Hello, people. I'm sorry this is late. I really am. But this is what happens when you get slammed with two projects and a presentation right when you get back on track with something you really love to do. Sigh. Oh well. At least this one is long. It would've been longer and I probably wouldn't have posted today but you guys have been too good to me for me to have to make you wait. So here you go.
I'd like to thank my OOTW (out of this world) beta, BellaTonks for helping me out and sticking with me even though my updating is HORRIBLE! Thanks Bella! XOXOX! And I'd also like to give praise to Little Silver Rose for being there with me and helping me out and cheering me up when I was down and frustrated and SWAMPED with work. XOXOXO's to you too.
Disclaimer:"Hey, guys. I missed you. So this chaper is very emotional so you might want to grab some tissues while you're reading because I had to. R4L owns NOTHING so don't get jealous. Enjoy, dearies!" S.M.
Chapter 19
EPOV
Unbelievable! Yes, unbelievable. That was all I could think of. That was the only word that I could think of to fit the situation. My room was completely destroyed. I went to the office, taking Bella with me (she refused to let go of me, her hands gripping my shirt). Mrs. Cope called the police and they checked out my room. Somehow it turned into a full investigation.
So here I was standing outside my room talking to the police.
"It's only procedure. We have to do this because you have written threats in your room. That means that either someone is out to get you or someone around you." My thoughts immediately went to Bella. "Has anything happened that's crime related in the past month or so to you or someone you know?" The officer asked. My head was starting to pound.
My floor was swarming with cops and CSI's. The principal of the school was standing next to me. Carlisle was on my other side. Alice, Esme, and Rose were with Bella in their room. I had no idea where Emmett and Jasper were.
"Well, nothing happened to me," I answered.
"What do you mean you?"He asked.
"Well…" I hesitated. The officer pulled a notepad and pen out from somewhere on his belt and was poised to write.
"My girlfriend was attacked about a week and a half ago."
"Attacked?"
I cringed at the memory of how she'd looked.
"Attempted rape and beaten." The officer flinched a little and then scribbled something down. I continued. "And just recently the same man assaulted her again." I cringed again remembering when Bella told me about what happened today. I thanked Jasper immensely for being there when I wasn't.
"I'm going to need both their names."
"Isabella Swan and—"I felt anger course through me as his name made its way out of my mouth. "Mike Newton." He wrote that down.
"Okay. I'll check their names out and see what I find. The best thing for you to do now is to just watch your back, watch the people around you and call us if anything suspicious, or not, happens." I nodded.
"Thank you." Carlisle said his hand on my shoulder.
"Thank you. I'll do everything I can to help." Principle Martin shook his hand. The officer nodded and left to look at my room again.
I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. Principle Martin turned to me.
"Edward, I already moved you to another room. It's a few floors down, room…" He paused and pulled out a piece of paper from the inside of his suit jacket. He unfolded it. "Ah, yes. It's room 320. That also a single, so you won't have to worry about having roommates. Here's your key." He pulled it out of his pocket. "And be careful. We will deal with this." He patted my free shoulder and went into my old room.
I was anxious to get to Bella. She seemed worried when I left to come up here. I had to pry her fingers from my shirt and give her a million reassurances before she actually let me go.
"Edward, are you okay?" Carlisle asked.
"Bella," was all I said.
She knows something. I know she does. She wouldn't act like that for any apparent reason.
I turned around and ran as fast as I could. I ran past the other cops and CSI's swarming the hallway. I took the stairs down to her floor, the elevator being too slow, and ran to her room. I threw the door open and darted to the living room. Everyone was there except for Carlisle who I heard just walking in and closing the door behind him.
"Edward!" Bella gasped.
She jumped off the couch from in between Esme and Alice and ran into my arms. Jasper was perched on the floor by Alice's feet, his face a mask of worry, anger and concern. Rose was to my left in the kitchen. She looked angered as well. Emmett looked as if he was ready for a fight on Rose's bed.
"Bella," I breathed.
Her arms tightened around my waist and her tears flowed. I kissed her hair.
