A/N: Hi everyone! Happy New Year! I hope you all had a great Christmas and New Year. I did, which is why it's taken me so long to get my bum back into gear. Way too much sun, food and wine! Thanks to everyone who's been reading and reviewing and a special hello to any new readers.

A big thanks to MrsKatyCullen for betaing this for me.

Chapter 20

"My father, Billy Black, was a good man. An honourable man. He cared deeply for his people, his friends and most of all, his family…" Jacob's voice broke as he looked down at his father's coffin. Bella's heart ached for her friend even though he was surrounded by his sisters and their families as well as his extended family.

As Jacob continued his eulogy, tears rolled down Bella's cheeks. A handkerchief gently wiped them away. She smiled gratefully up at Edward, who wrapped his arm around her waist and took her hand in his, squeezing it gently. Bella was grateful for his strength and support.

The days since Billy's death had been hectic. His doctor had been summoned in order to certify his death and since then it seemed as if there had been nothing but a whirlwind of activity. At Jacob's request, Bella had stayed to support him as the seemingly never ending stream of mourners had come to pay their respects. Due to Billy's status within Quileute society, a number of high ranking chiefs from other tribes had arrived as well.

As a result, Bella hadn't been able to go home for a couple of days after Billy died and she desperately missed Edward's arms around her at night. It wasn't until Jacob's sisters had arrived that she felt able to go home and leave Jacob to their care.

Bella also worried how Charlie was dealing with Billy's death. The night he died had been the first time she had ever seen her father cry and the sight had broken her heart. Charlie was normally so stoic, always avoiding showing his emotions so to see him openly weep was terribly unnerving. By unspoken agreement, none of them mentioned Charlie's tears again. After that, Charlie had reverted to his normal, stoic self but Bella knew that he was suffering.

After Jacob finished speaking, another of the Quileute elders began a ceremonial chant over the coffin. Edward watched as several members of the tribe laid various items of food and some of Billy's possessions on and around the coffin.

"Those are to aid Billy in the afterlife," murmured Bella in explanation. Edward nodded in understanding.

The elder finished chanting and Billy's coffin was lowered into the ground, accompanied by singing from a number of Quileute women. Bella gripped Edward's hand as a wave of grief swept over her. It suddenly seemed to hit her that this was final. That she would never see her 'uncle' again. She laid her head on Edward's shoulder as his arm tightened around her.

Afterwards a large number of people descended on Jacob's house for Billy's wake. Bella hadn't attended many funerals but it always struck her how after the funeral, the atmosphere would lighten. It was as if the ceremony allowed mourners to express their sorrow, shed their tears and their burden of grief. Then, once it was over, it seemed like a weight was lifted, allowing them to remember the deceased as they were in life, to celebrate, instead of mourn. Bella knew that Jacob could now start the process of healing.

Hand in hand with Edward, Bella chatted with the guests, sharing memories of Billy. She kept an eye on Jacob to see how he was coping. She was glad to see him laugh with another man, obviously sharing an amusing anecdote about his father. Then she looked around for Charlie and was surprised to see him deep in conversation with an attractive older woman. She had the features of a Native Indian, with shoulder-length black hair, tanned skin and dark eyes. Bella watched as she laughed at something Charlie was saying, both of them leaning in towards each other.

"That's Kara." Jacob's voice next to her startling her out of her musings. "They met when we went ice fishing with Dad. I told you about her."

"I think I remember you saying something about a woman at the time," nodded Bella.

"She came down with her brother. I think Charlie's smitten."

Bella heard Edward chuckle beside her and she glared up at him. "What? It's good that your father is showing an interest in someone, isn't it?" he asked.

She sighed and nodded. "Yes, I know. It's just weird, that's all. I can't remember him paying much attention to any woman before."

"Well, we could be making a whole lot more of this than what's really there, you know."

Bella nodded and suddenly felt so tired, wanting nothing more than to go home. She looked up at Edward and saw him looking down at her with concerned eyes. "Can we go home?"

"Of course love. Let's say our goodbyes and go. You look tired. It's been a rough week," he said tenderly.

