Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyers owns Twilight. I do not. I do however, own my 'gang'.

A/N: Also thanks to my awesome Beta, Blueboarderchick.

Okay, I know some of you were wondering why Alice didn't see Bella's attack. In a previous chapter Bella made Alice promise to stop looking in on her. But don't worry, Bella wouldn't be able to keep it secret from them for long. The Cullens are definitely not out of her life.

Chapter 10

I was alive. I fought for my life against a man twice my size and won. I could barely believe it. I could take care of myself…well, against normal human beings anyway. But that was still something. I wasn't the helpless invalid everyone back in Forks thought I was. Jacob would be so proud. I felt a nervous giggle build in my throat and stifled it. It wouldn't be wise to start giggling when there were two officers questioning me about an attack in which a man was tasered. It wouldn't be wise at all.

Feeling as if I was outside my body, I watched the officers conduct their inquiry. I think I was still in shock. I heard myself explain how he attacked me and how I fought him off. I heard them telling me that my attacker fit the description of the man who attacked three other women before and how lucky I was. The experience left me feeling out of it. Really just wanting to go home, I didn't want to talk about it anymore. I already had to deal with the doctor asking me all sorts of stupid questions like 'how many fingers do you see?' and 'what year is it?' It also didn't help that my head was killing me.

As the officers left the room my friends came in. One by one they filtered into the room with worried frowns and concerned wide eyes. I tried to smile only to wince from the painful cut on my lip. The cut on my lip hurt. They were all standing in the corner of the room as if they were afraid to come near me. Guilt marred their faces. Why did they look guilty? They weren't responsible for what happened to me. No one was except for the bastard who attacked me.

After staring at me for a few seconds, Liz was the first one to break the silence and the invisible barrier that separated us. She crossed the room and threw her arms around me. "Oh God, Izzy. I'm so glad you're okay." Her body shook with choked sobs.

Despite the pain of my lip I smiled again trying to reassure her while I rubbed soothing circles on her back. "It's okay, Liz. Nothing happened to me. I'm fine."

The guys came closer to stand around my bed and then there were lots of smiling. At least until Ryan said, "Jeez Liz, try not to kill the girl." The room went silent and their smiles disappeared again.

Liz glared at him while Zach smacked Ryan's head. "Dude, why would you say something like that?"

Ryan was instantly ashamed. "Man, I'm real sorry, Izzy. That was a stupid thing to say." That look didn't belong on his face. I wanted to see ridiculous, goofy Ryan again.

I smiled reassuringly. "No really, it's okay, guys. I'm fine. You don't have to walk on eggshells around me. I'm not going to fall apart."

"She's right, you guys. She showed us tonight that she's stronger than she looks." This was from Taylor. It was the first time he'd spoken since coming into the room. I gave him a smile that I hoped expressed my gratitude.

Well, that was all the reassurance Ryan needed. "See she's tough." He was back to his smiling self.

"I heard you fought him off, champ." Zach grinned.

"Fought him off? Man, she totally kicked his ass. She broke his nose and everything. You should have seen it. It was so freaking cool. " Ryan gushed. He and Zach looked completely impressed.

Meanwhile Ryan's words made me nauseous as I remembered the feel of his nose breaking and the blood pouring out of it. I glanced at my hand and was horrified. I could still see some of his dried blood on my hand. Taylor must have seen my freak out coming and decided to head me off at the pass.

"Okay guys, I think Izzy would like to go home now. Let's give her a chance to get dressed." He gave Liz a meaningful glance as the boys left the room. She stayed behind to help me put on my clothes.

As I shrugged on my blouse I remembered the buttons had been ripped off and I would have to hold it closed. Liz saw my predicament and handed me a leather jacket. It looked a lot like one of Taylor's.

At my confused expression Liz answered. "Yeah, Taylor left it. He saw the condition of your blouse and figured you would need this."

