In the Dark of the Night ~ New Twi-Series!!
Okay, so here is my newest baby! :) I wrote it in one night and have been fixing it up for the past few days. Please let me know what you think!
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the idea; all Twilight characters and trademarks are property of Stephanie Meyer!
Summary: When Bella’s guy-magnet ability backfires, how will she and Edward deal with it?
WARNINGS: This story deals with NCS (non-consensual sex) and the consequences of it.
Timeline: Post-New Moon; AU
Story Notes: This takes place the summer after NM. Everything in the Twiverse is the same up until this point except that Rosalie has already told Bella her story.
Author's Note: This chapter flips between Bella's point of view and Edward's. I'm not sure if I'll keep it like that for the rest of the story so please let me know what you think of it--if it jars the flow of the story or if you like it, just let me know.
Title: In the Dark of the Night
Story Rating: R
Chapter 1: Aftermath
I felt dirty… like a dozen showers wouldn’t be enough to make me clean again.
I heard a car pull up in front of the house and I immediately knew who it was-Charlie was out of town for the weekend for a funeral, reluctantly leaving me home alone-but as the Cullens were going on a ‘camping’ trip he didn’t have much of a choice. Edward hadn’t wanted to go but I had assured him I’d be fine, not wanting him to suffer for my sake.
I was regretting that decision now.
With a whimper I pressed myself even more tightly against the wall and wrapped my arms around my knees, pressing my face into the table they made as the sobs began again. My body shook from the force of them and I couldn’t bear to think of what he would think when he found me like this.
“Bella?” His voice was a mixture of fear, worry and fury. I couldn’t bring myself to look at him. “What happened?”
When I didn’t answer he spoke again. “Bella.” His voice was strained and closer. “Bella, love, please answer me. What happened?”
“Don’t look at me,” I whispered. My voice was muffled by my knees but I knew that he would understand me.
“What?”
“Look at something else,” I ordered, my voice gaining strength.
“I am,” he assured me, and a quick peek proved that he was telling the truth. Slowly and stiffly I stood to my feet and made my way across the room to the closet. I put on the first clothes that my hands touched without really seeing them and then I turned to look at Edward who was staring out the window.
“You can turn around now,” I whispered.
Edward turned slowly, clearly worried about what he was about to see.
Edward
To say that I was furious when Bella finally allowed me to turn and look at her would be a gross understatement. Indeed, it took every ounce of self-control that I had gained over the past ninety years not to leave her at that moment and track down whatever monster had done this and murder-no, torture him; murder was too good for him-him.
Bella’s right cheek was swollen and a nasty bruise was blooming that covered much of her cheek. She was wearing a pair of gray sweatpants and a white tank top that allowed me to see the bruises that marred the perfect flesh of her arms-bruises made by fingers gripping her tender flesh harshly. I growled involuntarily and I’m not sure what I might have done had Bella not chosen that moment to speak.
“I was reading when he came into my room,” she said softly.
I ripped my gaze away from her arms and fixed it on her eyes. They were focused on something far away, as though she was seeing something that I could not. “What did he do Bella?” I asked softly.
Looking away from me, she wrapped her arms protectively around herself and ignored my question. How I hated myself for pushing the matter-after all, I was almost certain of what had been done to her-but I knew that she had to admit what had been done to her before the wound could begin to heal.
I had resolved to keep my distance from her but when she began to shake again my resolve crumbled and she was in my arms in an instant. “Love… say it out loud,” I murmured in her ear. “Say it.”
Her shaking became more violent and I immediately loosened my hold on her as I heard her gasping for breath. “He-he raped me,” she gasped out.
Bella
As soon as the words were out of my mouth, the events of the last two hours were suddenly real and not some bad dream as I’d been imagining.
Suddenly the cool arms that held me comfortingly were transformed into warm arms that kept me captive. With a scream, I twisted away, falling onto my bed when the arms released me without a fight. Quickly I jumped off the bed and cowered in the corner, lost in my dark flashback.
Just as suddenly as it began it was over. Edward was watching me from the other side of the bed, fury, pain and anxiety mixed in his expression as he leaned towards me. “Bella, are you-“ he let his voice trail off, knowing that I was nowhere near the land of ‘okay’ and not wanting to force me to admit it. Standing up, I walked back over to him wordlessly.
“Bella,” he whispered in a tone so bleak and haunted that it frightened me. His hand stretched out towards me but froze an inch away from my cheek before he let it drop. “I want to hunt this animal down and torture him for what he’s done to you.”
“But I don’t want you to,” I whispered. “You can’t do anything like that for me.”
“And why can’t I?”
“Because you know that I believe you have a soul-and I won’t have you risking it to get revenge for me.”
He sighed. “I know… That is the only reason that I am still here,” he replied, lifting his hand to stroke my cheek again. This time it was me who stopped the caress by taking a step back out of his reach. I immediately felt a pang of guilt when I saw the hurt briefly flash across Edward’s face before he could conceal it. “Edward-“
“It’s all right, Bella-I understand.”
