I'm glad you guys supported Edward's decision to step in with Emmett. She needed the help, and he'd do anything to help her...

Like I said, there's only one more thing that I have to do. You're not going to like it, but it's for the best.

Song: The xx - Intro

. . . . . . . . . .

"Cut!" Marcus called. "Edward, that was great, but I want you to try going again, this time starting three feet to the left. I didn't like that shadow. Make-up! I want a touch up on them. And Jane, that was good, but you're blinking too much," he told her.

"It's these contacts. My eyes are already brown, does it really matter that they're a few shades darker than this?"

He didn't even answer, it wasn't the first time she'd complained about it. She should be used to contacts by now. I stayed still, hunching over a bit so the short woman could touch up my face, before thanking her with a smile.

"You're nice to the fucking lackeys, why can't you be sweet like that with me?" She asked lightly, fluttering her eyelashes. I don't know how no one else could see the little fucking demon hiding behind her eyes, they all believed her act.

God, she was blinking too much, it was going to drive me crazy now that I'd noticed it.

"It's a respect thing Jane. I was nice to you when you were respectful, now I have no reason to be."

"Stop playing hard to get Edward."

"Do you seriously have no idea how fucking pathetic you're being?"

"I was only teasing," she said with a pout. It was an act, and I just laughed.

"Places people!"

We shot the scene eight times because of Blinky, and I was in great shape so I didn't mind running down the street over and over again. Jane was a sweaty mess though.

She only looked like she was in good shape, and I don't know how her trainers hadn't gotten her ready for this. It was all part of the job. I saw what she had for breakfast too, a fucking orange. I was surprised she hadn't passed out yet.

I was practically drooling just remembering the leftover stir fry Bella had packed me for lunch. I ate it at ten this morning because I was so damn hungry, not being able to save it. Her work load had gone down by almost fifty percent with her new job as Jane's stunt double, not having to train Cloe, and worked half days a lot now.

Bella thought it was cool that her name was going to be in the credits twice. She was more excited about the credits than the actual movie I think, fucking weirdo. God I loved her.

And I loved working with her. As we got into the bigger scenes, we'd been spending a lot of time together. Because she was the stunt choreographer. She trained me in all of the fighting moves I had to do, same with Jane. That Newton fucker was always helping her though, and I still didn't like the way he was around her. I didn't like the way Jane watched her either though.

I loved that she seemed to like bringing me lunch. She was always so thoughtful about what she made too, keeping low in fats and high in carbs and protein, because it's what I needed. I would have loved a burger but knew it would have sat wrong all day in this heat.

That and I didn't know any burger places that served at ten in the morning.

Damn it, I still really wanted one.

I went back to my changing room to rest for a bit, cool down since I was done early for the day. It was barely past noon. Bella wouldn't finish for another three hours though, she was bossing around Newton in the green room today.

I dropped down on the cool leather couch, sighing as my head dropped back. I was fucking tired, four hours of sleep did shit all for me, and I didn't see the harm in taking a nap while I could.

Someone walked in without knocking on the door, but to my disappointment it wasn't my fiancé.

I groaned when my annoying shadow dropped down next to me on the couch. I knew that perfume too well now, and didn't even have to open my eyes. It was sweet and fruity, but way too strong. Bella never wore perfume, she smelt like fruit but it was from her shampoo, moisturizing cream, that sort of stuff. Going into the bathroom after she had a shower was like walking into a fucking fruit salad, it was awesome.

"Get out," I said irritably through clenched teeth.

She just laughed, and the couch didn't shift again. I sighed in annoyance. Should have locked the damn door.

"What do you want?" I asked in a tired moan.

"I want you to stop being such an asshole to me," she said curtly, and the tone of her voice took me by surprise. I opened my eyes and looked over at her, and she looked both pissed, and thrilled.

"Give me a reason to," I said with a laugh, laying back again and trying to pretend like she wasn't there. Wonder what Marcus would say if I called security on my co-star…

She laughed, and the sound gave me goosebumps.

"Okay, fine. How's Bella doing?"

"She's-"

I froze. I felt the blood drain from my face, and my body went cold. I sat up, and looked at her warily.

She had victory written all over her face.

"Such a shame, what happened. I can see why she'd want to keep it a secret. Imagine how embarrassing that would be, the whole world finding out that she'd been ruined by that freak. And then all those girls… living with their deaths on her shoulders must take quite a toll on her, but imagine how much worse it would be if the whole world knew who she really was."

