Thanks for the reviews! I got a lot of alerts, so I'm glad you are all liking the story so far. So you know, since this is All human Alternate universe, I have Charlie and Renee still married. It's how I had the story in my head, so I needed then to be together.

And in random news, my knees are bad. ): I mean, really bad. My left knee snapped this morning, and now it hurts really bad when I walk. They have been hurting for the past month and a half, but unfortunately this morning it snapped, and I'm now wearing a brace. My mom is going to make me a doctor's appointment for them, and I hope they don't need to do surgery on them. That would suck really badly. Fingers crossed that everything is all right!

Enjoy!

I'm falling apart, I'm barely breathing
With a broken heart that's still beating
In the pain there is healing
In your name I find meaning
So I'm holdin' on
I'm barely holdin' on to you

The broken lights on the freeway left me here alone
I may have lost my way now, haven't forgotten my way home

—Lifehouse, "Broken"

Edward ran over to me, and crouched down to my level. His face was a mixture of confusion and shock, and he was taking in my condition. The tears, the blood, and the bruises.

"What happened?" He asked. I noticed how his voice wasn't stable, but, in fact, was shaking. He reached out to touch my shoulder, and I immediately recoiled. He looked at me in confusion and scooted closer to me, and, again, reached out to touch my shoulder.

"It's okay, Bella," he whispered when his hand landed on my shoulder.

I slowly looked down at his hand, and stared at it, cocking my head to the side. I could feel Edward looking at me with concern, but I couldn't peel my eyes away from his hand touching me.

Gradually I looked up at his face, and I noticed his eyes were sparkling with tears. I wanted to say something, but I couldn't get my mind off his hand touching me. He took his hand off my shoulder, only to stroke my face with it.

"It didn't have to be like this, Bella," Mike said as he stroked my face, right before he took away my virtue. "You could have cooperated."

Before he went any further, he slapped me across the face. Once, twice, three times.

I began to shake as the flashback played before my eyes. He couldn't touch me—nobody could touch me.

"Stop it!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. I slapped his hand away from my face, then began to punch him in the arm and torso. "Don't touch me!" I yelled, shrill and shaky.

The sobbing came quickly, and I fell into Edward's chest, staining his shirt with my tears. He held me there and softly rocked us back and forth. He kissed my hair and rubbed my back, soothing me with soft "shhh's", and gently murmuring that it was going to be all right.

"He hurt m—me, Edward," I cried, and I was surprised that he could understand me through the tears and the fact that I was talking into his chest.

"Who?"

"M—Mike. H—he forced it on me, Edward!" I tried to explain it the best I could, but I didn't know how to word it. I wasn't even sure if I should tell him, but it had slipped out on its own, and I had to keep talking.

The rocking motion paused for a second, and when it started up again it was faster and hardly comforting. "Forced what?" He asked, and I could hear it in his voice that he already had guessed.

"I t—told him I wanted to—to wait," I wailed, and the sobs over took me with so much force that it was all I could say for a long time.

He held me like that for a while, and when raindrops began to fall he softly suggested that we go home, or at least get into the car. I nodded, and when I entered the Volvo, I had a sense of relief. The car had been running the entire time, so it was warm and welcoming. I sat in the front seat and closed my eyes, relishing the feel of the warm air on my cold, and now wet, skin. I turned my head toward Edward and slowly let my eyelids flutter open. He was looking at me sweetly, his emerald eyes penetrating deep into my soul. He leaned closer to me, and before I fell asleep he whispered, "I'm sorry."

I woke up aching and disoriented. I looked around at my surroundings and realized after a delayed moment that I was in Edward's room. The music, stereo, and the glass wall tipped me off, and I saw Edward asleep on his long black couch. I first noticed that I was in his bed, then that I hadn't gone home last night. My parents must be so incredibly worried about me, not to mention angry. I began to panic, and was overcome by frustration.

"Edward," I whispered. He didn't move at all, so I said it louder. "Edward!"

He jolted awake and I giggled at his confused face and his bed hair. He smiled crookedly, and roughly said, "How are we doing this morning?"

I made a face, and he immediately began to panic. "What? Are you okay?"

I nodded. "I'm fine. I just realized that my parents are probably sick with worry about where I am."

He shook his head and apologized. "Oh my God, Bella. I'm so sorry I didn't call them."

"No, no," I assured him. "Really, it's fine. Thanks for letting me stay here—you're the best friend ever, Edward. You really are." I saw him blush a delicate pink, but I had to ask, "Do your parents…or anybody…know I'm here?"

He shook his head, and came out from his blanket. I couldn't keep my eyes from running over his bare, sculpted chest, and I blushed a furious shade of red when he caught me staring. He pretended not to notice, but I saw the corners of his lips twitch, fighting a smile.

He came onto the bed with me, and brought out my arms. I noticed they were covered with gauze, and a lump formed in my throat at the touching generosity of Edward.

"Thanks," I muttered. He smiled down at me, and said, "You should take these off before you get a shower, and I'll put them back on when you're done."

"Are they bad?" I inquired.

