I am a crappy updater, and to this I am sorry. But good news, not only am I posting this chapter, but I have the next one 3/4 done! It's gonna be crazy everyone!

D/C: I do not own Twilight, nor do I own any of the characters portrayed in the book and/or movie (s). But I do own a bag of Sour Patch Kids.

My cell phone vibrated in my pocket, and I waited until Edward disappeared behind the exam room door to check the text message I knew awaited me. Charlie had flipped, of course, when he heard of what happened at the school. Seconds after we had walked back to our cars my cell phone rang from my tightly gripped hand. Charlie had not only received calls from the police station, but also from the parents of several students. The students who were still staring at us as my friends and I (and Jacob) all gathered around our cars.

What do you mean 'he knows'?

Alice. I glanced around to make sure there was no one there to rat me out and get me in trouble for having my cell phone on me at work before I responded to Alice's text.

The way Jake looked at Edward… he knows something.

I remembered the way Jacob had stared at Edward, between him and the car door that lay in the middle of the road. Even I wasn't as naïve to believe the fire hydrant story—the fire hydrant was a good five feet away from where the door was lying. And I could see the realization in Jacob's eyes as he watched my boyfriend. Could everything that Kaiden said to him be true?

When I answered Charlie's phone call, I had to literally hold the phone away from my ear.

"Bella! What the hell were you thinking? Who did you think you were, going after them like that! That's what the police are for!" I stared at Edward and Jacob, glaring at them about the fact that I was being lectured. When technically I did nothing wrong. The conversation continued with my father, him telling me that I needed to be home and behind locked doors, and me telling him that he was overreacting.

And that is how Jacob then became assigned as the official bodyguard of Edward and Bella. Per Charlie.

"What the hell does this mean?" I yelled at Jacob. He had followed us to work that afternoon, and when we pulled into the parking lot, I saw that Jacob was on the phone. I could almost hear Charlie's voice from the interior of the police cruiser, threatening Jacob bodily harm if anything happened to his daughter. Forget about Edward, I mused, just worry about me.

That's when Jacob left the safety of his car and told Edward and I that until Patrick and Kaiden were apprehended, there would be an armed guard around us at all times.

"This is such bullshit," Edward fumed as we walked into work. We weren't even holding hands, just breezing by Lena with a look saying 'don't fucking ask'. She didn't need to; the six foot five armed guard sitting in the waiting room said it all. Work was purely work. No happiness filled me, no flirtatious glances passed between Edward and me. We were aggravated, going through the motions of pre-testing the patients and dispensing their contact lenses. Several people tried to gauge us in conversation, most likely hearing about what happened at the school, but we bypassed the questions and stuck to work.

"How does my father even have pull like that? Doesn't he need approval of some sort to get an armed fucking guard to be with us?" Edward sighed at my exclamation, and I knew that I was overreacting. Poor Edward didn't know what to do with me.

"I'm sure your dad is the one people come to for that sort of approval. Hell, he practically runs this town." He was right. I was trapped in a situation that I wasn't able to control. I turned away from my work again and fished my phone out of my scrub top pocket. I quickly read the text Alice had sent, wishing I didn't have to work and that I could sit with her and talk.

If Jake does know, do you think he'll say anything?

I quickly typed my response, knowing I needed to calm her before the pixie ran free and panicked.

No, he would have said something already. He's here at work with us, I'll call u when I get home.

Minutes crawled into hours and if felt like eternity before Jacob was following us to Edward's car. The plan was to drop me off at home, where Charlie already awaited my arrival, and then Jacob would follow Edward home. No need for home protection apparently, because we had people around us at all times. I still found it ridiculous though when Edward pulled into my driveway and I could barely kiss him goodnight before Jacob honked his horn signaling to hurry up.

"How long is this going to be going on?" I asked Edward. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and gripped the steering wheel with his left hand. I could see how much anger he held and how much stress he was under, and I felt guilty that I was letting the entire situation revolve around me. He was clearly more affected by this than I was, and I couldn't stop complaining about any of it.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. I tentatively reached out to run my finger along his bare forearm. Had he purposely not wanted to wear a jacket? He was going to catch a cold.

