So this chapter is a little late, but between work and other things, I have very little time to write. But, I'm trying as hard as I can, so I will keep updating. I'd like to thank my first three reviewers.
-livebyinsanity
-hardygirl87
-twilightobession

Thanks for all of your reviews they make my day! (:

SM owns all things Twilight.

BPOV

I woke up the next morning to a loud knocking on my bedroom door. I shot up in bed and turned to look at my clock. It was almost noon and I had been asleep all day. Phil was on the other side of the door and I could hear him shouting. What the fuck was going on?

I got up and put on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt on before unlocking and opening my door. Phil was standing there, and he looked seriously angry. He stormed past me and paced for a few minutes before sitting in the chair I had in my corner.

"Where were you last night?" Phil asked.

"I was hanging out with Edward," I explained.

"Edward? Who's Edward?"

"Alice's brother. Remember, I told you she introduced us shopping the other day."

"You also said you weren't going to get attatched to a guy. If this affaects your work, so help me, God, Isabella," Phil started.

"It won't, Phil. We aren't seeing each other. We're friends, that's all. I wouldn't do that. Not after everything you've done for me," I told him.

"That's right. Just don't forget about the congressman. He's your main priority-" just then my cell phone rang. I lunged towards it to look at the number and saw that it was Edward. Before even thinking about it, I picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Bella. What's crack-a-lackin?"

"Well, you know, today is Wednesday, it's supposed to rain, oh, and did you know we have a black president?" I asked, turning around to see Phil frowning at me.

"Wow, you just totally blew my mind. I don't even know what to say right now," he replied. I laughed and he continued. "So, Alice has this friend who's having a major party tonight. I'm not one for parties, but she's dragging me there and I figured, hey, why not make it interesting? So, I was calling to see if you'd possibly want to go with?"

"I'd love to, but I have to work. I'm sorry, I really would like to," I said.

"Meh, it's cool. Another time. Just know I will be blowing up your phone with updates every five minutes," he said. I laughed again and agreed before saying goodbye and hanging up. When I turned back around, Phil was standing at my door. He didn't even look at me when he spoke.

"Cut it off, Bella."

...

The night wasn't that great. I'd had a couple of customers, but not the usual. Edward had kept me updated, as promised, and every time he sent me a text, I couldn't help but think about what Phil had said this morning. He told me to cut it off. I didn't want to, though. Every time I spoke to Edward, I smiled. Maybe I could hang out with him more. Phil didn't have to know, right?

Instead of going straight home, I made a stop at Alice's. Edward answered the door and let me in. He told me that Alice was staying at her friend's house tonight, but would be back in the morning. We got into conversation and he took me up to his room to show me his music collection.

"Oh my God! You have everything!" I said, looking at all of the CDs on his shelves.

"Yeah, I try," he said, plopping down on his bed. I grabbed a MUSE CD and read the back of it. "You like MUSE?" he asked. I nodded, still entranced in the CD. "I pictured you as more of a Brittney Spears/ Demi Levato type girl."

I turned so fast I think it took him by suprise. "Seriously? You're kidding right?" I laughed. I put the CD back where it was and went to sit next to him on the bed. I flicked him as I did so.

"What was that for?" he asked, rubbing his ear and laughing.

"For thinking I like Demi Levato. That is truely an insult," I said staring him down. My glare softened as he tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear. I looked down, suddenly nervous. I'd never been nervous in a situation like this before.

"Can I try something?" he whispered. I looked up and into his eyes. They were soft and trusting. I nodded and he leaned in slowly. His lips touched mine briefly before he pulled back just a little to look at me. I nodded again before leaning in to kiss him for the second time. No customer I had ever had, or ever would have I suspect, could kiss like Edward. It was sweet and soft while passionate at the same time. Before I knew it, I found myself lying on top of him. His arms were wrapped tightly around my waist and my hands were in his hair.

"Edward," I whispered, pulling back. He froze, doing the same thing I had just done, realizing how far we'd taken things.

"Oh my God, Bella, I'm sorry," he said, loosening his hold on me, but not letting go completely. I slid off from on top of him and laid next to him. "I'm usually not so... agressive," he whispered. I laughed a little.

"It's ok. I don't think either one of us really knew how far we were taking it," I said. I started thinking about what Phil told me about guys. This was one strike to prove his point right. But if that's true, why did it feel so right? Edward's voice brought me out of my thoughts.

"Can I ask you a personal question?" he asked. I nodded, playing with his fingers.

"Sure," I whispered.

"Alice told me you'd been through a lot... I figured one of those things was about your parents. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, but I was just going to ask, uhm, what happened?" he asked nervously. I took a deep breath. I was hopping we wouldn't talk about it so soon, but we had to talk about it sometime.

