Disclaimer: None of this is mine, nor will it ever be (sigh). I like to play with the characters that Stephenie Meyers created and make them do pervy things or become angels with a bad attitude.

Chapter Three

EPOV

I drove my car back to my house, fed Felix, and then flew back to Bella's apartment. I was perched on a nearby roof, listening to her thoughts and my heart shattering at the nightmares she was having. It was a jumble of what had happened the night previous and other horrible memories.

"You know stalking is illegal almost everywhere in the world, Edward." I turned around and saw my mentor and creator, Alice. I arched a brow, surprised to see her down here. She was assigned to work with the archangel Gabriel and usually was glued to his side.

"I'm not stalking, Alice. I'm protecting. There's a difference, you know?" I argued. "Or, are you down here to warn me that this is another situation that I had with Hitler?"

"Quite the opposite, Edward. Isabella Swan is the epitome of goodness, but she's at a crossroads" Alice said, sitting down on the edge of the building. "However, you can probably feel her pain, her sadness."

"I can. More so than others," I said. "Plus, I can't stand being away from her. Do you know what this is?"

"I do," she replied, giving me a coy little grin. "But, you have to figure it out on your own. There is a time limit, though. Bella, your Bella, is kindhearted, gentle, tender and loving. In the near future, something will happen to her and she will succumb to the darkness. She will be tempted, like you, and she will succumb to the temptation and those implications will be catastrophic. Or so I've been told."

"She can't," I whispered. "When?"

"I don't know that. But, if you are able to save her, you will be welcomed back to heaven," she said. "She is important to all of us, Edward."

"But, if I am welcomed back to heaven, I can't watch over her," I surmised. "I'm very attached to her and I don't understand why."

"All in good time, Edward," Alice smirked. "Now, what is this writing you have on your body? Surely, this is not popular. Is it permanent?"

"What? The tattoos? They are permanent and a way for me to express myself," I said, rolling up my sleeves. "I think it looks badass."

"One of the newer angels has a bunch of these on his body," Alice said, wrinkling her nose. "And mind your language, Edward. You may not be allowed in heaven, but you still represent Him."

"I like them," I shrugged, rolling my eyes at her admonishment about my language. If you only knew, Alice. I've got the mouth of a trucker. "I was afraid that the tattoo wouldn't work since I'm immortal and all that jazz, but surprisingly enough, I got inked and it stuck. How are things up there?"

"Good. We got a few new recruits and we have our eyes on some potentials," Alice said. "None of them are as promising as you were."

"I'm a disappointment, Alice. I helped start World War II and the Holocaust," I sighed. "I'm no longer promising. I'm a liability."

"Lucifer tricked you. He tricked a number of you. It's his way," Alice said, rubbing my arm. "Besides, you understood that you made a mistake. This is why you were exiled and not stripped of your powers. Though, I can feel your pain, Edward. How badly was she injured?"

"If I hadn't healed her, Bella would have died," I explained. "I know I need to rest and I should eat, but I can't just go. What if she needs me?"

"You'll know," Alice said. "Oh, and get into the twenty-first century." She handed me a cell phone. "Quit being so stubborn, Edward. Having a cell phone won't kill you. Even I have one." She whipped out an iPhone, waggling it in my face.

"Who do you need to call?" I asked, stuffing the phone in my back pocket.

"For when I'm down here," she shrugged. "Gabriel has me running errands and I'm spending more and more time down here. Having this is a necessity." Alice put her cell phone into her pocket and unfurled her dainty wings. "Use it, Edward. Give your number to Bella." She took off and disappeared into the clouds. I scowled at her, turning back to Bella's window and grimacing at her nightmares.

She'd been violated so many times by foster fathers, foster brothers and even a boyfriend. The fact that she was so loving and open shocked me. The fact that she could be in the same room as me, a male, without freaking blew me out of the water. Edward … save me …

I perked up, hearing Bella's voice whimper for me. I raced down the stairs and used my lock-picking skills to let me into her apartment. Closing the door, I went into her bedroom and sat down next to her, taking her hand. "I'm here," I said. She relaxed slightly, but her nightmare was still terrorizing her. "You're safe, Bella."

I'm never safe, she cried. Tears streamed down her cheeks and I cursed lowly before laying down next to her on the full-sized bed. I encased her in my arms and wrapped my wings around both of us, cocooning her against the evils in the world. She melted against me and her nightmares dissipated, morphing into flashes of happier moments in her life, with a few glimpses of my crooked smile and green eyes. I blushed, but held her close and stayed there until just before dawn. As much as I hated to do it, I left Bella in her room, but stayed close by. I placed a feather from my wings under her pillow, praying the few moments before her alarm went off were nightmare-free.

Thankfully, they were.

I stayed near her apartment as she puttered around, cleaning her apartment. She went down to the bookstore, helping out Rosalie for the latter part of the apartment. Bella was jumpy, but she was going stir-crazy in her apartment. Once the bookstore closed, Bella went up to her apartment and spent almost two hours in the bathroom. From what I could tell, she was trying to cleanse herself of the filth. I hated that she was trying to boil her skin off because of what happened. I could feel her wanting to call for me, but she blamed herself for being weak and vulnerable.