We walked out the room slowly. I still felt a little dizzy. They piled me into the car and we drove home. I was grateful when they parked the car in the parking lot in front of the building. I didn't think I could handle being in the basement again that tonight. I wasn't that brave.

When we got to the apartment, Liz helped me change out of my clothes while the boys sat in the living room. I glanced at the mirror and decided I needed a bath. I looked awful. My cheek and bottom lip was swollen and bruised. I still had dried blood on my face, hands and chest. I still felt so weak and I didn't want to pass out in the shower.

I turned to Liz nervously. "Um… Liz? Do you think you could help me get into the shower? I really need to take a bath?" Why was I nervous? Liz was a girl. I was a girl. No big deal.

"Oh, okay. No problem." She was totally cool about the whole thing.

I took off my underwear and Liz helped me into the shower. When I was done she helped me out and wrapped a towel around me.

She raised an eyebrow and smirked, "You know, you're kinda hot."

She gave me my first real laugh of the night and it felt good. "Thanks, Liz."

"Thanks for what?" She frowned.

"For everything." I looked at her and she knew I meant thanks for dragging me to those self defense classes and thanks for being there for me.

She put her arm around my shoulder and led me into the bedroom. "Come on. Let's get that sexy body of yours into some clothes."

She helped me put on shorts and a tank top then got into bed with me. I had one more favor to ask of her and I was nervous about it.

"Liz, could you do me a favor and stay with me tonight?" I bit my lip and winced. I would have to stop doing that for a while.

"Of course I'll stay." She agreed much too quickly.

I had to make her understand what she was agreeing to. "You see, the thing is back home I had a lot of nightmares. I haven't had any for a long time but something tells me I'll be having them tonight." I spared her a glance expecting to see her completely unnerved by my confession but all I saw was understanding.

I pushed again. "I wake up screaming, Liz."

"People tend to do that when they have nightmares, Izzy. It's no big deal." At this point I was much too tired to argue anymore. I yawned. Why was I so tired? Oh yeah, it was probably those pills.

I mumbled an okay and let myself drift off into some much needed sleep.

A noise woke me up. I looked over to the empty spot next to me. Where did Liz go? It was still dark outside. I glanced at the clock. It was about 2 a.m. I sat up and I looked around my dark room. My heart pounded in my ears. Why did I feel so afraid? What was that noise from before?

That's when I heard it. A sinister chuckle echoed around the room. My eyes widened as arms wrapped around me and he whispered in my ear, "Did you really think you could get away from me? I'm going to finish what I started."

And then I screamed.

Someone was shaking me. "Izzy, it's okay, wake up. Izzy, you have to wake up."

I shot up in the bed, completely disoriented. Liz wrapped her arms around me whispering comforting words as I sobbed. I heard the pounding of feet on the floor then my bedroom door burst open and three shadowy figures ran in.

Liz and I both screamed. The light flicked on and we saw Ryan, Zach and Taylor looking concerned and disheveled.

"Jeez, thanks a lot. You guys just took ten years off my life." Liz removed her hand from her throat.

"We heard screaming… Why was there screaming?" Ryan eyed us warily.

I found my voice then. "I had a nightmare. Sorry." Great, I woke everyone up. I was completely embarrassed. Would I ever stop being weird?

"Oh. Okay then. We'll just get back to bed." Taylor ushered the boys out of the room and closed the door.

I flopped back on the bed and sighed, "I'm sorry, Liz."

She leaned over and brushed sweat drenched hair from my forehead. "Don't apologize, Izzy. None of this is your fault. How about we leave the light on tonight?" Liz suggested while wrapping an arm around me. Liz was real big on spooning.

"Good idea." Darkness was definitely not my friend tonight. God how I wished Jacob was here.

I woke up alone but that was okay because it was morning. The sun shone through my window and a gentle breeze blew my drapes into the air. I touched my forehead. The pain wasn't as bad now but I knew that I would need to take more pills later on in the day. I heard talking outside my door. I figured the guys were up already. I hoped Liz was able to get some sleep last night. After I woke everyone else up with my screaming, I didn't have anymore nightmares. Thank God.