"Not really bad," he assured me. "Just some deep cuts that were bleeding a lot last night. They should still be tender today, but by tomorrow, they should start to heal. I want to keep them covered to prevent infection."

I smiled. "Okay, doctor."

He half smiled, but then he got serious and said, "I think we should tell Carlisle. About what Mike did to you."

My face immediately became horrified, but before I could say anything Edward said, "He's a doctor—he can help you. What if Mike hurt something…um, inside of you?"

I shook my head. "I'm fine. Carlisle will tell my parents, and they'll feel sorry for me and probably take me to get counseling or something. Please—I'm fine."

"But, Bella."

"I'm fine."

He let out an exasperated sigh, just as his door flung open.

Alice's eyes popped open and hurried in—closing the door.

"Oh my God," she whispered. "You slept with Bella and didn't tell me?"

I blushed a deep red, and Edward flushed only a light pink. "Alice, we did not…um, sleep together."

She looked at his bare chest, and his arm that was slung over my shoulder, and didn't look convinced. "Sure…"

Edward got off the bed, and mouthed he'd be right back. Alice watched him leave, then crossed over the bedroom, until she was on the bed with me.

"So what are you doing here?" She asked, trying to get the truth out of me.

"I can't tell you," I muttered pathetically, looking at my hands.

"Oh," she said, and I noticed the obvious hurt in her voice. "Okay."

"Sorry," I said, and she nodded, hopping off the bed.

"That's okay, Bella."

Edward dropped me off at my house. He had offered to come in with me, but I declined, knowing it was better I handle this alone.

"Hello?" I called when I walked through the threshold.

Alice had let me borrow a pair of jeans and a hoodie—my other clothes were bloody and dirty—much to Edward's persuasion. I felt bad for not being able to tell Alice why I was over there, but it didn't change the fact that I wasn't going to tell her. I wouldn't have even told Edward if he hadn't had seen me. It was lucky, though, that Edward hadn't been able to sleep, and he was on his way to the 24 hour McDonald's when he saw me. I'll never make fun of him wanted a midnight snack ever again.

I heard the footsteps of my parents before I actually saw them. The minute they saw I was alright they immediately began to yell at me.

"Where were you last night?" My dad asked.

"She was at her boyfriends," my mom answered for me. Then she said, "Why were you at your boyfriends all night, Bella?"

I swallowed, and thought about telling them why I didn't come home last night, or tell them how depressed I am. But I didn't. I couldn't.

"I'm sorry," I said, wanting to get this over with. "It won't happen again."

"Damn right it won't!" My dad yelled, his face red with anger. He took a step toward me and grabbed my wrist, holding it tightly.

"It's time for me to go," I said a bit curtly, grabbing my jacket off the stair banister and heading for the door.

I felt him grab onto my wrist, and he held onto it so tightly that I gasped.

"Bella, you know I love you." He said this with clenched teeth, and his eyes were menacing.

"Let go of me," I said, my voice thick with ice and emotion. "Right now."

He narrowed his eyes at me, and gripped my wrist tighter. "Don't you tell me what to do."

"Charlie…" my mom started.

"I should beat her," he mumbled.

I shook my head from side to side furiously, tears running down my face. "I'm sorry, dad. I swear it won't happen again. I won't leave the house."

My dad let go of my wrist—he wasn't used to be being so corporative.

"But," my mom chimed in. "You are grounded."

"Yes," my dad agreed. "No friends for a month! No cell phone, no iPod, no computer, no nothing. You'll be lucky if you have a bed to sleep on when I'm done with you! Now go to your room. Now!"

"And I'll be up there to have a talk with you," my mom added.

I ran up the stairs and slammed my bedroom door. I planted my face in my pillow and began to cry when my mom walked in.

"Thanks for knocking," I mumbled.

"Bella," she said. I felt the weight of her as she sat on the edge of my bed, then she began to stroke my hair. "Bella honey, why did you stay at Mike's house all night?"

"I'm sorry."

"I thought we agreed that you weren't going to have sex with him for a long, long time."

I didn't respond.

"I'm disappointed in you, baby. I am." She sighed and continued. "Do you want to end up pregnant at the age of seventeen? That's the path you're going on."

The worst part of this entire thing is that I had no other choice but to go along with their assumptions that I had sex with Mike. Which I did, but against my will.

"I know, mom. I know. I said I was sorry."

"Well you know it's going to take a long time to regain our trust back. No more dates unless he comes here. I don't want you around him unsupervised."

"I broke up with him," I muttered. "I don't want anything to do with him."

She seemed taken aback, but when she began talking again she sounded a bit relieved.

"Well, see, there's another reason. You just shared a very intimate experience with him, and now you broke up and want nothing to do with him. See why I told you to wait?"

I nodded, and I felt my mattress spring back up and she got off.

"I love you, Bella," she said at the door.

"Love you too, mom."

I heard the door click shut.

Okay, the next chapter is probably going to begin the excitement. I figure I'd skip a few weeks ahead—only about three or four. REVIEW!!!!!