I walked out of my last class, Spanish, feeling wired and endlessly annoyed. Children. I was surrounded by utter children. Never, in all my life, have I seen so many fantasies involving one person. Having met said person myself, I was even more disgusted with the little cretins. Not to mention, I had actually been distracted all the way through class. I've spoken Spanish for eighty-eight years. There was something obviously wrong with my situation. Still, I could not seem to bring myself to be worried about the fact. If I were truthful, I was looking forward to being lost in my thoughts instead of the thoughts of others.

I sat through class, and I kept seeing the same thing. Beautiful eyes, a sweet smile, luscious locks. I kept seeing them behind my eyelids, and I was once again lost with her beauty. Never had I seen anyone as stunning.

As I thought of her once again, I thought of the altercation we had yesterday. Her tripping into my arms. As I stood in the hallway outside of Mr. Banner's Biology class, I continued to think about whether or not I should actually enter the class or not. My sensible side- or should I say Bella-induced side- won, and I traipsed into Biology, appearing openly smug about almost skipping an entire class on the first day back. Having done so, I was only present for the last ten minutes or so, a fact of which Mr. Banner did not appreciate at all. Still, I did manage to hear the opening year project. We were to form a project around the study of chromosomes. While Bella and I sat next to one another at our lab table, we volunteered to work together on the project. I saw a twinkle in Bella's eye when I agreed, and I was even more happy about the fact when Mike Newton fell over himself in an attempt to get her attention, and her presence, in the project as his partner. He had given me quite a lovely glare, but I was unfazed. As was Bella, or so it seemed.

I exited the building, watching in amusement as students milled around one another to get to their cars, ready for the school day to be over. It was the second day, and they already flocked like wild birds, unable to be controlled and completely annoying. I stepped onto the glistening pavement of the parking lot, looking ahead to where my siblings waited at the tail ends of mine and Rosalie's cars. They stood there, speaking and conversing. I entered into their minds, listening as Emmett and Jasper spoke wildly of the next hunting trip they were planning. Rose and Alice were discussing a new sale in Seattle they wanted to go to. I rolled my eyes discreetly; some things never change.

Where is he? Where is he? Oh! I smiled, chuckling quietly as a new and very inviting voice entered my head. Bella.

"Hey!"she called, and I turned on instinct, along with a few others.

My eyes met Bella's, and I found her walking towards me, elegant though a klutz she is. Her hair today was weaved and interlocked about her shoulders, a long braid on either side of her face. As she came closer, the wind blew a few fallen strands around her face, and they hung limply when the breeze disappeared. The strands framed her face beautifully, having a life of their own. She soon neared me, a free but still tight smile spreading over her face.

"Hey," she breathed through her smile, that same stiffness and sadness about herself.

"Hey yourself," I greeted, my own smile growing. Around me, thoughts stalled and disappeared into a void of blissful silence. I had found that she had that certain effect. No matter what, when she was close, it seemed as though my head went blank, the thoughts dimming to a dull roar of white noise at the back of my mind.

"So, I wanted to talk to you about our project, and about when we might get to work on it?" What started as a sentence soon transformed into a question as she seemed to derail herself from being too straight forward.

I nodded. We had yet to discuss these things. We had stayed after yesterday for a while, talking about the project, but we had never hammered out the details. "Well, we have two months to get it done. Do you have any ideas?" I wondered, watching as her eyes once again shifted from mine to my lips and back again.

A few, her thoughts released, loud and clear in my clean head. "I was thinking we could get the research finished in the first two weeks, kind of work on a schedule. Then, after that, I was thinking that maybe we could work on some diagrams, maybe even some paper mache versions of the pairs of chromosomes. I figured, with the time we have, we could really do something with it. What do you think?"

I looked down on her, surprised she had given our project this much thought. Then again, she came off as bright and intelligent and mature. I do not truly know where my surprise stemmed from. Her eyes dance with a dull light, a hopefulness I finally see. There was clarity, her chocolate and cinnamon eyes dancing. "I think it's a wonderful idea!" I told her ecstatically, watching as her eyes danced, the tenseness in her shoulders finally depleting to an almost inconspicuous sight. Were my eyes not so vigilant, I may not have noticed, but I did, and I did not like it.