By the time Bella and Edward got to Charlie, he was talking to some men, Kara nowhere to be seen. He kissed Bella goodbye and urged Edward to look after her.

When they reached Jacob, he hugged her tight and thanked her for everything.

"You don't have to thank me, Jake. You know that. I'm glad your sisters are staying for a couple of weeks."

"Yeah, it'll be good to catch up." He turned to Edward, shook his hand and gave him a one-armed hug. "Thanks Edward."

"For what?" asked Edward quizzically.

"For understanding that I needed Bella."

Edward nodded. "Take care, Jacob."

As soon as they arrived home, Edward helped Bella strip down to her underwear before settling her into bed. With a tender kiss, he stroked her hair as she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

o-o-o-o-o-o

After the funeral, life gradually returned to normal. Jacob's sisters spent a couple of weeks with him, helping him sort out his father's possessions. After they left, Jacob began spending more time with Charlie, maybe as a sort of father substitute.

A couple of days after Billy's funeral Bella went to her father's house after work to check on him. To her astonishment, she found Charlie getting ready to go out. He was wearing dress pants and a collared shirt and he actually wore cologne. Bella simply gaped at her father while he shuffled uncomfortably under her stare.

"Wow, Dad. You look great!" exclaimed Bella. "What's the occasion?"

Charlie looked at his feet and mumbled something incomprehensible.

"I didn't catch that, Dad," said while trying to hide a grin.

"Um, I'm going out to dinner."

"That's great, Dad. With the guys? Is it someone's birthday?" she teased, guessing the answer already. Bella knew she shouldn't but the situation was so novel that she couldn't help herself.

"No. With a lady friend."

Bella grinned. "Would this lady friend be called Kara?"

Charlie's head shot up in surprise. "How do you know Kara?"

"I don't. Jacob told me her name at the funeral. She's very attractive."

Charlie blushed bright red and began looking for an escape. Bella took pity on her father.

"Relax Dad. I'm happy for you. It's way past time you showed an interest in someone."

"Kara's just a friend. She goes home tomorrow," retorted Charlie.

"If you say so. I'll let you finish getting ready. Have fun, Dad. Let your hair down, metaphorically speaking," grinned Bella, kissing him on the cheek.

"Yeah, well…"

Bella was still chuckling when she got home and as she told Edward. When he asked her if she had checked if Charlie was practicing safe sex, Bella stomach hurt from laughing.

Charlie was tight lipped about Kara after she left so Bella insisted that Jacob tell her any news that he learned. Jacob was reluctant to gossip about Charlie at first but then got too intrigued about the possibility of Charlie romantically involved with a woman to help himself. So far, all Bella knew was that Charlie spoke regularly on the phone with Kara and there were no plans to meet up, at least that anyone knew about.

o-o-o-o-o-o

"Yes Mom. I promise we'll try to get down there soon. I don't know. It depends on our rosters."

Edward let himself into the apartment and could hear Bella talking on the phone. Taking off his jacket, tie and shoes, he wandered into the lounge. Coming up behind the couch, he leaned down and placed a kiss on Bella's shoulder. Bella grinned up at him and mouthed "Mom" in explanation. Sitting down next to her, Edward called out, "Hi Renee."

"Is that Edward? Let me talk to him," demanded Renee.

Even though they hadn't met in person yet, Renee already adored Edward. They had spoken for the first time after Bella's visit and Edward had effortlessly charmed her, as he did most women.

"Now, when are you coming down to Jacksonville?" asked Renee. "Bella keeps giving me excuses. I'm sure you can sweet talk her into bringing her fiancé down to meet her mom," she pleaded.

Edward chuckled. He couldn't wait to meet Renee. He had feeling the two of them would have a blast. "I'm sorry Renee. It's been a hectic time. Bella wasn't exaggerating. Listen, I have an idea about when we could visit but I'll need to run it by Bella and we'll have to sort things out at work."

Renee was slightly mollified. "Ok. Promise you'll try your hardest to get yourselves down here for a visit."

"I promise."

After a few minutes conversation, he handed the phone back to Bella, her expression quizzical. As soon as she said her goodbyes and hung up, she turned to him.

