I looked behind me, only seeing the empty street illuminated creepily by the Volvo's headlights. I looked at the men slumped around us again, and back to Edward. He was visibly arguing with himself about whether to finish off my attackers or stay with me. I could see it. He would look at them, begin to scowl murderously, and then close his eyes and breathe, and look back at me, relaxing ever so slightly, before repeating the process. I knew I had to get his mind off of them.

"So… what brings you here?" I asked, trying to break the silence that seemed to be pressing in painfully. Edward switched the hand that was on my ribs for his other hand. A fresh wave of icy coolness seeped into my side. He sighed, dropping his head slightly, as if I were annoying him. "Sorry." I muttered.

"Do your ribs feel any better?" he asked, loudly enough that I caught every word.

"Your hands are a fantastic ice pack. I could pay you to walk around and cool my drinks off." I looked at his face, readjusting my hands, which were propping me into a sitting position. Edward looked like he was a parent, both patient and impatient, wishing he could take on the world for his child's scraped knee. His head shot up suddenly, to look behind us. I twisted my head and all of a sudden Doctor Carlisle Cullen was behind me, irradiated by the Volvo's headlight. Where had he come from? He certainly didn't come in a car.

"Hey doc. Good to see you again." I smiled. "Can you please tell your son that I'm fine?"

Carlisle smiled reassuringly at me, before looking intently at Edward.

"No I didn't kill any of them. Not for a lack of wanting to, trust me. But Bella was injured." Edward muttered. I think I would have missed it had I not been looking at his lips.

"Your restraint continues to amaze me Edward." Carlisle congratulated him, putting a hand on his shoulder. He knelt down beside me, gently pushing Edward's hand aside, and feeling at my ribs.

"Are you in pain anywhere?" Carlisle asked gently, still probing.

"I was a little winded when I got kicked, but I'm okay now. I haven't been allowed to stand yet, so I'm not a hundred percent sure. My elbows and back got a little bumped and scraped. But I swear I'm not going into shock or anything." I reassured him.

"You should be. A normal person would be." Edward quipped.

"Yeah well, I've been dealt more than my share of near death experiences. I'm great at taking them in stride." I laughed, and my side twinged, causing a little wince. Carlisle and Edward helped me stand, very slowly. I took a deep breath, also slowly, and felt along my ribs. I thought I was fine. It would probably bruise like crazy though. I ran my hand along my back, feeling small scratches and looked at my arms in the headlight glare. They were red and already bruising in a couple of places, and I had a long raised scratch on one of my arms that I didn't remember obtaining. The only thing wrong with the entire scenario was that I felt queasy looking at the now dried blood on my arm and I tried to not think about eye goop.

"Do either of you happen to have some water?" I saw a small blur of motion and Edward had disappeared. I looked startled at Carlisle. "Jeez you guys are fast."

"Yes," Carlisle agreed slowly. "I suppose we are." He tilted my head back, looking into my eyes. "No sign of any dilation. I honestly do believe you aren't going into shock. Although I can't fathom how."

"How did you get here?" I asked bluntly, looking at him with curiosity. He looked as though he could have climbed out of Edward's car merely moments ago.

"I ran. I am sorry I was as late as I was. Even with Alice's warning, I'm not as fast as Edward." He ran his fingers along the scrapes on my back and arms. "These should heal well, although you'll indubitably experience some nasty bruising."

He had run from Forks. In a matter of minutes. And what did he mean by 'warning' from Alice? I had so many questions, but I kept my tongue silent. A lot had happened to me in the last hour and I wanted to be sure that I was thinking at my peak when I started asking questions. Right now I wasn't even a hundred percent sure I was seeing and hearing things accurately.

Edward reappeared with an entire pack of water bottles. He ripped apart the packaging as though it were tissue, and extended his hand with the first bottle towards me, opened already. I saw a flicker of movement out of the corner of my eye, and I grabbed Edward's hand, pulling him to my ribs again. I said, "Please stay here". He stayed motionless, his eyes darting angrily towards my attackers.

"No Carlisle. You should take Bella. I'll deal with this." Edward snapped abruptly, looking towards his father. Had I missed the question?

"You will not. Your control this evening has been phenomenal, and reversing your altruistic decisions would not bode well with your conscience." His voice was stern. I still remained quiet. Although I was the topic, I felt as though this was definitely a private argument.