"What do you want?" I hissed angrily, getting up and putting a bit of distance between us. She smiled.

"You know what I want," she said coyly.

"Don't you have any fucking self-respect?" I asked in disbelief. I knew she was a crazy bitch, but this seemed extreme even for her.

"I always get what I want Edward, and I do what I have to do to get it," she said with an easy shrug of her shoulder.

"You're pathetic."

"You really want to insult me right now?" She taunted.

"It's not going to happen."

"I thought you loved this girl? You put that big ring on her finger and treat her like a fucking princess, but you're going to subject her to all that pain? Because I'll have this story on TMZ by tomorrow."

"You're bluffing."

"No, I'm not. You walk out that door and it's done," she said with a sweet smile.

I started pacing, trying to keep my breathing even while she watched me like a shark. She knew she had me trapped.

This would kill Bella, she was finally starting to get a bit better. Emmett had visited for a couple days alone, and she'd been floating on cloud nine the entire time. She was getting better with her therapy, and… I think she might have even started writing again. Or taking computer programming or something. She was always on her laptop, typing, but she didn't want to talk about it. She just said she was working on some 'home work' that Sib had given her.

That in itself was a big step for her, standing up to me and saying no, keeping a secret from me. I knew it was hard for her, that her guilt made it near impossible.

Having her life thrown out into the open like that… I had no doubt it would destroy all the progress she'd made. I couldn't let that happen.

But the only way to prevent that would be to… No, I just couldn't do that.

I needed to talk to Bella, but I knew that wasn't going to happen. I knew what would happen if I left this room, or even picked up my phone.

The realization that there was no good outcome for this settled over me, leaving me cold and numb.

I had to choose the lesser of the two evils though… I needed to protect her secret.

"So what, you want me to fuck you?" I asked, not attempting to disguise the disgust in my voice, because there was no way I'd be able to do that.

"No, I just want you to kiss me," she said gleefully.

I thought about it for a long moment as I glared at her. Weighing the options though, just kissing Jane was a lot fucking easier to live with then the idea of Bella's life being thrown to the sharks. I could do it, then get out of here, find her, tell her, and we could find some fucking leverage to use over Jane so she wouldn't leak. She'd forgive me for this.

"Fine."

I grabbed her by the arms, yanking her to her feet, and kissed her. I wasn't gentle, and hoped that I fucking bruised her. I'd never wanted to hurt a woman like this before, not even Tanya, but I really, really fucking wanted to.

"No, kiss me like you kiss her."

"No."

"Do you really mean that?"

I swallowed back the acid in my throat as I leaned in, gently kissing her, trying to pretend it was Bella. It didn't work, it was all wrong, and I wouldn't have been embarrassed at all if I threw up in her mouth. Actually, I'd really rather prefer to do that.

"Touch me," she breathed, and I wrapped my arms around her, sliding my hands down her sides. She was too fucking skinny, I could feel her bones.

"Sorry, don't mean to interrupt," a voice said from behind me, and I dropped my hold on Jane instantly as I spun to face Bella. I hadn't even heard the door open. She was standing in the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest.

She looked… way too calm.

"Baby, this what it looks like," I choked out, knowing the words were useless but not having any others to offer her. She didn't meet my eyes, she was looking at Jane.

"Really? Then what was it?"

"She knows, she was going to leak it to the press, I was just-"

"Knows what?"

"About Victor."

"Hmm." She walked over to us, still not looking at me, even when she spoke to me.

"Move Edward."

"B-"

"Now."

I stepped to the side, and Jane's face became wary as she took a step back from Bella. She matched it, she matched Jane's every step with a calm eeriness that frightened me until she had Jane backed up against the wall.

"I gave you a warning. I'm not a 'three strikes and you're out' type of girl. You ruined your chance. So here's what's going to happen; I'm going to break your fucking nose, and maybe your jaw if I feel like it. Maybe even a few ribs and an arm. I'm not going to do it today though, I'm not going to even tell you when. Just know that someday soon, when you're least expecting it, you're going to be walking, maybe smiling or laughing, maybe with a big group of people or while you're all alone, and then I'll just be there, and it's going to fucking hurt. So, get in contact with whoever built your last fucking nose and set a date for a few months from now, because I'm going to ruin your fucking face. I'll ruin your entire fucking life, and I'll be smiling as I do it." She leaned in, and whispered something to her that I couldn't hear.

All the blood had drained from Jane's face, she looked ready to faint and was trembling against the wall as she watched Bella with wide eyes. Bella didn't say another word, and just turned around, walking out of the room.

