme and Carlisle didn't say a word, but instead hugged me gently like I was about to break, and I saw Esme's shoulders shake when Carlisle had pulled her into his arms once we'd walked away.

There was something going on, I knew it. And I needed to find out.

I started to plan things out, backup plans to my own backup plans starting to form before I heard everyone yell 'Surprise!' in the other room. I looked up and saw everyone cheering before it went silent too soon. They started to huddle to the wall, and Edward yelling Emmett's name angrily before seeing him emerge out of the crowd. He pushed the last person out of the way, not pushing too hard but it still scared me when they went stumbling to the wall, and then he froze when he saw me. I swallowed nervously and waved at him.

"Hey big brother, happy birthday!" I smiled, although knowing it was all a fake act that I couldn't play off this time.

"Don't you fucking do that, Bella. I swear to God, don't you even try to act like there's nothing going on," He growled, and I saw Edward come up from behind him, his eyes narrowed as he grabbed Emmett's arm.

"Emmett, just relax for a second.."

Emmett wretched his arm out of his grip and pointed his finger right at his face. "Don't you dare, Edward. I won't sit here and pretend to enjoy myself like the rest of you."

He continued to charge his way to where I was sitting on the couch, and I instinctively pushed myself back further into the couch, trying to brace myself for whatever was coming, but found myself in pain instead from the sudden movement. I gasped, but it sounded more like I had sobbed, and my eyes started to tear.

No, no. This isn't happening.

I didn't know why I was scared, it was only Emmett. But from having this same thing happen every time before Renee would have at it with me, it was an immediate reflex. When I looked up at Emmett though, I realized it was the wrong one. He stood like a statue in front of me, jaw dropped, his deep breaths the only sound in the room other than the whispers of Esme and Carlisle as they sent everyone into the other room. Emmett took a small step towards me, watching if I would sink back again, and took another step when I didn't. I sat there motionless, waiting for whatever he would do, and he came right to me and kneeled in front of me. His eyes ran over my body, looking at the marks on my arms and the other injuries on me before looking back to me.

"Bella," he said softly. "I would never hurt you."

A treacherous tear fell when I realized that my reaction upset him. I knew he would never hurt me, ever. Especially not like Renee would do. I didn't trust myself to talk, knowing I would've started sobbing right there, so I nodded and gave him a small smile. Instead of him smiling back though, his eyes started to glisten with his own tears, which was another thing that was very unlike Emmett.

"But I am so mad at you. Hell, I've never been so pissed off at you before, ever." He tried to be firm, and I knew he was trying to hold it together, but his voice cracked at the end. "You're my little swan, Bella. You know I'd do anything to keep you safe. Why wouldn't you just come to me?"

I bit my lip, holding everything back, but could feel myself breaking. Calling me Little Swan was one of the names only Emmett called me, everyone knew that. But I couldn't blame him for feeling like he did, any of the people I loved for that matter. Even until that day, I knew that my reason for not telling anyone wasn't easy to understand. Aside from that, I didn't want people to think I was weak, or frail.

"If you didn't trust me enough, I understand. But you could've went to Alice, or Edward. Hell, even my parents. But why, Bella? Why couldn't you just tell us so we could stop her? She could've killed you."

That was the moment where I couldn't hold it in anymore. A tear slipped down his cheek, and I broke down. Emmett leaned over and wrapped his arms around me, being careful not to hurt me. Sobbing into his shirt, I kept crying that I was sorry. That I didn't want to hurt them. That I loved him. But it wasn't enough for me, I would still be guilty no matter how long it took for him to forgive me. Or for any of them to forgive me. I wasn't sure how long Emmett held me until I stopped sobbing, but when I looked around, I saw that everyone had left. I apologized again to Emmett for ruining his birthday, but he told me that he didn't give a shit. He wouldn't let me go, even when I'd stopped crying, until I heard another voice behind him.

"Bella?"

My head shot up to my dad's voice and Emmett let me go before I stood up, running towards him and ignoring any pain it caused. He immediately pulled me into his arms and kissed my head, his own tears now falling down onto his shirt with my own.

"Sweetheart, I'm so, so sorry," He whispered, gently rubbing his hand on my back. "I can't believe it, I should've known. There were signs but I chalked it up to being a new dad and what did I even know? I never knew, sweetheart or I would've stopped her the moment I found out. I'll never let her hurt you again, I promise."

