A/N: Yay, I finally found time to update. Thank you all for your support! You're awesome!

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight if you haven't already figured that out

EPOV

A fierce growl was now building in the back of my throat. Laurent was toying with my thoughts and emotions. He knew how I felt about Bella, he knew if he harmed her that I would not rest until he was dead. It took great exertion not to kill the monster before me.

"Alice what is going on," I heard Bella say in a panicky tone. Though she was at least two miles away I could hear her heart racing. Such a sweet, innocent girl, Laurent thought. She would be my greatest victory.

"You will not touch her," I shouted with great fury as I lunged at him. The next thing he knew he was pinned against a tree. My hands were wrapped around his throat cutting off his unnecessary air supply. The tree which he stood against was beginning to snap, any moment it would fall. I slammed Laurent's head against the tree once more leaving a deep indent in the bark of the tree. I cannot win this battle, he thought in fear.

"I will go," he said raising his hands in caution. His eyes were saying one thing but his eyes said another. He was in for the kill and my Bella was the object of his desire. "Please Edward, I will do her no harm, just please release me and I will go." My hands were shaking as my rage grew.

"If you ever come here again," I began trying to control my voice, "you will be dead. You will not touch the girl; you will not even think of the girl, do you understand me?" When he didn't answer I threw him against the tree once more causing it to snap in two. "Do you understand me?"

"I understand," he said falling backward as I released him from my grip. "I will not return this I swear." His eyes were now filled with a deep fear, as were his thoughts. What was I thinking? How could I have been so foolish as to come here alone?

"Where is he Alice," Bella asked impatiently. "Why hasn't he come back? What was that sound?"

"Bella I'm begging you," Alice pleaded, "just be patient. Edward will be here soon enough. Until then please try to remain silent." I knew Alice was having a difficult time controlling Bella. Why did she always have to be so curious? Could she never accept that she was in danger and that there were some things she simply shouldn't be aware of?

"You have my word," Laurent said distracting me once more. "I will not return." Go to her, he thought. She sounds as if she is about to have a heart attack. I growled once more causing him to run off. He was out of my sight in less than two seconds.

"Stay calm Bella," Alice advised. "He will be here soon, don't worry."

BPOV

How could she ask me not to worry? I hardly knew Edward and yet I felt a deep sense of fear that I would never see him again. Something was going on but no one was going to tell me what was actually occurring. Alice was doing her best to control me but she was failing miserably. I needed to see Edward. I needed to see that he was okay, that he was safe.

"Bella," his sweet voice cooed as he appeared at my side. He stood beside me with great caution. It always seemed that he was deathly afraid of touching me. "Are you okay?"

"Am I okay," I said repeating his words in shock. "Am I okay? Are you kidding me? What in the hell is going on Edward? Who are you and why…why did you follow me?" I had so many questions, questions which weren't being answered but instead were being ignored.

"Calm down Bella," he said soothingly. "Everything is just fine." Alice smiled coyly at me as if she were hiding some kind of secret. There was something so strange about the two of them. They acted as if every incident that had just occurred was completely normal.

"The bell is about to ring," Alice said starring off in the direction of our school. "Bella should be heading home soon Edward." Hearing this I allowed my eyes to meet Edward's. He was looking at me like he was afraid of me or something.

"Bella," he said vigilantly. "I…I think it would be best if you allowed me to escort you home." Why was he talking like that? The only time I ever heard of anyone speaking in such a manner was when I read my favorite classic novels.

"I don't think so," I said stubbornly. "I have a truck, I can drive myself home. You should just leave. I'm sure you're in enough trouble anyway."

"Why would you say that," he asked careful to maintain the distance between us.

"You're not even supposed to be here Edward," I told him. "You and Alice should both be in school right now."

"So should you," Edward retorted with a crooked smile."But if you ask me I think it's healthy to ditch once in awhile. Now, will you please allow me to drive you home?"

"No," I said stubbornly. "I'm not going anywhere with you. Not until you tell me what the hell is going on!"

"I don't know what you are referring to Bella," Edward chuckled. He was treating me as if I were naïve. I was becoming more and more agitated as the minutes passed. I turned around and looked in the direction of the woods. I wondered what would happen if I went back there and just continued to walk. Would anyone miss me if I never came back?

"Bella, no," Edward said with a strange tone. "You shouldn't go back there, at least not without me." As he moved closer to me I moved farther away. I peered into the green forest searching for something, searching for some sort of an answer perhaps. That was when I saw it. I figure flashed before my eyes causing me to scream. My heart was beating through my chest and hot tears were filling my eyes. It must have just been my imagination but it seemed so real.

