Author's Notes: I'm so bored right now, and am going to be ridiculously busy this week, so here's your chapter a day early. Many thanks to everyone who has left me a review, those really make my day. And those of you who just add this story to favs without reviewing, please review, too! Even if you have nothing better to say than "I liked [this part," every review helps make my life a little brighter and my writing a little better. And I need all the light I can get – working 20 hrs/wk, teaching/observing 12 hrs/wk and taking 16 credits…life is hectic.

Once again, many many thanks to my amazing beta, choosetodream!

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Chapter 4

It wasn't long before she started to stir and regain consciousness. I was still at her side when her eyelashes fluttered and her eyes drifted open. They slowly focused, and Bella scooted back with a gasp.

"Edward!" She looked around wildly, "What happened? Where am I? Are you ok? Did the carriage hurt you? Where'd the horse go?"

I smiled reassuringly (and a bit amused) "I'm perfectly fine. We're at my home. I brought you here after you passed out. You've been through quite the ordeal." I thought my close proximity was starting to make her nervous – I could hear her heartbeat start to race. I backed off and sat in the nearby armchair.

"Are you sure you're ok? I mean, you were hit with a carriage!" She eyed me critically.

I took a breath. I had to play this right. "I think you're a little confused," I started with a gentle smile, "I pulled you out the way of the carriage, and it crashed beside us. Then when you saw the driver bleeding, you fainted and I brought you here."

Her eyebrows drew together as she sat up and looked at me in confusion, "No, you were a block away from me. I couldn't catch up to you. And then that carriage came right at me, I thought I was going to be crushed." She looked me straight in the eyes. "But then you appeared out of nowhere to stand in front of me like a shield."

"Are you suggesting that I was hit by a runaway carriage and survived to tell the tale?" I mocked. "You know that's not possible."

"Possible or not, it happened. I know what I saw."

She was a stubborn thing. I wasn't expecting that. Most girls would bend their will to appease whoever they were pursuing. One with her own opinion was unheard of in this uptight society.

"Bella, I think you need to rest. You must be unwell, you've been under a lot of stress today." I stood up to fetch Esme and something warm for Bella to eat. "I'll get you some tea and then you should go home. Your fiancé must have heard what happened by now. He'll be worried." I couldn't help but stress the offending word.

She dropped her gaze to the blanket covering her lap and began picking at it. "I doubt it."

That stopped me in my tracks. I waited for her to continue, but when she didn't, I turn around and looked at her in amazement. She looked so sad and small. "What do you mean?"

She glanced up at me, surprised that I would ask, then fixed her eyes back on the blanket. I don't blame her for being surprised that I cared. I was sending so many mixed signals, with my pathetically failing attempt to not care. "He's too wrapped up in himself to notice much around him. He wouldn't be bothered with news of a car crash."

Strings of unpleasant names ran across my mind, each not foul enough to adequately describe a man who didn't appreciate the good thing he had. I wanted to comfort her. So I turned to the kitchen. "I'm getting some tea."

Esme was in the kitchen, like I'd known. She had managed to rustle up some tea bags and the water was just reaching a boiling point. She looked at me knowingly, "Edward, dear," she began, "it's not such a bad thing to get close to someone. Comforting someone is not a crime."

I looked at her. "It's not that simple." I leaned on the counter, thoroughly depressed. "I'm already getting attached," I confessed suddenly. Perhaps Esme would have some advice. I looked pleading into her eyes, "What should I do? She's engaged. And human."

Esme came over to stand beside me and drape one arm across my shoulders. "Edward, she's scared. You can be a friend. No harm can come from being her friend. And look how well you're dealing with her blood-call! Even when there was blood spilt earlier – no matter whose it was – you kept your head. You can do whatever you put your mind to." She smiled and hugged my shoulders. "Now go take her some tea."

It made sense what she said. I brought the tea back into the living room where Bella was sitting with her legs curled up in front of her. She looked at me cautiously, like I was going to disappear or something.

"I'm sorry, I've been very rude to you," I said, as I gave her the cup as a peace offering. "I shouldn't be taking out my personal anger on you. It's just better for you to stay away from me."

She looked surprised as she accepted the cup from me and took a long sip. She held the cup in both hands and stared at me, as if trying to figure out my secrets. "It's a little late for that, I think. But what have you to be angry about?" she asked skeptically and took another sip.

I paused. Should I tell her the truth? "I just think you've been dealt a bad hand," I answered slowly. "You deserve someone who worries about you, who realizes what a good thing he has." Part of the truth, then.

She blushed and looked into her cup shyly. That blush was lovely. It caused the monster to stir, but I was in control. It gave me a feeling of satisfaction, to see that I could interact with her like a normal human being.

"Why should anyone worry about me?" Her soft voice broke through my reverie.

