Thanks, Sherry and Paige! This story would be a mess without you two!

"Sometimes you picture me-

I'm walking too far ahead

You're calling to me, I can't hear

What you've said-

Then you say-go slow-

I fall behind-

The second hand unwinds.

If you're lost you can look-and you will find me

Time after time

If you fall I will catch you-I'll be waiting

Time after time."

-Cyndi Lauper-

BPOV:

"How are you feeling, beautiful?"

Emmett comes bearing gifts. With multiple bags in his hand, he looks as if he's debating with himself on whether or not I'm too fragile to hug. I give him a weak smile, and run a nervous hand through my hair, pushing it forward because I know I must look like an utter disaster.

"I've been better," I try to joke, although when the words come out of my mouth they only sound sad.

"Well, I got you tons of stuff," Emmett responds jovially as he sets down the multiple bags right in front of my wheelchair before kneeling on the floor. "Edward told me just what to get," he continues as he begins to unload the bags. I can't help but smile as he pulls out strawberry body wash and a pink loofah.

"Edward told you to buy that?" I ask incredulously.

"Well, he told me to get the type of shit girls like," he responds honestly.

I look to Edward, and if I didn't know better, I'd say he was blushing. Now I'm really smiling, despite the fact that the muscles in my face are still incredibly sore and my skin is bruised. "I love it, Edward," I quietly assure him, not wanting him to feel embarrassed about this. His actions have touched me more than he probably realizes. I've never had someone do something like this for me. Although, I've never been in this sort of predicament before either.

"I got the food you wanted too, and some clothes for you to wear," Emmett continues as he pulls out a few pajama sets and dumps a bag full of random snacks at my feet.

I stare at everything in disbelief. With the painkillers making me feel lethargic, it takes a moment for my mind to catch up. After a few moments, I giggle, because I don't know what else to do. I just can't believe this is happening. I can't believe I survived an attack; I can't believe I had surgery; I can't believe I'll be in this chair until my wounds heal; I can't believe I'm in Edward's home, but mostly I can't believe someone's out there who could harm us both. My laughter quickly turns to tears, causing me to wonder how I'll cope with all of this. I'm fucking terrified.

"Bella?" I hear the concern in Edward's voice, which only makes me cry harder. He wraps his arm gently around my shoulders and softly kisses my head. He's so careful with me, treating me as if I were a fragile doll. "Bella, what is it? Did I do something wrong?"

I smile again, so thankful that he's here. I gaze up at him, finding something in his eyes I've never seen before, and shake my head. "No, you didn't do anything wrong. I'm sorry. I'm just so overwhelmed and it's making me emotional."

"I'm here for you, Bella. I'll be here every step of the way." He runs a hand through my hair and sighs. "They'll catch him, Bella. They have to. People like him don't stay hidden for long."

I wish this were true, but I've heard so many stories of people hiding in plain sight. I know Edward's just trying to give me some peace of mind, but the logical part of my brain is screaming that things won't work out so easily. He's clever and he covers his tracks. He could be walking around outside my apartment right now and the police would have no idea.

"Bella?" he asks again as he gently smooths my hair down.

"I'm fine. I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me," I say with an unconvincing smile. "Thank you, Emmett. This will definitely help me feel more comfortable and at home here."

He smiles at this and puts everything back into the bags before taking them to the kitchen, giving me a moment alone with Edward. As soon as Emmett is gone, Edward kneels down in front of me and cups my hand between his.

"I want you to feel safe here, Bella. I'm here for you, whatever you need. If you want to watch a movie, I'll be there doing it with you. If you want me to order you something specific to eat, I'll do it. If you want me to cook for you… well, it may take me a minute to figure out what I'm doing, but I'll do that as well. I'm here for you in any way you need me. I know we haven't been in each other's lives for a while, but I'd like to put that all behind us and start fresh."

He gives me a sincere smile and I realize this man kneeling before me is nothing like the one I crashed into all those months ago. He wants a fresh start, and so do I. I want to be his friend. I want to have him in my life. Therefore if he's willing to look past my childish behavior, then how could I possibly pass up the opportunity for a fresh start?

"I want to start fresh too." He smiles at me, which makes me feel so fucking guilty for some reason. Maybe I had him pegged all wrong. Or maybe the way he treats others isn't the way he treats me. Every girl thinks she's going to be the one who's 'different', but maybe I really am. Or maybe this is just wishful thinking… No. His actions speak so much louder than anything else. His efforts illustrate how much he does care about me. I can't push him away because I'm afraid. "I have to apologize to you. I was rotten to you before. I shouldn't have cut you off, cut you out of my life the way I did."

Edward takes a deep breath, looking as though he wants to say something, but doesn't. Instead, he shakes his head and simply says, "That's all behind us now."

"Were you mad at me?"

"You care if I was mad at you?" Edward asks, irony heavy in his tone. "Bella, it's behind us now. You have to concentrate on getting better."

"So, you weren't upset?" I ask, unable to let it go for some reason.

"I was upset. Sure. You ghosted from my life but that's not important now. Besides, we're starting fresh and that means putting the past behind us. What's done, is done."

There's something he's not saying, but I know better than to push it with him. He's doing so much for me, and I don't want to make him angry. He's dedicating his time to taking care of me, so the least I can do is be respectful of his feelings and boundaries. Out of all the shit going on in my life right now, this is the one thing I feel good about. I'll do whatever I can to make whatever is brewing between us work.

A/N: So these next chunk of chapters will be a ton of development between Edward and Bella! Hope you guys are liking the change of pace.

**Fun Horror Movie Fact- Scream was originally titled Scary Movie.**

Until next time… :).