Disclaimer: Not mine. Sorry. If I were SMeyer, I'd be writing this for real, not just on FFN. (Sorry I'm not very witty here...I thought you'd appreciate the wit going into the chapter as opposed to the disclaimer.)

Chapter 24

"How can she not like birthdays?" Alice asked petulantly, looking over at Bella, whose head way on Edward's shoulder, her eyes closed. She looked rather exhausted, dark circles under her eyes, but, still…it was her birthday, shouldn't she be at least a bit excited? Jasper shrugged and Bella, who could hear them despite her sleepy state, stuck her tongue out at her.

"I just don't like them, OK?" she said tiredly, not even bothering to open her eyes. Alice and Jasper both frowned; she at Bella's lack of enthusiasm and he at her tired state. She had said that James was becoming more demanding, wanting more intricate meals, a cleaner kitchen, Bella to stay up until the time he went to bed himself. It was obviously wearing her down and he was worried. It was Bella's birthday, for Pete's sake; could her father not even leave her alone on that one day?

"Bella," he asked worriedly, "why don't I take you home now? You can skip your afternoon classes and catch up on sleep a bit. I'll cover for you."

Bella bit her lip, looking tented, before shaking her head.

"It'd be a bit too obvious, what with James working here. I'm OK, I promise."

Edward, who had been following the conversation to the best of his ability, maneuvered his arms to get them in front of both him and Bella, so he could sign.

Bella, you'll be no good in any of your classes if you're falling asleep. And just imagine P.E.! Come on, just go home. For me?

Bella hesitated. In reality, she really did want to go home; she had gone to bed very late the previous night and then had had to wake up early to make James' breakfast, as he had started to demand since he began to teach at the school. A bit of sleep before whatever celebration her friends had planned (for she had no doubt that they had planned something against her orders) would definitely be helpful. She thought about what they were doing in her classes; in Biology they were watching a movie while the teacher graded their tests, and the busiest class was P.E., where they were playing tennis. She would definitely not be helpful there. Jasper must have read the defeat on her face.

"Come on, I'll take you home." He started to get up and gathered her things, Bella following close behind.

"Jasper, you can't! We have a chemistry test next period, and you know how Ms. Donohue gets about tardiness! She won't let you take the test!"

Jasper cursed, setting Bella's things back down. He looked at his watch, trying to figure out if he'd have time to take Bella home and come back. He wouldn't; there were barely five minutes left until the lunch period ended.

I'll take her, signed Edward, standing up, we all know my class will be pathetic anyway, so I might as well use the time for something worth the effort.

Bella looked from Jasper to Edward, trying to figure out what she should do. The two boys were having a wordless conversation, it seemed, and she felt somewhat awkward interrupting it. When it seemed the two were finally done, Edward swung Bella's backpack onto his back and quickly said goodbye to the group, taking Bella's hand and starting to walk towards the parking lot. Once in the car, Bella relaxed and turned to him.

What was that about? she asked.

What? Edward replied, looking truly confused.

That thing with Jasper. Before coming out here. What was with the mini-conversation?

It's nothing, Bella, Edward said dismissively before starting up the car. Somewhat miffed, Bella put on her seat belt and crossed her arms over her chest, turning to face the window, although her eyes were closed once more. Fine, she thought, if he wanted to be like that and not answer her questions, he could deal with her ignoring him.

Edward drove at a reasonable speed, remembering the last time he had been in a car with Bella. He soon pulled over into the Hales' driveway, though, and turned to wake Bella, who seemed to have fallen asleep over the short time period. She opened her eyes, looking rather startled. She looked out the window and groaned.

I'm sorry, Edward, I forgot that I had to go by James' to get some things. Would it take you terribly out of your way to take me? As in, were you planning to go back to school or not?

I don't mind at all, Bella. In fact, if you don't mind, he looked shier now, and he seemed to be having a difficult time meeting her eyes, I was hoping I could just stay with you? You can rest, I don't mind, I'd just like to make sure you were OK and…not alone.

Bella blushed to the tips of her ears and bit her lip, nodding quickly and eagerly. Edward smiled, feeling much more comfortable and relaxed now. He quickly squeezed her shoulder before starting the car again to drive her to James'. Once there, he hurried around the car to open the door for Bella, who looked utterly shocked. He smiled at her as he helped her out of the car and walked her to the front door. He waited patiently while she searched for her keys and finally found them. Bella seemed to be considering something seriously before she opened the door, though.

Are you planning to come in? she asked, looking unsure. Edward hesitated.

If you don't mind. I don't want to make you uncomfortable.

Bella nodded and opened the door. As she walked in, she turned on the light and closed the door behind Edward.