"Bella, there is no reason to be sorry," Edward whispered. He reached out and grabbed my hand, squeezing tightly before lifting my wrist to kiss my skin lightly. "I don't know how long this is going to last, but if I'm right, and I think I am, these idiots won't know how to stay in hiding very long. They'll fuck up and try something again." I shook my head slowly. I didn't want then to try something again. Kaiden had already tried to run me off of the road, in turn making me crash Edward's car. And with Patrick's track record with the Cullen family, I didn't want his temper to escalate into physical harm.

Small black spots started to form in my vision, and I realized then that I had been holding my breath. Letting out the air I had stored in my lungs, I cringed when Edward turned in his seat to look at me.

"Are you okay?" he asked. I nodded, taking several deep breaths before looking into golden depths filled with love.

"I don't want them to try anything," I whispered. Edward's lips formed into a grim line when he realized his words.

"I know Bella, but they will. And this time we'll be ready and they won't be able to hurt us anymore. Hurt you anymore." The sound of Jacob's car horn sounded through the air and Edward groaned loudly.

"I guess this is good night," I said, grabbing his hand and pressing my cheek to his palm. Edward nodded and leaned forward, brushing his lips against mine. I opened the car door and walked to the door, waving over my shoulder at both Edward and Jacob. I was surprised to find the door locked considering my father was home, but I knew this had something to do with the extra 'security measures' Charlie had spoken about. Even though he was sitting in the living room on the other side of the door, the lock was to be engaged at all times. No chance of someone getting in unannounced.

Jacob and Edward backed out of the driveway when they saw me inside safely, and I turned towards Charlie, who indeed was sitting in the living room on the couch.

"Hey dad," I said, trying to sound nonchalant. Wrong move though, because I was met with the anxious and angry eyes of my father.

"What took you so long? You got out of work half an hour ago!" Here we go. I braced myself, telling my brain not to overreact and make Charlie hate me. Because the words that my mind told me to say would certainly make him kick my ass out on the street and never think twice about it.

Breathe, Bella, breathe.

"Apologies, father," I hissed, "but your armed security guard wanted to check Edward's car before we were able to get in it, and now that we're traveling as a caravan, it takes a few extra minutes." I turned on my heel, heading directly for the stairs.

"I'm sorry," Charlie said from behind me. I could hear the apology in his voice, and I felt somewhat guilty for being a bitch to him. His face was creased with worry, and I could imagine what was running through his mind all day.

"It's okay," I whispered.

"Try to get some sleep. I'll be heading out to the station later tonight to cover for one of the guys. We're short staffed, so it's going to be long hours for a couple days." My eyebrows rose at this. Would Charlie actually put down his shield and let me stay in the house alone? He must have seen the look on my face though, because he reached over to the table next to the front door and opened the drawer. My mouth opened when he pulled out a gun. I recognized it as the gun he used to use when he would take me out on the range years ago. He had always said that a girl needed to know how to shoot, how to protect herself. The tips he had given me all that time ago came flooding back to me; how to react to the kick and how to take the safety off. How to reload, and how to aim.

"Dad?" I almost didn't hear the word leave my mouth, but Charlie seemed to have heard me.

"Okay, Bella, don't panic." Charlie opened the chamber and saw that it was fully loaded and then he set it back in the drawer. "I want you to know that this is here, for you to use if necessary." I opened my mouth to object, clearly not comfortable with shooting a gun at someone, but Charlie held up his hand.

"Don't argue with me. It's a precaution, a just in case thing. I don't expect you to have to use it, but amuse me, please?" A full minute passed before I slowly nodded my head. Charlie seemed pleased with that and grabbed his holster off the coat rack along with his work jacket. My eyes still hadn't left the drawer, and I started to feel a wave of unease wash through me.

"I'll be home around three, okay?" I nodded, tearing my eyes to Charlie's face. He seemed apprehensive about leaving, but the Chief had to do what the Chief had to do. With a final glance, Charlie was out the door, the lock clicking shut, and I was alone.

Fuck this. Within seconds I had my cell phone and keys in my hand and I glued myself to the window, watching as Charlie backed his cruiser out of the driveway and disappeared from view. I needed to see Edward, and I needed to speak to Alice. There was so much going on, and I needed to wrap my mind around it all. So many different puzzle pieces, and so many people trying to shelter me from the harm, but I was old enough to help. I was very well aware of what was going on, and I refused to sit back and watch while my life crumbled around me.

