"Please don't do this Edward!" I pleaded with him as I tugged on the sleeves of his pale blue shirt.

A wave of panic suddenly rushed through my entire body. A fight was going to break out, I could just see it! Edward continued to ignore me as he clenched his jaw and tightened his fists in rage. By the way he was glaring daggers at Jacob; it looked as if his anger was going to burst out of him at any minute.

"Let's just be mature about this and get out of here. That way no one needs to get hurt!" I desperately tried to get through to him but it was no use.

Edward responded by making a growling sound which rumbled through his chest. I sighed and quickly glanced over my shoulder to look at Jacob. Surprisingly he had remained where he was, with his arms folded arrogantly across his chest. I think he was waiting to see if Edward would make the first move. By the looks of things, he clearly seemed to be enjoying the show… And that mad me furious! My lips were now pressed firmly together and I narrowed my eyes at him before turning back around to face Edward.

"Ok. I'm leaving!" I announced directly into his face, hoping that he would make the right decision and follow behind me. I brushed past him and walked a few of metres before checking to see if he had registered what I had said. "Edward!" I shrieked, hearing my voice crack when I called his name.

He was now striding over towards Jacob. Somehow I managed to move my legs, and started running over to towards them as quickly as I could. A pair of large hands suddenly grabbed my waist and desperately held me back. I tried to pry them off me, but whoever it was had a firm grip.

"I think you'd better stay out of this" A voice warned me from behind. I immediately recognised who it was and swung my head sideways to see Mike staring at the scene unfolding before us.

"Let me go! I need to stop this!" I demanded harshly, but Mike only tightened his grip around my waist.

It was at that point that I realised that most people had now stopped dancing and had formed a circle around the two guys in the middle. I grimaced in disapproval as I focused my gaze onto Edward. He was now directly in front of Jacob and even though Edward was slightly taller, Jacob seemed to be the one who was more solid. Suddenly everyone went quiet as Edward reached out and took hold of Jacob's white collared shirt. The sound of the music still played on as if nothing was happening.

"What you did – and tried to do to her was absolutely despicable!" Edward spat the words firmly into his face. "You make me sick to the core of my bones"

Jacob, who kept that smug smile on his face, unfolded his arms and raised them in the air. "So why don't you go ahead and punch me!" He dared.

Edward seemed to be pondering the idea as he stared repulsively at his face.

"What the hell is going on here?" Jessica screamed out in a high pitch tone as she ran across the yard towards the circle. "No one is going to be punching anybody! It's my birthday for crying out loud!"

Everyone except me stared at Jessica before taking their eyes off her and looking back at the guys for a response. My eyes never left Edward… After hearing Jessica's words, he currently seemed to be contemplating his options. The music was still playing in the background and to my surprise a few people were carrying on dancing like nothing was happening.

"Edward…" I called his name, hoping he would hear me.

The sound of my voice caught his attention. He tore his gaze from Jacob's and instantly shot me a remorseful expression. Thankfully Mike released his hands from me just before Edward had noticed. I didn't want to start another fight! He finally let go of Jacob's shirt and started to walk swiftly towards me. When Edward was within range, he reached out his hand and I eagerly took it, following beside him.

"Let's get out of here" He mumbled, soft enough that only I could hear.

When we had left the house altogether and were now alone, I let go of his hand like it was on fire and strode off in front of him.

"Why did you have to act all macho like that? Couldn't you have just left him alone?"

Edward quickened his pace so that he was now beside me once again. "Bella, don't you remember what he tried to do to you?"

"Of course I do! It was a nightmare… But that doesn't give you the excuse to beat him up"

"Someone ought to. He deserves it" Edward muttered.

I ignored him huffed in annoyance. "Why on earth was he at the party anyway…? Surely he can't be a friend of Jessica's"

"I don't know... Maybe he's sweet talking her into something as well"

"Shut up, Edward. That's not funny!"

