Sorry, sorry, sorry! I feel horrible this chapter has taken so ridiculously long! I will say, though, that I have a plan from now on. I plan to try to write for at least ten minutes each day, so I can hopefully get the chapters up faster, since like I said...I feel absolutely horrible this has taken so long, and I'd like to be able to update faster.

BTW, my new story [Never Say Never] is also up already, so go check that out if you'd like. I promise I haven't neglect Fix You due to the new story, either. I focused on Fix You first.

Feenrai is the amazing beta for this story. A big thank you to her for staying up to beta this, even though she was extremely tired!

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the characters.

Previously:

"Come on into the living room, would you, please?" he asked.

I glanced questioningly at Edward, who made sure to remain stoic, not giving me any clues or hints. I huffed in slight annoyance at his lack of cooperation with my quest for clues.

I took his hand, leading him into the living room with me, as I didn't want to face whatever was waiting for me alone. But as soon as I got to the entrance of the room, I stopped in my tracks, because there -- sitting on the couch -- was Renee.

"Mom?" I gasped.

Chapter 18

To say that I was shocked to see my mother sitting on Charlie's couch would be an understatement.

For some reason, she just seemed odd and out of place in Charlie's small, lived-in living room. Maybe it was due to the lack of memories of her ever really sitting in this house--even though she had lived in it at one time. Regardless, as I looked at her now, she seemed slightly out of place.

"Hi, honey," she spoke softly and her eyes seemed to get misty.

Oh no. She knows, I realized. I hadn't told her about what had happened because I didn't want to deal with her reaction. She was flighty, unpredictable and would worry entirely too much. I knew I wouldn't have been able to deal with her calling incessantly, or showing up. I knew Renee well enough to know that she would ask me questions that I wouldn't be able to answer, and she would want to talk about it. I wasn't comfortable with either of those things.

So, for her to show up now, obviously knowing (considering her misty eyes and tone of voice, and the way that she was looking at me with pity), I knew that Charlie had to have told her.

I cast a glance in his direction, but he merely smiled sheepishly and offered a faint shrug, as if the situation couldn't be helped.

When I shifted my attention back to Renee, she remained gazing at me, a lone tear sliding down her cheek.

"Oh, baby girl," she murmured, as she rose from her seat with her arms held out, about to embrace me, taking two strides in my direction.

But, as she took those two steps towards me, I took two steps back, not wanting the touch. I knew she was my mother. I knew I was safe with her. I was well aware of the fact that I had just let both Esme and Alice hug me...but this was too much. Today I had faced the pack, which still left me feeling uneasy, and I had let two people hug me. All before the afternoon! So now, for Renee to be here, knowing about the rape, and trying to hug me...it was all just too much. I couldn't take any more physical contact like that today, and I didn't think I could take much more emotional stress, which -- unfortunately -- I was sure Renee would bring.

A faint sob erupted from her lips as she took in my rejection of her embrace. I saw her eyes land on mine and Edward's still-clasped hands. I cast my eyes to the floor, eyeing the old, worn-in carpet as I struggled for something to say.

"I'm sorry." Really, it was all I could say.

I managed to catch frantic movement from Renee's direction, causing me to look at her. She stood, with more tears streaking her face, as she emphatically shook her head.

"Sorry? What are you sorry for?" her voice rose to a higher pitch as she continued. "You were raped!" she nearly shrieked, causing me to flinch at the word. "And yes, I'd like to get to hold my baby girl, but..." she paused, and yet again glanced at mine and Edward's connected hands, which caused Edward to squeeze it reassuringly, even though I could feel his eyes on me. "I get it," she sighed.

Before I could even think of anything to say in response to that, everyone's attention was captured when Charlie hesitantly cleared his throat from behind Renee. He had come to stand just behind her, and looked extremely uncomfortable.

"Renee, why don't we let Bella have a few minutes to herself, and to, uh...just take everything in?" he suggested.

If there was ever a time I desperately wanted to hug Charlie as a thank you, it would be now, even if he did go behind my back and tell Renee. I knew the hug wasn't an option right now, though, so it was out of the question. But, under different circumstances, I would have.

"Can Edward and I just go upstairs for a few minutes, please?" I mumbled in Charlie's direction, knowing he would more than likely be willing to grant me that.

He nodded in approval, placing a comforting hand on my silently-sobbing mother's shoulder.

