Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight!

Alrighty! Here's chapter numero quatro! Lol. I'm so glad for all the responses that I've gotten for this fic. They mean the world! I'm so glad everyone likes this fic and actually look forward to it being updated haha.

And, okay, I've had a few people ask if this was going to be just in Bella's POV, and the answer is yes. I believe I've stated that in the first author's note of the fic, but if you've missed it, then that's okay. Lol. Just clearing that up.

Anyway, on with the story!

On the Streets of Italy
Chapter Four: State of Dreaming

I ran and ran and ran, my lungs seeming to burst underneath the crushing pressure of just trying to get away.

My feet seemed to not want to push me forward, but I begged with them to let me sprint away from whatever was chasing me.

"Bella! Get your ass back here!"

My heart started to race.

I didn't think I could outrun him this time. I wanted to - oh, how I wanted to - but he was right there, in my ear, yelling obscenities and I could practically feel his breath down the back of my neck, even though I had been running with all my might.

"Get back here so I can teach you a lesson, sweetheart!" His voice hissed around the last word, causing it to sound more like the filthiest curse word ever uttered rather than an endearment.

Now, it felt as if I was running through a thick soup. Trying to get away, but not accomplishing anything. My legs felt like lead as well as my head and arms. I felt the dread seep over me as the breath on my neck increased.

Then, there was a wall.

A very familiar, breathing wall.

I tilted my face upward, looking, searching for something, but not finding a trace of anything. At first I thought it was my jilted husband, somehow getting the slip on me and maneuvering around so he could cut me off. But after a while, nothing happened. There was no stinging of a slap across my face or the yanking of my hair. There was no pressure around my neck, trying to stop my breathing.

Instead, I felt a pair of strong arms, like steel girders, wrap around my body in a protective embrace. They were cold, like ice, but somehow made me feel more comfortable than anything I had experienced so far.

I looked up, trying to find the face of this person who made me feel so at ease, and was met with the beautiful mix of red and gold that made up Jasper Hale's intriguing stare.

I inhaled, and the wonderfully sweet smell was around me.

That was when Jasper opened his mouth, ever so slightly, and a growl, feral and protective, escaped his lips.

For once, I felt safe, even in my dreams.

I woke up the next day, feeling refreshed and tired at the same time. My new surroundings were wonderful and spacious and just very free feeling. Very different from my previous life. I felt a huge sense of accomplishment at my current state, laying among the luxurious sheets and pillows of my new bed.

I looked outside and saw that the sun was out, bright and refreshing and just sunny. I loved the sun, and it was a beautiful day outside.

Almost as if the weather was reflecting my current mood.

I sat up, my hair feeling like a massive bird's nest on top of my head, and looked at the bedside clock.

"One thirty!" I gasped in complete shock. I had really slept late. Not surprising, but it still made me jolt back in awe.

Back at home - no, not home; nothing with Mike was ever safe to call home - I would never get to sleep this late.

I had gotten an education at the local community college in the years before Mike inherited all of his money from his parents. Two years of college and I had my major in English. I had a dream of writing novels when I grew older, but that was in the future, I always assumed, because you had to have at least four years to be taken seriously nowadays.

Mike didn't see the need for me to go to an actual university once his parents died and he got all the money they left for him. I protested that I wanted to go to school, that I didn't want to be just another housewife to a rich man, but then…

Let's just say that I had to use a whole lot of concealer and long sleeved shirts for the weeks following that incident.

I shuddered at the memory and subconsciously rubbed my arms with my hands, which were starting to get surprisingly cold. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and was shocked to notice that my ribs didn't scream in protest. Those pills the good doctor had given me must have been strong.

Super secret Italiano pills, I thought to myself, and a smile emerged over my features.

I rose from my bed and walked to the window, gazing out at the beautiful sight in front of me. The view across the yard was spectacular. There were a bountiful amount of trees and they had low hanging branches, full of green. From this windowed area, I could see the patio that spread out from a back door downstairs. Angela and Ben sat in two metal rocking chairs, beside a rustic cement table, drinking some kind of beverage. I smiled at the peaceful picture and wondered when was the last time I had felt this kind of ease.

Walking away from the window after a moment of utter peace with myself, I made my way to my bag, sighing as I looked at its sparse contents. I knew I couldn't have taken any more than this with me, or risk getting caught, but still, it saddened me that I had to leave some of my more treasured possessions behind.

I had packed some of my favorite books, the ratty old copy of Wuthering Heights and Romeo and Juliet being two of my collection of books in my suitcase. I also had my bath essentials and clothes.

As I unpacked my things - as few and far between as they were - I couldn't help but be reminded of my dream.

I had been so scared at the beginning, running and running until I could hardly breathe. Trying to escape from the very thing that plagued me in life. It seemed I couldn't even be free from him in my dreams. When I thought I had been captured, I felt the strong arms of the enigmatic Jasper circle around me.

His eyes were fierce and protective as he held me.

And he growled.

To say the least, it was a very odd dream. Me dreaming of Jasper not even a day after I met him. And him growling in said dream? Very odd indeed.

I tried not to think about it. I shouldn't have any right to think about something, rather someone, as intriguing as Jasper. I shouldn't be able to think about him, but some part of me wanted to be around him, though I didn't know why. It was as if it was a subconscious urge, present ever since the moment I met him.

I shook my head, ridding myself of the ridiculous thoughts.

I was the victim of abuse. I shouldn't be ready to think about another guy like that anyway. I should just try to get my life back together, and then maybe something else could happen.

All in good time.

I folded my clothes, and put them away in the various dressers and such in the room. There was a spacious walk-in closet, which I would use when I had more clothes, I was sure. There was an envelope of money in my bag as well. I had left prepared, taking all the money out of my savings account as well as taking some of the money from around the house that was just laying around. It was a good wad of cash, and would let me buy at least some of the things I needed to start my life over.

I wasn't much of a shopper, but I knew I needed to at least try to get more of a wardrobe going than I already had.

I looked at the clock and saw that it was already almost two thirty, so I decided to get dressed and make my way downstairs to meet Angela and Ben.

It didn't take long. I didn't have the most elaborate clothes around, so I just settled on a pair of blue jeans and a crème colored sweater. It was slightly chilly yesterday, if I remembered correctly, and I wanted to be warm if I was going to spend the rest of the day shopping and whatnot.

I made my way down the stairs after I paused to run a brush through my hair and brush my teeth. My heart was surprisingly calm, a feat that I didn't even think was possible these days. Not since the abuse started had I felt so at ease with myself.

I arrived at the base of the stairs and saw that Angela and Ben were still sitting on the patio, clearly enjoying themselves. I walked to the sliding glass door that led out to the patio and slid it open.

The noise of it alerted them to my presence and Angela straightened in her chair, "Oh, sleepy head is up finally, I see."

I felt a blush creep across my cheeks and I smiled sheepishly, "Yeah. I guess I was more exhausted than I thought."

"Even we could tell that, Bells," Ben added, a smile decorating his face.

I gave a slight laugh, bringing my arms around me as a breeze chilled through me. It was pleasant, though, and I felt a smile come across my face as I reveled in it.

"Are you hungry?" Angela asked concernedly. As if sensing her question, my stomach chose that time to rumble loudly and against my control. She laughed at me immediately as I clenched my stomach, as if telling it to be quiet. "I'll take that as a yes."

I shrugged slightly, in an indirect admission to her guess.

"Alright," She continued, rising from her seat. Ben looked at her with love in his eyes and I couldn't help but feel a tinge of longing for that kind of relationship. One with pure, good intentions. When the other person you chose to be with actually wanted to spend time with you, wanted to be with you in every sense of the word. Just looking at Ben's face made me see that never in his life would he even imagine hurting Angela. It was enough to cause my battered heart to cry out with happiness for them.