As I sat up and swung my legs over the side of the bed, my door opened revealing Taylor.

"Hey, I was just checking up on you. How are you feeling?" He was dressed in his usual t shirt and jeans. He leaned against the doorframe and I wondered how he pulled off looking like a model so early in the damn morning. What time was it anyway? I glanced at the clock. It was about quarter past ten. Wow! I must have been really tired.

I blushed when I realized that I still didn't answer Taylor's question. "I'm feeling okay. A lot better than I felt last night." I stood up and felt my stomach clench. Crap, I spoke too soon.

I clamped my hand over my mouth and dashed into the bathroom. I made it to the toilet bowl just in time to relieve the contents of my stomach. Well, there goes my burger from yesterday. As I continued to retch, chills shook my body. I felt awful. Why did I feel so bad? I thought the worst was over last night. It was probably some kind of delayed reaction to the attack. Just when I thought I couldn't feel any worse, I heard footsteps and then Taylor was kneeling behind me on the cold linoleum floor.

I groaned. "Go away, Taylor." This was so embarrassing. "You don't have to be here for this."

"Isabella, don't worry about it. It's nothing I haven't seen before. Besides, I'm not going to leave you alone." He held my hair as yet another wave of nausea washed over me. When it was over and I felt strong enough, Taylor helped me up then stood behind me as I brushed my teeth and washed my face. I felt better as I stared at my reflection. I was relieved I didn't look that bad. The bruises on my face could be hidden with concealer and the swelling would go down soon. All I had to worry about was the cut on my lip and forehead.

Suddenly, Liz appeared in the doorway holding the cordless phone in her hand. She looked nervous. "Izzy, it's your Dad. He's freaking out. He wants to know why he can't reach you on your cell phone." I took the phone from her.

I grimaced. Crap, I forgot I was supposed to call him last night. Taylor and I made our way to my bed. He sat down next to me while Liz mouthed a 'sorry' and left the room.

I answered feebly, "Hey Dad."

Charlie voice was clearly annoyed. "Bella, I've been worried sick about you. What the hell happened to your cell phone? I've been trying to reach you since last night. I called the apartment and I still couldn't get an answer." For a second I wondered if I should tell him about what happened last night.

I decided to tell him the truth. "Dad, I have to tell you something but you have to promise not to freak out. Okay?" I held my breath.

"Okay." He said cautiously.

I took a deep breath and blurted out quickly, "Dad, last night a man tried to attack me in the basement parking lot."

I held the phone away from my ear as he screamed, "What! Are you okay!?" So much for not freaking out.

"Dad, I'm fine. I was able to fight him off. Nothing happened, okay? My friends found me in time. Now take a deep breath and relax. I don't want you to have a heart attack." I tried to soothe him. I was glad I told him about the classes.

I suddenly felt very tired. I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up. Taylor. His expression was a concerned one. I almost forgot he was sitting next to me. I leaned against him and sighed.

"Are you sure you're okay? Did the police catch the guy?" He was still so worried.

"They got him, Dad. He's in the hospital." For that I was glad.

"He's in the hospital? Just how badly did you beat him?" I could hear the proud smile in his voice. Charlie knew what it meant to me to be able to defend myself.

"Pretty bad, Dad. I think he's going to be there for a while." I couldn't help the small smile that crept across my face.

"Is that all, Bells? Is everything really okay?" He needed more reassurance.

I sighed. "Everything's fine, Dad, but I need to ask you to do something for me. Could you please do me a favor and not tell anybody about this?" I hated asking him to keep this to himself but I couldn't risk Jake finding out and coming to see me. I was finally starting to feel strong again. Seeing Jake again would only make me weak. God, I was such a coward.

Charlie's answer was hesitant. "Sure, kiddo. If that's what you want."

"It's what I want, Dad. Really." Not really but it was the most I could ask for.

"If that's really what you want, then I'll do it but on one condition." I tensed up. Oh, oh. This doesn't sound good.