She looked stunned for a short second before her smile grew even more. "That's great! I'm glad you like the idea. So, do you have a certain place you want to work? The library maybe? I don't have internet at home so that could be an issue." Her eyes flashed for a second, an emotion coursing through them so fast it was almost hard for even me to decipher it. I wouldn't want you in my house, anyway. Not with him. Her thoughts were wrapped in a growl, a protectiveness flowing through them. I thought of that slick entrance of emotion. It had been fear. My brow furrowed slightly. Why would she fear her own home?

Pulling from my thoughts, I found her awaiting my answer expectantly, impatient. Oh, shoot! I knew I should have never suggested my ideas! Stopping her tirade, I replied, "You could come to my house. I have internet, and I'm sure my dad would not mind letting us borrow some of his medical books, his laptop." This, I knew for a fact. Carlisle would be open to anything, especially if it meant helping us. I had found over the years that he often worried about me, and my strange inability to find love in another or even engage in powerful interaction with anyone outside of my family. Maybe this would put his mind at ease, and I could also get to know the infamous Bella Swan a little better.

"Medical books?" Bella inquired, her eyes tracing from my lips. "Oh, right! You're father is Dr. Cullen, right?"

"The very same," I murmured.

"He is an amazing doctor," her voice trailed a little, her eyes turning slightly cold and calculating. She shook her head, releasing herself from the daze she entered. "Anyway, yes, your house, that will work." I was not so sure. Her voice wavered slightly as the sentence rolled from her lips. Did I scare her? She had never given any inclination to such things. "Time and day?"

I blinked, her face becoming clear again as I reeled out of my thoughts. "This Saturday? I can pick you up," I offered, but her thoughts came crashing down.

No, no, no! Not a good idea, not a good idea, at all! "No, um, how about we meet here, in the parking lot? I can follow you home," she stated, demanded almost as her eyes flew into wild fire.

My confusion increased ten-fold, but I agreed nonetheless. I could not really deny her anything. "Sure, that will work. So, Saturday?" I wondered. My siblings were growing impatient, the parking lot almost empty now.

Bella nodded, her braids bouncing lightly. "Yes, definitely. See ya then!" She gave me a small, adorable wave and a smile before turning and walking towards her car, an old '96 Mustang in the color dark blue.

I began walking towards my siblings, my eyes still trained on Bella. Her car was sideways to me, the door facing my direction. She unlocked the car, pulling open the door. She bent down to place her backpack in the passenger seat, her shirt riding up slightly. My eyebrows furrowed, and I halted mid-step. There was gauze wrapped around her lower back, colored with old, dried blood. Thinking back, I realize that I was blinded. She had smelled much more potent today, but I brought it up to be other things. She was a woman, after all, but now I realize how wrong I had been. Who could have hurt her? I thought, still watching as she stood tall, pulling her shirt down far across her hips. She slid into the seat and revved the car, pealing out of the lot. I watched her go, thinking. She was afraid of contact; she was guarded; she was calculating; she did not want me anywhere near her house; her father was the secondary chief of police, completely unidentifiable; she was hurt. My breathing shortened out as I flitted to my car.

"Get in!" I growled at Alice and Jasper, knowing they were riding with me. Their confusion wafted through their thoughts, but they did as I commanded. As soon as the doors shut, I was out of the lot, turning the opposite way of home. I slipped into town within minutes, the minuscule place appearing and disappearing within the blink of an eye.

"Edward, where are we going?" Jasper questioned from the backseat as Alice stilled in the front.

"The hospital," Alice replied before I could, her head turning as she watched me. I was gripping the steering wheel tightly, the leather wrap creaking under the pressure.

"Why are we going to the hospital?" Jasper wondered again, his head appearing between the seats as he leaned forward, glancing between me and Alice in confusion.

"Edward thinks Bella is getting abused. He's going to talk to Carlisle." Alice answered for me again, her voice floating through the car but never quite reaching me. I was running on autopilot, the vision of the gauze around Bella tormenting me.

Jasper's wondering permeated the car, suffocating me in the already tense air. "Too much, Jasper," I growled, and the feeling backed off. Only slightly.

Jasper spoke, ignoring my anger. "Why do you think that? Her father, James Swan, is an admirable man of Forks, not to mention the Chief of Police himself, Charlie Swan. They are both very respected. I highly doubt anyone in such a position would do something as horrible as abuse, given how carefully watched they by the entire community."

I lifted my right hand, bringing it back down on the steering wheel- hard. "But that's what makes it so impressive!" I exclaimed. "He is respected. He is admirable. He is in the perfect position. No one would suspect such a thing from a member the community looks up to."

