A/N: Hey! I'm back! I want to thank all my readers and reviewers! You guys rock! And Morgan, you're the best! And I also want to let you guys know that we're getting close to the end. I never intended for this to be a super long story. I'm not saying the next chapter is the last. But I am telling you it will probably be around ten chapters, maybe eleven. I have everything all planned out. I just have to write it!

Disclaimer: SMeyer owns Twilight, not me!

BPOV

I didn't move from my bed after James left. Just curled in a ball and cried. Charlie got home in the late afternoon, knocking on my bedroom door. I told him I was just tired and was going to rest. He didn't even bother to come in the room to check on me. Just retreated down the stairs and left me locked in my own personal prison.

That's how Edward found me hours later. The blood from my nose dried on my face from when James punched me while he raped me. Or "made love," as he called it. The dried blood on my thighs covered by just the thin sheet on my bed. Tears streaked my face. My pajama pants and underwear still on the floor where James threw them.

I could tell he didn't know what to say. He just quietly and carefully picked me up and carried me, bridal style, to the bathroom where he turned on the water, filing the tub a few inches.

Charlie was asleep in his room down the hall so Edward and I didn't speak. He slowly set me in the tub, not worried that I still had my t-shirt on, and grabbed a washcloth from the cabinet. Dipping it in the water, he dabbed at my face, carefully washing the blood away. I stayed silent. Not in embarrassment of being half naked in front of him. But because I was too ashamed to say anything. James has only "made love," to me twice before. Once when we first got together. And once a year ago. The first time I wanted to. That was before he started hitting me.

Edward kept washing the blood from my body, as gentle as ever. After a moment, he finally set the washcloth in the water, looking me in the eyes.

"I've got a plan Izzy. But you're gonna have to trust me, okay?" he whispered, pushing my hair behind my ears.

"He's gonna kill me Edward. Because of your fight, he knows you know. He's gonna kill me," I said as quietly as I could, careful not to wake Charlie.

"No, he's not. I won't let him. You gotta trust me. I'm gonna get you outta here safely. Okay?"

I just nodded my head, eyes filled with fear. Edward helped me out of the tub and wrapped my fluffy terry cloth robe around me, leading me back into my room. He turned his back while I put some clean clothes on.

The rest of the night was spent finalizing his plans.

******************

EPOV

It's Monday morning. I haven't seen Izzy since Saturday night when I told her my plan. She agreed immediately. But only if we waited a few weeks. She said she needed more time with Charlie. And to hopefully let my fight with James blow over so it's not too obvious what happened. Reluctantly, I agreed. I just hope James leaves her alone the next few weeks. I want to get her away from him. Not end up in prison for murdering him.

"Oh my God, Bella, what happened?" I heard Angela Weber shriek. I glanced over to their group from my spot on the hood of Emmett's GTO. Emmett and Rose were inside the car, arguing yet again while Alice and Jasper poked fun at them through the windows.

The first thing I saw was Bella limping over to Tyler's van where they were congregated. The next thing I noticed was the large bruise above her top lip, the black eye around her left eye, and the big gash stitched up on her forehead. Her right arm was also tucked tight against her stomach, meaning he probably got to her again yesterday.

"I fell down the stairs the other day." She was so quiet I couldn't hear her, but I read her lips.

"Are you okay?" Jessica asked, placing a hand n Bella's shoulder. Bella flinched away, scared of anyone's touch at this point.

"Yeah, she's fine. My girl's tough. She'll be okay!" James said, smiling brightly, throwing his arm around Bella's shoulder and pulling her tight to his side. How could these people that call themselves her friends not notice the look of pure terror on her face whenever James was around?

Rolling my eyes at their supposed concern and sympathy for her, I caught James looking at me. Seeing the glare in his eyes and my promise to Bella to lay low the next couple weeks, I ducked my head and hopped off Emmett's car, heading inside the school with my friends as the first bell rang. We split up once inside; Alice, Emmett, and I heading to first period history. Rose and Jasper headed to gym together.

"Hey guys, can you come over tonight? I need to talk to you about something," I said as we stopped at Alice's locker.

"Sure, I can pick up Rose and Jasper after dinner and we can swing by!" Emmett suggested. Emmett and Alice lived next door to each other so they were always at each other's houses.

"No, just you two if you don't mind," I said quickly. Alice and Emmett exchanged confused glances, agreed, and entered the classroom in front of me.

