A/N: You guys should feel special today. You get two updates. This is because a.) I've been planning this chapter for about a week now and am excited to finally be here and b.) I've got to work til nine tomorrow night and be back at seven in the morning on Saturday so I won't have time. So I want the gift of extra reviews for two chapter in one day.

CHAPTER 11 SAFE

EDWARD

Edward had no idea where he was going when he took off in his volvo. All he knew was that he had to get away from the pitying thoughts of his family. He knew he needed to get as far away from werewolf territory as he could because all he wanted to do was rip Jacob Black into little pieces. He drove at about two hundred miles an hour for a few minutes and ended up in Port Angeles. More specifically, he ended up on the dark street where he saved Bella from those men back when the had met.

Edward remembered the night as if it was only yesterday. He remember the anger he had to fight to keep down that night mirrored the anger hewas feeling in that moment. He remember how it was Bella's voice, not so much her words, just her voice that calmed him down. He remember their first date. Well, technically. He found himself driving to the little resturant. He sat outside for awhile and thought about their conversation that night.

That was the night she found out that he was a monster. He thought she was completely crazy that night for telling him that it didn't matter what he was. He remember that no matter how hard he tried to convince her that he was dangerous, she refused to believe it. He realized that it was a possibility that she felt the same way about Jacob. But hadn't Jacob showed her over and over this month that he was dangerous.

Edward try to shake the thoughts of Jacob away. He felt the urge to tear the stupid mongrel apart rising in his chest again. Thoughts of Jacob; however wouldn't leave him alone. He thought of all the times that he saved Bella. The van, the men in Port Angeles, James, Victoria and the army of newborns.

Was she really meant to survive all that just to die at the hands of someone who was supposed to love her? That couldn't be why he spent a good part of the last couple years saving her from death. He didn't understand why he was destined to save her from all of that but couldn't save her from one mangy mutt.

"Maybe, she didn't want to be saved?" He thought. No that wasn't right. He had seen all the fear and pain in her eyes when she left that day. He still couldn't understand why she just didn't stay there with him.

He would've done everything in his power to keep her safe from Jacob. She knew that he would. So why did she just leave him?

Suddenly, his phone rang and he jumped at the unexpected sound. He pulled it out and saw Jasper's number flashing.

"What is it, Jasper?" he said sounding as pathetic as he felt.

"Sam, just called." Jasper said. "You need to get home now! He caught Jacob trying to rape Bella again."

Edward let out a long low growl and put the car in drive.

"Sam stopped him." Jasper continued. "But he got away."

Edward felt the anger building up as Jasper went on talking.

"Sam is going to look for him. Jared is bringing Bella over. You need to get home because the only thing she said to Sam was your name. We think that she's gonna need you when she gets here." Jasper finished.

"And Edward, come straight back to the house!" Edward heard Carlisle yell in the back round. He sounded like a true father. "Bella needs you here not out trying to kill Jacob. Let Sam handle him!"

"Jasper, tell Carlisle, my only interest is getting back there and taking care of Bella. I'll deal with the mutt later." Edward said. He flipped the phone shut and pressed the gas harder. He wanted to get there before she did.

As much as he wanted to rip Jacob limb from limb at that moment, Bella needed him to make her feel safe. He would go to the house and take care of her. Then he'd find Jacob and make sure that Bella stayed safe.

He reached home in about twenty minutes but cursed when he saw Bella's truck already parked outside the garage. He quickly through the volvo into park behind the truck and was in the house in a matter of seconds. His whole family was sitting around the living room. Alice was sitting on the couch with a hysterical Bella in her lap.

Edward walked to Bella and gathered her into his arms. She wrapped hers around his neck and continued to sob into his chest. Without a word to anyone, Edward took her to his room and sat on the bed stroking her hair.

"It's okay. I'm here. You're safe. He can't hurt you here." He said it over and over as she sobbed. Eventually his words turned into a hum and that turned into her lullaby. An hour later she had cried herself to sleep.

Edward laid her down and kissed her forehead. Then he left the room to talk to his family. When he got to the living room, they all turned to him. He heard the same question burning in all there thoughts. What happened?

"She was too upset to talk." Edward answered. "She's cried herself to sleep. When she wakes up, I'll talk to her and then you can check her out Carlisle."

Everyone nodded seemingly satisfied with his answer. Alice was the only one who didn't look away from him. He didn't have to read her thoughts to know how worried she was.

"I'm sure she's going to be fine." Edward said reassuringly. "From what I could see, it didn't look too serious."

Alice nodded. Edward could hear the family thinking the same thing he was. They'd all be happier when they found out what had happened.

BELLA

Bella laid there curled up in Alice's lap. She was ignoring everyone's questions about what happened. She wasn't ready to say. She ignored Alice trying to get her to change into something more comfortable. She even ignored Esme's offer of food. All she wanted was Edward.

