Ch 7

BPOV

If I have to listen to this Disney cd one more time I'm going to stuff my ears with roasted marshmallows. Nothing would get past that, just silence. I don't have anything against Disney really, and truth be told I need to earn as many good points as I can. I'm almost positive I had my ticket to Hell printed a long time ago.

My eyes catch Mason bouncing his feet and singing along in his toddler seat. The smile stretches across my face before I realize it and the words of singing woodland creatures escape before my dignity can stop them.

Oh who am I kidding? Dignity is a luxury I don't have much need for. Growing up it always seemed that the dignified people had the least fun. Why aspire to a life of boredom?

Life is too miserable to be spent bored as well. Humanity is ugly and weak in spirit. I know the hardest truth is that most good people aren't good, they simply haven't been offered the chance to become bad. Every person has their own poison, whether it's the lusty abandon of sex or the losing of oneself in any number of intoxicant, there is a bottom for all. I wonder what Edward's is?

Damnit that man! All of my effort to escape human attention, to shroud myself in forrest so that no one can look too closely, but he was there. Again. I'm not sure how he found my house. Judging by the look in his eyes though I know why.

Fuck he likes me. Or he thinks he likes me. Edward, beautiful Edward is a rare gem because he doesn't know that he is beautiful. Ridiculous as it is, it's true. His confidence is in his words more then his stature, so I'm guessing he hides behind his intellect, using snark and wit to justify his lonely existence. But he doesn't have to be lonely, and he doesn't have to settle for me just because I'm "different" to the vapid bimbos I'm sure throw themselves at him. He deserves better, someone whole who won't eat away at his very existence.

Speaking of eating, I'm starved.

"Are you hungry baby?" I checked the rearview mirror without need to see Mason nodding his head. My boy got my appetite, along with my stubborn streak and my tendancy to fall into or over everything. I keep bandaids and antiseptic in my purse for us both.

A few minutes later I pull into a small shopping plaza that houses my favorite hole in the wall pizza place along with a gym, a coffee shop, and a hobby store full of yarn and pipe cleaners in assorted colors. And of course my favorite bookstore. I find a spot and with the ease that comes from months of being in this condition maneuver myself out of the car and around to Mason's side. He's half out of the seat already having caught where we were eating. I grab his little hand and start to walk across the plaza when I hear what would biologically be considered a man.

"Well looky here. It's the crippled bitch that goes around ruining people's fun." I grabbed Mason and dragged him behind me while turning towards the voice. He was cleaned up and sober, but there was no mistaking him. It was the smaller of the men who had attacked Alice and he looked happy to see me for all the wrong reasons. "James will be so sorry he missed you. But you should count yourself lucky it's me that found you. That man is really fucked up and he's not happy about you interfering bitch."

His eyes darkened with every sentence and the beligerant drunk in him surfaced without the alcohol. Mason was too small to run by himself and there was no one in the parking lot to help me. I tried to back up but Mason was scared frozen and clinging to my leg. Now that he was sober and stood straight the man looked a hell of a lot bigger and I didn't think shit talking would work this time. He started to walk towards me. It was all going to come down to seconds.

I dropped the crutch and screamed for help as loud as possible. The scream did it's job and startled him before he came after me even faster, hoping to attack before anyone arrived. When he was a foot away I did the only thing I could think of and kicked out with my metal reinforced leg, just as I had threatened to do to him that night at the Tavern.
There were the sounds of bone crunching and tissues ripping but there was no way to tell if it was from him or me. He fell backwards howling and I dropped to the ground as carefully as possible so I didnt fall on Mason. I scooted a few feet away from him dragging my poor baby with me, grinding my teeth into ash so I didn't scream and terrify the boy even more. Pain was radiating from my leg, my knee the epicenter, and I shook with fear for myself and for my son. A moment later over the howling of the bastard across from me I heard footsteps.

"What the fuck Laurent?" I tried not to laugh. I honestly did. But even only seeing him from the back I knew that the huge man standing between me and my attacker was Rosalie's husband Emmett. He heard me and turned around, recognition lighting his face within seconds. "Bella? Holy shit what happened to you? What the fuck is going on here? Is that your kid? Fuck sorry for swearing so much."

Another hysterical laugh bubbled up before I answered,"Yes I'm Bella and I know who you are too Emmett. This guy tried to attack me because he's pissed off that I stepped in when he tried to attack Alice. This is my son mason. Don't worry about the swearing right now but a fucking doctor would be great." My voice became coarse towards the end and I saw everything I had sputtered out sink in with Emmett. He snapped into action and pulled out his cell phone.

"Hey baby. I need two favors. First get dad to set up the x-ray machine and the first aid room. Second, send Jasper out to the parking lot. Oh and you come too. Think we might need a babysitter."

Mason crawled on my lap sending pain shooting in all directions. I thought it was this agony that had me hearing things incorrectly. They were here? All of them? My hand stroked Mason's back robotically as everything became very calm. I knew on some level I was in shock but I figured I could fall apart later.

"Emmett, is your whole family eating pizza or something?"

"Huh? Oh no. We kind of bought the plaza."

Maybe I wasn't fighting the shock as well as I thought. "You bought the plaza? A whole plaza. Who the hell are you people?"

He smiled a hug dimpled grin and went to answer when I heard the human stampede reach us. There were three blondes: Rosalie, Alice's husband Jasper, and who I assumed was the papa bear of the family. Rosalie and Jasper came to me while papa Cullen went and checked on the ass hole who was still writhing in pain.

Things started to go fuzzy when I heard Emmett speak,"Dad you're not here for him, you're here for Bella." He looked at everyone as my name hung in the air and I saw the discreet nods. Talk about awkward. Hi doc, I'm the girl who has chased off your family. Repeatedly.

Emmett cleared his throat," Jasper you're here for him. Laurent attacked Bella here why? Because he's one of the shitheads she got Ali away from that night. Figured you'd want the honors." Jasper's eyes raised to mine looking for confirmation. I almost lied because the look in that southern man's eyes told me this could be a matter of a man's life. But then again, saving him could cost another woman so I told the truth and nodded my affirmation.

He stood slowly and doctor daddy said,"Maybe we should go inside." After a minute of reassurance Mason went to Rosalie and Emmett scooped me up as gently as he could manage. I had to curl into his huge chest and bite into my wrist to stop the scream from escaping my throat.