I nodded my head, but I couldn't help but wonder where my mother was during all of this. And even though my dad had promised to keep me safe from her, I wasn't sure if he could do that exactly. She was conniving and insane. There were a lot of things that she could do to get her way.

Charlie pulled back a bit, eyeing me closely but I saw the pain and guilt in his eyes. I couldn't help but let my eyes droop a bit, the whole thing plus the heavy medication I was under having a toll on me. "Damn, you must be exhausted. Do you mind holding on for a bit longer, Bella? I just wanted to talk to Carlisle and Esme about something, and then we'll head home."

I nodded again but yawned. "Sure, that's fine Dad."

"Charlie, I can bring her home if you'd like. I'll stay with her until you get home."

My father's arms left my side, and I turned to look at Edward and smiled, but it slipped from my face when I noticed he had already turned away from me. Charlie nodded, patting his shoulder with his hand and thanking him. But there was a sort of undertone to it. It sounded like he was thanking him for more than just that. Edward placed his hand on the small of my back, leading me out the door and to his car.

The ride home was dead silent. The speakers were void of any music, which was the first time since Edward had gotten his new car. He always blared his music so loud you couldn't hear one another. I gazed up at him a few times, but his face was staring straight out of his window. I felt worse than I had before, but I wasn't able to think about it too much before I dozed off.

I woke up when I heard my bedroom door open as Edward carried me in his arms and placed me onto my bed. I don't think he realized that I was awake, even though I was still a little groggy, and he started to take off my flats. When he did, he sat on the edge of my bed, and I turned my head to look at his form through the dim moonlight coming through my window. He pulled his head into his hands, pulling his hair slightly with his fingers, which was a habit of his when he was frustrated. I pushed away my sleep, needing to talk to him and find out what was wrong. More so, what happened when I was unconscious.

"Edward?" He jumped a bit, but he wouldn't turn to look at me. I swallowed against the fear I had, rolling over to my side, which hurt like hell, and spoke again. "Hey, talk to me."

Still, no answer, and I grew annoyed. He never acted that way with me, and I wasn't going to sit there and just take it. I sat up, but turned a weird way which did something to my ribs and gasped as I lost all the oxygen in me. He spun around quickly and reach out to touch me, but his arm hung in the air instead.

"Bella, are you alright?" He asked, genuinely concerned about me, but I was already frustrated with being left out in the dark. I didn't want to be treated like some pathetic, weak girl, and that's exactly how I felt.

"No, Edward. I'm not alright!" I snapped, wincing again when I put too much force into it. He leaned over to try to help me, but I stopped him by putting my palm up to him. "I'm not alright at all. I've had to deal with the silent looks from everyone, whispering behind my back about things that I have no idea about. No one will answer my questions, and no one will treat me like they did less than three days ago. I'm not a piece of glass so I won't break. And especially you, you've barely talked to me all night!"

"Me? You're blaming this on me?" He was shocked, but his anger came back immediately. "Don't you even try me, Bella. I'm not to blame for anything. Blame that fucking disgusting mother of yours, she's to blame for everything. And if you don't want to do that, then blame yourself."

I froze, narrowing my eyes at him as he pulled the unthinkable. "Blame myself? Right, that's perfect, I'll do just that. I didn't ask for her to give birth to me, Edward. I didn't ask her to leave my dad and move to Phoenix. I didn't ask her to take care of me, and I didn't ask her to bring me back here. And I sure as hell did not ask her to beat me whenever she felt like it!"

There was nothing but silence for a few moments as we both tried to calm down. We were both still mad as hell, but it wasn't at each other.

"I'm sorry," Edward finally admitted, breaking the silence. "I didn't mean that at all. You're obviously not to blame for any of this fucking mess. I'm just angry at the whole thing. I just wish you could've listened to me back when you first told me and said something. And I was an idiot for not telling my parents when I found out."

"It's alright, I know," I sighed, reaching out and running each one of my fingers over each of his, something that I'd started doing when we'd have our heart to hearts together. "I can't say why I never said anything. But I know that I didn't want people to think I was weak, or treat me differently. I mean, you saw everyone in there Edward, that's exactly what they were doing."