I was shocked. Did she not see how special she was? How could she not? I knelt in front of her and, pausing briefly to test my limits, placed one hand under her chin, forcing her to look me in the eyes. Her skin was so warm and soft.

"You are a beautiful, caring human being. I have never met anyone quite like you. You deserve the best."

Her eyes widened in disbelief and her breath caught. Her heart was pounding wildly.

"Breathe, Bella." I smiled.

She let out a shaky breath, laughing nervously. Her cheeks were bright pink. "I…I should probably be getting home. My father is most likely going crazy wondering where I am."

That was probably the best idea I'd heard all night. "I'll take you home. Your things should be dry by now. You can change in one of the spare rooms while I go hitch the horse up. The storm seems to have let up, and our horse is even-tempered. You'll be safe with her."

She looked down at what she wearing for the first time and noticed she wasn't in her own clothes. If possible her blush deepened. I walked toward the door, chuckling, "And before you ask, Esme changed your clothes so you wouldn't catch cold." I didn't see her reaction, but I could hear her heart beat nervously.

It was an uneventful ride back to her home. The rain had let up somewhat, but she was still a little tense. I glanced at her rigid form and wanted so badly to put a comforting arm around her. But I couldn't do that. Engaged, engaged, engaged. So I settled for, "Don't worry, I'm a good driver. I'll get you home in one piece."

Amazingly, she relaxed somewhat. At her house, I reined the little cobalt mare in in front and came around to walk her to the door, umbrella in hand to guard against the faint drizzle. I didn't want her getting any wetter tonight.

At her door, I bid her goodnight. She smiled at me and said, "Thank you, truly, for saving my life tonight." She hesitated before continuing and opened the door to her home, "And I know I'm not crazy. I hope you'll trust me to tell me what really happened, someday."

And then she disappeared behind the door.

Trust her? I hadn't trusted anyone outside of my adopted family for as long as I'd been a part of it. This really was getting to be dangerous. My mind was racing as I climbed back in the driver's seat and headed back to my own home.

I didn't regret saving her, not in the slightest. If anyone in this miserable city deserved to live, it was her. But this latest development – the fact that she was too observant and that she wanted me to trust her – this might be getting to be too much. Did I need to take myself out of the picture?

It would be easy enough to do. In theory, anyway. I could roam for a while, live the life of the nomad as so many of my kind did, and gain a deeper appreciation for my unique little family. I could look for others like us, others who didn't want to kill humans to survive. I could go hunting in new or exotic places. The options were endless. I would just leave and not come back until Bella was gone.

In practice however, that was a different story. I didn't want to leave.

But which was really for the better? If I stayed, Bella was sure to come after me. She was too curious for her own good. She would not rest until she had won my trust and I revealed my secrets to her. Not that she had any idea how many secrets I kept, she only craved the answer to the mystery of the car crash.

And something told me that no matter how good a story I came up with, she would always be able to see through me with those big, brown eyes of hers. I would end up telling the truth, and then either scar her for life or bring the fragile friendship we'd built crashing to the floor. Neither option looked so great.

So I would need to leave. Perhaps just for an extended hunting trip, just long enough for her to get married, and then she'd be busy with her new life.

Married. I shuddered. I didn't want her married to that foul creature. That wolf prancing around in sheep's clothing.

And he truly had the nature of a wolf. I'd heard rumors from the streets of foul play and most ungentlemanly-like behavior. No one in his circle suspected anything, of course, they all worshipped the ground his richly shod feet walked on. His money was more than enough to buy society's approval. It made me sick.

I pulled up to the house and the put our mare up far too soon. Carlisle and Esme were discussing me inside, worried, but just a little excited that I had taken notice of someone outside our family. I went back to the stable and just sat for a minute, trying to think of the best way to tell them that I was taking a little trip.

Should I let them think it was just an innocent trip, that I was just itching to run and hunt some big game? No, I mentally shook my head. They deserved to know. They would probably suspect anyway. They knew me too well. The only two people in the world that knew me and I was leaving them.

I took a deep breath to calm myself. I wasn't going to leave them for good. I would be back before long. A couple of months was like a couple of seconds compared to the lifespan we were expected to live. Maybe less. I could do this.

When I came through the door, they looked up at me guiltily, like I had just caught two children with their hands in the cookie jar. They knew I knew exactly what they had been discussing. And they were both too parental to want me knowing their wishes for me. I was still a teenager, after all. That part of me wanted to rebel on standard alone. Mentally, I'd progressed a little further thanks to experience, but I was still young at heart.

At any rate, I knew they didn't want me to be alone. They knew how much I hated it. They wanted what was best for me, whether it was a friend in Miss Bella Swan or not.

They took the news better than I thought they would, or at least they guarded their thoughts around me to make me think so.

"If that's what you think is best, Edward," Esme placed her pale hand on mine, "then that's what you should do. We'll be here waiting for you."

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