Disclaimer: I own nothing. It's SM's world, I just play in it.

A/N: Hey guys! I'm back after yet another long break. I am so sorry to leave you guys hanging like that. Unfortunately real life got in the way and I have been dealing with some health issues. But, according to my doctors, I shouldn't have any more health problems for a good long while. School is also out so I no longer have to worry about juggling school and writing. It's all about the writing now baby! For all my ABZ readers out there, don't worry. I have gotten back to writing that story as well and have made great progress into finishing that chapter as well. So expect to see an update for that really really soon.

Enough of that...

And now, on with the story!

Emmett POV

I was royally pissed off. This had to have been the most frustrating week of my adult life. Seven maddening days later and I had nothing to show for my efforts. And, it wasn't for lack of trying either.

By now, the week had obviously caught up with me and I could feel the tell tale signs of a raging outburst waiting to happen. My nerves were on edge, only heightening the feel of the anger spreading throughout my veins. Even though I knew it would be a just stupid attempt to vent, I let my anger take control and hammered my fist into the wall.

"Em! What in God's name are you doing?" Alice shrieked her eyes alight with confusion.

"Fuck. Sorry, Alice. Could you not be so loud, Bells is asleep," I snapped completely ignoring the fact that I had put a hole in the wall. Maybe if I ignored it she would too.

"If you're worried about noise, then maybe you shouldn't be punching walls," she bit back, her hands precariously perched on her hips, her face ablaze with anger.

"I didn't mean to, Alice. I just got a little carried away. I'm sorry." Hoping she would just drop the subject, I turned back to my desk.

"You wanna talk about it?" No, not really.

"I'm fine Ally. Really. It's just been a tough week. I haven't been sleeping well and I just let my fatigue get the best of me." I felt ashamed of myself for letting my anger get the best of me, but I had just lost control, I hated being like this again.

"What happened?" Alice ventured, walking over and taking the chair in front of my desk. She sat down and just stared at me, her eyes softening but still penetrating. It really made sense that Alice used to be a therapist, the way she could disarm a person with one look and get them to spill their guts was a true gift. But, I knew she wouldn't baby me, blunt force was the only way to get me talking. I was stubborn that way.

"Bells needs surgery. It's the only way her fractures will heal properly," I admitted, my biggest worry springing right out of me before I could stop it. I sat down at the chair opposite Alice and ran a hand through my disheveled hair. There really was no getting around this. Damn pixie always got what she wanted.

"I highly doubt that's the only thing bothering you. So why don't you just cut to the chase and tell me why you're going to have to replaster the wall.," she responded breaking the silence my statement had left behind. She was not so gently prying everything out of me in classic Ally fashion. There was no stopping it now.. "Well, because we still don't know who she is or where she comes from, her medical care is taken care of by the state. I'm just concerned that she is not getting the best care. I mean, after everything she's been through, it is the least someone could do for her. And on top of that, Jasper still has zilch on her. The investigation has stalled, Ally. There's nothing we can do about it. He's still out there and there's no way to stop him!" There it was again. That rage building up inside of me. Just like before.

"I know it seems like things aren't moving along, Em. But you know that Jasper is doing the best he can under the circumstances." Alice reached over and grabbed my hands and, at that moment, I didn't know what I was more upset over; the fact that I was spilling my guts to my baby sister or the fact that I was getting so worked up over spilling my guts period.

"I know. It's just every night this week, whether it's after some doctor's visit or whatever we happen to be doing, we come home, and she goes to bed only to wake up in the middle of the night screaming because of some horrible nightmare. And, there is nothing I can do. I feel so helpless and it reminds me of how it was before with… I can't help but remember. You know?"

"I know. But, just like with Rose, things do eventually get better." A haunted look I hadn't seen in a long time graced Alice's features, and for the first time, I really wondered what my sisters really thought of Bells living with us.

I watched as Bells wheeled herself over to the living room after dinner. Her eyes were tight and her smile a bit forced. The whole gang was here talking and having a good time. But as I continued to watch Bella, understanding dawned – she was uncomfortable; still, she didn't once complain. If I had to put money on it, I would guess she didn't want to seem ungrateful, so she was doing her best to socialize. But, her stiff posture told me she was clearly on edge.

Hoping to make her a little more comfortable, I made my way over to her side of the living room and placed both my hands on her chair, hoping to wheel her out of there. When I started to move her chair, I noticed her slender fingers clench the armrests.

You stupid jack-off! She didn't know you were behind her.

I immediately leaned in to whisper in her ear, "Don't worry, it's just me. I thought you could use some air."

Almost imperceptibly she nodded, so I turned her around and took her to the outside patio. It was a beautiful night, and out here, you could see every star, so I figured it would be a good place for her to relax.

"So, everything okay?" I asked as I sat down on the lawn chair next to her wheelchair. Every night this week, her nightmares woke her up at three in the morning. And, every night, like clockwork, I woke up right with her, ready to come in if she needed me. I'd gone in there a couple more times since the first night, usually when they were so bad she couldn't wake up. But, after every time, she would just pretend they never happened.

