Warning: This story deals with domestic violence and the struggles to recover. If you have problems with this issue please don't read this.

Disclaimer: Ms Meyers owns Twilight and all its characters.

Big thanks to my Beta's Taloolah, dizzygirl28 and Beate73. You girls are awesome, I appreciate all the work you do for me, helping me make my stuff presentable. Love you guys.

Thanks to my prereader's VanPireNZ and tjbaby101 for your input, you rock.

Okay on with the story.

A/N at bottom.

Pain and Suffering

EPOV

Jake's reaction after what I had now dubbed the incident was perfect. I couldn't believe he was worried he did something wrong, while I was having a total breakdown over the fact that I was a complete freak and ruined everything. If it wasn't for Jasper, I'm sure I would have completely folded back into myself and never faced Jacob again, but, after many hours and lots of tears, Jasper finally made me realize that Jacob was reacting with love and care.

When Jake told me how much control he had to use to stop himself from acting on my verbal cue's - showing me the bite marks on his knuckle as proof - I was completely in awe. He loved me enough to suppress his own urges; his only thought was his worry for me and my reaction. And when he winked at me and mouthed that "I love you" when I walked into the kitchen the next morning hiding behind Jasper, I was overwhelmed with emotion. Afterwards we talkd, hashing out all our fears. It was perfect.

The weeks that followed were almost blissful. Jake and Jasper both put in for emergency leave, which they said wasn't a problem, but I had a sneaking suspicion that it was a lot more difficult than they made it out to be. The two of them shadowed Alice and me completely. Jasper took Alice to work, staying with her throughout the day, and Jake did the same with me.

When I was with a client, Jake would ask them privately if they would mind him being in the room, and explained why it was important for him to keep a visual on me at all times. Since they were all going through recovery from abuse they understood completely and there were only a few that refused to have Jake in the room. They were usually the ones that were new and only just coming to terms with what they had been through. Jake was a trooper though, he would just tell them he understood and would place a seat at the door and not move till I was done. I think I fell more in love with him over that.

We fell into an easy pattern of going to work during the week, cuddling on the couch at night and hanging out together on weekends. Jasper and Jake would switch it up, Jasper coming with me to work and Jake going with Alice, so we wouldn't get sick of them and try to beat them to death with sticks, as Alice threatened to do. And I really missed Jake on the days I was with Jasper.

But the nights we got home from work, when Jasper had been with me all day, Jake was overly affectionate. I think I enjoyed taking Jazz with me just so I could have that special time with Jake. He would hold me closer on the couch, turning his head ever so often and burying it in my hair to inhale my scent and would sigh contently and visibly relax. At night in bed he would hold me closer and I would wake up still wrapped in his embrace.

Jake had moved into my bedroom after a few hours of discussion about what would be more comfortable for me. I had to practically beg him to stay with me, the night following the incident, and after he gave in we spent the night discussing boundaries in our new sleeping arrangements. I knew it was hard for me to contain myself when he was that close to me wearing very little, his smooth, broad chest on full display, but I also knew what I was ready for and what I wasn't, and it was slow progress from there. Jake wouldn't let our chaste kisses grow deeper for the first few nights until I completely freaked out on him, demanding that he kiss me like he loved me, not like he was greeting his mother. He laughed and raised an eyebrow at me, the lightness dancing in his eyes causing me to cross my arms and huff at him.

"What," I growled at him, wondering why he was looking at me so amused and with pride in his eyes.

"You raised your voice to me." I slammed my hand over my mouth and jumped out of the bed.

"Oh, God, I'm so sorry, Jake," I dropped my head to my chest and held my hands together in front of me trying to cease the shaking that had taken over me. What was I thinking raising my voice to him, I was just asking to get my teeth knocked down my... Jake was at my side in seconds, pulling my chin up off my chest and looking at me with such love and compassion, and I felt even worse for letting the thought that he would punish me for speaking up ever enter my head. This was Jake we were talking about; he would cut off his own arms before he would raise a hand to me.

