Privileged

This is Edward's PoV of finding out what happened to Bella. It's just a short piece and it's not beta'd. I just threw it together. Hope you enjoy, I'm not sure whether I like it so be forewarned lol!! Thanks again and Happy Tuesday!

I'd known something was wrong when Bella called. Her voice, normally so even and filled with emotion was flat and filled with a trepidation I couldn't place. When she'd asked me to come over I'd been certain she was going to break up with me or ask for more space because I was smothering her, or something equally ludicrous.

I knew that I was on full throttle when it came to Bella and had been since the moment I'd laid eyes on her. She had looked like Izzy but that was where the similarities had stopped. She was soft spoken, with expressive brown eyes and a smile that seemed to eclipse everything else in the room. She was intelligent and thoughtful and I could see that she would do anything for anyone. Rosalie had liked her instantly, and had known the moment I reacted how attracted I was to Bella.

I'd hated hurting Rosalie like that, but I knew that as much as we loved one another it was platonic relationship, and both of us were in denial about that. It became to much to try and make it work, and it wasn't until Bella asked me why I cared, that I realized it hurt much more than it should and I was wrong to stay in a relationship that was quickly becoming based on a lie. When I finally called the whole thing off and mentioned Emmett, I'd known that Rosalie was exactly where I was, which exonerated any guilt I was expecting.

Bella was important to me. We fit, I didn't have to try to be something I wasn't when I was with her. It was easy, and so natural that doting on her was something that didn't take much thought because it was the only way I could be . Even my parents loved her, and that didn't happen often, they just didn't want me to travel down the same road Dr. Cullen had and knock her up.

I just couldn't understand what was going on, and when I hung up the phone I think I'd managed to pace a path into the floor that would be a reminder of the pain I seemed to feel at what I assumed was going to happen. I didn't want Bella to push me away, not when everything had been so amazing between us. I continued to put off telling her how I really felt because I didn't want to freak her out, and I was regretting it.

I tried calling Emmett while I waited, to see whether he knew what was going down, but all I got was voicemail. He'd turned off his phone, which was no help to me. I would have called Izzy but I knew Bella would never confide in her. She didn't trust her enough.

So that left me alone again to ponder what had happened since last night when we'd been snuggling on the recliners by the pool. Had I said something wrong? Did I push to hard? Had Mrs. Cullen said something? I didn't want to make Bella's life any harder in that house, there was too much stress there without me adding to the burden. Dr. Cullen's drinking had Bella worried sick, and his wife's blatant attempts at pushing him further under were just making Bella take more responsibility for the situation.

I headed toward my car and tried with everything I was to build up the courage to drive over to Bella's house. If it hadn't have been for the tone of her voice I would have assumed it was just another day, but it wasn't, and I was being such a girl talking around in circles and trying to find what I did wrong. I had to man up and just walk in there. For all I knew, she could be upset about her dad, but I'd heard her upset before and this was nothing like that. She'd been emotionless and distant, and I was being a complete girl again.

I didn't relax once on the drive over there. I didn't see much of anything either, I was focused on one house and it wasn't until it came into view that I realized I'd been limiting my breaths. All of my fears that I was the problem disappeared the moment I pulled up and saw her sat against the garage with her legs pulled up against her chest. Her eyes red rimmed made my heart swell and anger well in my stomach. I knew I wasn't the problem the second I saw her, and seconds later when she pushed from the ground and ran at me I knew that she needed me.

I turned off the car and stepped out, catching Bella mid flight as she launched herself into my arms in a fit of hysterical sobs. Her warm body was pressed up against mine, but for the first time ina long time it didn't react to her closeness the way it normally did, this time my arms wrapped around her as I tried to protect her from whatever it was plaguing her and making her shudder in my arms.

"Baby, what's wrong?" I whispered into her hair gently, my arms almost folded twice over her slight form as I held her against me. "Talk to me, Bella."

"Not here," she mumbled, pulling in a stuttered, ragged breath.