"What was that about visiting? What do you have in mind?"

"How much holiday leave do you have?" asked Edward.

"A fair bit. I haven't used much of my leave. Why?"

"We've got our trip to Seattle for the Berlin Philharmonic in three weeks."

"So?"

"I thought about extending the weekend by a few days and travelling down to Jacksonville. It would save us having to travel to Seattle twice and it would be a nice break for us. What do you think? Do you think you'd be able to get the time off?"

Bella looked thoughtfully at him as her mind raced with the possibilities. "I think that's a great idea. I can ask to have my roster worked so that I can have consecutive days off then I'll only need to take a day or two of annual leave. What about you?"

"I'll talk to Bernard. He's talking about going away for a couple of weeks in September or October so I'll be covering for him then. I don't think it'll be a problem. It'll be good to get away. You've been looking tired since the funeral. You ok?" he asked gently, his finger stroking her cheek.

Bella nodded. "Yeah. It's just the stress of Billy dying. It must have taken more out of me than I thought. A few days away will just what the doctor ordered."

Edward grinned and kissed her lightly. "Well this doctor thinks we should go and get some dinner. Can this doctor take his favourite nurse out for a pizza?"

"Just pizza?" she asked cheekily.

"Well, pizza for starters," he replied huskily.

o-o-o-o-o-o

Bella was looking through the patient files before the clinic started and saw that Victoria Brennan was here for her check up. It had been over a month since she saw her as she had been dealing with Billy's death the last time Victoria had an appointment. She quickly scanned the notes to see what observations had been made. There was no mention of any new bruising. Bella didn't know what to make of that. Had her partner stopped beating her? Had Victoria left him? She really hoped so, for the baby's sake, as well as its mother. Bella didn't know why she was so affected by Victoria's plight; something about her just seemed to pull at Bella's heartstrings.

"Ready to get started?" asked Edward, poking his head out the door.

Nodding, Bella picked up the first file and walked to the clinic door to call the first patient. "Victoria Brennan's in today."

"Good. We'll see how she's faring."

Bella and Edward worked steadily through the clinic until it was time to call Victoria in. Bella watched as she pushed herself up from her seat, her bulk obviously making it difficult to move easily.

"Hi Victoria. Come in and make yourself comfortable," urged Bella, holding the door open for her. "How have you been?" Bella asked conversationally as she automatically put the blood pressure cuff on her arm, surreptitiously looking over the young mother-to-be, searching for any evidence of further abuse.

"Tired," sighed Victoria. "Everything's so much harder."

"I can imagine," said Bella sympathetically. "You don't have long now though. Only four weeks or so."

"Thank God."

Bella noted that Victoria was looking quite fragile. She had dark circles under her eyes and had put her hair up haphazardly, as if she didn't really care about her appearance. Satisfied with her blood pressure she suggested that Victoria get up on the bed so that she could listen to the baby's heartbeat. As Victoria lifted her leg to climb up, she gasped sharply and grabbed her hip.

"What's wrong? Are you ok?" asked Bella

Victoria shook her head urgently. "No, no. I'm fine. It's just a twinge," as she lay down, her face white.

"I'm going to get Doctor Cullen to look at you here. You're obviously in a fair bit of pain."

"No, it's ok," cried Victoria, grabbing Bella's hand.

"Victoria," she said softly. "You know it's not ok. We have to check things out. For the baby."

Those seemed to be the magic words and she acquiesced immediately. Whatever else was going on in her life, there was no doubt that Victoria loved her baby. Not surprising really, considering her background.

Edward came and took Victoria's hand, smiling gently at her. "Victoria, Bella tells me that you're in some pain. I need to check out what that is. Bella, can you get the ultrasound ready out here, please?"

As Bella wheeled out the machine, Edward spoke soothingly to Victoria. "I'm going to listen to the heartbeat now," he explained, as Bella pulled up Victoria's top. As she lowered the pants Bella gasped softly. There, on Victoria's left hip, was a large, ugly bruise, no more than a day old. Edward looked at the bruise with a grim face before looking up at Bella, both knowing what the other was thinking.

