A/N: I've been working on getting into Edward's head. I've had a hard time understanding what a teenage boy might think and say. I don't really have the personal experience that I do with a teenage girl--which I've been there, done that.

The chapters I've written so far for "Untouchable" haven't had much Edward in them because he has a lot of his own stuff to deal with, and no matter the freakish connection he has with Bella, it isn't instance best-friends-lets-share-our-souls type of relationship. I want to make it more realistic, with the plot and characterizations I have here. I feel that too many fanfic rush into having B/E together right away. We love them together. I love them together. But it's kinda cheesy to have them be suddenly *whoosh* together.

So I'm sorry that there isn't as much B/E yet--there will be eventually. Don't worry.

Thanks to MsWDarcy for being an awesome beta, and even beta-ing outtakes! muah!

Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns. I play.

Warning: Potential for adult material and violence. More language than Untouchable--he's a teenage boy. duh.

During chapters 2-3 of Untouchable

Epov

Pound, pound, pound. My feet hit the pavement jarring my ankles, knees, and hips. The pain felt good. It felt real. I could tell that it was there.

I wiped the sweat dripping from my face out of my eyes, for what felt like the hundredth time. Damn heat. Damn sunshine.

I'd taken up running to focus, clear my head. It worked, even though—I was still pissed off.

No, I don't have a flipping anger management problem—why do you think I run in Phoenix—in August? So that I won't have a freakin' anger management problem.

So what if I'm a pretty white boy who looks like he has everything going for him? Since when are people that simple.

Shit.

I stumbled on a rock, almost face planting in the pavement. Just what I need, a face lift.

My friends thought I was insane, my parents were worried, and my sister thought I needed to get laid. They were all probably right. Who cares if a year ago I was king of the geek squad until I finally hit puberty at 16. I went from being 5'8 to 6'2. I filled out to 186 lbs. I was a scrawny little shit, with a serious acne problem. My face cleared up, and I got contacts.

Then the hyenas descended.

I felt like king when Jessica and the skank brigade surrounded me. They literally thought I was a new kid when school began junior year. They had no idea I was president of the chess club, and class treasurer. I thought I had hit a homerun with so many girls begging for a date with me—let alone more.

Then I met her. She was beautiful, a cheerleader, and a senior. She latched on to me before any of the brigade could sink their claws in. I thought she had saved me.

I was wrong.

The sun beat down, definitely giving me a sunburn on my neck. I turned the corner to my street, and headed home. I may be crazy to run in the Arizona heat, but I don't have a death sentence. I know when to stop…—most of the time.

Emmett's jeep was in his driveway. It was freaking annoying to live next to King Kong for most of my life. But he'd always had my back—no matter how crazy I got.

Emmett was carrying Alice's latest save-the-world drive boxes to the garage. That girl thought she could save the world through shopping. Then again she thought she could do anything through shopping. And they think I'm crazy—at least she did all my shopping for me.

"Yo punk—get your ass over here and help me." I made a crude gesture.

"Screw you." That's how I roll.

He dropped his two boxes on the ground with the rest. He must have been at it for a while. And reached for me. But I'm fast. I run in this freaking heat—I have to get something out of it. I sprinted out of his reach, and shimmied around the side of the house with him on my tail. I vaulted the fence, and laughed as I could hear his grunting as he followed. That's what happens when you have more muscle than a rhino—you are damn heavy.

We reached the pool, and I skidded to a stop, letting Emmett run into me. I held onto his shirt, letting his momentum throw us into the pool.

I surfaced, laughing, and swung my wet hair out of my face. Emmett came up sputtering. We messed around a bit, cursing and trying to dunk each other, before we pulled ourselves out.

Emmett punched me in the arm and quickly ran next door to change. Convenient.

I grabbed a pair of extra shorts and a shirt I kept with the towels. It was easier to just jump in the pool after a run, and it pissed off mom when I come into the house soaking wet, clothes and all.

I stretched out on a lounge chair, enjoying the shade. I really hated the sun. It was blaring, miserable, and continually flipping cheerful. I don't do cheerful—not anymore.

Emmett smacked me as he walked by, dropping into the chair next to mine.

"Dude. You are crazy for running in this heat." Told you. " I thought I was going to die carrying Ali's boxes of shit."

"Yea, well I'd rather run than join in on Alice's save-the-world schemes. You can leave. I have to live with her. She'll think it's a free for all if I pitch in." He chuckled. "It's a matter of principle."

"Yea, whatever." He scratched his stomach and belched.

"What are you doing here anyway. I thought you were doing a favor for Charlie." He had bailed on me earlier in the day. We had planned on going to the batting cages. My new found athletic ability still made Emmett as giddy as a thirteen year old girl a whole year later.

"I still am. Bella's with Ali now."

I raised my eyebrows. "Bella?"

"Yea, Charlie's kid."

"Charlie has a kid? Really." I squinted one eye, surprised.

"No dumb-ass." He hit me across the back of my head. It hurts more than it looks.

I rubbed my head, and gave him the stink-eye. Damn giant.

"Dude you're never gonna guess what I saw today." He rubbed his hands in excitement, and I turned towards him sitting sideways on the lounge chair.

"I was leaving gym this morning to pick up Bella at the airport, when I looked down the alley on my way to my car. You are so not going to believe what I saw." His eyes got wide, and he began to use his hands to tell his story.

