A/N: I'm pretty lucky to have some very amazing people beta and pre-read for me: katinki, askthemagic8ball, and sncmom. They tend to drop what they're doing, talk me off ledges, and make me smile.

Also, something happened this week and there was a mini explosion of alerts for this fic. So, I really need to thank Indie Fic Pimp for rec'ing Red all week, fingrcufs for all the twitter pimping, obsmama for her write-up on Indie Fic Pimp, ememmyem for her write-up on the Perv Pack's Smut Shack, and jaimearkin for making a pretty banner (which I'd put on my profile if I knew how to link it properly)! Holy smokes, you guys! Thank you!

Just so you know, this chapter comes with a warning… again.

They lay side by side, flesh against flesh, arms and legs tangled and holding firm. He'd made her laugh several times throughout the night. They'd never shared laughter before; the melodic tones in their voices were foreign to both their ears. She was lighter, freer. Bella's mind spun as if she'd ridden a bicycle down a serpentine path with her arms raised high over her head, steering this impossible maneuver from sheer will. She felt a sense of bravery and strength, a new and welcomed prowess of sorts, dizzying in its capacity. She flew with invisible wings; she could shout at the wind. Bella would soar higher and higher through dense clouds, the moisture cleansing her body and leaving an essence of purity.

He hadn't expected Bella to tell him she loved him; Edward just needed her to know. He whispered as much in her ear while she lay on her stomach, and he watched the rise and fall of her back as she breathed. Edward slowly kissed up her spine then her shoulders, continuing to the backs of her arms. He slid under her arm to face her; she laughed at his attempt to be sly. Edward borrowed some of Jasper's clothes from the laundry room, and they snuck out of the house before sunrise to get breakfast from a little coffee shop down the road. Neither knew if it would be open at such an ungodly hour, but they tried the door anyway. It was closed, nevertheless the owner was kind and let them in. Edward and Bella returned home while Gabriel and Jasper still slept, creeping up the stairs like impetuous teenagers coming in hours after curfew.

They knew nothing of the other, yet they knew everything.

Hours passed, and Gabriel paced the floor of the living room. He'd been warned by Jasper that Bella was not his daughter, and he could not pound on her bedroom door as he had wanted, demanding to know what the hell was going on. He remembered aloud to Jasper how he'd cautioned Edward to stay away, that his temporary absence was better for her; Jasper said he wouldn't have listened either. Gabriel's irritability softened, and he admitted that was what he loved most about Jasper: his ignorant passion. In the middle of the afternoon, Gabriel heard the second floor shower turn on, hoping it meant Bella and Edward would soon make an appearance. The shower hadn't run a second time, and after an hour there was still no sign of Edward or Bella. Once again, Gabriel's patience wore thin, but under the advisement from his husband, he agreed, again, to step back. Still, he worried; his voice of reason and years of experience strong in his mind. He feared she'd regress. In fact, he was certain.

At six-forty-two p.m., Gabriel rapped lightly on Bella's bedroom door. "Join us for dinner?" It was ridiculous, he thought, continuing to walk on eggshells, pretending as though he was unaware of Edward's arrival. Throughout the afternoon, Gabriel had made enough food to feed a small army. He needed to burn off energy - there was only so much pacing he could do.

Bella cracked open the door, she was fully dressed. Gabriel wasn't sure what to expect, really, however she did look tired… and beautiful. Her skin held a certain glow, and Gabriel noticed a change in her eyes. But, silently, those eyes pled with his to say nothing. She stood with one hand on the door, the other against the frame, and the two stared at each other wordlessly. Edward stepped beside her and opened the door wider, locking his arms around her waist.

"We were just getting ready to come down," he said before kissing Bella's temple.

"It smells wonderful." She offered a weak smile.

"Paella – hope you like it."

Edward closed the door as Gabriel walked away. "You okay?"

"Yeah," she answered, still holding onto Edward.

"I told you." Edward smoothed her hair away from her face. "Everything is going to be fine. Things are different now." Edward believed what he was saying; he felt it – the change, the difference in their relationship. He shared Bella's high: the power and invincibility. Edward saw their future together; she'd be in his bed every night, and he'd make love to her until every dawn. He'd make certain he'd miss nothing; she wouldn't fall again. She couldn't because things had changed - she was going to be just fine.

