"Emmett?" Big, brawny Emmett was standing there, a suitcase in each hand, grinning like a maniac.

"Bella! Long time no see!"

"Long time no see, psh." She rolled her eyes. "It's been all of a week."

He laughed. "Fair enough."

"What are you doing here?" Bella grinned back, giddy with happiness. Those suitcases could only mean one thing…

"Bells!" Alice danced past Emmett, Rose following quickly behind. Both of them hugged Bella as they slunk through the door and kissed her cheek.

"Alice! Rose!" She hugged her friends back, squeezing each of them tightly. "I repeat--what are you all doing here?" She looked past Emmett. "And where's Jasper?"

Bella didn't miss the crestfallen look on Alice's face, or the distance that suddenly appeared in Emmett's eyes.

"He's…been held up. Hopefully he'll join us soon," Rose said softly, flicking a worried glance towards Alice.

"Sure," Bella said quickly, changing the subject. "I can't stay, sorry."

Alice's eyes lit up. "Ooh, I had wondered why you were wearing that…" She inclined her head towards the little black dress Bella had slipped into. "And why you were wearing make up. I hardly ever see you bother with it."

"Bella has a date." Luned had joined the group, slipping in amongst them silently.

Emmett grinned again. "Who is he? And when do I get to interrogate?"

Bella scowled.

"C'mon, Bells. You know I'm kidding. At least let me in."

She hesitated, plastering a false look of disdain on her face. "I don't know…"

Alice laughed, the sound of her voice tinkling like a delicate glass wind chime. "C'mon Bells, or he'll still be standing there when your date arrives."

"Too late." A voice came from behind the massive form that Emmett was.

Bella ducked her head to the side to see, and yep, there was Edward, calmly enjoying the scene that was her front door step.

"Edward," she mumbled, blushing furiously.

"This is your date?" Emmett grinned, dropping the cases. "Edward! It's been years!" The two men shook hands enthusiastically.

"Em, if I had of known you could have gotten me a date earlier, I wouldn't have wasted so much time pining."

Emmett laughed, a huge bear like guffaw. "If I had known you were interested…" He waggled his eyebrows.

"Ah, cause speaking to me personally would have killed you?" Bella asked, slightly put out.

"I had to wait until I knew you would not refuse." His green eyes danced.

Bella bristled. Until she would not refuse? What kind of arrogant, self-centered, egotistical…

"Let's get this over with, then," she hissed, pushing past Emmett, who had begun chuckling to himself again.

* * * * *

Dinner proved to be a real eye-opener for Bella.

At first, things seemed to go swimmingly, despite the less than positive start. He took her to La Bella Italia, opened doors, held out her seat, and they chatted amicably about work, their friends, the fact that they had lived in the same tiny town but Bella had not noticed him, even once.

It wasn't until it was time to order that the issue of arrogance and boundaries came up again.

"We'll have mushroom ravioli, thanks." Edward gave both his and Bella's menus to the waitress.

"Maybe I don't want that," Bella said crossly, folding her arms on the table and scowling.

"Oh." He looked genuinely surprised. "I thought…"

"You thought wrong."

"I do apologize, Bella. I have, perhaps, noticed too much about you over time."

"Pardon me?" She gaped at him. What was he, some sick stalker that followed her around everywhere, finding out what kind of food she liked? Because he was right, loathe as she was to admit it, mushroom ravioli was her meal of choice the one or two times she'd been here before. Her crossed arms moved from the table to her chest. She felt invaded and fought to protect herself.

"I really am only trying to have a pleasant evening."

"Uh-huh. But telling me how you've checked up on me, even before I knew you existed." You're nothing like I hoped. She thought savagely. You're not a man at all.

"Would you like to leave?" His face looked slightly crestfallen.

"Yes." You arrogant, self-centered…wait, haven't I already concluded this? You jackass, then.

Nodding, he flagged down a passing waitress. "Cancel our order please."

He stood, and Bella stood also, dropping her arms to her side and frowning. "No need to take me home," she said crossly. "There's a pay phone down the road. I'm sure Alice won't mind."

He nodded again, his mouth moving as though he wished to say something.