I looked at the drawer that held the gun Charlie left me and I instantly paled. Should I bring it with me? No, what if I got caught with it? I sure as hell didn't have a permit to use it in public. That was that, and I wrenched open the door, leaving the gun in the drawer. Running to my car, I started the engine and backed out of the driveway. Heading in the same direction Charlie had gone, I turned towards the Cullen house, my heart racing.

The text messages Alice sent me through the afternoon had my mind wandering. We had come to the conclusion that Jacob had seen something, although we weren't sure what exactly he had seen. I was sure that he was putting things together; the things that Patrick and Kaiden had most likely said to him, mixed with what he had seen himself. If anything his thoughts were like mine were in the beginning—crazy and erratic, confused and complicated. I was positive that eventually he would ask questions, and I had to prepare ourselves for the answers. The truth or a story? A friend or an enemy? So many questions and no answers.

Which is why I needed to see Alice.

The driveway leading to the Cullen home was brightly lit, which surprised me. I had never seen the security lights there before, and it made it feel as if it were two o'clock in the afternoon, not the dead of night.

"What the hell?" I asked myself. I parked my car next to Carlisle's Audi, wondering only briefly if I should have called before just showing up on their front door unannounced.

"Bella!" Alice's voice rang out through the yard and I turned towards the front door. She was standing in the glow of the neon lights, and I sighed.

"What's with the flood lights?" I asked her as I walked closer. Alice rolled her eyes and shrugged.

"Carlisle and Esme had them installed today. Actually the workers just left." I followed Alice inside and looked around, hoping slightly that Edward would be there so I could breathe him in once more. But the room was empty.

"After what happened at school, Carlisle panicked," Alice continued, sitting on the couch across from the television. "Let's just say it was either the flood lights and the video cameras, or an electric fence. I think he chose the right route." I cracked a smile at the thought of Carlisle having a brick wall put up around the home. He sounded like Charlie, doing as much as possible to make sure we were safe. Except Charlie gave me a fucking gun.

"Yeah I can imagine the alternative," I muttered. In the distance I heard the sound of objects crashing around, and I snapped my head up. Looking at Alice in confusion, I noticed that she didn't look surprised.

"What the hell is that?" I asked. Alice shifted in her cushion and pulled her gray pullover tighter around her. I noticed then that the sweater was insanely large on her, meaning it belonged to either Edward or Jasper.

"That would be my insane brother thinking he can train himself for anything." What the hell? I shot out of my seat and raced towards the back of the house. I pressed against the French doors that led out into the yard and gasped at what I saw.

There was Edward, standing in the yard in only a pair of black sweat pants and a pair of sneakers, surrounded by large metal objects.

A trash can, the bumper to a car, a ladder, a broken television, metal shelves, a treadmill, weights, and even a five drawer metal cabinet.

"What the hell!" I exclaimed. I could feel Alice next to me, her annoyance radiating off of her.

"Again, this would be Edward, thinking for some reason that if he practices for an extended period of time, he will be able to protect himself and others from Patrick and Kaiden." Just then Edward looked at the filing cabinet and shot his hand out, flexing his fingers once. The cabinet flew into the air with ease, soaring across the yard and smashing into a tree.

"Oh my God!" I yelled as Edward moved instantly towards the bumper to the car, raising it into the air and then lifting the television beside it. It was as if the objects had made their own orbital pull around him.

"As much as I don't want to say it," Alice muttered, "the longer he practices the better he seems to be."

"I don't understand," I admitted. Alice nodded and pressed herself further into the glass panes than I thought she could.

"I suppose that the more he uses his power and practices, the more he becomes accustomed to it. The more he will be able to lift, the more weight and the more mobility with the objects. He's never had to move so many things before, and he told me that if he would just get the hang of it, then maybe it could help in stopping Patrick and Kadien. And unfortunately, I think he's right."

"He'll get caught," I said, looking around the backyard. The only thing that shielded Edward from the world were a few trees and shrubs. What if Patrick and Kaiden were out there, watching him?

