A/N: Hey all! So, here is the next chapter! I know there are readers out there, and I appreciate the adds. Thank you all! Read, enjoy, and let me know what you think. Even if it's a love it, or you stink! I don't care either way. Standard disclaimers stand. This is preread by Lizzie Page, and betaed by the lovely Sunflower Fran. Onto the fun!

Emmett, Bella, Alice, Jasper, Edward, and Rose became an inseparable sextet once they got back from Seattle. Bella couldn't shake the feeling something was coming, and she believed it was naïve to think Paul or Felix wouldn't try to push. She just didn't know what their endgame was.

Felix wasn't deluded enough to think Bella wanted to be with him. She had left him twice already, so was their plan kidnapping, assault, murder? She really had no idea. Of course, she didn't tell anyone about her theory, so when it was just the rare night alone with Emmett, she tended to be spacy and distant. It was eating away at Emmett to feel this disconnect from Bella and he really didn't know how to fix it. However, on one of those nights, he decided he'd had enough. They were sitting in the living room watching some movie he had no interest in, and due to the lack of response from Bella, he didn't think she was interested either. He turned the TV off, and stared at her, waiting for her response.

"Why did you do that, I was watching it."

He chuckled humorlessly. "No, you weren't. Babe, what is going on? You have been acting strange since we came back from Seattle."

She wouldn't meet his eyes, and so he knew the words out of her mouth were a lie. "There's nothing wrong, Em."

"Bullshit, Bells." Now, he was starting to get irritated. now. "I've known you since you were little, I know when you're feeding me a lie." He stood and started to pace.

Bella's face started to pink, and he could see some of the life return to her eyes; at least there was some sort of response. She got up as well and starting gesturing exaggeratedly. "Oh, you know me so well, do you? Well, you had no idea I was fucking in love with you and dating loser after loser to suffocate those feelings."

Emmett was a little taken back from her throwing that in his face that he actually stopped pacing, but he had gotten her to start talking. He decided to sidestep her comment. "That has nothing to do with what is going on."

"Oh, it has everything to do with it. Two of my ex-boyfriends are gunning for me. We still have some time before we leave. Are you telling me you actually believe we will make it out of here without them trying something?"

"I thought with the protection order …" He started.

"Oh, the protection order means dick to those assholes." She interrupted. "Felix and Paul seem like two guys who should be in trouble often, right? No sense of privacy, personal space, or when to just shut up and stop. Ever stop to think there may be a reason they aren't already in jail? They don't get caught, they have damn good lawyers, and I wouldn't be surprised to learn Felix's dad has some of the police in his pocket."

"What are you talking about?"

"I had the worst sense of foreboding when we came back from Seattle. It was suffocating. So, I asked my dad to dig into Felix a little. Well, he hit pay dirt when he found out who his dad is. He's wealthy and he has suspected mob ties."

"Shit, this is like a bad movie. So, this may not even stop when we leave."

"Oh, they will have to find me first."

"Bella, this is insane. We need to go to the cops …" He exclaimed.

"You're not listening!" She interrupted him. "I just told you we can't do that. Who knows who he has in his pocket? I think the 'strength in numbers' way, is how we have to deal with this. They won't try anything unless I'm alone. You and I both know that."

All this information she was throwing at him was a complete surprise, and he had no idea how he was supposed to deal with it, so he did the only thing he could think of to comfort himself at the moment. He stalked over and gathered her up in his arms. He clung to her and started softly kissing her. She responded immediately, picking up on his mood. She scratched down the back of his shirt and slipped her hands underneath the fabric. The kiss deepened and grew to almost desperation. Emmett lowered himself onto the couch without breaking the kiss, and she straddled his lap, becoming frustrated as she tried pulling his shirt up to take remove it. Emmett helped her and soon, she began peppering kisses down his neck and his chest making it to his nipples. She flicked one with her tongue and gently bit it. Emmett moaned and thrust his pelvis up into her and she smiled at him from her position on his chest. They both about jumped out of their skin when a sudden shrill ringtone sounded.