"I'd manage. You should have heard what they were thinking Carlisle. What they were planning…" Edward was almost shouting now. I raised my hand to his shoulder, wanting to calm and reassure him, pulling it back when I noticed the blood still on my hands. He looked at me, almost ashamedly, and handed me the water bottle. I used it to scrub my hands, splashing water on the three of us. The men didn't seem to mind. What they were thinking. What they were planning. As sinister as the sentences were, they weren't half as eerie as the fact that Edward had said it so casually. His father hadn't even questioned it, as if Edward had truly heard their thoughts. Was Edward a mind reader? I looked at him, thinking furiously. Edward? Can you hear me? I saw no sign of recognition from him, but he did seem awfully distracted by the fight with his father, by my attackers slowly regaining consciousness, and by his own hand on my ribcage.

"Take Bella home. I will deal with the others appropriately and humanely." Carlisle said firmly. They stared off for a few moments. I pulled Edward's hand gently to flip it to the colder side. That seemed to make a decision for him. Edward dropped his head resignedly. Carlisle looked back to me.

"I am glad you are alright Bella."

"Thank you for coming. I'm sorry it wasn't really worth the run." I apologized.

"Are you apologizing for not being more injured? I'm afraid you might need a brain scan Miss Swan." Carlisle joked, while Edward looked on incredulously. I blushed.

"I guess that was stupid yeah." I looked around at the still unconscious men around me. "Um… not that I think you're going to, but, please don't kill anyone. I don't want that on my conscience." I looked worriedly into Edward's face, which was still focused determinedly on his hand at my ribs, and then towards Carlisle.

"I swear to you Bella. No one will die tonight." The sincerity that rang from his voice made me relax and trust him. He turned away from me then approaching the men, assessing the injuries of the attacker-turned-victims. I walked with Edward to the Volvo, and as soon as we were on the other side of the headlights I could see nothing. I stopped, and blinked furiously, trying to get my eyes to adjust faster. Edward stopped beside me.

"Would you mind if I carried you to your truck?" Edward asked. "It'll be faster, and I need to get you somewhere safe and warm."

I looked in the direction of him, though all I could make out was a dark shadow. I suppose he wanted to leave the car for Carlisle to carry the men to whatever hospital was closest. I hesitated, and then wondered why. It wasn't driving, after all, and I'd end up in close proximity to Edward for an extended duration.

"On one condition?" I asked in response. I received no answer, or if I did, I didn't hear it. "Can you not go at your stopping-trucks-and-fetching-water-speed? I don't think I could handle the motion right now."

"Of course." He nodded graciously. My phone buzzed in my pocket, as Edward made to pick me up. It was like a jolt back into a reality I hadn't realised I had left. I checked the message, from Angela.

We just got our food, are you sure you won't be done at the store in time?

I am good, don't even worry. I'll catch up with you both at school tomorrow. I texted back the response, as I let Edward pick me up, holding my breath so it wouldn't escape in the slight hiss of pain that accompanied my bending slightly. This bruise on my ribs would be a dark and large one for sure. I focused on typing while he walked carefully. I could barely feel him moving at all, except for a light and constant breeze. This felt like the blood-typing incident all over again. I groaned in embarrassment. Edward slowed down slightly.

"What's wrong?" he asked, clearly and slowly. I was staring at my phone screen, so I figured that I could make this seem less awkward.

"I need to buy a desk chair." I said. "I told Angela and Jess I wouldn't be joining them for dinner because I'd found a chair I liked at the furniture store. So now I need to buy a chair."

It seemed like a strange thing to be thinking to me, but Edward laughed.

"I'll take care of it."

We kept walking, and when I looked around I could see the faint glow of streetlamps in the distance behind us. I wondered where we had gone, and when it had gotten so dark. I closed my eyes, and rested my head against Edward's chest. I couldn't feel calmer, which was probably very twisted, since I was in the arms of what I suspected to be a vampire, and I'd just been attacked by a bunch of men in a dark alleyway. He started humming, or singing in a very low tone, and his chest vibrated. I listened to his low and fading tones, relaxing as much as I could as he gently rocked me as we walked. I had never felt so calm and safe in my life.