Title: Protect My Heart

Author: Erik-in-CT

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to Stephanie Meyer, and not myself.

It had only been a few months since they had left, and Bella was still trying to learn how to live again. The pain had been unbearable at first, so much so that she hadn't even been able to face going to school. She was back in school now, though her melancholy had ostracized her from the other students. Where she had once had an awkward, but open friendship with several of her classmates, there was now only whispers behind her back, and glares from across the room. The only one of her friends that didn't seem completely put off by her depression was the meek Angela Webber, who was at least trying to still talk to her.

She tried to allow herself to open up again, but it seemed impossible. The whole in her heart still burned with an intense pain. The only times she really felt alive again were the fleeting hours she spent with Jacob Black, fixing up those old motorcycles.

She found she actually picked up Jacob's technical lessons pretty easily. And even more surprised to learn that she actually enjoyed them. That's how she found herself where she was now; sitting in her bedroom with bits and pieces of collected and recycled hardware, thumbing through a book explaining the inner workings of computers.

The old desktop Charlie had given her when she moved in had been completely torn apart and mixed with her collection of hardware. What had once been completely foreign concepts to her were now starting to consume her thoughts. Charlie encouraged her new hobby, seeing how it had started to draw her out of her depression. And so he easily relented when she would ask for funds to buy new gadgets, even if he didn't fully understand what they were for.

Hearing the doorbell ring, Bella jumped up and hurried down the steps. Finally she thought to herself as she pulled the door open and found the mailman waiting with a small assortment of packages.

"Afternoon Ms. Swan," he said as he passed her a clipboard to sign. She replied in kind as she scrawled her name across the papers and took the boxes from the man.

"Thanks," she said as she closed the door and rushed back up to her room. Opening the boxes and removing the bubble wrapped pieces, she carefully unwrapped them and looked them over. "Perfect," she said to herself with delight, and with a smile on her face, she began to dig into her work.

It was thanks to her newest hobby that Bella slowly started to able to smile and talk to the kids at school again. And thanks to her redeveloping people skills, she was finally able to appreciate the friends she had in Forks a little more. Things with Jessica were still a little awkward, and probably would be for awhile yet, but she found herself growing closer to Angela, and by extension, Eric. At first it was uncomfortable, but she soon found herself willingly seeking out their companionship.

One day, when Angela and Eric were visiting over at Bella's house, Eric was astounded by the array of techno gadgetry they found all over Bella's room. Before long, they were elbow deep in computer code, playing with variations on programs that Bella was trying to put together. Thankfully Angela was quite patient with them, happy to see Bella becoming more and more open to those around her. So when her boyfriend and her best friend starting speaking in, what was to her, and alien language, she simply laughed it off and went downstairs to muster up some lunch from Bella's kitchen for the three of them.

"...this line of code here," Eric was saying as Angela returned with a large bowl of chips and dip, and a couple of sodas.

"Hey guys, not to interrupt the strategic meeting, but I brought some snacks!" Angela grinned at the two of them and set the proffered food and drink on the nightstand next to Bella's bed.

"Excellent!" Eric said as he jumped up and snagged a handful of chips from the bowl. "This is really cool Ang. Bella is actually writing a program that would make her computer system a fully voice and video interactive system."

"Wow...like on 'Star Trek' or something?" Angela handed a plate of chips to her best friend as she looked at the pads of paper covered in Bella's writing. "I didn't know you were so into that kinda stuff Bella."

"It's a recent development," Bella answered as she popped open a soda can. "Suprisingly, I find that I actually understand all this pretty easily. And it's fun watching all these little parts come together into something more than themselves, and knowing that I made it happen."

"That makes sense I guess," Angela said with a grin for her friend. "Just so long as you don't go building 'Terminators' or something."