"Fuck. Ignore it." Emmett mumbled.

"Emmett. It's your phone; it's late so it's probably your sister or mom." Bella gently reminded him.

"Fuck. This is not over." She slid off his lap and sat next to him as he grabbed his phone. "It's an unknown number."

She looked a little scared. "Put in on speakerphone."

He jabbed the answer button and then the speaker. "Hello."

A distorted, electronic voice met their ears. "If you think that court order will protect her, you are wrong, neither will you. We know when you leave, so make sure you give her a proper goodbye." The voice chuckled, and then the call ended.

Bella and Emmett just stared at each other, completely shocked. Three rapid, loud knocks came from their door, and Bella screamed and jumped up.

"Shit," she exclaimed, clutching her chest above her rapidly beating heart. Emmett grabbed his shirt, putting it back on as he walked to the door. He flung it open, ready to punch if need be. To both their shock, it was Jacob who was standing there. again.

"Jacob? What the hell is going on?"

"I've got some news, and it's the kind you need to sit down for." He explained.

Emmett shook his head and crossed his arms. Bella put her hand on his shoulder and jerked her head towards the couch. "Jake is here to help. He's with Nessie, and we broke up mutually."

"Yeah, it was like kissing my sister. No matter how hot she is, that is just awkward."

That made Emmett crack a smile, and he joined Bella on the couch.

"A lot of this is secondhand, so I'm not sure how accurate it is. Ness went to go see Emily and said Paul was over there complaining about your restraining order getting approved against Felix. Sam told him that it was Felix's problem to worry about and warned Paul not to do anything stupid. Shortly after that, he went outside to take a call. Ness left while he was still out there, and she overheard him telling Felix to calm down and wait until Bella was alone. This caught her attention, so she continued listening and Paul reminded Felix that the NFL superstar was leaving in a couple of weeks, but if he couldn't wait until then, to sit someone out in front of your apartments. That's one reason I waited until night to come here, it's harder to see. You're being watched Bells, and I would almost bet money it's Demetri."

"Fuck!" Bella hissed.

"Who's Demetri?" Emmett asked.

"If you took Felix and Paul and mixed them together, you would get Demetri. He has no problem blatantly hitting women, and he's pretty twisted." She explained to him. She looked at Jacob. "Do you know what their endgame is?"

"I don't, Bells. But you know Ness's background. She thinks this is leading up to kidnapping and/or assault of some form. My best advice is not to go out alone. You should be safe inside."

"I appreciate you coming here, Jacob. You have no idea how helpful this information is."

"What happened, Bells? What's going on?"

"Paul got physically violent with me once, and I left him. He had a hard time letting go. Felix did worse than him, and I took him back more than once. He's also having a hard time understanding we're done." Jacob looked very angry at this news.

"Yeah, I was right there where you are when she told me what happened, too," Emmett said, knowing what Jacob was going through.

"Please, Jake. Act like everything is normal when you go home. They can't know you or Ness have been involved in this in any way." She pleaded. She wouldn't say it out loud, but she knew Nessie was pregnant. They couldn't be anywhere near this. She could see the conflict, and he was still struggling with his anger. He composed himself and nodded woodenly. He gave Bella a hug, bid goodbye to Emmett, and then left the apartment.

Bella and Emmett looked at each other, neither speaking. Emmett came over to Bella and hugged her so tight. She could feel some of the panic ebb when he surrounded her in his embrace. Bella was about to speak when they were again interrupted by Emmett's phone. He looked at it. "It's Alice." He answered and started walking around talking. Bella was broken out of her musings when Emmett started talking louder. "When? Alice, where is Jasper?"

Bella wondered what was going on. She looked to Emmett for an explanation, and he put a finger up, telling her to wait.

"I'll be right there. Lock all the doors, windows, and shut all the blinds. Don't open the door until I call you and tell you I'm there." He hung up and looked at Bella. She hadn't seen him look so freaked out for some time. "Jasper had to go out of town for work until tomorrow. Alice is home alone, and she said she kept hearing weird sounds outside, and then, about ten minutes ago is when the knocking on her windows started."