"Bella, it's okay. I'm here, shh, love." I tried to calm her down as best I could. Esme and Alice made a space for me as I pulled Bella to the couch. I pulled her into my lap as I sat down. Bella buried her face in my neck as her sobs died down. I knew she was scared. And I was afraid of the reason she was scared.
"Charlie," she said.
I cringed.
Bella pulled her head back to look in my eyes. I wiped her tears way with my thumbs. Her eyes closed as I caressed her face. Her breathing became more even.
"Who's Charlie?" Esme asked.
"Dad," I called.
I saw him in the kitchen out of the corner of my eye. I knew now was when Bella would tell her story. They needed to hear it. They needed to know. Carlisle walked out of the kitchen into the small walkway. It was good the whole family was here. Bella needed the support.
"Dad, you need to hear this, too," I told him.
My eyes never left Bella's face. After a moment her eyes opened. She nodded to me, telling me she was ready. Carlisle took a seat next to Emmett and everyone was poised to listen even though Rose and Alice already knew the whole story.
Bella turned in my lap so she was straddling me. She could more or less see the whole family that way. She grabbed my hands and held them tightly in hers. I knew she was nervous, scared even, but she knew I was there for her. She knew that she could draw comfort from my comfort. She knew that she could lay all her troubles, worries, burdens, problems, and issues on me and I'd gladly take them if only to make her happy.
Her eyes strayed to our entwined hands as she started her story again and hopefully for the last time.
Bella told them how Charlie snapped one day and beat her and her mother, Renee, for the first time. She told them how he started drinking. She told them how whenever it was just her and him alone he would beat her until she couldn't stand. She told them how he would beat Renee right in front of her.
She told them how Renee lost her unborn child to his beatings. She told them how Charlie didn't know about the baby and how heartbroken Renee was over losing it. She told them how Charlie sent her to a previous boarding school where she fought a lot and was suspended one too many times, bringing on her expulsion. She told them that when she came home, Renee had a broken arm and a few broken ribs. She told them she had vowed that she'd never again leave her mother alone with him.
Bella cried as she gripped my hands tighter in hers. She paused for brief moment, as the pain of what that man did made its way through her body. She hadn't cried this much when she told me. She was only scared of making me angry and leaving her. Of course that was something I could never do even if I wanted to.
But right now, I wanted her to stop talking about it. I wanted her tears to stop. I wanted to take all her pain away, but I knew she needed to go on. They needed to hear this, to understand what was really going on and how involved everyone really was. I pulled my hands from hers and gently wiped the tears from her face.
I mouthed 'I'm here for you' when she looked up at me. She smiled a weak smile and I saw the tenderness override the pain that was in her eyes. She took my hands once again and continued.
She told them how Renee took most of the abuse for her because she couldn't stand to see her only child being beaten by the man she once loved. How she was able to heal well with the help of Renee, what with her being a nurse and all. She told them about how Charlie kicked her in the ribs numerous times for not calling him to tell him she'd be home late from work. She even tried to explain, but he wouldn't listen.
She was glad that Renee was working the night shift at the hospital that night, so she couldn't defend her. Bella hated seeing her mother being beaten about as much as her mother hated seeing her being beaten.
And she finally told them about the things she found in her car the night she made me stay.
"I have to be married by the age of '21' or he'll get everything and probably kill me and my mother once he sees no reason to keep us around." She finished quietly.
I took a glance around the room after getting my bearings from having to hear her story again. Esme looked about to faint. Alice and Rosalie looked overwhelmed and sad. Emmett looked livid, his muscles flexing in anger. Jasper's face was much like Rosalie's; overwhelmed and sad, well except for the anger, worry and concern mixed in with it. And Carlisle, well, Carlisle looked beyond angry. He was almost furious. I could just barely see the vein popping out of his forehead.
It was quiet for such a long moment that I had almost forgotten everyone was in the room. Bella leaned forward and wrapped her arms around my neck. She pressed her face into my neck; a second later she kissed my pulse point.
"Thank you." She whispered so softly I almost didn't hear it.
