Oh, I forgot to mention that, yes, the title names are, for the most part, all from the Death Note anime. x)

Disclaimer: The Twilight Saga belongs to Stephanie Meyer.


Recap:
I tried to compose myself as I started up my truck that groaned but whirred to life. I had no choice. It was obvious what I had to do.

I'm so sorry, Edward.


Chapter 2
TACTICS
bella p.o.v.

I was shivering as I stepped inside. Thankfully Charlie had the heat on—that or didn't have the air on—so it was warm. To me, though, anything was warm. The little bit of warmth didn't keep my teeth from chattering though; I was still soaking wet.

Charlie jumped up from the couch. "Bella, why are you wet?" he asked. "And where were you?" I could almost hear the real question: Why weren't you here in time to make me dinner?

I had forgotten that I'd gone out before Charlie came home, just after Edward left. I swallowed hard when I came across his name, even in my thoughts. It was hard to think about what I was about to do; there was no doubt he was already in my room. Alice would have told him that I'd disappeared, probably right when I walked into the diner because of the werewolf ear, and he'd probably rushed over.

"I just went out, dad," I said. "I'm sorry I didn't leave a note—oh, thanks," I said as he draped his thick, dark jacket he wore whenever he went on patrol, over my dripping shoulders. "Do you want me to make you something?"

Charlie looked embarrassed. "I ordered pizza," he said. "Sorry."

I laughed; the feeling did wonders for my nerves, but it only lasted as long as the laugh did. "Dad, I'm not insulted that you ordered pizza—in fact, I'm relieved. We wouldn't want you to go hungry—or burn down the house trying to cook, would we?"

Charlie laughed at my jibe as he sat back down on the couch, flipping the television back on. "Bella, go change, you're making me nervous," he commanded. "You're going to catch a cold—and then who's going to make me food?" I joined his laughter briefly, and then headed up the stairs, my nerves making my stomach hurt.

With every stair I climbed, the butterflies in my stomach gained more and more strength, until I thought I might throw up. I'm sorry, kept internally apologizing. I'm so sorry, Edward. I'm so sorry.

I stopped in front of my door, and took a deep breath, rehearsing over what I had gone over in the car. I'd have to be brief with him enough to where he knew something was wrong, but not to harsh to where he would try to get it out of me before I had a chance to talk to Lucas.

I choked at the other name. Edward, Lucas. Both sent shivers down my spine.

I could hear his frustrated breaths on the other side of the door, hitching and falling unevenly, along with footsteps; he was pacing. And then suddenly both of the two sounds stopped altogether, and I knew for a fact that he could hear and smell me standing outside the door. I held my breath, as if maybe I could fool him out of knowing I was there, giving myself a few more moments to compose myself.

Instead I took a deep breath, held it in my lungs for as long as I could, and twisted the doorknob.

Hundreds of emotions swarmed me at once: relief of the stress; an addition of stress because of what I had to do; sadness that I had to betray him; pity that he would have to go through this, and because of his expression, fear and guilt.

And then I was enveloped in cold stone arms. I sighed, and knew that I was forgiven. Well, for the most part… not that it mattered

Edward planted a cold kiss on my cheek, causing me to wonder if he even noticed that I was soaking wet, and some of the water drenching my shirt was now on his.

It took me a minute to register that he was frowning at me. "Bella Swan, where were you?" His eyes were still a dark brown; he hadn't gotten a full hunt. I felt responsible for that, giving me another reason to feel guilty. I'm so sorry, Edward.

But I didn't have time for this. I had to be convincing, Lucas had said. And there was no doubt he was listening, or watching everything I was doing. I wondered why Edward couldn't smell him. Did his acute sense of smell only go such short distances?

"Sorry," I said, trying hard to sound curt, and to the point. I brushed past him, and pulled a dry nightgown out of my drawer. "I went to go see Jacob. I got lonely." I shrugged, like it was no big deal. My throat was growing thick; I refused to meet his eyes so he couldn't tell that I was on the verge of tears.

Make it convincing, Lucas had said. I swallowed the pain away. I had to think of Edward's wellbeing. I had to hurt him to save him.

To save him, I reminded myself.

Edward sighed his obvious frustration, looking hard at me, as if he were trying to look past me, or figure me out.

"You don't smell like him," he said.

"You know, rain will do that," I snapped. His eyes widened at my frank remark, and he stared at me. I held his stare.

When he realized I hadn't—and very obviously wasn't going to apologize to him hastily like I would have under any other circumstances, his brows knit together in an expression of pure confusion and hurt. To save him…

"You worried me," he told me.

"Sorry," I snapped again, like an agitated daughter would speak to her mother when she thought she was being overprotective. "Am I not allowed to have a life when you abandon me?"

"I…" he stammered, totally taken aback by my outburst. "I didn't realize…"

I huffed.

He seemed to think that it was an apologetic sigh. One that said, "I wasn't thinking." He wrapped his arms around me again, making me colder than I already was.

