Slowly, Niki found herself being drawn away from the darkness. Distantly, she thought she could hear voices but it was muffled by a strange ringing in her ears. Her vision swam as her eyes fluttered open and she blinked rapidly, trying to clear it. Her head was throbbing and so any thought of trying to shake it to help her vision was immediately thrown out the window; but thankfully, it seemed that her vision was coming back as the black receded.

She opened her eyes one more time to find the world was clear again, and her eyes were turned to the sky. Realizing she was on her back in a pile of snow that wasn't as soft as movies had made out snowbanks to be, Niki struggled to sit up. It was around then that her other senses also returned and Niki realized that it wasn't just voices, there was a lot of screaming all around her. She thought she heard her name, but she didn't care. There was only one thing that really registered in her mind: a sudden, almost blinding pain in her left arm that made her vision swirl again thanks to the tears it automatically brought to her eyes.

"Don't move."

A quiet, musical voice beside her almost made Niki jump; instead, she let out a whimper as Jasper's lovely voice attempted to calm her down as the pain and panic built up.

"Bella!" Niki gasped as she remembered her friend. How she had survived was beyond her but there was no way Bella-

"Bella's fine, but you are not. Don't move."

Jasper's warning tone seemed to float around Niki's head and she was having a hard time focusing or letting anything he said sink in. She squirmed about, trying to get upright and see, only to be blasted with another stab of pain.

"Nico, stop moving."

Niki felt something ice-cold suddenly gripping her shoulder and her jaw although the touch was oddly careful, and she was tilted until she was staring into worried, familiar butterscotch eyes.

"I promise Bella's fine, but you've broken your arm. They've called an ambulance and we'll get your arm treated so just don't move it until then, okay, darlin'?"

"Bella's okay?" Niki checked rather stupidly.

Her head was pounding but she thought that was what Jasper had said. And did he say she'd broken her arm? Niki looked down and almost passed out when she saw the red and purple marks on her arm; the bones had thankfully not pierced skin but it was obvious Jasper wasn't exaggerating. Niki began to hyperventilate and the pain seemed to suddenly rush right to her head.

A strange feeling of calm suddenly washed over her, but it was odd like the calm was fighting against the lingering panic and the pain. Adrenaline was still pounding through her as Niki looked back up at Jasper. Something was strange but she couldn't focus as Jasper kept his eyes (that weirdly looked slightly darker now than they had been earlier) on her.

"How are you feeling now?" Jasper asked, but his voice was sounding a little strained now. Like he'd run out of air to talk.

At his question, Niki realized she was feeling… better. At least, it was enough for her to finally notice the tension around Jasper. His whole body was like it was carved from stone, he was so still beside her. Niki also finally noticed that Alice was also there. She stood with one hand clamped tightly down on Jasper's shoulder as though in comfort… or as though she was holding him in place. Her pale face was even whiter than usual as she stared at Niki worriedly with ochre eyes. Beside her and standing unusually close to the petite girl was Angela, whose tall frame was the only reason Niki recognized her given her inability to look up higher.

She hadn't gotten very far in her attempts to get upright, Niki now realized. She was still mostly on her side, her left arm burning while she balanced herself on her right arm. Her eyes shifted to the crash site dully, only for her eyes to widen and Niki's heart thundered as she saw the crushed van bent right around the rear of her dad's old truck, the windows all shattered and lying like crystals on the ground. How was it possible that anyone was fine after that?

Panic fought the strange wave of calm again, but Alice said quietly but firmly, "Bella's fine, Nico, and you will be too - trust us. Just breathe."

And she did trust them, Niki realized. She trusted her new friends to tell her the truth and so Niki worked to get her breathing back to normal. Unfortunately, it drew her attention back to her arm as the calmer she became, the more she really felt the burning in her arm.

"Ow." Niki grimaced.

Jasper's expression clouded over as he watched Niki start to whimper as the pain fully registered now that she had nothing else to focus on. Which was odd because it had felt like it was ebbing away before, along with her panic.

"The ambulance is here," Niki heard Angela say vaguely. "Here! Over here as well, my friend's injured!"

Niki was glad to hear help had arrived. Although her arm was… oddly getting better? Almost as soon as she had realized the depth of her injury, the pain was ebbing away. Puzzled, Niki's eyes rolled up until she was staring into Jasper's once more. His expression was tender as he watched her, a small amount of relief sparking in his eyes as he examined the way the pain was slowly receding from her expression.