She needed him to hold her. To tell her everything would be okay. She needed him to make her feel safe. She wasn't sure how long she cried in Alice's lap but it felt like enternity before she felt strong arms pick her up from the couch. Somehow, she knew it was Edward without having to look. She wrapped her arms around his neck and continued to sob into his chest.

She was vaguely aware that he was taking her upstairs. Once there he sat on the bed with her and stroked her hair. She heard his velvety voice saying over and over,

"It;s okay. I'm here. You're safe. He can't hurt you here." Eventually his words turned into the humming of her lullaby.

After an hour of crying, she finally let the exhaustion take over her. It was the first time in a month that she felt truly safe as she drifted off.

When she woke a few hours later, Edward beside her stroking her hair.

"Hi." he wihispered.

"Hi." she said her voice hoarse from all the crying.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"A little sore." she replied then her stomach growled. "And hungry, I guess."

"Good." Edward laughed. "I mean the hungry part because Esme made sure there was still plenty of unexpired food downstairs. Can you walk?"

"I think so." she answered.

"Good because after you eat Carlisle wants to check and make sure he didn't do permenant damage." Edward answered. "Then he wants to find out what happened."

Bella noticed a slight coldness in his voice and saw the pain in his eyes. He thought she was going to leave again.

"I'm done with him." she said reassuringly. "I'm not going anywhere."

Edward smiled and wrapped his arms around her. Nothing needed to be said.

They went downstairs, hand in hand, a few minutes later. Esme had made up some eggs for her and she ate them. Everyone looked at them oddly. Bella had the feeling it was because Edward never took his hand off her. He had let go of her hand so she could eat but he put it on her leg for awhile. Then he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

Bella had a feeling they were all wanting to ask her what happened that day and Edward had told them not to.

Once Bella was finished eating, Alice put her dishes in the dishwasher (A/N: I can't remember if they actually have one but I figured, if they didn't it would be a nice touch.) as Edward led her up to Carlisle's study. His arm was around her waist this time.

The contact didn't bother her at all. In fact, it made her feel safer to have him touching her. Edward knocked when they got to the door.

"Come in." Carlisle called. Edward opened the door and led her inside. "Bella, it's nice to see you awake. How do you feel?"

"A little sore." Bella answered. "But okay."

"Good. Why don't you tell me what happened?" Carlisle answered. He was looking at Edward's arm around her waist with great interest. He gestured for them to have a seat. Edward let go of her waist but grabbed her hand again as they sat down.

Bella launched into the story of what happened when she went to La Push that day. She told him about how he strangled her and the epiphany she had in those moments. She told them about how she thought he was going to kill her. She felt Edward's grip on her hand tighten slightly as she told him about it.

Bella then moved on to how he stopped at the last minute. She told them that he sad he was sorry and how she told him that she didn't want to play the game anymore. She almost broke down again when she got to his reaction to her words.

When she finished,Carlisle didn't say anything. He just got up and looked at her arms and neck.

"Can I see your stomach?" he asked. Edward let her hand go so she could pull up her sweater. She looked down at it herself. She had a big bruise on her right side. Carlisle poked and prodded at her rib cage.

It was only then that Bella realized, her ribs didn't hurt. She could've swore he at least cracked a few.

"Well, it looks like you just have a few bruises. I want you to come into the hospital tomorrow though." Carlisle said when he was done. "I don't think you have any ribs that are cracked or broken but I want an x-ray just in case."

Bella nodded. Edward had taken her hand again.

"I'll make sure she goes." Edward said.

"I know you will." Carlisle said. "Now, I'm sure the rest of the family is waiting to hear what happened. And you can tell them that you're alright."

Bella and Edward got up and went downstairs. The family bombarded the both of them with questions. Bella wasn't ready to tell the story again so all she said to them about was that she wasn't going back.

There was an awkward moment about an hour after the family talk had started, where Alice and Edward were having one of there silent conversations. It looked like Alice was insisting on doing or saying something that Edward didn't want her to. His hand still hadn't left Bella.

Finally Alice said,

"If you aren't gonna tell her then I will."

"Alice, she doesn't need to know, right now." Edward said.

"What don't I need to know?" Bella asked.

"Nothing." Edward answered. Bella smiled to herself. Things were difinately back to normal. Edward was being overprotective. Bella fixed one of her I can handle it stares on him. "Fine." he said after staring at her for a minute. "Jacob took off after Sam stopped him. The pack can't find him."

Bella found that she wasn't at all alarmed by this. In fact, when Edward told her she just snuggled herself closer to him and held him tighter. He tightened his own grip slightly and kissed her forehead.

She knew everything would be okay. She had Edward again and she knew he would protect. Nothing could scare her in that moment while she was sitting in his arms. He was there with her and he would keep her safe.

A/N: So what do you guys think of this one. Do you think it was too much for me having them pick things up where they left off? Also, would you like to see Bella's part of this from Edward's side. Let me know what you wanna see. If you don't like the way this one came out let me know.