I smiled and whispered, "Anytime,"
I saw Carlisle shoot up and start pacing around the small area that wasn't taken up by everyone that had crammed into the small room. By the look on his face, which was calculating, I could tell he was trying to piece things together.
"How was he able to get away with it for almost fourteen years?" He said outraged.
I answered him before Bella could.
"He's the police chief of the town. He could get away with anything."
"But Bella said her mother went to work, correct?"
"Yes, Renee went to work." I said trying to figure out where he was going with this.
"Wouldn't someone have noticed the bruises or that she was probably limping, anything?" he seemed to be grasping at straws.
"She would take off or call in sick. Renee worked so much that she could take a month's vacation and they'd be okay with it." I said flatly.
Spending that week with Bella, cooped up in my old room, I found out a lot of things. She told me every little thing. She told me things that were on her mind, things that would bother her, things that probably even Rose and Alice didn't know.
I could answer any questions Carlisle threw at me because I knew the story like the back of my hand. Although, I wish she never had to go through what she went through, but it was already said and done. And there was nothing I could do about it … unfortunately.
But Bella knew I could answer. She knew I would answer because I showed her, while she was telling that dreadful story, how it pained me to hear it. I told her just by looking into her eyes that once she was finished, she wouldn't have to talk anymore. I wouldn't let her talk anymore.
"That is unbelievable." Carlisle was still outraged.
And that was the same word I'd used earlier to describe my room situation. Like father, like son, I guess.
"Oh, Bella," Esme sighed. I looked at her and she had the most loving and tender look in her eyes. She rubbed Bella's back wherever my hands didn't take up space. I felt Bella smile against my neck. I cracked a small smile and nodded at my compassionate mother to let her know that Bella appreciated it.
"She thinks he did that to your room." Jasper spoke for the first time.
"Yes," I confirmed.
"How would he know about us? How would he know where Edward's room is?" Carlisle's pacing became a bit faster. I did wonder about that, though. How would he know?
"Wait," Emmett spoke this time. "What if it wasn't him? What if it was someone else?"
"Who," I asked, "The only other person besides you guys that would probably know where my room is Newton and he wasn't anywhere near the building around the time the police said it was destroyed." I stated.
"How do you know that?" Emmett asked.
I hesitated. I'd forgotten that he wasn't there when Bella told me what happened to her. I didn't want to speak of it. It made me shudder to think that that fool touched her again. I hugged her tighter to me.
"I was deterring him away around that time." Jasper covered for me.
He pulled Alice into his lap as he took her seat on the couch next to me. I pulled one of my hands from around Bella and bumped fists with him.
"Thank you, Jasper." He smiled at me.
"It was no problem." I returned his smile. I couldn't thank him enough for protecting her. Alice gave him a chaste kiss.
Emmett had a confused look on his face and Jasper noticed.
"I'll tell you later, Em," he said. Emmett nodded.
"What do we do?" Esme asked.
Carlisle stopped pacing and looked over at his wife. He sighed and his shoulders slumped a little. Esme met his gaze after looking at Bella for a long moment. They held each other's gaze for a while and I suddenly knew the next words that were going to come out of Carlisle's mouth.
Then he sighed again, as if defeated, and ran a hand through his blond hair, much like I do. He knew it and so did I. There was nothing we could do.
"I don't think there's anything we can do at this point in time. We aren't part of the law and as much as I would like to find out who did this and bring Charlie to justice, I don't plan on getting my own self in trouble with the police like some other people." I knew he was right. I understood the malice in his voice when he said the last part.
I saw Rose move behind the other couch in the corner of my eye. I turned my head some and caught a full view of her. Her face was upset. I was about to say something to her, but she ran down the hall to the bathroom.
"Rose," Emmett started.
He stood and went after her.
"She'll be fine. She just hates to hear it," Alice said.
Then, I guess Rose knew how I felt, to some extent.
"I don't like it, either," Alice said solemnly.
Her face was sad, pained even. Jasper kissed her forehead and hugged her closer to his body. Her small frame seemed to disappear in his arms. Alice's usually bubbly attitude had all but diminished at the moment. It seemed that if Bella hurt, she hurt.