"How did I get here?" Niki suddenly asked, feeling a little dazed although whether it was from the loss of adrenaline or Jasper's warm gaze she couldn't entirely be sure. "I was over there..."

"Edward grabbed you and pulled you away just in time… I think." Alice answered, although she appeared to tack on the last two words as an afterthought. Niki frowned.

"How? He was over there with you..." She protested feebly.

"No, he wasn't, Nico." Alice answered firmly. "He was standing right beside Bella's truck."

Niki frowned, turning her eyes up to Jasper as she tried to think through the strange fog in her mind. The loss of adrenaline, the hit to her head, her hurt arm and the weird calm that also seemed able to take away her pain was all making it very difficult, but she was almost certain she had seen Edward beside Jasper about half a block away just before the van came at her. Jasper just watched her, his eyes guarded once again. Niki's lips pulled further down. Why wasn't he saying anything?

"But..."

But Niki was interrupted as the EMTs arrived to check her. Jasper released her reluctantly and Niki was surprised by how forlorn she felt when his face was replaced by a stranger's. But it didn't last long as she was put in a neck brace almost immediately after and her arm was wrapped securely before they placed her on a stretcher and loaded her onto the waiting ambulance. Jasper and Alice weren't allowed to follow but Niki was soon joined by Bella, who thankfully did look fine despite the neck brace.

Apparently, Niki did not look as fine as the moment Bella's eyes landed on her, her expression went from angry and embarrassed to alarmed and worried.

"Niki?!"

"Hey, Bells."

Niki thought she managed to sound reasonable but apparently she did not as Bella looked even more alarmed.

"Is she okay?" Bella demanded as one of the EMTs got into the back with us.

Before the man could respond, a very familiar voice yelled, "Bella!"

Instantly, Bella grimaced before she sighed. "I'm completely fine, Char - Dad. There's nothing wrong with me."

Niki couldn't see Charlie but she didn't try to. The pain was starting to become unbearable again and she whimpered, drawing Bella's attention again. Bella tried to talk to her but Niki couldn't focus on her words as the pain got to her while the EMTs rigged her up to morphine. Pretty soon, the ambulance was on its way again as it sped to the country hospital. Oddly, the further they got from the school, the more the pain seemed to come back to Niki's arm despite the medication being pumped into her. She groaned and the EMTs called instructions to each other.

The moment they arrived at the hospital, Niki was unloaded first. And while Bella was rolled to the emergency waiting room, Niki was rolled almost instantly to get her arm and head x-rayed. She had a mild concussion but the arm was worse than she had guessed it would be - both the bones had been snapped. It was as the nurses were speaking about the breaks that the doctor rounded the corner… and Niki swore her mouth dropped open.

He was young, probably early thirties at most, and extremely pale with blond hair lighter than Rosalie or Jasper's, and shadows under his eyes like he hadn't slept well in a while… and even then, he was handsomer than any movie star. Even Leonardo DiCaprio. Niki knew who he was instantly, but she had never seen Dr. Cullen up close before; suddenly, she could understand why it was joked that the nurses had a hard time focusing at work.

"Miss Black," Dr. Cullen greeted her warmly, even as a few nurses nearby swooned. "Today isn't a good day for you and your friend, is it?"

"No." Niki agreed while Dr. Cullen pulled up her x-rays for her to see.

"Unfortunately, your arm is broken as I'm sure you've been told." He explained. "Both your radius and ulna are broken although they were clean breaks so you'll just need splints and a cast, and of course plenty of rest."

'That's odd...' Niki thought to herself vaguely. 'They're clean breaks? Both of them?'

She was almost sure her arm had broken when Edward (who apparently had been the person to grab her) swung her around and threw her away from the accident site because she could now recall the brief pain she had felt as the bones broke before she even hit the ground. She had chalked his breaking her arm up to adrenaline giving him even more strength, plus potentially some momentum. But she wouldn't have expected him to break both her bones. And if it was a clean break, it wasn't likely she had broken them when she hit the ground.

Dr. Cullen was still talking.

"-And your arm should be back to normal in about two months. Your back is bruised as well but that should heal on its own. You do have a concussion; no need to stay at the hospital," he added when he noted her anxious look." But you will need to stay at home for at least a week and rest, no TV or reading for too long, and preferably not too much time with friends or socializing. Most certainly you will not be able to play any volleyball. I will also recommend that you are woken every few hours the first night to make sure you're not doing worse with your concussion."

