AN: Trigger warning: Brief mention of violence.

Story gets a tad darker here, hence the switch to an M rating. I know this chapter is short but I didn't want to leave you hanging too long after the last update! I know I say this every time but truly, thank you so so much for your reviews.

For this chapter, and the previous one, I listened to Andrá by Sigur Ros.

Bella's POV

The crash of the back door woke me up, and when I cracked open my eyes Will's towering form stood over me.

"Get up," he growled.

Hearing the dangerous undertone in his voice, I threw the blanket off me and stood up. My head spun from the sudden movement.

"Did you forget about your appointment?" He asked, waving something an inch from my face, his mouth curled up in a nasty smile. When my eyes finally adjusted I realized it was my phone. Carlisle. My eyes widened. And I felt as though I might be sick.

"It's nothing," I tried to say, my voice breaking.

He sneered. "You're a terrible liar."

Before I could react, his hand lashed out and grabbed my arm, wrenching me towards him. All I could do was wince. "Who the hell is it, Bella? Who!"

"It's no one, Will. Just drop it, please." As I said it, a strange realization hit me. It pained me to say that Carlisle was just 'no one'. He was someone. Someone I still cared for despite everything that had happened. I wondered if he was still at the park waiting or if he had given up and gone home. For a fraction of a second I allowed myself to wish that he was nearby and would intervene. But I knew that was unlikely. I had been so cold around him, bordering on volatile at times, so I doubted he would go out of his way to track me down if I didn't show up. And regardless, would he even know where to look?

Will squeezed my arm even harder. If I'd had the energy I would have tried to shake off his grip. "Don't lie to me. Who were you supposed to meet?" My thoughts felt muddled. And trying to come up with a good excuse felt like grasping at smoke.

"Knock it off, Will. It was just some guy from the bar last night. Nothing happened. You're acting crazy."

I'd said the wrong thing. His eyes blazing, he finally released my arm and shoved me, hard. I started to fall towards the ground but he grabbed a fistful of my hair, yanking me back towards the living room. The pain of it caused me to scream out loud, which only made him more annoyed. I twisted around to try and get him to let go but it only made it hurt more.

Suddenly, a low voice spoke up, and I nearly crumpled from the relief of hearing it. Because I knew at that moment that I would be okay. That Will's fiery temper would be no match against what Carlisle was capable of.

"Let go of her. Now."

Carlisle's POV

With a flick of my wrist I snapped off the doorknob and pushed my way into the house, all without making a sound. They both had their backs to me. The man from the park held Bella by her hair and moved towards the adjacent room, while she pushed against him, trying in vain to get out of his grip.

"Let go of her. Now."

The man paused in his movements and Bella appeared to deflate completely. Dropping her to the floor, her captor whipped around to face me, his face disfigured in a scowl.

"Who the fuck are you? Get out of my house."

"I'm afraid I can't do that just yet." My voice was even, but I allowed the darker supernatural tenor of it to fill the air around us. It was not something I did often, but I had no qualms about it now. And its effect was immediate. His heart began to race. My hope was that simple intimidation would suffice to get Bella out. It would be very difficult to hide my otherness should the altercation become physical. The human before me did not know that should he attempt even the slightest punch, it would more than likely end with him breaking all of his knuckles.

Striding across the kitchen, I made my way to Bella and crouched down at her side, placing one hand gently on her back. I kept my eyes fixed on the man before me, daring him to object.

"It'll be alright," I whispered to Bella. "We are going to get out of here. Have you taken anything since I dropped you off?" She nodded once, her expression a mixture of shame and disbelief. Her eyes kept shifting back and forth between me and this Will.

Apparently my tactics hadn't quite been sufficient yet, for he took a step towards me, saying, "She isn't going anywhere with you. You're him, aren't you. The guy she was supposed to see this morning?"

"I am, yes." Ignoring his increasing rage, I turned my attention back to Bella, "Grab all your things. We are just about finished here, and I'm afraid I do not trust myself to remain this level-headed should I be required to return to this place again." She of course caught my meaning, knowing full well what my kind was capable of. Eyeing Will, she slipped into the hallway and disappeared into one of the bedrooms.

"You really think she is just going to leave with you?" Asked Will, tipping his chin up as though to defy me.

"I do, yes." I stated simply.

A nasty grin covered his face. "What makes you think I will let you go without a fight? Bella still owes me, she owes me a lot." He raised his eyebrows. Pulled himself up straighter. One threatening footstep in my direction. But his heart was still galloping. And I could see his carotid artery pulsing from where I stood. False bravado.

I could hear Bella shuffling around in the other room. The zipper of a bag closing. Bending down, I picked up her phone from where Will had tossed it to the ground.

"I think you can sense how dangerous getting in my way could be. I highly advise you to step back and let me take Bella from this place. She owes you nothing." As I spoke her name she appeared in the doorway, one small duffle bag in her hand, a bulging tote bag in the other, and the same worn backpack on her shoulder. In a few short strides she came to stand just behind me.

"Just listen to him, Will," muttered Bella, only meeting his eyes for a brief second before looking down at her feet.

He narrowed his eyes at us both, his mouth twitching in scorn. Several moments passed before his instincts must have finally taken over and he accepted that pushing this further was unwise.

Still glowering, he spat out, "Fine. Get out of here." I heard Bella sigh in relief. As we backed toward the door Will rushed to have the last word, "Before I change my mind!"

Unlikely.

When we reached the kitchen I ushered Bella out the back door, keeping one hand at her back in reassurance. The clacking of the screen door was the only sound that trailed us as we left the house behind.