"There are eighteen cameras surrounding the house," Alice whispered unnecessarily, "all of them hooked up to motion detectors. We saw you coming when you first turned on the driveway. So if anyone comes within a quarter mile radius of this home, we will know about it."

"It's fucking Alcatraz," I breathed. The Cullen home had become impenetrable. What the hell was I doing at home, alone, when I could be here and protected? I shook my head at myself, refusing to let myself think that way. Charlie was doing more to protect me than I had asked him to do.

We watched for a while as Edward made the objects move around the backyard, juggling them as if they were light as feathers. A layer of sweat had broken out over Edward's skin, glistening in the lights of the security system. My mind wandered as I watched his muscles move with agility. His biceps were tight and glistening, making my heart stutter within my chest. His chest was smooth, dipping ever so carefully to form a six pack. My eyes began to wander downwards to the V-shaped indents that disappeared in his black pants.

"Shake it off lover-girl, we've gotta talk." Alice's laughter broke me out of my trance, and I literally had to tear my gaze away from Edward and back to her. Yeah, I was a goner.

I followed Alice back to the couch and ran my hand over my face as we listened to the metal crunch in the distance.

"So, you think Jacob knows?" Alice jumped right in. I nodded, glancing at her quickly.

"Yes. He knows something. The way he looked at Edward at school… I don't know how to explain it." Alice nodded and wrung her fingers together.

"What do we do about it?" The million dollar question.

"I think we need to talk to him," I admitted. "Figure out what he already knows, and what he suspects. Go from there."

"Yeah, you're right." How the hell were we going to do this?

Jacob, we need to know if you think you saw Edward emit magical powers. Please be honest.

"This is a joke," I muttered. A loud crash echoed through the house and I flew out of my seat before I registered what happened. Following Alice, we tore through the house and through the back door. Edward was standing in the middle of a metal made circle. The television was lying at the base of the nearest tree, screen cracked. The glass lay on the ground, glittering in the glow of the security lights.

"What the hell Edward!" Alice yelled. Edward stood, breathless. His hair was slicked back against his forehead His usual pale skin looked bleached, and I wondered if he was going to pass out like he had before.

"Is he okay?" I asked Alice. She shrugged and took a few steps towards her brother.

"Just stay, Alice." Edward's voice was rough and broken, and my heart tore for him.

"You need to take a break…" Alice started to say, but Edward turned and started stalking towards her.

"No! I do not need to take a break!" he yelled. I flinched at his harsh words, glad that they were not directed towards me. "I need to protect our family Alice! I need to make sure that these fucking lunatics don't kill us and chase us away from the one place we belong! I need to make sure you and Jasper can stay together!" Low blow, definitely. I reached out to grab Alice's hand but she was already moving towards him. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, and I saw Edward's eyes close in defeat.

"Thank you, Edward, but you do not need to hold the world on your shoulders." Suddenly I could feel a strange electric energy in the air. Wind that didn't exist blew strands of Edward and Alice's hair, and Edward's eyes popped open in shock. I knew immediately that Alice was giving her brother some of his energy back.

Edward looked over Alice's shoulder, directly at me. I can never explain what happened just then, but I swear it was like Alice was transferring the energy into Edward… and the energy was then traveling through his gaze into me. It was an unbelievable triangle of electricity that flowed from his golden orbs.

"Edward…" I whispered. I wanted him to be closer to me, to run his fingers along my cheeks as I let my own fingers sink into his hair. I wanted to press my body against his, to feel all of his hard lines touch me. I wanted to be alone.

Alice stepped away from him then, looking slightly frazzled.

"Continue on then," she said to him, smiling as if she had done nothing. Edward smiled at her, tearing his gaze from me only for seconds before he let it snap back into place. I could feel heat spread across my face, and I knew then that I was blushing.

"Bella and I are brainstorming about Jacob and how to find out what he knows," Alice offered to her brother. Edward glared at her and then shot the glare at me.

"Don't give her that look," Alice snapped. Edward didn't tear the look away from me, instead shaking his head.

"I don't know what your deal is, but Jacob does not know anything," Edward snapped. I shook my head immediately, wanting badly to snap some sense into him.