It was much the same for all of us. If one of us hurt, we all hurt.
I heard a few silent sobs come from the direction of the bathroom.
Bella sighed and murmured my name. It was low enough that no one heard it, but high enough for me to hear it. But I'd hear it either way since her face was right next to my ear. I chuckled. She was sleeping … silly Bella. Her even breaths were warm on the skin of my neck. I drew comfort from the feeling. It cooled my angry nerves and helped clear my mind of anything but her.
I sighed after a moment. I pulled my phone out of my pocket without disturbing Bella and saw that it was 11:30 p.m.
"It's late," I said.
"Edward, when the school called and told us what happened I packed you some things from the house. It should last you until the end of the week and then we can figure out what to do about the rest of your things," Esme said. She grabbed a black duffle bag that was on the side of the couch and stood.
"Edward," Carlisle said. He seemed calmer now. He gestured with his hand towards the door.
I knew Bella wouldn't let me go, literally, and she'd be worried and scared if she woke up and didn't see my face. Carlisle took the bag from Esme and kissed her cheek.
I moved Bella's legs to one side of me and slipped my arm under them. I cradled her body and as I moved forward to stand up, her arms tightened around my neck.
"See you tomorrow, Jasper. Alice."
Jasper nodded as did Alice in his chest.
"I'll call you tomorrow, mom." She smiled.
I steadied Bella in my arms and walked towards the door. I looked down the short hall to the bathroom and the door was closed.
I was worried about Rosalie. She'd had her dealings in the past. They were nowhere near as bad as Bella's, but still. When she and Emmett started dating, I knew he was going to be there for her. We all knew her story, maybe accept for Bella. Or maybe she didn't tell her.
Carlisle opened the door and we made our way down the hall to my new room. It was six rooms down so the walk was fairly short. Carlisle pulled the key from his pocket, having taken it from Principle Martin earlier.
This room was much the same as my old one; the kitchen to the right, living room in the front, and the bed and bath down the hall on the left. The only difference was that there was no T.V. and the table in front of the couch was round.
I walked to the bedroom and it too was the same. The bed sheets were black instead of blue, though.
I managed to pull the sheets back and lay Bella down, carefully. She sighed again and her fingers gripped my shirt when I leaned away from her. I pried them off me and kissed her forehead softly, pulling the sheets up after taking her shoes off.
I walked back into the living room. Carlisle was standing in the middle of it. He had another small bag slung over his shoulder with my duffel in his other hand. He walked up to me and handed them both to me.
I looked at him questioningly, trying to figure out what the other bag was for.
"Alice said Bella's things are in it," he said.
I nodded and took them. I put them on the floor just inside the door of the bedroom. I walked back out to the couch, not looking at him, and sat down. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes.
A moment later I felt the couch sag and I knew that he'd sat down.
"That is why her x-rays looked the way they did." He stated quietly.
I flinched remembering, but otherwise didn't move or respond. He continued.
"Esme was worried about her the night she came over for dinner."
I didn't know that. Esme seemed fine.
"Why?" I still didn't open my eyes.
"When she talked to her in the hallway outside your room, she saw the fear in her eyes. She saw the worry and uncertainty, too."
Esme, she was always so inquisitive.
Carlisle, Jasper, Emmett and I were cleaning up when I heard Esme ask Bella if she wanted a tour of the house. I told her I'd do it, but then the cleaning came up.
I opened my eyes and picked my head up. I looked at his face.
"Bella was crying when I came up there. They weren't tears of sadness, though, they were of hope. I'd made a joke just to lift the tension. I didn't ask Bella or mom what they talked about. I figured it was just between them."
"Your mother told me everything." He had a sheepish smile on his face. Esme could never keep a thing from Carlisle no matter how small it was.
I sighed and hung my head in my hands.
"You know, she showed me the daggers and the letter that night."
"She did?" He seemed surprised.
A moment passed.
"Alice," we said together.