Um…you can look around while I go get my stuff. Just don't go into the study, which is the room at the end of that hallway, or into James' room, she quickly amended.

Edward nodded and she hurried up the stairs to gather her things. Edward started meandering around. First, he saw the living room, with an armchair and a sofa facing a large television set. There was also an impressive sound system. Besides that, the room looked rather empty and bare. Edward then made his way into the kitchen, which was just as clean as the living room. It did not look at all like a piece of home, though; he could not picture Bella cooking in that kitchen.

After he had looked around the main floor enough, not having found any real sign of Bella's personality in the house, he saw a half-open door. He pushed it and found a set of stairs; it seemed to be the way to a basement. He opened the door fully, in case Bella came down and could not find him, and made his way down the stairs. He found a cold, rather empty room, the walls and ground all made of plain concrete. There were no decorations, only some shelves full of boxes and a large clock with a dead battery.

He was about to go back up the stairs when he caught sight of some inscription on the ground. Upon closer inspection, Edward found that somebody had carefully scratched words onto the concrete, probably using a screwdriver or a set of keys. Looking closer, Edward read the words. There were a variety of them; some of them read things such as "endure" and "be strong." Others said "hope" or "victory." There was a surprising amount of "hate" entries. And then, there was a different set of words, these repeated many times over throughout the ground: "Jasper," "Rosalie," "Emmett," and, more lightly, "Edward" and "Alice." He was shocked to find that his name and Jasper's were the two most common words, although Jasper's seemed much more prominent than his own.

Upstairs, Bella stood in front of the door to the basement, perfectly still, an expression of fear on her face. Her packed bags lied on the ground, by her feet, where she had dropped them when she realized that Edward had gone down into the basement. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was tired, she just wanted sleep. She did not want to venture down into the basement, which held so many negative memories. Ever since she had discovered the truth about her parentage, she had only been down in the basement under James' orders, when he locked her up for being disobedient or disrespectful. It was not a place that held any appeal to her.

Bella waited for a few minutes for Edward to come back up, but it seemed he had no such intention. There was nothing all that interesting down there; a bunch of boxes filled with her mother's belongings, that obnoxious dead clock, and the tool box. Her eyes shot wide open, though, when thinking of the tool box reminded her of the screwdriver and her particular use for it. Had Edward found her inscriptions?

Those inscriptions were what she did when James locked her down there; there was nothing to do, nothing to keep her mind from the cold and the dampness and, at night, the dark. So she scribbled on the ground, trying to always write positive ideas that would keep her somewhat sane. They also helped her avoid trying to figure out for how long she had been down there; the dead clock, she was sure, was purposefully dead, so that she would always wonder but never quite know the time or for how long she had been down there. Overall, that basement was her biggest nightmare. Why the heck had Edward gone down there? Damn him, why did he have to do this on a day she was so entirely tired and stressed?

Ten minutes had passed, and still Edward remained in the basement. Bella gave up. She squared her shoulders, took a series of deep breaths, and made her way down the stairs. Lucky for her, Edward had turned on the lights, so, at least, she did not have to venture into the darkness as well; she had grown to fear and despise it over the years. Once she had gotten down to the basement, she found him on his knees, facing away from her, reading some of her inscriptions. She stopped dead on her tracks, her heart beating at an incredible speed. What would she tell him? What could she tell him?

Finally, Edward perceived that somebody was watching him. He straightened up and turned around, his questioning eyes meeting Bella's afraid ones. Instantly, he knew something was wrong; her eyes were obviously afraid and, on top of that, they were avoiding him. Her hands were fisted and, still, he could tell that they were shaking. Her jaw was tense and she was biting her lip. And, upon closer inspection, it seemed like tears were building up at her eyes. Yes, he thought, there was definitely something wrong.

Bella, what is it? he asked, worried. He stood up and made his way towards her slowly, as if attempting not to scare her.

Bella brought her hands up, as if to sign, but as soon as she released her fists her hands began to shake so badly she could not sign at all. At this realization, her eyes got bigger, the shaking increased, and her breathing became ragged. Edward was truly worried now and he stepped closer to her.

Bella, what's wrong? Please, tell me. I just want to help!

Contrary to what he was expecting, Edward's proximity only seemed to make the situation worse. Bella was having trouble breathing by this point, her chest hurt, and she felt like she was losing control completely. She was shaking all over, she felt as if she were going to pass out, and the only thing she could think about was the fact that she was in the basement, with Edward, and that he had found her inscriptions, that he knew about her punishment, about her deserving being locked up. She fell to her knees, shaking, struggling to breathe.