Halfway through class I felt a tap on my shoulder. We were in the middle of a slideshow presentation. I turned around to see Alice leaning forward, Emmett scooting his desk to the right to hear her.

"Edward, what's going on?" she whispered.

"You can't wait till tonight?" I asked back, glad we were in the back of the room.

"You looked freaked out a minute ago. What do you have to tell us?" she asked.

"Alice, I promise, I'll tell you everything tonight. Relax!"

"No, Eddie, I agree with Pixie here. Something's not right," he said, trying to whisper. He isn't very good at it.

"Mr. McCarty, do you have something to add to the class?" the teacher asked loudly from the front of the room.

"Uh…no maam…Sorry!" he stammered, moving his desk back to its original place and ending our conversation.

******************

That Night:

It was just after midnight. Bella was cowering in my connected bathroom, scared to come out and face the people in my room. I didn't blame her. I would be scared of Emmett too.

"Alice, Emmett, I need to tell you something. I asked just the two of you to come over because I know I can trust the two of you more than anyone. Not that I can't trust Rose or Jazz; it's just, it's been the three of us since we were kids and I can trust you with my life. Or with the most important thing in my life," I stuttered, nervous as hell. Alice sat on my bed, crinkling her eyebrows in confusion. Emmett sat at my computer desk with no emotion on his face.

"Eddie, what the hell are you talking about?" he asked bluntly.

"Well, for the past couple of years, I've been hiding something from you. You know Isabella Swan?" I asked, both of them nodding, "Well, we're friends. And no one knew. No one could know. We couldn't tell anyone."

I stopped there, letting them digest what I just said.

"What do you mean you couldn't tell anyone? Because of James?" Alice asked, wringing her hands.

"Yes, because of James. James Miller isn't the guy everyone thinks he is. There's no easy way to say this, no way to sugarcoat it, so I'm just gonna say it. James hurts Bella. He hits her, and beats her, and does horrible things to her. And I'm the only other person to know," I blurted out. Alice's eyes went wide in shock as Emmett just looked mad.

"Edward, this isn't funny. You're joking right?" Alice choked out. I just shook my head, walking over to my bathroom door. I slowly opened it a little bit, sticking my head in.

"Izzy, you can come out now," I whispered, taking her hand and leading her into my room. She had purposely worn a pair of shorts and a tank top when she snuck over to my house so they could see her wounds. Upon seeing the large fingerprints on her neck from when he choked her, Alice burst into tears. Emmett clenched his fists.

"Bella, I'm so sorry," Alice cried, standing to hug her. Bella instinctively moved away, standing behind me to avoid her touch.

"Alice, Izzy is a little wary of people. I'm sure you can understand," I told her.

"That stupid motherfucker. I knew something was off about him! I'm gonna fucking murder him!" Emmett said through clenched teeth.

"No! You can't!" Bella cried out.

"Are you kidding? Do you see what he's done to you? What else has he done that we can't see? How long has this been going on? And why the fuck doesn't the Chief know about this sick son of a bitch?" Emmett asked, straining to keep from yelling. After calming him down, Bella and I, mainly me, explained her history with James. We showed them the current bruises she has, including the fist shaped one on her stomach, and the boot print on her ribs. We also told them of how it started. How he threatened to kill her if she ever told anyone.

"He said he'd kill you?" Alice asked, tears spilling out of her eyes again. She just nodded, tears of her own falling.

"Guys, that's why we asked you here. James knows I know. I blew it when I fought him the other night. Bella is in danger," I said quietly, rubbing her back softly.

"Well, let's go. Alice and Bella can go talk to the Chief. You and me will go get him and drag his ass to the station, beating him on the way there!" Emmett suggested, standing from his spot at the computer and heading to the door.

"Emmett! No one will believe us!" I said. He stopped with his hand on the doorknob, turning slowly to look at me like I was crazy.

"Why not? Look at her! How can anyone not believe us?"

"Don't you get it? Don't you see how this entire town, including my own father, treats him? They think he was God's given gift to them. And no matter what I say, James will have an excuse ready, just like he always does," Bella explained, strangely calm now, "No, it has to be this way. Just please trust Edward. He's only trying to save me. Please."

"Alright, fine, what's the plan?" Emmett asked, sitting down next to Alice on the bed.

"Alice, while I tell Em our plan, will you go in the bathroom with Bella? She needs a favor," I told her, handing her a Polaroid camera as she stood. She looked at the camera in her hands, not sure what was about to happen, and followed Bella into the bathroom.