Bella didn't give him a chance. She stalked out of the restaurant and down the street, muttering to herself as she went. "Bloody men. This is what I was giving up on. Stupid medieval times, making me think there was anything worthwhile. Not in my time there isn't." She sighed, and slowed her walk, closing her eyes against her painful memories, and admitting she'd made a mistake. The face does not make the man, not at all.

But you couldn't stand your Edward at first, remember? Her conscience chided. You thought he was the biggest ass you'd ever met…

Yeah, before I met this Edward Cullen.

Maybe there is more to him than you have seen? Her conscience picked again. Maybe, just like his medieval counterpart, you just need to give him a chance.

Yeah right. Give him a chance to pinch my panties off my clothes line. Nah-ah. I've had enough of men. Full stop. They're all jerks.

"Hey…pretty lady!" A man's voice called to her.

Bella's eyes opened with a snap. She'd been so busy, focusing on things that were out of her control, she'd wandered aimlessly into the worst part of town, behind the warehouses.

She spun quickly on her heel, walking rapidly, her heels clicking on the cement, though not loudly enough to block out the sound of other footsteps heading her way.

"Pretty lady, hold up! We just want to talk…" The obvious lie was punctuated by the laughter of another man.

Bella stretched her legs further, fighting with a desperate desire to run, but knowing that if she did, she would only be likely to trip, or worse, give them men behind her a more interesting target. She clutched her purse tightly to her side and crossed her fingers, hoping they'd tire of the chase once they entered the more brightly lit areas.

Not a chance, though the fault lay with Bella. So many years it had been since she had visited Port Angeles, that she had forgotten her way. Instead of turning right, and aiming towards the areas of the town that were more densely populated, she turned left, towards the industrial area. As neither way had much lighting, she was a good few meters down the road, and closely shadowed by the approaching men before she realized her mistake.

In terror, she froze, as did the men behind her.

"That's right, we only want to talk…" The men behind her resumed their movement, though this time the sounds came slower, more pronounced.

A tear slipped down Bella's cheek.

Fool. An arrogant bastard is a million times better than bastards with entirely different intentions.

She turned slowly, narrowed her gaze at the men now in front of her, and carefully making their way towards her. There were four. Her eyes were drawn mostly to the clear leader; a shorter man with what seemed like very dark hair and eyes and movements that brought to mind a hyena, circling its prey.

She was preparing herself for some kind of defense--run, kick, bite, knee, anything that would work--when a car skidded around the corner that she had turned down moments before.

She knew that car.

A shiny silver Volvo, with a green-eyed arrogant driver who she was sure must be stalking her, but for now, she was glad he was.

He narrowly missed running down the four men, who leapt out of the way of the car, and braked heavily beside her, leaning over to fling open the passenger door.

"Get in."

She did as he bade.

He spun the car back the way he had come, frowning.

"Are they that much better than I am, Bella?" He hissed, anger coloring his every word.

With a sob, Bella buried her head in her hands.

He lowered his voice slightly, although the irritation remained. "I don't mind you deciding you don't like me, but is it necessary to get yourself killed to prove your point?"

"I didn't do it on purpose." She hiccupped, glaring at him sideways from between her fingers.

"Are you sure? It certainly looked that way. Wandering right into that section…"

"I wasn't thinking."

"Well that was obvious to anyone who cared to look."

"And you were?" She raised her head, the fire of irritation returning, overrunning her terror of a moment before. "You were following me?"

He sighed heavily. "I was waiting for you to calm down. I couldn't leave you there alone." He threw her a crooked smile. "Lucky, huh?"

"Lucky?" She screeched. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be here tonight! If it weren't for you being such a self-centered pig I would never have left the restaurant! Lucky?"

He laughed, the sound piercing the shield of anger Bella had erected. "You are fiery, aren't you? That's something I could never have learned by admiring you from afar. You always seemed so…calm and patient."

"Impressions are often wrong."

"Exactly." He nodded, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. "I acted like a real prick. I'm sorry. I thought you would think it was romantic…"

"Well, I don't," she said crossly, her anger draining away at his admission.

He laughed again. "I see that now. Forgive me? Allow me a second chance to prove myself?"

She folded her arms across her chest and glared out of the front windscreen at the trees flashing past. "Maybe."

He chuckled. "I'll have to work on that."

They drove home in silence after that, neither a comfortable nor an uncomfortable one. Merely…silence, but for the hum of their car, and the car they didn't notice that followed, lights off, thirty meters behind.