He looked me directly in the eyes before he started talking, his voice soft and gentle and with a hint of mischief, "I loved it. I'm so proud of you, Edward. Of the steps you are taking, and of the strength you are building inside you. You are so strong and courageous." He smiled gently before his mouth twitched into the playful smirk, and I knew he was going to make a joke, "Besides, it turns me on when you get all forceful like that." My mouth dropped open. I didn't think he would go there, and then when he slapped me gently on the ass before crawling back into bed, I chuckled loudly and then made a run for the bed, jumping on top of him.

The rest of that night was spent making out like high school kids, all sweet and innocent, leaving me very hard but very satisfied.

Over the weeks we had moved on from kissing to gentle and innocent touches, sometimes brushing against each other, but Jake always stopped it before we both lost ourselves. I loved him more and more every day.

It was Friday today, three weeks after the incident, and we were all getting antsy about staying in so much. Jasper was with me today, threatened yet again by Alice that if he didn't switch today he would never see her vagina again. I literally snorted my coffee through my nose at that comment. God, I loved Alice. I was getting ready to lock up the office so we could head out when my phone vibrated.

I smiled when I saw his name flash on the screen, "Hello Jake, we are just leaving." My voice was still shy with Jake, I was trying to work on it, but the way he made my heart flutter in an entirely new way was unnerving. And considering all the hurdles I had jumped personally to be able to be with him, I wasn't too concerned about a little shyness.

"Hey baby, good to hear. I was just calling to ask you if you would like to have our actual date tonight? We haven't actually gone on it yet and I know that it can't be solo right now cause of the situation, but I was thinking that since we are all going so stir crazy, maybe we could all get out of the house. What do you think?" My smile grew with every word he spoke. Jake always managed to babble when he was nervous, it was a trait we shared and I loved that because it made me feel more secure.

"I would love to; just let me check with Jasper. Hang on one second, okay?"

"Sure."

Jasper was standing a few feet from me as usual, his own phone pressed to his ear and his face pulled into a look of deep concentration. "What is it Jasper?" The look on his face was making me very nervous indeed. He held up his hand to me and shook his head slightly, moving closer to me as he spoke into his phone.

"Are you sure it was him?" He asked whoever was on the other end of the phone.

"Are you sure who was who?" I asked, my voice rising with every word. I could faintly hear Jacob's voice screaming through the earpiece trying to get my attention. "Hang on, Jake. Jasper is talking to someone and it's kinda freaking me out," I said before moving the mouthpiece to the side so I could talk to Jasper without screaming in Jake's ear.

"What the hell is going on, Jasper? You're starting to scare me." He turned to look at me, his eyes clouded over with concern. He leaned in towards me, his mouth hovering near the mouthpiece of my phone, and said one word.

"Tribal." I heard Jake's quick intake of breath before he started speaking quickly.

"Alice, we have to move now. Tribal." I heard Alice gasp loudly as Jake continued to talk. "Edward, tell Jasper I'm on my way to the spot with Alice. I love you, Edward." And with that he hung up. What the fuck was going on. I played out the conversation in my mind, Jake happy and excited about a date night, Jasper saying one word and Jake switching mode so fast my head was still spinning. My brain was trying to catch up with what my body already knew. My shaking becoming more visible as Jasper grabbed hold of me.

"Sam." His name fell from my lips with a shuddering breath. Sam was here, he was coming for me. I had somehow let myself become so comfortable in the last few weeks of peaceful bliss with Jacob that I lead myself to believe my life with Sam was all a bad dream. Of course he would come back when my life was finally falling into place.

"Edward, we have to move now." He said as he pulled me to him quickly and made our way to the back entrance of the building, where a car was waiting for us. "We had contingencies in place in case something like this happened." Jasper stated as he noticed the questioning look on my face.

"You knew he would come? You knew he would be following me? Stalking me?" My voice grew smaller and smaller with each comment. I was terrified that Sam was so close to me, but another part of me felt totally at ease with the fact Jasper and Jacob had thought enough to think of every possible scenario and have a back up for them. Of course I should have known that, too; they had both told me countless times that my safety was the most important thing right now.

"You knew it was possible, Edward, just as we did. Come on we have to get to the meeting point." He helped me into the passenger side of the car and slipped into the driver side as a uniformed police officer stepped out. "Thanks, George." And with that we pulled off.