Edward fell to his knees by Bella's side. He was a smart boy, his father was a doctor, and he had spent a lot of time at the hospital with him. If he was interpreting everything correctly, Bella was having an anxiety attack. He tried to think of what he could do to help, but could not remember any sort of treatment. So, he did what his instinct dictated; he got even closer to Bella and hugged her, pulling her to his chest and rocking her back and forth as he rubbed circles onto her back. He tried to remember everything he knew about anxiety attacks, but he was drawing a blank. He simply kept rocking her back and forth, resting his cheek on the top of her head, waiting for it to pass.

Eventually, she started to calm down and, finally, the attack seemed to have finished. Edward pulled away slightly, to look at her face. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing deeply. Her hands were fisted around Edward's shirt, holding him close. He caressed her cheek with one hand, both to comfort her and to get her attention. Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked at him. She looked embarrassed, Edward realized.

Are you alright? he asked worriedly.

She nodded but offered no further explanation. Edward would have none of that, though; he was worried and he wanted to know what he could do to help.

Was that an anxiety attack?

Bella shrugged, not really knowing the answer, and looked away from Edward, toward the stairs. Edward followed her gaze and realized that she wanted to leave the basement. He arranged his hold on Bella and stood up, carrying her bridal style. She looked surprised and she tightened her hold on his shirt. He strengthened his hold on her as well, reassuring her that she was safe. He then made his way up the stairs, closing the door to the basement with his foot, and taking her into the living room. He set her down on one end of the sofa, sitting next to her.

Bella, I need you to pay attention to me, alright? Edward asked seriously. He was pretty sure that Bella had just had a panic attack but he wanted to know if that was normal for her, if she needed any medical assistance for it, and why she had had it. When Bella nodded he continued. What you just had seemed every bit like an anxiety attack. You might know it as a panic attack. Have you ever had one before?

Bella shook her head. She seemed to be getting better, she did not look as panicky anymore, but her position—sitting with her knees folded so that her chin rested on them, her arms wrapped around her legs—was such a defensive and childish one that she still looked like a hurt little girl. She was still either refusing or unable to speak.

Anxiety attacks are brought on by phobias, anxiety over a situation, place, or person, suppressing emotions, or simply a medical condition. Can you tell me which it was? It's important to figure out what to do from here.

Slowly, as if it pained her to do so, Bella unwrapped her arms from around her legs and signed:

The situation.

Edward smiled encouragingly at her, relieved that she was resurfacing. She looked even more exhausted than she had before but, at least, she did not look so numb any more.

What exactly about the situation? Edward asked, trying to figure out if the attack had been triggered by some true fear or if it had been random. If it had been brought on by a true fear it would be less worrying than if it had happened out of the blue.

The basement. And your being there. And finding my inscriptions.

Edward felt as if he were delving into an unknown land. He was somewhat afraid to ask something wrong, to keep prying, for fear of triggering something else. But, what could he do? He was afraid that, if he took her to the hospital or even to his father, she would claim that it had been nothing and that she overreacted. For now, just as it had happened, she could not deny what had happened; he had seen it.

Alright, why the basement? What's wrong with it? he asked cautiously.

Nothing good ever happens there. It's dark and cold and lonely.

With each answer, Bella seemed to be getting more and more cryptic, and Edward was getting tired of it. He could not let his emotions take over, though; Bella was much too fragile at that point. He felt so curious, though. He wanted to know everything he could about her.

What happens in the basement? Why is it not a good place?

It's punishment, Bella answered, shaking. As much as it pained her to reveal the ugly underside of her life, Edward had a right to know. After all, he was her friend and he had held her through her breakdown. Or panic attack. Or whatever he wanted to call it.

Punishment? Edward asked, an outraged yet bewildered look on his face. He could not comprehend why Bella would get punished, let alone what the basement had to do with it. Or, rather, he would not comprehend it, because the pieces were starting to fit together and form a clear picture, but he refused to believe it was true.

When I misbehave or don't finish my chores, James sends me down there. It's to remind me of my place.

Edward stared at Bella, his face blank, as he tried to process her words. She could not mean what he thought she meant. But then, thinking back to what Bella and Jasper had hinted at and to Mr. Carper's attitude towards Bella…it all seemed to make sense and fit in to form a very twisted, messed up puzzle.

Please, tell me you're joking, he pleaded. But Bella smiled apologetically and shook her head. Edward closed his eyes. Why did it hurt so much to think of Bella in that situation? Why did he feel like such a failure for not having figured it out earlier? And why had anybody allowed for it to happen? His eyes shot open when a new question popped into his head. For how long had it been happening? He did not know what he'd prefer; if it had been happening since Bella was a young child or if it had only begun to happen since his arrival to Forks. Either option was too painful to consider. But he had to know.

How long has this been going on? he asked, his face pained.