I lifted my eyebrows, and signaled him to go on. He is so melodramatic. I swear sometimes he could give Ali a run for her money.

"Okay, so I looked down the alley, and this homeless guy was sitting, straddling a trashcan. I thought WTF. So I took a closer look, and made contact with the guy. Then I realized he was shitting! Right there in the flipping trashcan!"

I started chuckling. "That is so messed up man."

"No dude. We have an emotional bond now. I have never looked into the eyes of someone shitting."

I burst out laughing. Because that was hilarious. An emotional bond? I doubled over, leaning my head in my hands, trying not to snort—because that is just not cool. Emmett laughed with me, holding his sides. He was so going to look like Santa when he got old, and laughed like that.

I didn't even notice Ali come skipping out, dragging along some girl with her.

I looked up wheezing, trying to catch my breath.

And I saw her.

This was no kid. This was the most beautiful woman in the entire world.

Her deep brown eyes grabbed me, casting me into a void—I was drowning, unable to look away. It was like she could see into my soul.

I forgot to breath; I forgot to blink. I forgot that anyone else was there.

And then the moment was gone.

She tore her eyes from mine, and fled into the house.

Without thinking about what I was doing, I was up and running after her, not even noticing what Ali or Emmett were saying.

I was just inside the sliding glass door when I watched her collide with my dad. His eyes went wide in surprise. A petite teenage girl slamming into him was the last thing he expected.

She sucked in a huge break of air, and went completely limp. Like one of Alice's Raggedy Anne dolls, a wet noodle. Yet part of her was still shaking, not like she was cold, but the shaking that only comes from complete terror.

I was across the room, and caught her before my dad had time to react. I gazed at her small form in my arms; it made me feel huge. She was still minutely shaking, and her eyes were moving frantically behind her lids like she was dreaming.

I sunk to the ground and gently set her down, still holding her tightly in my arms. Her lips moved so subtly I barely noticed; I leaned my ear closer to her mouth. I could hear her muttering desperately, "Don't hurt me. Please don't hurt me."

I cringed. Who on earth would want to hurt a girl, fragile as glass?

My eyes darkened with rage. I would kill anyone who dared to hurt her.

Her head began to move back and forth, frantic still. Her eyes started to flutter open. I scanned her face, looking for an injury, anything wrong. Anything I could fix.

All of the sudden I heard the noise that was going on around me. Alice was saying something, and my dad was running back with his doctor kit. My mom was buzzing around, looking through the phone book probably for her dad's number.

Emmett yelled. "Don't touch her man! I don't know why, but she doesn't like it. Keep your hands off of her!"

I flinched back from her, scared that I would be the one to hurt her. I couldn't allow that.

She looked up at me, with those big brown eyes, disappointed almost.

I couldn't help myself. Using my body to shield my actions, I gently ran one finger across her cheek. She let out a breath, a soft release. It made parts of me tighten.

My dad pulled me out of the way, going into full doctor mode. I stood back, watching.

Bella flinched—flinched—when my dad moved towards her. Her eyes were wild, and scared. She looked completely terrified.

It made my blood boil. Why was she scared? Who made her look that way? I wanted to smash a face in… I needed another run.

Alice hurried to her side, and my mom took her blood pressure. I wasn't listening to what they were saying. The emotions across Bella's face changed instantaneously. It was amazing. It was like her face revealed everything she was thinking or feeling. But it wasn't that reassuring—because most of what she was feeling was fear.

Shit. I really wanted to hit something.

Ali and mom helped her into a chair. I backed off, watching Emmett take bodyguard status over my girl. My girl? What the—?

She looked nervous. Not just embarrassed nervous—but I'm-about-to-tell-a-lie nervous. I was familiar with that feeling, and I could read it on her face.

"Well, uh." She ran her fingers through her shiny mahogany hair. I almost groaned. I wished those were my fingers in her hair. I bet it's crazy soft.

"I have a traveling problem." Her excuse drew my attention back to her face. Her eyes flickered around, not holding on to anything specific. I narrowed my own.

"You see I get really bad motion sickness. Really bad. So I haven't eaten much today, or even yesterday. And whatever I do eat I throw-up, which I guess causes me to be fatigued, and leads to a whole lot of fainting."

She was so lying. She saw me looking at her, and glanced back down at her hands wringing. "I'm so sorry I freaked everyone out."

I was so not buying it. I wanted to call her out on the lie. I wanted to know what the hell was going on. I heard her. Someone had hurt her. Emmett said she didn't like getting touched. Something was not right.

I was pulled out of my internal argument by Emmett. "Time to go, Bells." She nodded and slowly pulled herself out of the chair, as if she was expecting to be bruised and sore.

She gave me eye contact. I knew I wanted to say something, but I was lost. Those eyes consumed me, took me over.

She must have seen my resolve, and she shook her head at me. She was keeping something, and didn't want to tell.

I nodded minutely, waiting for now—but I would find out what was going on. I wouldn't hold off forever.

I stalked off to my room.

Too much. Too flipping much. I need another run.

Reviews are better than Emmett's 'bond' with the homeless man.

ps. WDarcy you so get all the credit for Emmett's story--wow you have the funniest friends.