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SM owns all characters, but the story plot is mine. (:

EPOV

"Please tell me that is not my Bella up there," I said to Jasper and Emmett. Why was she doing this? She looked damn good, but this was not something I approved of. Jasper and Emmett just nodded, mouths agape, in total shock. "Stop watching!" I said to both of them and they both turned to face me.

"Edward, why didn't you tell us your girlfriend strips?" Japser asked.

"I didn't know. And she's not my girlfriend..."

"Yet." Emmett muttered. I wanted her to be my girlfriend. If I could ask for anything in the world, that would be it. To have Bella. Just to be with her all the time. I stood after she left the stage, and Emmett and Jasper stood quickly after me.

"What are you doing?" Jasper asked.

"Going back there to talk to Bella," I replied, starting to walk. I needed answers, and I needed them now. Jasper and Emmett blocked me, though. "What the fuck? Get out of my way!" I said, trying to push past them, but Emmett could hold me back.

"You can't go back there. Are you crazy?" Jasper asked.

"Jasper what would you do if it were Alice? Em, what if it were Rose?" I asked them. They looked at each other, then Emmett took his hands off of me. "Thank you," I told them.

"Go back there and ask for the girl who just danced. Tell them you want a private room with her, and give them all the cash in your wallet. When you get to a room, you can talk to her, but wait until the door is fully closed," Emmett explained. I nodded and went through the doors to the back. I saw her as soon as I stepped up to the bouncer.

"Can I help you?" the bald guy asked.

"Uhm, yeah. The girl who just danced, I want a private room with her," I told him.

"How much you got?" he asked, looking at me expectantly. I pulled out my wallet and handed him five hundred in cash. He took it and nodded. He then turned and called over his shoulder, "Bella, you got a private room over here, so change into something nace while I take him to the room." I heard her yell an ok and he led me down a hall into a large room with a bed right smack dab in the middle. "You have two hours, starting from the time she gets in here, got it?" he asked. I nodded and he walked out the door. A few minutes later, Bella walked in, wearing a robe and somethng skimpy under that. She turned and stopped dead in her tracks, eyes going wide, mouth dropping.

"Oh, shit, shit, shit," she said.

BPOV

"Oh, shit, shit, shit," I said, whipping my hand over my mouth after I said it. Edward, the last person I thought I would ever see here, was sitting in front of me. I felt the tears well up in my eyes when I realised I was just a fuck to him. If I wasn't, he wouldn't be here. The tears fell, from embarassment, to shame. I had never felt this way about my job before. He slowly walked towards me.

"Are you crying, Bells?" he asked. I wiped at my eyes and shook my head. "Yes, you are. Come here," he said taking my hands and wraping his arms around me. I stayed as still as a statue in his arms. I had no idea what to do. "What are you doing at a strip joint?" he whispered. I pushed away from him, but he just held tighter. I finally pushed away and looked at him.

"Why does it matter to you? All I am is a cheap fuck, or you wouldn't even be here. I thought you were a good guy. I thought I was starting to mean something to you. But obviously Phil was right. I'll never be anything more than that, will I?" I asked, bawling now.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, confused. "Who's Phil?"

"He's my uncle. And ever since I was thriteen all he's ever told me is guys are after one thing and one thing only. A fuck. And I trusted you, and liked you and thought you were different. But, yet again, I was wrong, because here you stand," I explained. He shook his head the entire time.

"Your uncle told you all you were was a fuck? Bella, you are so much more than that to me-"

"Then why are you here?" I yelled.

"Because I wanted to know why the girl I care about is dancing at a strip club!" he yelled back. I shrugged as the tears fell silently now. He needed to know. Alice knew, and he had already caught me here, so why shouldn't he know?

"Because it's my job. Tonight was my first night here. I usually work for my uncle as a- a hooker," I whispered the last two words and his jaw dropped.

"Your uncle makes you do that?" he whispered back.

"Since I was thirteen. It's all I know. And it probably grosses you out, so you can go now. But it's my job. It's all I know. And my uncle would kill me, literally. He would. He's done so much for me, getting me customers over the years, but if I quit on him, how would I be repaying him for all he's done for me?" I asked. Edward shook his head, his eyes watering now.

"No, Bella, that's not right. He's forced you to do this and then he makes you feel bad because he took you in. You don't have to do that," he told me, looking me in the eye.

"Why are you even still here?" I asked him.

"Because I care about you. A lot. And you aren't just a fuck. And I don't ever want to hear you say that ever again. And as for a job, you can work for my dad if you want. I can get you jobs, but-" he stopped mid sentance as I looked at him. It finally hit me. There was so much that Edward cared about and I was one of those things. Phil was wrong I was more than just a fuck. Because Edward cared about me, and I cared about him. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked.

"Because you care. You actually care," I cried and threw myself into his arms. He held me while I cried and tried to calm me down. I felt wanted and safe, something I hadn't felt since my parents died.

"Of course I care. Bella?" he asked. I nodded. "Two things. One, I don't think you should stay with your uncle anymore. Come stay with us. Alice would be happy to have you, I'm sure. And I know I would... Two, I want to call you more than just someone I'm interested in. I want us to be an us," he said. I nodded against his chest and reached up to kiss his neck. He took my face in both hands and kissed me chastely.