"I'll do it! I swear! Everyone's going to know who you are by tomorrow!" Jane threatened, getting a bit of courage back when Bella's back was turned. Bella just laughed, not even pausing in her stride.

I ran after her, almost tripping over a box of my favourite donuts from the bakery that was across town. She had dropped them on the floor, and left them there.

"B, wait!" I shouted. She stopped, turning to look at me with empty eyes.

"What?"

"I- I'm sorry."

"Okay," she said, and I waited for her to yell at me, slap me, cry, or something, but she just watched me. I frowned in confusion.

"Aren't you mad?"

Her neutral mask cracked as she looked at me, and though it was only a glimpse, the betrayal and pain I saw was enough to make me choke.

"I don't know. Maybe now we're even," she said quietly with a slight shrug of her shoulder. I froze in shock, anger, and disbelief.

"What?" I hissed. She'd cheated on me?

"You saw me kiss Victor, and now I had to see that." She looked down at her left hand with watering eyes. "Though, in my defense, when I let him kiss me, I thought you were dead. I thought I was too late, and I thought I was going to die. Letting him kiss me was my only chance at trying to avenge you."

I stared at her in shock. She'd never said that before. Neither of us had ever even mentioned that kiss to each other.

Because I already knew without words that the only reason she had done it was to kill him. I saw it.

"Bella-"

"You should have told me. I would rather you took the risk of letting it leak and told me instead of doing that. You could have just told me."

"I was trying to protect you."

"Well, you didn't. Anything would have been better than that. She was going to tell them either way Edward, no matter what you did. She was just trying to fuck with you, and you bought it."

She turned and walked away, leaving me frozen in place.

. . . . . . . . . .

She wouldn't answer her phone when I called. And I called. A lot. Constantly. I just called over and over, hoping to wear her out and get some sort of response. Anything.

It kind of worked.

Please stop calling me, I'm not ready to talk to you. Go home without me.

I sat in my truck for hours, but eventually, I listened. But only under the vain hope that she'd be home too, my chances of running into her were better there than here.

She wasn't home though. I sat in the living room, in the dark, just feeling completely lost. I jumped almost two feet off of the couch when my phone vibrated, but it was Emmett, not Bella.

"Em-"

"What the fuck happened? Why is she doing this?" He demanded loudly.

"What?"

"Why'd she do it Cullen?! She didn't even call me first and-"

"Woah, Emmett, you've already lost me. Did she call you? Do you know where she is? What did she do?"

"She… she didn't tell you." It was a statement, not a question.

"Tell me what?" I was seriously starting to lose my shit here.

"Turn to a news channel, MTV, or ETalk, TMZ. Anything. Just do it."

I didn't hang up, I just reached for the remote and turned on the TV, only to be met immediately by Bella's stunning face. She was sitting on a pretty black leather couch, dressed in a pair of grey, torn jeans that looked like they were painted on her, and a blue lace top over a white camisole under her black leather jacket. She was wearing her black Harley ankle boots and had her hair up in a messy bun. No make-up.

This wasn't Bella putting on a show, that was my Bella on that couch, sitting next to Marcus, across from Heidi Recetti from TMZ.

"-with world-renowned director and producer, Marcus Volturi, along with Ms. Bree Tanner, the woman who came out of thin air and took Hollywood by storm mere months ago."

Bella smirked. "That's putting it a little dramatically I think," she said with a bit of a laugh. "People were only curious because my fiancé and I had been refusing interviews."

She said fiancé, so at least she wasn't there telling people she'd left me.

"Yet here you are today," the reporter said with a bright smile.

"Yes, well, I figured this would be best to just get out of the way, and what better way than to sit and talk with you Heidi? You were by far the politest in your requests to meet with me, and I really respect your professionalism."

I felt the blood drain out of my face.

No, no no no, she wouldn't-

"Well, I'm truly honored. But, let's get to business. Why are you here today Bree?"

Bella looked at Marcus, who put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

That should have been me.

"Well, my name isn't actually Bree."

Heidi stared at her in disbelief, looking like she was waiting for a punch line, but none came.

"Then what is it?"

She was the picture of cool, calm, and collected as she answered her.

"My name is Bella Swan. Though I've been known by a lot of names over the years. Maria Dwyer, Stephanie McCarty, Samantha Nolan, and most recently Bree Tanner."

It only took Heidi a few seconds to compose herself, to her credit, before she snapped into action.