"My parents had a big date night once a month. I was thirteen and they didn't like to leave me alone. That night was actually the first night they left me by myself. I liked being at home alone. It made me feel like a rebel, I guess. I wanted to keep staying at home by myself, so I didn't do anything to jeapordise my privilages. I made my own dinner, watched some TV, and went to bed early. All while they were out on their date night,

"I woke up to a scream and a pop. I had no idea what was going on and," it was getting a lot harder to tell the story. I had only told it twice in my life, so this was a huge step. I told it to the police after it happened and to Alice when I opened up to her. Now I was telling Edward, because I trusted him. My breathing became shallow and the tears started to form. I felt Edward pull me towards him for comfort.

"Bella, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked," he said, rubbing my back.

"No, I want to tell you. I want you to know," I said, looking up at him. His face was sad and he ran his hand along my face, nodding his head.

"Ok," he agreed.

"I walked downstairs to the living room and n-nothing was there. It wasn't until I-I u-until I got t-t-to the kitchen," I blubered. Edward held me tighter and stroked his hand up and down my back. "My dad had been shot. That was the pop I had woken up to. My mom-" I stoped. My mom had been the worst. I would never get the images of either of them out of my head. "My mom had been stabbed to death with a kitchen knife. Someone killed her with her own God damned knife," I sobbed. "It was all my fault," I siad between broken sobs.

"No. Don't you dare say that. You couldn't have done anything," Edward told me.

"Yes, I could have. They were in the house. I could have woken up or something and helped them, but I didn't," I expained.

"Think about it, Bella. If you would have woken up, you may have been killed, too. Nothing was your fault and I don't want to hear you say that again," he told me. I nodded against his chest. He was so sweet. For a little while I even felt like it wasn't my fault, but deep down I knew the truth. I cried for half an hour before I calmed down again. And Edward was there, comforting me the entire time.

"So that's why you live with your uncle?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah," I replied hoarsly. "He took me in after they died. He's been really good to me. I think that's why he's so protective of me. He doesn't want the same thing happening to me that happened to my parents. Their murder was never solved, the person's still out there somewhere," I told him. He took my hand and laced his fingers with mine, pulling it in between both of us. I tucked my head under his chin and closed my eyes.

"Goodnight, pretty girl," he whispered before kissing the top of my head. I was asleep in seconds.

All too soon I was woken up by my phone ringing. Edward rolled over and I crawled over him to my purse. I looked at the caller I.D. to see Phil's name on the screen. Shit I was in trouble.

"Hullo?" I answered groggily. I was laying over Edward and he had both of his arms across my back.

"Where the fuck are you?" Phil answered.

"Sorry, I went to Ali's after work and we fell asleep talking. What's up?" I yawned.

"I have a business propisition for you. I need you to get here," he said. I sighed into the phone.

"Give me twenty minutes," I said and hung up. I got off of Edward and sat cross-legged on the bed. Edward rolled over and turned on the lamp next to his bed.

"Who was that?" he asked.

"My uncle. I have to get home," I told him. He nodded and I stood off of the bed and picked up my purse and shoes. Edward took my hand and kissed it.

"Thank you for telling me," he whispered. I gave him a sad smile and nodded. He pulled me to the edge of the bed and set his hand on my hip. "Come're" he said, pulling me down to sit next to him. I sat and looked at him before bending down to kiss him. I pulled back and smiled.

"Text me when you get home," he whispered. I nodded before pecking his lips one more time. I stood and made my way to his door. "Bella?" he asked, stopping me. I turned around in his doorway. "Is there any way we can do something tomorrow?" I smiled.

"There's a very large possibility. I'll call you, ok?" I asked.

"Ok. Night, Bella," he said.

"Night, Edward," I replied before walking out and down stairs to the front door. I quietly opened and closed it behind me, making my way to my car. I sat in it for a few seconds. I thought about what Phil was going to talk to me about, and I thought about Edward. I was falling fast for him. And that's all I thought about while I drove home.

EPOV

"Goodnight, pretty girl," I told Bella before kissing the top of her head. Her breathing evened out a few minutes later, so I knew she was asleep. I thought about everything she told me tonight. Her parents were murdered when she was thirteen. And for some reason, I didn't think that was all there was to the story. She'd been through so much and was so strong. And she thought it was her fault! She was crazy if she thought anything that happened was her fault. It hurt me to see her in so much pain, but she was strong. I knew she was. Every day I fell for this girl more and more. I watched her sleep before falling asleep myself.

I was woken up by a God awfull noise coming from Bella's purse. The next thing I know, Bella's laying over me with her phone to her ear. I put both of my arms over her back and laid my head back on my pillow. She hung up and I found out that it was her uncle and she needed to go. I kissed her before she left and she told me she'd call me tomorrow to make plans.

