11

Garrett slipped his arm around the woman next to him before walking up the front steps, past Carlisle and Emmett, and into the house. The second the door was closed, he threw his head back and laughed: a deep from the gut laugh, and threw his arms around Carlisle, who groaned and stumbled back a few steps as he hugged him back.

"Damn, little brother, don't you do anything easy," Garrett guffawed as he took a step back, allowing Kate to hug Carlisle then Emmett, Rose, and finally Esme. He turned and looked at them, his eyes landing on Bella, and his grin grew. "Honey, you sure did make a mess for all of us, didn't you?"

"I didn't mean to," Bella muttered, which just made Garrett laugh harder.

"Ignore my brother, sweetheart," Carlisle said with a smirk. "He's an asshole, but I love him."

"Brother?" she asked, shifting her eyes between them. "Thought you said your last name is Mitchell."

"It is." Garrett grinned. "Same mother, different fathers."

"Oh."

She wasn't sure what else to say, to be honest. The events of the day had her head hurting, and it was barely half past four in the afternoon. No matter how many times she tried, she just couldn't understand how her mother could send her to live with Charlie, knowing that he would teach her to be straight. Like being a lesbian was the worst thing she could be. But then again, Bella supposed in their minds being a lesbian was the worst thing she could be.

"Garrett, calm your ass down," the blond next to him said, slapping him on the arm. "You're scaring her!"

"Is that true, honey?" Garrett asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Um, no?" she said, making it sound more like a question. "Who are you again?"

Garrett grinned wider. "My name is Garrett. This stunning beauty next to me is my wife, Kate. I'm Carlisle's older, more handsome brother. I also happen to be an attorney, and if you'll let me, I'd really, really like to stick it to your old man. Dudes a prick."

Bella just stood there staring at him for a solid ten seconds before she sat back down on the couch, burying her face in her hands, and cried. Cried hard. Cried so hard her shoulders shook and she probably sounded like a lunatic, but it was like all of the sudden the events of the last twenty four hours slammed into her.

Jacob Black had sexually assaulted her. He'd touched her breast, and tried to take her pants off. He'd wrapped his hand around her throat as she cried and screamed for help. As if that hadn't been bad enough, her father had set her up with him knowing exactly what Jacob Black was going to do to her. What kind of fucked up, twisted bullshit was that?

"Wow, she let a lot out just then, didn't she?" Garrett asked, and when Bella looked over at him, her chest heaving with tears. "You kind of, sort of went on a tirade, honey."

"Leave her alone, Garrett," Alice snapped, sitting next to Bella and wrapping her arms around her. "Hey, beautiful, it's okay."

"I'm sorry," she whimpered, leaning her head on Alice's shoulder. "I'm so sorry."

"Look at me, Bella," she ordered, and when Bella tilted her head back, Alice smiled. "You don't have anything to be sorry for. Your . . . sperm donor and your . . . egg donor are the ones responsible for everything you've been through. And Jacob Black. You haven't done anything wrong."

"I know that," she mumbled. "I just . . . I just don't understand why it's such a big deal that I'm . . . that's I'm gay? I'm still me, still Bella. Why can't they just love me for me?"

"Because they're idiots," Alice said with a smile. "I can't imagine ever not loving you."

Bella bit her lip as her lips curved upward.

"Um, not to be an asshole, but can we talk about what we're going to do moving forward?" Garrett asked, and when Alice and Bella looked over, they saw
Kate glare at him and raise her hand to smack him again, but Garrett moved away from her. "What'd I do?"

"You ruined their moment, jackass," Kate laughed, shaking her head before looking at Bella, winking at her. "But since it's ruined, let's talk business."

Garrett and Kate moved over and settled on the couch across from Alice and Bella. Emmett, Rose, Esme, and Carlisle moved so they were standing around them, while Edward and Jasper settled on the stairs, their arms wrapped around each other. Their love was beautiful.

"So, Bella," Garrett started, losing all hint of amusement as he leaned forward, placing him elbows on his knees and placing his hands together. "As I told the dickheads on the porch, I have filed temporary Orders of Protection against both of your parents. Those orders are effective as of this morning, and will be in power for the next twenty-one days. That means we have some decisions to make."

"Like what?"

"Like filing charges against both your parents and Jacob Black for the sexual assault on you last night."

"How can we do that when Charlie's the Chief of Police? You saw those two," she exclaimed, gesturing toward the door. "They didn't believe that he did anything wrong."

Garrett smiled. "That's why we take it to a higher level. I have a contact in the F.B.I., who has a lot of experience with these types of case."

"The F.B.I.?" she asked, her eyes widening. "Don't you think that's a little extreme?"

"No, I don't," he said. "What do you know about Charlie Swan, Bella? I mean, really know."

"Not much," she admitted. "I've barely seen him throughout the years. Maybe a handful of times that I can remember. Weekly phone calls that were mandated by the court. Why?"

Garrett and Kate shared a look before he turned back to her, took a deep breath, and said, "Charlie Swan is responsible for the sexual assaults of at least five women over the last three years."

"He . . . What?"

"Your father is serial rapist, and if Carlisle and Emmett hadn't busted into your house last night, Charlie Swan would have finished what Jacob Black failed to do."

"You're saying he would have raped me?"

"Without a doubt."

Bella brought her hand up to her mouth, feeling her lunch creeping upward as her stomach turned. She fled the room, rushing into the bathroom, and vomiting as her tears fell. Her mother had to have known. Her words, "Maybe you'll learn from him," had a whole new meaning.

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