"Edward!" I said, acting on what I felt. I pushed him away, hard, but only hard enough to where he'd move. If I pushed him softly, he probably wouldn't feel it. "I'm soaking wet, thank you for noticing, by the way. And you're just making me colder by touching me. Will you just keep your hands off?"

He dropped his hands like I was on fire and gaped at me.

"I'm sorry," I huffed. "I just—" I put a hand to my temple like I was worn out. "I'm going to go take a shower, okay? I'll be back in a few minutes." I couldn't bring myself to say human moment like I normally would. It was too familiar, and hurt too much to say when I was being so heartless to him. To. Save. Him.

He nodded wordlessly, his mouth still slightly open in shock.

I walked out of the room, quietly enough to where I wouldn't alarm Charlie, but hard enough to where any sane person didn't need to be told twice to keep out of my way.

The butterflies at my stomach were getting out of control. As a tear leaked down my cheek, I felt that bad coffee coming back.

Reflexively, I ran into the bathroom and was violently sick into the toilet.

Breathing heavily, sobbing, I ran water in the sink and splashed some in my face. The cool water felt good against my hot cheeks. I reached to flush the toilet, but there was already a hand on the lever, flushing it before I got a chance to.

Lucas looked completely disgusted at me as he reached around me to close us into the small bathroom. "Was that completely necessary?" his seductive voice said, beautiful even in it's dislike. Shaking his head like I was the most completely mental person he had met in his life, he reached into the bathtub and turned the shower on.

I was still sobbing, vision so blurred I could hardly make out his beauty. Even with an unclear view on him, his eyes were still a blinding red.

"Why are you making me do this?" I sobbed. "Please—"I begged. "Please…"

"Shut up, human," Lucas snapped. "If he hears us, so help me, I will—"

"He can't," I assured him, still crying. "He won't be focusing. He can't focus on anything. Why?" I asked him again, tears coming faster, harder. "Why are you making me do this? Why are you—" I was hardly aware that I was slapping his chest with both hands as I sobbed into his shirt. "Why, why, why? I hate—"

But my words were cut off as the back of his hand connected with my cheek, sending me hurtling the floor. For a minute, I saw stars as I writhed on the floor. And then he scooped me up, grabbing my wrists and shaking me, hard. "Remember who you're talking to, you scum," he said, shaking me hardest with the word, scum, as if that would embed it into my being. "Remember, one false move and you can kiss your father goodbye!" With the last syllable he threw me into the wall. I slid down, aching at my back, my wrists, my cheek.

With the last bit of strength I had, I gathered all of my courage and spoke. "Edward will kill you," I warned him.

Lucas laughed heartily. "With the broken state he's already in? You wouldn't have time to explain—and like this he couldn't kill a human in combat. He'd be no threat." And the satisfied grin slid off of his face. "Remember your place, human."

I swallowed hard. He was right.

"Here," he said, throwing the gown I'd brought in at me. "Change."

"Where am I supposed to—" I began to object. I wasn't about to strip down in front of him.

"Just do it!" he snapped, and I winced.

I gathered myself up and stood, careful not to brush or touch him at all when I passed. I slipped into the small closet that I kept towels, the hamper and my toothbrush in, aching to brush my teeth as the taste of stale coffee still filled my mouth.

It was near impossible to operate in such a small space, with the hamper and shelves jutting out at me. Not to mention it was hugely uncomfortable seeing the slits in the door, and noticing Lucas outside, even though I could see very clearly he wasn't looking at me.

I managed to slip off my clothes and into the gown, succeeding in scraping my leg on a nail jutting out of the wall in the process. I hadn't known it was there, but then, how often did I really get shut inside of the pantry in the bathroom to give me time to notice it?

I stumbled out, still slightly dizzy from previous events.

Lucas glanced at his watch impatiently before looking up at me.

"If you're too gentle with him, I'm going to make you seriously regret it," he threatened. "Be convincing; your last performance was mediocre. Stop being so emotional. And you know what?" He put his finger to his lip thoughtfully, like a teacher commenting on a school report. "Tantalize him at first, like you're about to apologize to him. And then slice him in half."

I opened my mouth to protest, but Lucas gave me a look, and I closed it, still aching from when he'd thrown me against the wall.

"Now, take a shower because he'll smell me on you. I'm going pay a visit to your Edward. See you in just a minute," he said, and grinned at the baffled expression I gave him.

I didn't even care. I hoped that he was hoping Edward wouldn't notice him, that Lucas would pull something impossibly stupid, and Edward would kill him. As I moved to take off my clothes I realized I was wearing my nightgown, and groaned. Did he have to make me change twice? It was obvious he thoroughly enjoyed driving me insane.

The shower I took was too short to get any scent off of me, and I knew it. But I hopped out quickly and pulled on the dry nightgown, and brushed my teeth.

I remembered Lucas's sinister smile, and the hatred I felt for him rekindled.

For the moment, I was only aware of one thing: I had to find a way to kill him.

Give me some feedback. How am I doing? Chapter too short? Too long? Let me know.
-Crizlish