Bella had just gone to bed when she heard a knock on her window. Was it Edward? Had he come to keep her company in her lonely misery and miserable loneliness? Her knight in sparkling armor as he was. Her heart was beating fast as she withdrew the curtains. It was Enjolras!

"What are you doing here, in the middle of the night?" Bella asked.

"I... just came to see if you were all right," said Enjolras. "You seemed so upset earlier."

"Come in..." said Bella, and he climbed in through the window. She noticed that he didn't do it as gracefully as Edward would have.

"I'm sorry about Combeferre being a jerk to you earlier," he said, sitting down next to her on the bed. "He is a bit obsessed with the revolution. OK, I guess I am too. He doesn't dislike you personally, you know. It's just because you are Renés kid, and he could find out information about us if he tortured you."

"My Dad would never..." Bella began protesting, but then she remembered that he wasn't that same Dad anymore. Would he really hurt her? And would she be able to hurt him, if she had to?

"I know this isn't easy for you," Enjolras said comfortingly, putting his arm around her shoulder.

"That's not even beginning to describe it!" Bella said. "How do you think it feels to be the 'werewolf-kisser's daughter', eh? To know that the people you love most in the world are in danger and your best friends are being told not to trust you!" She felt the tears starting to run down her face.

"It's OK," said Enjolras. "I believe in you, and so does Edward, and Carlisle and Esme."

Bella started crying even more. She leaned her face against Enjolras chest, trying not to sob too loudly so that her parents would hear it. They were in another room behind several stone walls, but vampires have very good ears.

"It's allright," said Enjolras. "Just get it all out. It's no use being brave if you go bottling up all the pain." He carefully wiped the tears off her face, kissing her on the cheek.

Suddenly, they noticed that Edward was in the room. Wow, he was graceful, she hadn't even heard him come in.

"I can see that I'm intruding on something private," he said with fathomless pain in his voice. His eyes were showing so much devastating suffering that Bella felt physical agony just looking at it.

"Edward!" she gasped. "I'm not cheating on you! Honest!"

"I think it's time I leave," Enjolras said, jumping back out the window. "If there is anything you need help with, just call, ok?"

"Sure..." Bella replied, as he ran off down the street. Oh no. Was Edward angry with her?

"He didn't have to leave," Edward said bitterly. "I didn't mean to disturb."

"You didn't!" Bella said, shaking with tears. "He just came by to see how I was, and offer his support. I thought it was you at first."

"I understand," said Edward. "It's just that when you cry on someone's shoulder, I'd really like that shoulder to be mine. Because I am your boyfriend, and I'm supposed to be there for you. It hurts to see you being so close to someone else. I heard you crying, and I thought your Dad had been cruel to you."

"My Dad is not..." Bella began. Then she started crying again. "Oh Edward, this is so messed up! You are so lucky to have such an awesome family that isn't disgraced!"

"But you can come and live with me," said Edward. "There is no need for you to stay under the werewolf's roof."

Bella leaned her head against Edward's shoulder. "I have to," she said sadly. "Someone has to look out for Cosette. She is sort of associated with the revolution because she dates Marius, and I need to make sure Dad doesn't hurt her. And Mom can't know anything, because as long as she doesn't she's safe from Dad. She knows he's a werewolf, because we told her, but not that we are in the resistance."

"Take Cosette with you," Edward said. "She and Alice are best friends, and we can make a new room just for her."

"That would make Dad suspicious, and Mom sad," said Bella. "I'll just have to stay here for now. But soon, my love, soon we will be free, and then we can be together. We can get an attic studio in Paris and become bohemian artists. I could be a painter, and you could be a famous musician. And when the time comes to get kids, we can settle down in a little cottage with lavender in the garden. If we have a daughter, we can call her Charlesme after our mothers, and if we have a son, we can call him Renisle or Carlé."

Suddenly Edward dived under the bed, and in the next moment, René came in the door.

"Are you OK, Bella?" he asked. "I was so sure I heard you crying. Aww, you have been. Is it something your old Dad can help you with?"

"Not really," Bella said, trying to come up with a lie. "It's just that... I guess I'm just suffering some teen angst. Remember that guy I used to like? Mitch?" She nearly vomited at the thought of pretending to be in love with him, but she knew a lot was at stake. "Well, at that party I went to on Friday, he had sex with Jessique. And that's not even all of it. They drank some funny stuff James and Monty had cooked up, and she had a baby! I guess I have a broken heart now."

"Oh, little birdie," said René, and cradled Bella the way he had done when she had been a 6-year-old human girl and had been afraid of the monster under the bed. "I know it hurts, darling, but you and Mitch weren't meant to be. I'm very glad that wasn't you who had a surprise baby. And there will be other boys. Wasn't there a nice young lad walking you home the other night?"

"Oh, that was Ed...mund," Bella lied. "He's new here, originally from London."

"Yes, things are very bad for vampires over there," said René. "They weren't just banished to their own caverns, they were thrown out of the city. A very sad situation indeed."

"I know," Bella said, drying her eyes. For a while she had almost forgotten that her Dad was evil. "I can't understand how were... people can be so cruel!"

"Actually, that wasn't the werewolves," said René. "In London, a group of dark wizards have been terrorizing the entire population, and 'half breeds' like werewolves and vampires have had a very hard time. Werewolves are not the worst sort, Bella. There is plenty worse, that's why I have always thought we should have negociated a truce."

Bella shifted uncomfortably. Why did René have to bring up the werewolves now that he was almost being his true self again?

"I want you to be careful, Bella," he said. "There is something strange going on. I can't tell you what exactly, because that is classified police information, but there are strange things going on. Be careful who you trust. Now, get some sleep, honey. We are going on a trip tomorrow, and you need to be rested and in high spirits."

He tucked Bella under the blanket, and kissed her forehead before leaving the room.

Edward crawled out from under the bed again. "I'm actually from New York," he said. "But I knew about London, because that's where Carlisle is from. That thing about dark wizards was a lot of codswallop, Bella. The werewolves are behind it all, they are the worst sort!"

"I know," Bella said quietly. A part of her had wanted so much to believe what René had said. When he had held her in his arms, she had felt like a child again, and if Edward hadn't been hiding under the bed, she was afraid she'd have asked René to tell her a funny story and sing her a lullaby. Actually, she had almost been scared that he would do just that, because it would have been embarrasing beyond words. It was bad enough that Edward had heard him try to brainwash her, but she was also glad he was there to put her straight.

"I have to go now," Edward said. "But if there is anything at all you want to talk about, just call me! I'll come pick you up tomorrow morning, and we can go for a ride on the surface."

"But Dad has a family trip planned, remember?" Bella sighed. "It's probably boating on the river or something. He isn't good at family fun."

"Make up an excuse," said Edward. "I want to spend the day with you. If you can't get away, I'll go boating with you, pretending to be Edmund from London."

"Ok," Bella said with a smile, as she threw her arms around Edwards neck and pulled him onto the bed. They shared a passionate goodnight kiss before he jumped out of the window with agile grace and was gone.

Bella had just curled up under her blanket, hoping to go back to sleep when there was another knock on the window. She was a little annoyed as she walked over and removed the curtains again.

"Bella, please help me. I have nowhere else to go."

It was Jacob!