I waited up for her, listening to a couple of MUSE songs and playing with some apps on my phone. About fifteen minutes later I got a text from Bella. It read,

I'm home. Thank you for tonight. It was easy to talk to you and I'm glad I talked to you about things. You made it easy and you didn't judge me. You made me feel like it wasn't my fault, and I haven't felt like that in a long time. Thank you. (: -B

I replied,

It wasn't your fault. You're a very strong girl, and I know it's hard sometimes, but I'm here when you need me. You can call me anytime. Goodnight, Bells. -E

And with that, knowing that she was home and safe, I went to sleep.

BPOV

I pulled up to the house and texted Edward really fast. He texted back almost instantly, which made me smile. I got out of the car and walked into the house. Phil was sitting on the couch with some buff looking guy in a very fancy Ricky Martin-type shirt.

"Bella! There you are. Sit downand let's talk some business. This is Demitri Roberts. He's going to be a new business partner," Phil explained.

"Nice to meet you. May I ask what kind of business you run?"

"I own strip clubs all over Washington. You're right, Phil, she's gorgeous. She'd be perfect for our new club," he said. I looked at Phil in question.

"You sing, right, Bella?" Phil asked. I did enjoy singing. I didn't think I was very good, but I was told by others that I was great. I nodded and looked between them.

"That's perfect. Learn this song, and be there Thursday night at ten pm. It'll be your first night. I'll have one of my girls get you an outfit and we'll get you set up for your first preformance. I'll talk to you soon, Phil," Dimitri said before standing, shaking Phil's hand and handing me sheet music. He walked out soon after. I looked at the sheet music. He had given me the perfect stripper song to fit my new stripper career. "Save Me From Myself" sung by Christina Aguilera.

"Thanks for the warning, Phil." I said, throwing the song on the coffee table.

"What the hell's with the attitude? I just got you another job," he said.

"Phil, you've done a lot for me, and I'm really gratefull, but I'm not a stripper!" I yelled.

"Well you don't really have a choice. Be there Thursday, or you're going to be in some deep shit. Now go to bed," he said. I took the music and stomped up to my room.

...

It was Thursday. Today mostly sucked. Mostly meaning the last part of the night. I was supposed to start my new job tonight, but on the upside, it was Edward's eighteenth birthday and I had gotten to spend all day with him. We'd gone out to eat with everyone for lunch and just hung out at his house. Emmett and Jasper were taking him somewhere tonight, but wouldn't tell us where. We figured they were going to a club or something and weren't really worried about it.

I got to the strip club and met Dimitri at the front. We opened in twenty minutes, so he ushered me backstage with one of the girls and she put me in an all too revealing outfit. It was supposed to be fifties related to go with the music, so I was put in a light brown push up bra, and matching boyshorts and fishnets. I was also put in white stiletos. My hair was curled and I was given blood red lipstick to put on. I looked, well, like a stripper. I sighed before going over to Dimitri to gather my new instructions.

"Alright, babe, you look hot. Alright, we're going to start you off slow. All you have out there is a microphone. You're lips and nails are painted the blood red I requested, so work with it. Make love to that microphone. Move around the stage some and make sure you walk around enough to get yourself some money, ok?" he asked. I nodded and walked out onto the stage to stand in front of the mic.

EPOV

It was my eighteenth birthday, and my day was perfect. I got to hang out with my family and my girl all day long. The guys were trying to figure out what we could do tonight to have a guy night.

"Oh, Jazz, there's this new strip club that just opened up! Edward, that's what we're doing," Emmett said, stuffing his face with potaoe chips.

"Em, I don't want to go to a strip club. I don't need to," I told him. Strip clubs grossed me out. I'd never been, but just things I heard about them made me ill. That was someone's daughter dancing on that stage.

"Dude, it's your eighteenth birthday. We're going whether you like it or not..." Jasper said. And, true to their word, at ten thirty we were sitting in a brand spankin' new strip club. There was an old silver microphone set up in the middle of the stage and all of a sudden my eyes were covered.

"What the hell?" I asked.

"It's going to be a surprise. It has to be for your birthday!" Emmett said. They couldn't see it, but I rolled my eyes. Some sentual slow music started and the girl on stage started to sing. She had a great voice, sounding almost exactly like the person who originally sang it. I wasn't a big Christina Aguilera fan, but this song sounded great. It was perfect for a strip club.

"It's. Not. So. Easy.

Loving me.

It get's so complicated,

All the things you've gotta be,"

"Holy," came Jasper's voice.

"Shit," came Emmett's.

"What? What's going on?" I asked taking off the blindfold. I looked up at the stage. There, in almost no clothing, with blood red lipstick and nail polish, looking like sex on a stick, was Bella.

Ok, cliffie, I know! I'm sorry, but it was the perfect way to end it. So what do you think about Bella opening up to Edward? And what do you think Edward will say to Bella in the next chapter? Some more secrets might be revealed, along with some clues to Bella's parent's murder. Possibly... (: Review for me and let me know what you think about this chapter! (:

Thanks for reading always!

-TFW (: