A/N: Thank you everyone that reviewed and alerted this story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

Saved

I shoved my hands into the pockets of my jeans and headed to the beach with Jake trailing behind. I really wanted to know what he has with Alice, but I think that it would come off rude to be demanding answers when I just reconciled with him. He deserved better than that, he's been my best friend for years now; even if I only were able to see him in the summer when I lived with Renee I found that I could talk to him about anything.

"So... How have you been?" I politely asked, kicking a rock further down the path towards the beach. I looked him over again. "You look pretty beat to me, Jake."

"Yeah, I am," He said while stifling another yawn. "Haven't gotten much sleep since... well since somethings changed throughout the tribe."

"Is that why they're having a meeting at your house?" I turned to glance at him as we stopped at the shoreline. He only nodded and hummed in response. "So what's it about?"

He turned and grinned at me. "Can't tell. It's a secret. I couldn't even if I wanted to... it's a forbidden topic of sorts."

I waited for a more elaborate answer and when none came I turned to glare at him. "You can't just say something like that and not give a reasonable answer!" I pouted, "I'm all wondering and such now. You can tell me Jake, I promise not to tell." He shook with silent laughter and merely shook his head.

"Sorry Bells, I can't," Turning to me now he with a more serious expression, I intently listened to his next response. "But what I can say is that you would be smart to not go into the forest now. There's some creatures out there now that have been causing us problems, that is all really. And with that, that is all I can say." He said with a clap of his hands. "How have you been, Bells?

I stared at him completely taken off guard by his warning and tried to come up with a descent answer. "I've been fine for the most part. Lately things have been kind of odd and... well different. There's a new girl at my school that's been here about a week or so; she's something else, let me tell you."

Jake stiffened slightly at the mention of a new student which only confirmed that he did know Alice apparently. "A new student, uh? What's she like?" Well there goes the normal conversation I had planned.

So he was going to play it like that, uh? "I think you should know, Jake, I've heard that you talked with her after our school let out. What about that?" I smirked at his completely shocked expression.

"You heard about that? Uh, well some friends of mine and I went to talk to her about our differences." He quickly said, looking slightly flustered. "That's all."

"You were yelling at her though?"

He seemed to steel himself and swallowed noisily and nodded. I slapped his arm―which probably hurt me more than it did him―and glared at him. "Why would you do something like that?"

"She deserved it." He said simply. I couldn't argue with that, she did need to be told a few things it seemed. I nodded along with him. "Really? You think so?" He asked surprised. "Cause you slapping me would have given me the opposite impression."

I grinned sheepishly up at him; that seemed out of place because last time I saw him I was sure that I was the taller one. "Well I forgot who we were talking about for a second. You don't seem like the type of man to yell at a woman." I confessed, twirling a strand of hair about my finger. "But yes, I think she deserved to be yelled at... Wait, why did you yell at her exactly?"

"We don't really get along that well," He mumbled. "...Or at all. You should stay away from he as well." This got my attention, how could they dislike each other so much already? Alice was never here before, that I was sure of.

"I don't really get along with her that well either," I said glancing down at the water rushing around my feet. "She can be quite the handful, I know what you mean."

"What do you mean Bella? Is the leech harming you or something... cause if she is, I promise you she'll have me to answer for." He growled and a dangerous glint appeared in his eyes.

I hastily shook my head in fear, for Alice, not myself. He could break her in two! "No! She's just... insistent about some... things." I replied quickly and tucked away a few stray hairs that escaped as the wind suddenly picked up. "She keeps saying these ridiculous things about her, me... us?" The last one coming out more as a question than a statement.

Jake shot up suddenly and faced away from me and walked deeper in the tides. I was taking my shoes off prepared to follow him when he suddenly called out, "And do you- do you believe her?" He shouted back at me with a slight tremor in his voice as well as his body. "Those lies," He spat. "Do you believe them?"

After I managed to remove my socks, I trudged threw the deepening salt-water towards Jake. I light touched his shoulder to let him know of my presence and he flinched away from my touch. "Well?" He demanded, spinning around and I shrunk back at the look he gave me.

"N-no, I d-don't," I stuttered and slowly backed away from the quivering boy. "H-how do you know?"

"She told me." He slowly stopped his shaking and when I met his eyes again, he didn't have a feral look on his face. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I've had a few anger-management issues since... well since then."

"S-she told you about what she said at my house!" I flushed, and was beyond embarrassed that he had to here her ramblings about me. To someone who just happened to know me none the less!

"She did. She said how she was your-" He began to say then abruptly paused, "Wait, what did you say?" He asked in a deadly whisper. "What did you say!" He yelled at my hesitation and began to shake more vigorously.

"I'll kill her." He whispered and I barely heard him. He took of running out of the water, with his tremblings never ceasing.

"Jake!" I yelled running after the fleeting figure. I squinted against the sun as he picked up his pace and turned to the nearest opening in the tree line.

I ran past my long forgotten shoes and continued to run after my so-called friend. Why would he just suddenly take off like that? A sharp stab of fear was born from my chest as I remembered what I said to him. At my house... The Quileute's obviously didn't like Alice...

He said he would kill her. I had no doubt with the way Jake said it that he wouldn't kill her. I couldn't let him do something like that; he'd go to jail, and even if Alice was a complete creep at times, some part of me couldn't stand the thought of anything like that happening to her.

I heard a loud tearing sound followed by a loud crash. After I stumbled a few times I finally came to were Jake disappeared. Scattered about were a few scraps of cloth that resembled denim. Did rip his pants off to go and beat a pixie?

I skimmed the surrounding foliage and noticed a wide area of disheveled dirt and plants. Approaching the torn vegetation, noticed a few more scraps of his shorts. Sure was in a hurry I mused; yeah, in a hurry to kill your friend.

I took off following Jake's path of destruction quickly. Were Alice and I friends? We talked before but that doesn't make us friends... more like an acquaintance, who happens to have a huge obsession over me.

I had followed his trail for a few minutes when I heard a sound that made me freeze and the hair of my neck stand on end. A loud howl resounded off the trees ahead of me, followed by a few more sounds. I heard something behind me and whipped around quickly; in the distance I heard the loud thumping of footfalls behind me.

I spun back around and took off pumping my arms as fast as possible, my breath coming short gasps fro my exhaustion and fear. The creature slowed slightly as it drew near and I knew that it was about to pounce on me.

I was going to die here in the forest alone, and be responsible for whatever Jacob would try to do with Alice. I was suddenly very hopeful that she was arrested by Charlie and was still at the station. At least she would be safe for a while...

A thunderous crash came from my right and I glanced in the direction of the noise. I stumbled over something protruding from the ground. As I flew forwards I saw a monstrous creature closing in on me as it stepped over the mangled trees freshly crushed. Entirely black and larger than any animal I've ever seen, it closed in upon me as my head came in contact with the hard ground. Just my luck.

The wind whipped against the sensitive skin of my face forcefully and I tried unsuccessfully to open my eyes, only to close them again in fright. I must have died, I thought bitterly, that beast shredded into me and scattered the pieces for no one to find. Crap, I must be dead... crap, I was never a really religious person. I'm screwed.

I kept my eyes tightly shut as I listened intently for any other sounds over the screaming of the wind―I heard none. My fist twisted deeper into soft, silky tendrils as I tried using any other means to discover what seemed to be happening to me. I quickly let go of the short, locks of hair, they were attached to a head, a person's head. A sharp pain exploded behind my eyes when I shifted slightly in the arms of my captor.

I couldn't stop from whimpering, which resulted in my strong arms tightening around me. I jolted―which caused another whimper to escape me―as I realized that someone was cradling me against them.

All I could remember the huge beast looming over me as my vision slowly faded. I had no recollection of anyone in the vicinity, and if there was, how was it possible for them to have defeated such a creature? The animal... monstrous, I couldn't imagine anyone challenging it and emerging alive.

The wind died down instantly, and I felt something cool press against my forehead, brushing a few stray strands of tangled hair out of my face. I was pulled impossibly closer to my savior and they let out a sigh of relief before sitting on the forest floor. They started to rock my body in a gentle motion and hummed lightly in my ear.

"Please say something... please," Whispering gently with a hint of desperation in their voice, they spoke. "Please let me know your okay..." I was immensely surprised the voice was rather feminine, bell-like and sweet sounding.