I sighed. “No, you don’t. Edward, I am okay with you touching me. I mean it,” I insisted when I saw the doubt in his eyes. “It’s just-you shouldn’t have to touch me when I’m like this.”
“Like what?” he asked in shock.
“Dirty… unclean,” I whispered in response.
Edward
I felt the almost irresistible pull to murder someone again as I saw the humiliation on Bella’s face as she told me how she felt. I shook my head-as if she could ever be unworthy of my touch when the reality was quite the opposite and it was I who did not deserve her touch. I lifted my hand, slowly and deliberately pressing it to her cheek.
“Bella,” I spoke slowly, trying to find the right words. “You have nothing to be ashamed of and you are not unclean or deserving of anything because of the actions of a monster.”
She opened her mouth to protest but I softly pressed my lips to hers. I pulled away after a moment, my hands framing her face-my left hand ever so gently touching her swollen cheek-and pressed my forehead against hers. I looked into her eyes and breathed, “I love you.”
Bella
How can he bear to touch me, to kiss me when I feel this way, like I’ll never be clean again? “I need a shower,” I said, pulling away and avoiding Edward’s gaze.
“You really shouldn’t do that,” he said softly, but I knew that if I insisted he wouldn’t stop me.
“I know,” I admitted with a sigh.
Taking my hand in his, he squeezed it gently and then brushed a kiss across its palm. “Bella… If it would be any easier for you I could have Carlisle perform the exam here.”
Relief and love spread through me as I stared into his golden eyes, so full of concern for me. His solution was perfect-I could do what I knew need to be done without having to submit to a stranger’s poking and prodding in an all-too public environment.
“That would be perfect,” I whispered. “Or I could go there.”
“It’s completely up to you, love-whatever makes you feel more comfortable.”
“I want to go there,” I replied without hesitation. “I can’t-I can’t be in this room another minute.”
He nodded and pulled out his phone, flipping it open and hitting speed dial. “ Carlisle, I’m bringing Bella over-do you have a rape kit or can you get one quickly?” He listened for a moment and then turned so that I couldn’t hear his part of the conversation. I let my mind wander for a moment and then he had hung up and put the phone away. “Do you want to run or drive?” he asked casually.
“Run.”
He smiled softly at me and picked me up in his arms, pausing to brush a light kiss along the length of my right cheek. It was sore but his cool lips brought a measure of relief and I sighed, allowing my head to fall back so that his lips could press against mine gently.
Maybe I would be all right after all…
TO BE CONTINUED
X-Posted to lion_lamb and twilight_fics
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the idea; all Twilight characters and trademarks are property of Stephanie Meyer!
Summary: When Bella’s guy-magnet ability backfires, how will she and Edward deal with it?
WARNINGS: This story deals with NCS (non-consensual sex) and the consequences of it.
Timeline: Post-New Moon; AU
Story Notes: This takes place the summer after NM. Everything in the Twiverse is the same up until this point except that Rosalie has already told Bella her story.
Author's Note: This chapter flips between Bella's point of view and Edward's. I'm not sure if I'll keep it like that for the rest of the story so please let me know what you think of it--if it jars the flow of the story or if you like it, just let me know.
Title: In the Dark of the Night
Story Rating: R
Chapter 1: Aftermath
I felt dirty… like a dozen showers wouldn’t be enough to make me clean again.
I heard a car pull up in front of the house and I immediately knew who it was-Charlie was out of town for the weekend for a funeral, reluctantly leaving me home alone-but as the Cullens were going on a ‘camping’ trip he didn’t have much of a choice. Edward hadn’t wanted to go but I had assured him I’d be fine, not wanting him to suffer for my sake.
I was regretting that decision now.
With a whimper I pressed myself even more tightly against the wall and wrapped my arms around my knees, pressing my face into the table they made as the sobs began again. My body shook from the force of them and I couldn’t bear to think of what he would think when he found me like this.
“Bella?” His voice was a mixture of fear, worry and fury. I couldn’t bring myself to look at him. “What happened?”
When I didn’t answer he spoke again. “Bella.” His voice was strained and closer. “Bella, love, please answer me. What happened?”
“Don’t look at me,” I whispered. My voice was muffled by my knees but I knew that he would understand me.
“What?”
“Look at something else,” I ordered, my voice gaining strength.
“I am,” he assured me, and a quick peek proved that he was telling the truth. Slowly and stiffly I stood to my feet and made my way across the room to the closet. I put on the first clothes that my hands touched without really seeing them and then I turned to look at Edward who was staring out the window.
“You can turn around now,” I whispered.
Edward turned slowly, clearly worried about what he was about to see.
Edward
To say that I was furious when Bella finally allowed me to turn and look at her would be a gross understatement. Indeed, it took every ounce of self-control that I had gained over the past ninety years not to leave her at that moment and track down whatever monster had done this and murder-no, torture him; murder was too good for him-him.