She took some sleeping pills and spent some time working on grading before she went to bed. Again, her nightmares were heartbreaking. Without even her call, I broke into her home and protected her from her own mind, keeping her tiny body in my arms and wrapping both of us in my wings.

The next day, I flew home and took care of Felix. He was excited to see me, but very pissed off when I left for work. "I'm sorry, buddy. I'll be home tonight. I promise," I said, rubbing behind his ears. "Don't pee on my floors." I ruffled his fur and drove to the demolition site. Emmett was standing there, speaking with Rosalie. She was flirting with him. I pursed my lips, clocking in and checking my assignment for the day.

"Edward! You missed a great night on Friday! I met this gorgeous girl," Emmett smiled. "I think I might be in love."

"Stop it," Rosalie giggled, smacking his arm. "One kiss and some naked fun time equate being in love, you big oaf." Rosalie looked at him, narrowing her eyes. "Weren't you with Bella?"

"Yeah," I nodded coolly. "I dropped her off at home after she spent the night in the police station."

"Was that the bitch you were complaining about when I called the Saturday morning?" Emmett asked.

I bit back a snarl. "Don't call her that. If you knew …" I hissed.

"Edward's right. I didn't know the whole story," Rosalie said, giving me a sympathetic grin. "Bella is one of my most valued employees but she was attacked on Friday night, almost raped."

"Oh," Emmett whispered.

"I'm going to complete my assignments today, but I'm going to have to decline the invitation to do that restoration," I said. "Thanks for the opportunity, but I have another job lined up."

"If this is because of what I just said?" Emmett asked.

"No. It's not," I answered. "Excuse me." I put on my hard hat and went to complete my assignments before I took a break for lunch. Mike and Tyler were working with me, giving me shit about how quiet I was acting, but I wasn't in the mood for them. At lunch, I went to the marina and saw Bella sitting at my table. "Hi," I smiled, sitting down across from her. "I'm surprised you're here. I thought you'd take a day or two off after … you know?"

"I just needed to get out of the apartment and seeing the kids makes everything better," Bella said, pushing a plastic tub toward me. "A thank you for your help, Edward."

"It was nothing, Bella," I smiled. Bella arched a brow, opening the tub and displaying some very tempting brownies. "Do these have caramel in them?"

"And marshmallows," Bella smirked, taking one out and holding it out to me. I took it, biting into the square of heaven on earth. And it truly was … I'd been up there and these brownies were the physical manifestation of heaven. "Do you need a moment?"

"No, but these are soooooooo good," I moaned, swallowing my bite. "How are you doing?"

"Tired, but being at work is distracting," she said, shrugging slightly. "Seeing the reaction from the twins for the costumes, it was worth it. They hugged me and I felt like I made a difference in their lives." A cool wind blew past us and she shivered. I moved to sit next to her, putting my jacket around her shoulders. Though, I wanted to wrap her in my wings to keep her safe and block her body from the cold. "Thank you, Edward."

"You're welcome," I smiled. "How is work? You're a teacher?"

"Yes, fourth grade. I love my job, but one of my teammates is going out on medical leave next week. Her mom is suck with cancer and she needs to fly back to Minnesota to be her primary caregiver. We're getting a long-term sub. I just pray it's someone who is actually decent. The last sub we had that was awful," Bella snorted.

"How was that sub awful?" I asked.

"She didn't actually teach," Bella explained. "Her teammates had to show her what to do and in the long run, she just showed videos and the kids were bored. It was not good, to be honest." She smiled at me and I saw the circles under her eyes. Even though she had slept, she was still exhausted. "Anyway, I wanted to give you the brownies. I'm not sure how much longer you're going to be here. Rose said she met the head contractor for the demolition job you'd been working."

"Yeah. I ran into her this morning," I said, keeping Emmett's comment to myself. "But, I hope to see you again, Bella. I understand if you aren't ready for any sort of relationship. Even if we hang out as friends, I'd love that."

"I'd like that, too. I feel safe with you," she murmured, looking up at me. Her phone chirped and she frowned. "I've got to go back to school. The brownies are for you. I hope you enjoy them." She kissed my cheek and handed me my jacket.

"Before you go, I got a cell phone," I said, taking my phone out and looking at it confusedly. "I don't know how to use it, but I have it." She giggled, taking my phone and putting her own number into it and pressing send.

"Now, I have your number and you've called me," she snickered.

"Um," I chuckled. "And how do I save it?"

"You're hopeless," she said, creating a contact for herself. "You've never had a cell phone before?"

"My sister, well sister-like person, insisted I get a phone," I shrugged, putting it back into my pocket. Bella looked at me confusedly. "Long story, but perhaps I can tell you about Alice at some point." Bella nodded, leaving me in the marina. I waved at her and used my new cell phone to call the school district. Within a few moments, I had an interview for the following morning to be a long-term sub in Bella's building.

I was giddy with anticipation, but something in the pit of my stomach told me that there was more and it wasn't good.

A/N: I have a plan for this story. Unfortunately, that plan is in my planner, on my desk at school. Whoops. We'll be going to Bella for the next chapter and she's going to be in for a surprise. Both good and bad … leave me some!

Oh, and I will be updating this story on Saturdays with teasers on Wednesdays. Check out my blog for teasers. Links for that are on my profile. I'm also on Facebook: Tufano79's Twilight Fanfiction Appreciation and twitter: tufano79.