As we pulled out of the underground garage, I found myself scanning the area, and my eyes fell on Sam, sitting in a car across the road from the building, his eyes locked on the front entrance. As we drove past him, his eyes locked on mine and a sneer took over his features. The shiver of terror that ran down my spine from that look alone caused me to gasp out and Jasper to curse wildly under his breath. He pulled out his phone and dialed quickly.

"Jake, he spotted us leaving. He's in his car. I'm gonna try and lose him..." I tuned out the conversation as my head swiveled backwards to look out the rear window, and sure enough, he was following us, though he kept his car at a safe distance behind us. I turned back into Jasper, talking, "He's keeping the required distance from us, he is a smart fucker."

We pulled up outside a restaurant and Jasper jumped out of the car, quickly coming around to my side and pulling me gently from the car before leading me into the building. He moved towards the back and into a booth where Alice and Jake were waiting for us. Alice jumped up and into Jasper's arms while I slid down into the booth and curled up into Jake's side. His arms wrapped around me and pulled me close, and he kissed me on the forehead.

"I've got ya, baby, I've got ya." By the sound of his voice I didn't know who he was comforting more, himself or me, and as I looked up into his eyes and saw the relief wash over the panicked look on his face, I sighed and squeezed him to me tighter.

"I love you, Jake. I want you to know that, no matter what happens. I love you. I have never loved anyone more and I never will again. You are it for me, Jake, you're the one." His hand came up to cup my face as his thumb swiped under my eye. It was then I realized I was crying. But I had to tell him, had to let him know, just in case. Sam was volatile and I couldn't risk anything happening to me without Jake knowing how I truly felt.

"Shh, baby, you are going to be fine. I love you, too. You are my life now." His words left me feeling slightly giddy, and I leaned in to kiss his beautiful soft lips. I pulled back and smiled at my love, feeling safe and content and happy and home.

"My Jacob." He smiled at me and nodded his head.

"Always yours, Edward. Always yours." I placed my head in his chest, my favorite place to be, and inhaled his scent to calm me. He brought his hand up to brush through my hair and buried his nose in it, breathing me in. It calmed him, just like it calmed me.

Jake's head never left its spot in my hair as his muffled voice filled my ears. "What now, Jasper?" Even though his voice was muffled, I could hear the tension laced in the rough tone.

"Now we eat, relax and wait him out. He can't come in here without breaking the order, and he is more than likely drunk so I figure he will pass out sooner or later. Let's try to forget why we are here and have that date. Alice informed me you wanted a date night." He smiled broadly and pulled Alice tightly into his side. I had been so wrapped up in Jake that I failed to notice them taking a seat across from us.

"Sounds like a plan." Alice said, her voice was cheerful, but I could hear the distress underneath, the worry clear in her eyes as she looked at me. I had no doubt that Alice would fight for me just as hard as Jake and Jasper and that knowledge filled me with awe and dread.

I looked around the table at my family. Jake was indeed a part of my family now, the time we spent over the last few weeks bonding us even more. I had never felt love like this, not since my parents were alive, and it filled a place in me that had been missing. For the first time in my life I felt almost complete, the only sour note being Sam. A shudder rocked through me as I thought about him causing Jake to pull me closer to him.

The waiter came to the table with menus causing Jake to finally lift his nose out of my hair. As the others looked them over, I excused myself to use the bathroom. Besides the fact I needed to pee, I wanted to wash my face; it felt almost sticky from the tears that fell earlier.

"Let me come with you?" Jake asked.

"I just need a minute to myself, Jake. I will be quick, I promise. Besides, he can't come in here and you have a perfect view of the front door." Jake pouted and I rolled my eyes at him, "Fine, if I'm not back in five minutes you can come get me. How's that?" He groaned in defeat.

"Fine, but I'm timing you." He smirked as he looked at his watch and then looked back at me. I turned on my heels and did my best speed walk to the rest room, smiling the whole time. Jake always knew how to make me smile. I checked my watch as I left, just so I could make sure I would be back before he panicked. A snort left me at that thought causing people at the table I was passing to give me a strange look.

After I used the bathroom, I went to the sink to wash my hands and face. As I looked at myself in the mirror I was shocked by what I saw. I was expecting to see fear reflected back at me, even worry or concern, but all that I saw in the mirror was the face of a man I didn't recognise. He was happy, a look of contentment shining out of his eyes, face flushed with excitement. I looked good. I shook my head and threw cold water over my face, laughing to myself.