Bella turned to face Edward. His smile was genuine, and she let it warm her, and she pushed away the doubt she saw in Gabriel's eyes. "We'll eat fast and then we're coming right back up here after dinner," she said with a laugh.

"For dessert?"

Fisting his shirt, Bella stretched up on the balls of her feet to reach her mouth to his throat. "Dessert…" She pressed a kiss to his Adam's apple and continued to nip at the underside of his jaw as he squeezed her arms. "Breakfast, lunch… whatever you want."

Thirty minutes later, Jasper passed the serving spoon to Edward as the four of them sat around the table. "How've you been? It's been ages!"

"Never better," Edward answered, glancing toward Bella. "It really has been too long – why is that?"

"Oh, I don't know, Mr. Big Shot CEO of Cullen Securities," he teased. "You tell me."

"Maybe you should talk to Edward's management team, Jas. You know, teach them how to make Edward's employees reach their optimum potential so he won't have to work so much," Gabriel added, chuckling. His eyes flickered between Edward and Bella.

She felt his gaze on her; judgmental, she thought. Bella looked away from Gabriel to Edward. "Yes, you should," she said then averted her eyes back to Gabriel. "We're going to Paris when it's warmer." See, I'm making plans.

Edward lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles. Jasper went on about how romantic the Seine was and told them they must visit the Sacré Coeur basilica. He said this in his best French accent, but failed miserably, earning laughter from the others.

"You need to take me to Paris in the spring, love," Jasper told Gabriel.

"Is that so?"

"Yes, it is. I don't remember the last time we went on vacation." Jasper wiped the corner of Gabriel's mouth with his thumb.

"We went to Spain last year!"

Jasper looked at Bella and Edward; the two were smiling at Jasper and Gabriel's banter. Pointedly, he said, "We were there for four days to attend his cousin's wedding – trust me, it was no vacation."

"Well, I guess he owes you, doesn't he?" Bella said, cocking a single brow. Edward agreed.

"Relentless." Gabriel sighed theatrically, rolling his eyes.

Edward leaned close to Bella; he brushed her hair away from her ear and whispered too low for anyone else to hear. "I want to make love to you in Spain."

She closed her eyes, wanting him to say it again; she loved the low rasp of his voice. "Paris first," she said, just as quietly.

"All right then," Gabriel announced, oblivious to Edward and Bella's exchange. He raised his glass. "To Paris in the spring."

/

She straddled him as he lay on his back, keeping her promise to retreat to her bedroom soon after dinner. Bella leaned over top of him; her hands rested on his bare chest while Edward had his placed comfortably on her naked thighs. She glided her nose along his jaw, and each of them stole a light kiss here and there. They were both quiet, content, an unfamiliar serenity surrounding them.

"I love you, Bella."

"I love you, too."

Relief washed over him, hearing these words for the first time - like fresh air and candy. The same held true for Bella, her affirmation slipped so easily from her tongue.

"I'll give you everything," he started, "if… don't try to leave me again." Edward lifted her chin then held her face in his hands. "Just don't."

"I won't... don't talk about that."

Edward was still unaware of why she suffered. It wasn't Gabriel's right to tell him, and Edward refused himself any opportunity to delve into her past regardless of the resources he had at his fingertips. In Edward's world, he was king protecting those who needed it, a genius in corporate safeguard. Yet with Bella he would take risks, step out of his proverbial comfort zone. She weakened his defense, and for this he loved her even more. She made him feel human.

"But you need to know, okay? You need to understand what you mean to me." Edward sat up, keeping her in his lap. "It's not a fantasy, I swear to you. How we started? Yeah, sure. But now? You're all I am." A lump lodged in his throat. "Jesus Christ, Bella, don't you ever fucking do that again."

"It's all right." Bella hushed him by kissing his lips, murmuring, "Shh, it's okay. I'm fine now. We're okay, I promise." She wanted to believe this - she had only hours prior - but her resolve began to fracture. "I don't want to talk about that anymore," she said. "It was stupid, I know. I didn't know what I was thinking. I love you, Edward."

Bella kissed him again. "I want to go home," she said. "Tomorrow, we can get out of here and pretend none of this ever happened."

"You're sure?"

"I am. I want to start over… with you."

