"What did Carlisle say?" I asked Emmett as we sat out on a bench looking out onto the bay. After that night Emmett stayed right by my side the rest of the trip, even though he tried not to be so suspicious. We helped my dad deliver his paintings, went for some sight seeing, but that still didn't keep my mind off that night. I had a black eye the morning after, lying to my dad that I got hit in the eye pretty hard that night while I was out with Emmett. He bought it, but was a bit wary about me. Emmett held my hand tightly and was sitting on my right side, closing his phone and letting out a long sigh.

"He told me that he'll investigate it himself as soon we we're back home at Forks." I nodded my head. I reached up to touch my black eye, feeling a bit of pain still around that area.

"Am I even safe?" I croaked out in a shudder as looked over to Emmett, seeing him look straight ahead. He looked so serious and was getting a bit angry.

"I shouldn't of left you alone." He said in a bitter tone. I could tell he was getting angry over the situation.

"She would of been there whether or not you were with me Emmett." I protested, seeing his open hand go into a fist.

"But you almost got killed! I could of killed her!" Emmett said in a louder tone, but I wasn't going to back down.

"You by yourself?" I asked with a eye raised. I heard him sigh real loud as I looked back in front front of me, seeing the line of fog on the bay and near the golden gate bridge.

"You can't protect me from everything in this world Emmett." I said aloud to him, feeling his hand in mine tighten slightly.

"I can try." He responded, looking over to me as I kept my eyes on the bay, "I can't afford to loose you, Evvie."

"And I can't afford to loose you either Emmett, but I don't want you to beat yourself up everytime something happens to me that is out of your control." I explained to him, moving some of the hair out of my eyes as I looked over at him, seeing his eyes on mine. He only smiled at me and leaned in, kissing my hearing aid as he did before. I closed my eyes, feeling a tear come from my left eye and down my cheek to my jaw. His lips then went to my black eye, kissing it so softly I thought it wasn't there. I knew I was falling so hard for him, a vampire who could kill me at any time when he wanted to.

"I love you Evangeline, and I'll be damned if you get hurt again." he whispered in my ear, making me gasp as held wrapped a arm around my waist and I was pulled towards him slightly. His other arm went across my front, having me hold his arm in front of me close and I tried to breathe. He told me he loved me.

"You mean it?" I asked aloud in a shushed tone, looked at his eyes that were so close to mine I could breathe in his cold breath. He nodded his head against my head and I smiled, feeling my heart swell.

"When I was hunting last night all I could think of was you. Your face was in my head, your voice was on my mind and being able to breathe you in everyday made me smile. All I wanted to do was keep you safe, and I felt like I failed to do what when I left..." He trailed off and looked down at our joined hands in front of me like a lost puppy. I turned my head to kiss his head, feeling his cold skin against my lips.

"I'm a big girl, I could punch them or even make them go deaf with my hearing aid." I joked and I saw him smile as he kept his eyes down.

"I know you would. Heck, you would of made them paralyzed." I laughed from that comment and smiled. That brief moment of joy and laughter made all of my fears and anxiety go away in a flash of a second. I then felt a couple of drops of rain falling from the sky. I looked up from our small moment, feeling raindrops fall on my pale cheeks and eye lids, smiling as I felt how cold but how soothing the rain drops felt.

"We should get inside." Emmett said , but his voice was far off as I got up from his arms, standing in front of him with my head up to the sky and smiling. I loved being in the rain, it would wash away my fears and pain. I wasn't thinking about the mysterious vampire anymore, nor was I thinking about my life being in danger. All I could think about was the rain, and how it soothed me form the inside out.

I felt arms wrapping around me from behind gently, pulling be back to a cold hard chest. I instinctively wrapped my arms behind Emmett's neck behind me, having him lower his neck and head down to my level.

"You are odd indeed." Emmett whispered in my ear as he rested his chin on my shoulder. I giggled and nodded my head.

"But you love me for it." I reminded him in a teasing voice, turning in his arms and giving him a long kiss in the rain. He then lifted me up from the ground, swinging me in a circle while holding me protectively. I laughed as he swung me, throwing my arms out as we spun on the spot. When he stopped he placed me back on the ground and smiled down at me.

"You're right, I do love you for it." he said in a smile to me.

"And I love you too." was all I could say to him. I knew things were going to be tough and life changing from that day on, but as long as he was right next to me, I could face anything.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Oh Evangeline, how am I going to cover that up now?" Alice asked in a huff as I sat in front of her mirror of her bedroom. It was the day after we got home from the trip and Carlisle asked me to come over to tell him all that happened. After explaining the details to him, Carlisle went off to find out if there were any vampires in that area of California.

"You don't need to cover it up Alice." I said to her as she went to look through some of her make-up.

"I find it sexy." Emmett said in a smirk as he sneaked in a kiss on my cheek. I giggled as Alice glared at me.

"Well a proper lady shouldn't be walking around with a big black thing on her eye!" She said in a grunt.

"I believe the proper term is 'shiner'." Jasper said aloud in a smile that I could see from the reflection of the mirror. Emmett joined him on the bed in Alice's bedroom, both looking bored.

"Alice believe me I am fine. I can handle a week of this on me." I reassured her as I heard her sigh loudly, already annoyed. I smiled and looked back at the mirror to see how the black eye looked. The area around my left eye was purple, blue and green morphed together, throbbing and making it sting when I blink.

"I looked tough." I said in a joking tone.

"I don't think anyone at school will be messing with you soon." Jasper said in a smile as he walked over and rested a hand on the shoulder of a stressed-looking Alice. Alice just sighed and wrapped her arms around Jasper as Emmett squatted next to me, taking my hand.

"I know you're worried about the other vampire, but we'll make sure she doesn't come anywhere near you." Emmett said to me in reassurance.

"I wouldn't think vampires would be in high populated cities like that without being exposed." Jasper said aloud in a confused tone as he looked over at Emmett with a serious look.

"Carlisle's working on this. He knows a couple of vampires in the country in California, hopefully we'll figure out who this vampire is." Alice said aloud.

"You think Edward will do something?" Emmett asked aloud as he got up from squatting.

"Knowing him, he might go off and do something. But I hope he doesn't do anything stupid." Jasper muttered as the bedroom door opened. Carlisle walked in, wearing his doctor uniform and having his hands in his pockets.

"We just received word on who the vampire is in San Francisco." Carlisle said in a doctor-like tone. We all looked over at him to see who she was and if she was dangerous. I stood up slowly and felt Emmett take my hand once again as we all looked to Carlisle.

"Her name is Victoria."