Bella nodded. "Go get her and bring her here. I'm going to lay down."

Bella helped him make sure all the windows were latched and locked. They also closed all the blinds. Emmett hugged Bella and kissed her deeply. "Don't answer the door or leave the apartment. I have a key, so there should be no reason for you to open this door after I leave."

"I really am going to go lay down. The minute you leave, I am locking the door and the deadbolt."

Emmett smiled and nodded. "There's my girl. I'll be back soon."

Emmett grabbed his keys and left the house. Bella did exactly what she said. After locking the door, and the deadbolt, she went and laid down on the couch, falling asleep almost instantly.

Bella was startled awake by a loud crash. She sat up immediately, felling semi-dizzy. She heard the crunching of broken glass and a light thumping sound, followed by another coming from the bedroom.

Someone was in the house.

Bella mentally thought of a good place to hide. She immediately grabbed her cell phone and ran to the utility closet. It was small, but she could still fit … and it locked, and was fairly inconspicuous as a hiding place. She got in, silenced her cell phone, and text Emmett to call 911, letting him know someone was in the house, and that she was safe and hiding. She was trying to stay calm when she heard the taunting voice.

"Bella, I know you're in here." The voice said in a singsong tone. "Come out, come out."

Jake was right, it was Demetri.

The sheer glee in his voice told her he was enjoying this, and she could only stay paralyzed in fear. She had no idea what he would do if he found her. She got a text from Emmett that he and the cops were on their way. Bella heard him making his way through the house, trying to find her.

"You little bitch. Making me look for you is just gonna make it worse when I find you."

She could hear his voice getting closer, so she covered her mouth to keep herself from crying out or screaming. Her veins turned to ice when she heard the knob being turned on the door she was hiding behind.

"Ah, what do we have behind door number three?" She heard a slam and a crunch. He was trying to kick in the doorknob. Silent tears were streaming down her face, and she was sobbing behind her hand still firmly over her mouth. Suddenly the kicking stopped, followed by a yelled curse. She could hear the sirens faintly and knew that Demetri had heard them too. "I'll be back, Bella. Felix wants you, and he won't stop." She heard the front door open and then there was silence.

She was still too afraid to move until she heard footsteps coming up the stairs and Emmett calling her name. She unlocked the closet and the door opened, but she stayed in her position on the floor, hugging her knees. She saw Emmett run past the door, and Alice came into view and saw her sitting there. She called Emmett over, and soon he was kneeling in front of Bella. There was police chatter from an officer with a radio.

"Bella, babe?"

Bella let go of the emotions swirling in her and started sobbing. "Demetri was here. He was trying to kick in the door, but he heard the sirens before he could get in. He said he'd be back because Felix wants me, and he won't stop."

Emmett picked her up and carried her to the couch. He hugged her and comforted her until the officers wanted to talk to him. He went to give his and Bella's statements while Alice sat with her. She looked almost as freaked out as Bella. She had a rough night as well. They hugged each other while waiting for the police to leave.

After what seemed like forever, the police were gone, Alice was asleep on the couch in the living room, and the window was taped to be fixed later, Emmett and Bella climbed into bed, shaken and exhausted. Bella curled up at Emmett's side and he surrounded her with his strong arms, and they tangled their legs together. Bella let sleep finally claim her, feeling some sort of peace.

Emmett and Bella waited a day or two to regroup with all their friends. They were all six currently sitting in the media room of Rose and Edward's parents.

"How do we know this Jacob guy isn't part of his little posse?" Rose asked.

"Because I have known him my entire life, Rose. His dad and my dad are like best friends, and our relationship was my only, non-dysfunctional relationship aside from Emmett."

"I don't like it." She complained.

"Well, get over it. He's been vetted." Bella said with finality.