Not wanting to spook the girl before he'd checked her out, Edward pretended to ignore the bruise and performed his examination.

"Ok, everything looks fine with the baby. The heartbeat is nice and strong, it's a good size for dates and it's in a good position. You'll probably feel your stomach 'drop' in the next few days as its head engages in the pelvis, ready for birth."

Victoria's eyes closed in relief for a brief moment then began struggling to sit up, wincing in pain. Edward's hand closed over her arm, stilling her.

"Victoria, we need to talk about that bruise," he said quietly.

Victoria's eyes looked nervously between Edward and Bella, as if deciding whether they could be trusted. "No…um…it was an accident."

"We know that's not an accident, Victoria," said Bella. Taking hold of her hand, Bella tried to get through to her. "Please let us help you."

Shaking her head, a tear slipped down Victoria's face. "No, I…I…can't."

"We can help you," insisted Edward. "You can't let him keep hurting you like that. It's not going to get better. You know that. He'll only get worse."

"He's all I've got," she whispered brokenly.

"No, that's not true. There are people that can help you. Protect you," argued Bella. "Say the word and we can have him arrested for hurting you."

Victoria shook her head. "He's only like that when he drinks. He loves me. I know he does."

Squeezing her hand, Bella tried to get through to her. "That's not love, Victoria. Love isn't supposed to hurt. A man who loves a woman would never want to see her hurt, especially the mother of his child. I know you love your baby. What if he hurt it? How could you cope if he harmed your baby?"

The tears were now flowing down Victoria's face. "And where would I go? I have nothing. No money, no job, a baby on the way," she cried bitterly.

"There are places, refuges, for people who need help," insisted Edward.

"I would be homeless. My baby would be homeless."

"But you wouldn't have to live in fear," replied Bella.

Victoria gave a short, mirthless laugh. "Do you really believe that? James wouldn't just let me go. He'd drag me back. I know, I've tried."

Bella's heart broke for the poor girl.

"Not if he was in jail," countered Edward.

"You really have been sheltered, haven't you?" she said cynically. "A judge would just give him bail and then he'd come after me for having him arrested."

"Victoria, my father is the Chief of Police. I'm sure he'd help you."

She seemed to shrink back at that revelation, her eyes darting wildly around her. Bella thought she looked like a caged wild animal, desperately seeking a way out.

"Please Victoria. For your child. Do you want him or her to grow up in a home filled with violence? To always be fearful for itself or you? That's no way for a child to grow up," pleaded Bella.

"My mother is on the board of various charities," said Edward. "I can ask her what services are available."

Victoria seemed to visibly deflate. "I…I don't know."

"Please think about it," asked Bella. She stood up and grabbed a pen and paper.

"Here. It's my number. If you need help or you decide you want to get away from him, please call me." Ripping off the pages, she folded it and placed it in Victoria's hand, closing her fingers around the paper.

Victoria looked at both of them. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because I hate the thought of you and your baby being hurt. This should be a special time for you, a time when you're supposed to be protected and coddled, not hit. You don't deserve that. No-one does."

Victoria sniffed and loudly, gratefully taking a proffered tissue. "I'll think about it."

Edward nodded. "I'll try and find some information for you. We'll see you next week."

After she left, Bella sat down, rubbing her forehead, feeling drained from the encounter. She felt Edward's hand on her shoulder. Sighing, she stood and prepared for the next patient. "Do you think she's going to listen?"

"I don't know. I hope so. How about we drop by Mom's house after work? See what she says?"

"Yeah. It might help me stop feeling so impotent."

Edward took her in him arms. "We can't do any more unless Victoria seeks help. We can only show her we care."

Hugging him briefly, they went back to work.

o-o-o-o-o-o

"Oh, the poor girl!" cried Esme as they had dinner in her kitchen that evening. Without naming her, Edward described Victoria's plight, hoping the Esme could give them some advice.

"Do you know of any organizations in the area that may be able to help her. The poor girl's due to give birth in a month and has no family to go to. Her boyfriend sounds like a real piece of work," said Edward, his voice full of disgust.