Stepping away she picked up my hand and led me toward the house as she roughly swiped tears from her cheeks. The trembling never left her body as she made her way up to her room, and only intensified the moment she hit the third floor. I followed in silence but noted every reaction she had to her surroundings, she was almost vibrating as she perched at the edge of her bed and pulled me down beside her. I wanted to pull her into my arms and protect her from whatever was making her react like this but her look told me no, she needed to get whatever she had to say out.

I wasn't going to argue or fight her on this. If there was one thing I knew about Bella, it was giving her time to sort through her emotions, to find the words needed to explain what was going on in that mind of hers. She was complicated, but it was one of the things I loved best about her.

"Edward, I need to tell you something, but I need you to let me finish before you say anything."

I waited for two seconds before nodding and sliding closer to her on the bed, my fingers weaving together with hers in my need to be close to her in some way. She squeezed the fingers laced with hers and took another shaking breath.

"Peter and Tanya are gone," she started, her bottom lip trembling.

"That's a bad thing?"

She shook her head and looked up at me, the light bouncing off the water welling on the bottom lid of her eyes.

"Babe, talk to me."

She blew the air from her lungs, making her cheeks swell and the tears spill over the edges and slide over her cheeks. I'd never seen Bella like this. This was fear, and anticipation, anxiety and panic, all mixed into one stewing pot of emotion.

"Last night, after you left, I went to Carlisle and cleaned him up, I put him in the shower and made him a sandwich, then I threw all the liquor out of the house so he wouldn't be tempted. When I was finished it was late, and i was so tired . . ." she cracked and fell into compulsive tears, her shoulders shaking roughly. I cupped her neck with my hand and pulled her against me and let her sob, knowing that she wouldn't manage a word until the subsided.

"Bella . . ."

"No, please I have to get this out," she said, taking a deep breath and sitting back. "I was so tired I . . . I stripped off my clothes and climbed into bed, I was . . . in my underwear. I was so deeply asleep and then I was bolted awake. Peter was in my room and he was high on drugs and he tried to rape me."

The last sentence was all one breath, but I didn't miss a word of it. It rang loud and clear through my head like a gun shot. I could almost feel my nails in my free hand biting into the flesh of my palm. Considering how short I kept them I knew I was about to explode. My anger was like pressure in a can, building up until my sight was tinged with red. I was going to kill him.

Images passed through my mind taunting me, Bella sleeping deeply as she often did in my arms being stalked while she slept. Now I was the one shaking but it wasn't fear that had it's claws in me, it was white hot rage. My skin crawled as I tried with everything I was to keep calm in front of Bella, even though every part of me ached to go out and hunt him down so I could show him exactly what I thought about him.

"Where is he now?" I asked through my teeth, the question was distorted and came out like an angry hissing.

"His . . . his dad's house."

"When did this happen?" I asked again, my jaw locking with anger as I drove to his house in my head, he'd taken me there once and the street signs were neon in my head, guiding me toward my destination so I could put the sick fuck out of his misery for good.

"Early in the morning," Bella answered in a trembling voice. "Edward, please."

"How far . . ." I couldn't finish the question. Just thinking about how far he went, thinking about his hands on my girlfriend made me want to snap them off at the wrists.

"Emmett came home and heard me scream, Edward, I tried to fight him off I did. I'm so sorry."

Just like that, my anger dissolved. Bella's sobs were piercing and I couldn't help but pull her into my lap and let her cry. She was trembling so hard, her teeth chattered, her tears dampened my shirt and all I could do was rub her back gently. I whispered words of encouragement to her, asking why she was sorry, why she blamed herself.

"Baby, this is not your fault. I'm not upset with you. I'm pissed at Peter, he had no right to do that to anyone, he's sick and he needs to be taught a lesson."

"No, Edward, please, you know how Tanya works, she'll come after to you. I don't think I can handle that, please," her voice climbed an octave with every word, and it wasn't until I pulled her back against me that the warbled pleading subsided. The thought of me going after him and getting in trouble terrified her.

"It's okay, Bella."

"No, it's not, I can't stay here, I can't be in this room."

"Come and stay with me then, I'm not going to leave you here," I said gently, stroking her hair.

Peter was dead. Bella would never have to know about it, but Peter would pay for what he did, and I would be the one with the satisfaction of dishing it out.