"Yeah, and I don't get that creepy-ass vibe from him I got from being around Paul and Felix for five seconds." Emmett proclaimed, backing up Bella.

"But we have a new player that's been introduced. Who the fuck is this Demetri guy?" Edward asked.

"Demetri is so much worse than Felix," Alice answered.

"How do you know?" Jasper asked.

"Because I've hung out with Bella and her "friends" when she was dating asshat one and two." Alice started to explain. "Demetri is one of those friends. Every time I hung out with him, I had to immediately take a shower when I got home. I mean he is good looking but the looks he gives women, and the things he says to women, he has no respect for them at all, and sees them as objects."

"Well, so do Felix and Paul. I mean, they're acting like toddlers throwing tantrums because their new toy has been taken away." Rose scoffed.

Bella was having a hard time maintaining focus. These people being discussed were ones she purposely put herself around, and she was having a hard time not hating herself for it. She got up and started pacing behind the row of recliners they were all sitting in. "As I said, the other day, strength in numbers is the only way to navigate this. From the last few encounters we have had, they wait until someone is alone before they strike. So, we just need to make sure we aren't alone."

"Yeah, but do you really think that's going to stop them? This Demetri guy said Felix wants you and he's not going to stop." Edward reminded them.

"It is the only way to deal with it. I called to check on the statement Emmett and I gave. Guess what, it was 'lost.' We have no recourse. As long as we're here in Bellingham, we're basically on our own." Bella explained.

No one spoke for a while as the weight of what Bella said sunk in.

"I think it's best not to do the camping trip this year," Jasper said, breaking the silence.

Emmett and Edward nodded. Alice, Rose, and Bella all murmured their agreement.

"So, it's agreed. No one goes anywhere alone, and we ride this out until you guys leave."

Everyone agreed, and they quickly fell into the pattern they had been living before. They sat around talking and watching movies. When it started to get late, Emmett and Bella left, along with Alice and Jasper. They all made plans to meet up on Friday to hang out at Alice's house.

Bella and Emmett made it home, and Bella marveled at how bare their apartment looked with most of their stuff packed, except for the essentials. After they both got ready for bed together, Bella was having a hard time turning off her brain and falling asleep. Emmett pulled her into his side and interlaced their fingers together.

"What's up, babe?"

"I'm having a hard time making my mind stop so I can fall asleep."

"What are you thinking about so hard?"

"Everything. Moving, Paul and Felix, what's going to happen when we're in Renton. We have a week left until we leave, then after that, it's all unknown."

"Pretty scary, the unknown." Bella nodded. "Well, there's one thing I'm sure of … that I know."

"What's that?" She asked, laying on her side, looking up at Emmett.

"Well, I know I wouldn't want anyone else by my side for this whole adventure we're about to embark on. I love you Isabella Swan, and as long as I have you, I don't need anything else. There are no guarantees in this life, but I feel like I got to cheat, because I can guarantee I will love you until I stop breathing."

Bella felt her heart clench at his words, and the tears started falling. "I have no idea what I did to deserve you, Emmett, but I will never take it for granted."

She pulled his face to hers and kissed him with everything she had. Emmett slid his arms down to the small of her back and pulled her closer to him. Needing to breathe, she stopped kissing him and rested her forehead against his.

"We'll get through this, babe. It'll be okay."

She tried to give him a sincere smile. Emmett was her rock, and she knew he truly believed that everything would be all right. She was having a hard time believing that herself. Emmett wrapped his arms around her, and she allowed herself to relax and drift to sleep.

A/N: Ok, so some maintenance that I feel needs to be done. This story is a romance, but it will also have scary moments, like above. So, monsters lie ahead. I want everyone to know that going forward. If that means you need to flounce, I totally get it. I also don't want to disappoint people or make anyone angry about spending hours investing in a story to find out it is not what you thought. Know that I am not an angst lover, I do enjoy tension and villains, so there you go. There will be a HEA, so do not get the wrong idea. Anyway, I am done with the long author note. Leave me some love and catch you in the next chapter.