"You clearly didn't see the way Jacob looked at you when we were at school today!" I shouted. Alice was nodding, backing me up without words. "Between what he may or may not have seen today, and with what Kaiden said to him at the station, and whatever Patrick may have said, he is going to wonder things. He's going to wonder if what they said was the truth, and he's going to form his own conclusions. What do you want us to do? Have him turn into Patrick and go nuts? Or have us tell the truth. Or at least some part of the truth?" Edward's eyes were closed, and Alice was staring at me in awe. I had a feeling that no matter how much she yelled and lectured at her brother, he wouldn't listen. But I had some pull for some reason. He would listen to me because he loved me. Like that.

"I don't know, Bella," Edward said. Alice reached out and smacked him across the chest.

"Ow!" he yelled, rubbing the spot on his abdomen that was turning red.

"You need to listen to her, Edward. She knows what she's talking about!" What? When did I become the spokesperson for this entire charade?

"Alice…" I muttered, but Edward interrupted me with a loud sigh.

"Before you say anything to him, it needs to be discussed with us all," Edward relented, "and I mean all of us. Emmett, Rose and Jasper included." Alice cheered and hugged her brother, rushing over to hug me as well.

"Then excuse us, Edward. We have things to discuss." As Alice pulled me back towards the house, I turned to watch Edward as he stood dead center in the yard. His gaze was locked to mine, a large grin covering his face. With a flick of his hand, all the objects in the yard rose into the air and started to circle again. A shiver ran down my spine, realizing that he looked a little crazy, a mad scientist in his lab with his evil creations.

He was my evil scientist, I grinned.

By the time I pulled my car back into my driveway, it was almost one o'clock in the morning. I was tired, but pleased because Alice and I had come up with a general conversation plan to approach Jacob. Right now we agreed to speak to everyone tomorrow about it after school—in the confines of the Cullen home, security cameras and all.

Shutting off the engine to the car, I leaned my head back against the headrest, thanking whatever God was on my side for not letting my father come home early. If Charlie came home to find me gone, the Army would have been called to find me. Clearly not the best move on my part.

I opened the door and stepped out into the cold night air. A light rain started to fall, and I silently cheered that the rain had not become snow or sleet. Making sure I had my cell phone and keys, I trudged back towards the house, listening to the night noises that came from the forest around me.

Thud.

I froze, turning my head slowly to the right. My vision was met with blackness, the rain drops pelting my hair and face silently.

Crunch.

My heart was pounding, echoing in my ears and betraying the calm exterior I had tried to hold. All someone had to do was step within five feet of me and I was sure that someone, anyone, could hear the heartbeat.

Crunch.

I turned to the front door and broke out in a sprint, making sure I had my keys out and ready. Mere feet from the door, a dark form came flying from my left and slamming me into the pillar on my porch. My scream echoed through the night before a strong hand clamped over my mouth.

My eyes were wide and wild, trying to see the person in front of me. But all I saw was black.

"Shh, Bella." Kaiden. I whimpered behind his hand, my fingers tight around his arm. No amount of strength could tear his grip from me, and I could feel the defeat in me already. My feet were barely touching the porch ground, and I realized that Kaiden was actually holding me off the floor. Only the tips of my sneakers were brushing against the wood.

I squinted my eyes in the darkness, and slowly I began to make out the form of the man in front of me. Kaiden was taller than me, so I looked up and saw that he was wearing all black, the sweater of his hood lowered over his face. I could barely see his eyes shinning at me through the night. What was he going to do to me?

"It's okay Bella, it's okay." I shook my head, not believing him. I shouldn't have left the house, I shouldn't have left Alice's house. I shouldn't have trusted that I'd be safe. I shouldn't have left that gun in the house.

"We're going to have a little talk, okay?" Kaiden's voice was sickly sweet, and I could feel my gag reflux acting on its own accord. How had I ever thought him to be handsome and great?

I nodded though, not sure what else to do. He took this as an agreement, and continued.

"We're going to expose Edward for what he really is," he continued, his hot breath washing over my face. I was having trouble breathing through my nose, and forced my breathing to become slow.

