Being stuck on Port Angeles day sucked. I'm never going shopping again. How many years until online shopping is a thing again and I can shop from my bedroom? I don't even like mushroom ravioli anymore but I know that it's canon though so if eating the Italian poop fungus gets me out of this day I'll do it.

I got turned around and ended up cornered somewhere slightly different. I was force down to the pier instead of where everything normally went down. Creep and his buddies were doing their pushy vulture thing and Creep, mid-grope shoved me off the end of the pier.

I can't swim. Edward can. It was early March in Washington state. Edward had to tow me a bit to find a ladder back up to the pier. "You okay?" He asked.

I was shivering so hard and coughing so much it was several minutes before he even got a nod for an answer. He pulled me staggering toward his car.

"Y..y..your u, up..hols…tery," I protested.

"Don't be absurd, get in!" He ordered. My fingers couldn't manage the buckle. They were too cold to work. He buckled me in.

Edward turned the heat on full blast and stripped off his soaking coat, tossing it in the back.

This was the first time he'd not had any focus on the men that had assaulted me. I suspect he was rather more concerned with the fact that I was quickly succumbing to hypothermia and wouldn't stop coughing.

I was thoroughly confused when he opened my door and I saw we were at the K-mart. He had a rock steady grip on my arm. I stumbled in the direction he herded me.

"Um.. Edwerrr? My purssse ss at ttt bott..m of vv th eee ee oshhh shh ean. If I pay aay you ba aaack could ddd dd you spring fff ff a hoodie eee?" I don't know why I thought he'd bring me to K-mart but not get me dry clothes unless I asked.

"Warm and dry Bella. That's the plan. Hold on," he reassured. He grabbed: towels, the hoodie I was touching, matching jogging pants, a woollen hat, mittens, a scarf and a coat. He steered me in front of the intimates, "Select appropriate undergarments," he instructed, forcing eye contact to be sure I understood despite the distraction of the shivering and persistent coughing. Perhaps he became a little uncomfortable because he then added on in a ramble. "My sister Alice will be unimpressed with me for shopping at K-mart but most of the stores are closed."

I grabbed plain undergarments in my size. I don't remember how I ended up in the washroom with a bag of stuff. Edward had pushed me into the wheelchair washroom. I think he made the right choice because when he let go of me I gave a wobbly sort of stumble and landed on my rear coughing and coughing until I passed out. I doubt I was out for more than a few seconds but when I woke up I was dry and dressed in clothes with the tags still on them. Edward was still soaking wet.

He sat me on a bench near the check out then hurriedly got himself some dry things.

My coughing was finally easing to sporadic fits.

When he came back I mentioned that Jess and Ange were probably worried about me so he took me to meet them. When we saw them he told them outright that I'd ended up in the bay and he meant to get something warm in me and then he'd take me home.

He slipped the greeter cash to get the spot by the fireplace. The greeter looked at my soggy rats' nest hair and the disdain showed in her face.

"Sorry, I didn't think of a hair brush," Edward softly apologised.

I shrugged and still shivering countered, "Sty i i lishly diss hevelled."

Thankfully Edward still held my elbow as I was having trouble walking. After he righted me as I tripped for the third time, I giggled and whispered. "Sorr rry, no fee eeling in the feetsiesss."

"Feetsies?" he snickered softly. He was looking down, not making eye contact with anyone but occasionally me. He was obviously a little hyper aware and embarrassed at the wet squishy squeaking sounds our feet were making as we walked to the table.

Instead of coke and mushroom ravioli, I had hot chocolate, vegetable soup and warm bread.

We talked about how he found me and about that horrible creep. For the first time, he admitted that he felt protective towards me and had been watching out for me. I got the danger magnet speech. I'd never gotten the danger magnet speech before.

"Mmm..Maybe I'm a dd..danger magnet," I conceded. "Or mm..maybe the universe is tr..rrying to see how high you can jj..jump. I cerrr..tt..tainly hope the hasssn't tagged me as..ss your o.. special he…rr..ro's ..ney. All I can prrr..omise iss that I'll nevvver be a willing in my own miss…fortune."

It came out that he could read other people's minds but of course not mine. "That's my brain makesss li. sense, prolly brrroken. I'm an anommmm..anmoll, I'm too cold to say that word."

"An anomaly? I tell you I can read minds and you're worried you're a broken anomaly?"

I gave him my best proud cheesy grin. "But can you say ananomnomly five times fast?" I was shivering so hard it still kind of sounded like gibberish.

Edward broke down into snickers. My shivering had started to slow by about the time I half finished the hot chocolate. "Thank you for the rescue. I guess after living in Alaska you must be used to the cold. You weren't even shivering." I think he was gradually becoming convinced I'd be alright.

Dressed in ever so fashionable Kmart gym wear the waitress was still hitting on him. I pointed it out.

Maybe it was because we lingered over dinner extra long until I warmed up but we talked more openly then we ever had before.

It was an hour drive home. In addition to actually talking about the vampire thing that I said I'd gotten from Jacob's legends, I mentioned I had every intention of telling Charlie what happened with the creep. What with the change of clothes, he'd ask anyway. I've never tried opening up to Charlie before. I didn't want to burden him but I figured opening up with him just this once maybe he'd have something to say that made this repeat day just a little easier to get through next time.

"I don't think you should be involved in his investigation, Edward. Is it alright if I just say you were walking by the pier and saw me go in the water and then helped? Charlie tells me a lot of folks have been giving your family grief. He really likes your dad. He'll keep you out of the investigations. Or do I just tell him I klutz-ed out and let the creep get away to protect your family?" Poor Edward put up with so much from me. As much as I could I wanted to make things easier for him; even in the 'probably going to repeat anyway,' times.

He honestly looked touched and momentarily announced "I think I should call Carlisle and ask him what he thinks."

We were seriously off script. I wasn't acting at all like Bella. Edward talked to Carlisle who apparently conferenced with Jasper although most of that happened at hissing volume so I've no idea what they actually said. I was given the go ahead to admit Edward had fished me out of the drink but I was to be the only one who'd had any interaction with the Creep. In reality Edward had been a witness to the last bit at the pier.

I mention all of this only because the next morning the day advanced. It was so much more freedom than I thought I had. Maybe this repeat thing was finally over?

I tried taking the day off from school, which after the horror of last night, Charlie was fine with, the day repeated.

So glad the day is over but repeats SUUUCCKKKK!

Yes. That was three exclamation point worthy.