"If I said yes, would you believe me?" she ventured as she trained her brown eyes on mine. Her smile quirked a bit and I couldn't help but smile back. It amazed me how, even after all she'd been through, she still had such an amazing resiliency.

"Not a chance." I looked at her noticing for the first time the slight bags under her eyes – tell tale signs of exhaustion."Didn't think so," she said as she turned back to look out across the land.

"So…" I paused, unsure how to proceed. How do you ask someone to talk about reliving the most horrifying experience of their life? "Anything you wanna talk about?"

"Sure. I've been wondering why there are so many animals on your property. I've been here a week and I've seen at least twenty dogs and even more cats."

"That's not what I meant." I commended her for trying to be strong but I knew first hand that not talking things out only meant more and more pain on the inside.

"I don't want to talk about it, Em. It's bad enough to dream it and to know that people know you dream it." She turned away from me and as the pale moonlight shone across her face the full effect of her nightmares struck me. Her usually beautiful pale skin looked pasty and my heart ached for her.

"Bells, you can't just keep it bottled up inside. You have to let it out. Otherwise it'll just build up and it will never get any easier." My voice was pleading, begging her to open up to me. To unburden herself.

"Is it ever supposed to get any easier, Em. I mean how do you get over something like this. How are you supposed to be ever be normal?"

"Normal is overrated."A smile tugged at my lips as I looked into her brown eyes, and for just a second, wondered what would have happened if we had met under different circumstances. Then I remembered that she was nowhere near ready for me to be thinking along those lines.

"I'm being serious."

"So am I. Look, I know I haven't known you for a long time, but I do know one thing. We are never given more that we can handle. The human spirit is incredibly resilient." I reached out to her, covering her hand with mine, hoping to reassure her that this would all be alright.

"That doesn't make any sense."

"Sure, it does."

"Then maybe I just don't get it."Her sad expression broke my heart. I wanted to gather her into my arms and shield her from harm, but I knew it would only make things worse. She didn't want to be coddled, she didn't want any pity. I had to let her work through this at her own pace or I just might lose her if I pushed too hard.

"You will. You'll pull through this. And then everything will make some sort of sense."

"If you say so."

"See the thing is… you're never supposed to get over it. It's always supposed to be a part of who you are. It's supposed to shape the person you become after it. What happened to you is supposed to make you a stronger person."

"I guess, I'm just not there yet, then."

I heard Jasper's footsteps before he came outside and I knew Bells did too. I wasn't even sure if she was aware of her body's response. Her body tensed up just the slightest bit and her hands tightened around her wheel chair rests; It was an almost imperceptible combination but I saw it nonetheless.

"Hey, Jasper. Watcha need?" He was in sheriff mode, complete with stoic expression. This might not be good.

"I would like to talk to Bells for a minute," he admitted as he stepped onto the patio.

"What is it about?" Bells asked worrying her lower lip between her teeth. Her warm hand reached across and entangled itself with mine in her silent plea for support.

Jasper raised an eyebrow in my direction before continuing, "The independent lab that we sent the samples to came through for the state lab. Toxicology is back and the DNA analysis was done and run through the databases. We have some news but there are some things that are still pending."

"What did you find out?" she asked as her warm hand tightened around my own.

"Well for starters, the doctor in charge of the lab agrees with Edward's assumptions that the memory of the actual assault was affected by the repeated exposure to some sort of stunning device. Your toxicology results also show residual amounts of both rohypnol and GHB. The doctor says the combination of these factors led to your inability to vividly recall the attack." Her eyes widened at the news. Jasper looked away for a second to allow her some time to compose herself and take in the information before proceeding.

"Is that all?" Bella asked her voice shaky.

"No, I am afraid it's not. It seems that your attacker did everything in his power to keep you alive for as long as possible. Short of you remembering, this new information makes it a little more difficult to build a timeline and pinpoint when he abducted you and how long he held you captive." He paused for a second, probably to gather his thoughts before he continued. But, all I could think about was how much of a jackass he was for making it sound like her inability to remember was hindering his investigation.

"Your attacker gave you several antibiotics to stop infections along with even some pain medications. The only thing that ties the medications together is that they all have memory impairment as a possible side effect. It would seem that his number one priority was to ensure he would be able to inflict as much pain as possible for as long as possible."

As silent tears ran down her cheeks, I rubbed circles across her hand with my thumb, hoping to make her feel a little better about this disturbing piece of information Jasper decided to bestow upon her.

"Have you found out who I am yet?" Her shaky voice cracked as she blurted out the words. This was obviously very difficult for her and I hated that I could not make things better.

"Not entirely. Your DNA got a familial hit on a law enforcement database. We know your father's name is Charles Swan and that he was the Chief of the Seattle Police Department. So, we can assume that your last name is Swan. I've requested your father's personnel file. Hopefully it will help us figure it out soon."