Jasper exhaled. His thoughts whirled in circles with immense speed, spinning and spinning in my already clouded mind. "Edward," he stated calmly, "I know that you want to protect Bella at all costs." I glanced at him, an eyebrow raised, and he nodded. "I've felt it. I know. But, you can't just go around blaming people for something that could have been an accident. I saw the gauze, I looked. It could've been accident. Besides, you already said Bella was a klutz."

I snarled, frustrated. "It's not just that, Jasper. She's distant; she hates contact; she doesn't want me anywhere near her house; she's been hurt. I can't shake it. Something's not right about this." I twisted the steering wheel, cutting a corner sharply as I banked into the hospital parking lot. I drove around to the back, parking next to Carlisle's gleaming black Mercedes.

I exited, not even bothering to wait for Alice and Jasper. They would catch up. I passed through the automatic doors, moving up close to the receptionist's desk. Evelyn, an elderly woman with pristine and beautiful thoughts, was the current receptionist at Forks Hospital, and she has been for many years now. She looked up at me with a smile, knowing immediately that I was here to see my father.

"You're going to have to give him a minute, dear," she murmured sweetly, scanning her computer quickly. "He's with a patient right now. You go ahead and go to his office, I'll page him and let him know you're here."

I nodded, replied, "Thank you," and headed down the hall. I bypassed the elevator, moving straight for the door that led to the stairwell. I stepped in, listening for a second before speeding up to the fourth floor. I moved into the hallway, surrounded by white. White tiles, white walls, white doors. I went to a nearby door on the right, a golden plaque reading "Dr. Cullen" displayed on the front of the wood. This was the only door that was a different color from the rest of the hallway.

I stepped inside, the door almost clicking closed when Alice and Jasper walked in. Jasper took a seat in front of Carlisle's mahogany desk, pulling Alice onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around her waist, his chin resting on her petite shoulder. Not for the first time, I felt envious of their relationship. They were in sync, perfect for one another ultimately, and I had found myself wanting something similar over the last few years. I sighed, pacing behind the chairs. Waiting, thinking.

My thoughts were soon interrupted as Carlisle walked through the door, a few envelopes in his hand. He smiled when he saw us, but it soon fell as he took in my frantic pacing and worried stature. He glanced between the three of us, stepping closer to his desk and putting the mail down.

"What's wrong?" he demanded immediately, tracing his eyes over us. His brain fizzled in and out with numerous scenarios, one specifically being that one of us had slipped up. Alice was quick to stop his demeaning and much too early installments of our situation.

"You know the girl Edward's been talking about recently, Bella?" she inquired, continuing when he nodded his head, "Well, Edward thinks she's getting abused by her father."

He raised an eyebrow, turning his eyes to me. I had been pacing at a speed too fast to be considered human, but I stalled as he looked upon me, his eyes questioning. "Why do you think that?"

"Today, I knew that there was something different about her. Something was off. As in, something was off about her scent. At first, I put it off as her menstrual cycle, but then, after school, I watched her go to her car. She bent into the car to put her bag away, and her shirt rose a little to reveal gauze all the way across her waist. It was the color of blood. Not to mention, she does not want me anywhere near her home, and she dislikes any and all contact. I'm probably one of the only people she's actually spoken to at school since she started. For being a new girl, she's definitely the object of affection, but she never indulges in the other students. Angel Webber and I are the only ones she talks to."

Carlisle stared at me, my words filtering through his head. He was running them over, evaluating what I had said. He dropped his gaze, moving to sit behind his desk. He folded his hands, stretching his forearms out across the desk.

"So, you deduce that she is being abused because of her choice to not be interactive with her peers?" he questioned, looking at me with a calculating look.

I sighed in annoyance, frustrated that no one seemed to simply accept what I was saying. "Maybe that's not entirely true," I exploited, "but what about the gauze and the blood?"

"She could have fallen, and she did not want to come to the hospital so she took care of her injury to the best of her ability at home."

I growled, shaking my head. I was angry, furious even. I was finally asking for trust, and where the hell was it? "Dammit, Carlisle. I am asking for you to take my side for once. I have presented you with a problem, and I want you to help me fix it." I strode to his desk, placing my hands on the edge as I leaned forward. "I will not stand back and let Bella get hurt. I understand, we have no right to play jury, judge, and executioner. But, if she truly is being abused, then I will handle it my way. Deadly. I want to help her, and I will do so with or without you."