I was so confused and terrified. My body was going through hysterics and my mind was racing. Nothing seemed to make sense. Edward shouldn't be talking to me, I shouldn't be in Forks. I should have just stayed in Phoenix where I knew what to expect from life.

"It's okay," Alice said grabbing my hand. Her hands were freezing and felt like ice but for some reason it seemed to sooth me. "Everything is okay Bella. Edward and I only came after you because there have been some animal attacks around this area lately. We didn't want you to get hurt." I wanted to believe them, I really did, but something still seemed off. Why were these two even talking to me?

"We meant no harm to you," Edward added. "We only wanted to keep you safe Bella."

"But why," I inquired. "Why do you even care? You don't even know me. I could be a complete psycho, or a monster."

"I highly doubt that Bella," Edward laughed. His laugh was so beautiful, like thousands of bells trilling at once.

"Besides," Alice said, "it seemed like you could use a friend." Edward began to glare at her as she continued to smile at me. "Just let us take you home."

"Please Bella," Edward begged once more. For some reason I found it difficult to say no to him. His eyes were so trusting.

"But what about my truck," I asked him. "I can't just leave it here."

"No one will steal it," Alice said with a wink. "I promise." I sighed deeply as I tried to regain my breath and slow my heart. Alice squeezed my hand gently and began to pull me towards the direction of the school parking lot. Two minutes later we approached a shiny silver Volvo, this must have been Edward's car.

Edward courteously opened the car door for me allowing me to slip inside. He then closed the door and began to talk to Alice. Their lips were moving so quickly, you could hardly tell they were even speaking. At the end of their conversation Edward walked toward the driver's side of the car as Alice walked away.

"Where is Alice going," I asked him as the car roared to life.

"She is meeting my brothers and sisters," he explained. "Are you afraid to be alone with me?"

"No," I told him truthfully, "I'm not."

EPOV

How could she not be afraid? She was alone in the car with a vampire for crying out loud! I could kill her in an instant and this didn't seem to even face her, of course she did not know of my true identity. Her scent was becoming intoxicating as it filtered my car. The rain made her smell even better.

"So," I said casually. "What bring you to Forks?" She began to stare at me in confusion at my words.

"You mean you don't know," she said cocking her eyebrow.

"No," I said. "How could I know? You just arrived." I could not allow her to know that I knew every single detail about her and her past. That would only make her question me even further. I needed to maintain her trust so that I could keep her safe.

"Forks is a small town," she said as she bit her lip nervously. "Everyone knows everything about everyone. There are absolutely no secrets here."

"Then you must have heard about me as well," I said with a grimace. "My family has been the talk of this town for quite some time now."

"I guess I may have heard a thing or two," she answered sheepishly. "But I hardly listen to rumors. I think it is a waste of time. I mean you should get to know a person before you judge them." She was wise beyond her years. There were forty years olds who still hadn't learned that lesson.

"I agree," I told her. The rest of the car ride was spent in complete and total silence. I couldn't help but watch Bella through the corner of my eye as she moved around nervously. Something was plaguing her mind causing me to hate the fact that I could not read her thoughts.

She seemed so content to be close to me which seemed strange. Her heart had finally begun to slow down and I could see that she was relaxed. I turned the corner and parked in the front of her house.

"Wait," Bella said in a confused tone, "how…how did you know where I lived? I don't remember telling you."

"I…I," I stuttered. I had to think of an explanation and quickly. "This is a small town Bella, there are no secrets." Just as she was about to reply the sound of squealing tires filled my ears. Chief Swan's cruiser was racing down the street.

"Oh no," Bella gasped. "Charlie." She slammed her hand against her forehead and began to shake her head vigorously. "What did I do? He is going to kill me!"

"ISABELLA MARIE SWAN," the man shouted and he threw himself out of his car. The chief's face was practically purple. I had never seen him so enraged before.

"Dad calm down," she pleaded as she exited the car.

"Chief Swan," I found myself saying. "It's my fault." I quickly dashed out of the car and stood by Bella's side. Heat was cascading off of her body. Who is this boy, Charlie wondered. I've never seen him before.

"My name is Edward Cullen," I said as I extended my hand. "I'm one of Bella's friends." Friend, the officer thought.

"Edward drove me home dad," Bella said. "I…I had kind of a rough day and…"

"We will talk about this later Isabella," he sneered. "Edward I think it's time you go home."

"Of course," I said with deference. "Goodbye Bella."

"Goodbye Edward," she said not quite meeting my eyes. I cannot believe her, Charlie thought. This isn't like her. She never ditches school, or at least she never used to. This is all my fault; I should have kept her with me. I should have been there.

I made a show of slowly climbing into my car and driving off. I wouldn't be far. I would park my car in a distant lot and run back to the house. I couldn't leave her alone, I wouldn't leave her alone.

"Bella what were you thinking," I heard Charlie roar in the distance.

BPOV

"I'm sorry dad," I told him. "I…I didn't mean to worry you. Nothing happened, trust me. Edward is just a friend, nothing more."

"You should have been in school," he growled. "Why would you leave?" I didn't want to tell him the truth. I didn't want him to see that I regretted coming back home.

"I was having a rough day dad," I said vaguely. "Being back here…is strange for me. It's not that I'm not happy be home, it's just different for me." My father's eyes turned sympathetic as he starred at me.

"Oh Bella," he sighed. "I know this is difficult but what you did was irresponsible. You could have gotten yourself hurt. You were alone with some strange boy."

"Edward would never hurt me," I said with certainty. For some reason I knew this to be true. "I knew what I was doing but you're right it was wrong."

"I don't like yelling at you," my father said in a whisper. "This isn't something I want to make a ritual Bella but you are my daughter and it is my job to keep you safe." It felt so strange to hear my father say those words. I knew that he loved me but I never knew how much he cared.

"I'm sorry dad," I told him again. "I promise you this will not happen again."

"Your damn right it won't," he said. "Bella there are going to be some rules from now on. You will have a curfew and I will have to know where you are at all times. I don't want the school calling me again telling me that you decided to just ditch, do you understand me?"

"Yes sir," I said, "never again."

"Good," he said sighing in relief.

"Good," I repeated. I hung up my jacket and began to walk into the kitchen. After making dinner Charlie and I sat down to eat.

"Listen, Bella," he said forking up some pasta. "I talked to Billy Black today, you remember him right."

"Not really," I said honestly, "but continue."

"Well, I don't know if you remember Rachel and Rebecca Black, but Billy told me they were in town for the weekend." The memories were faint but I could remember spending weekend in La Push, a reservation close to here, with Rachel and Rebecca.

"I do remember them actually," I told him. "It's been a long time though."

"Yes it has," he agreed. "Billy invited us to the house for the weekend. I think it would be good for you to get to know the people of La Push, especially the Blacks. They're good people Bella. In fact they're practically family to us."

"I would love that," I said though I knew it was a lie. What I really wanted did not require being in La Push at all. I wanted to stay in Forks. I wanted to be….I wanted to be with Edward.

While we were in the car together I noticed something I had never noticed before. There seemed to be a gravitational pull between Edward and I. He made me feel safer than I ever had before. I had never needed anyone like I needed him. This attraction seemed so odd to me. I hardly knew this boy and yet he was all I thought about.

"Bella," Charlie said breaking my concentration. "Is that okay?"

"I'm sorry," I said in confusion.

"I said were leaving for La Push on Friday after school," he said watching me carefully. "Is that okay?"

"Oh, um, yeah dad," I said with a smile. "That would be great." After dinner I headed upstairs and grabbed my bathroom materials. I then stepped into the shower and allowed the water to unknot the kinks in my back. I stayed in the shower until the hot water ran out. Once I was done I wrapped a towel around my body and changed into my favorite pajamas.

EPOV

Once I was certain that Bella was asleep I climbed through her window. I couldn't help but gaze and the sleeping angel before me. She was so still, so silent. I had never seen her look so peaceful. As I walked closer to her bed I saw that there were tears still cascading down her cheeks. She had cried herself to sleep.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I'm so, so, sorry." I wished I could comfort her somehow. If only I were able to touch her, just to let her know that I was here. "I just wanted to go home."

"Shh, Bella, shh," I hushed her. "It's okay."

"Mom," she cried. "I shouldn't have left you. I should have stayed with you. I'm the one who's supposed to take care of you." I hated seeing her in so much pain. It did not seem justifiable that someone so beautiful should feel such agony.

"Edward," she mumbled almost incoherently. "Edward, please don't leave. Stay with me, just stay with me." I could not believe what I was hearing. She was dreaming of me?

"I'm here Bella," I found myself whispering in her ear. "I'm not going anywhere. I will never leave you." My words seemed to sooth her. She was no longer crying and a slight smile was pulling against her precious lips.

It killed me to think, I would never get to hold her so tight. I would never get to look deep into her eyes. I would never be the one to kiss my angel good night.

"I miss you love," I whispered into her ear. "I miss you."

Yay! I'm so happy I was finally able to give you guys an update. I promise that will not happen again. I will make time to update, so I'm hoping you guys will make time to review