"Let's get you something to eat," Angela continued as Ben got up to follow her inside behind me.

Feeling the beginnings of guilt for making them get up from their comfortable position just for me, I started to protest, "It's okay, Ang. You don't have to. I mean, I'm perfectly capable of making my own - "

She raised a finger to stop my protest, "No, Bella. Don't even try it. Besides, you haven't had one of my famous roast beef sandwiches."

Instead of protesting further, I returned her statement with a joke, "Roast beef? I thought there would be a more exotic Italian flair to it."

"If you want flair," Ben started, smirking at me, "put some Italian dressing on it."

Angela rolled her eyes and elbowed Ben slightly in his ribs, but he only laughed and followed her into the house. I did the same, walking behind Ben and seeing as he wrapped a hand loosely around her waist. I felt my heart flutter at the contact, embarrassment for witnessing such a moment and intruding in on their private lives.

The following few hours were very peaceful. I ate a roast beef sandwich - two and a half, actually. They were very good, and Angela was happy to see that I enjoyed them so much. Then we settled into the living room to watch some television for a bit. It was almost all in Italian, and I couldn't understand what was going on. But luckily enough, they had English subtitles on their television, and I tried to follow what I could by reading those. There were a few English channels, so they tried to stick with them as I sat there, just relaxing on the couch.

I might have dozed off at one point. It was such a lazy, sunny afternoon that I couldn't keep my eyes open. I slept for a few minutes, but then was awakened by a nagging thought in the back of my mind.

"Oh, crap," I sat up groggily, looking around to find Ben and Angela looking at me with barely suppressed amusement.

"What is it?" Angela asked, her eyes showing concern.

"I wanted to go shopping…I needed some clothes and everything." I said, looking at her warm brown eyes with a pleading glance.

"You want me to show you places to shop?"

"Well…please?" I asked, the edge of nervousness was apparent in my voice, "I don't want to bother you."

"You're no bother at all," Angela reassured, rising from her position beside Ben. She slipped her shoes back on and walked toward the kitchen counter, grabbing her keys and wallet. "I actually needed to buy some things as well."

I smiled, patting the money in my pocket, "I got plenty of money, so no worries there."

She grinned back and walked to the door, "Ben, man the house while we're gone."

Ben looked at her with a grin and then sank back into the soft cushions of the couch, "Sure, sure."

"Sure, sure." Two words that penetrated my brain more than anything else. I still had to call Jacob and tell him I was alright. I couldn't have him worrying about me for long. I would take care of that when I got back after our little outing. I hadn't realized it, but I longed to hear Jake's voice. The familiar, sunny feeling I got when I was around him was like a security blanket, and no doubt hearing my best friend's voice over the phone would help.

"Let's go." Angela chimed, walking out of the front door. I followed her, still slightly dazed by my remembrance of Jacob's cheerful deposition.

I missed my personal sun terribly.

Shaking off the feelings of loss, I climbed into the front seat of the car and leaned back into the plush seat of it. Her uncle must have given her this car, too. It was insanely nice, and I found myself envying it, despite not being a car fanatic myself.

We sped off, through the busy streets of the beautiful town. I knew that in all my years, I would never forget this sight. No matter what happened to me, I would always remember Italy in its rustic beauty and cobblestone streets. It was gorgeous, and engrained in my mind despite this only being my second day here.

Angela turned onto a quaint little street, dimly lit on the outside, not to mention the fact that the sun was starting to set, casting an even darker glow about the place. She parked the car in front of a series of stores and sighed, smiling. "Here we are."

I quirked a brow as she unbuckled her seatbelt. I did the same, and got out of the car when she did. I had no clue where we were, but it wasn't a scary feeling. I actually welcomed it. The feeling of not knowing where you were wasn't something I experienced on a daily basis, having been from Forks, one of the smallest towns in the US, I was certain.

"Well, here we are." Angela announced, motioning to the variety of stores that decorated the place, "Take your pick."