"I've seen him move things. I've seen him. I saw that car stop in the air, Bella. I'm not stupid." Really? "I didn't know you were in that car, I thought it was him. And for that I am sorry. But Edward is going to be out of this picture very soon. Patrick will have his revenge and I will have you." My stomach churned, and I could feel bile rise in my throat. His? I would never be his. I shook my head, wanting to convey the message.

"Yes, Bella," Kaiden whispered. He reached up and pulled down his hood, and I saw that he looked a bit grimy. His hair was greasy- not just wet. He had a smear of dirt going down his left temple, and I wanted badly to throw a bar of soap at him. The pressure of Kaiden's grip tightened on my mouth, and I could feel the floor beneath my feet float away. He was lifting me in the air, unintentionally, I wasn't sure.

"You need to tell your Edward that he's dead. Patrick won't be as gentle as I am." Just then, my prayers were answered. Headlights flooded over us, catching Kaiden in the spotlight.

Dad!

Kaiden dropped me then, and my legs gave out, causing me to fall to the ground. I rose my head, running my hand along my face. My skin stung to the touch, and I winced in pain.

No, not Charlie. I stared at the silver car, feeling fear and happiness rush through me at the same time.

"Fuck!" Kaiden screamed out in the night. Sounds of footsteps running through the grass made me turn my head, and I watched as Kaiden ran towards the forest. Edward was directly behind him, running so fast that had it not been for his car, I wouldn't have known it was him.

"Edward! No!" I tried to yell, but my voice was cracked and weak, and I knew that he couldn't hear me. I watched as Kaiden and Edward ran through the rain, and then Edward stopped mid stride and raise his hand. I knew what was going to happen, but for the first time I didn't regret Edward using his ability. The trash cans from the side of the house flew through the air, straight for Kaiden. They both slammed into Kaiden, causing him to fall to the ground.

I didn't want Edward to get hurt. And I had a sinking feeling that if Edward continued to follow Kaiden, he would run right into Patrick. I couldn't let this happen.

"Edward, no!" I yelled stronger this time. Edward glanced back to me, his eyes blazing in the night. Kaiden scrambled to his feet, running faster than I thought possible. Edward debated for a moment to run after him, but his need to come back to me seemed to win over anything else.

Edward ran towards me, crouching down to help me off the floor.

"Oh my God, Bella, are you okay?" he asked. His face was permanently etched in worry.

"Edward, what are you doing here? How did you know?" I asked. I sat on the dirt covered step, leaning my back against the pillar that Kaiden had me pressed against moments ago. Edward's hands breezed over me as if he were afraid to touch me, but he wanted to hold me regardless. His had changed out of his previous clothes, and now wore jeans and a gray hoodie. I looked closely and saw bare chest under the zipper. He wasn't wearing a shirt under that sweater; he was in a rush to get here.

"Alice sent me," Edward said. My eyebrows rose in question, and Edward shook his head.

"I don't know," he mused. "Just minutes after you left, she looked at me and said 'Go to Bella's, now.' So I sped here as fast as possible. It scares me sometimes how eerily psychic she is." I nodded, still rubbing the skin around my mouth.

"Let's get you inside," Edward whispered, snaking his arm around my waist and helping me to my feet. I was shaky, but somehow managed to hold my ground as Edward picked the fallen keys off of the porch and opened the door. The house was dark, but I made my way to the couch by sight. Falling into the cushions, I listened as Edward locked the front door and dropped my keys on the side table. Again I thought of the gun in the drawer beneath my keys, and I cursed myself for leaving the house.

"Edward," I whispered. He turned on a small lamp next to the television, turning to me. He looked magical in the glow of the light, the yellow beams highlighting his hair.

"Yes love?" I sighed and closed my eyes. I was suddenly very tired.

"They're coming after you, Edward," I whispered. Edward's eyes widened slightly and I felt bad for saying this. "They're coming after you and I don't think they're going to stop you until you're dead."

In the next chapter, you will have lemons, hatred, fights, plotting, and even some danger. What kind of fanfic would this be if I didn't include this?? Also, heads up, it's going to be long. I didn't know how to break it down into several chapters, so it's going to be a fairly large entry... :-)

Please look below and see how you can add this story for update alerts? Yep, you might want to do that because the next chapter will be posted by Saturday night people! It's gonna be fucking crazy!

As always, please review. It makes me happy! ~Ashley