That was all the confirmation I needed, before heading upstairs, with Edward in tow. As soon as we were safely in my room, with the door locked, I turned to Edward, to see him already sitting on the corner of my bed, staring at me intently with a furrowed brow.

"Is everything okay, love?"

I sighed heavily before choosing my words as carefully as my muddled brain would allow. "It's just...it's Renee. She's just -- Renee," I huffed. "Please, please, don't get me wrong. She's my mother and I do love her. I love that she cares enough to come here. But the thing is, I didn't want her to know -- that's why I never told her," I explained, as I paced the length of my bed methodically, almost absent-mindedly. "I know how she is, and I love her for it. I do," my eyes moistened excessively. "But I knew she would get all worried and freaked out, and she would want to talk about it, or ask me a bunch of questions, or...like just now, with wanting to hug me. I know you saw her look at me holding your hand, too. I know she means well with all of this, it's just...I'm afraid I can't give her those things. I just can't. Plus, I'm scared I won't be able to give her what she needs -- to take care of her, now that she knows and is letting it eat away at her."

I knew I was rambling, and chances are, I barely made sense. However, Renee and I always had a different kind of relationship. She was usually the more child-like of the two of us, and I took care of things. Now, Renee would be freaking out over the knowledge that I was raped -- which was what I had wanted to avoid. She would want information and answers. While I was always the one to help her and to take care of her, I honestly just didn't think I had it in me right now. I didn't have it in me for the drama that I knew would be coming my way in the next few hours, or days, that Renee is here.

"Bella." Edward spoke calmly. "Just take a deep breath. Everything will be fine. Charlie's downstairs right now telling Renee that she needs to give you your personal space, and to not take offense if you let me touch you in some way, because it's always different. He's explaining things to her, because, well, from what I've gathered from his thoughts, he knows how Renee can be, so he's trying to make sure her visit goes as smoothly as possible for all of you," he gazed at me intently. "As for you feeling as though you may not be able to take care of her…Bella, you're the child, she's the parent. I know you're used to taking care of things when it comes to Renee, but this situation is about you -- not her. It affects her, but it isn't about her. You don't have to try to take care of her, or comfort her. This is about you, love, and what you've gone through -- what you're still going through," he exhaled loudly, as he patted the empty expanse of the bed beside him in offering of a place to sit.

I stopped my pacing, and sat next to him, exhaling a long sigh as I contemplated his words.

"What if she wants to talk about it? To ask me questions? To get all the details? I -- I can't -- I just...can't," I moaned. "I can't talk about it anymore. Not right now. I feel like...that's all my life is now. That it's all about what happened, and nothing is just...right or just normal. I want things to be normal. I want to be normal."

I met Edward's eyes for a brief second, as a lone tear trailed down my cheek, before his brows furrowed yet again, and he spoke.

"Things will be normal again, Bella. In time. You must give yourself time, to deal with everything that's happened, to heal. It's going to take time, love," he spoke softly, consolingly, as he turned his body more directly towards me. "With Renee...we'll go downstairs together, Bella. I'll be with you the whole time. If she does any of those things, if she asks, or talks about it, or wants details, then I will be right by your side. We can tell her that you aren't able to talk about it, okay?" he questioned, as his eyes tried to hold mine, despite me continuing to avoid his gaze.

"Okay," I whispered, hoping with everything in me that he was right, and that Renee would respect my boundaries.

"Together?" he asked, as he stood and offered me his hand.

"Together," I murmured, placing my hand, and my trust, within his hand, and letting him guide me back downstairs, to whatever awaited.

As we entered the kitchen, we found Charlie giving Renee a pointed look, while she narrowed her eyes at him, before both turned their attention to Edward and I.

"Come on, baby," she smiled at me a little too big. "Sit down. Let's talk. I made a salad for us all for lunch," she proclaimed proudly, as she placed the large bowl filled with leafy greens on the kitchen table. She sat down, with Charlie following suit as he took the seat beside her, leaving Edward and I to sit together opposite them.

Honestly, I was in no mood to eat. I wasn't the tiniest bit hungry, and after the stressful events of the day, including Renee's presence, I didn't think I could stomach food. So, with a resigned sigh, I plopped myself down at the kitchen table, unthinkingly. As soon as I made contact with the seat, I sucked in a sharp breath at the pain that accompanied my actions.