I smiled at her and looked at the mass amount of stores. I didn't know where to start. I wasn't a big shopper in the first place, and this was like being a fish out of water. Each of the stores looked very high end, and I didn't know if I could afford any of the clothes they provided.

I eventually decided on a quaint store very simply named 'V'.

"Good choice," Angela said, her eyes lighting up. "This is probably my favorite store in town."

I smiled at her as we entered the store. My ears were immediately met with a beautiful arrangement of Italian music, driven by soft vocals and the sweet tinkling of a piano playing.

The store was elegant. The carpet was pure white, and I wondered how they kept it so clean. There no spots or stains on it and I was immediately impressed. The furniture was white as well. Plush couches and chairs sat throughout the place. The only splash of color was the red pillows decorating the place, sitting on the couches and some even large enough to sit on the floor by themselves, a piece of furniture on their own. They were a stark contrast to the whiteness of the room, but it suited it.

"Angela!" A melodic voice chimed through the place, sounding even better than the delicate music on loop through here, "Long time no see."

My head whirled in the direction of the voice. It was like the tinkling of wind chimes, beautiful and bright. There was a girl coming towards us, but her movements were like those of a dancer. No, not even the most graceful of dancers could replicate her gait. I immediately felt self conscious about my own clumsy nature. She was tiny, couldn't be more than five feet tall, and had a mass of spiky black hair in a pixie cut adorning her head. Her skin was pale, paler than even mine, and her eyes were a beautiful golden shade, contrasting in a gorgeous manner with her dark hair.

"Who's this?" The abnormally beautiful girl said, her eyes wide with curiosity and interest. "Friend of yours?"

Angela nodded, her eyes kind as she regarded the tiny girl and then she looked back at me, "Yes. She's new here."

"I can tell," The girl said, her eyes appraising me. This time, there was something in those eyes that made me quirk a brow in interest. It was as if she already knew about me in some way. I didn't know how to describe it, but maybe that was just how this very bright girl was.

"This is Bella," She said, motioning her hand toward me. And again, I felt the same satisfaction wash over me as I didn't have the dreaded Newton tacked on the end of my name. "Bella, this is Alice."

The girl named Alice looked at me with a bright smile across her face. Her teeth were pearly white and I found myself entranced. Suddenly, without warning, she stepped forward and enveloped me in a hug, "Nice to meet you, Bella."

I blinked, but found myself wrapping my arms around her body hesitantly. Her arms were rock hard, like iron bars, around my body. And I couldn't help but feel the cold chill that radiated off her and seeped through me, through my sweater, and settled in my bones. I shivered, and she parted from me.

"I think we're going to be great friends," Alice said, and that all-knowing flicker in her eyes made me believe her, though I didn't know why.

I looked at Angela with a question in my eyes; she shrugged and grinned, "Alice is Alice."

"Who else would I be?" Alice said with an innocent expression that made me want to jump across the space between us and hug her. She just reminded me of little Claire, a two year old girl that lived in La Push, a reservation in Forks.

I smiled at that, and felt it go all the way to my eyes, something I hadn't felt in a while.

"Bella was looking to buy some clothes. She just…moved here from America."

"Ah, really? Then we must find you some of the finest Italian threads!" Alice said, her perpetually cold hand gripping mine.

I gulped.

Suddenly I had a very bad feeling about this.

End Chapter Four.

Well, there ya go! The end of chapter four. I know it kind of ended abruptly, but I wanted to separate this chapter from chapter five or this one would be too long and, well, I don't really like writing epically long chapters. Plus, chapter five has some key moments that I didn't really want to deal with in this chapter, and then that goes back to this one being epically long. Lol. This does mean that chapter five - hopefully - will be out quickly. Faster than I originally planned.

Anyway, I hope y'all enjoyed this addition to this story. I'm trying to update as fast as I can, but college sometimes makes that difficult.

So…if you enjoyed this, just leave a little review! I always enjoy getting feedback! Thanks again!