Two days had passed and Alex was now at the Cullen's, sitting in the kitchen with Carlisle. "What would you like to do tonight?" He asked her.

"Uh, why don't you tell me what happened last night?"

He looked at her and frowned, "She got away."

"Really? Why couldn't you catch her?"

"She was too fast for her and we got a little distracted."

"How so?" Alex asked, intrigued.

"Emmett got carried away and almost jumped over to the wolves territory and Paul got a little mad." She nodded looking out to see Edwards Volvo driving away, "What's wrong with him?"

Alex shrugged, "Probably because Bella went down to the rez with Jake." She looked at him, "She text me telling me she's be home late." Carlisle nodded,

"Guess what?"

"What?"

"Guess." He simply stated.

"Uh,... You have to go out hunting and I need to go home?"

He shook his head, "Not even close. You remember Kristen Black, the girl you shared a room with in-"

"Don't remind me. But what about her?"

"She's getting out later on in the week."

"She is? I'll have to go and see her." Alex smiled, "I hope she's better now and Billy won't have to put her back in there."

~~~~

Edward came back looking furious and was followed by a petrified Bella, "What's wrong?" Carlisle and Alex asked at the same time.

"Everyone get down here." He called, ignoring them.

"Why?" Alice asked as Jasper and her arrived last.

"Someone was in Bella's room." Edward simply said. Carlisle looked at him and asked, 'Who?' in his mind. "I don't know. I didn't recognise their scent. It was definitely a vampire though."

Alex gasped, "Was dad home?"

"Yes." Bella replied. "He's fine though."

"A passerby wouldn't have left Bella and Alex's dad alive." Alice told them.

"I must have scared whoever it was off." Bella sighed, glad she went home when she did.

Emmett and Jasper came back from following the smell, "The scent disappeared about five miles South of Alex and Bella's house." Jasper told them in his Southern drawl. Carlisle nodded at them.

"Did they take anything?" Alice asked.

"Just my red blouse." Bella said.

"Is that it?" Alex asked, really confused as Bella nodded, "Why would they take a blouse when there's more valuable things in our house."

"They must have really needed it." Bella shrugged. "Do you think it was Victoria?"

"No, I've been keeping an eye on her decisions." Alice told her.

"Plus, I would have remembered her scent." Edward reassured Bella. "Do you think it was the Volturi?" He asked Carlisle.

"I've been watching Aro's decisions as well so I would have seen him order it." Alice frowned.

"We'll need to protect Bella from now on until we catch whoever it was."

"Another protection order?" Rosalie snapped.

"Rose." Emmett sternly got her attention and he shook his head.

"No, she's right. You can't protect me, my dad and Alex whilst trying to keep yourselves fed." Bella told them.

"Why me?" Alex asked, "Whoever it doesn't know me. I only know you vampires. I know about others but that's it."

"But the nomad would have picked up your scent." Rose smiled sadly at her. "I'll do it. For Alex."

She smiled back but then frowned, "If you're going to do it then Bella's right. You can't keep up with everything else whilst protecting us." She looked at Bella, "Unless.."

Bella caught on, "Jacob and the wolves."

~~~~~

For the next couple of weeks the wolves and the Cullen's were protecting Charlie's house and always switched when the vampires had to eat or the wolves were getting tired. Whilst they were doing it Alex went out and took sandwiches to the wolves whilst they were on watch and she got to know them a bit better. Sometimes they would turn into their human selves and eat or she would feed them and pet their heads while they ate.

Right now though Bella and Alex were unsurprisingly up at the Cullen's watching the news. After the woman gave the report Carlisle turned the TV on standby. "Someone's orchestrating this." He told them, "It could be newborns. No human could make this much damage."

"Newborns?" Alex asked, "Like new vampires?"

He nodded and looked at Edward who said, "In out first couple of months we're at our most powerful."

"Then shouldn't the Volturi step in and do something? I'm not an expert on your vampire laws but I'm pretty sure this against most of them." Alex said.

"It is." Carlisle said, "And they could expose us. I don't know why they're not stepping in and stopping it."

"Maybe it's the Volturi doing it." Edward stated softly and looked back at Carlisle, "In Italy, I read Aro's mind. He wants Alice and I to join him."

"I don't think so. He might want us but I've been keeping close on his decisions."

"Maybe he knows you're watching them and letting the others decide." Alex said.