I was still sore due to the vaginal tears, which I was reminded of each time I walked or sat, among other things. I wasn't thinking when I sat down so hard, and now I could feel the soreness even more intensely.

All eyes snapped to me, and I quickly tried to hide my grimace of discomfort and pain.

"What's wrong?" Renee immediately demanded, as Edward took his seat beside me, eyeing me worriedly.

"Nothing. It's nothing," I tried to brush it off, not wanting to discuss it, particularly with Charlie in the room. I'm sure Edward had already figured out the cause of my reaction, as he was already well aware of all of my injuries.

"You're not looking at me. You're lying," she announced confidently, thinking she knew my habits well. Truthfully, she probably did. The problem was, I was no longer that same girl. Whereas then, my reasons for avoiding eye contact may have been due to lying and the fact that I was a horrible liar; now it was because I couldn't stand to look anyone in the eye, for fear of them seeing me, of giving them that glimpse of me. I didn't want them to see what I've become. Even I couldn't stand to look at my own eyes in the mirror, always avoiding my own reflection, in fear of what I may see staring back at me.

At her words, a flash of anger soared within me, as the realization that she didn't understand that I was no longer that same person, that same innocent and naive girl that I obviously must have been. She assumed that I would still be the same old Bella, as though this wouldn't affect me.

"That's because I don't look at anyone anymore, Mom!" my voice raised as the words spewed forth, almost against their will.

"Isabella, don't raise your voice," she spoke sternly. I saw Charlie give a slight glare in her direction, before he began pouring everyone a glass of water.

I was about to respond, when I felt a long, cool pinky finger slide against my own, and linking itself around my own pinky. I glanced at Edward out of the corner of my eye, and saw him looking at me with concern filling his eyes. I tried to give him a slight smile to show him that I was fine.

"The salad looks lovely, Mrs. Dwyer," Edward spoke formally, effectively ending my conversation with my mother.

"Thanks, Edward," she smiled brightly at him.

As we ate the salad -- Edward included, as I caught him making a few faces of disgust -- conversation was relatively minimal. I suspected Renee realized now was not the best time to try having a conversation with me, though I wasn't sure why. Whatever her reason was, I was grateful. Unfortunately, I knew it only meant that it was delaying the inevitable.

As soon as the dishes were cleaned and put away and we all made our way into the living room, where Charlie sat in his chair, Edward and I on the couch, and Renee opted to sit in the chair on the opposite side of the room from Charlie.

A few awkward moments passed before Charlie spoke up.

"I know you didn't want to tell her, Bells, but I thought it was only right that she knew what happened to her daughter," he cast me a sympathetic glance, and seemed to be beseeching me to understand his reasoning.

I merely nodded, knowing he meant well, even if I didn't like it.

"And I'm glad he did tell me, Bella, especially if you weren't going to. When I found out you were raped, I got here as soon as I could," she explained.

To give her credit, for all of her flighty-ness and irresponsible behavior, a part of me was happy she was willing to drop everything and come see me when she found out I was in distress.

"Phil's been worried about you, too, after I told him," she informed. I cringed, realizing that another person now knew.

"When you talk to him, tell him I say hi," I offered with a forced smile.

"Jacob did this to you? As in, Billy Black's son?" she wondered, a pensive look crossing her facial features.

I nodded in response, unwilling to say the words aloud.

She knew who Jacob was. I had mentioned him to her countless times during numerous phone conversations I'd had with her since moving to Forks. She also knew quite well who Billy was, since he and Charlie had been friends when my parents were still together.

"Jacob Black..." she muttered, her eyes narrowing angrily. "I never would have thought Jacob would be capable of something like this," she huffed.

"You and me both," Charlie ground out through clenched teeth, as his hands gripped the armrests of his chair in a vice-like grip, causing his fingers to turn white.

Little did they know, that I never would have expected Jacob to do anything harmful to me. He was like my sun - my warmth. Now, even hearing his name caused a chill to run up my spine.

"I know when it happened," Renee began, seeming deep in thought, which immediately caused me to tense, knowing where the conversation was going. I noticed out of the corner of my eye, that Edward's reaction to her words was similar to my own. "But how did it happen? What exactly happened, Bella?" she sniffed, as a tear rolled down her cheek.

I chanced a glance at Charlie, who was narrowing his eyes in Renee's direction, trying to warn her with his eyes to stop. I fidgeted nervously, having dreaded these exact questions. "I...I ca-"

"With all due respect, Mrs. Dwyer --," Edward cut me off, only for Renee to do the same to him.