"Everyone's still in shock, you just need to give them some time, trust me." I nodded, because I did trust him, and he intertwined his fingers in mine. I looked up to him and saw the same bright green eyes I always loved holding back unshed tears. "Bells, you have no idea what I went through these last couple of days."

I swallowed back the lump in my throat. "Edward, what happened?"

He looked away, taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly before looking back at me. "I wanted to come by to see if you wanted to see the present I got Emmett. Right as I got out of my car, I could hear the screaming from inside your house. And I recognized your voice, so I ran in there. The door was unlocked, so when I opened it, I saw Renee kicking you and I flipped.

"I was so fucking angry Bells, I swear, I lost it. So, I went up to her and pushed her and she fell right on her ass. She was so drunk she could barely pick herself back up, so I dragged her to the washroom, pushed her in there and propped up a chair underneath the doorknob so she couldn't get out. But when I got to you, you were already unconscious. God, Bells, you were bleeding so badly and I panicked. I picked you up, put you in my car and drove you to the hospital. I called your dad and mine on the way, so he would be there when we got there.

"Your mom, well, your dad went home and confronted her. I don't really know exactly what he did, but I'm guessing that's why he wanted to talk to my parents. I don't really give a fuck what he did to her though, as long as you're safe."

He took a deep breath, caressing my hand with his free one, looking down at our joined fingers. "Bells, I was so scared. I really thought that I was going to lose you. I wish I could've came sooner because none of this would've happened." He chuckled deeply, and I saw the shine of a falling tear fall down onto my bed. "But I can't do anything now. I can't change the past, but I maybe I can help change the future. And I'm tired of not being with you the way I need to.

Edward looked back up at me, and I couldn't help but start to cry again. He reached up with our locked hands, brushing away my tear with his thumb.

"Bella, I can never lose you. I wouldn't be able to live if I ever did." He took in a shaky breath and leaned in closer. "I love you."

And once those three glorious words were spoken, Edward Cullen gave me my first kiss.

His lips were warm and soft against mine, moving slowly against my frozen ones until I quickly reacted and kissed him back. It was short, but it meant more to me than any other thing in my entire life. He was still gentle with me, but it was all I needed.

"I love you too, more than you know." I whispered once he pulled away, giving me one more chaste kiss before he smirked through his tears.

"Hey Bella, will you be my girlfriend?"

I couldn't help but laugh as he changed the mood between us, making me laugh even though I was hurting inside. And outside, for that matter.

I hummed and tapped my finger against my lips, pretending to be in thought. "I don't know. I'll have to think about it."

His crooked smile lit up his face as he leaned in and kissed me again. "Well, how about now?"

"S-still t-thinking," I sputtered, completely dazzled by him. He leaned in again, kissing me the smallest bit harder.

"And now?" He said softly, his voice deeper than usual.

"Maybe," I whispered, closing my eyes before he kissed me again, but this time grazing his tongue softly against my bottom lip.

"What about now?" I kept my eyes closed and nodded before I felt him shuffle off the bed. I shot my eyes open and saw him walking away, asking where he was going. "You can't sleep in that dress, even if you do look beautiful in it. It'll get ruined."

I nodded again stupidly, still in some state of shock after that amazing kiss. Sorry – kisses. Edward took out a pair of flannel pants and t-shirt out of my drawer, placing them on my bed before leaving my bedroom so I could change. I went as quick as I physically could to get my dress off and put on my clothes, calling him once I was finished so he would come back in. He stood there awkwardly, knowing he was supposed to wait for Charlie to come back, but I needed him near me. I moved back slightly and patted the bed beside me, pulling back the covers and putting them around me. He still stood there, probably wondering what his next move would be.

Boys.

"Edward, stay with me? Please?"

He took in a deep breath before pulling off his shoes and walking to my bed. I pulled back the covers for him as he gently settled in beside me, keeping a safe distance away from me. I shot him a look and he sighed, giving in as he moved closer and shifted to his side, settling his arm on my waist softly. I reached and intertwined my fingers in his free hand, rubbing my thumb on the back of his hand.

"Thank you, for everything." I yawned then, managing to tell him that I loved him before closing my eyes.

"I love you too, Bella." I heard him whisper as I drifted off. "Forever and always."