The drive to Port Angeles was fun. I could see Angela and Jessica dancing in their car to whatever music they had on. We parked a decent walk from the store, and had enjoyed the walk. The Port itself was beautiful, the water a cool grey blue, and the occasional sun lighting up the faces of the residents, as well as adding some gorgeous sparkle to the sea. We popped into a small furniture store so I could 'look for a desk chair that would fit my room'. Having not discovered anything that needed my truck, I shrugged in mock defeat and we headed to the department store for some dresses.

Angela and Jessica both found a bunch of different styles that they wanted to try on. Angela's choices were all very complimentary and reserved, with a little bit of sparkle. Jess had a very opposite and flashy taste, but it suited her too. I had to help with the selection of colours and shapes (from the limited assortment they had to choose from) and then they started to debate about shoes and accessories. I caught Angela's attention, and told her that I was going to look for a bookstore. She signed to me that there was one to my left, and three blocks down. I grinned at her, so proud. She was going to get better than me at the rate she was studying.

I left the department store, and headed where Angela had directed me. I took my time, knowing I wanted to relax and enjoy the solitary time in the fresh sea breeze, but also made my way directly there because I knew that the three of us had dinner plans. I looked at the bookstore, and made my way in, very skeptical that it would have anything I needed. The old lady with the thick rimmed frames that took up most of her face was glittering in scarves and earrings, and keeping a transfixed smile and gaze on me as I glanced through the book collection. I couldn't see anything that I particularly wanted, and once again tried to enjoy the solidarity that bookstores, even small and mystical ones such as this, provided. It didn't take me very long to start getting a minor headache from the barrels of incense that the store seemed to be stocked with, so I left with a quick and awkward good bye, and headed out into the world again. There looked to be plenty more shops down the street I was on, so I headed further away from my original departure point, to see what else I could find. There had to be another bookstore in town right?

My walk turned out to be wasted, as there was nothing more at the end of the street. I took a left – which was by my reasoning – taking me parallel to the water, and I tried to double back towards the department store, while also covering new ground in hopes of that magical bookstore that might appear. I had half a mind to grab my phone from my purse and use the GPS, but my data rate sucked, and I'd already used way more gas than I had hoped getting here, so would have to fork out for that. I started to realise that I wasn't headed towards where I'd hoped, as I'd just run into a dead end, and it was getting dark. The sun hadn't set yet, but it was low in the sky and the shadows of the buildings I was surrounded by were making it very dark and cold.

I got my phone out, and began trying to get a signal to find my way out, while walking back the way I'd come. I glanced ahead of me as I stumbled slightly on a curve and my stomach clenched, while the hair on my arms raised. There were several dark and ominous looking figures leaning against a building ahead. I couldn't hear them, but I was catching echoes that sounded sort of like laughter. Unsure of passing them, I turned down the first street I came to before them. I should be headed out to the water, by my mental map, and my phone was lagging, trying desperately to open up the map application, so I quickened my pace.

My phone finally loaded, pinpointing me, in a little blue dot, in the complete opposite direction to where I thought I had been headed. Where had I gotten turned around? I spun straight around and bumped straight into someone. I hadn't heard them behind me. Damn my hearing to hell. My phone and I clattered to the ground and I muttered an instinctual 'sorry', straight away, before realising that there wasn't just one person in my way, there were four. They were men, and they had very ominous, almost evil, smiles on their faces.

I started to get up, still facing them, when one of them stepped to my side, grabbing my arm. For a fleeting second I thought maybe he was helping me up, and then he started twisting. My other hand flew straight out, instinctively, and collided with something semi-solid. The arm holding let up and the guy stumbled backward, clutching his hands to his – hopefully broken – bloody nose. My heart was pounding, and my adrenaline was high. I was instantly thinking about everything Charlie had ever taught me about self defense. Eyes, throats, noses, groins. Only problem was, that was always against one attacker. As I backed away I stumbled over my own dropped purse and was half on the ground when they jumped at me. I received one solid kick to the side and all of my breath disappeared. I started kicking and punching as much as I could, squirming back and out of reach. My one hand managed to stick into something that felt wet and squishy, and I actually heard the scream of the man who I think – from my imagining – I had gouged his eye. Someone pulled me sharply towards them, and I felt part of my jeans slide down, while my shirt slid up and my back scratched against the pavement. My knee connected with something else before being pinned, painfully at my side. And suddenly I couldn't see.