"Renee."

"With all due respect, Renee, Bella isn't comfortable talking about what happened. It's too painful for her, to have to relive it as she tells the story, and it only causes her further emotional stress, and she's had a stressful day already," he explained in his most polite and formal tone of voice. I'm sure that if I looked at him, he would probably be dazzling her, making sure that she agreed to his words.

Renee let out a long sigh. Whether it was out of sadness, or frustration, or irritation, I'm not sure. But after a moment, she acquiesced.

The room stayed silent after that, with only minimal words being exchanged between the people in the room. After a while, Charlie turned the flat screen on, turning it to a football game that was on. To say that things were rather uncomfortable would be a bit of an understatement.

I could tell Renee was itching to ask me questions, but I honestly couldn't give the answers to her right now. And Charlie, he's never been one for words, so it wasn't that abnormal for his silence.

An awkward few hours passed, with only a bit of small talk, before the person with a never-ending amount of words showed up at the door, thankfully ending the awkwardness.

"Alice!" I actually smiled when I opened the door to reveal the beautiful pixie.

What I had said to her earlier was true -- I did miss her. I knew she was trying to give me some space, due to her normally exuberant behavior and personality. She was never one to think twice before engulfing someone in a hug of excitement or tenderness, and I knew she had been trying to do so around me lately. I also knew she had been trying to give me time with Edward, since it seemed to have become a well known fact that I feel safest when I was with him.

"Hi, Bella," she smiled back largely, her gleaming teeth exposed. "I told you I'd come see you later."

"Alice." Edward gave a small smile and a nod in her direction, as he came to stand beside me by the door, as I let Alice inside the house.

"Bella," Edward murmured near my ear, his voice only loud enough for me to hear, and of course, Alice. "I'm going to give you and Alice some time alone to talk. I'll be back within an hour. You'll be safe, my love," he whispered, as his pinky wrapped around mine and he squeezed it gently in assurance.

I thought of protesting - of asking him to stay. But my conversation with Rosalie flitted through my mind, and I decided not to, knowing that I would need to get used to being away from Edward sometimes, like for when he needed to hunt, among other random things.

"Okay," I whispered just as quietly, still feeling uneasy about being apart from him, despite my mind being made up about needing to get used to it.

"If you'll excuse me," Edward spoke for everyone to hear. "I just need to run out shortly, I'll be back soon," he explained.

Charlie and Renee acknowledged his words, with my mother sending him a large smile and a wave, while Charlie grunted a goodbye.

He slowly moved towards the door, our pinkies still linked, until he got far enough that our arms could no longer stretch, letting our pinkies slide from their grasp on one another.

With one final gentle smile, he was gone.

Alice quickly turned to my parents, offering them an exuberant hello, as she introduced herself to Renee.

"Hi, Mrs. Dwyer! I'm Alice Cullen, Edward's sister, and Bella's best friend," she smiled largely.

"It's nice to meet you, Alice. And you can call me Renee," she smiled back.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Charlie's face light up into a smile due to Alice's presence.

"Hi, Alice," he greeted. "How are you?"

"I'm good," she smiled at him. "Do you mind if I whisk Bella away upstairs for a little while?" she asked, her eyes going slightly more round and child-like, making it difficult to resist her.

"Sure," he agreed easily, as Renee also nodded, though she had an undistinguishable look on her face as she did so.

After Alice and I were done settling into my room, her questioning started.

"So how are things going with your mom?"

"As if you don't already know," I responded. When she merely looked at me, her expression appearing all too innocent, I knew that I was correct in my words. She remained silent, waiting. I huffed. "Honestly?" I shrugged, looking down at my lap. "I don't really know. I feel like...it's a ticking time bomb -- she's a ticking time bomb. I don't know when she's going to start throwing the questions at me, and I'm scared of when she's going to try to again."

"That makes sense," she said softly. "I can tell you that she is going to try asking again. Soon. But, Bella, she's your mom. Any mother would want to know what happened to their child. She's just worried," Alice rationalized.

"That's what I'm worried about. She's worried, so it's only a matter of time before she freaks out, and I don't know how I'm going to handle that," I explained quietly, my eyes suddenly finding the scuffed hardwood floor in my room fascinating.

