13

Bella signed Garrett's paperwork, despite her concerns. She knew there was no other way to stop Charlie Swan than to move forward and press charges against him for his assault on her. It just scared her. He was supposed to be her father. He was supposed to love her, but then again, he'd never said those words to her in all of her sixteen years. He fought tooth and nail against ever seeing her, and when he was forced to take her for visitation, he always came to her, always kept her locked in the hotel, never paid her any attention. Even their weekly five minute phone calls were spent mostly in silence. Charlie Swan hadn't wanted a daughter, especially a queer one.

"What are you thinking about?" Alice asked, drawing Bella's attention from the window seat she was perched, with her arms wrapped tightly around her legs, to the bed, where Alice was laying, her dark eyes locked on her. "And wouldn't you think better if you were in this bed with me?"

Bella grinned. "Probably not. I seem to lose all my focus when I'm around you."

"Good," she laughed, throwing the blankets back and patting the bed. "Let's lose some focus together."

Bella laughed and climbed off the window seat and walked over to the bed, slowly climbing in next to her. "See, can't think if anything now."

"Thinking is highly overrated."

Bella smiled, then sighed, followed by a frown. "I'm scared, Alice. I've always known Charlie didn't want me, but I never would have thought he was so . . . horrible, and it scares me. It scares me a lot."

"Me too," she admitted, placing her hand on the side of Bella's face. "You parents . . . I don't know, beautiful. They're horrible people, Bella. Makes me wonder how they raised such a beautiful soul like you."

Bella smiled, feeling her cheeks warm, but then she said, "You said your dad . . . raped you, but nobody believed that he would do that to you. What did your mom say? How could she just turn her back on you?"

Alice frowned. "Mom just refused to believe that her husband would ever do anything like that, especially to his own daughter. He'd been abusive toward her their entire marriage, and not just physical, either. Emotional, mental. I suspect sexual as well. She'd brainwashed into believing everything the man did was good. Even raping me was for the better good in her mind. Save my soul from the devil."

"The devil, huh?" Bella murmured. "What about your sister? Do you think he's doing anything like that to her?"

"I worry about Cynthia every day, Bella. Every fucking day, but I couldn't stay and let him hurt me anymore. I had to find you."

"Me?" she breathed.

Alice nodded. "When I saw you climb out of Charlie's police car that night, I knew you were like me."

"How? How could you tell?"

"I don't know," she laughed. "There was something about the way you moved. I saw the sadness in your eyes. I just . . . I just knew I needed to watch you, watch out for you, Bella. I knew what kind of man he was, and the thought of him putting his hands on you, made me sick to my stomach. When I saw you leave with Jacob Black, I made Edward and Jasper follow you. Well, I didn't really have to make them. They were just waiting for another opportunity to kick his ass. I wanted to beg you to come here that night, but I knew you wouldn't, that you didn't understand what he was life. But I was watching because I knew the kind of man Charlie Swan is, and I wasn't going to let him hurt you. That's why when I heard you scream, they went to save you."

Bella smiled. "My little hero."

Alice laughed. "You're important to me. To all of us, but especially to me."

"I've never been important to anyone," she whispered, pausing before saying, "I've never had someone love me before."

Alice smiled. "You caught that, huh?"

Bella nodded. "You said you can't imagine ever not loving me."

"And I meant it. I know it's stupid fast, but I . . . I do love you, Bella. So much."

"I care about you, Alice," she said. "But I don't know what love feels like. How would I know?"

"You'll know when you know," she said, brushing her hair behind her ear. "And I don't want you to say it back just because of how I feel. I will never force anything on you, Bella. If you never love me back, I'd . . . I'd let you go."

"I don't want you to let me go. I just . . ." Bella shook her head. "There's so much I just don't understand, Alice. You love me. Edward and Jasper, Carlisle, Esme, Rose, and Emmett, they . . . they love me, want me as a part of your family. You've all known me all of about five minutes, and love me, yet my parents would rather me be brutalized and tortured because I like girls, and not boys. I just . . . I just don't understand how they could do that to me," she cried.

"Me either, beautiful." Alice pulled her into her arms, holding her as she cried.

It was stupid and silly, to be crying over a mother who would send her to live with a violent, abusive father, and a father, who would rather the teenage son of his best friend rape her than accept that she was gay, then be ready and willing to fuck her straight himself if that cured her of her queerness. Yet, she did cry, because they were her parents. They were supposed to love her, but they didn't. Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, and Rose loved her. Jasper and Edward loved her, but most important, Alice loved her.

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