******************

BPOV

"Bella, I'm sorry," Alice whispered when I shut the door behind her. Ever since Edward told me of his plans, I had become strangely calm and a little more confident of my future. For so long I had been so sure I would end up dead by James' hands.

"Thank you for your concern. But if everything goes as planned, I'll be okay," I told her.

"So what did you need me to do?"

"I need you to take polaroids of all my bruises," I said quietly.

"Why?" she questioned.

"Just in case. Alice, I know we don't know each other that well. But Edward trusts you. And I trust Edward with my life, obviously. So I trust you. I need you to promise me that if anything happens, if I don't make it out of this town alive, that you will take these pictures to Charlie. If James kills me, I want Charlie to know the truth."

"Oh Bella," Alice cried.

"Promise me Alice. I can't die and let James get away with it," I begged.

"Okay," she nodded, "Okay. What all do you need pictures of?"

I shrugged off my tank top, slipped my shorts off, and stood in front of Bella in just a pair of panties and a sports bra. Alice gasped at the bruises once again. For the next twenty minutes, Alice took pictures of everything. She got the fist sized bruise on my stomach. And the boot shaped bruises across my ribs. Next came the gash on my forehead. And the black eye. And the bruise above my lip. After that was the bruising on my inner thighs. And the scars on my back from when James hit me with an electrical cord about a year ago. When we were done I took a black pen and wrote on the bottom of each Polaroid where that specific bruise or scar was and how and when it occurred. Alice went and got an envelope from Edward's desk and brought it back to me. I sealed the pictures in the envelope, along with a letter to Charlie I wrote the night before. I knew if James killed me and Alice gave him this envelope that I wanted to be able to explain what happened.

"Did you get everything?" Edward asked me when I walked back into his room. I nodded my head, taking a seat on the floor by his feet.

"So I explained everything to Emmett and we caught Alice up quickly. Look guys, you have to swear to me you won't tell a soul. Not unless James gets to us before we can get out. We're leaving tomorrow night. After everyone goes to sleep. I'm gonna sneak her out of her house to my car. We've already got everything packed and ready to go in my trunk. I'll probably ditch my car at the next town and buy a cheap clunker with some of my savings. Bella withdrew most of her savings from her bank too. We've got enough to keep us going for a little while," Edward explained.

"Bella, Edward, here, take this," Alice mumbled, reaching into her purse for something. She then handed Edward a bundle of money.

"Why the hell do you have this much cash in your purse?" Edward asked, grabbing the money. There was at least a couple thousand dollars there.

"I got a bad feeling today when you asked us to come over. Somehow I knew you would need it. So I stopped at the ATM on my way home. Daddy always kept my bank account loaded," she shrugged.

"Alice, we can't take this," I said.

"Yes you can. You need it more than me. Besides, I'd probably just spend it on shoes and I've already got way too many to begin with!" she laughed.

"Thank you Al," Edward whispered.

"Eddie, I've got an idea. Forget that clunker you talked about getting at the next town. As soon as James notices both of you gone, he's gonna start looking for you. The next town is the first place he'll go," Emmett said, making sense, "Instead, tomorrow night, Alice and I will be waiting for you at the highway in my car. When you get there, we'll trade cars. My GTO is way faster than your little Volvo. You won't have to stop except to get gas. You can get further away faster!"

"Emmett, we can't take your car! What are you gonna tell everyone?" Edward asked him.

"I'll say it got stolen. And I'll dump your car just outside of town!" Emmett answered.

"What about the license plate Em? Can't they be tracked through your license plate?" Alice asked.

"No biggie. I've got an old license plate in my garage that I found in the road one day when I was a kid. Knew it would be useful someday!" he said, chuckling.

******************

The Next Night:

Today had been horrible. All I could think about was leaving. And James could tell something was up. He didn't leave my side at all. He barely let anyone else talk to me at school. On the way home, he asked me what was going on. I actually rolled my eyes at him. I knew he would hit me when we got to my house but for some reason I didn't really care. I knew I would be gone tonight. I cooked dinner for him and Charlie. I made Charlie's favorite; chicken spaghetti. It was my last night with him. I actually didn't mind sitting in the living room watching TV with him after dinner. James left around nine. I stayed up with Charlie until eleven when he went to bed. I faked being tired too and locked myself in my room. I had an hour to prepare. I quickly changed my clothes into dark jeans and a long sleeve black shirt, throwing a black hoodie on over it, my black converse on my feet. I checked my backpack, making sure I had the last few minute things I needed; my wallet, the cash Alice gave me, my cell phone, and a few girly essentials like deodorant, hair bands, toothbrush, and toothpaste. I then sat down at my desk to write a note to Charlie. Edward and I decided to leave our parents with a sliver of the truth. Edward was going to tell his parents he ran away to help a friend but wasn't going to name me. I scribbled a note to Charlie, giving him my excuse.

