A/N: I would like to thank my beta's HollettLA, LoriAnnTwiFan, Momma bear and SueBob from Project Team Beta who have helped me get this chapter published. Without them, this would never been good enough to be shown.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

CHAPTER ONE: VILLAINS AND HEROES

"Stop! Please don't do this to me!" I screamed while trying to fight off an enormous man who had pulled me into a dark alley in the center of Paris. I could feel the bricks dig into my skin as I was being pressed against a wall. His hands were wrapped around my neck, and he used his weight to keep me in place.

"You better shut that pretty little mouth of yours, or I'll make sure you won't enjoy any of this," he breathed into my ear.

I cringed when I felt one of his hands leave my neck and grab my breast. "Please, oh God, please, let me go," I cried. "I didn't do anything to you."

"Oh, but I am going to enjoy the time I have with you," he said huskily. "Just look at those beautiful tits you have, and you're going to be so tight. Mmm, all the fun we're going to have. Don't you think so, sweetheart?" he asked me with an evil grin on his face.

I tried to grab his arms and push them away from my body but stopped as soon as I felt the cold blade of a knife pressed against my throat. "I would stay still if I were you. You do want to be able to walk, hmm... maybe crawl is the better word, crawl away from here alive, don't you," he said angrily as he pushed the knife harder into my neck.

I whimpered and felt the tears pool in my eyes as his hand made its way down my body toward the zipper of my jeans. This was it. He was going to rape me, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. Never in a million years had I thought this would happen to me; I still had so much to accomplish in my life. I was only 24 years old for Christ's sake! I needed to find the love of my life, get married, and start a family! Before all that, though, I wanted to lose my virginity. My former boyfriend did quite a number on me, and now I just don't trust people that easily. Now the first person that was going to have sex with me was this foul bastard, and it would be horrible and against my will.

I was completely overpowered and didn't know what to do. The tears were rolling down my face while I tried to call for help. I had just shut my eyes and began to pray when I suddenly felt the weight of my attacker being lifted off me. I fell to my knees and opened my eyes to see what was happening.

Two men dressed in black suits were dragging my attacker away from me and starting to land swift kicks to his stomach. A third man came over to where I was kneeling on the pavement. He was tall, muscular, and broad shouldered. He had reddish-brown hair that lay in disarray on the top of his head. His jaw was sharp, covered with subtle dark stubble, and he had the most piercing green eyes I had ever seen.

"Excuse me, miss ... miss, are you alright?" he asked me with a velvet voice. I snapped out of my dazed state and tried to stand up.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine. Um... I mean, I'm fine now," I answered as I tried to wrap my head around everything that had happened in the last few minutes. "Thank you so much for saving me," I continued. "I don't even know what I would have done if you hadn't passed by and seen me. Oh my God, he tried to ... Oh my..." I started to hyperventilate as I thought back to my attacker's intentions and tried my hardest to control my breathing.

"Miss, you've got to calm down. Take some deep breaths."

I tried to follow his suggestion, but I started to feel light headed. My vision started to blur, and before I knew it, everything had faded into the dark.

My head was throbbing, and it felt like I'd had too much to drink. I was lying on something soft and was covered with several large, warm blankets. I opened my eyes and took in my surroundings. I recognized my bedroom and noticed that my feet were elevated. I tried to remember how I got into my bed when it all came back to me in a rush: the walk home from work, the guy who grabbed me and tried to rape me, and the beautiful stranger who rescued me. My heart started to beat faster, and my hands started to shake as I relived those memories.

A voice spoke from the arm chair in the corner of my bedroom. "You really should calm down, you know. You're safe here. I don't think I can handle you fainting on me again." I turned my head to get a better look, when the man who I recognized as my rescuer stood up and slowly made his way to the edge of my bed. I tried to sit up straight and started to throw the blankets from my body when his voice interrupted me.

"Don't try to sit up. You better lie down for a little while longer and keep yourself warm. You'll get dizzy otherwise," he said, his words laced with worry.

"How… How did you get in here?" I asked. "How did I get in here? How did you find me in that alley, and who the hell are you anyway? I mean, I'm not ungrateful or anything; thank you so much for saving me, but I don't really know you."

"Well, Miss Isabella Swan, if you stop talking for just a minute, I will answer all of your questions." He smirked and proceeded to sit on the edge of my bed. "I was walking home from work with my two brothers, and passed the alley when we heard screaming. We decided to check it out and see if we could offer any help. When we got there, we saw you being held against the wall with a knife pressed into your neck and pulled your attacker away from you. After I was sure my brothers could take care of that scum, I came back to where you were kneeling. Before I could do anything else, you passed out. I found your passport and keys to your apartment in your bag, and I brought you here. That's how we got here. I sent my brothers to get you something to eat," he continued. "I looked in your cupboards for something to prepare, but I didn't find anything. You need to get some groceries," he said while smiling warmly. "Anyway, I sent my brothers to get you some soup and bread. It's important to eat something after you faint, to get your sugar levels up again," he finished.

"What's your name?" I asked as soon as he was finished. I really wanted to know the name of the gorgeous man sitting on the edge of my bed.

"I'm Edward Cullen."

"Well, Edward, please call me Bella," I said. "I just want to thank you for saving me. I really don't know what I would have done if you didn't pass by. You didn't have to send your brothers for food. You have done so much already." Right as I finished my sentence, there were three sharp knocks on the door. I started to get up, but Edward quickly stopped me and left the bedroom. I heard low voices murmur to each other in the other room and tried to shake off a feeling of unease that crept upon me. I didn't feel comfortable with strange men being inside my apartment when I was unable to see them. I knew Edward was there, and I assume it was his brothers at the door, but I had only known him for fifteen minutes and didn't fully trust him.