"What do I have to do?" I asked warily.

"You have to be the one to tell your mother." Ah shit.

I completely forgot about Renee. She was really going to freak out. The woman was such a drama queen.

I groaned and closed my eyes. "Fine Dad, I'll tell Mom. Can I call you later though?" I really didn't feel like talking about this anymore. I was beginning to get hungry.

"Okay, Bells. We'll talk later. But I just want you to know that I'm so proud of you and I want to hear what Renee has to say about this. Bye." I could hear the laughter in his voice. I couldn't believe it what I was hearing. He was actually looking forward to Renee's dramatics. Of course he would enjoy it once it wasn't being directed at him. Damn!

"Bye." I grumbled. I hung up and flopped back on the bed.

Taylor looked down at me then stretched out next to me on his side with his arm propping up his head. My eyes followed his movement, watching as his muscles rippled under his t-shirt. "Hey, is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just have to tell my Mom about last night. She is going to freak." I pouted.

His green eyes twinkled with amusement. "Sorry to hear that." Sorry my foot. He was smiling.

I raised an eyebrow. "Funny, you don't look or sound sorry." My attempt to look annoyed was ruined by my grin.

His smile faded and he reached out to twirl a lock of my hair around his fingers. "You know I didn't get a chance to tell you earlier. I'm really glad you're okay, Isabella."

I didn't know what to say to that, so I just mumbled thanks and changed the subject. "How did you know I was in trouble?" I was sure my phone smashed into pieces the moment it hit the floor. So I knew he didn't hear me scream.

He looked away. "When we were cut off I just got a feeling that something was wrong." He looked a little embarrassed. I wondered why.

"Well, thank you so much for coming to save me. You guys are my heroes." I reached out and rubbed his arm.

Taylor smiled. "We didn't save you, Izzy. You saved yourself." He covered my hand with his other hand and fixed me with another one of his stares.

Okay things were starting to feel a little weird. So I sat up nervously trying to look at everything else in the room but him.

"Hey, I think I'm ready to try some actual food." Food was a good idea.

I heard a small sigh behind me and felt the bed shift slightly as he sat up too. "Let's get you something to eat." He stood up and offered me his hand.

I relaxed, took the offered hand and walked out of the room with him.

When I returned to classes all my friends knew what happened to me. All thanks to the big mouths of Ryan and Zach but pretty soon the novelty of 'kung fu girl' wore off. Everyone returned to normal and people no longer stared at me like I was some kind of exotic bird. Dillon sent me flowers at the apartment. Liz giggled while Ryan and Zach rolled their eyes and muttered something about Dillon not taking the hint. Taylor said nothing as usual but I saw a slight tightening of his jaw when he saw the flowers.

My conversation with Renee went as was expected. She was hysterical and it took a good half an hour to calm her down and persuade her not to come to Hanover. Since Alice didn't see my attack, I decided not to tell her or the Cullens about any of it. The last thing I needed was Alice checking up on my life every five minutes and I knew I wouldn't be able to keep Edward away if he thought I was in any danger. I told Leah about my chance encounter and thanked her. I explained that it was because of her encouragement that I decided to take those self defense classes. I couldn't tell her it was her voice telling me to fight for my life that saved me. She'd think I was nuts.

I learned my attacker's name was James Camry. It was official. I hated the name James. The moron actually tried to convince the police that I was the one who attacked him. It might have worked too if I wasn't half his size and lived in the building he was supposedly attacked in. It didn't help that the basement security cameras picked up what happened and one of the women he attacked was also able to positively identify him. James Camry didn't have a leg to stand on. He would be going away for a long time.

Our summer break was right around the corner and I couldn't wait. I really needed a vacation. It had been one hell of a year.

A/N: Don't worry about Bella keeping more secrets from Jacob. He'll find out about her attack but he won't react like she expected.

Coming up next is the long awaited chapter in Jacob's POV.

You know what to do if you want your chapter before next Friday. Review.