Alice shrugged, "Even so. I would have seen him letting them do that."

~~~~~

A couple of days past until it was finally the day before Bella's graduation and Bella was now down at the rez with Jacob. Alex stayed home until she heard a car screeching at the front of the house. Her father went out first then Alex ran down stairs and outside just as she heard Jacob say, "I kissed Bella." Alex looked at her dad to see him approving almost, "And she broke her hand," Alex looked at Bella then down at her hand, "punching my face." Jacob looked at Alex and sighed as she glared back at him. Edward told Charlie that Carlisle would fix it and Alex looked at him,

"Mind if I come too?" Edward shook his head, taking Bella to his car and her father walked back into the house.

Alex went to walk to Edwards car but Jacob stopped her, grabbing her arm. She looked back at him, "What were you thinking, Jacob?"

"I love her." He sighed, still holding her arm.

"Well she loves Edward so keep you hands and lips off her."

"I can't do that." She pushed his hand off her, "Or I'll be the one punching you next time." She turned back around only to be caught again, "What?"

"You're not becoming a leech too, are you?"

"Let me go."

"Are you?" His grip got tighter. "Answer me!"

She tried to push his hand off as she could almost feel his grip bruising her arm. "Let. Her. Go." Edward growled from beside her.

Jacob looked at him, throwing Alex's arm away from him and let go then she held where his hand was. "No." Edward put his arm around Alex's shoulders, "I'm not." They turned to walk away but Alex turned back to Jacob, "I'm glad Bella is with Edward. At least she's safe with him. If she was with you I'd be worried for her safety as she might end up dead with your temperament." She turned back around but she felt Edward's arm leave her and she looked to see Edward up in Jacobs face,

"Don't even think about." He growled out but Alex then pushed him away,

"Come on. He's not worth it." They left Jacob standing there as they got to the car and Alex sat in the back.

"Are you okay?" Edward asked, looking at her from his rear view mirror.

"Yes." She continued to look out the window until they came to his house and she jumped out. "Carlisle?" I called and he was with me in a second, "Bella broke her hand."

He fixed up her hand at the kitchen table when Emmett came in, "Trying to walk and chew gum at the same time again, Bella?" He joked as Alex chuckled.

"I punched a werewolf in the face." Bella told him proudly.

"Mh-hm, you're going to one feisty newborn." He told her.

"Strong enough to take you on?" She and Emmett laughed as Rose abruptly stood up and walked out onto the balcony. Bella followed her as Edward looked at Carlisle,

"You might want to look at Alex's arm, make sure she's not seriously hurt."

"Why?" Carlisle looked at me as did Emmett and Jasper.

"Jacob grabbed it pretty hard." She could hear Emmett growl,

"Stupid mutt."

"It's fine." Alex told them, "It's probably just bruised."

"Nonetheless, I should just look." Carlisle smiled slightly although she shook her head, remembering her self harm and didn't want them to see it.

"Seriously it's fine."

Carlisle sighed, "Please?"

It look a moment before Alex gave in and nodded, taking off her grey cardigan, and sighed as she could already see the bruises, peaking out where her white sleeve ended at her forearm. She lowered her head, looking at her pink pyjama bottoms, as Carlisle lifted her sleeve up more and gasped as he saw the bruises and the self harm marks. 'Edward, take Emmett and Jasper out, please?' He asked his first son in his head and Edward nodded slightly getting his brothers attention on him and they walked out. She could see at the corner of her eye that they were staring at her in shock. As soon as they left Carlisle ran his fingers over the scars and lifted Alex's head so she would look at him. She saw that if he could cry, he would, "I didn't know it was this bad."

Alex sighed, looking everywhere apart from him. "I'm sorry. But how was I suppose to show my doctor these?"

"I'm not your doctor any more. You could have told me."

"It never came up." Carlisle frowned and lowered his head and kissed her.

"From now on, you tell me everything, okay?"

She nodded as he looked over her arm, "There's one more thing I should tell you."

"You haven't got more like this over your body, have you?"

She shook her head, "No. But yesterday when you saved me from those guys,.." She told him and he let go of her arm.

"Why didn't you tell me last night?" His voice was hard but soft as always.

She shrugged, "I didn't want you to go and kill them." He smiled at her,

"I wouldn't kill them. I'd hurt them enough to send them into hospital and need physical therapy." He kissed her again.

~~~~

The next day at Bella's graduation they watched as she, Edward and Alice got their degrees and walked back down then they were listening to Jessica Stanley's speech which made her think about Bella.

"When we were five," The girl started, "they asked us what we wanted to be when we grew up. Our answers were things like astronaut, president or in my case, a princess. When we were ten they asked us again and we answered rock star, cowboy or in my case, a gold medallist. But now that we've grown up they want a serious answer. Well how about this: 'who the hell knows'?" She smiled as everyone chuckled. "This isn't the time to make hard and fast decisions, this is the time to make mistakes." Alex looked at Bella and smiled smally. "Take the wrong train and get stuck somewhere. Fall in love, a lot. Major in philosophy because there's no way to make a career out of that." Alex smiled and shook her head slightly. "Change your mind and change it again because nothing is permanent." Jessica looked around at the audience. "So, make as many mistakes as you can. That way, someday, when they ask us want we wanna be, we won't have to guess. We'll know." As she finished everyone started clapping.

When they left Charlie walked up to Bella and hugged her, "I'm so proud of you." He then hugged Alex before saying goodbye and he left. The Cullen's, Bella and Alex left to go back to Carlisle's home and Alex helped Alice set up for the graduation party. "How many more times are you going to have to graduate?" Alex asked her, laughing as she placed a few balloons up.

"A lot more times." Alice answered her and smiled.