"I need to go get my things from Phil's," I said. He nodded and led me ou tthe door. Jacob, the bouncer was gone, so we headed to the dressing rooms. I changed into jeans and a t-shirt and we made our way to the front. Jasper and Emmett were there waiting, which made me even more embarassed than I already was. We walked out the door without a problem and I never turned back.

I had Emmett pull halfway up Phil's driveway so that he wouldn't see. You could still see my window, though, so if anything happened, they said they'd come after me. I got out and walked up to the house, going straight to my room. Phil followed me.

"Michael Newton called. He wants to see you tomorrow night," he said, looking exhausted. I had a new hatred for him. He'd made me go through this my whole life, and now that I thought about it, it was horrible. There's no telling what harm I'd done to my body.

"Too bad," I told him stuffing clothes into a bag. "I'm done."

"What do you mean 'you're done?' You sure as hell aren't done. And what the fuck are you doing?" he asked, seeing me pack.

"Leaving. I'm not selling myself anymore. It's sick and I'm not just some fuck you can sell on the streets. I'm a person, Phil. I'm your family," I said.

"After all I've-"

"Don't give me that! I'm not phased by it any more! You haven't done anything except ruin my life. I had no friends except Alice and Rosalie, but I realise people care about me. Edward cares about me, and I'm done with this life you've forced me to live," I cried.

"So that's what this is? Did you sleep with him? I told you you were just-"

"I'M NOT A FUCK!" I screamed at him. His eyes went wide with anger and before I even saw it coming, the back of his hand connected with my face and I hit the floor with a yelp.

"Yes you are, and I swear on everything I have that that's all you'll ever be!" he yelled and then kicked me in the ribs. I heard a crack and couldn't breathe. I heard the front door slam and three pairs of footsteps trying to find where to go in the house. "I will kill you before you quit," he said getting on the floor and pulling my hair. My head snapped back to meet his and he leaned in close to my ear. "I'll kill you, just like I killed your parents," he whispered. I gasped and screamed before I heard Edward and Emmett come in, Jasper right behind them.

"Get your hands off of her!" Edward yelled. Phil let go of my hair and my face hit the floor again. I curled into a ball and cried before I felt arms encircle me and pick me up off of the floor. "You son of a bitch. No way in hell are you ever going to lay a hand on her again," Edward said, carying me down the stairs.

"I'll get her. Don't you worry about that," Phil said. His face was the last thing I saw before I blacked out.

EPOV

We saw Bella go down in her bedroom window and all three of us ran. We didn't know exactly where her room was, but when I got there, he had her by the hair whispering something in her ear.

"Get your hands off of her!" I yelled, seeing red. He turned towards me and dropped her, her face hitting the floor. I ran to her as she curled herself into a ball. She was in shock, you could tell. I picked her up and ran her out the door and down the stairs. "You son of a bitch. No way in hell are you ever going to lay a hand on her ever again," I told him.

"I'll get her, don't you worry about that," he said before we walked out and to Emmett's Jeep. Bella had blacked out, but she was still breathing. She already had a mark on her face from where he hit her and it looked bad. There's no telling what else he did to her while we were looking for them. Emmett sped home. Dad needed to look at her as quickly as possible.

"We call the police when we get home," I said angrily. When we pulled up to the house, Alice and Rose were at the front door. They knew something was going on. Alice ran out to me as I carried Bella up the driveway.

"Edward, what happened?" she whispered. I glared at her, knowing she'd known and hadn't told me anything. She cowered back at my glance.

"I know everything," I gritted through my teeth. She started to cry a little, but I didn't care. All I was worried about was getting Bella looked at. "Dad!" I yelled up the stairs as I pushed everything off of the coffee table in the living room. I put bella there on her back as my dad and mom came down the stairs.

"Edward? What's going on?" he asked looking at Bella.

"I need you to look her over. She was beaten and I need to know if she's going to be ok. Just tell me she'll be ok!" I yelled, frantic that she wouldn't be. I was now losing my cool, and instead of being angry I was scared shitless. My dad nodded and my mom took my hand. He poked and prodded around on her until he came to her ribs.

"Edward, I need your permission to lift her shirt. I think her ribs may be broken," my dad said calmly. I nodded and he did so, showing the black and blue right side of my girlfriend. I almost threw up at the sight. He nodded in conformation. "Two are broken. I'm going to need to wrap this. And it would probably be best if I did it while she was still unconsious," he said. I nodded as he instructed Emmett to go retrieve the wrap from his bag. Emmett left and was back within seconds. My dad carefully wrapped her ribs and had me take her up to my room. I put her gently on the bed and covered her up. Alice walked in and shut the door quietly behind her. I ignored her until she came and sat next to me. We sat there for a couple of minutes before she spoke.

"So you know," she whispered. I nodded. "I'm sorry-"

"I don't want to hear it, Alice. I just want to sit here, with her, until she wakes up. I want to make sure she's ok and not scared when she does. And I really don't want to talk about this right now," I told her. She nodded and stood, walking back to my door. Before she left she spoke again.

"You're good for her. She'll be safe with you," she told me, closing the door behind her. And, for the first time since I found out, since I saw Bella get hit, since I was worried sick about her, I cried. Happy fucking eighteenth birthday, Edward.

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-TFW