The world was immediately lit up with the bright headlights of a car that I hadn't heard, and as if being plucked out of the air by giant eagles, the men started flying, up and away from me. It took me a second to realise that a figure, silhouetted by the car headlights, was picking the men up, and physically throwing them against the buildings around us. I lay still, trying to catch my breath, and straining to see. Once all four men were slumped against the opposite building, the figure turned to me. I still couldn't see them, and either couldn't hear anything, or the alleyway was silent. The figure bent so that his shadow interrupted the headlights I was squinting into, and I could suddenly see that it was Edward Cullen.

"Edward!" I gasped in relief. I lay back instantly, feeling safer than ever, and still breathing a little harder than I should have. "Never thought I'd be so happy to see your stupid shiny Volvo."

I was looking up into the darkness, when suddenly his face was above mine.

"Are you alright?" he looked murderous, and concerned, and torn between the two. I started to sit up again, and I took the next few seconds, and the added bonus of the headlight beams, to give myself a once over. My right arm was covered in blood splatter, but I was relatively convinced it wasn't mine. My back was sore, but I didn't think it was bleeding. My side hurt though, and I was still having trouble breathing fully. My button on my jeans had been torn off.

"I think I'm not bleeding." I said with what I hoped was certainty.

"You aren't." Edward dismissed, before I even had the words out. I had to laugh. It seemed surreal, but it felt as though we were discussing a videogame character rather than me. I honestly didn't feel that bad. I had been terrified, but now, I was safe in the arms of a supernatural man who was intent on saving my life from the random and unlucky occurrences I seemed to attract.

"Excuse me, but this is my injury inventory I'm taking. Get your own."

"Bella." Edward's loud and clear voice dripped with anger. "Please be serious."

I smiled, and stretched a little.

"Okay. Sorry. My back got some scrapes. My jeans are ripped. My shin feels bruised. My fingernails have eye goop on them. And it twinges a little when I breathe." I rubbed the spot that hurt the most, and Edward lowered his hand carefully to lift my shirt. I yanked it out of his way and his icy cold hands pressed gently against the spot.

"Nothing -" I missed the rest of his sentence.

"Speak up."

"Nothing feels broken." He said louder, looking into my eyes again.

"Seriously, I feel okay. Just a little winded." I tried to reassure him.

"Carlisle is on his way. Stay where you are." Edward started to pull away.

"Don't leave me." The words flew out of my lips before I could close them. Edward stopped, settling back down beside me, but he glanced towards the men slumped against the building. I looked too. I couldn't tell if any of them were alive. They all looked like broken ragdolls. One had a puffy eye, and one had blood down his chin.

"Are they?"

"Unconscious. I haven't killed anyone. Yet."

"Don't. Don't. Just stay here, okay. Put your hand back, it helped." I tried to divert his attention. It worked, but only slightly. His hand returned to the sore spot at my side and I relaxed again.

"Did I get those two? The eye and the nose?" I asked, hoping that I could have at least some points on team Bella.

"Yes. I'm rather proud of you for those. Very well aimed." Edward replied. His brief and strained smile disappeared almost instantly and his gaze turned coldly towards my attackers. He still looked like he wanted to finish slamming them through the building. I gently tugged his hand slightly to the left, and it refocused him. I wasn't going to tell him that my scores on the men came down to luck. I'd be fine with him thinking I was at least minimally good at self-defense. We sat quietly for a minute, and then I remembered the reason I was in Port Angeles at all.

"Could you pass me my phone please?" I could see it within his reach. "I have to text Angela that I'm not coming to dinner."

Edward stiffened suddenly, but his hand remained in place.

"- tell her?" he asked, in a quiet tone. I thought for a few seconds. What would I say?

"I'm going to say that I went back to the furniture store and found a chair I liked. Working out payment details and that I'll be a while. She can head to dinner with Jessica, and home after if I tell her not to wait."

Edward looked at me intently, and curiously, and then passed me my phone I wiped both of my hands on my jeans, and then began to text, ignoring the red streak that I managed to transfer to my phone screen. I sent the text, and looked back at Edward.

"Thank you Edward. That's twice now." I smiled at him, reaching my hand toward him. He pulled away, tucking his hands in his pockets and flashing away quickly. One of the men had started to wake, and Edward had remedied it. He returned to me as quickly as he had left, looking worried.

"Honestly Edward, I'm fine." I started to try and stand up, but he rested his hand on my shoulder to keep me in place.

"Carlisle is nearly here." He said absently, looking behind me.