I heard my apartment door closing and saw Edward entering with a plastic bag in his hands. He put the bag down on my dresser and took out a bowl of soup and a spoon.

"I hope you like tomato soup," he said while turning back around to face me.

"I do," I answered him softly while propping some pillows against the headboard and sitting up straight. "There aren't a lot of things that I don't like, so you can't really go wrong with food." I felt a small smile make its way across my face.

"That's good to know," Edward replied while walking over and handing me the soup. "There's bread over there if you're interested."

"I'll just start with the soup, thank you," I answered. "Was that your brothers at the door?" I asked him.

"Yes," he said. "They wanted to know if you were alright, and if you needed anything else, but I've sent them home." He picked up the armchair and put it beside my bed before sitting down. After a few moments of silence with the sounds of me eating my soup as the only noise in the room, Edward cleared his throat and asked me if I needed anything else.

"No, thank you," I answered him, "but there must be something I can do to repay you for your help?" I asked him.

"There really isn't anything that I need…" he started to say.

"There must be something," I said, interrupting him. "I'm just so grateful that you saved me. I want to do something for you in return."

He sighed and looked me in the eye. "Let me think about it, okay?"

I hummed in agreement and continued to eat my soup when I heard a cell phone ring.

Edward reached into his pocket as he stood up from his seat. "I'm sorry, Bella, but I have to take this call," he said while walking out of my room.

The phone ringing reminded me that I really needed to call Angela, my best friend. I really didn't feel like staying home alone tonight. Angela and I had been best friends for as long as I could remember. Our parents were friends and that friendship just flowed over to us. She was also the reason why I got my job. She's a math teacher at one of the most prestigious schools in Paris, and her recommendation got me a job as a chemistry and physics teacher at that same school. I loved teaching, the days were never dull, and the holidays were a nice bonus too.

Edward walked back into the room after I had finished calling Angela and telling her what had happened. She was shocked and said she'd be right over.

"I'm sorry, Bella, but that was my dad," Edward said. "There are some problems at work and he needs me to be there, so I better get going. Are you going to be alright?" he asked me.

Immediately a feeling of fear came over me. I didn't want to stay here alone. What if that man followed us and knew where I lived. He would see Edward leave and then come back. "I know that I really can't ask you for anything more, considering everything you've already done for me," I started. "But… I just called my best friend, Angela. She is going to be here in about fifteen minutes, and I don't really feel comfortable staying alone right now. So, um… could you maybe stay until she gets here?" I stammered while I looked down to my now empty bowl of soup.

"Sure, Bella," Edward replied. "I don't mind waiting another fifteen minutes, and I understand that it must be difficult for you to stay home alone right now."

"Thank you, Edward. That makes me feel better already, and thanks for the soup." I got out of bed and took the empty bowl to the kitchen. I returned to the living room and took a seat on the couch next to Edward. "So, you need to go to work,…" Edward hummed in agreement. "What exactly is it that you do?" I asked him.

"I work for my family's company. My father is my boss. It's not really interesting, but if something is wrong, I need to be there," he said dismissively. I had a feeling there was more happening, but Edward seemed reluctant to talk about work, so I quickly dropped the subject. "Tell me about your job," he then continued to say. "What do you do for a living?"

"I teach Chemistry and Physics at a high school in the neighborhood."

"Wow, that's impressive! I couldn't see myself trying to teach stubborn, hormonal teens," he said while laughing softly.

"Well, someone has got to do it," I said with a smile on my face. "They're not too bad… okay, no, that's not true. They are stubborn and hormonal, but I can't see myself doing anything else. I love it."

"You know, Bella," Edward started to say, "I think I know what you can do to repay me."

"Oh, good," I said.

"You can let me come over tomorrow, to make sure you're alright." He had a lopsided smile on his face while looking at me.

"That's not really something for me to do," I said, confused.

"I know." He smirked. "If it would make you feel better, we can have lunch together. I'll come back tomorrow and bring something to eat. I just want to make sure you're okay, and you don't really have any food in here, so it'll be a good thing for me to bring you some groceries," he pointed out.

"You really don't have to do all of that…" I began to argue, but Edward quickly shushed me.

"I want to, Bella," he assured me.

Before I could answer, I heard someone knock on my door. I opened it and saw Angela standing in front of me with a worried look on her face.

"Bella, oh my God, are you okay?" she asked. "Are you hurt? Do we need to go see a doctor?" She continued to ask me questions as she gave me a hug and walked into the living room. "You must be Edward," she said and walked right up to him. "Thank you, Edward, for saving Bella, and thank your brothers, too. You have no idea how much this means to me."

"I'll make sure my brothers know you thanked them, Angela. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go to work. I'll see you later, Bella," he said and walked out of my apartment.

When I heard the door close behind him and was alone with Angela, my emotions got the best of me. I felt calm when I was in Edward's presence, but seeing Angela broke my resolve to keep my emotions in check. Tears started rolling freely over my face, and I felt dirty, used. I still felt his hands all over my body. Angela tried to calm me down by suggesting I take a shower. She turned on the water, telling me she'd be right outside the door when I was done. I scrubbed my skin until it felt raw and stepped out. We put on our pajamas and crawled under the covers of my bed. We ended up talking until my voice was hoarse and my eyes started to droop.

Angela told me she would call the school in the morning and tell them that I wasn't going to attend for the rest of the week. We agreed that I needed some time to get my emotions under control and work through the trauma I had experienced.

Before I drifted to sleep, I couldn't help but see piercing green eyes looking back at me.

A/N: Thank you for reading! I would appreciate it if you would let me know what you think.

xxx

Lady-Suze