Alice, sensing my discomfort with the subject, quickly changed topics. Though I can't be sure how much better of a topic it was.

"Hey -- what happened to your bracelet? Well, I know what happened to your bracelet, but what happened to the charm from Edward?"

"Umm --" I thought back to that incident, where I panicked due to the bracelet being on my wrist. Due to the possible panic attack, the details seemed hazy and fuzzy. I remembered Edward trying to calm me. I remember his fingers at my wrist, gently removing it once I finally stilled. "I don't know. I told Edward to get rid of the bracelet," I mumbled. "But not the heart," I added quickly. "I'm not sure what he did with it."

She appeared thoughtful for a moment, her eyes twinkling.

After that, she chose random topic after topic, from Jasper, to the other members of the Cullen family, to shopping trips, and other inconsequential things.

As she carried on a stream of conversation, the fact that I was away from Edward began slipping slightly more towards the back of my mind, though not entirely, and I almost began to feel normal again for a few minutes. I felt like me again, if only for a moment.

But before I knew it, an hour had passed, and like Edward promised, he was back within an hour, wearing my favorite crooked smile.

Despite Renee's presence, that night, Edward and I continued our usual routine. Edward stayed with me in my room, laid beside me, and stroked my hair until I fell asleep.

The following few days were much of the same, with Edward being around as much as possible, and a few more visits from Alice here and there. Some were short, and others longer. Renee still attempted to ask me about what happened a few times a day, but, thankfully, Edward was usually around then and was able to help me deflect her attention. The conversation within the house continued to remain mostly small talk, with everyone skirting around the conversation that everyone seemed to sense was brewing.

After Edward had just left through my window—in preparation for "showing up" at the door—on Friday morning, I walked downstairs. It was the fifth day of Renee's visit, and as I walked down, I froze as I overheard my parents in conversation.

"Renee, you need to leave it alone. Please," he beseeched.

I was beginning to get more accustomed to the fact that Charlie was home so much more often now, as he had been cutting down on shifts at the station in order to be home with me.

"Charlie, she's my baby girl. I need to know what happened," she lamented, her tears evident in her voice.

"I already told you what happened," his tone held slight authority.

"It's not the same!" she attempted to yell in a whisper. "I want to hear from her what happened. How can I not know what someone's done to my daughter? The fact that Billy's son raped her is bad enough, but to be left with thoughts of the unknown swirl around in your head? It's eating away at me. I need to know what happened. From her."

"She doesn't want to talk about it. I had to take her down to the police station to file a report and make a statement, and every single step that she took, I could tell she was wishing she could bolt in the other direction. She's terrified right now, Renee. She doesn't need the added stress of being pressed for information. So please, leave it alone."

I decided that now was a good time to interrupt, and make my presence known, wanting to leave Renee with Charlie's last words to linger in her mind, and hopefully dissuade her.

"Good morning," I spoke loud and clear, stepping off of the last few steps, and making my way into the kitchen.

Their heads snapped in my direction immediately, Renee's eyes wide as she looked at me.

"Morning, honey," she smiled, trying to erase the expression from her face.

"Good morning, Bells," Charlie offered a small smile, as he stroked his mustache out of discomfort of the situation.

As I was about to sit, there was a knock on the door. Of course, it was Edward, so I readily let him in. When Renee offered him some of the eggs Charlie had made for breakfast, he politely declined, claiming to have already eaten.

Renee remained remarkably quiet throughout breakfast, barely speaking a few words. After breakfast, Charlie retired to the living room. When Renee then requested my presence in the kitchen to help her clean up, while simultaneously suggesting Edward go watch the game with Charlie, I was instantly on alert. My heart began to beat faster, causing me to hear each thump, thump within my ears as I fought to stay calm.

"Bella," she began softly. "I know it's hard for you to talk about what happened. But I need some answers, honey. You know how much I love you, Bella," a tear trailed down her cheek as she began to cry softly. "And that's why I need to know what happened. I need to know what that sick boy did to my baby girl, because I keep --," she sniffled loudly, wiping the tears from her cheeks, "I keep imagining the worst, and each time, I think of something that's worse than the last time, and it's driving me crazy to think of what could have happened," she continued to cry.

I knew she wasn't doing this to be a pain, or to cause problems. I knew she simply wanted to put her mind at ease, and was -- in typical Renee fashion -- freaking out. But this was the moment I had been dreading, where she finally confronted the issue head on, pushing the issue further than she has these past few days. The problem was that even if I wanted to, I don't think I could push the words from my lips.