Niki nodded along but she couldn't help blurting out curiously when Dr. Cullen wrapped up, "Is Edward still here?"

"Yes," Dr. Cullen's response was careful and his eyes seemed to re-examine her. "He was in my office earlier."

"Would you mind telling him I would like to see him?" Niki requested. "If it doesn't count as too much time socializing."

"I would be happy to pass on a message." Dr. Cullen offered, still sounding a little guarded. "In case I cannot find him before your guardian takes you home."

"Oh..." Niki frowned a little. "I just wanted to thank him… I was told he was the one who saved me. And Bella, apparently."

"Of course." Dr. Cullen seemed to relax slightly although he was still observing her intently. "I would be happy to pass on the message if I don't find him before you leave."

"Thank you," Niki answered. "And thank you for treating me."

"It was nothing," Dr. Cullen smiled kindly, his expression softening. "And I should be thanking you. You have been very kind to Jasper and Alice. They speak quite highly of you at home."

Niki blushed but she couldn't deny she was pleased. Alice aside, Jasper talked about her? She could see Alice doing so, but Jasper didn't seem like the kind to spill his thoughts even with his family. And certainly not about her. Dr. Cullen smiled at her embarrassed delight before he bid her farewell. Niki smiled and nodded at him as she was instead wheeled back toward the emergency room where she could be picked up by her father when he got to the hospital.

As soon as she was out of Dr. Cullen's sight, Niki frowned slightly. She had hoped to talk to Edward while there weren't too many other ears around - to thank him like she'd told Dr. Cullen of course, but also because she was certain he hadn't been close enough to have saved both her and Bella. Niki hadn't been sure right after the accident, but the more she thought about it, the more things just didn't add up. Niki was absolutely sure she had seen Jasper move inhumanly fast and get stopped just as quickly by his brothers right before the accident. Only Edward hadn't stopped him as he instead stared at Bella in horror as he realized what was going to happen to her and Niki. Only it didn't happen because Edward somehow magically appeared in time to not only throw Niki out of the way (breaking her bones in the process) but also save Bella from an incoming van.

And all of this came on the heels of the other oddities Niki could no longer shake off about the Cullens. First, there was the fact that Edward had lied about why he was gone. No matter what he said, she was sure he hadn't been truthful when he stated he had disliked Bella on sight simply because she reminded him of someone. No, Niki corrected herself. Before that, Jasper had lied about his eyes and about Edward being away, although Niki had no idea why. Then Edward had lied. And then Alice had lied again after the accident when she'd tried to convince Niki that Edward had been near them all along. But why? That was the question to which Niki had no idea what the answer was.

Niki was startled when Bella suddenly appeared at her bedside just as she was wheeled into the room.

"Niki!" Her face was filled with relief as she looked me over. "You're okay."

"I am. I broke both bones in my arm though, and apparently I have a concussion so I can't go to school for a week." Niki admitted. Instantly, Bella's relief faded and the worry returned.

"That sounds serious."

"It could have been a lot worse."

Bella cocked her head and her gaze sharpened as she heard the faint suspicious note in Niki's voice. Glancing around, Bella checked they were alone before she whispered, "Did you see what happened?"

"Not exactly." Niki admitted although her heart sped up as she realized she wasn't the only one who didn't entirely buy the miracle that was their survival. "I was pulled out the way before the van came close, but I'm positive I saw Edward with his family before the crash."

Bella's lips folded into a tight line and Niki knew at last that she hadn't been the only one to see Edward standing far too far away to save them as quickly as he had.

"You saw him too."

Bella nodded in response to Niki's statement and she all but growled, "He keeps denying it though."

"Their family does that." Niki admitted with a frown. "Dr. Cullen looked like he was worried I'd ask about it too."

"He was the same with me." Bella admitted with a frown as she looked across the room without seeing, too deep in thought. "And Edward kept trying to tell me I was crazy and seeing things because I hit my head. But I saw him stop the van with his bare hands."

Niki's eyes widened and she looked at Bella sharply. "What?"

"He stopped the van with his hands." Bella repeated. "I don't know how, but I know what I saw. Tyler's van was going to crush us and he just stopped it."