I curled deeper into their embrace and slowly nodded my head, still mindful of my raging head-ache. They relaxed instantly and inhaled slowly before sighing, "You need to rest, sleep too," She said almost as an after thought. "I will take you home, but I'm afraid Charlie won't be too happy to see again today. Not even if you were unharmed, but now..." She trailed off standing swiftly, which caused a new wave of pain to wash over me.

I angled my face into her chest slightly to protect my face from the harsh winds again as she took off again. Breathing slowly against her, I noticed the delightful, yet familiar scent of cinnamon and something else fill my head. This time I welcomed the mute darkness as it overtook me once again...

The crunching of gravel beneath feet brought consciousness to me, and I tried ignoring my pounding head and listen further. Nearly silent creaking of wood sounded as they continued forward. The shrill sound of a bell startled me and I listened to the familiar chime of a doorbell, my door bell.

The clicking of locks followed by a sharp swoosh as the door flew up moments later. "Yes? Hello?" My fathers slightly strained voice met my ears; he only sounded like that when he was either extremely upset or worried. "How can I help- Bells!"

I was roughly pulled from one pair of cool, slender arms into a pair of thicker, more muscular arms. "Oh thank god your okay! Where have you been, are you hurt? I've been making calls..." He drifted off into a brief silence. "You," He whispered harshly in a tone that I had never heard him use in all my years. "I told you. I told you to stay away from us, to not to bother her anymore!" He nearly screamed at the end with each word rising in his fury.

"She does want to see you!" He screamed at my savior, carrying me somewhere in the house before I felt the rough fabric of the sofa under me. "I told you what I would do. I thought I made that clear enough for you, you freak!"

I opened my mouth to speak, and when I did no sound would come out. I tried again, to no avail and tried to sit up. The realization that I couldn't move spawned a seed of panic which quickly grew with each passing second. What happened, why couldn't I do anything.

I managed to open my eyes bit by bit after a few attempts and the television slowly came into focus. I watched in bright, bold lettering the word 'mute' flash in the corner of the screen as I listened intently to my father scream obscenities at the person on our doorstep. I was surprised that she hadn't even tried to stand up for herself or reason with my father.

"I warned you, girl, to stay away. I told you of the consequences if you harmed my daughter. You can deny it all you want, but the fact is she's lying there on the couch as pale as you are!"

"She may need medical attention Charlie. You need to take her and get her checked on by a professional, you can come and deal with me later." As she spoke I could hear the pain in her voice as she spoke. "She h-hit her head pretty hard, I don't know much about hu- anatomy, but I think she may have a concussion."

I groaned internally and possibly externally as once again I felt the sensation of floating away before my eyes slipped shut.

The small, continuous beeping of the hospital's equipment filled my head again as I glanced at the sleeping form of my father for the umpteenth time. I didn't want to wake him from his sleep, yet I wanted those annoying machines off. The doctor apparently hadn't thought of placing a call button in my room, so I waited patiently for someone to walk by.

Charlie snored loudly again, which elicited another drawn out sigh from me. I had been trying desperately to recall anything that I could about how and why I was here. All I remembered was running from something. I could recall falling and the beast upon me and then everything was a blur for a while.

After I fell I hit my head on something hard and then I woke up in someone's arms as we ran through the forest. The person, I knew was a girl, with her smooth, soft voice and delicious smell of cinnamon. She took me to my house―which brought up how she knew where I lived―and demanded that Charlie get me medical attention quickly.

I had no idea the extent of my injuries, but my head no longer ached, which was most likely thanks to the needle taped into my hand. I tried to not pay attention to that along with the rest of the medical gear assembled in the room; which was hard to do seeing as I was in a hospital.

I heard a gurney roll by accompanied with several loud voices and the wailing of a young child. Charlie's snoring halted half way through a breath and he jumped slightly before stretching with a groan. While slowly waking up he glanced over at me, seeing me watching him patiently. He stood suddenly and rushed over to my side.

"Bells!" He whispered-yelled at me, looking immensely relived that I was awake. "I'm so sorry for what happened, I-"

"Dad, I'm fine. I shouldn't have ran after Jake like I did and get lost in the forest." I said soothingly and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Wait. You were at Jake's place yesterday?" He asked with a confused face. "I just thought... I didn't believe..."