The next morning, Edward spoke with Gabriel. He asked what Gabriel thought about her leaving, if she was ready, but his anxiety superseded any hope of Gabriel confirming it being a good idea. Edward wanted to know if Gabriel thought he could take care of her, and he explained his dire need to do so. In blunt words, Gabriel said she was not, by any means, ready to go home. But he couldn't stop her. He said Edward was playing with matches too close to an open tank of gasoline, and Edward needed to know what he was up against.

"But you saw her yesterday, Gabriel – she's happy," Edward said in a low voice as the two spoke tucked in a hall far from where Bella and Jasper were sitting. "Are you saying she's lying?"

"No, no, no. That's not what I mean, Edward. She is happy… now. It's-" Gabriel scratched the back of his head, formulating an explanation. "It's chemical, what's going on inside her brain. You showing up, making her smile, taking her out of herself for a few moments, it's good, yes, but she's feeding off that high right now – she doesn't know how to balance, and she's smart. Bella is too smart, or dumb, for her own good because she's convinced herself any therapies or techniques are ineffective, you know? They're, um, a waste because for her nothing will change, and she's accepted this."

Edward peered around Gabriel then rubbed his jaw. He could feel perspiration forming on his palms, and as he leaned back against the wall, his shoulder hit a picture of the Cullens and Reyes', knocking it cockeyed. "Isn't accepting the first rule to getting over something? And if it's chemical, medication would work, right?"

"Yes and no. Meds can stabilize, but they won't change the way she thinks or how she sees herself. It's complicated, Edward, especially with things like this."

"What does that mean? What the hell happened?" Edward asked. Gabriel pursed his lips, his brows knit. Edward stared at him for a moment, and then it clicked. "Someone hurt her. Who was it? You need to tell me right now." Edward clenched his jaw, his teeth ground together in anger; he'd do no less than kill them.

"You need to ask her – it has to come from Bella. She needs to trust you enough to be able to open up to you because if she doesn't, it's not going to work for the two of you."

"Does Jasper know?"

"He's only made guesses, I haven't confirmed. It's not my business to tell him, and don't badger him about it because he doesn't know for sure." Edward scrubbed his hand over his face, and Gabriel placed his on Edward's arm. "Listen, go out with Jasper for a while – an hour or two – let me talk to her before she packs her things."

Bella knew exactly what the three of them were doing. Jasper and Edward were behaving oddly chipper; they'd made the excuse of needing to gas up their cars before taking the trip back into town. She didn't question them, instead, after the two left, she sat in one of the oversized chairs in the living room and invited Gabriel to sit opposite her.

She sighed, smiling. "Let's get this over with. What do you want to know?"

Gabriel returned her smile. "Okay, at the risk of sounding like a shrink, how're you feeling?"

"You are, though, so I doubt you'd ever be able to avoid that." She laughed. "I feel good, really, I do. I want to start over, and I told Edward exactly that. It feels right."

"Good. When are you going to tell him?"

"I don't know. Tomorrow. Never – does it matter?" Don't do this.

"You've got quite the bravado going on."

"I don't know what you mean."

"Sure you do. That's fine, don't tell him. He doesn't deserve to know, does he?"

She shifted in the chair. "Are you angry with me? Look, I appreciate everything you've done. You, Jasper – you've both been so great, but I'm not going to hurt Edward. I really do love him."

"I'm not angry, and I'm not talking about Edward getting his feelings hurt. Don't you think you need to stop with all the secrecy, though?"

"What secrets?"

"Bella."

"Oh, the whore thing, yeah, he knows."

"No, that's not what-"

"What? I am, aren't I? Isn't that what you're getting at?" She balled her hands, taking a deep breath. "I wish I didn't have to leave like this, Gabriel, or maybe I should call you Dr. Reyes now, but I'm ready, and you can try all you'd like to beat that dead horse, but I can do this. I'm not going to try to kill myself again. I was in a bad place, so, please, let's end this on a happy note, okay? Please."

Gabriel leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "All right then. Humor me and tell me it wasn't your fault."

She blinked her eyes, shaking her head. "It wasn't my fault. Satisfied?" She lifted her palms upward and then rose from her chair.