I could feel the panic rising, as my palms grew sweaty, and my breathing accelerated slightly, causing my chest to feel tight.

"I can't, Mom," I whispered, as my own eyes began to sting with tears. "I can't."

"I have to know, baby. I need to know."

Her insistence on the subject, on trying to force answers from me began to also cause a slight surge of anger.

"He kissed me, I tried to push him away. He took it further, I tried saying no, he didn't listen. That's what happened," I said through gritted teeth. Really, it was the truth - it was just summed up in a nut shell, with the very edited, very summarized version.

"Won't you give me any details?" she begged.

"I. Can't." I spoke pointedly, and emphatically, both still in irritation and fear. As she began to sob, the anger ebbed away, leaving only the panic. I knew she was freaking out -- I knew she just wanted details. But I couldn't give them to her, and now, I was left in the situation that I feared from the beginning. In order for her to feel better, to be better, she needed my story, the information and details, and right now, I wasn't able to give that to her. That thought alone caused my panic to intensify "It -- it hurts too much. I panic. I -- I can't."

My breathing became more erratic and labored, which caused my tears to start to fall.

"Bella." Edward spoke from the archway of the kitchen, his jaw tight and posture rigid.

I wanted so desperately to be able to go to him and hug him, to relish in his embrace and comfort that his arms could provide. But I knew that I wasn't ready for something like that, as much as I wished I would be. I knew the moment I was engulfed in his arms, I would panic, feeling nothing but Jacob's arms around me, holding me to him, crushing me to him and refusing to let go.

I released a shuddering breath, as Edward quickly made his way to my side and kneeled in front of me as I sat in the kitchen chair, immediately offering me both of his hands. I took them quickly, ignoring the discomfort of any kind of touch, and trying to focus on the comfort.

"I'm sorry, Renee, but she needs to calm down before she has a full-on panic attack," he said in almost a monotone, wanting to effectively end the conversation with Renee, as to not further upset me, I'm sure.

"I'm sorry, baby," Renee whispered solemnly, her voice sad. She took a step towards me, appearing as though she wanted to hug me. I instinctively leaned back, not wanting to be hugged, nor touched any more than I was already being touched.

"I'm sorry." She looked down, and quickly exited the room, her apology lingering in the air for another moment.

"I'm okay," I gasped after a minute, when Edward's extremely anxious eyes continued to stare at me, studying my face, and my every move.

"Shh," he whispered. "Just take some deep breaths, love. That's it. In. Out." He continued to do that for a moment, instructing my breaths, until it began to calm and I was no longer taking in such shallow breaths.

"I'm okay now," I reassured him once again. Even though my breathing had calmed and my body was no longer quite as tense, the anxiety never left his face.

"I wanted to interrupt. To stop the conversation, but I didn't know how to properly do that without making it seem as though I had been eavesdropping," he explained in a pained whisper, his eyes apologetic.

"It's okay. You did help me, so thank you," I explained softly, and this time, it was me who squeezed his hand in reassurance.

x-x-x

The rest of the day went by in a tense quietness, and Edward managed to stay the whole day, with everyone mostly just speaking only when necessary, or only giving minimal word responses. Renee seemed to be trying to keep her distance from me, both physically and verbally, and whenever she thought I wasn't looking, she would stare at me with reproachful and sorrowful eyes.

By the time the evening came around, I was more than ready for bed, the emotional morning, and tense afternoon had left me drained. So, when Edward whispered low enough for only me to hear, that he was 'leaving' for the night, and that he'd be upstairs waiting, I couldn't have been happier to crawl into bed and put an end to this exhausting day.

Edward left, saying his pretend goodbyes, and I sat on the couch, mindlessly staring at the game on TV. I was paying no attention to it, and was, instead, merely staring off into space. I let my thoughts drift to happier things, giving myself a few minutes before going upstairs, so as to not seem suspicious.

I was trying to think of my favorite moments with Edward -- Edward in the sun, and the meadow, our first kiss, the first night he stayed, flying home from Italy, and the night after Italy, and in some ways, even the proposal.

As I tried to figure out my absolute favorite memory, I suddenly felt hands on me, gripping me.

I screamed, quickly flying out of my seat and wrenching myself from their grasp, as I breathed heavily, my breaths coming in short bursts and my heart thundering in my chest.