"I have to say that I was a little overwhelmed when she opened the bag and showed me its contents. I couldn't believe it."
"Why didn't you come to us when you first found out?" He didn't sound angry, just curious.
"I wanted her to trust me. It was the first thing I'd thought to do, but when I told her she begged not to. She only wanted to keep you safe." I'd picked my head up again and looked him in the eye. I needed him to understand. It would do us no good if he thought us liars. If he thought he couldn't trust us. After a moment Carlisle sighed.
"I know, Edward."
We were silent for a few minutes. I closed my eyes again. An image of Bella appeared. She was unconscious and her clothes were torn. Her body was beaten and had purple and blue and black marks all over it. She looked like she did that night when Mike had tried to—
NO! She won't end up like that. She won't be desecrated ever again!
I violently shook my head, trying desperately to get the images and thoughts of a destroyed Bella from my head.
I couldn't lose her that way.
I wouldn't lose her that way.
I can't lose her that way.
I won't.
I refuse to.
Carlisle's voice vaguely registered in the corner of my head.
"Edward, are you okay? Edward!"
When my head stopped shaking, my vision became impaired. My eyes watered with salty tears.
"I-I can't l-lose her, dad," I sobbed.
Even the thought of her body never moving again, still, white, cold, made me sick. My head dropped to my hands again and the wetness from my tears covered them. My stomach churned.
"I'll die if he gets his hands on her. I-I can't, I can't-" A lump rose in my throat and the tears flowed freely now. Carlisle wrapped an arm around my shoulders. I leaned into him, grateful for his presence. I needed the comfort so much.
Carlisle held me as I rode out my tears. I hated crying. It made me seem weak, worthless, and useless. But that was exactly how I felt; useless. I couldn't even protect Bella in school from idiotic, obsessive dogs like Mike Newton. So how was I supposed to protect her from that abusive, greedy, non-loving bastard of a father she had?
It seemed impossible.
I'd never thought I'd feel this way. I'd never thought I'd be in this position. I never wanted to feel useless; never liked the feeling. And I never wanted Bella to be hurt, ever.
But what could I do? What can I do?
My tears died down after a few more minutes.
I untangled myself from my father's arms and sat up. I wiped my face with my hands and let out a ragged breath.
"Thanks, dad," I said quietly.
"Are you okay, Edward?"
I nodded. I felt his gaze on me while I stared at the floor.
"It's okay, Edward, everyone has to let it out sometime or another."
"I'm going to go to bed, dad. I'm…" I couldn't think of the word to say because tired didn't fit.
"It's fine. You need some sleep. Don't forget to call your mother tomorrow."
I nodded and he stood.
I walked him the door. He grabbed me up in a hug before ruffling my hair like he used to do when I was a kid.
"Goodnight, son," he said a warm smile on his lips.
"Night, dad," I closed the door.
I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. I leaned back against the door for a moment. That was the first time I'd cried in front of him in years.
I heaved myself off the door and went to the bathroom. I grabbed a washcloth, a t-shirt and pajama bottoms from my duffel on the way.
I stared at Bella's still sleeping form on the bed after leaving the bathroom. She looked so peaceful. But that only lasted a second before her face was distorted into a look of pain. She starting mumbling things and her body convulsed.
I rushed to her and pulled her into my arms. I whispered comforting words in her ears and after what felt like forever she calmed down and her breathing was now even.
I fell asleep a while after, wishing that everything would just go away. But I knew that wouldn't happen. I knew we'd have to face it sometime soon.
BPOV
I was standing in the middle of the hallway in the building where Mike had last assaulted me. It was dark and all the doors to the class rooms were closed. I walked slowly along the wall to feel my way down the hall. I had to find a way out. I had to find Edward. I had to find somebody, anybody.
I walked past three classrooms and the doors were all locked. I had this weird feeling in my gut that someone was following me, watching me. But who could be watching me here in the hallway, in the dark?
I continued walking blindly along the wall until I felt another doorknob. And as soon as I tried to turn it a menacing laugh erupted behind me. I froze. If I wasn't breathing and my heart wasn't pounding in my ears I would've been a complete statue.