Niki stared at Bella, falling into her own thoughts. Superhuman strength, superhuman speed… and Niki was reminded for the first time in two years that the Cullens weren't welcome in La Push. She'd forgotten once the novelty of the Cullens had worn off and they didn't really socialize with anyone let alone with the students on First Beach. But now she remembered her father's early warning for her to stay away from the Cullens, because of the stories. Stories of immortal beings who were even paler than normal pale faces.

She shook her head. She was letting her imagination run too wild. Edward might have stretched the realm of the possible but to call him a creature of the night? That was just ridiculous.

"Bella!"

Bella grimaced at once while Niki looked over to see Charlie standing just outside the doorway, a worried frown plastered on his face.

"I've got to go. But we'll talk again later." Bella promised. Niki waved goodbye with her good hand as Bella hurried to join her father, before she settled back on her pillow.

She had no idea when her own father was going to arrive, if he could. Billy's inability to drive meant he would have to wait to hitch a ride with someone somehow. She could already picture him going stir crazy and Niki wished she had her things and her phone to at least let her father know she was okay.

"Nico!"

Niki looked over at the shout and she smiled at once.

"Jake!" She called happily as Jacob hurried over.

"Hey, you okay?" Jacob asked in concern, looking her over once. His eyes rested on the cast around her arm and Niki hurried to reassure him she was fine. She was halfway through repeating that she was not seriously hurt when Niki finally spotted the tall, dark man who had followed behind Jacob.

"Sam?" Niki asked, surprised and frankly displeased. "What are you doing here?"

"Billy asked me to pick you up." Sam explained in his usual low timbre although he was standing more than a little stiffly like he was extremely uncomfortable. Niki scoffed internally; she knew what was putting the older man on edge. He was one of the few on the rez who took the legends as seriously as her father.

"And you know Jacob's not legally allowed to drive." Sam added, his dark eyes coming back to her after roaming around the room tensely.

"Right. Well, thanks." Niki muttered with lacklustre effort.

Sam didn't comment on her attitude - he was used to it by now. Niki had never quite forgiven him for how he'd suddenly dumped Leah for her cousin, or the way his behaviour changes had caused a rift between him and his half-sister. His breaking Leah's heart, Niki might have forgiven eventually given how genuinely happy he apparently was with Emily. But Niki was too fiercely protective of Kaelee to forgive Sam for abandoning his sister.

"Well, let's go." Niki said quickly. Jacob helped her up while Sam didn't bother, already knowing she would refuse him. Instead, he held open the door for them and followed behind the siblings almost like he was a bodyguard. Or a guard dog.

Niki amused herself with the picture of Sam as a big puppy acting like some macho dog as he barked at a gun wielding thief,when the receptionist called after them.

"This was left for you." The receptionist explained as she handed an enormous box to Niki when Niki returned to the front desk curiously. "From Dr. Cullen's daughter."

"Alice?" Niki asked in surprise even as she checked the card. Sure enough, the card was written in an otherworldly elegant hand and at the bottom it was signed Alice Cullen. Niki closed it and tucked the card safely back into the box.

"I'll read it later."

Sam looked very obviously unhappy as he eyed the box like it was an explosive from Satan himself but Niki ignored him. He really was always weird lately.

It was only when they were safely back in the car that Niki opened the box. Inside were rows upon rows of the most perfectly shaped cookies. Niki almost laughed at just how circular the cookies were, as if they had been commanded to be perfect or else face their maker's wrath. It was so typically Cullen. Jacob meanwhile whistled in appreciation.

"Wow. Whoever your new friend is, I like them." He joked. Niki smiled and handed him a cookie that he happily munched while she flipped open Alice's card again to read it properly.

Nico, it read.

I am so happy to hear you'll be mending soon. We were so worried when you were taken away. Jazz won't ever admit it but he was ready to follow you to the hospital and not leave.

'I wonder why they didn't?' Niki mused absently. 'The rest of the school apparently did.'

Esme - our mother - was also so worried when she heard about the accident. She baked these cookies for you and sends you all her love as well as ours. You'll be better soon, Niki. Let's go shopping together when you are. Love, Alice.

She was smiling widely by the time she finished reading the card and Niki closed it carefully. Tucking it into her pocket, she thanked Alice in her head. And not that she would ever admit it, but Niki repeated the phrase "Jazz won't ever admit it but he was ready to follow you to the hospital and not leave" the whole way home and even right before she finally fell asleep peacefully in her bed that night.