It was only once I was a safe distance away that I took in my surroundings, and stopped to see what had happened.

I was at home, in the living room. Renee sat in the chair she had been in since earlier, but quickly stood as she saw my reaction. Charlie stood near the couch, his expression full of heart-break and regret, as a deep frown marred his face, with his one arm still outstretched.

I tried to slow my breathing, and my heart rate, as I tried to take deep breaths and calm my nerves. Charlie had only touched my arm. That was all. It was just Charlie.

"I'm...I'm sorry," I stammered, feeling incredibly guilty for screaming, and reacting that way to my dad simply touching my arm.

"No, Bells. I understand. You have nothing to apologize for. I'm the one who's sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I'm sorry," Charlie quickly spoke, his tone showing his remorse, along with the pain visible in his eyes. "I tried asking you if you were ready to get to bed, but you didn't answer. I tried calling your name, but you still weren't responding. So...I was starting to get worried because you weren't responding. I just went to touch your arm, honey, just to get your attention and see if you were alright."

As I began to calm down, now having all the facts, Renee spoke up.

"Charlie, can you give Bella and I a minute alone, please?" she asked, looking from me to Charlie.

"Umm --" Charlie glanced at me, and then Renee, before finally glancing down and rubbing at the back of his neck. "I guess so. I'll just head on upstairs to get ready for bed and have a shower."

He quickly made his way upstairs, but not before apologizing to me once again, to which I nodded, telling him that it was okay, and that I was okay.

"Bella, this isn't good," Renee spoke softly.

"What isn't?" I questioned, unsure of what she meant.

"This. You being here. Baby, it's not good for you. You're scared of men, and yet, you're a young girl living at home with a man," she exclaimed quietly.

"What? Charlie would never do anything to me!" I raised my voice slightly. For her to think that Charlie would do anything to me was just ridiculous. He was a good man. He wouldn't do anything like that to hurt me. I didn't have one single doubt about that, and for her to insinuate otherwise only angered me.

"I don't mean like that, Bella," she rolled her eyes, and waved her hand, as is to dismiss my previous thought. "I mean, you being here, living in a house with a man -- it can't be easy, given your situation. It's not good for you, Bella! You can't tell me you would have reacted that strongly if it was a woman who had tried to touch you just now."

"I didn't know who was touching me, Mom. I was lost in thought, and then I just suddenly felt someone touching me. I would have reacted the same way to that, no matter who had been the one to touch me. I haven't even been able to hug you yet, either, and you are a female!" I fired back at her, not liking what she was trying to say to me.

"Bella," she sighed. "I'm trying to be lenient here, but you're making it awfully hard. It's not good with you being here with a man, and no one else in the house. Charlie means well, but my God, Bella. You just jumped ten feet in the air, and let out a blood curdling scream because your dad touched you. That's not acceptable. You shouldn't be living here with just a man, where you're probably scared to get too close, physically, or scared that you might be touched at any second. You would be more comfortable with a woman around," she tried to rationalize her ramblings.

"Either way, regardless of who I was with, or where I am, I would still be scared of being touched at any second. Besides, I'm perfectly fine here, with Dad. I like it here. And either way, I wouldn't leave."

It was her next words that made my day go from an exhausting mess, to an absolute nightmare.

"No more arguing, Bella. You're moving back to Jacksonville, and that's final."

Long AN. Sorry guys, bear with me. Oh boy...so, this chapter ended up being longer than I expected, and I couldn't fit everything in that I wanted to. I didn't originally plan to leave it there, but I had to. So...Renee's demanding Bella go back to Jacksonville, and Bella has no one downstairs with her to help argue her case. Eek!

I want to take a minute to be clear on something, just so there's no confusion. Renee isn't trying to be a, well, a b-tch. Renee can just be childish, and therefore a little more self-centered. She's freaking out over the knowledge that her daughter's been raped, and she figured that, one, if she has all the details, she can better help Bella, and two, she wants all the details to put her own mind at ease. She's trying to help, in her own way. She's just going about it all wrong, and not stopping to really think about what would actually be best for Bella.

Next chapter: The fallout of Renee's demand. How will Bella react? What will Bella do to try and plead her case, and will Renee be willing to listen, or will she have to go to Jacksonville? Also...what will Edward do, and where is it he ran off to for an hour?

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