"If her father was law enforcement why didn't he report her missing?" I asked wondering what kind of father wouldn't report his daughter missing. The look on Jasper's face told me he knew the answer to that question, but before either of us could comment, Bells spoke up.

"He died in the line of fire when I was twenty-two. Robbery gone bad. He was two days away from retirement but he couldn't stop himself. Anytime someone needed him, he was there. He was the only family I had left." Her voice took on this nostalgic quality as she spoke about her father, and it occurred to me that this little revelation meant that she was slowly but surely remembering who she was before this whole thing happened. And, it gave me hope that she would be able to emerge from this entire fiasco with her soul intact.

"Is that all you found out, Jasper?" I asked hoping to end this little powwow. It was a lot of painful information to receive in such a short amount of time. Bells looked paler than usual and I thought it might be in her best interest if she got some rest.

"For now, yeah. Since your dad was in law enforcement, we hope your fingerprints will be in the system, somewhere. But it's going to take a while. The fingerprint lab is the most backed up department in the state crime lab because of it use in all types of crimes. We put a rush on it and we're hoping to hear back soon. Meanwhile, I'm going to work on the leads we have now and see what we can turn up." Once again, he paused before continuing, his features arranging themselves into a slight grimace; almost as if he didn't want to utter his next statement but he trudged on anyway, "We are definitely going to give this our all. But, I do want to prepare you for this one thing: We don't know how long it will take to figure out why this happened to you or who did it. And Dr. Masen is not sure when you will recover your memory."

"Fair enough," she sighed right before she turned her head to stare out at the expanse of the property. Her hand steadily held mine as I shot Jasper a dirty look for his lack of tact. I knew he was doing his best, but after only one week, it felt like he was already throwing in the towel.

Bells POV

After Jasper's talk, Emmett left me out on the patio to process everything. A few hours later, he wheeled me over to my room. I appreciated how perceptive he was in giving me some space; I hated talking about what happened, it made me feel weaker somehow. I hated burdening someone else with my damn problems, but I especially hated burdening Emmett.

When we talked earlier, I got the distinct impression that he had been through something big, but just like I couldn't bring myself to talk about me, I couldn't ask about him. Still, I wondered if I would ever learn what happened to him.

This last week had been interesting. With Rose back at home with Edward and Alice away for business, I spent a lot of time with Emmett. It scared me a little how safe I felt with him. How with just one look he could ease my fears. I wondered if it was because he was the one that found me, the one who had rescued me. Was it some sort of hero worship on my part or was it because of something else I couldn't quite place yet.

More than anything though, it scared me how much I thought of Emmett as my best friend in addition to my protector. I mean I've only known the man for a little over a week. Hell, I didn't even know myself. How was it possible, then, to think of him the way I did?

As I continued to mull over my thoughts, I heard Emmett's heavy footsteps nearing my door. The tingling sensation running through my body told me the pain medication would set in soon. He proved himself such a fabulous friend this last week. He held my hand when the doctor told me I needed surgery, and every night he came into my room when my nightmares got the best of me. I don't how I could ever repay him and his family for their kindness. The least I knew I could do was to keep the little sordid details of my capture from them and not burden them. I didn't want them any more worried about me than they already were.

"Hey there Bells," Emmett announced his presence as he scooped me up into his arms. "Anything you need before you go to bed?"

"Yup," I answered as I absentmindedly popped the final p. Oh Yeah, the pain killers were making loopy.

"What would that be?" he countered as he placed me on the bed.

"I want an answer to my question. Why are there so many dogs and cats running around this place?" Every time I looked out a window or wheeled myself out to the porch, I saw dogs running around and cats napping. It made me feel safe. Maybe because it meant I wasn't alone, even when there was no one else around.

"It's because Alice uses the land around the house as an animal sanctuary. After she quit her job as a therapist to come back home, she started the rescue group to continue her work with animal organizations." His voice held a timbre of pride as he spoke about Alice's work with animals. His pride in his sister warmed my heart and I smiled at him.

"How many animals do you guys have?" I asked a hint of a memory prickling at my brain. I could vaguely remember wanting a dog as a child but I couldn't remember if I ever got it.

"I'm not sure. You'd have to ask Alice."

"Do you mind having so many animals around?" My body was growing more and more tired, the tell tale signs that the oxycodone was working its magic.

"I love it actually. These animals, they bring so much happiness to our lives, it's impossible not to love them. "

"That's so sweet of you," I mumbled as a yawn got the best of me.

"Just the truth," he insisted as he pulled a covers over me, a smile tugging at his lips.

Sleep started to overtake me as my pain medications further staked their claim on me. I mumbled a good night as I let the darkness fall silently cursing it for its stupid inconvenient timing. As the shadows took center stage, I imagined Emmett softly caressing my cheek and heard him whisper a tender goodnight, and I knew he'd be there to keep the demons at bay.

I hope you guys enjoyed. Let me know what you think. Leave me a little love and get a sneak peek at the next chapter! And we can't forget about the virtual cookies.

Until Next time,

Lorena