"Dad, are you okay?" He looked troubled and continued to mutter under his voice about something.

He looked into my eyes with a small smile that didn't quite reach his eyes and nodded. "Yeah, it's just I-I figured they hurt you and made that up. I told them to stay away from you Bells, I really did."

"Who? Are you talking about the girl that saved me?" I was the confused one now. I could barely remember that Charlie was yelling at my super-chick savior about something, maybe that was it.

"You don't remember who 'saved' you?" He said calmly, yet I noticed how he twisted the the question slightly. "Really, didn't you see her at all?"

I shook my head and sighed deeply, "No... my head hurt too much, and I didn't want to open my eyes because of it." I thought about how to continue briefly before speaking. "Something about her... The girl, seemed familiar, like I could sort of recognize her voice. And she smelled really nice, which was familiar also." I blushed fiercely at the last bit. Stupid drugged Bella didn't have a filter for her words it would appear. "Do you know who she was?"

He just chuckled darkly. "I believe so. You were the reason we were introduced actually Bells. I met her at your school when I came to pick her up."

Why would I ask Charlie to pick someone up at school when he would obviously be at work? "Questioning." He answered my unspoken question when I glanced at him curiously.

I pondered what he just said before realizing what that meant. It couldn't have been. No way, it wasn't possible. It couldn't have been her.

"No, it couldn't have been..."

"It was, she rang the doorbell and stood there with you limp in her arms. I... I didn't know what happened to you, you had been missing for a few hours and then there you were. In her arms." He said looking directly into my eyes, betraying nothing. He was telling nothing but the truth.

"Alice?" I asked in disbelief, why she was always around me was a mystery, yet I felt extremely grateful that she had been around this time. I was amazed that the tiny girl had actually been the one to save me, yet somehow I wasn't. My eyes went wide as two horrifying thoughts came to mind.

Alice. Jake. Alice. Bear-beast.

"Where is she!" I demanded, scanning the room for any signs of the pixie. "Was she hurt? Dad, you have to find her. Jake was going after her!"

His eyebrow scrunched together and he stared curiously at me once again. "What?" Was his brilliant answer.

"I argued with Jake and I told him about Alice and he got really mad and ran off in the forest saying he was going to hurt her, so I ran after him. I got lost and a huge animal attacked me and I remember Alice saving me." I said hastily, looking desperately at my dad for answers. "I know she was extremely rude to me, but I can't let something bad happen to her, it's not right!"

"Calm down Bells." He said gently. "I'm sure she's fine."

"What do you mean 'you're sure?' didn't you ask her?" I said slowly. I already had my answer.

"N-no..." He muttered and stared down at his shoes ashamed. Good he deserved to feel bad. "I didn't ask her. I was angry and worried about you Bells."

"You are the police chief," I whispered. "Your job is to serve and protect, correct? Well, I didn't hear anything about protect her, Charlie. You better hope she is okay." I finished and crossed my arms and glared at him.

He gawked at me for a few moments before regaining his composure. "You're right Bells. She could be in some real trouble if Jake went after her. He gotten pretty big I've heard." I nodded my confirmation at his statement.

"I want you to try and find her dad."

"Bells, I can;t leave you here alone." He protested.

"Yes, you can Charlie. I'll be fine here. I can't believe that you would do something like that to someone, especially someone who saved my life."

"I didn't know Bells," He said sadly, "I didn't know." He slowly stood and stared hard at me for a few seconds. "Do you really want me to find her?" He asked one last time; I nodded again.

"I'll be back soon Bells, I promise. Oh! One of your friends left a note for you the nurse said. It's there on the nightstand, from Angela I think? Anyway, I'll get going then..." He trailed off and slowly walked towards the door waiting for m to tell him to stop.

"Just go dad." I said sighing. "And I don't want you to come back until you know about her, got that?"

"We'll see about that Bella, but I promise you I'll try my best to find her. I promise" And he slid the door open and walked out after a brief wave through the front glass wall.

A/N: And there is chapter four! Sorry that this chapter is shorter than the others...

I would enjoy it if you reviewed and told me what you thought and how to improve, or any ideas you may have I'll gladly take.