"I'm not on any committee that deals with the victims of domestic violence but that doesn't mean I can't ask around. There might be one in the Port Angeles area. The main problem, like in many places, is that organisations are mainly found in large cities and towns. Smaller towns generally don't have the facilities, sadly," informed Esme.

"So what does a battered wife do?" asked Bella. "Stay, because there's nowhere to go?"

"If they don't have family, they probably have to go to Seattle. If they press charges, then hopefully he's put away long enough for them to get their lives together." Seeing Bella's distressed face, Esme squeezed her hand. "We'll get help for this girl, I promise. But she needs to seek help."

Bella sighed despondently. Then she got angry. "What kind of scum hurts a defenseless, pregnant woman? She's carrying his baby, for God's sake!"

Seeing her distress, Edward pulled her into his arms, held her tight and kissed the top of her head. "Oh love, don't. You've had enough to deal with in the last few weeks. We'll do our best for her. That's all we can do."

Bella took a deep breath and nodded. "I know. It's just so upsetting thinking about it."

Edward couldn't help thinking how if Bella were carrying his child, he would want to coddle and protect her, see that nothing happened to her. He would probably drive her nuts but the fact that she was doing something so miraculous as growing their child in her womb would fill him with awe. The idea that a man could hurt the woman who was carrying his baby was so abhorrent that if he came across this monster called James, he'd be hard-pressed not to beat him to a pulp, give him a taste of his own medicine.

The following afternoon Bella paid her father a visit. Without giving details, she sought Charlie's advice from a legal point of view.

"The problem, Bels, is that we get called out to an incident but so many times, the woman doesn't want to lay charges. If there's visible injury, like blood and obvious bruising, then we can arrest the guy, and keep him locked away for a few days. They usually get bailed, often by his victim and the cycle starts again. But if there's no obvious injury then it's up the victim to lay assault charges. It's frustrating as hell because you know he's going to do it again."

"What if she were to get a restraining order?"

"Well, that's different. If he breaks the terms of the order, in any way, we can arrest him. But she needs to do this. If the assault is particularly bad, requiring hospitalisation, then a judge can issue one regardless of the woman's wishes. Sadly, a lot of women ignore the order themselves and let the guy back into their life again, with the same results."

Bella knew there were many reasons why women went back to their abusive partners but she still had trouble comprehending it.

"The best thing you can do is encourage this woman, over and over, to leave and get a restraining order if she's afraid of him. If she knows she has someone to support her, she may take that step."

"Thanks for your help, Dad. It's been helpful."

"Is it anyone I know?"

"I doubt it. Anyway, enough about me. How's Kara?"

Charlie blushed red and hurriedly changed the subject, much to Bella's amusement.

o-o-o-o-o-o

Both Edward and Bella had managed to secure the time off needed to travel to Jacksonville, much to Renee's delight. Bella was secretly nervous about flying again, after that awful flight back in December, but at least this time she would have Edward next to her. She was much more excited about spending the night at the Fairmont Olympic. With Alice's help, she bought herself new dress to wear to the Symphony performance and dinner afterwards. She went and bought herself some sexy underwear to wear with it, but hadn't shown Edward. If they were going to spend the night in a romantic hotel room, she was going to make the most of it. Their flight to Jacksonville was at four in the afternoon, so they could have a sleep in, or whatever.

Four nights before they were due to leave for Seattle, they were having dinner at Esme and Carlisle's house. Alice and Jasper were there as well, Alice proudly showing off her baby bump under a t-shirt that said "If you think Mom's hot, wait 'till you see me!"

"I've had a whole heap of sayings printed and they've been selling like hotcakes," said Alice when they had a laugh at the shirt.

After dinner, Alice was alternately describing the planned décor of the baby's room and hassling Bella and Edward to set a wedding date when Bella's phone rang.

Thinking it was either Charlie or Jacob, she frowned as she saw the unfamiliar number.

"Hello?"

For a few moments, there was no sound on the other end until Bella detected harsh, broken breathing.

"Hello, who's there?" She saw Edward looking at her curiously.