Gabriel watched as she walked into the kitchen. She pulled a bottle of water out of the refrigerator, twisting the plastic cap on and off. Bella stood with her back to him for several minutes as she waited for the nausea in her stomach to subside. Even more moments passed, and Bella finally returned to her spot across from Gabriel, knowing full well he'd persist with this impromptu therapy session. She waited for him to speak first; Bella knew how to hurry things along.

"Tell me, Bella, do you honestly think someone who is barely fourteen knows the difference between right and wrong?"

"That's a gray area, but no, not always."

"Do you think someone who's much older should know the difference between right and wrong?"

"Again, a gray area, but, yes, I suppose they should."

"So, this person, this man whom you trusted and looked up to, you agree that he took advantage of you?"

Bella cleared her throat and gripped the arms of the chair. "Sure. He was a friend of the family. He was an adult, I was a child. He paid attention to me, and I was enamored with him. I had a crush on him, yes - a foolish teenage crush. He told me I was pretty and smart, and he said I was better in bed than any of his girlfriends ever were." Bella concentrated on the air entering and leaving her lungs, and she dug her nails deep into the fabric.

"But that's not the worst part, is it?" he asked.

She shook her head, warning him not to go any further. "Edward and Jasper should be back soon."

"What did your parents do when they found out? What was it, two years later?"

"Why are you doing this? You already know."

"What did they say, Bella?"

She bit the inside of her cheek, tasting the metallic of the blood. "It doesn't matter. I don't speak to them anymore."

"They didn't say anything, did they? They swept the entire sordid affair under the rug, and told you to never mention it again."

"I don't want to talk about this anymore. Edward-"

"Edward loves you."

"Don't talk about Edward."

"Why not?"

"You'll break our confidentiality if you tell him."

"So many secrets. It's easier that way, isn't it? You're compartmentalizing your life. Don't mix your fantasy with your reality?"

"He's not a fantasy." Fucking bastard.

"No, he's real and he loves you; you love him – he needs to know." I'm sorry. "Don't you want to be normal for him?" Gabriel hated this.

"Go to hell." Bella hated him; her eyes welled with tears.

"What are you so afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid of anything, and I won't have him look at me with that same fucking pitiful look that you have right now," she spat.

"Why? You think he's better than you?"

"Just stop." The nausea returned to her stomach.

He wanted to stop, but he couldn't. Not yet.

"Tell me why he can't feel badly for what happened to you? He loves you unconditionally – I'd bet my life on it."

Bella gnawed again on the inside of her cheek, staring through Gabriel, seeing nothing but white, and her head pounded.

"Edward isn't a representation of your parents, Bella."

"I'm not an idiot," she said, refocusing on Gabriel. "I know the difference."

"Do you?"

"Yes, I know Edward won't hurt me."

"Interesting choice of words."

"Fuck you." She couldn't breathe. "Don't twist what I'm saying."

"You wanted your mother and father to tell you everything was going to be all right and that you did nothing wrong, but they didn't. They didn't report that man, their friend, to the police either. No, instead he's probably living a happy life somewhere because they didn't allow you to say anything."

"It doesn't matter. See, I didn't say no."

"And if you'd had? Come on, Bella, you know that piece of shit would have gotten to you anyway." I'm sorry.

"Everything was up to me." He said so. She was that little girl again, the one who believed everything he'd told her.

Gabriel shot up from the chair, jabbing his finger at her. "He fucked with your head, and so did your parents!" Bella flinched.

"I had control." Her voice cracked.

"No, you didn't!" Gabriel yelled. "You had no control then just like you don't have any now!"

"Edward will be back soon," she whispered, her leg bouncing in nervous succession.

"Did you want him, Bella?" he shouted. "Is that it? You wanted to be molested – is that what you're telling me?"

"You're disgusting." She shook her head, her face wet with tears.

"No, what's disgusting is what was done to you, and you didn't want any of it, did you?"

She brought her legs to her chest, wrapping her arms around them.

"Did you!" he yelled.

"No!" she screamed. She sobbed openly, her chest heaving with stinging breaths.

Gabriel knelt in front of her. "Your parents abandoned you." Bella nodded, and he stroked her hair. She leaned into him and he held her. "They were wrong."

"Why?" she asked, her voice muffled and shaky. "Why didn't they do anything?"

From his periphery, Gabriel saw Edward and Jasper standing in the doorway. He had no idea how long they had been there.

a/n: thanks for reading