We were now approaching Edward's vehicle. I could see the shiny silver paint glistening in the moonlight.

"You want me to take you straight home?" Edward asked sneaking a glance in my direction.

I was just about to mumble yes when I was suddenly cut off by someone else's voice. His voice...

"Or maybe you'd rather go home with me?"

Edward and I spun around at once and saw that Jacob was casually following a short distance behind us. A quick scream escaped my mouth as I freaked out and completely froze on the spot.

"Bella wait in the car" Edward whispered in a strong tone.

"N-No…" I stuttered, feeling a cold chill run through my body. "Not without you"

My legs felt like they were frozen on the spot and I was unable to move even if I wanted to. However, Edward's arm immediately shot out and gently pushed me in the direction of his Volvo.

"Get in the car!" He spoke louder this time, and I backed up a little until he focussed his attention back to Jacob. I held my breath and hoped for the best.

"What the hell is your problem?" Edward growled even more dangerously than he had before in Jessica's backyard.

"Just thought I'd offer the girl another option" Jacob shrugged his shoulders and stared eagerly at my body before giving me a wink. "… Nice"

This made Edward lose his mind. One minute he was standing right in front of me, the next he was lunging towards Jacob in a fit of rage. I screamed again as I heard the sound that their bodies made when they smacked up against one another. Edward went to throw a punch but missed and Jacob ducked and tackled him around the waist.

"Stop it! Don't hurt him!" I frantically shrieked out as I choked on my words. My body started to tremble and I could feel salt water building up in my eyes.

What could I do? How could I stop them?

My hands moved up to my face and I watched on in horror through the gaps between my fingers. Jacob swore out loud as he copped a rather nasty punch to the side of the head, courtesy of Edward.

"Don't do this…" I wailed while I blinked back the tears that were now flowing freely down my cheeks.

My vision was blurred, and I couldn't seem to make out who was who anymore. All of a sudden my legs felt like jelly and I slowly gave in and sunk to the ground, landing helplessly on my knees. Edward suddenly yelled out in pain and I instantly lifted my head to see what happened. He was now flat on his back with his right leg in an awkward position. Jacob crouched over his body and let out a quick laugh as he watched Edward suffering in pain. I screamed my lungs out as loud as I could in the hope that someone would come out of their house and help.

All of a sudden my prayers were answered when the sound of a police siren filled the air. Jacob was off and away from Edward within seconds and bolted down the road as fast as he could. Somehow I managed to muster up enough strength to stand up on my own two feet and stumble over to help Edward.

"Oh my God! What has he done to you? Are you in pain? Can you move?" I frantically spoke quickly as I helped him into a sitting position.

"I think it's twisted…" He groaned as he rubbed his hands along his right calf down to his foot.

As I crouched beside him, I glanced up and noticed that the flash of red and blue lights were now visible at the end of road. It was at that moment that my eyes caught sight of an old lady across the street, peering through her window with a frightened look upon her face. She instantly pulled the curtains across and stepped away when she noticed I was looking at her.

I sighed heavily and tried to wipe the salt water from my eyes. "We better get out of here; I don't want to explain this to the police… Word will get back to my dad!"

Edward winced in pain as he attempted to stand up. I wrapped my arms around his torso and put all my energy into lifting him up. Luckily his left leg was alright, and he was able to put his body weight onto that side. I told him to hop while my hands never let go of his body to stable him. We made our way behind the row of parked cars and sat down on the grass to hide from the view of the police. As the siren became louder, I found myself holding my breath.

Time seemed to drag on forever, even though only a few minutes had passed by. The police officer had stopped his vehicle and got out to investigate the area. All the while, Edward quietly continued to wince and groan in pain. Finally the officer gave up and returned to his vehicle. I sighed in relief and wrapped my arms around Edward's shoulders. My eyes were almost dry, but I was still frightened and upset by what had happened.