Since I was twelve, Bella answered and, once more, she looked ashamed and apologetic, where Edward felt it should be he who felt like that. He now thought back to what he had been telling her lately, complaining about her going home instead of hanging out with them, asking about her relationship with her father… He should have noticed, he thought. He was her friend; no, he was more than that, because he liked her more than he had ever liked anybody before and he had wanted to protect her from everything, yet he had failed. He had not even seen that something was harming her. And she had gotten hurt for it.

I'm sorry, Bella, he signed, his eyes filling up with tears, I'm so sorry.

It was his turn to cry now, and Bella held him, running her fingers comfortingly through his hair. Now he knew. Now she did not have to lie to him anymore. And, although, technically, her situation had not improved, she now felt strong enough to stand it. She had Edward to help her, after all.

Author's Note—how was that? It was very difficult for me to write, I must admit… but it went by much more smoothly than most other chapters have been lately. In fact, I believe it is the longest chapter in a while. So, what did you think? Now she has told him…what will he do with that knowledge? And how will James react? We shall see, right? I'll try to get another chapter out tonight, but it's Homecoming so I might not have time… I've never been to a school dance before, so it should be fun. A bunch of my friends and I are coming over to get ready and then we're going out for dinner. It'll be fun, I think!

Thanks To:

Dahliax4—I hope that Bio test went well!

Cabtwilighter

FRK921

Hollywood Girl

Sammy73

Reborn-fire-bird—you don't have to "drop" any comment you make about the story! As I have said repeatedly, I love hearing what you think, since it helps me improve and it shows you care. We're allowed to disagree on some aspects, though. =]

BreyonnaMorgan

PrettiaLydia

FirstLaugh-LastTears

Silver Fire Vampyre—all will be answered in time! Don't get ahead of me! In the meantime, I'm glad you liked it, and I hope your busy schedule clears up as well.

Bemyescape32

Chrisyvs

Erin Cade

Johnny

Questions/Comments:

Kyrandiana—you are not far off the track…oh, and Renee is (unfortunately) dead…

Mrs. Dom Masbolle—hm. I think the two are separate things; Bella did not want Edward to know because she was ashamed, thinking that she was weak and deserved it. She also does what James says not only out of fear of the basement but because she really does believe that she deserves it. She does not see anything wrong with either, so she tries to avoid weighing other people down by moping. Does that make any sense? I'm afraid I haven't explained it very well…

Special Thanks To:

Tsubomi-Chan—well, think of it as a welcome home present? I like the improvements in the dynamics between Edward and Bella just as much as you. It did feel as if she were lying constantly, right? But now it's all out…now they can deal with it. And, of course, there will be the repercussions with James. All important things, of course! Anyway, all the activities for Bella's birthday are technically group activities, but are special for Bella and the organizer. For example, they'll all go to Build-a-Bear, but it will be Emmett who helps Bella make her bear. As for your questions about me… unfortunately, they had no more room for the ASL classes. I'm pretty bummed… I am still studying on my own, of course, but it'd be so much nicer to do it in a group. And, going with that, I still don't have a sign name. I've seen that there is an ASL conversation group at the local library, though, so I might build up my courage to go. I just feel somewhat under the curve, since I'm learning on my own and there are so many things I don't know. I'm glad you like how I portray the Deaf community, though, and it makes me happy that it makes you happy, if that makes any sense. I am looking forward to hearing more from you soon!

teamASHLAN—you do sound like my mother…jeez, I'm getting enough sleep! But writing is fun and helps release stress. Or, at least, that's my excuse. =] I'm glad you liked my video, as well. On to the review. I wanted to have Edward interacting with everybody else; so far we had only seen him in terms of Bella or Alice, and Jasper at some points. I liked his spreading his wings. And Alice… I must say, I'm no big Alice fan. Can you tell? I see her as very controlling and takes too many things for granted. In the books she has grown too reliant on her gift, I believe. I'm trying to not present that, but it is kind of showing through, I'm afraid. Moving on…Bella. I think a little bit of me shows through in all of my characters; I am a firm believer in "write what you know," so my characters all go through emotions I have experienced at one point or another. In reality, I think Edward shows more of me than Bella, actually. Then…um…I think the next thing was Jasper's being all over the place. I'm trying to finally nail his character down completely, and it seems to just be throwing him all over the place. Which "Jasper" have you liked best so far? And, finally, I believe came the Edward/Bella interaction. I'm developing the characters and their relationships so fast lately that I feel like I must be missing some important steps. Having never been in a relationship, though, I wouldn't quite know…I hope this seemed realistic enough. And I think that wrapped it all up now. I'm looking forward to seeing your reaction to this. BIG emotional explosion. And now Edward knows. The next chapter looks exciting.