Charlie,

I'm sorry. I can't tell you where I went. But I'm gone and you won't be able to find me. I had to leave. There was just too much pressure living here. I couldn't go on letting everyone think I was happy. I can't live up to the image of the Chief's daughter and the girlfriend of the town hero. I can't do it anymore.

Charlie, Dad, please know that I do love you. I always will. No matter what happens to me, please know that. Remember me as your daughter that loves you.

Bella

Finishing the letter, I placed it on my pillow, realizing it was time to go. I grabbed my bag and quietly opened my door, listening for Charlie's snores. Hearing them, I closed the door and crossed the room to my window. Easing it open, I noticed Edward standing below it, ready for me. I tossed him my bag and slowly climbed out, climbing down the tree. Without a word, Edward and I ran to his car that was parked down the street and took off for the highway where Emmett and Alice were waiting. Right before the entrance to the highway there is a little turn off that is a dirt road dead end. Emmett's car was at the end. When we pulled up, we noticed Rosalie and Jasper waiting with Emmett and Alice.

"Emmett, what's going on?" Edward asked as we got out of his car.

"I couldn't keep this from them Eddie. It wasn't right and you know it. Bella, I swear to you on my grandmother's grave that they won't tell anyone."

Edward, Emmett, and Jasper were grabbing our bags from his trunk, moving them over to Emmett's car as I stood huddled with Alice and Rosalie in the cold. I didn't know Rosalie or Jasper but if Edward trusted them that was enough for me.

"Bella, I'm sorry I didn't notice anything before it got to this," Rose whispered to me, rubbing my arm.

"It's okay Rosalie. You didn't know. No one did. It's better this way though. Now I can get free and Charlie won't have to know what happened."

"Eddie, Rose and Jasper have something for you," Emmett said, everyone standing in a circle together.

"Here Edward, you guys need this," Jasper said, handing him an envelope. He opened it up and I saw another wad of cash.

"You guys, seriously, you can't do this," I said, trying to grab the envelope from Edward.

"No, Izzy, it's okay. They want to do this. Besides, it's gonna help get us new identities. We're gonna need them if we want to stay hidden," Edward replied, Alice and Rose crying quietly.

"Edward, be careful, please. I know you have to do this. But I'm gonna miss you. I'll miss you too Bella, even though we didn't know each other," Alice cried, hugging both of us.

"Alice, we'll stay in touch somehow. I will find a way to make sure you guys know we're okay without James being able to find us. Don't worry," Edward reassured her before taking my hand.

"You ready?" he asked me. I took a long look at him before glancing at his friends.

"Gimme a minute. I need to talk to your friends privately. I'll be in the car in a minute," I said. Edward went around and hugged each of his friends before getting in the driver's seat of Emmett's car.

"I want to thank all of you. I know we don't know each other. But I trust you because Edward trusts you. And I trust Edward with my life. Otherwise, I would probably be dead soon. And I know you didn't have to do so much for us. But you are. So thank you. You're helping to save my life," I told them, tears sliding from my eyes. Alice stepped forward and gave me a hug.

"I might not have known you before Bella, but I know you now. And I know you're going to be just fine. You're a survivor Bella. And you're strong. You may not know it, but you are. You're gonna be fine. And so is Edward. One day you'll come back to us, I've seen it!" Alice said, pointing to her temple.

"You've seen it?" I questioned.

"Don't ask Bella. Just trust," she replied, stepping over to Edward's Volvo. Jasper and Rosalie gave me a quick hug, asking me to be safe. Emmett stepped up to me next.

"So, Alice is right you know. You two will be back one day. She knows these things. All our lives she's been able to see things happen before they actually do. So don't say goodbye to us Bella. Say I'll see you later," he said quietly, hugging me quickly. The tears came faster then, knowing these people were doing so much for me without even knowing me.

"I'll see you later," I whispered, opening the passenger door and getting in the car. As Edward pulled away I turned in my seat to watch the four people standing there watching us drive away from their lives. I would be forever grateful to them. When we turned onto the highway I finally turned back around in my seat and buckled my seatbelt, ready for whatever the road chose to throw at us.