"Ssh it's ok Bella" He whispered into my hair.

I leant back and studied his face as if he was crazy. "It's not ok! You've probably broken your leg or something… and, oh my - you're cheek is going purple!" I gasped and gently held his face in my hands, being careful to avoid the bruise. "I think you need to go to the hospital"

Edward scoffed as if I was the crazy one. He closed his eyes and lightly shook his head within my grip. "Don't be silly. I'll be fine… It's nothing serious"

I let go of his face and dropped my hands into my lap. "Then what do you want to do? You certainly can't drive"

"You'll have to" He breathed before letting out a brief chuckle. It seemed to hurt his chest, so he quickly stopped. "This will be interesting"

"Shut up. I'm a safe driver!" I pushed him lightly. "Come on, I'll help you up"

Edward leaned against me as he hopped over to the passenger side. "I've never sat in this seat before. But there's a first time for everything I suppose"

I rolled my eyes and shut the door once he was settled. As I quickly made my way around to the driver's seat, I hopped in and noticed him staring at me with a concerned look.

"What? I'll take care of your precious baby. Don't worry"

He didn't seem to hear me as his eyes suddenly shot down to my legs. It looked as if he was scowling at how much of my skin was showing or something. I didn't care right now about how high my dress had risen; I just wanted to get out of here. So I ignored his gaze and reached over to put the keys in the ignition. The engine started to purr loudly and I was just about to ask him if he was sure that he didn't want me to take him to the hospital when he stated...

"You're bleeding!"

"What?" I gasped, turning to look at him. He was still staring at my legs, so I followed his gaze until I noticed that both of my knees were in fact bleeding. "Oh…" It must have been when I fell to the concrete I thought to myself… I'd landed on my knees.

Edward lifted his eyes to my face and he furrowed his eyebrows. "I told you to wait in the car"

I widened my eyes and glared over at him. "I told you not to fight!"

He exhaled deeply and then reached over to take hold my one of my hands. "I'm so sorry..."

I felt like calling him a complete idiot for what he had done and that he deserved the consequences. But as his fingers gently rubbed my trembling hand, and I looked over to his crestfallen face, I decided to hold onto my words.

"You'd better get some ice on that cheek of yours… It's swelling up" I took my hand out of his grasp and held onto the steering wheel instead.

"Is it that bad huh?" He asked, stretching up to peer in the rear view mirror. I watched him pull a disgusted face before gently prodding the area surrounding the dark purple bruise.

"I could still take you to the hospital to get checked over…"

"Definitely not!" He interrupted, leaning back in his seat. "I'd be more comfortable at home"

I nodded and slowly began to reverse out of the parking spot. "I'll need directions"

He was fairly quiet for most of the journey, only talking when he needed to tell me to make a left or right turn.

"Err… are your parents the type that's totally going to freak out over something like this?" I asked.

Edward was silent for a moment, and I took a quick glance at him to make sure that he hadn't fallen asleep. He was staring out the front window. The expression on his face looked as if I'd punched him hard in the stomach.

"Are you alright?" I asked softly, thinking that he was feeling the pain from his injuries.

He sniffed, and for one minute I thought he might actually have a tear in his eye. I gave him some privacy and turned my gaze back onto the road ahead of me.

The silence between us started to become slightly awkward after a while though, so I tried to break the tension by saying something. "So, um… I'll make sure you get settled alright and then I'll call for a cab to come and get me"

Out the corner of my eye, I noticed that Edward shifted uncomfortably in his seat. It appeared as though he was about to say something, but decided to stop himself for some reason. Something was bothering him, and I was beginning to think that it wasn't just his injuries that had put him in a such a depressed mood.

Maybe he was nervous about me going to his house…

What did you think peoples? Exciting? Try not to worry about Edward, he's fine. I promise! :) There will be lots of Edward/Bella fluff to come! Keep reading and reviewing guys. I appreciate your kind words. xoxox