He stared at me, his eyes calm. This went on for a few minutes, the tension in the air palpable. Jasper had long since given up trying to whither down the situation. Now, he settled in it along with the rest of us. Finally, Carlisle nodded.

"Okay," he conceded. "I will give you my trust, Edward; though, you never lost it. However, if you want to catch James Swan for abuse, we are really going to have to get inside his head, his home."

I nodded. "Of course. We can do it. I just...God, I can't stand the thought of her getting hurt." I bowed my head. "I barely know her, but I want to protect her so badly. I once thought that I would be the one that people were protected from. Yet, here I am, ready to protect my prey." I released a humorless laugh. "What twisted world is this?" I wondered rhetorically.

"It's life, son," Carlisle said quietly, his voice soft and velvety smooth.

"Will you help me?" I asked.

"Of course," he stated. "All of us will. We will help her Edward. I swear to you, we will."

My eyes fell closed as relief washed over me, euphoric and positively blissful. "Thank you," I murmured with all the emotion I could muster. I opened my eyes, knowing that they were shining with happiness at having my family back me, especially with so little facts.

"You're welcome. Don't worry, son, everything will be well."

I backed away from his desk, falling heavily into the chair behind me. Alice looked at me, her eyes sympathetic and confident. We will handle this, Edward. We will help her. She told me through her thoughts. I tilted my head down, a small smile rising on my lips.

Carlisle reached across his desk, flipping through the mail. He paused just as my thoughts did. Speak of the Devil. He murmured through his head. I leaned forward. He glanced up at me, lifting the pristine white envelope with care. He slowly opened it, releasing the clean paper cautiously. It was almost blindingly white, and I could see from my position that it was a heavier style of paper. It was covered with calligraphy writing from a fountain pen, the penmanship almost equal to my own if not better.

"Dear Dr. Cullen," Carlisle read, "I have not yet had time to introduce myself to you and your family. As I'm sure you know by now, I am the secondary Chief of Police-" Cocky, Alice inserted "-and I make it my duty to know all of the families here in Forks. As such, I am throwing a small celebration at my estate on September 1, 2014 as a way to reign in the new productive season of education, and to meet the new families that have entered Forks within the last year and a half. I trust that you will come. It would be a delight to have you and your family in my home for the festivities. I wish you all the best and a wonderful day. Chief of Police, James Swan."

"We have to go," I stated immediately.

"He's right, Carlisle," Jasper added, finally siding with me. "We need to see if he's as bad as Edward thinks. Besides, there's no harm in looking, checking into it. If he is abusing Bella, we will need to handle it quickly. If he finds out we know, not only are we in trouble, but so is Bella."

I nodded in acceptance. I actually had not thought of that. "We'll have to be discrete. If we find anything unusual, we need to stay quiet until we're away."

"Very true. Also, son, I think there is something you may need to consider," Carlisle started, his tone revealing a since of hesitation.

I raised an eyebrow in question. He exhaled, his shoulders lifting and falling. "You may have to tell Bella about us."

My jaw dropped. "I really don't think that's a good idea." And I didn't. What if she found out, and she hated me? How could I live with that?

"I understand, but what if you are put in a position where you need to protect her in an...inhumane manner? It's risky, yes, but it may be for the better in the long run."

I mulled it over, bobbing my head in understanding versus true acceptance. "Okay. I'll think about it. I may wait until after the party, though. If I realize he's abusive, then I'll tell her. If not, I'll leave her be."

"That's acceptable," Carlisle equated.

I sighed, releasing some of the tension from the air. I lifted my chair slowly. I turned to my brother and sister. "I'm sorry for dragging you here, but it was important."

Alice shook her head. "Don't apologize." She gripped Jasper's hand as they stood together. Perfect synchronized, just like ripples of water. "We understand."

I smiled, watching as they exited the room. I turned, making my way out. I was holding the door open when Carlisle called me back.

Edward?

I turned my head, watching him.

I hope you realize what you may be starting. Your mother and I will stand behind you through everything, but you better be ready to accept the consequences of your actions if this does not end well. For either of you.

I glanced towards the wall quickly, my hair bouncing as I nodded. "Of course. I wouldn't expect anything less."

I went through the door, clicking it closed behind me. Finality. At least, that's how it felt. I walked down the hall towards the stairwell door, a plan forming. I was going to save Bella Swan, and nothing and no one was going to get in my way.

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