"B…B…Bella? It's Vic…Victoria." Her voice trailed off as an audible sob stopped her words.

"Victoria? Are you ok?" she asked, looking worriedly at Edward.

"No. Please…please help…me."

Signaling to Edward, she stood up. "Ok. Where are you? We'll come and get you. Tell me where you are."

"At a payphone near the entrance of the trailer park."

"Are you hurt?"

"A bit. Please help me."

"Where's James? Is he nearby?"

"Um…I think he's passed out in the trailer." Another sob escaped her.

"Ok good. Stay there. We're on our way."

Covering the mouthpiece, Bella turned to the worried faces around her.

"It's Victoria. He's assaulted her again."

Alice gasped in shock.

"Oh dear god," cried Esme. "Bella, bring her back here. She'll need somewhere to stay and we've got plenty of room."

"Yes, please bring her here if she's agreeable," agreed Carlisle.

"Are you sure?" asked an astonished Bella, looking between the two of them.

"Of course we are. Go get the poor girl. She's probably terrified," urged Esme.

"I'll see how she is and whether she needs to go to hospital," said Edward. "If not, we'll bring her back here.

"I'll go home and get some clothes," offered Alice. "I should have some things that will fit her."

Bella was overwhelmed by the Cullen's kindness towards a complete stranger. Not many people would offer a place to stay to someone they'd never met.

"Come on, Bella," urged Edward, pulling her towards the door.

"Alice, can you ring Charlie? Tell him go to the trailer park. Tell him that Victoria Brennan, eight months pregnant has been assaulted by her partner. Apparently, he's passed out in the van."

"I'll call him. Just go get her," said Carlisle.

Edward drove grim-faced towards the trailer park. He was sorely tempted to go the trailer but he knew that would make things worse. He'd leave it to Charlie to deal with the dirtbag.

"She's at a payphone outside the park."

"Ok, keep your eyes on the lookout."

It didn't take long to find Victoria. She was huddled next to the payphone, her arms clutching her extended stomach. She was a pitiful sight. When she heard the car pull up, she looked up fearfully, breathing a sigh of relief when Bella and Doctor Cullen got out.

"Victoria!" exclaimed Bella when she saw her face. One eye was swollen shut and she had a split lip, dried blood on her chin. "Oh god, what did he do to you?"

At Bella's concern, tears began trickling down her face.

"Victoria, did he hit you anywhere else? Your stomach?" asked Edward gently.

Victoria shook her head. "No, he mainly punched me in the face."

"We're going to take you to the hospital and have you thoroughly checked out, ok?" he told her.

As he spoke, they could hear police sirens getting louder. Victoria looked up warily.

"We called my father," said Bella. "He can't get away with this anymore."

Victoria nodded her head sadly. Together, they led Victoria to the car and let her sit in the back seat. The police cars came around the corner, and stopped when they saw Bella.

"Bella?"

"Dad, Victoria's here. James is in the trailer."

Walking over, Charlie bent down. "Hello Victoria. Can you tell me who did this to you?" he asked gently.

"J..James. My part….partner."

"Looks like he roughed you up. We're gonna take him away. I'll need to see you later and get a statement when you're ready. Is that ok?"

Victoria nodded.

"Charlie, we're going to get her to the hospital to make sure everything's ok with the baby. If she's ok, we'll take her to Mom and Dad's. She'll be staying there for a little while," informed Edward.

Charlie's jaw clenched in anger as he realised that Victoria was heavily pregnant. "Good. I'll probably stop by tomorrow. Let you get some rest," he told her. Looking at Bella, he continued. "Go, take her to the hospital. I'll deal with this guy."

For someone who appeared so laid back most of the time, Bella was astonished to see the fury in her father's eyes as he summed up the situation. She almost felt sorry for James. Almost.

Victoria spent a couple hours in the hospital and was discharged into Edward's care. They had told her about Esme's offer to give her a place to stay and she was mystified that a stranger would make that kind of offer.

"Are you sure?" she kept asking on the drive to Esme's.

"Yes," insisted Edward. "I promised we'd help you. You'll have plenty of privacy."

