I'm so sorry! What is this, the eighth active story I've got going now? It's just, ideas, they keep coming, and they don't like to stick to one story.

Summary - Bella was abused by her parents for as long as she remembers, at 16 she runs away and finds a job. What happens when they let her go a year later? And then what happens if she gets shot and the Cullen's find her? Just another annoying idea that popped into my head and demanded to be written, but could you maybe give it a go? Please?

BPOV

Damned, annoying, pernickety, money-loving bosses and their determination not to give it to anyone, even the people that work for them! 'We cant keep you on, we don't have enough money to pay you' HAH! Maybe if you stop wearing clothes that cost half a million per suit I'll believe you!

My rent was up today, and now I had no money to pay for anymore. So I grabbed my singular bag, and whatever food I had left, and walked away. I had no idea where I was planning to go, and I still don't.

What happened then was a familiar figure stepped out form the alley and pointed a gun at me and HE SHOT THE FUCKING THING!

Pain, pain, pain, and a big bit more pain went darting through my shoulder and my leg. I don't think he really intended to kill me, he's a cop, he has better aim than that surely.

Anyway, I blacked out thankfully. Pain used to be my constant companion, but we're not on very good terms recently since I abandoned him about a year ago. I have a feeling he wants reunion.

I woke up in a painstakingly white room. There was a loud and equally painful beeping. It was a hospital.

I'd only ever been in one twice, once when I was born, traumatic enough, and the second was my first stop after I ran away, far more traumatic.

"Ah, your awake. Alice will be happy." I heard a smooth voice say. I'm assuming by the long white coat he was my doctor, but the only time I could imagine him being a doctor was on TV.

"Alice?" I questioned.

"Yes, my daughter. Ever since I told her you had no family listed or anywhere to go she's been determined I adopt you, seeing as you are still only 17." he said.

I started to go through that un my head, weighing up the pro's and con's, but the doc stopped me. "You don't have to think about that right now, it's at least another couple of days before we can move you."

"Can I see Alice? Before I even think about being adopted I'd like to see my prospective sibling." I said smiling. Alice, it was a nice name. The only Alice I knew was, great to say the least, the most could not be put into words. Unfortunately, my only real friend was killed in a drive by. The caught the guys, and they're currently rotting in jail, and I so want to just kill them, but she wouldn't want me to. Revenge gets you nothing.

"Well, if its prospective siblings you want to meet, there's a lot more than just Alice." he said, still smiling as well.

"How many more?"

"4 more, Esme and I adopted Alice and Jasper from different families and they're now in a relationship, it's the same story with Rosalie and Emmett, but Edward is still alone. I worry about him sometimes." he said, his frown fading a bit. "Alice dragged them into the waiting room, if you'd like I could send them in? There's not much I really can do anymore, it's just the waiting part of healing now."

"Sure." I said, and before the good doc even turned, a bouncy pixie-ish girl bounced in, dragging a blond haired boy, who seemed to be grinning despite himself.

A very, very, VERY large guy came in, along with a slightly unwilling blonde beauty. And last, but oh so certainly not least, was a bronze haired GOD!

Nice, but looks aren't everything, I mean, Charlie was a cop, and he still beat me, a chief no less, so this man may be a doctor, but he could still beat me. Although, I think he might have a problem with the big dude, so that's unlikely. Unless the big dude helps. Or Esme, who I'm assuming is the good doc's wife, is a wrestler or a body-builder or something and stronger than the big dude.

Meh! Who cares, there is a reason I started working out and learning how to fight after I ran away. I probably couldn't afford it, but it was necessary.

"HI! I'm Alice, that's Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie, and Edward. I know we're going to be great friends, sisters!" she seemed really happy at that. It seemed genuine. Not even Charlie managed to pull that off, and I never could, unless it was real. That enthusiasm could not be faked.

I liked her, she reminded me of the other Alice, but it wasn't painful when I thought about it. I smiled, remembering the good times with her, instead of her death.

Okay, so I officially liked Alice, I could believe what she said, but the others? Although, if we go by all is not what it seems, then the bug guy, who looks scary as hell, he might be a teddy bear, rather than a grizzly.

"Hello, Earth to Bella." the pixie said shaking her hand in front of my face.

"O, sorry, just, memories."

"Good ones I hope." Edward said, the good doc had already left. What is his name!?

"Would I be smiling otherwise?" I asked still smiling. I probably shouldn't have said that, they might not beat me in a hospital, but Charlie, on those occasions I was allowed in public, would make mental note of all my 'digressions' and beat me accordingly.

"She's got you there." the bug guy, Emmet boomed. He just didn't fit the bill for abusive. None of them so far, although the blonde, Rosalie, didn't seem in the best of moods right now.

"Soooo, do you want us to adopt you?" Alice asked.

"Do I have much of a choice?" I asked her.

"Well, I suppose not legally, you don't really have to want us to adopt you for us to adopt you, and Esme wants to, Carlisle wants to, I really really want you too let us -"

"And if Alice wants you, Jasper will go along with." Emmett interrupted.