Bella’s right cheek was swollen and a nasty bruise was blooming that covered much of her cheek. She was wearing a pair of gray sweatpants and a white tank top that allowed me to see the bruises that marred the perfect flesh of her arms-bruises made by fingers gripping her tender flesh harshly. I growled involuntarily and I’m not sure what I might have done had Bella not chosen that moment to speak.
“I was reading when he came into my room,” she said softly.
I ripped my gaze away from her arms and fixed it on her eyes. They were focused on something far away, as though she was seeing something that I could not. “What did he do Bella?” I asked softly.
Looking away from me, she wrapped her arms protectively around herself and ignored my question. How I hated myself for pushing the matter-after all, I was almost certain of what had been done to her-but I knew that she had to admit what had been done to her before the wound could begin to heal.
I had resolved to keep my distance from her but when she began to shake again my resolve crumbled and she was in my arms in an instant. “Love… say it out loud,” I murmured in her ear. “Say it.”
Her shaking became more violent and I immediately loosened my hold on her as I heard her gasping for breath. “He-he raped me,” she gasped out.
Bella
As soon as the words were out of my mouth, the events of the last two hours were suddenly real and not some bad dream as I’d been imagining.
Suddenly the cool arms that held me comfortingly were transformed into warm arms that kept me captive. With a scream, I twisted away, falling onto my bed when the arms released me without a fight. Quickly I jumped off the bed and cowered in the corner, lost in my dark flashback.
Just as suddenly as it began it was over. Edward was watching me from the other side of the bed, fury, pain and anxiety mixed in his expression as he leaned towards me. “Bella, are you-“ he let his voice trail off, knowing that I was nowhere near the land of ‘okay’ and not wanting to force me to admit it. Standing up, I walked back over to him wordlessly.
“Bella,” he whispered in a tone so bleak and haunted that it frightened me. His hand stretched out towards me but froze an inch away from my cheek before he let it drop. “I want to hunt this animal down and torture him for what he’s done to you.”
“But I don’t want you to,” I whispered. “You can’t do anything like that for me.”
“And why can’t I?”
“Because you know that I believe you have a soul-and I won’t have you risking it to get revenge for me.”
He sighed. “I know… That is the only reason that I am still here,” he replied, lifting his hand to stroke my cheek again. This time it was me who stopped the caress by taking a step back out of his reach. I immediately felt a pang of guilt when I saw the hurt briefly flash across Edward’s face before he could conceal it. “Edward-“
“It’s all right, Bella-I understand.”
I sighed. “No, you don’t. Edward, I am okay with you touching me. I mean it,” I insisted when I saw the doubt in his eyes. “It’s just-you shouldn’t have to touch me when I’m like this.”
“Like what?” he asked in shock.
“Dirty… unclean,” I whispered in response.
Edward
I felt the almost irresistible pull to murder someone again as I saw the humiliation on Bella’s face as she told me how she felt. I shook my head-as if she could ever be unworthy of my touch when the reality was quite the opposite and it was I who did not deserve her touch. I lifted my hand, slowly and deliberately pressing it to her cheek.
“Bella,” I spoke slowly, trying to find the right words. “You have nothing to be ashamed of and you are not unclean or deserving of anything because of the actions of a monster.”
She opened her mouth to protest but I softly pressed my lips to hers. I pulled away after a moment, my hands framing her face-my left hand ever so gently touching her swollen cheek-and pressed my forehead against hers. I looked into her eyes and breathed, “I love you.”
Bella
How can he bear to touch me, to kiss me when I feel this way, like I’ll never be clean again? “I need a shower,” I said, pulling away and avoiding Edward’s gaze.
“You really shouldn’t do that,” he said softly, but I knew that if I insisted he wouldn’t stop me.
“I know,” I admitted with a sigh.
Taking my hand in his, he squeezed it gently and then brushed a kiss across its palm. “Bella… If it would be any easier for you I could have Carlisle perform the exam here.”
Relief and love spread through me as I stared into his golden eyes, so full of concern for me. His solution was perfect-I could do what I knew need to be done without having to submit to a stranger’s poking and prodding in an all-too public environment.
“That would be perfect,” I whispered. “Or I could go there.”
“It’s completely up to you, love-whatever makes you feel more comfortable.”
“I want to go there,” I replied without hesitation. “I can’t-I can’t be in this room another minute.”
He nodded and pulled out his phone, flipping it open and hitting speed dial. “ Carlisle, I’m bringing Bella over-do you have a rape kit or can you get one quickly?” He listened for a moment and then turned so that I couldn’t hear his part of the conversation. I let my mind wander for a moment and then he had hung up and put the phone away. “Do you want to run or drive?” he asked casually.
“Run.”
He smiled softly at me and picked me up in his arms, pausing to brush a light kiss along the length of my right cheek. It was sore but his cool lips brought a measure of relief and I sighed, allowing my head to fall back so that his lips could press against mine gently.
Maybe I would be all right after all…
TO BE CONTINUED
X-Posted to lion_lamb and twilight_fics