"That's not what I'm worried about. I'm imposing"

"Please Victoria. You'll love Esme. Everyone does. Besides, what choice do you have?'' Bella pointed out.

Victoria's shoulders slumped in defeat. She felt desperately weary and just wanted to sleep. She didn't want to think about James or the future. She just wanted oblivion for a while.

As Esme's house came into view, Victoria gasped in admiration. Even though it was late, she could see that the house was beautiful and felt so much like an intruder she was tempted to flee. Looking down at her swollen belly, she grimaced. She wouldn't get very far.

"It's beautiful," she whispered.

Bella smiled. "I had the same reaction when I saw it for the first time too. It's even lovelier inside."

The front door opened as Edward pulled up to the front steps and four figures stepped out. Victoria saw the handsome older couple and guessed they were Edward's parents. The young woman was also pregnant, but not as far along and she was resting against an extraordinarily handsome blond man. Boy, did these people hit the jackpot in the looks department.

Edward opened the door and held his hand out to help her out. Bella took hold of her other arm and they led her up the steps. They stopped in front of the smiling couple.

"Victoria, these are my parents, Esme and Carlisle. And this is my sister, Alice and her husband, Jasper."

"Welcome Victoria," greeted Esme, her arms coming around the pregnant girl and giving her a hug. "You mustn't worry about anything. You'll be safe and looked after here. I want you to feel at home."

The words of kindness from a total stranger was Victoria's undoing. From somewhere deep inside, a sob burst forth and it was like a dam bursting. All her pain, fear and sadness bubbled to the surface and she was sobbing into Esme's shoulder.

Esme's eyes filled with tears at the young woman's pain and held her tight. The other's stood around, moved at the sight. Without Victoria being aware of it, she was led towards one of the bedrooms. The men left the women to see to Victoria.

Carefully, they dressed her in one of Alice's nightgowns. She was still sobbing, not really aware of what was happening around her. Esme and Bella got her into bed, her hand clutching Esme's.

"I'll sit with her until she falls asleep," whispered Esme. With her free hand, she gently stroked Victoria's hair, the action seeming to have a soothing effect on the distressed girl.

Bella and Alice left the room and went to find the men. They were in the sitting room, quietly talking. All of them had been affected by the sight of Victoria.

"How is she?" asked Edward, pulling Bella close.

"Esme's sitting with her until she falls asleep. It's like she's letting everything out."

"Poor kid," murmured Jasper, pulling Alice down onto his lap. "What kind of evil bastard hits a pregnant woman?" he asked in disgust.

"Charlie was locking him up. Hopefully for good."

"Jail's too good for him," snorted Jasper. Alice hadn't said a word. She just couldn't imagine Jasper doing something like that. Or Edward or Carlisle.

"Come on, baby. Let's get you home. You need your sleep," said Jasper, pulling Alice towards the door.

Shortly after they left, Esme came out.

"How is she?" asked Bella.

"She finally fell asleep, thank goodness. She really needs it by the looks of things. My heart just breaks for her. But don't worry, I'm going to look after her and make sure she enjoys the last weeks of her pregnancy. And I'm going to make sure she knows she can stay as long as she wants."

Bella hugged Esme. She truly loved her at this moment. Esme was a truly wonderful human being. "Thank you Esme."

"Don't be silly. Everything will work out. She's safe here."

"Charlie will come around tomorrow to get a statement from Victoria, if she feels up to it," said Edward.

"I'll make sure I'm with her. For moral support," replied Esme.

"I'll keep an eye on her," said Carlisle. "Make sure she heals alright."

"Thanks Dad. Her next appointment is on Monday. I'll make sure Bernard knows the situation."

"I'll go with her to the appointment if she likes," offered Esme.

"That would be good," replied Edward. Looking at Bella's worn face, he took her hand. "Come on love. Let's get you home. It's late and Victoria's safe."

Nodding, Bella gave her future parents-in-law a tight hug each. How did she end up so lucky that she had a wonderful fiancé who had equally wonderful parents?

Edward held her tight all night and she felt totally safe and protected.

o-o-o-o-o-o

A/N: Let me know what you thought.