"Why? Why all the names, different identities? Were you hiding from the law?"

Bella gave her a sad smile. "No. You see, when I was thirteen I was attacked. I was abducted from my home, assaulted, and thrown out of a moving van on the highway. I survived, and I wrote my story to try to help find and bring justice to my attacker. Unfortunately, I only made it worse. I changed my story because my ending was not a happy one."

"And I took that story, and made it into a film. You would know it as The Hunter."

"Bel-… Isabella Swan?" She gasped, and Bella tried to hide her wince at hearing her full name. I knew she hated it. "You were Victor Hunter's brunette," she stated quietly, and flinched under Bella's angry gaze.

Bella didn't snap at her though, to my surprise. I knew being called Victor's anything would have easily been enough to send her into a spiral, but instead, she just nodded, looking defeated.

"So, you see, I was in witness protection for a long time, hence all of the names."

"But why carry on with the charade until now? Why didn't you end it all when he died?"

"A few reasons. There are a lot of people that hold grudges because of the screenplay I wrote, who blame me for all those women dying. Just before I turned seventeen, the father of one of Victor's other victims tracked down my family, broke into my home, and my father died taking a bullet to save me. I don't blame him, any of them, for their hatred. It sickens me that so many women died for the sole reason of looking like me, and ending up in his path. And then, this is not a story I ever wanted to share. I've been looked at like a victim for most of my life, and it is something that I detest. I was scared. I didn't want the looks or the pity."

"I can't imagine how difficult it must have been to come here and share that," the reporter said in a thick voice. "I have to ask though, why now? Why did you decide to share this at all?"

"Because it was hurting people I loved, and I'm not naïve enough to think it wouldn't come out eventually."

"How could it hurt someone?" She asked in confusion.

"Someone outside of my circle of friends and family found me out. They used this, the threat of leaking my story, to blackmail people I care about into doing things they didn't want to do. Telling you myself takes away their power."

"Edward?" I heard Emmett's voice calling, but it sounded so far away. I just stared at the TV in disbelief.

Bella had gone on live television and faced her deepest, darkest fear. Something she never wanted to do, and something I never wanted her to suffer through.

I'd failed in protecting her from that. She was there because of me. I knew she was right, and thinking on it now... I'd been a fool to think we could have gotten through this with her secret intact with this big of a spotlight on us.

I could still hear Emmett shouting from the phone that was lying next to me on the couch, but I just picked it up and hit the end call button.

I couldn't have said anything to him if I tried. I had nothing. I felt like I was drowning.

Bella's interview was playing on repeat it seemed, and I had to turn off the TV because I couldn't handle watching it again yet.

She walked in on that, then left pretty much saying she deserved it, then went on live television to break Jane's leverage on me.

Bella was right.

I should have just taken the chance and talked to her.

But instead I… Jesus Christ.

The alarm system beeped to inform me that the gate had opened, and I flew off of the couch, sprinting to the door. A black Mercedes pulled up to the front, and I watched Bella step out of the front passenger seat, and then let Zeus out of the back before waving and walking up the front steps. She was holding this giant, stuffed, purple unicorn, and it only took me a few seconds to remember where I'd seen it before. She'd gone to see Sib, on her own, before coming home.

She'd never gone to see her without me before, I took her to every single one of her appointments because I knew how painfully difficult and taxing they were for her, and I always had my appointments on the same day, just after her.

I opened the door before she could key the code, and she flinched away in surprise.

Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy, her nose was red, she was incredibly pale, and she was trembling.

She looked down quickly, then stepped around me to get inside without touching me.

"Bella, I-"

"Please don't," she said in a weak, trembling voice, clinging to the fucking unicorn. "I just… I can't handle any more today. I'm going to sleep in one of the guest rooms tonight."

"No, I can sleep in a different room if you-"

"I don't want to sleep in that bed," she said curtly, then ran up the stairs without a backward glance, Zeus hot on her heels.

I was physically incapable of leaving her like that.

But I didn't deserve to be near her either.

I walked quietly up the stairs, and then folded myself down on the floor, leaning against the wall next to her door.

I couldn't think, I just let myself drown in the painful, numbing silence.

. . . . . . . . . .

Sooo… thoughts anyone? Either about Jane, Edward's decision, Bella's threat, her admittance about why she let victor kiss her, or her interview? You have options. Let the flaming begin...

Did anyone catch how Jane had gotten Bella's name? Only two people mentioned the clue I'd left back in chapter 24…