I was just drying off my face when I heard the door open. "Jake, I'm sure it hasn't been five minutes yet." I still had the paper towel on my face when I felt arms go around my waist. They felt wrong, off somehow, and I felt that familiar shudder run down my spine and fear grip me.

"Sorry, not Jake," The voice sneered at me, "But someone much better, sweetheart. Daddy's home." I froze at his term, terror turning the blood in my veins ice cold as the memories of what happened every time he said 'daddy's home' to me.

I was drifting off on the couch. Sam was out with his buddies, leaving me home to recover from his latest lesson. The noise of the front door slamming shut caused me to bolt upright on the couch, looking around the living room to make sure everything was in place.

"Daddy's home," He called out, his tone causing my heart to thump uneasily in my chest. "And daddy is not happy with you, Edward." I cringed, my mind running through everything I had done to see if I could pin point what exactly I did wrong to make him angry this time. I knew better than to ask, so I kept my mouth shut and waited for him to enter the room and continue.

I didn't have to wait long; he walked straight to me and picked me up by my hair and threw me across the room like a rag doll. "What have I told you about talking to people when I'm not with you, Edward? Why is it that Paul tells me you were chatting to him in the supermarket yesterday?" I ran through my mind trying to figure out what he was talking about. I had seen Paul in the supermarket; he had come up to me and started to talk. I had ignored him and moved on, but he followed. He continued speaking to me, and then started to get angry. He thought I was being rude, and that I thought I was too good to speak to him. I shook my head quickly, letting him know without words that, that wasn't what I meant. Sam would beat me if I was rude to his friends, but it would be even worse if I spoke.

Paul sighed and then moved me over and started pushing my trolley. I was stuck and had no idea what to do. Then when Paul started to hit on me and asked me if I would like to hang out with him sometime, I freaked. I ran out of the store, leaving everything behind. But I couldn't tell him any of that, or I would be beaten worse. He would think I was flirting with Paul or leading him on.

He picked me up again and punched me square in the face, letting me fall back down on to the ground. "I'm very disappointed in you, Edward, and when I'm disappointed, Daddy comes out to play, and you are not going to like Daddy very much at all."

That night I took one of the worst beatings of my life. I say one of the worst because, every time he used the term 'Daddy's home', the beatings were bad. There was no mercy in those rages, no aftercare, no 'I'm sorry and I love you'. It was mean, it was vicious and it was soul stealing. It was my life.

Sam leaned in close to me so his hot breath washed over my face, "How about we get out of here before one of them comes looking for you? We have a lot of making up to do." He turned me forcefully, pulling his hand up to backhand me across the face, and I fell to the side and hit my face against the counter top, a gash opening up and blood falling onto the white bench.

He turned and said, "Give me a minute to relieve myself, I've been sitting in that car a long time," and he turned to pee. I couldn't believe he had the nerve to stop and pee. I shook my head, trying to comprehend what the fuck he thought he was doing before that voice, the same voice that saved my life the night I left, screamed at me full force. Run!

I didn't even think about it, I got up and flew out the door, my mind only telling me to run, nothing else, just run. I forgot about Jake, Jasper and Alice being right there, so close. I didn't even think about running to them to save me, the panic and fear left me with one thought and one thought only: escape. I ran out the front of the restaurant and kept going. I had no idea where I was going, I just ran and ran and ran.

As I made my way down the street, I heard Jake's voice register in my mind, "Noooo," he screamed, causing me to stop dead in my tracks just as a car swerved to avoid hitting me dead on. A louder crash registered in my mind and I spun around quickly, just in time to see a tall, russet skinned man, with shiny black hair fly into the windscreen of the car, shattering the glass and bouncing off backwards and landing with a thump in a bloody mess on the ground. The car that had swerved to miss me had hit.

"JAKE!"

A/N 1stly Don't kill me...cause if ya do I can't finish the story and we still have a while to go. Feel free to throw things at me though lol. But most of all trust me!

2ndly Me and a few of my girls are running a contest. Its a NO BELLA ALLOWED CONTEST. Which means no Bella in the fic at all. Submissions are being accepted now, details can be found here: http://www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/2216993/ so enter and show me how good my readers are!!!!!