"And Emmett wants you as well, and Rose'll come around. She's just in a huff because the part she needs for her BMW is delayed."

"well, you are quite frankly to cheery to have been beaten, or to beat someone else, not sadistic enough, so I guess I'm in." I said.

"Why would you worry about being beaten?" Rosalie asked.

I didn't particularly want to tell them I couldn't stand the pity, I might tell them later, once I know whether or not, then I'd know if the pity was real or faked, and I'd be able to stand it.

So I said, "I'm paranoid, what can I say? I had a friend named Alice, my best friend, she was beaten, she was killed in a drive by, it was her own parents." that was actually true, she's the one who taught me to bear the beatings. What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger, right?

Alice looked like she was about to cry now. "Oh man, I'm so sorry, it must be painful to even hear my name."

"Don't worry about it, I remember the good times, when she was alive, rather than when and how she died." I said.

"Oh, I'm sorry anyway. So do you want us to adopt you or not?"

"Yes, I wouldn't be surprised if you already had though."

"Close, I got Esme to do that right now. In 5 minutes you will officially be a Cullen." she said, happy once again.

"So do you want to pick anything up from your house, or what?" Rosalie asked me. She might not be that bad.

"Depends, how did you find me?"

"We heard gun shots and came running. We found you, passed out on the ground with two bullet holes in you. We took you to the hospital along with your bag, but Alice threw the food out, declaring you wouldn't need it." Edward said, a worried look on his face, as if he cared already.

"Well, I guess I wont need it, and if you took my bag then that's everything."

"What? Nothing else?" Jasper asked astonished.

"I'd just been fired, the guy in the thousand dollar suits didn't have enough money to give me a few dollars a week to work for him, so I had no money to pay my rent. And then I was shot." they seemed at the very least shocked at the blasé way I talked about it.

"Do you know who it was that shot you?" Emmett asked bluntly.

"Right at this very second, it's a little fuzzy."

"That…is…wow." I couldn't find the proper words for their house, although mansion would be more appropriate.

"Yep, and my wife Esme designed it all." Carlisle said from beside me. Esme was in the house waiting for us, along with everyone else. Because Carlisle was a doctor he could treat me form home. I had refused a wheel chair. They made me feel far to vulnerable, so Carlisle had carried me before I even realised what he was doing.

It could have been worse I suppose.

"Hello dear." Esme said as, well, Carlisle walked in. over the last few days I had gotten to know them all, and they did indeed seem wonderful. They were like family already to me.

"Hello Esme. Hi guys." I said, smiling. I was suspiciously cheery for being carried. The only time I had ever been carried was when I was unconscious and Charlie and Renee were chaining me up. I couldn't help it as a shiver ran through me.

Carlisle assumed that it was because I was cold and offered to take me up to my room. I would have been surprised at that, a room, to myself, but Alice was involved.

I did need a nap, so I consented.

I was left to my own devices, Alice had put me in pyjamas, so I did indeed nap.

As I slept, I remembered who shot me. It didn't put me in the best of moods, to say the least. I hobbled my way downstairs, my friend Pain hadn't left me yet and I was getting used to having him around again.

"Bella! You shouldn't be down here, your leg…" Edward exclaimed. I will admit, I had come to like him. A lot. Or more than a lot.

"Meh! Do you have a punching bag?"

"Yes, but your arm." Carlisle said. I have to be careful or I'll start calling him dad in the next, couple of hours? I suppose it wouldn't be that bad, he did adopt me.

"Then I'll use my other arm." I said.

"What do you need a punching bag for?" Emmett asked.

"what is this, twenty questions? I need it to vent. Bad mood, vent to the punching bag."

"I'll go with her, make sure she doesn't hurt herself." Edward said. I was quite glad for that, although he would hear my venting. If shove comes to push, he hears. Nothing I can do to stop it.

"Okay, then, lead the way." I said to him.

And he did, even gave me gloves. Actually he only gave me one, but I can work with it.

"Damned, fucking, two-bit, yellow-bellied, lily-livered, thrice-cursed, god-forsaken, devil-worshipping, bastardised son of a motherfucking bitch! Screws aren't enough! Fucking sledge-hammers aren't enough! Locks obviously don't work! Chains aren't tight enough! Spiders and the snakes not scary enough! Whip not thin enough! Knives not sharp enough! No, you've got to fucking shoot me!" I think I might be done.

Edward seemed extremely glad, he winced in sympathetic pain with every blow I struck on the poor punching bag. I had hit it like I would if I ever saw Charlie and Renee again. The chain it was hanging from,, one of the links had sort of, separated. It was close to falling off.

"please tell me your finished." he basically begged.

I laughed, now in an exceptionally good mood, "yes, I think so. Was that painful for you to watch?" I teased.

"Yes, exceptionally. I was close to pulling you away before you hit it the first time." he said, very seriously.

"oh loosen up! that's what the punching bag was for, maybe you should try." I said, still smiling.

He smiled as well, and gave the punching bag a small flick, and it fell off the broken link. "I think the punching bags out."