I then heard heavy footsteps. I stood stock still for ten seconds and then heard another laugh. But this one was different, less manly than the first, but still grown, for lack of better word. And then there was another pair of footsteps. Adrenaline shot through me and my breathing sped up.
Since I didn't think it was a good idea to stand here like an idiot, I ran. I all but sprinted down the hall. The footsteps sped up too and that's when I heard the familiar voices.
"Come back here! I told you, you weren't going to get away!" Charlie's voice rang behind me.
"I should've known she'd tried to run. Damn it! It's always the cute and quiet ones," Mike's voice said.
Tears started to form. I wished that Edward was here. I wished that anyone was here. But no one was.
I ran down the hall, not really knowing where I was going because it was still pitch black. I suddenly burst through a door and found myself tumbling down towards something.
I couldn't tell what it was because I'd closed my eyes. Then I hit something, something soft yet hard and uncomfortable. I opened my eyes and I was lying on a bed, my old bed in my room in Forks.
I breathed a sigh of relief and moved to put my legs on the floor when the door flew open. In walked Mike Newton.
"Hello, precious," he sneered.
The light coming from the window gave me a clear view of his face. It was cold and hard, much like a diamond, but in no way was it beautiful.
"W-what do you want? Why am I here?" I managed to get out.
"You're here because we want you to be here. You see, we need you to get the money. And since your bastard of a boyfriend almost got me expelled, I decided to seek out someone, anyone who shared a dislike in him and who could help me get what I want. What was rightfully mine," he growled the last part.
I was scared shitless, but what could I do?
"We, Who's we?" I spoke softly.
"Why your loving father, of course," Charlie walked in as he spoke.
A horrible tremor ran down my spine and I flew up and out of the bed. I tried to get past them, but they blocked the door. I didn't like this. I knew something was going to happen. I could feel it when I was in the hallway.
"No. You aren't going anywhere," Mike said in a sickly sweet voice. He threw me onto the bed.
"Charlie?" He said turning his head so his gaze could meet his. Charlie nodded and then turned to step out of the room. Mike grinned and turned to me with a devilish glint in his eye.
"Have fun," was all Charlie said before closing the door behind him.
"Indeed," Mike said.
My blood ran cold. I felt him undressing me with his eyes as he stared at me from the edge of the bed.
Then I thought. If I was home, Renee would be here.
"Where is my mother?"
"Dead," he replied with no emotion, though his voice was an octave lower.
My eye went wide and my heart was shattered.
"No, no, no, no, NO," I screamed!
I jumped and rushed him. I pounded his chest with my fists. I screamed for him to let me see my mother, but he just stood there and chuckled at my display of anger.
And then he grabbed my wrists in his hands and threw me on the bed again. This time he climbed over me and tried to kiss me. I pushed at his chest and squirmed. He took my wrists in one hand and held them too tightly above my head.
His lips moved to my ear.
"The more you move, the more painful this will be for you." He licked my ear.
"Mike, please. Please don't do this." I tried pleading with him, but somehow I knew that it wouldn't work. I knew he wouldn't listen.
"I have to because if I don't, then there will be some serious problems and not just with you, but with Charlie. My ass is on the line." His lips were at my collarbone, nipping and biting here and there. It actually hurt and I whimpered.
When I tried to get him off me and when I whimpered he'd hit me or bite harder.
He divested me of my clothes after a few minutes and his followed. I closed my eyes, not wanting to look at the vile human being that was about to defile me in the worst way.
I kicked him in the shin when he bit me quite hard on my chest and he punched me. I couldn't stomach the hit like I did all the others, so I blacked out. Everything went black. My world was dark and there was no one to save me. There was no one to pick me up and hold me while I cried. Edward wasn't there. My family wasn't there. I was alone. I was alone and I was nothing.
Vous Amiez? Oui? Non? Tell me what you think. You know the rules when it comes to reviewing. I'd really like to hit 500 reviews and/or more if that's not too much to ask. Hopefully I'll update next Friday.
Reader4Lyfe, peace!